I've eaten Heffer BBQ since their residency in the Back of the Yards, and they always come through with amazing food. My personal favorite is the brisket crunchwrap, a majestic take on the item made famous by a certain chain that told us to run for the border and that a chihuahua wanted its food. This version is 1000x better, made with care and a delightful mix of flavors. I've also had their brisket sandwich, the chopped cheese, the tremendous burger, and some of the other dishes with different meats, and you just can't go wrong with anything from Heffer. Shawn and Leonor are super kind and hard working, busting their behinds to craft a delicious experience. I saw some comments elsewhere about a recent wait time and selling out before the end of day. It's two people doing their best to make amazing food in a pop-up setting. TWO PEOPLE. They are always playing a road game, lugging everything to various locations, and they still manage to deliver a delicious first-class meal every time. I've been in BBQ restaurants where I've waited much longer and with much less flavor. They are up front about their setup and food being available until it's sold out. In most cases you're not waiting long at all and you're gonna have a full menu of food available. I was there the weekend of some of these comments and had no issue with waiting. What I didn't wait for: devouring my crunchwrap. It was gone quickly. So, so good. They have a weekend setup at Monochrome in Pilsen and the monthly stop at Skylark on Halsted. Give them a try, they're awesome! read more

Heffer BBQ - One half of the brisket chopped cheese sandwich. I immediately ate the other half. - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Everyone should understand that this business is a pop-up with no permanent location or set hours. They are often at Monochrome Brewing in Pilsen on some Saturdays and at Skylark in Pilsen on some Sundays. I highly recommend checking their schedule on Instagram at @therealhefferbbq. They were previously at Whiner Brewery and Duneyrr Winery, and they may appear at other places as well, so it's always best to follow their Instagram for the latest updates. At times they sell out quickly. Sometimes the wait is long, and other times there is hardly any wait at all. Regardless, the food is outstanding. Their smoked wings and smoked smash burger are especially exceptional and it is easily the best in the city. I truly hope they are able to secure a permanent location someday. Their food is a hidden gem that deserves a home of its own. read more

Shawn and Leonor are passionate hardworking business owners, and that translates to their delicious food! I have had the pleasure of trying mostly all of their menu items and I am religious to the crunch wraps and smoked wings. I don't really eat raw kale but I love their kale salad. Always a hit! Must try, and go back for more. read more

Getting here is a trek, but these wings have to be my favorite wings in the city and the venue is cool. The flavors are unique, you honestly can taste how much care and effort the chef puts into his food. Yes, the food is on the pricy side, but that's what you should expect from BBQ. I would recommend checking them out during happy hour if you want to sample multiple menu items. They share the space with a bar so you can also get discounted beer with your food during happy hour. FYI Heffer also sometimes runs deals during White Sox game days! read more

Heffer BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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After trying many craft bbq places all over Chicagoland, I can confirm out of everywhere, THIS is it!! I still love you, Green Street, and probably always will. But Heffer officially takes No. 1 for me. From lovely ambiance and hospitality to exquisite quality and presentation, what isn't to love about this hidden gem? It actually is located in a warehouse called "The Plant" and shares a space with Whiner Beer Company (on the 2nd floor). I really loved the rustic and foresty vibe inside. Started off with their 'smoked & fried' chicken wings, tossed in half their signature coffee bbq and half buffalo sauces. While the wings were a bit on the drier side (perhaps I was just unlucky this time) both the sauces tasted absolutely elite! I also opted for their brisket crunchwrap, one of their featured menu items. It was filled with tender chopped brisket, 'Mexican style slaw', refried beans and hatch green chiles. Although the tostada in the center seemed to lack the crunch factor I was longing for, this was still an amazingly unique and mouthwatering creation and would highly recommend! For sides, I had the esquites and crunchy kale slaw. While I appreciate the slaw having packed the perfect crunch with the kale and crumbled croutons, I feel the esquites could have had a little more personality to them. Maybe topped with some cilantro and cojita cheese? I understand everyone does them differently though. Their deviled egg potato salad sounded absolutely fire; however, I was bummed to see it crossed off on their menu that day. I really do hope to return and try it sometime soon, as I am always on the hunt for a killer potato salad. Now, for the stars of the show, I got their brisket and pork belly burnt ends. I feel these were the absolute best choices I made out of everything I ordered, and you can see why. The brisket had the absolute perfect smoke ring and levels of moisture and juiciness as well. Plus the flats were not dry at all. This pretty much puts all other briskets I've tried to shame, up to this point. The burnt ends, which I was able to try fresh off the smoker, were perfectly sweet and sticky on on the outside and had just the right balance of fat and tenderness on the inside. They practically melted in my mouth!! Heffer will always have my heart for brisket and pork belly. As the food was simply too good to be able to leave without dessert, I closed out with their bread pudding with brandy soaked cherries. It had a greatly crisp exterior with nicely moist and custardy innards. And the cherries added a perfect sweet-but-not-too-sweet touch to all of it. On a side note, I was given a complimentary oatmeal chocolate chip cookie along with my first order. It had a crunchy rim with a unexpectedly pleasant chewiness on the inside, which I really enjoyed. I overall love to see bbq places that have a nice mix of fusion and traditional items, which Heffer excels at delivering. This certainly does seem to be the closest you can get to proper Texas bbq in Chicagoland. Also shoutout to Travis and Sean for making the most hospitable experience I have ever had at a bbq place. They truly are amazing people who pour their heart and soul into everything they do!! read more

