We ordered for a lunch meeting and got the blackened salmon with slaw and pickled cucumbers. I loved everything and would reorder. Likes: - Salmon was tender, fresh, and flavorful - Pickled cucumbers are similar to the ones my mom makes - sweet and vinegary Dislikes: - Portion size was filling but not big especially for $18 pre-tax read more

Bub City - Blackened salmon with pickles and tartar sauce - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The atmosphere was very pleasant and open chill vibe would recommend if in the river north area read more

Bub City - Really good choice - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Always a super fun place for karaoke on Wednesday nights. Some of the best southern food in the city. The brunch on weekends is incredible too. read more

Born in OC California and have lived in SF for 12 years as a server, bartender, and host. I am currently a 5 year veteran at Hyatt SF .While visiting this establishment my cousins and I were "cut off" from alcohol after each ordering one drink each and one shot, aside from this, we were accused of not paying our bill (which was paid in full) and the police was called. Upon their arrival, they found we had paid our bill and had no reason to be escorted out. We noticed we were the only people of color in the establishment at the time and our waitress initially stated "our MANAGER noticed there were too many drinks" once the manager arrived he stated "our WAITRESS stated they had too much to drink". The clear discrimination and disconnect was evident. We felt as though we were discriminated against and had no reason to be escorted out and left on our own. The ambiance was nothing what we had expected. Do not come here if you are a minority. read more

Bub City - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Food was nothing special. Service was alright. We were brought to our seats pretty fast and our food was served fast but nothing stood out to the point of above and beyond. It's a good place to go for something normal and not for celebrations. There was no real feel to the energy or vibe of the place. read more

Bub City - Original Fried Chicken Sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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First time here and blah. Drinks - D Food - C Service - A Two out of the three specials weren't available because they didn't upload the correct menu to their online menu. Drinks were harsh. Food was cold coming out of the kitchen and the sandwich bread was old. read more

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**UPDATED REVIEW** I changed my review to 3 stars and I want to give credit to GM Timothy for reaching out to me and offering to make it right! While I don't live in the area I will make it a point to return next time I'm in the windy city. 5 stars for Timothy! Let me preface this review by saying that my friend and I liked the vibe and the food (eventually). Cool place and most people we encountered were nice. Having said that, we also experienced the rudest server! Initially our server was a super cute and sweet girl, sorry I didn't get her name. But as soon as we placed our order and got our drinks she was replaced by Tristi. All seemed fine at first. We got our food and my friend had ordered the brisket nachos, I got the brisket dip. Unfortunately my friend didn't realize that the nacho cheese on her nachos was spicy and she can't do spicy at all. When Tristi came back she explained this and got the rudest reaction I've ever seen. She asked "didn't they tell you they would be spicy?" with the worst attitude. She then proceeded to tell her that pretty much EVERYTHING on the menu is spicy. No offer initially to take the nachos back and maybe remake them without the cheese, or any type of resolution at all. So then we asked for something she could get that isn't spicy... She said the only thing on the menu was the brisket dip so she asked for that. Now mind you my friend was apologizing the whole time and not once for Tristi say "it's no problem" or anything remotely close to it. She very reluctantly took the nachos away but was clearly unhappy about having to do so. I would probably come back if I was in Chicago, but I would never let this server wait on me again. No people skills and shouldn't even be here. She was the only one not walking around with a smile on her face. read more

