This has been on my radar for a few months and finally got there Sunday. It wasn't real busy, but it was early. Dry rub ribs is my favorite and they did NOtT disappoint. Wonderful flavor just perfect. Corn bread was very good Definitely go back and recommend this restaurant read more

The food was absolutely delicious! Had the fried bologna sandwich and the fried potato salad - it was amazingly good! Service and ambience were excellent - made to feel welcome by all staff members! First time there - definitely will be back! read more

EXCELLENT!! Tried you for the first time at the Schaumburg Septemberfest. The pulled pork sandwich was incredible. Can't wait to try out the full menu at your location in Hoffman. Thanks guys! read more

Great barbecue, reasonable prices, friendly staff. Highly recommend; casual but comfortable atmosphere. My husband is picky and said it's one of the best pulled pork meals he's had in a long time. read more

Just stopped in to try this place. We ordered a little bit of everything. We shared the Texas sampler and the bacon. My husband got the General, he liked it. We also got the mac & cheese, the brisket sliders, and the fried potato salad. Everything was delicious!! We will definitely be back!! read more

We are regulars at I Smell Bacon for good reason. The food is amazing, the service is always great, and they make you feel like family. In regard to the food, we recently dined in southern illinois at a multiple award winning bbq place. They didn't hold a candle to I Smell Bacon. Not even close! This is the place to beat! read more

Finally made it to I Smell Bacon with my brother and sister in law, and it did not disappoint! We got there around 5pm on Friday and it was quiet. We started off with nachos and the eggs rolls which were both delicious. The egg rolls had 3 different ranch options that paired perfectly with them. We ordered our entrees - I got the pulled pork sandwich and my husband got the ribs. We also had side orders of the corn bread, mac and cheese, and creamy coleslaw. Everything was perfectly delicious and probably some of the best bbq we've had in a while. It was tender, well seasoned, sauces were great. The service was great throughout the entire meal even as it picked up a bit between 6:00-7:00pm. Drinks were flowing and food came out quickly! We will definitely be back in the near future. read more

First time ordering online. Went home with my order, no barbecue sauce included. Called they said you're supposed to pick out your own sauce. Since it's my first time ordering online, I didn't know. Terrible service. read more

We were taking the alternative route home and saw the van that screamed "I Smell Bacon" no questions asked we pulled in and the rest is oh such a delicious memory. Our server was great answered questions and was okay with giving us a chance to cruise the menu. The menu is really great. Lots of original combinations. Many traditional ones as well. We went a bit lighter, the Gumbo, yum, cornbread, chicken taco, (love smoked bird),collard greens. The variety is awesome. Really a nice place. Nicely set up. Good spot, easy to access. When you walk in the aroma is delicious. Your passion is in the air and on the plate. Definitely on the "gotta go there again soon" list. read more

I must preface by saying we really wanted to like this place. Unfortunately, it was another eatery in the burbs that does not have what it takes. Just being honest. Hubby ordered the barbecue brisket = wet, watery, SOGGY and food temp was not warm at all. Chewy, and when I say chewy, you could chew for a week and keep chewing. No flavor at all. Potato salad was nothing to write home about. About two or three pickles came with something. I ordered ribs, underwhelming in taste to say the least, Again food temp was not that warm. Also ordered what is noted on menu as creamy coleslaw. When the waitress brought it to our table I looked at it, and asked is this the creamy coleslaw? She responded yes. It was so dry I kept moving it around looking for the creamy side. Pickled onions were an odd taste. Corn bread so so not great. You must not only have stand out meats but sides should be something special. Everything was underwhelming, tasteless and food temp was not even warm. My hubby is from San Antonio Texas and this place is not how barbecue should taste. We cook a lot and and are more than decent cooks. We also eat out a lot. Most people that give good reviews on sub par eateries just don't know how food should taste or be prepared. Place was not that busy, waitress did not come back to refill drinks. Owner said that is why we have self serve so you can refill your own drinks at the machines. Gee no-one mentioned that initially. I am tipping to be served. If I wanted self service, I would go to White Castles. I hope the owner looks at his lower rating reviews and improves so he can be successful in his business. We still tipped 20 percent. read more

Was our first time there today. Food and service were outstanding. Enjoyed the rib tips and all the fixens. Wife had the pulled chicken which she stated was excellent. Will definitely go back, not over priced At all. read more

The brisket is too peppery. The servers were in such a rush to get rid of us because they were closing in an hour. Really? One hour and they want to boot you out the door like you're worthless! They make you feel like you are unwelcome and not wanted. They didn't even offer us a drink. Just what do you want to eat and go. read more

Brisket eggrolls! The general sandwich! Best bbq outside of Oklahoma. Absolutely amazing. 5 stars aren't enough read more

