Chicago q

Sweet lord in heaven this place is amazing.
Mainly for the ribs. I cant stop thinking about them. I had the St. Louis style full rack last night and it was perfect. Juicy, Tender, Smoky meat falling right off the bone. Seriously the best ribs Ive ever had. And Ive had 17^th Street before. Thats saying something.
The sauces are just ok but thats fine because you dont need them. The ribs are that good. I got the brisket too which was also good but I almost wish I would have just gotten 2 orders of ribs.
I did not get the competition style and I dont think its necessary. Also I was so focused on the ribs that I really cant comment on the sides or the apps.
I can comment on the free pickles and chips served at the beginning. I inhaled them. Something about house pickled things… I find them so addicting.
One thing I will say is the service was a bit off. My waitress wasnt bad – just a bit strange. She didn’t greet us at the start of the meal – she just started filling up our waters. She also didnt ask us if and when we were ready to order– I had to say «Im ready to order now.» Also didn’t check on us to make sure everything came out ok. Like I said, not particularly bad, just sort of awkward – meaning her rhythm was off. But this doesnt really matter because the RIBS WERE SO FLIPPIN GOOD AND I WAS IN RIB LAND AND SO HAPPY.
Thank you Restaurant Week for a wonderful discovery!

Yumm. Some of the best BBQ in Chicago. I love the chili BBQ sauce. My suggestion is to come for lunch. It is such a great deal and includes so much food! The honey cornbread is so delicious as well. I’ve had almost everything here and I honestly think the pulled pork is my favorite.
I’ve also been for a «pig roast» with a bigger group. It ends up being about $ 50 a person which isn’t a bad deal. It’s not your typical roast though. More that they just bring out the shoulder and shred it in front of you. Still a good deal if you have a big enough group to call ahead and do it.
If you’re looking for a classier BBQ joint. Look no further than Q

Went here for brunch and was stuffed when I left. Bloody Mary bar and Benedict platter were both delicious choices.

Just okay. Good service and decent food, but nothing about the BBQ blows me away. I had the combo chicken and pork plate. For some reason all the BBQ sauces besides the mustard BBQ seemed similar to me— for example, the spicy one wasn’t that spicy. The chipotle corn was a favorite at the table. The more I had the sweet pickles, the more I liked it as well— or maybe I just needed some veggies and crunch to go with all the meat that I was devouring.

The food was amazing; the portions were so big that I feel like I got two dinners for the price of one. The space was so cozy and with really great music. I felt like I was at a legit, Southern BBQ joint in the middle of Chicago. And the service was top notch. Will absolutely be back for more.

My new go to BBQ restaurant, Chicago Q during restaurant week was epic.
I spent 4 years in North Carolina and a bit of time in Texas, so I have had decent exposure to various BBQ styles. Chicago Q would hold its own to any restaurant in Carolina.
Chicago Q was my second stop during restaurant week. After going to the Michelin Star rated Sepia the day before, I had really low expectations because Sepia served me an energy bar for dessert and an overcooked pork sponged thing for the main course. Chicago Q’s interior reminded me of a southern mansion — something from Gone with the Wind. It was charming and felt appropriate for «classy» bbq.
The waiter was friendly and got us started right away with sweet pickles and fresh chips. Wow, these were good. We ordered the restaurant week menu, which was another 3 course deal for 22 dollars.
The first course was three chicken wings in a super complex and rich bbq sauce. The meat was tender enough that we were able to use a butter knife and fork to pull everything off. To be honest, my girlfriend and I were already starting to get full by the end of this course.
The main course was crazy. I got the beef brisket, which included 4 Subway Footlong Sandwich length beef pieces sliced thinly. I also substituted a hearty portion of bruled mac and cheese for the normal fries. AND THE SAUCES! The courses were served with 4 different sauces from various BBQ styles, including the Carolinas, Memphis, and Texas. BBQ fusion? I literally ate like 6 bites and just didn’t have any more room in my stomach. IT was so tasty though that I pushed through and finished half of the meal. My poor GF got the baby back rips and went through like 2 out of the 6 ribs.
We sat there in stupor while the server boxed up the food for us. Then, he brought out dessert and I just laughed. I ordered cookies thinking I would get some bite sized baked goods. Nope. The cookies were massive Texas sized. I laughed and immediately asked to get it boxed up.
I went home and fell asleep shortly after. It was marvelous. 100% will come back