Let me start off by saying I am not a fan of live country music, so that is not why I picked this place. I do have a playlist on Spotify called "Country Favorites" and that is all the country I got in me....unless I am listening to Johnny Cash. For some reason I do not think of him as country and can listen to him all day. Enough about me and my musical taste, let's get back to Bub City. We were doing a staycation at the Hotel Kinzie (great hotel) and I was looking for places that were within walking distance of the hotel for The Doctor and me to dine. We both like BBQ so I decided to give this place a try. I was happy to see that they were on OpenTable and that I was able to make a reservation. So glad I did because the place was packed. Because it is the holiday season, Bub City was decked out in Xmas lights, which were pretty. The decor is fairly standard, touristy country bar downtown. I kept thinking I was in the Xmas version of a Blues Brothers movie ;-) Of course the first thing I checked out was the drink menu. Lots of whiskeys...I repeat, lots of whiskeys. And beer....did I mention that this was a country restaurant/bar? I love a good whiskey, but not with my BBQ. I started with bubbles in the day and wanted to finish with bubbles, but wasn't looking any here. Lo and behold, there was a little snippet on the drinks menu that said to ask about our wine list....they really should change that to "we got a red one, a white one and a prosecco". Prosecco works for me, so I was happy before I had even tasted any food. We didn't do starters, as I could see from some of the other orders going by that the portions were of a good size. The Doctor got the Pulled Chicken sandwich and I ordered the Smokie's Sampler Platter. I knew I was not going to eat it all, but wanted to sample the different meats. You have a choice of 2 or 3 meats with 2 sides, corn bread, slaw, pimento cheese and sweet pickles. I got the Berkshire pork shoulder and hot link. I upgraded to a deluxe platter and added their 18-hour natural brisket. Threw in an order of the mac and cheese to give it a try. The Doctor enjoyed his chicken sandwich...he cleaned his tray. The sandwich came with chips and slaw. My platter was heavy on meat and it was all good. The brisket was tender and had a nice mix of meat and fat. The Berkshire pork shoulder and hot link were equally good. The corn bread was good, but that platter could stand a bigger piece with that meat. Cole slaw and beans were standard, not bad, but nothing to write home about based on the serving. I was surprised that there was white bread included in the meal (more like toast). Didn't touch it, not because it was white bread or carbs, but because the corn bread was great and I needed to save room for meat. Mac and Cheese was decent. Ended up taking most of the platter home and it held up well. Meat was still good, but better with some Sweet Baby Ray's sauce on it. Our server Ozzy was attentive and took care of us, even though it was busy. I would say if you are downtown and are looking for some decent smoked meats, then stop on by. If you are not a fan of country music, keep on walking as there is a lot of pop country playing. Prices are high if you are comparing to places that are not downtown, but they fall into line for downtown Chicago. read more

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Rudest bouncers ever. We walk in, they tell us it's $10 cover. As there was a big group of us, we each showed our IDs but then discussed if we wanted to pay cover or not. After not even 20 seconds, the second bouncer said to us rudely "you could've decided this before and not held up the line" (there was no line). How would we have known there was a cover? Very rude and not considerate to their customers. read more

This place only gets 4 stars because of Julien, our waiter with fantastic eye brows. He was so down to earth and friendly. He really made us feel welcomed. Without Julien, it would have been 1 star. Minus one star because when we first arrived, we were treated by a passive aggressive manager (talk with a Hawaiian shirt). My friend asked if they had a mask which is probably a common question. The manager said no. Then my friend said that it should be provided. At that point, I wished the manager just sat us outside instead of giving us attitude and rolling his eyes. DRINKS- 3 of us got 1 Moscow mule (very bad), 5 bloody Mary's (obviously very good. They make their own and it has a Smokey bacon like taste. Great amount of spice and viscosity), and one bourbon (decent selection). read more

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Great spot to have lunch / drinks in downtown. This was my first stop for food in the city. After a tiring flight and a hotel check in I was ready to explore the city. Thankfully Bub city was near our hotel, and had a pretty good vibe for Saturday afternoon. We decided to have a beer and a island tea (the island tea was really strong for me, but I managed) Coming to food, we had a burger and chicken wings. The wings were not my favorite, but curly fries and the burger were pretty good! There were a lot of people having fun and celebrating bachelorettes on other tables. I would definitely recommend this place for the vibe! read more

Bub City - Cali Burger* - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Avoid Bub City! Bartending and serving other people is not easy at all. Especially when drinks are involved. I have a lot of respect for the food service industry. However, the manager at the front desk was horrible from the moment we walked in the front door. She made a racist comment, she was rude and was unwelcoming. I am not sure how an establishment like Bub City has someone like that at the front door unless the goal is to only welcome a certain demographic. I love country music so the decor was very fitting for the theme and the music was great! The manager's manager was indeed helpful and wanted to make sure our party was ok. I will never forget how we were treated at Bub City. read more

