Soco Kitchen & Bar Wollongong

The bottom end of Crown street is not just a place for seedy bars and weekend revellers anymore. There are lots of little gems opening up that are serving up thoughtfully designed menus and amazing food. Soco Kitchen is the brain child of Sean Jones and Amy Bennett. Sean works his magic in the kitchen and Amy takes care of everything else front of house. The venue is cozy and intimate with a bar at one end and tables lining either side of the modest dining room. They decor is super cool and kitschy. The original gaudy depictions of Roman goddesses and cherubs still adorn the walls; remnants of the locations former life as an Italian restaurant. Overlaying the old is southern/ creole American paraphernalia such as skulls, beads and the like. It’s weird, but hey, it works! The thing that really makes your evening memorable at Soco is the amazing service delivered southern hospitality style. Amy is a sensational host and you really feel like she is inviting you into her home to settle in for some amazing home style cooking. We had the smoked fish dip and Cuban pork bites for entree. The fish dip is light and creamy. The fish flavour isn’t overwhelming and topped with beautiful popping row there is lots of good things going on with this dish. The pork bites look like a small serve but they are decadent and rich and more than satisfied our group of three. For mains we ordered the Soco Gumbo, Fried Chicken & Waffle and the Slow Roasted Beef Brisket. All the dishes were great. The chicken and waffles has some very unique flavours with sweet meets sour and juicy chicken meets crunchy batter and fluffy waffles. The brisket melts in your mouth and is served with baked potatoes and wilted spinach. The dish is tasty but very very rich and perhaps a little heavy for some. Bring your appetite because it’s going to fill you up! The gumbo is probably not the same as you would find in the US but it holds its own as a complex and satisfying dish. It’s comfort food that will have you licking the bowl… if you can get through the serving. And don’t forget the corn bread, it’s delicious. We didn’t get a chance to sample the extensive drinks and cocktail menu but it looked really interesting. We had a great nigh! Thanks 🙏

Wonderful food, best in town/state/country. Amazing and friendly service. Cannot recommend highly enough

Amazing dining experience! Very friendly service keeping us well looked after and feeling comfortable and homely. The pork bites flavour was to die for and all the cocktails we sampled were delicious! I had some tacos and my friend a burger. Our only problem was not being able to finish all the food as we got too full! Will definitely be coming back to enjoy again!

What a fantastic culinary experience!! All the meals were delicious. Authentic southern American cuisine and the hospitality to boot. These guys nailed it, we were full and still considering ordering more. We will be back!!