When you're thinking of Smoked / BBQ this is undoubtedly the place to go!! New place in Hoffman Estates and you won't find a friendlier staff or owner!! Stopped in for lunch a week or so ago and was not disappointed at all!! The brisket was perfect, the pulled pork was amazing, the beans are a must try and then the Making Bacon, WOW!!! I liked it so much, I hosted a two day conference at my business with people attending from around the country and had to have "I Smell Bacon BBQ" cater in an amazing lunch for everyone. Besides people going back for seconds (and even thirds) everyone wanted to know where it was catered from and people from the area will be making to trip for more amazing food!! Don't miss your opportunity to stop in enjoy some great food, great atmosphere and a friendly staff!! read more

Great food, and our server was able to do split checks with a group of 9. I realize splitting checks is a hassle, and we appreciated it. The fried potato salad was tasty, and the candied bacon was delicious. read more

I Smell Bacon - Sausage platter - Smokehouse Near Me - Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Love me some bbq so I decided to try out this new joint while I was in the area. Servers/bartenders were great, very personable and helpful. Brisket - I'll give the benefit of the doubt, I got the pieces of the flat and was a tad chewy for my liking. The flavor wasn't too bad though. Wings could've used an extra 10 minutes in the smoker before frying. Wasn't as tender as I would like it. Flavor was decent, no complaints other than the chewiness. Pulled pork/chicken were perfectly cooked and was not dry at all. Sauces seemed pretty standard, I liked the hot bbq, wasn't too big on the Carolina. Beans were tasty, just wasn't a fan on how dry they looked initially. Overall, not a bad place to try out. Portion sizes to price could improve compared to competitors, but they're new and upcoming. I will try again in 6 months. read more

I was running errands and saw that this restaurant was open so I stopped in. ordered a brisket platter and 1/2 slab of ribs meal. Both were so good. Brisket was so tender and delicious and ribs also were tender and delicious. I used their bbq sauce, looks like there were maybe four or five different ones. Loved the cornbread. the Mac and cheese was cold and dry. Hopefully they fix it. Will definitely order again and try deep fried potato salad that was mentioned in another review. read more

We did a Door Dash with this place because we're in town for a funeral service and could not dine in. I really was hoping they would be good, but it was just ok at best. The first red flag was that the BBQ sauce costed $1.25 and is not included with DD. Plus the container was very small and I was barely able to get the sauce on all three containers of meat. The pork and brisket were ok but not great. Both were dry (which is why I was hoping for BBQ sauce to come with it). The baked beans were terrible. Absolutely no flavor to it what so ever. I would rather have a can of bbq bake beans than this. The saving grace was the corn bread. The corn bread was very good and moist. It was moister than the meat that I received. I'm always up for trying new BBQ places but this was a swing and a miss. Maybe dining in is a better experience but unfortunately we weren't able to do so. read more

Small criticism up front.. for some reason you can't order ribs to go on the online platform. That said, we called and an incredibly helpful, sweet woman took down our 8-person order with varying sides and specifications perfectly. Food was delicious including ribs, of course, brisket, Mac and cheese, cornbread. Definitely will be back to try more!! read more

Best food ever. Good food for a great price Staff is very friendly and always there to help read more

We read about this restaurant in the daily Herald and decided to give it a try. The place was jamming I think due to the article, but the atmosphere was friendly. We actually sat with another couple at a larger table and had some conversation before we were able to order our drinks. For the menu items my husband got the half slab of barbecue ribs and I got the three meat sampler. Both were outstanding. The meat was tender, and my husband surprisingly finished his ribs. I had quite a bit left and was able to bring it home for another meal. The meat was juicy and tender. The only thing I didn't like was the fried potato salad only because it was a little spicy for me, but the flavors were good. I would definitely recommend this place. The prices are great and the food is too! Our waitress Gigi was wonderful. read more

Good pricing - great choice of sides- ordered the three smoked meats - smoked/cooked perfectly! Will recommend and looking forward to trying other menu items. read more

Amazing food & great service! Will definitely be back. Owner came out and spoke to me. Brisket and sausages were delicious .

Food is outstanding! You really can't go wrong with ordering anything off the menu, but I do have Favs. They make some of the best smoked Brisket I've ever had. The Cowboy fries are to die for. The cornbread is our of this world. And the bacon appetizer is phenomenal! It has a great cross between sweet and smokey. read more

Excellent food and service. Great casual dining experience. Wait staff is attentive and respectful. I will be back soon. read more

Not only do I smell bacon, but I also smell delicious brisket and scrumptious Mac and Cheese, straight from mom's kitchen. If you need to fill a fix for baked beans, look no further. I Smell Bacon brings their A-game. Possibly the best baked beans I've ever shoveled into my piehole. The owner takes great pride in his craft. That being said, give ISB a try. You will NOT be disappointed! read more

Bad service, overpriced, pulled pork is like they bought carnitas from the fresh market and took the seasoning off. Cashier asked if we wanted BBQ sauce, wife said yes, she gave us 2 tiny containers that added $24 to the order without saying it was extra. The owner offered more food instead of taking the BBQ sauce off. I'll gladly take the extra 5 minutes to make it to Blackwood BBQ in Schaumburg which is 10x better. read more

I Smell Bacon - $24 worth of BBQ sauce they added to the order for a small amount of food. - Smokehouse Near Me - Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Outstanding pulled pork and candied bacon as well as great ribs. Service is fantastic. A really good Barbeque place.

