Always order pickup, usually get the Ribs and pulled pork sandwiches. Food is great, they give you the sauce on the side, which is nice. When picking up food, make sure to mention it to the cashier, otherwise you'll be standing there. The inside is nice and big, they have benches instead of regular chairs (at least what I saw), would order again read more

This place has a very "BBQ Restaurant" feel with a lot of wood around and a thick smoky scent in the air. The meat was a little overdone, but it still tasted pretty good. There are also several sauces to try that are all delicious! The cornbread is the star of the show, in my opinion. I also tried the fried pickles with the southwest ranch, and I would come back just for those! Note, this is not a service restaurant, so you order at the counter and pick it up at the window. Service was fairly quick considering how busy they were, and everyone was kind. I will also add that they have sweet tea available, but it is not true southern sweet tea if that is what you are expecting. Overall, I would recommend checking them out! read more

I tried this location after being disappointed at the Lombard one. Service was better. The food just wasn't worth the price. The sausage was the best thing we had. read more

Food was amazing atmosphere was great very clean and staff was super friendly. Definitely recommend.

This is an amazing bbq restaurant located in Elmhurst, Illinois (western suburbs of Chicqgo) near the intersection of North Avenue and Route 83/Kingery Hwy. The food is amazing! Between all of us, we ordered Ribs, Brisket and Ribs. Our sides were the Mac n cheese, sweet potato fries and onion rings the portions generous. They also give you cornbread...and Oh! The Cornbread! It's so delicious! I would come simply to eat their cornbread. It's sweet like honey and moist. The Mac n cheese has a little kick to it which was fine with me. Service is super friendly and the place is very clean. Firewater BBQ is now one of my favorite Chicagoland restaurants. Best bbq I've had in Chicago. I will definitely visit again soon read more

Brisket tasted boiled and rubbery not smoked. Pulled pork and ribs decent, nothing special. Chicken tacos pretty good. I would not recommend. Two stars cause they seemed like decent people working there but 1 star for food. read more

The pulled pork sandwich would be better if they strained off more of the grease. I got "to go" and was fortunate that the sauce was separate. I used paper towels to soak up the excess grease. Then, it was okay to eat. Maybe rethink your recipe so it's less greasy? That way, you get more of the flavors from the sauce and smoked meat. read more

Good BBQ with plenty of smoke, blues and in a back yard bbq atmosphere. Few different sauces to choose from so if you don't like a certain type you have options. Greeted up walking in and thanked on the way out. read more

Firewater BBQ - Rib tip, 3 Cheese Mac & Cornbread - Barbeque Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

We drive in from Chgo pretty often as the food is really good Today was really disappointing As we were ordering my daughter noticed a "hospitality fee". I pd it. Then We got our food and I started thinking #1 we go to the counter and pick up our food, #2 we buss our own table ..so out of curiosity, I asked what the hospitality fee was. I happen to be in the restroom & one of your workers was in there, and she said she did not know. After using the restroom I went back out, and my daughter heard your kitchen laughing about it and repeating hospitality fee and laughing ..so I went to counter and I asked if it would be clarified for me. It wasn't a large amount , I just would like to know what it's for? Simple . One of your cooks came out and said to me it's something to do with your POS system I asked is it because I ordered at the counter not at the POS just curious? and he said no the POS will charge you too. So then he said it is so you did not have to raise your prices ? Ok which is it ? and why am I paying it? He really just kept changing the script ...And btw I'm really sorry to say that the brisket and pulled pork were all cold today as well as the portions of your sweet potato fries :half of the usual size ...so I spent $52 on a cold small lunch today for 3 ppl and 2 of us drank water. I did not pursue it is I'm not trying to look like a "karen" i am in the industry 22 yrs ...but friendly words of advice ...if you're going to mock your guests, I would suggest you have your kitchen do it somewhere in the back where we can't hear them. we refer a lot of people to this restaurant & Word of mouth is what makes a business happen . so that being said, I'm sure the drive out will be a lot less if at all any longer . Its not your prices. Its the disrespect for your guests and your shrinking portions . I am a paying customer and I deserve to know why I am paying a fee. When My whole family is together for dinner or lunch. Our bill is never under $110 and we make frequent trips out. Not sure sure that's gonna happen anymore. .....if at all ..... just wanted an answer . I clearly paid it and don't appreciate the runaround be respectful , look me in the eye, and tell me what it's for. Really disappointed read more

