Merle’s Barbeque

Normally I wouldn’t come all the way to Evanston for dinner, but Merle’s had a Groupon and my husband loves BBQ so we figured we’d make an evening out of it.
The place was packed when we got there, but they sat us upstairs where we were the ONLY people. Weird. It started to fill up eventually and I started to wonder why they needed to do a Groupon…
And then I tried the food. Everything was just average. The flavor was really lame, which is not at all what you’d expect from BBQ, which should be cooked low and slow with tons of flavor. The food almost seemed like it wasn’t prepared from scratch– like what you’d expect from a BBQ chain like Smokey Bones or Famous Dave’s, but not even as good as those.
I see Merle’s is now closed. I can’t say I am too surprised.

We love Merle’s and can’t believe it closed. Please come back? This rating is based solely on their pulled pork sandwiches, barbeque sauce, and delicious sides.

It skewers me to write this update. I’m so burned. I hope they don’t consider this a roast.
Okay, bbq puns time is over. Time to get serious.
The long and short of it is that Merle’s took everything wonderful off their menu and I don’t know why. The menu has been shrunken and everything I loved — including the WORLD’S BEST WINGS — have either been obliterated or «scaled back». That means there are no side salads — no wedge, no caesar, nothing. They don’t even have fries anymore, much less fries to serve as a crispy delicious bed for the WORLD’S BEST WINGS.
So, you get less food, but the price is the same. Plus, you can’t get the wings «dressed» anymore (smoked, then fried), just smoked. I am so heartbroken. I may never love [wings] again.
The menu is now: four different smoked meat platters, sides, a single sandwich, a single salad, disappointing wings and a couple token appetizers. Service was friendly, but our waiter was SUPER confused and I’m pretty sure he was wrong about a couple things.
When it came down to it, literally the only thing on the menu I was interested in was the one salad (chopped), and with added chicken it was a freaking $ 15 salad. Boyfriend’s pulled pork platter was in the area of $ 18. Sorry, but that’s ridiculous even if the food is tasty. It ain’t THAT tasty. Although, props to the meat/​veg ratio of my salad. You know it’s a bbq place when you have about as much meat as you do lettuce. (Still, my assessment of the price stands.)
Drinks: mine was too sweet, BF’s was too strong.
I don’t think I’ll be going back. I’m just too betrayed and disappointed.

I used to go here back in the day, and went back recently. Was with two companions who were ravenous, and looked at ME for a lunch recommendation.
Well. .. BBQ is always a hit. They basically serve big plates of meat here. BIG PLATES OF MEAT. And great sides. .. corn cobs, collard greens, cole slaw.
I invoked the «peer pressure» rule to get a round of Schlitz Tall Boys for all of us. And then another. Any place that has Schlitz. Good thing.
I got the rib tips, and it was a giant amount of MEAT for a standard lunch price. The sauce was quite good, but I thought the meat was a bit overdone. Too well done, and a bit too chewy. I took the other half of my meal home, and by the next day, it was very dried out and sort of tired.
It was not that crowded. Actually, I’ve never been in this place when it’s been crowded — on the day I was there, or 9 years ago. SO if you are in the area, it’s a good BBQ option.
But, if you have time, go to Hecky’s instead.

We came with our groupon for 2 people special, which included 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, 2 sides, and 2 desserts. It’s a great deal! We ordered
chips and guac — ok chips, good guacamole
caesar salad — too much dressing!
chicken wings — too vinegary
pulled pork — good, need more flavor
ribs — ok, not tender enough
pulled chicken — really needs seasoning
texas brisket — good, wish there were more
key lime pie — ok, need to be more tangy.
the food was ok very all, great deal for the HUGE amount of food we got, but not enough flavor.

Six other friends and I came for their Monday night ribs special — all you can eat ribs for $ 15 pp. They offer ribs in spicy/​mild dry/​wet rubs, and you get to pick 2 sides on top of that. The spicy rub wasn’t even hot, it just had a slight kick. The ribs were very tasty, and because it was a slow night, we didn’t have to worry about them running out of ribs.
As for the side dishes, the mac ‘n’ cheese and tater tots were unimpressive, although my friends vouched for the cornbread and steamed vegetables.
Overall, good food, good service, decent prices (for BBQ), and a chill atmosphere that was perfect for a low-​key dinner with some friends.

