Want some GREAT tips, links, and fresh cut fries? Lem's is it HANDS DOWN!!!! Food is perfectly cooked and sauce isn't required. In fact, I roll with no sauce and go home to the Sweet Baby Rays. The ribs are okay, but again their TIPS . read more

Some of the best bbq in Chicago. I suggest the JBL combination. The staff is friendly and food is top notch.

I went to Lem's after LeBron broke the hearts of Toronto fans and separated themselves from the Raptors going up 3-0. Purchased a large tip, cut small and some wings. It's just ok. It is south side BBQ. It is not smoked, but they do have a BBQ pit that does all the work. You do smell the smoke and the BBQ as you approach this shack. The tips, some were chewy, some were tender, some were meaty, some was just bone (the reason for the three stars). I love the sauce. It is different and an acquired taste. The wings dipped in the sauce is heaven. And if you are lucky to go to bottom of your tray and in all that sauce get a couple of fries, consider yourself blessed (in a good way), because that taste so good. I love dipping my bread in the sauce, too. It is in the hood. So hood that night a man got out of his car in a lime green suit. That's cool. But do you know his car (as well as the interior) matched the suit??? "You gotta coordinate!" (from the movie "Boomerang") read more

Lem's Bar-B-Q - Wings - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Best BBQ I've had in a long time!!!! I'm from Mississippi and when i read the reviews i knew i had to try it! Waited at least an hour but it was worth it! read more

Lem's Bar-B-Q - Outside - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

A Chicago institution. Chicago-style aquarium smoker in use here. Great sauce. Great ribs, rib tips, hot links. I really like them all. Lem's is the definition of Chicago-style BBQ, read more

You go for the smoked rib tips and then you get addicted and go again. This is the way of things, young Skywalker. No trip to Chicago is complete without a stop at Lem's, but you'll need to take your meal elsewhere. (There's no seating to speak of here.) Doesn't open until afternoon, so be advised. read more

Food is great. Recommend getting food wrapped in aluminum foil. Barbecue sauce will spill out in bag.

I tell you, the Chicago Rib house scene is NOT what it used to be. This is my second tine trying Lem's and I was not impressed! When I patronize a rib joint, I expect for them to be better than what I can do on my home grill! While the small tips were hearty, meaty and tender, "I need to know Where is the FLAVOR?!?!" I like the Smokey flavor the permeates the meat and Lem's does not have it! I noticed the my have a new smoker so maybe it's not broken in. Second, the sauce is watered down. When I got my rib tips I thought they forgot to put sauce in only to find out the sauce was on the bottom of the container which means it was so runny it did not stick to the tips. Lastly, while I support our black businesses, it would be nice if the cashiers can at least smile showing they value us as customers! The lady with glasses (possibly owner if wife of) was just unpleasant. I get it she may have been there all day, but it's a pandemic abd have she ever thought if it wasn't for the customer they would not be open! Just saying. I give this 2 stars. read more

Lem's Bar-B-Q - Lem's weak sauce, no flavor, no smile yet tender and meaty rib tips - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Tender, juicy, and flavorful! Lem's has a line around the corner every time I stop by, and there's no wonder why. The rib tips are smoked beautifully with fully flavor and fall off the bone. They're taking safety precautions with a max of 3 customers inside the walk-in stand at all times. Not a big fan of the links but the rib tips do not need any assistance here! Great spot. read more

Very good food, the tips are sometimes fatty but the sauce is so good you can put it on a sandal and eat it.

The ribs are tough, I just go for the hot links, the lem family owners are nice sometime nasty other times very inconsistent, be prepared to wait outside, only 4-5 allowed inside at a time. The tips taste and tenderness depend on ....welll you just gotta take a chance, you just never know, but it is so hard to find good rib joints. read more