You order at the counter, but service was fast and friendly. As always I got a 3 meat - brisket, beef rib Ends, and ribs with Mac n cheese and baked beans. The good: beef ends were surprisingly good, this is almost a scrap cut of meat so it could go sideways, but they were really flavorful and cooked just right. Brisket was cut as h ordered it (lean) and the flavor was legit. Max n cheese was solid but unremarkable. Sauces also were flavorful and there was a good selection. The bad: ribs and beans - the ribs were dry and flavor was just not there. Not sure what was mixed in the beans, but tasted kinda like soap. The old fashioned on tap was a surprise worth a try if you like bourbon. Would definitely return if in the area. read more

Firewater BBQ - 3 meat - ribs, beef tips, brisket - Barbeque Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

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While the place is neat looking and the staff is friendly the bbq I received as pretty bad. I specifically asked for brisket from the point and was served dried, thinly sliced brisket as if it was sitting in a chaffing dish for a while. the sausage tasted old and was clearly cold prior to reheating on the grill as the center was barely warm. I was really disappointed to see cooked ribs sitting on racks behind the kitchen. Maybe it was an off day as this place has really high scores, idk but for me its a hard pass. sorry guys read more

Best BBQ ever. Grillmaster burger is unrivaled. It comes with smoked thick cut bacon and pulled pork. The rib tips are bigger than most places wings. All the sides are amazing. I hate mustard but they have a homemade mustard that may be the best sauce I've ever had. They offer free homemade pickles and jalapeños that go great with all their bbq. Do yourself a favor amd order a few things. Good beer selection. Great staff. read more

Firewater BBQ - Grillmaster Burger. Rib tips. Jalapeño cheddar sausage. Bacon potato salad. Smoked beans - Barbeque Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

I wanted to try thier beef brisket. Looks juicy and meaty. It was really good. Restaurant had a cabin like setup. Made you feel like in a county style. Its good. Service is good very fast. Would come back to try the ribs read more

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The system crashed and the employee said that the meal was "on them today". We thanked her a million times. Halfway through our meal, the manager came out and said we owe them money. Very unprofessional and absolutely lost our business. No apology or even a discount from the manager. The lady who rang us up was very nice and apologized but the manager was completely disrespectful. read more

We ordered 2 of the meat platters, 2 beers for about $51. The cashier would not allow us to swap or discount the pop for beers so unfortunately he had to charge us for both The food was horrible. Pictured you can see my dry brisket which shouldn't have been served. I had one bite and threw it out. The pork had some smoke but it was also very dry. If I wanted to eat it, it would need to be doused in bbq. I chose to throw all my food out and go next door for chicken. Won't go back and def don't recommend read more

Firewater BBQ - Dry Brisket & Pulled Pork - Barbeque Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

Absolutely delicious. One of the best BBQ experiences we've had in a long time. We all really enjoyed the ribs--no wonder they've won competitions. The spicy BBQ sauce was excellent. The ambiance was fun too. Our kids loved the small arcade area, especially the hockey foosball. read more

Firewater BBQ - 3 meat platter (burnt ends, brisket, pulled pork) + sides (sweet potato fries & Mac n' cheese and a full slab of ribs - Barbeque Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

Food cold and barely ok taste wise but the real kicker and only reason I'm leaving a review is.....final bite I take, I look up and a FAT mouse comes out of a hole in the wall right above the kitchen and crawls down the door frame like it owned the place. read more

Very good. BBQ. Between the three of us we had a pretty good spread of the menu. Very good and well prepared

