Atlas BBQ

We arrived at 5:30 without a reservation and asked if there a table for two. It was busy but not crowded so I was hoping for something within 30 minutes of arrival. I was surprised to be seated immediately. We were at a bar top instead of a table which makes no difference since it was an open concept restaurant. The service was quite good and our cocktail order was taken while we looked over the menu. I ordered the baby back ribs and my wife ordered the brisket. Our food arrived within 15 minutes and looked delicious. Upon eating I found a great flavor in the ribs. The problem is ribs don’t hold temperature long. So eat them before the get cold. The Mac and cheese was good but the cornbread could have been better. It was a little too dense for my taste but I am sure there are some who like it that way. Overall I would recommend and will go back again

The only thing worth eating are the chicken wings. Every time I convince myself to give the menu another try I always end up disappointed.

my uncle took me here when he was home for business, WELL WORTH the drive from kewaskum to Grafton.

Solid BBQ in the north suburbs — Atlas had been on my list to try for a bit, so we stopped after wandering around Cedarburg. The dining room is bigger than I expected and to me feels a little spare/​cold. I think it’s the fact that it’s all wood tables and chairs — some booths along one of the walls might make things cozier and help with the noise level.
On the BBQ front, you’ll have the choice of 6 meats (2 kinds of ribs, hot links, pork, chicken and brisket). Meats come dry — there’s a sauce caddy with 5 choices on the table. I used the West (Texas inspired) because it had a lot of spice flavor without being overwhelmingly sweet. I didn’t care for their «X» sauce which is supposed to be super hot (I like) because it was way to sugary for me. I also found their South sauce (vinegar based) to be mouth puckering-​y sour — a little unbalanced.
Anyway, I went with the chicken and thought it was solid — a nice portion, pretty moist, good enough to eat without sauce. The Mister went with brisket which wasn’t fatty at all and probably as a consequence, was a tad dry. Regardless, the flavor was good. For sides, we both picked mac’n’cheese which was an absolute winner — cheesy, good noodles and topped with garlicky bread crumbs. I’d order that on it’s own for sure. For other sides, he tried the beans and said they were fine and I had the cornbread which was dry as the Sahara desert.
Service was pleasant and the prices (for BBQ) are pretty reasonable for good-​sized portions. If I’m going to drive for BBQ, I’m heading to LD’s in East Troy but I absolutely wouldn’t object to Atlas if I were nearby.

You can’t say «meat» without starting with «mmmmm».
I was surprised to see so many 4 and 5 star reviews for this place out of so many Unilocal Elites. Surely that many can’t be wrong. Why hadn’t we been here yet?
It’s well known that there are very few truly decent BBQ places in the metro MKE area. After our first trip out to Atlas, I would have to include them in the «legit» column. I had the brisket and the Frau had the shredded chicken. These are the two staples by which we judge all others. Both passed the test. The brisket platter was three nice slabs of very lean meat with just a thin ribbon of fat along the edge. It was very tender and was well complimented by the «West» (Texas-​style) sauce. The pulled chicken was also very good; right up there with Smoke Shack. In comparison, Atlas is a better deal. You get more meat and one more side for several dollars less. I’m only giving four stars because both meats were just slightly on the dry side, but nothing a little sauce couldn’t counteract. The restaurant was most recently a nice dinning establishment and it appears that Atlas left it as it was. There is a large bar and plenty of dining. On a Sunday around lunch time, there was a nice crowd.
Well worth the drive. A solid BBQ option!

Food was great! Had the Atlas Burger and it was amazing! Service was a little slow but great food! Our server was friendly, could smile some more though. Oh and Bloody Mary was the best ive had in a while!

Definitely a rebound on service this time around — great waitress that brought a sample of another dark beer I might like without requesting it. The beef brisket has great flavor but too much fat for my liking. One of my sons said the wings were awesome. The other two said the pull pork sandwich with pretzel rolls were good but no «normal» bbq sauce.

Great bbq place — the Hercules is definitely a meat lovers dream come true. I am not that into eating all the meat, but it’s surely great to share with friends. For individual orders I strongly recommend the ribs — they are great! Not dry and fiber-​ly, not overly moist and dripping, but cooked just right!

Tried again for take out. Had the Kansas city ribs. So dried out and rubbery, I wouldn’t even give it to my dog. Called to complain, and the jerk who answered, who said he was the manager, gave me a hard time because I called the next day, even though I told him it was a 9pm carryout. I’m done trying this place. Found a great little place in port with much better food.

I have been here twice and I am a little disappointed by the quality of their food… they do have a good Bloody Mary though but their meet is nice as tender.

A solid hardcore YES for Atlas BBQ.
They were very, very accommodating for our large group that was supposed to be around 25 and ended up being around 40. The staff was excellent!
The mac and cheese was quite good and the brussels sprouts had bacon and a slight sweetness to them– a nice side to choose and different from what you’d expect in a good way.
Solid drinks choices are available, I tried the Manhattan Mule which is a twist on a Moscow Mule, and I was surprised how similar it tasted to the Moscow, actually.
If I’m ever in the area I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to return to Atlas!
Definitely check them out yourselves :)

I’ve been to this restaurant twice now. First experience was excellent, the second just so-​so. 4 stars was stretching it a bit… wish I could do halves.
I ordered the burnt ends, which had been cubed and microwaved. Parts of them were still cold, but I didn’t send them back because I was instantly captivated by the barbeque sauce, which was very tasty, if a little on the salty side. I had ordered these on my first visit, and they were superb, so I hope the chef was just having an off night.
The Mac-​n-​cheese was perfect, with strips of bacon and bread crumbles. It was served piping hot.
The cornbread — jury’s out. I felt like it was stale, but maybe that’s the way it was supposed to be. Sweet, and served with sweet butter, it was more like a dessert than a side, but both the bread and the butter were served cold, making it hard to spread, and causing the whole thing to practically fall apart.
Service is GREAT. Both times. Friendly, fast, not fake. I’ll come back for that, and to try to recapture that first burnt ends experience!

Love, love, love the BBQ… My previous post was left wanting with the marginal service, but our recent visits show it has improved. I doubt people update their reviews with positive remarks, but I am upping the STARS as service is on the up swing.
Quick comment to owners — Why are you charging $.35 for extra tiny cups of Atlas sauce at a BBQ place? I could dump the entire contents of a 16oz BBQ bottle on the table into my BBQ and no one would say anything (except a look of disgust from my wife) yet a tiny cup of Atlas Sauce is going to cost extra. Feels like scrapping for pennies and is just an irritant. Load up the Atlas sauce, its a game changer for your restaurant. Start bottling it and put it in large containers on the table. Definitely worth its place among the others.
Despite that comment — keep up the good work on the BBQ!

Always a great experience with the food here. Though I usually order the trinity with my hubby tonight I chose the Cuban and will crave one everyday twas so delish!

I’m a huge fan of the atlas burger made at this resteraunt. So good! The atlas bbq is located where the old paramount used to be in Grafton. Parking can be tricky when the downtown is bustling with other activity as they have no private parking. The resteraunt features, booths, tables and a bar. We always ask to be seated in a booth and enjoy the table top bbq sauces that they offer to add to whatever you order. My husband has had several dishes here, and liked all but one. I always choose the atlas burger and always want more of the Dipping sauce they add for the fries. It’s a bbq flavored masterpiece. The servers have always been nice and friendly and the place smells like a bbq smoker from down south– hard to leave it smells so good. You won’t be disappointed with the atmosphere or food. Casual and tasty.

Stopped for a quick light lunch and had an excellent meal. The brisket Reuben was very tasty as was the bbq poutine. Would love to come back with more time and a bigger appetite. Sampled the sauces and many were very good. Server was super friendly. Next time we are back in town visiting relatives we will stop.

Got the Rib sandwich special… and feels like I had a Wendy’s moment… where’s the beef. What I did have tasted fine but for the cost it definitely wasn’t worth it. The side of beans was warm. could’ve been hotter. Maybe I’ll skip this place next time.

Good food and customer service
I got the Atlas BBQ and came without fries. Great selection of BBQ sauces. Worth it!

I love their habenero pepper bbq sauce!
The ribs were quite good. I prefered the baby back Vs their st lous ribs.
The service is superb. The hostess, the waitress, they were all very nice.
Grafton — this is how America used to be — a city full of nice people. Very little crime.

This place has such solid eats. Thank you Atlas for bringing some charm and some genuinely good cuisine to Grafton. Grafton can sometimes remind me of concrete, corporate america playground, so it truly is refreshing. I hope this placce is around for years to come.
I’ve been here a few times and have never let down, by anything. The beer selection is great. So important with BBQ. I am OBSESSED with the BBQ chicken nachos from here. Homeade chips, homeade cheese (with some spices) and some great BBQ chicken. The only thing I need to ask for sometimes is more cheese, and that’s becausse I really love it so much. And its only ~8 dollars. Such a great price.
I was there yesterday drinking a beer and catching up on some homework (I had a craving for the nachos) and they told me they had a special: BBQ chicken Mac and Cheese. They transofrmed my favorite dish on the menu into the best macaroni and cheese evaaaaaaaa. And this mac and cheese was not lacking in the cheese department. It was really yum.
The one complaint I’ve heard was when we took my brother there. He ordered BBQ plate with 3 types of meat and was disppointed with the size. When I looked at it, I couldnt help but agree. I think he liked everything on it, but was expecting sommore meat for the price. Other than that, I find the place extremely resonable with beer prices, app prices, and sandwich prices.