A friend recommended this spot while I was in town. She lives on the south side and is very familiar with this place. It's very small and unassuming. My friend said there was no place to dine in and that was an understatement. There is no seating. You literally can only walk in to place your order and turn around and walk back out; one way in and one way out. It probably holds 12-14 people when the line is double stacked, wall to wall. So you should know what you are ordering when you are lucky enough to get inside. And of course you can't escape the bbq smoke cramped in such a small space that is mostly kitchen/cooking area. I ordered the JBL special; rib tips, hot links, chicken wings, ribs, fries and wonder bread for about $18. It all came covered in spicy bbq sauce. The fries were in the bottom of the tray and they were swimming in the sauce, a bit too much for me. Soggy sauce fries aside the food was excellent; tender, well seasoned and delicious. Some of the best bbq I've had. They definitely know what they're doing at Lem's. Decades of experience really pays off. read more

Dank! Best tips in Chicago. Large tip basket and ready to order some merch. Dreaming about the next visit.

I can't believe after waiting 30 minutes outside in the cold, this is what I get...rib tips that taste like tangy tires!!!! You have to pay extra to chop them into actual tips, and they put all the very liquid and tangy BBQ water sauce at the bottle of the platter, and not on top of the ribs as asked. My large tip order looks just like the small tip order, and forget about customer service...the older woman just takes your credit card, and throws it back to you in the slot, she has the personality of a retired witch! Always go with your first choice because Lem's was my last... read more

My brother and his wife came from Topeka Kansas and the reviews were good so we ordered food , I ordered a combination of sausage and rib-tips with bbq sauce on it , when I got home to Schaumburg Il and opened my bag I never seen anything like this before they poured the bbq sauce in the bag and than put me tray on top of the bag , I had no bbq sauce on my food whatsoever and it was the same with my brother and his wife, please believe we will never travel all that way for 1 star and that was just to be nice read more

Absolutely delicious and worth a special trip. Family style, generous, and so tasty! We got combo of tips and links which comes served on a bed of fries and topped with white bread. More food than we were expecting - this is not a complaint. And the sauce is so so good! This place is cash only, very casual and doesn't have seating. It's a fantastic place for takeout! read more

The best BBQ in the country. Hot links are the best. I buy the sauce to put on other dishes. Excellent.

I've heard about Lem's for a looong time, and finally had a chance to pop by on a Sunday afternoon. It was a beautiful day, and the line of a half dozen or so folks in front of us moved fairly quickly; we maybe waited 15 minutes to order. And, boy did we order! Three wings, hot links, full slab, and a large order of tips. Needless to say, we had a lot of leftovers...that worked very well with a few eggs for breakfast the next day. That sauce. Mercy, it's fantastic. The sweetness hits you right away, but the spice creeps up on you so after a few bites the balance is perfect. Another reviewer mentioned to get the sauce on the side, because if you have a good ride home (30 min for us) the fries will be soggy...and they were right. But I didn't care. They were sponges for the sauce and I ate them happily. But, I would also recommend sauce on the side since the meat is packed in top of the sauce and it can be hard to get good coverage without splattering sauce all over the kitchen. The meats were all good to great. The smoke comes through and the texture is what you want from good bbq. Maybe that's why the sauce is served underneath? Either way, unlike many hyped spots in the city, Lem's is legit. Oh, and they don't take tips on credit cards so I'm going back next weekend to tip cash...and try everything else. read more

For over a decade, I was a loyal customer of Lem's. For me, no other smokehouse in the Chicagoland area came close to their quality, cook and sauce. That's over now. During the last visit, I watched the grill people cut up picture perfect orders of rib tips. My order was predominately charred gristle, and small pieces. Oh darn. I regularly purchase Lem's half gallon Bar-B-Q sauce. This time the sauce was dark brown in color (see photo) and poured out in chunks. The chunks did "dissolve" after being stirred, but over many years, I've never seen their sauce this color or texture. I contacted Lem's on their website, and sent over the photo, asking if this was a new recipe, or as I speculated, the sauce was an older product. They did not reply. They won't miss my business, and I'll miss Lem's, but I don't think they like me, so I'd be a fool to purchase something from them again. read more

Lem's Bar-B-Q - Lem's Bar-B-Q sauce. The color is darker than ever before, and it poured out chunky. - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I tried them for the first time and I was so disappointed! My meat was greasy and dried out! I was so excited about coming here but was let down read more