You really wanna love this spot.. what's not to like, typical Texas bbq joint. They do a very nice job with thrift meats, although I have never seen a Texas bbq heat a beef brisket on a flattop. I have tried this place 4-5 times and will give you my opinion. Meat 8 sides 2 The worst thing to purchase are fries that are dropped twice. This is a way of not wasting already cooked but unsold product. So they are quickly refried. If you wanna give them away, fine. However never ever try to sell them as fresh. Pickled fries, forget it... over cooked and greasy. Baked beans nothing to honk about!! Potato salad , Norwegian style,,, think dill, lottsa dil. Grab meat here, they do it well, but saved the money and buy a bag of fries and some side salads at Mariano's with a can of bush beans. read more

Firewater BBQ - Over cooked probably twice fries - Barbeque Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

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Best bbq in the area! Plenty of sauces to choose from. Haven't tried anything I did not like from here! read more

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Pretty good bbq. Restaurant is funly decorated and clean. The staff is pretty chill, and gave us a free bratwurst with our meal.

Went here on a busy Saturday night our first time and everything was good (atmosphere, drinks, food). Unfortunately, It was a whole different experience this time around. There was only one beer on tap and very few bottled beers to choose from. selection seemed very random. Last time we were here they had a much larger selection which was one reason we came back. After all, they market themselves as BBQ & Brew. Service was extremely slow. There was a long line to order food and it appeared that the person was doing online orders too as they didn't even acknowledge my existence until they were done printing out and packing other orders from what I looked like. It's a place where they yell out your name when your order is ready. They kept yelling my name but I was unable to leave the table at the time because I was with my 2 year old while my husband went to the restroom. They kept yelling my name (not even 2 minutes went by) and then yelled "your food is getting cold"!! If they were so worried (4 of them were just standing around) about me getting my food after a brief moment, they could have brought it out to my table. Not sure how to describe this situation but it was rude and left a horrible feeling. I suggest getting takeout if you want to try the food. Moral of the story, service was not good but BBQ was. read more

I was so happy when they opened this one right by my place! They have a couple locations including Elmhurst and Lombard. I really enjoy this location. Their pulled pork tacos are really tasty, the only thing I would change is maybe give a little bit more coleslaw on the side as it's just a little sauce container filled with the coleslaw. Otherwise, it's very good. I enjoy their onion rings as well! The inside is really neat and very clean. The service is also pretty good as everyone I've encountered has been nice! Try this place out if you're in need of BBQ! read more

We visited this place while visiting Chicago. Wow , the food here is fantastic. The barbecue is amazing and sides are good also. As a Texan , this barbecue is really one of the best I've had bar none. Love the atmosphere and you definitely know you're in a barbecue joint with the smell of the hickory smoke. We will come back again. The prices are reasonable for the amount of food you receive. You can't go wrong with this place if you're looking for some good barbecue. Give them a try . read more

Probably one of, if not my favorite, BBQ place. The staff is super friendly, food is cooked fresh and tastes amazing, atmosphere is very homey. Definitely would recommend to anyone who has a taste for good BBQ. read more

The lies people tell. The bbq was ok chicken was bone dry Mac n cheese was atrocious however I enjoyed the cornbread

Firewater has come a long way from my first visit shortly after the Elmhurst location opened, at that time I was unimpressed. We went several months ago and was pleasantly surprised, so we recently went back on my birthday and it was great again! Had burnt ends and ribs. I'm guessing that initial visit was them working out the kinks with a new location and new staff. Keep it up Firewater, I'll be back! read more

Our favorite bbq place hands down. We've always gone to the lombard location but tried this one today. One of the best things about firewater bbq is that it tastes the exact same each time-it is consistently fantastic bbq. Today we got the rib tips and full rack of ribs. Both delicious. My favorite thing will always be the pulled pork cheese fries-they're out of this world. read more

Firewater BBQ - Full rack of ribs and rib tips - Barbeque Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

Possibly the best bbq in the northern IL suburbs! Pulled chicken sandwich + fries + shark movie = evening happiness.