We stopped in for a quick drink. They were extremely accommodating and quick to deliver cocktails. I had the Margarita. Not too much mix so it was refreshing. Cool space read more

Bub City - Classic Margarita - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I'd give it one if I could. They said my friend was over served because she flipped to the wrong page of her passport. Has he never had a passport? who can guess the right page. I went to a second man about it and he said "I'm sticking by my team" okayyyy. Silly. and he was SO rude about it. I do not recommend this place. Go to joy if you can. This man. read more

Bub City - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

U can tell this place has great management! Servers are attentive Busses arent just standing around Hosts are properly seating the restaurant Place is clean I def will be back! Server was Gary...he did an awesome job. Will ask for him again! He's very efficient. Felt good not to have to chase down my server. Great job staff at bub city! read more

Bub City - Best bloody mary - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food is delicious and the ambiance is wonderful especially durning the summer ... the service is amazing

Great ribs, chicken tenders, waffle fries, fried pickles, and Buffalo chicken poppers! Had an amazing drink called Hot Mess which was jalapeño tequila, mezcal and ginger beer....YUM. Place is popular for large groups so be prepared to wait a bit for the kitchen to produce. read more

Went on a Sunday night for dinner. The buffalo chicken sandwhich was so good and it came with so many fries! I would love to come again. My only compliment is the music is super loud so you can't hear people on the other side of the table read more

Fun place. Food was pretty good. The service was really good. Baby Back Ribs read more

Yeah, Evan took great care of us at the bar, sharing his bottomless knowledge of whiskey, no better bartender. Larceny Barrel Proof is it

Visited here on a Saturday for brunch, ordered their bbq brisket nachos and chicken and waffles. The chicken and waffles did not disappoint! Chicken was tasty and juicy. Nacho was always good and flavorful but it was a lot of fat in it. Service was good and music wasn't too loud being in the patio. Overall a great experience! read more

We arrived and asked for a table outside, the hostess requested we sit at one of the outside tables on the sidewalk. It was soooo loud that we requested to sit at one of the tables in the street, she never answers my question when a couple had walked up and also asked to sit outside, she looked at me and said so you're going to sit over there. She wasn't very friendly when I request to move. I was like yeah I guess so. Also, The classic Margarita is CRAP! So gross! read more

First time here today and I was glad to know that this place is kid friendly. It's hard to find a restaurant (not in Chinatown area!) that's okay with having three crazy kids. Now let's get down to business. Food - it was great! Husband ordered fried chicken and barbeque baby back ribs. For the kids, we ordered chicken tenders (3 pcs per order) and a side of tater tots. My kids don't eat much so we just split the orders for three kids. We even have leftovers. For me, I ordered chicken and cheese biscuit. All of the foods were extremely good. Place - it was spacious. It was not full when we got there around 11.30. Around 12.30, there was music for entertainment. It was great! Bathroom - let's put it here. I went to the women restroom and as soon as I opened the door, i saw a guy standing there. I screamed as I thought either I went to the wrong bathroom or there was a pervert in the ladies room. A minute later, I realized that it was a stupid statue. Let me tell you, this statue scared the shit out of me. (Pardon my language!) Service - now here's the reason for 4 stars. Our server was nice BUT he was so busy that it took him 30 minutes to get our check. Also, he seemed to be all over the place. Overall, yes we will come back here again. read more

Bub City - Chicken and cheese with homemade biscuit! Soooo good! - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Stopped by Bub City tonight, after walking around to find a place to dine. Our waiter, Julio V, was fantastic!! He gave us great suggestions & was very patient as we took our time deciding. I ordered the No Shoes, No Shirt & it was delicious! It tasted like passionfruit juice but I didn't taste the alcohol, nor did I feel it. If you're looking for a great tasting sweet drink with hardly any alcohol, this is your drink! We ordered the fried pickles, I'd give them a 2 out of 5 only bcuz the ranch dipping dressing was good. My friend ordered the ribs & they were not tender nor did they fall off the bones, maybe that's not a thing in Chicago (shrug). She also ordered the cornbread & it was very good!!! I ordered the Cali burger & it a good. The tater tots were okay, they tasted better dipped in the ranch dressing. Overall, it was a decent visit. read more