Chicago q is the sort of meal you need to prepare yourself for… physically, emotionally, spiritually. Do not think you can come here without some proper planning and be okay – no, no.
It will be so. much. food. And the food will be so. delicious. And you will wish you had fasted just a bit longer before coming here so you could snork down just a few. more. bites.
The ambience is beautiful – upscale, understated southern décor, lovely coffered ceilings, paneled walls, water served in repurposed whiskey bottles, servers in plaid shirts and the occasional plastic-​framed glasses and hipster beard.
When you sit down, you’ll be plied with complimentary house-​made pickles (a bit sweet and studded with mustard seeds) and potato chips, made with the same seasoning they use as a dry rub on the meat. Do not overlook these items just because you didn’t order them. They are worth your attention.
If you’re lucky enough to be there for brunch, consider gorging yourself on the benedict flight, which features breakfast potatoes and one of each of their three benedicts: prime brisket (served on a cheddar chive biscuit and mustard hollandaise), smoked chicken (on honey butter cornbread with hollandaise), and southern eggs (on a slice of fried green tomato with pulled pork and cajun hollandaise). Easily more than enough for two to share.
Don’t miss the ribs, which are brought to you nearly falling apart they’re so tender. They’re dry rubbed and served sans sauce, but if you’re into sauce, fear not – you’ll be brought a quartet of house made sauces so you can find the one that wets your whistle, whether you prefer sweet, vinegary, spicy, or mustardy.
And then there are the sides. The honey butter cornbread, the carrot cake pancake, the mac and cheese. The mac is served in a cast iron skilled and topped with panko bread crumbs, some of that ubiquitous seasoning, chives, and more cheese, plus whatever else you want to add – burnt ends, pulled pork, bacon, smoked corn, etc.
After availing yourself of all the rich, caloric goodness that q has to offer, you’ll need to budget some recovery time. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I came here the morning after a particularly epic Halloween party, with a particularly epic hangover. Here’s what I remember.
1) The bloody mary bar. This was key. Hair of the dog. A couple different kinds of bloody mary mix, a selection of fixins for the drink — little pickles, cured meats, all kinds of cool stuff, really.
2) Some kind of breakfast BBQ. I left satisfied, but was afflicted with the green apple quickstep about an hour later. I don’t know if this was the food or if it was because of the previous night’s epic alcohol overindulgence.
Anyway, I would recommend. Cool décor too.

Went for bunch and ordered the Prime Brisket Eggs Benedict which did not disappoint — generous portions and the meat melted in your mouth. Also shared an order of the Sweet Potato Pancakes with their homemade pecan butter and bourbon maple syrup which was wonderful.
Loved the traditional southern vibe/​atmosphere of the restaurant, definitely a hidden gem in the Gold Coast.

After being burned in relationships, I’m not very big on second chances; however, the humanist in me would like to believe that everyone is capable of change. So when I received what seemed like a very sincere apology from Phil M (Business Manager) via Unilocal and an equally apologetic email from Nick Crowley (Assistant General Manager), I dug deep into my soul and decided to try their brunch to see if they could win me back.
I made a reservation for a few friends and we came on a Sunday. It wasn’t busy at all, which could be due to the fact that it was the weekend after Thanksgiving, and the difference was truly night and day. I had previously come for dinner and it was incredibly dark. This time it was in the middle of the day and their skylight lets in a ton of natural light. This was much more my style!
Nick made it a point to stop by our table and see that we were taken care of. Our Server was Kyle and he’s one of the coolest dudes I’ve ever met in the restaurant industry. If you can get him as a Server, please do! He was on top of our drinks and food. If he didn’t immediately know the answer to a question, he was more than willing to go ask someone who could provide the answers. We got some great insight into the revamped menu and he provided some excellent information about random restaurant facts.
The chips n dips held off our hunger as we waited for a friend to arrive. While waiting, we tried some of the cocktails. I’m sad to say the Hazelnut Old Fashioned is no longer on the menu and you cannot order it as a specialty drink since they don’t have the proper bitters for it now, but they have a number of other great options. I ordered The Dear Bourne, which is more like a Margarita. My friend went with the Ryebation, which I would say is a good substitute for the Hazelnut Old Fashioned. I also tried the Appleplectic and really liked it. You’re gonna love it if you’re into sweet ciders. We also found that their housemade Bloody Mary is good.
Kyle was super suave and suggested we order an appetizer or two while we waited. I was quick to get another order of the House Bacon Cheddar Hush Puppies since I had loved them so much the first time. They did not disappoint this time either.
For our main courses we each tried something different. My friends went with the Prime Brisket Eggs Benedict and the Cheddar-​Chive Biscuits and Gravy. Both were very happy with their selection. I couldn’t decide what to get, so I did what any undecided person should do and went with the Benedict Flight. It came with 1 Prime Brisket Eggs Benedict and 1 Southern Eggs Benedict. It would normally come with 1 Smoked Chicken Eggs Benedict, but we’d been told they had some turkey left over from specials throughout Thanksgiving week, so I substituted the chicken for 1 Turkey Eggs Benedict. It was heavenly! I’m not a huge fan of mustard, but the mustard grain hollandaise on the Prime Brisket was fantastic! Unfortunately, the Cheddar-​Chive Biscuit was dry, but it had good flavor and wasn’t too bad after you let it sit in sauce for a while. The Honey Butter Cornbread did not have this issue and paired well with the turkey. My favorite was probably the Southern Eggs Benedict because I’m a sucker for pulled pork.
Our order of Signature Carrot Cake Pancakes never showed up, but we had so much food that I honestly forgot about it until well after our meal since it was meant to be shared and not a main course for someone. I’m relatively sure that it wasn’t on our bill either, so we didn’t pay for something we didn’t get. Also, Kyle suggested a number of desserts and we opted for the Peanut Butter Pie. It was so large and so rich that I doubt we’d have been able to eat both of those and I can’t imagine that anything could be better than that pie. Each of us took substantial bites of this pie and I ended up bringing about ¾ of it home and it lasted another week between my husband and I nibbling on it here and there.
Taking everything into consideration, I’m still uncertain whether or not Chicago q is worth the trek for dinner; however, I’d call our brunching experience a great success. It cost a bit more than other brunch options but, overall, the food was a lot better than other places I’ve been to and they have some interesting takes on classics that I think are worth exploring. Consider this relationship salvaged.