I'm soooo excited..... I'm standing in line waiting to order my tips. I've been thinking about them all week. I'm off work and haven't been to sleep yet, but this is more of a priority right now. I'll sleep later. read more

Lem's Bar-B-Q - This is the address to one of the best rib tip places in Chicago on the south side! - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Best rib tips with mild sauce ever. Funny thing is that I think it tastes the exact same as 30 years ago, great consistentcy! Lems demonstrates hardwork, quality and legacy for the community and Chicago! Glad to see they are recognized in Eater Chicago as one of the top BBQ places in Chicago. read more

Nom nom! If you're looking for some cheap, quick, delicious rib tips as well as supporting a family owned local business that's been around for decades, come check out Lem's! Parking is fairly easy as they have their own lot. Unfortunately there's no place to eat in the joint but don't worry, the food is worth it. Skip the hot links, go straight for the rib tips. My friend and I split the large rib tips and hot links combo ($20) which comes with bread, fries, and special BBQ sauce. Hot links are dry and don't taste that flavorful. The rib tips on the other hand, are so fatty and tender! The sauce itself is alright, it's the meat that's very special. The wait was less than 5 minutes. Drive on down south and go get some rib tips! read more

Lem's Bar-B-Q - Large rib tips and hot links combo - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I had ribs and hot links. They were tasty; and appeared and tasted as I expected. Lem's has been around for a long time and the food is still good. They need to improve their service process. The wait time is too long and customers have to wait outdoors in a line. My wait time was approximately 30 minutes. I have to admit, I had good conversation with the man in front and behind me in line. They only do take out orders. It would be great if they had a space for dining on site. I'm originally from Chicago, but currently live in Georgia. I was visiting for a few days. I remember Lem's from 59th & State and the product is still good. read more

The entire staff at this establishment is very unprofessional, rude and drunk. Most of the time we waited over an hour and a half to get inside of the place to place an order. Once inside there was no heat, and instead they have heaters around the outside of the building. The cashier was drunk and didn't give me a receipt until I asked for one, and then act like I had said something wrong to her. I ordered a bucket of tips and a order of hot links, and neither one of them had any sauce on it. Just a bad experience all the way around.conductor Union Pacific Railroad read more

Delicious always worth the wait while tender piece of meat prices are reasonable and location is cent read more

Lem's Bar-B-Q - Ribs and hot link - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I brought a bucket of tips half the bucket were bones I called up there the lady that works the cash register is so rude when I was there the other day she was being really rude to people inside!!!!!I called back to let her know about my ribs I brought she yelled at me and I asked why were she yelling her response was I'm trying to open up my restaurant just bring it back she is extremely rude and ignorant........ read more

This place I one of the best BBQ joints in the country! My family has been going to this place for over 30 years. Great food and great service! read more

The people were mean and the rib tips and chicken wasn't all that. Old over cooked and dry.

The food is excellent. The place is small and you have to wait outside to place an order. There is always a line formed outside.

The food is good. The only problem I have with them is they refuse to open up another location.

I went on Saturday and ordered a Large and a Small combo and i was pretty much satisfied i went earlier in the day. I haven't had Lem's in along time i will be returning for more and hopefully it is the same. read more

Best tips in Chicago but slow in service- only allow 5 people inside at a time and not enough people working inside to keep orders flowing

Food is always good. My go-to is the large tip and link combo, with extra sauce. Hits every time. Can feed two well off that order

the food is so fresh and delicious and the sauce is just amazing , go try it you wont be disappointe.

Food is good,service is not the best, lines are to long to have to wait for service. Not worth the wait.

Parking hard but food is usually tasty I have gotten some tough meat though so there is a quality control issue. Sometimes a five and sometimes a two. read more

Rib tips are the best chicken is good. Didn't like the hot link or the full rib. Also I wish the fries were in a separate container so they weren't so smothered in sauce. Still the best rib tip I've had read more

The Lem's BBQ use to have good ribs and links but for the last few years it's been a hit or a miss. Just last week I got an order of tips links both where dry and chewy. Long for the 70's through the 90's. New Gen doesn't care about freshness. read more

Great hot links and excellent rib tips I recommend you get the sauce on the side but overall great food