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I'm so torn writing this review because they have some really great stuff as well as some disappointing stuff, thus, 3 stars. I ordered pick-up through their website, and that whole process was super smooth and easy. Also, there were quite a few people dining in when I picked up the order so the place was pretty poppin. My girlfriend and I ordered the BBQ Brisket Nachos, Tater Tots, Mac & Cheese, and a slice of Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie. The only thing that was absolutely fabulous was the brisket. The meat was so tender and flavorful and adored it! The nachos themselves were also quite good, and I loved how fresh the chips were. It was served with a side of salsa and guacamole with BBQ sauce on top. The flavors all tied together well. The sad thing was that there was so little brisket in comparison to everything else that I would have been better off just ordering the brisket. Everything else was just okay. The mac & cheese was soooo bland, the tots were just average, and the pie wasn't that great. I was a bit disappointed with how chocolatey the pie was - it was like 99% chocolate and 1% peanut butter. It was also very rich and heavy which I wasn't expecting. One last note is that the portion sizes are very big - much better than some other restaurants in the area! All in all, I would strongly recommend their brisket (and probably their other smoked meats) but I wouldn't recommend much else. I'd be willing to give them another try, but it's not something I'm rushing to do. read more

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My first time here for a lunch date with one of my good friends. He saw a few good reviews on yelp and recommend we try this place out. So, I met up with him on last week for lunch. This place décor is displayed with a fun theme. On the side is Whiskey Bar for all the hard drinking folks. There is a Live Band Karaoke on Tuesday Nights. Its seems to be a nice hang out place to come and hear some live music. I enjoyed the food and atmosphere. Very chilled and relaxing. Bub City has an affordable lunch menu deal and it's so much food that you have enough to share it. Our server was ok. We had to ask for water and wave her down to place our order. She just disappeared from our sight with no return. It's a nice place to come for lunch to enjoy some BBQ and side items. Maybe I will come back after work to hear some live music and Karaoke. Not to mention you get a nice sweet dessert after your meal. I will keep you updated on my next visit. read more

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Visited Chicago with a friend this past weekend. I had the brisket sandwich and he had a pulled pork sandwich. Both were phenomenal. The waffle fries were hot and crispy. The staff was professional and friendly. We liked everything about the place. Would love to go back there sometime. read more

The only reason I am giving this place 1 star is because our waitress was great. Food was ok, not anything worth going out for. Drinks not the greatest either. The only vodka they had was Tito's or cheap vodka.. The biggest problem was Tim, the manager. He wouldn't let us reserve a spot for 20, he changed it to 12, or so he said. Then he told us we had to stay in our own area. When one of our guests sat down with a couple who invited him to sit down, he told him to move and I asked him why, he said he would close all of our tabs and we had to leave! At this point our group was about 25 people and he kicked us out!!!!! With security!!!! We all walked across the street to the Boss Bar and they were very happy to accommodate us. Bub City lost all these customers and anyone they know will never go there again! Kudos to you Tim for that! Do not go here if you have a party of more than 6. Tim can't handle groups. He's rude and a liar and walks around like Napoleon. read more

Bub City - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Downtown location, The host was racist, rude and unprofessional, they will ignored you and lied that all the table has been reserved for a week and a half but the people after us got seated it first. When you tried to say something about it they called the guard to kicked whoever they want out of the restaurant, didnt get a chance to try the food in there but ordered Thanksgiving food at Rosemont location before and half turkey for 4 people is a good amount of food. Mac and cheese, mashed potato was ok . The cranberry sauce and the stuffing was good read more

This is for their delivery: Pick up was super easy and loved the meal for 4. It consisted of mac and cheese brisket, buns, salad, and of course cookies! There was A LOT of mac and cheese and brisket. Had 4 meals plus a little left over. Love the Mac and cheese. Creamy and delicious. Brisket was good not great but I have had a lot of bbq to compare. Cookies were soft and definitely a great end to the meal. Salad was hearty. Overall would definitely do this deal again. read more

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Decided to do carry-out after a day of walking, and stopped by Bub City for a burger! I got the cali burger with tots and a side of their Chicago barbecue sauce. The total came to $15.59 post-tax. The burger was really good. Not sure what kind of cheese they use, but it was delicious! I also enjoyed the box that it came in. I've never seen a meal put into a shipping type box. Definitely a great place to grab food after a long day! read more

Bub City - Carry-out box - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Probably the worst food that I have had from a Lettuce Entertainment restaurant. If the management would like to know how smoked brisket and burnt ends should taste, they should take a trip to Dodgeville, WI and visit Bob's Bitchin' BBQ read more

Horrible service, waitresses were rude. Staff was unruly. Ruined the night in Chicago.