Our experience was not so good. We got there Sunday around 6 ish. First time there. We ordered the trio platter, loaded baked potato and loaded tater tots. Brisket was fatty, pork dry, chicken had a good flavor. We were told the kitchen closes at 7 pm. We got our dishes. No corn bread came with trio as stated on menu. I asked for the corn bread, was told they were out. I asked if I could substitute another side, mac and cheese. Somehow, they found the corn bread (makes me wonder from where). The loaded potato came without the advertised loaded bacon. I mentioned that, they took that off the bill. Had a to go order, 3 tacos, pork. Pork was dry as well. Seemed like closing was more important and they tried to get by without items that were included/described with the meals. Not a good first impression. We are local. can't remove the san fran location. read more

OMG! The food is amazing. We were drooling just looking at the menu. My husband had the deep fried pork bombs and loaded tater tots (brisket, bacon , tots, and cheese) which were scrumptious. I had the brisket egg rolls and collard greens. The broth In the greens was so tasty, I had to drink it when I finished the greens. The waiter was friendly, helpful and efficient . We are definitely coming back. read more

Service was very friendly and relaxed. No rush. The TVs had closed captioning on! That's great for I have a hearing disability and could catch the Cubs game. Had the bacon and the poppers for appetizers. Bacon was great (imagine this on a BLT sandwich) The poppers were stuffed with spicy cream cheese and great. Not too hot if you don't eat the stems. Wife had a combo plate with pulled pork and ribs. There are about 6 different sauces to choose from. The ribs were old school, fall off the bone moist and tender. The honey bbq sauce is sweet but a slight tang on the end. Perfect! It was Tuesday so I had the special, a sampler burrito. This thing was 3 pounds and giant, stuffed full of bbq chicken and pork, and I had to take half home! (No worries, I will happily eat it for lunch tomorrow). I had an extra side of fried potato salad. A little spicy and a mouthful of flavor. Service was great, the owner also was serving and greeting guests, we felt like we were at someone's house, rather than the turn and burn hype that some places do. It's casual, relaxed, and you won't go home hungry. read more

Food great (5 stars) Large sides are small in my opinion. Quantities could be larger for the money paid.

Food, atmosphere and service were all amazing! I had a salad with pulled pork. My husband had the ribs with fried potato salad. The cornbread was on point. read more

Best pulled pork platter in the area! Cornbread from heaven! And, a mighty fine Old Fashioned to boot! Friends like the Paloma too! Check out happy hour specials! Great service! read more

I have to say that when a restaurant's name has bacon in it and you order a BLT, you expect for $12 a lot of bacon. Only 3 slices at best. So disappointed and not worth the $$ at all! read more

I want to like it but can't. Food is ok sometimes other times not good, I can see how someone would like it just not my cup of BBQ tea. No beef ribs, portions are small, nothing like a good plate of Texas BBQ. read more

Bought Thanksgiving Dinner for 6 from this place this year as catering seemed our best option. Was extremely disconcerted to see the tiny portion of turkey included. It was barely enough for one person. They have been impossible to deal with too considering that my complaint was answered with "nobody else complained". Amongst their reviews are several complaints about just that. If you're trying to feed ten people with a can of soup for two hundred bucks, this is the place for you!! I hope they are very successful with their mediocre food in tiny portions at outrageous prices... seems like a solid business model!! read more

Great food and service! Awesome ribs and brisket. We will be back again. Is this 85 characters yet?

I live in the community right next to the Arboretum, and being the only person in my household that loves BBQ, I was pretty excited when I heard there was a BBQ place opening up down the street. I am by no means a bbq snob, I just like it a lot and was utterly disappointed coming here. Seems like someone received a stick burner for Christmas, and decided it was time to open a BBQ restaurant without much research on how to actually BBQ. Whomever is doing the briskets needs to be fired or sent to a brisket academy. The brisket was improperly trimmed, rub was applied unevenly, doesn't seem like much wood was used in the "smoking" process, weak smoke ring on the top half, ZERO ring on the bottom, it wasn't smoked evenly, it seems like it was smoked with either another brisket right under it, or it was smoked inside a pot or tray, you would expect much more effort from a barbecue restaurant. The sausage was good, I think they are using Ditkas sausages, taste very similar, and you can never go wrong with those. I really liked the beans, probably the best item I sampled. The mac and cheese was disgusting, dried out It was fairly empty when I came, but the layout of this place is not the smartest and if it's even 1/2 full there are going to be issues getting drinks. read more

Excellent food and service. Nacho chips were made in-house and the nachos were nicely layered so toppings were spread evenly. Egg rolls were delicious and didn't even need the accompanying sauces. Sampler trio consists of pulled pork, brisket and pulled chicken. All were moist and tender. Baked beans and green beans were flavorful and the bread pudding was a perfect finish. Moscow Mule was bold and refreshing. read more