Merle’s is a constant source of barbecue disappointment.
They’re dressed up like a barbecue place, sure enough. They’re all, «Whoopy for Texas!» and «Everything’s big in Texas!» and «Humorously large Texas belt buckles!» and «Texas Texas Texas!»
But hey, give me a pile of steamy poody and I can dress it up to look just like chocolate pudding. You know what, though? It ain’t chocolate pudding. It’s poody, like I said.
To be fair, I don’t think I’ve ever ordered their ribs. I have ordered their pulled pork sandwich, and their brisket. I will write home to my mother about neither. Or maybe I will. That will definitely confuse my mother, and that would be kind of fun.
Dear Mother,
Last night I had a pulled pork sandwich and brisket from Merle’s BBQ in Evanston.
The pulled pork sandwich came without any barbecue sauce on it. I think. Maybe there was barbecue sauce on it. Or maybe it wasn’t supposed to come with any barbecue sauce on it. I was too embarrassed to ask my server. It seemed obvious to me that a pulled pork sandwich at a place with the letters «BBQ» in its title would come with a little sauce on it, but maybe I’m just dumb in the ways of pulled pork. The ArbyQ always comes with barbecue sauce on it, and that’s sort of like pulled pork.
Anyway, it was bland without the sauce, and the bun kept falling apart. I added some sauce myself, but it didn’t do much to help the yawn-​worthy sandwich.
I also had some brisket. The Food Network does a great job of making brisket look amazing. They must be using TV magic, because the brisket at Merle’s was dry and shitty. They were kind enough to squirt a little bit of barbecue sauce on the brisket, but like I always say, Mom, it takes more than a squirt of sauce to make dry shitty brisket go down easy.
Send love to Dad. I’ll see you soon!
Sincerely,
Your Son Steve

Totally blah.
We ordered:
sweet onion = greasy
Mac & cheese = eh
Beef brisket = nothing to call home about
Pulled pork = sad & dry
Service: good and pleasant
Unfortunately a bad experience

This used to be our «fave» bbq joint when we lived close by in Skokie.
Since we made the move to Vernon Hills, we probably have only been back once or twice in the past 11 years.
A great Groupon deal brought the four of us back here on a late eve Memorial Day Monday. We waited for a short time, as the kitchen was backed up (supposedly due to take out orders), so we waited by the bar even though plenty of empty tables in the dining room.
Food: We had the Groupon deal for two, which is basically their $ 22.95 3 course menu. My son had the kids ribs, while my daughter had the full order chicken tenders. The tenders were very good and the portion was large, but then again you are paying $ 15 for a platter of tenders and fries
The potatoes that came with my son’s ribs were basically sliced bakers that were fried? The waitress should have said something, as they are not a kid friendly option.
My wife had the brisket which was good and I had the ½ slab, which was good, but it was the lower portion of the baby back slab. It really irritates me when they serve the lower portion on a ½ slab order, as that should be reserved for kid orders or apps.
The starter was a Caesar salad and chili, both very good.
Service: Acceptable, but not great. Kids’ meals, even though my daughter had an adult meal came out together and ours did not show up until 10 minutes later. That is really unacceptable, especially if you assume that in a well run bbq joint, the ribs and brisket are in the smoker or warming tray ready to go out.
Overall I would come back here, but keep in mind that parking in the area is tight and you are feeding the meters: so bring plenty of quarters!

Merle’s used to be a go-​to for my family when we had a hankering for great BBQ on the north side. But over the past few years, it has really slid in many aspects.
The ribs used to be outstanding, whether you had them St. Louis style (dry rub) or baby back style (wet). Now, they have confused the options so that you can get any of the ribs dry or wet. Huh? The last few times we went, the ribs were really tough and quite a chore to eat. The mac & cheese isn’t what it used to be either.
Also, it always seems like they are understaffed. The last several times, we were told that they weren’t fully staffed and there would be some delay in getting the food. I totally understand that, but not when it happens all the time. The staff is real nice about it, but I guess management has a hard time making a schedule.
Bottom line, I wouldn’t avoid Merle’s, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to go there either.