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Food 8.5/10 the meat was incredibly tender and I enjoyed that the menu was small. They were out of two items which was a real bummer but everything was tasty. I think they should add cornbread to the menu or rolls since it's super meat heavy they need some balance. The apple cake was delicious! Great for the season of autumn. Service was good and the staff were friendly. Ambiance was clean which is important but not super exciting beyond that. It's a place to go with family or good friends for a chill night of bbq and drinking not a very hype place for a Friday night. read more

This is one of if not the best bbq in Chicago. I love tips but Heffer excels at smoking meats. The choice of oak is perfect and everything I've had has always been exemplary smoked bbq. From the dinosaur style beef ribs to the chopped cheese and smoke wings this guy knows what he is doing. His wife is also great at making cookies and other treats. Check them out read more

Heffer BBQ is a pop-up bbq spot, located inside the Whiner Beer Company. Their menu offers items such as brisket tacos, fries & smoked chicken wings, smoked brisket burgers, pulled pork sandwiches, smoked esquites, deviled egg potato salad, etc. Finding the spot was easy, as you go upstairs and it's to the back in your right. We ordered: +the smoked brisket burger +the smoked & fried chicken wings - you can choose between coffee bbq or mustard bbq sauce - we opted for the latter +the deviled egg potato salad +the bbq beans +the smoked esquites Everything was tasty and presented well! Staff were friendly and welcoming. The place is nicely set up and cheerful, with plenty of comfortable seating. Plenty of parking in the area. +smoked brisket burger +friendly service +plenty of parking read more

I'll go ahead and echo the previous comments about how great the food is from. Across the menu you can't go wrong with a choosing. I personally love their brisket burger, the normal brisket, and the wings. You have to understand the usual two person team goes through an insane amount of work and prep to make this happen. I've been having their food since discovering them at Whiner Brewery, and it has consistently been stellar each and every time. Lastly, they bring such a vibrace to the community (both at back of the yards and Pilsen) It's so nice having these people serve such quality and special food in these areas. That in itself speaks volumes. Keep up the great work! read more

Best BBQ in Chicago!! Have been following them on instagram for a while and was finally able to go to one of their pop up this year and have attended multiple now! Everything is so good from the Crunchwrap to the brisket and pulled pork sandwich to their amazing tri tip sliders!! Highly recommend and highly recommend getting to the pop up early before they sell out! Can't wait to attend more of their pop up's with their AMAZING bbq! read more

Review for monochrome pop up on 7/5: I've had Heffer multiple times at Whiner and think they have great food BUT They took 2+ hours until they said food was not coming and gave refund. But they dragged us along telling us it would be 10-15 min multiple times. Ruined our group's day. Just he transparent FFS. They complained about struggling on Instagram and we came out to support. Last time supporting them, close up shop. It's over read more

Another amazing trip to the best bbq in Chicago. Sampled the brunch menu Sunday. I had a brisket breakfast taco with eggs, beans and queso fresco as well as a hot link. Everything was amazing. As usual great quick service in a very cool setting. read more

Heffer BBQ - Brisket Breakfast Taco - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Their BBQ is some of the best in Chicago and their chopped cheese is one of the best sandwiches I've ever had. Chicago's version of the Philly cheesesteak. Highly recommend. read more