For the price, I was expecting better. I did take out my food, so perhaps the ten minute walk back to my hotel affected the quality slightly.
I had one of the lunch specials, «The Smoker.» This came with baby back ribs, and I chose the brisket and side of buttermilk mashed potatoes. Priced at $ 15, this seemed just slightly higher than similar deals I’ve had at other BBQ places. I guess you’re paying for the ambiance, which was lost on me with takeout.
Disappointed with the baby back ribs, which were a little dry and definitely far from fall off the bone juicy deliciousness. Brisket was better with nice flavoring but still not as awesome as expected. Mashed potatoes were tasty, but I’ve had better.
Overall, may be nice place to dine in with friends, but if you’re looking for quality BBQ, I’d try elsewhere.

Its 10pm in Chicago and my friend, his wife, and myself are starving. Lo and behold we found Chicago Q along with free parking. I found the restaurant and immediately made a reservation. Once we arrived, we were seated promptly. The restaurant is dark with a classy BBQ joint décor. I liked it. I ordered the BBQ Salmon with mashed potatoes. The food was good. I would recommend.

I can honestly say this is the first time a waiter has ever come up to the table and asked me if I’m alright because I look like I’m going to be sick … that’s how full I was, because I couldn’t stop eating the delicious food!
My boyfriend & I were in town for the weekend & tried this spot based on a recommendation from a friend & man, we were not disappointed! We both ended up getting baby back ribs (our waiter said they were his favorite thing on the menu) and we both opted to swap out /​upgrade our sides: mac & cheese, and mashed potatoes. Everything was so delicious that I wished I was a cow with extra stomach’s so I had room to house it all.
On top of the delicious food, the atmosphere was fun and energetic, but with romantic lighting so it was a perfect date night spot for us! To top it all off, the cherry on the sundae if you will, our waiter /​the service was exceptional — which goes a very long way in my book!
I’d definitely go back again, and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a great dinner spot in Chicago!
Helpful hint: definitely make reservations.

Still really good. We love the competition ribs. The mac and cheese is really good. Hubby loves the pickles. Not crazy about the chips – they are a bit sweet.
Still great bourbon and bourbon based cocktails.
Service was good. We had fun.

Went to visit my brother in Chicago, and he took us all out to eat for brunch. I was definitely not disappointed by this BBQ joint. As an East coaster, and a born and raised southerner, I tend to be a little snotty about my BBQ. I’m currently living in Boston, a land void of real and delicious BBQ.
Chicago q, was excellent though. Although I had the pulled pork eggs benedict with the fried green tomatoes (which was excellent and a must try!), I also had the opportunity to taste ribs, award winning pulled pork (this is AMAZING, PLEASE HAVE PULLED PORK WHEN YOU DINE HERE), and chicken. The chicken, was chicken, so I wouldn’t say go for it… but we were even told that by our excellent and attentive server. The benedict was unique with a creole style hollandaise and fried green tomatoes instead of the typical carbohydrate that is served with a good old fashioned benny. It was divine, I am salivating just thinking about it. Upon return, I would opt for some straight pulled pork.
Meals start with bread and butter pickles, house-​made, which I’m not really a fan of, but these were to DIE for… also, served are house made potato chips, which I didn’t have a chance to try because my family scarfed them down so quickly. I feel fully confident that this means they’re also delicious.
And…what brunch wouldn’t be complete without a bloody mary?! Well q’s has a bloody bar. I am lazy at brunch though… so I opted to have the bartender make mine for me, extra spicy! It was *good*. Again, New England isn’t known for having fabulous bloodies, so this was refreshing!
I can see why this is my brother’s go to spot for visitors. I can’t wait to return to Chicago, this time with my fiancé in tow to dine here again!

Chicago q is just fabulous, and here’s why:
–It wins in the first impression department thanks to it’s adorable exterior (southern plantation house meets urban Chicago?) and on-​point décor. The inside of the restaurant is immaculate.
–Service is excellent. Get ready for some knowledgeable, attentive, professional, and funny waitstaff.
–The price is right. Barbecue is often a lotta-​food-​for-​a-​little-​price venture, and Chicago q doesn’t disappoint. $ 30 can buy two meals (and trust me, there will be leftovers).
The food is most important, though, and Chicago q shines there as well. Your meal will start with homemade barbecue chips and sweet pickles, refills on request. Then, get ready for pulled pork that is smoked and tender and juicy (and bountiful). Imagine side dishes that are perfectly prepared, including baked beans served right in the cast iron skillet, loads of fresh cut fries, and delicious cornbread. Prepare for multiple sauces delivered to your table in individual serving dishes (no squeeze bottles here). Save room for desserts that just by their description get your mouth watering.
I don’t live in Chicago anymore, but whenever I go back to visit, I always want to go to Chicago q.

If I reviewed the food alone, particularly the macaroni & cheese, Chicago Q would easily earn 4 or 5 stars. But the experience dining here overall was just A-​OK.
The cocktails sound better than they actually are. I ordered a Jalapeño Margarita, a teeny bit spicy and strong, but it wasn’t great. I struck out when I ordered a bourbon cocktail, served in a cute little glass pitcher, but it wasn’t great and despite the cuteness, not worth the price. Cocktails were all $ 12 – 15. Beer is beer, but none of my friends were too enthusiastic about the cocktails. So if you’re dining at Chicago Q, dive right into your meal and skip the cocktail menu.
Our group ordered some appetizers, and I selfishly ate more than my fair share of hush puppies. Those were good! But I’ve never had a bad hush puppy.
The macaroni & cheese option is a fun game of mix & match. You can order the mac regular (just cheese), 2 meats, or 3 meats. I only wanted one, but since that wasn’t an option, I went with 2 and chose the brisket meatballs and pulled pork. This cheesy dish will more than satisfy any mac & cheese addict. The brisket meatballs were tender and delicious. Honestly it’s one of the best mac & cheese dishes in Chicago. $ 16 might be outrageous, but it was worth it considering I made two meals out of this.
I was disappointed with the corn bread. It was dry and for $ 7 you get a chunk of bread with a tiny bit of butter. Meh, skip it!
Overall, my stomach was happy, but my wallet was not. There is no shortage of BBQ in the city, and although the inside of Chicago Q is more posh lodge than bar-​bee-​cue hoe down, it wouldn’t be at the top of my BBQ list.
Service was terrible. At a table of 7, they screwed up 2 orders. One of my friends got the wrong entrée and another friend’s meat was very undercooked. They did comp the meals and fix the error, but doing so was time consuming.
Don’t be a fool — the mac & cheese is awesome, but like many restaurants in this area, it’s going to be hit or miss.