Top notch bbq you can find in Illinois, possibly within the entire Midwest. Ribs and brisket are to die for, and don't miss the fried pickles. Friendly and helpful staff and great ambiance. read more

Brisket is a $2 up charge and taste like straight butane I had to drench the brisket in bbq sauce and the Mac and cheese is bland I had to walk to fry the coop and get some chicken and waffles just to take the taste of butane out my mouth. In all the service is good workers are nice but the food just doesn't cut it plus I ended up puking my brisket the morning after it was not fun read more

The brisket is my favorite and any of the sides are winners. The corned bread is also really good. The service is generally good. I have gone there once and the cashier was sub-par but the others have been friendly. read more

Wow. I live just down the street and never tried this place. The cashier was helpful as a first timer, i took advantage of he recommendations and love it read more

People working there need to freshen up. Dirty looking and take away from restaurant and food. Fair barbecue. Canned beans. Meat is dry and far from the best. read more

Atmosphere: restaurant is huge and I love the look of everything. There's also a bar if you're interested in that kind of thing. Meats: Had the rib tips, gf had the beef brisket sandwich. Rib tips were great brisket was pretty good. Sides: fries were meh, pickles were good not too much breading on them. Service: good, the cashier had a little bit of trouble making his voice heard but was a nice kid. Came on a Thursday around dinner time. read more

Decent ribs good coleslaw sliced brisket wasn't so good no flavor and no bark on the ends friendly staff and comfortable environment

When we came into Firewater BBQ. we were amazed at the space. There is a bar with craft beers on tap, or a tub with craft beers in cans! Reminds me of my frat days. Tables are all over the place with a paper towel roll on a hunk of pipe smack in the middle. A little rustic but clean & comfortable. The cashier (owner) was very friendly & helpful, so I started ordering the lunch special (till 2PM) of a pulled pork sandwich on a buttered bun, slaw & a soda (reasonable for $10.95). My friend ordered the Pick3: BBQ Rib Tips & Burnt Endz w/fries & a soda for $19.95. As to the food, the pulled pork alone was good & moist with some flavor (got a little bit of end pieces) & the slaw was creamy with a little sweetness. They also offer complimentary sliced pickles & jalapeños which is great. My friend had a huge meal so he let me try his Rib Tips (very good) & Burnt Endz (soft, moist & juicy). His fries were good but what made the meal was the two choices of BBQ sauce (Sweet Home Chicago & Texas Heat). The SHC was great w/fries & the TH was wonderful with the meat. Food was so wonderful, we felt like raising our arms and saying the quote from Wayne's World: "We are not worthy!" We will definitely come back for the ribs, brisket & sausage. read more

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Sean, Kenny & Theresa - absolute class. First time trying Firewater, blown away without a doubt. Told their team how my wife and I were in Nashville last year and the BBQ we tried out there, couldn't even compete with theirs! We will be back again...and again x100000. Get the 3 meat, beef brisket, bacon & rib tips. Make sure the fries are Cajun, man I'm typing this as my wife flies down north ave back to the house. My stomach is gonna explode I ate so fast, only evidence left is one strip of brisket and one rip tip. The rip tips are huge man and whatever they do to their bacon god only knows, and by god I mean the master chef in that kitchen because he's god to me. We're about to pull into the drive way but man I'm gonna shower and jump into bed with a huge stomach, definitely sleeping like a baby tonight. I think I might celebrate my 30th birthday at this place man!!! read more

Firewater BBQ - 3 meats and 2 sides, the meal that changed my life. U.S.A.! - Barbeque Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

The best BBQ in Illinois! This place rocks, the energy they have calling your name to pickup your order makes you feel like a WWE wrestler getting into the ring! I went during lunch and the music fit the theme and wasn't too loud and it seemed like the family near me was having fun with the arcade they have inside. Great restaurant and I'm happy I stopped in! read more

Firewater BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

Amazing food. High quality cuts of meat. I drove an hour to get to this place and it was highly worth it. Every tip was a thick and meaty cut. Super satisfied. read more