Decided on coming here on the recommendation of a friend who said that the burgers and Q were amazing. I guess his definition of amazing is different than mine. First of all there is no sign outside. It's in an old industrial building and I was confused at first. Not until you enter and either climb the stairs or ramp do you see a sign for Heffer. Strange vibe as we entered. The bar is a separate entity and there are no menus for the restaurant. There is a chalk board and what they have on it is what your choices are. Now, we did go a little later, they close at 8pm - EVERY NIGHT - which is weird except the neighborhood can get really sketchy at night and being at a dead end of 46th street with not a lot of lighting I can understand. Nothing to drink available whatsoever from Heffer. No water, pop or iced tea....nada. If you want anything you have to buy it from the bar. Water is in a self serve jug and tepid. Ask the bartender for ice in your glass. Ordered wings, beef tallow bbq, which I was super excited to try. I also got the deviled egg potato salad. The wings were too salty and way overcooked. Not juicy at all. The potato salad was bland and nothing special. I really wanted to like this place as I have been wanting to try it for awhile. I'm going to come back earlier in the day and see if that changes anything. If things are better I will definitely update my review. Low overhead for sure; paper boats is what the food is served in, along with plastic flatware. You place your order, which will take awhile as there is no menu to peruse, at a single station, card only - no cash. Just a weird setup altogetherz read more

We started with the queso & chips. The flavorful queso has the perfect consistency, not too runny and not too thick. They get their corn tortillas locally and cut and fry them for their chips. PERFECT chips & queso. We moved on to the smoked esquites, which is everything you get in traditional Mexican street corn just without the cob. The lime and smoke flavors come through perfectly. Really a perfect corn side dish. The smoked wings are truly special. These guys are MEATY! They smoke them first and fry them to order and toss in a magical rub and sauce combo. If you love wings then you'll LOVE these! We were lucky enough to snag one of the last 4 smoked brisket burgers. And boy were we LUCKY! They grind their quality brisket to make this thick burger patty. It's topped with cheese and house pickled red onions. Really a special standout thick burger in the sea of smash burgers. THE BRISKET. This is how I personally judge bbq and this brisket was EVERYTHING you want it to be. You can really taste the smoke from the oak wood they use. The fatty parts are perfectly soft like bone marrow. The meat is super tender. And the bark is so flavorful and extra smokey. You don't even need sauce but they give you a side of this magical sweet sauce. This is the best brisket in Chicago! read more

Heffer BBQ has been on my must try list for a hot minute. We came for brunch and got there about a half hour after they opened. The setup was almost cafeteria style, with shared tables available and some standing tables as well some additional seating at the bar. It's literally just a little cart where they take your order and you pay... we got there a about 25-30 minutes after they opened and the brisket for lunch was already sold out which was a bummer... but they tell you it sells out and to come early, which only means, I know we really missed out and will have to come back to give it a try. We did try the briscuits & gravy, which is like a cheddar bay biscuit with brisket gravy & shared some Bacon burnt ends. Everything was great and had good flavor. I thought of all the things that would taste good covered in that brisket gravy and the list wasn't short. The bacon burnt ends were crispy and chewy and caramelized and super yummy. The place was filled with a super diverse mix of people, they do allow dogs and kids inside (we weren't sure since it's a bar) but definitely weren't sure what to expect before we came. We will be back and definitely look forward to trying more dishes! read more

Food was delicious. Amazing BBQ! Ambiance was definitely a vibe. Couldn't ask for a better place between the food and the wonderful people working there as well! 10/10 will be coming back. read more

Heffer BBQ - 1 lb brisket and chicken wings - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Amazing creative BBQ! We had a pork Crunchwrap and a brisket sandwich. Both were perfect! Supported a small husband and wife team.

Amazing brisket sandwich! Tremendous awesome taste. I often get smoke burps after eating smoked food, but not with his product. This husband/wife team knows how to smoke meat! Can't wait to try his crunch wrap. Follow on Instagram to see where they pop up! read more

BBQ is tops in Chicago for sure. Always consistently good with any of their items offered for the day.

heffers is hands down one of the best in the city! I've been coming here for ages and I make a 40-minute drive every time to get their mouthwatering wings, wraps and burgers, they're are always on point. read more

First time here and I happy to say that it was FIRE. I ordered the brisket burger that didn't disappoint and highly recommend. Followed by the wings which are smoked then deep fried to perfection. You get 2 options of sauces which are coffee bbq and mustard bbq sauces, I did both and liked both. Tried the bbq beans and briskequite as well and I'm hella of full as I write this but everything was extraordinary. The place is family friendly they do have a bar but very chill and laid back. Service was quick and easy didn't wait long for food. I look forward to coming back and doing all over again because this place very good. read more

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Tried to go there 3 times and they never have food available, and the owners love to fight on social media. Won't try for a fourth time, they lost me and my families business. read more