Most reviews I’ve seen on here treat Merle’s as an average restaurant, and while I’d hasten to label it as amazing or the best ever, it was decently above average.
SERVICE: Not great. The hostess apologized for it being understaffed. Tonight, I went with a good friend and we passed the five-​minute wait and the long between-​waiter-​visits time quite easily. The service is friendly but slightly inattentive. Also, they were out of two beers that my friend ordered, so she finally got a Corona.
FOOD: I went before once and was overwhelmed. The pulled chicken was slightly on the dry side, but it’s not as fatty as pork, so it makes sense. The smashed potatoes on the side were DELICIOUS and rich, and the «mustard greens» were enough to make my previous skepticism unwarranted. Our waiter described it as a «soup,» and it was really just a thin sauce drenching greens and bacon. It tastes way better than it sounds. Also, the pinot grigio they gave me was enormous! I felt like I was drinking from some sort of medieval goblet.
Overall, I had a great experience at Merle’s. The atmosphere, though not incredibly attentive (or, at times, knowledgeable), was friendly and relaxed. The food was delicious and had a nice amount of flavor. (It’s too bad they gave me pulled pork before realizing I ordered pulled chicken, but as I said before, I was in no rush.) I’d go back!

I was pumped up on going to another BBQ place. There was a large bar area upon entering Merle, but decided on eating my food in one of the booths. The waitress was very friendly and courteous which is usually a good sign for a exciting food experience. I choose the half slab of St. Louis, which I like because it’s a little more meaty. My friend picked the BBQ chicken.
The ribs came on a round platter and the weird thing was the ribs did not smell smokey as I would expect it to be, The bone fell off but the skin/​crust was hard and tough like nails.
The chicken had a strong smokey flavor and was pretty tasty on it’s own without any sauce.
Overall, the ribs was a disappointment, but enjoyed the chicken.

This place is gross. I have no idea where the rest of you ate but clearly we did not dine at the same place. Service was horribly slow and the place was pretty empty. It was dirty and you could not have paid me to use the sauces left on the table they looked so old
The food was barely edible.

3 reasons I’m not coming back to Merle’s:
1. Service was horribly slow. Taking 10 minutes to come over and greet us is unacceptable. Taking 20 minutes to bring water over is unacceptable. Even if the bartender is behind, I think a 25 minute wait for 2 mixed drinks is unacceptable. We told the waiter that our movie was starting in 15 minutes and requested the bill, and 15 minutes later, no one was to be found.
2. The food was subpar. While the slow smoked combo for $ 9 sounds like a good bet, it delivered pretty bland pulled pork, beef briskey, and bbq chicken. The mac ‘n cheese was just a notch above instant mac ‘n cheese. My friend’s pulled bbq chicken that was supposed to come spicy was as unspicy as you could get.
3. And service was extremely slow. Déjà vu? I have more to add. You know it’s bad when the handful of tables around you doesn’t have any food in front of them. Waiter came over to explain to us that there were only 4 servers there tonight, but it didn’t look like any of them were moving particularly fast.
I can’t believe I paid for that experience. It was like I was living a segment out of Kitchen Nightmares.

Don’t bother.
Was up here out of my bubble for a meeting. We went here with some other people–
This was not horrible and the server killed herself to make things nice – it was not very expensive and the place seemed pretty clean – i was suprised to see that it has an affiliation with Pete Millers, which I always thought was pretty good.
This seemed very TGIF/​Applebees like–

Barbq heaven in Evanston. I totally enjoy this place, it is a must go when we are in the area. The ribs are great !! any style — whatever your taste is, these things will satisfy you.
Or try any of their sandwiches, generous portions and just darn good flavor.
All this washed down with a Turbo Dog beer and good service.
Life is good !