Bub City is an excellent venue for those with an appetite for southern BBQ grub. They have two full bars, a Bloody Mary station, stage for live music and a great valued special/happy hour menu. I came here for a brunch gathering for a 10 people group - they take reservations on OpenTable for up to 10 people! The staff here are incredibly friendly and our server was excellent. She came by refilling our drinks and even offered our friend extra gravy for his biscuits. I thought that was exceptional for the waitress to ask her customer than vice versa. After raiding through the Yelp photos, I decided the Giddy Up Fries looked most appetizing. My judgement on the presentation didn't disappointment-- the waffle fries are loaded with creamy melted cheesy with burnt pulled pork. Love it! Caution: Don't be startled by the male mannequin leaning over his urinal when you walk into the women's bathroom. Bub City sure got humor! xD read more

Service was ok. Food was terrible. I ordered burnt ends (pictured below) and my dad ordered a brisket Sandwhich, both were super fatty. Dad sent the brisket Sandwhich back for the pork tacos, which were pretty good. You're given ~6 burnt ends. After eating 2 which were super fatty, the attached picture is all that was left after I finished separating the fat from the meat. Pretty much a 1:1 meat/fat ratio. Would not recommend the brisket or burnt ends. read more

Bub City - Burnt Ends - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went here for lunch. Waitress suggested brisket over pulled pork. I did the pick 3 lunch option which comes with 3 sides. Well worth the price. The corn off the cob was great although I did ask them to give me one with no sprinkled cheese because the smell was so strong. Some may like that though. Fruit was strawberries and pineapples. At least it wasn't cheap melon most places give you. Brisket sandwich was pretty good; not the best I've had. The service was really fast for sit down. Great if you only have 45 minutes for lunch. read more

Bub City - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was craving some wings so I stumbled upon Bub City which I was grateful for. I ordered the Double Barrel Burger with the Atomic Cheese for the fries. Everything was good, I was a fan of the cheese. Our food came out pretty quick They also took precaution by taking our temperature and asking have we traveled anywhere in the past 2 weeks. Oddly enough we were coming from Maryland so I was hesitant but we were good lol read more

Bub City - Double - Barrel Burger - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This is one of my all time favorite spots. I went here so often that I'm sure people use to think I worked here. This place is my jam. I love the free live music and the amazing BBQ. This place is even better than Chicago Q, and that place is insanely great too. I always get the bbq mac& cheese here or the pulled pork sandwiches. The mac & cheese is so rich and it comes out in a skillet making it so warm and fresh. The pulled pork is always made perfectly and has such a great sauce on it. The sweet potato side is similar to how my mom makes it with marshmallows on top and brown sugar. It is more like a desert than eating potatoes. The decorations are Southern and hilarious. They even have a fake cowboy in the bathroom that I always say excuse me to since I think they're in line for a stall. The waitstaff is great and the prices are not too bad either! read more

Bub City - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Great music and food comes out fast. Got some side dishes to snack and they are a good size. The waffle fries are so crispy and comes with ranch and ketchup. The Brussels sprouts also have good flavor read more

Bub City - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Ordered late night Saturday which of course they had a crowd no biggy. Ordered takeout 1 chopped smoked brisket sandwich with tots, tots were delicious but sandwich was very DRY. Ranch really helped would probably skip next time. Pulled pork sandwich with fries which were good as well. Sandwich again needed more bbq sauce but flavor was there! Good sandwich. read more

Bub City - Left: beef Chopped Brisket Sandwich. Right: Pulled Pork SandwichPulled one with fries other with taters - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois