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Bear Down Barbecue & Catering

4.0 (207 reviews)

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BEAR DOWN BARBECUE & CATERING ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Quiet
Good for kids
Outdoor seating

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Recommended Reviews - Bear Down Barbecue & Catering

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Alberto N.

The food is great! Amazing bbq sauce, great Smokey flavor on the meat. And hand cut fries you can't beat that. If I had one complaint it would be the customer service.

Ava W.

It was lunch time I had a taste for some rib tips so I said let me give them another opportunity to bring it. I ordered a medium rip tip with sauce on the side. The rip tips were a bit dry and they tasted old it wasn't the best quality of meat but what brought them back to life was the bbq sauce it was flavorful. The fries were hot, fresh and seasoned well. I'm was not excited about the rib tips and wouldn't order them again. Lots of Bears memorabilia inside the restaurant and the customer service was warm and welcoming. The take out bag had a nice touch - see photos. Overall it was average. I will try their ribs in a couple of weeks. I will update soon - who knows the third try may be the charm.

Coleslaw - great taste! Somehow both vinegary and mayo-y
Christina R.

My husband and I just moved here from Austin, TX and we were missing some good BBQ. My husband swung in to Bear Down to grab us dinner and they did NOT disappoint!! The man who took our order was super friendly and fun to chat with. As nice as the staff was the star of the show was the food! The ribs are absolutely AMAZING! I got a hot dog (it was DELICIOUS!!) and my husband got the pulled pork sandwich. The pulled pork had so much flavor - 10/10!!!! We got a bunch of sides but our favorite was the spicy green beans. This place is all hits - no misses. Can't wait to come back!!

3 Ribs for $12.00 supposed to equal 1/2 slab
Jackie H.

Well things have changed and it's AWFUL NOW. Rashid's dad doesn't have a clue how to operate computerized equipment. He charged people the wrong price and that's the best thing that happened during my 1 hour wait. No slabs or half slabs you pay by the pound now. I paid $12.00 for 3 ribs which the dad said would be equivalent to a half slab. Have you ever heard of having to go ONLINE to your checking account to prove you paid? And when I pulled up the account as proof Rashid said $21.94 had a minus sign next to it so that means he had refunded my money. NOT TRUE! It means it was deducted from my account. All I can say is AWFUL TERRIBLE NOT WORTH THE TRIP FROM CHICAGO! Oh he drew a Happy Face on the bag like that would cure the pain. What happened to this place!!!

Ginger S.

Great food! I ordered a pulled pork, the meat was very juicy! I was a big fan of the Mac and cheese as well! We got A LOT of food for less than $40. Beyond the food, the owner showed lots of hospitality. He asked us what we thought of our meal, and we talked about how the prices are inaccurate on Yelp. So here is the menu, get yourself some delicious BBQ!

Large tips and fries
Maricel J.

We decided to finally come in for lunch and was greeted by the owner. Super nice guy! It's a small place, but has really cool Chicago Bears memorabilia. Since I had an appointment and an hour to waste, we dined in. We ordered the large tips and fries. Really tender and just fell off the bone. I like my barbecue sauce a bit spicier, but it was still good. Loved the fries too. Next time we will try the brisket.

The  alleged 1/2 pound Spare Ribs  and the $4 order of Fries

Previous to COVID this was a good place to support. The current situation I wouldn't recommend to my worse enemy. Ordered Via Uber Eats this past week and my experience was an epic fail! The menu states 1/2 POUND OF Spare Ribs ($12) and as well a 1/2 POUND of Chicken Tips ($10) - Fries ($4.00) . The pictures ive enclosed cant lie as to what i received . i was TOTALLY pissed . ( since when is a 1/2 a pound 2 rib bones ?? The chicken tips ..... 1 chopped up Chicken Breast & the $4 order of fries about equal to MvDonalds SMALL FRIES. how can you even sleep serving your patrons as such at these prices and falsely describing the portions . Never again !!

Greasy beef fat (aka "brisket")

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4 years ago

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4 months ago

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9 months ago

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3 years ago

Business owner information

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6 months ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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5 years ago

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5 years ago

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2 years ago

Really great food, bad customer service by the owners father doesn't know how to talk with customers about the menu

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

Amazing amazing amazing food!! The customer service was perfect and the food was even better

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8 years ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

Business owner information

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Rashid R.

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5 years ago

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6 years ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

Great food and friendly service. Fantastic lunch specials. You won't go away hungry. Smoked brisket and turkey on Saturday's.

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

first time getting bbq from here & it was GREAT! Best Mac & cheese, rib tips, and the brisket was phenomenal!

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4 years ago

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3 years ago

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8 years ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

Food was average at best, very expensive and takes a long time to make. The restaurant is very small

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5 years ago

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3 years ago

I'm a packer fan but the food is good. Also good tip, don't wear a Justin fields steeler jersey.

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

Boy am I glad I tried this place! I ordered the ribs and brisket with spicy green beans. Excellent!!!! I'll definitely be back.

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

Wow! Best brisket sandwich I've ever had! Sorry no pictures cause it was so good I didn't stop to snap one

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Ask the Community - Bear Down Barbecue & Catering

Is the meat gluten free? What about sauces?

Do they sell gift cards?

Yes

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Portillo's & Barnelli's Chicago

Portillo's & Barnelli's Chicago

3.9(7.4k reviews)
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Number 7, now you are closer to heaven; pick your order…read more I will never forget the poetic server who called you to pick up your order. It's a shame I didn't get his name, but how can you have a bad day listening to him create lines back-to-back with such calm? The ambiance is lively, the decoration has a Midwestern theme full of famous individuals who have visited Portillo's. The hot dog hit the spot, and for less than $5 (Chicago hot dog) one can't complain.

Kari's Rating 8/10…read more As someone who is always at This Portillo is considering it's very close to where I live, it was decently busy this Sunday evening around 7:30. There was a large cluster of individuals in line to use the kiosk because they seem too scared to talk to a human-even though there's absolutely no line to talk to the women up front. It's kind of sad realize how antisocial people have become but also, I know it's beneficial to use a kiosk for the company because they're getting really fast data results, people tend to add more of their order because they're not being watched and they're able to do it in an antisocial way. Honestly, it's actually really fascinating. This place is always busy so as normal, we waited for about 20 minutes. It's OK, it looked like they were a little bit short staffed as 95% of the population of the restaurant was waiting in line. It's usually backed up at this location as it's super busy and very popular but tonight, I can't tell if it's because they're just backed up, or if no one can hear the number because they use those funny one liners after each number which makes it harder to hear the actual number called. I think this location-as it is mostly a tourist spot-is usually very clean. Tonight, it was not. I think it might've just been that one table around us, but whoever sat there before the fries were all strewn about and the sauces were all over the table cloths and there were napkins everywhere, and it just looked kind of bad. Since it's not normally like this, I figured it just was a one off or it might've just happened.

Photos
Portillo's & Barnelli's Chicago
Portillo's & Barnelli's Chicago
Portillo's & Barnelli's Chicago

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Bear Down Barbecue & Catering - bbq - Updated October 2026

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