3.5 stars actually! We came here for supper tonight after a theater matinée a few blocks away. Did not know as we got there that Taste of Armenia would be going on at the same time, but we managed to get parking in the city lot. Also got to hear some interesting Armenian music both coming and going from Merle’s.
Well, for starters the service was wonderful. We neither wanted nor waited for anything. You could tell our waitress was somebody who really wanted to do a great job and she did!
The best things we had were:
1. The Brunswick Stew … an appetizer that comes with cornbread. It was very yum. I should have had that and a salad to make a meal.
2. The mac and cheese was really really good.
3. Mom’s salmon was very good, and we really loved the dill mustard sauce on the side.
4. Christoper’s burger was quite good, came with bacon and blue cheese and the slaw was decent.
Now, the not so good things:
1. Chicago style BBQ spare ribs… they did not have much flavor and I am not a big fan of the burned crust on the outside of some rib preps. The meat was tender, but I don’t think I would order them again.
2. The mashed potatoes were devoid of flavor, really awful.
All in all it was a fairly pleasant experience, but I will not sit and long for that experience again any time soon.
Although it is wheelchair accessible according to the notice posted, the entire eating area is up a small flight of steps. They tell you to notify staff of wheelchairs. So, in theory it is accessible, but I get the feeling it involves a small production number to make it so.

Two days in a row… How is it that the very next day a pal will call and say he needs ribs and it happens to be Monday night ribs buffet for $ 14.99.
Now I see why Merle’s is a favorite. Forget the St Louis style, get the baby back. The buffet consists of baby back ribs served in halves and comes wet or dry. You are given two side dishes with your first half slab. Dry rub sucks, don’t bother with it. I shouldn’t say that but, unless you like dry ribs with a powder coating, you’re not going to enjoy them. The wet ribs are so tangy with sauce, the meat slides off the bone without much work and its still got a little chew to it. Once it rolled around 9pm it got real busy. The favorite were the wet ribs, not one table with dry ones. The sauce is tangy, tasty and I think its sharpness must come from orange juice, that’s what I taste. Service stunk tonight, our waiter kept having lengthy conversations with a professor that was dining with his cute daughter. He paid more attention to the father. A perfect meal is the Brunswick stew for an appetizer and then some ribs! Good alone and best when shared.

In short: It’s meat, and Merle’s does not fuck it up.
A few months ago, they changed around their menu and raised their prices, but the food is still good. The atmosphere is somehow perfect for both families and the after-​work crowd (and smaller groups otherwise), and I love having our own dimmer switch for the wall lamp at each booth. Each table also has its very own roll of paper towels. Ha!
I don’t actually like red meat enough to pay this much for it regularly, and I eat too slowly such that a slab of ribs is cold and useless by the time I’m partway through. But I DO take every opportunity to go here on Wednesday nights for 25-​cent wings. Usually they make you order in denominations of 10 (sometimes they don’t). Get the buff-​a-​cue wings (buffalo + barbecue sauce)– the wings are GIANT and the sauce is SO PERFECT. Even without the 25-​centiness, no other Evanston establishment can beat these.
To be clear, these aren’t quite «legit» Buffalo Wings– they aren’t deep-​fried first before being slathered with sauce. But oh, that smoky flavor… Essentially, I am never ever going to Buffalo Joe’s again for wings. Get your fix well before closing time though– sometimes Merle’s runs out.
Addendum: I believe pints are all under $ 4 (and they have a pitcher special on Thursday nights). Stella + wings = love.

I eat ribs and briskets… maybe once a year, if not less? So all I can or should say about the food is that it’s good. The sampler came with four different items (baby back ribs, beef rib, bbq chicken and Texas brisket), large enough to be shared with another person or two. Every order of bbq dish comes with two free sides. We chose mashed potato and mustard greens, which were both decent. As for the appetizers, we went crazy with our potato skins w/​cheese and bacon bits. They offer two types of sauce, sweet and hot, and they’re both really tasty.
The setting is spacious, cozy and very laid back. It’s definitely a fun place to hang out with friends. Prices are decent, and drinks are relatively inexpensive.
HORRIBLE, horrible service, though. Our server was unfriendly (not even a single grin), unattentive and plainly rude. Some of the comments he made (sarcastically or not), I don’t even want to recall. If I were to go back, I’ll specifically request another server — I’ve been told that other people are pretty much the opposite. Let’s hope that he’s no longer round… maybe then I’ll add on another star.