I was sadly pretty disappointed by Chicago Q. I really wanted to like it, and I had very high expectations. After seeing the reviews and photos, I thought for sure that we would have a great experience. Not so very much.
I came here with a group of lady friends on a weeknight. We had a reservation (thank goodness because this place got packed!). While I was waiting for for everyone to show up, I ordered a beer at the bar. The bartenders were not friendly at all, and I noticed that the drinks were quite pricey. Later on, many people didn’t like the drinks that they ordered. I was told that the Old Fashioned was good. The beer list was decent as well.
Eventually we were seated and given pickles and BBQ chips made in-​house. Those were delicious. Then service just went drastically downhill. Our waitress was nice, but we had to flag her down SO many times. To order drinks, appetizers, food, get the check, tell her about issues we had with the food, etc. The food and drinks took forever to come to the table. When we finally got the food, one girl’s steak was completely overdone, and another girl ended up receiving something she didn’t even order. She had to wait so long to get her food. By the time she got hers we were done. Then she had to wait for her side! The manager did take their food completely off the bill, but that’s really terrible.
Beyond that, I thought the food was mediocre. Nothing comes pre-​sauced. They bring you 4 sauces (we were never told what they were… so we guessed). I got the slider trio. There was barely any meat on the buns. The brisket was good, but the pulled pork and chicken were just ok. The people who got the mac and cheese were happy. Everyone else said it was just ok. The corn bread was a little dry — they give you 3 huge pieces and one little tiny dollop of butter (you have your choice between 2 kinds). The hush puppies were the best part of the meal.
When it was all said and done, the food was really overpriced for the quality and service. A really disappointing experience overall.

I’ve dined here twice — once for dinner and once for brunch. I can tell you that brunch here is most definitely better than dinner.
On the first visit, it was winter. We wanted something heavy. My friend had the BBQ chicken and I had the pulled pork. We shared the mac and cheese. Though it’s been while since this dinner, I can remember that their mac and cheese changed our lives for the better. It was one of the best I’ve ever had. You must order this! The main dishes that day were unfortunately not up to par to our expectations.
On my second and most recent brunch visit, I ordered the eggs benedict trio and subbed the chicken for an extra brisket benedict. The first thing I gotta say is — this plate was huge! It fed me for two meals as I took the rest home for the next day’s breakfast. The pork benedict was served on a fried green tomato with a sauce that was incredibly spicy and overpowering but it was still delicious. The highlight was the brisket benedict that came served on a biscuit and topped with a mustard sauce. Oh my! So, so good!
The service during brunch was spectacular. Our server and his assistant filled our glasses and got us everything we needed right away. There was not one time during that meal that I disliked anything (besides the spicy sauce, haha).
Though Chicago Q is not the best BBQ in Chicago, it IS one of the best different, hearty brunches I’ve experienced.

We went to Chicago Q to celebrate our daughter’s birthday, and boy did we celebrate. We arrived earlier than our reservation, so we started with drinks in their sidewalk seating. I had a Rye Whiskey flight. The manager took our order and after a quick discussion on various Rye’s we’d each tried, he offered to put together a special flight for me. There were three premium Ryes. The photo shows what each was. My wife a daughter each had a Bulleit Bourbon Peach Teas. Man were they strong.
They serve home-​made pickles and home-​made barbecue chips. When you finish a bowl they are quick to bring more.
When our son arrived we moved to a table inside. More drinks — I had an Old Fashioned which was marvelous. My son ordered a Sazerac which I normally am not fond of, but this was quite good. Since it was our daughter’s birthday she had a few more throughout the evening.
Dinner was outstanding. I think I posted pictures of mostly everything. I had the smoked chicken with fries. My wife and daughter shared the ‘pick three’ — brisket, St Louis Style ribs and pulled chicken. They also had a vegetable skewer. My son had one of their specials — Salmon with figs and a few other things. We also had their potato salad and an order of smoked chicken wings.
I ended finishing up the Sazerac. So, by the end of the evening I had too much to drink and was in a food coma.
Without calling out each item, I will say that Q is one of the best barbecue spots in Chicago. The food was all very, very good. The drinks were plentiful and strong. The service was absolutely outstanding. Special kudos to our waiter, Seth, who was beyond compare. The manager, Ben, knew his stuff and was also very attentive and very knowledgeable.
If you have not been to Q, you don’t know what you’re missing. If you have not tried real barbecue before, this is the place to try it.
We had a wonderful time. My thanks to the staff for making our special visit so enjoyable.

Dans une petite maison un peu en retrait des principaux restau, super restau de viande. Le bœuf de Kobe était cependant un peu trop cuit mais la qualité était la.

Diner en famille à 6 dans ce restaurant. La terrasse étant saturée, nous avons dû nous replier sur la salle intérieure.
Tout commence avec quelques délicieux Pickles et quelques chips bien grasses.
La spécialité de la maison est la cuisine au BBQ, et c’est plutôt réussi. Les Ribs sont simplement les meilleurs que j’ai mangés, fondants, drapés de leur marinade doucereuse. Les Burgers avaient l’air juteux à souhait, surtout si vous les commandez saignants à dire vrai. Enfin l’assortiment de sauces (BBQ, South Carolina) réhausse à merveille les frites maison!
Petit bémol, les vins sont plutôt chers par rapport à leur qualité…