I found out about Lem's by complete accident. I was staying at an AirBnB down the street and Lem's was shining like a beacon in the night. They were open till 4am and they were the only business open. Best BBQ sauce I've ever had. Try it with the short rib tips. They put your ribs on top of a bed of fries and they pour their delicious sauce over the top. I still have yet to have ribs as good as theirs. read more

The best ribs in my 6 years in Chicago I took the green line here from Norwood park. I moved to lansing now I drive here from 180th st. The food is really good. I was never a big rib fan till I went to Lem. s im never sure which delicious meal to order? Other places ive been to Alabama johns BBQ in Tampa Florida and zukins rib shack in Lincoln park michigan. Thank you Lem s BBQ since 1954. Them some good ribs. read more

Went this past Sunday before NBA finals got in and out quickly. I've patronized Lem's my entire life and it didn't disappoint probably top 5-7 out of all my visits over last 35 plus years. We ordered Large rib tip cooked perfectly tender saucy tips, Center cut ribs very good drenched in sauce, and chicken not the best but was good. Mad love and respect to Lem's!! A must try if you haven't already it's worth it. read more

Nice big shrimp, clean, open on time, everything that was on the menu was available (unlike the now defunct George's). This is my new go to BBQ place. read more

Lem's Bar-B-Q - Interior from behind the glass. Smells good in here - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Very good ribs even without the sauce. Nice and tender. Hot links okay....not super spicy. Sauce somewhat greasy......but tasty! read more

This is one of my favorite rib joints in Chicago! When you get off of the Ryan you smell the smoke from 5 blocks away. Ordering is "soup nazi-ish", you walk in the door and yell out your order, then move aside. There is only room for 6 people but there are 20 in the limited space. Minutes later you are presented with a bar of greasy goodness. I recommend rib tips or ribs (center cut/small-end/large-end/slab). It doesn't get much better. My advice is simple; go there and put some meat in your mouth! read more

Growing up on the south side (South SIIIIIDEEE), Lem's was a staple in my home, and remains a staple in my BBQ rotation. Let it be noted that if you are looking for a fancy or "cool" spot, Lem's ain't it, so all you folks who are too scared to venture any further south than Comiskey, be warned. Lem's knows their BBQ, and BBQ period. The sauce is tart and tangy, which some people don't care for, but I prefer. The tarngy (tart & tangy) is balanced with enough sweetness to make me want to drink the sauce by the glassful. The meat has a nice bite, and the fries are always just right. Make sure you get sauce on the side for dipping. I can't give a review of Lem's without giving props to the hot links. Contrary to popular belief, hot links shouldn't just be summer sausage with a little spicy flavor. Lem's does them right. read more

Don't be shy... get your spot, know what you want, and make it known when they ask. Pay, grab, and get on your way. Legendary Lem's SRO 4x10 space allows you to do just that. My ribs will outshine Lem's anyday - since it's no longer the Lem's I remember. That said, the meat remains fairly well-seasoned and cooked to near-perfection. I'm not impressed with the sauce as it appears to be a simple combination of jerk paste and barbecue sauce. My coworker was impressed but he's no "Rib-Meister" such as I. All in all, a visit to Lem's is worth the historical value of this legendary joint, but I've had better (not far away) and can certainly do much better myself. Don't misunderstand, I WILL go back, but only because it's Lem's (+1 star), I'm staying in a hotel, and my favorite caramel cake spot is right across the street. read more

All things should be this simple. Here you have a small building with a few parking spots where people do nothing but make great BBQ and then you have a line of people wanting the buy said BBQ... and that's it. No pretense, no frills. The full slab is St. Louis style... meaty and tender. The sauce is strong and tangy... more tart than sweet. The chicken is fried, juicy, and delicious. IF I COULD CHANGE ONE THING about the order I got from Lem's, I would have the fries come separately so they don't get soaked and in sauce before I want them soaked in sauce. Maybe I'll just order it that way next time... and there will be many next times! Next time, I'm trying the hot links. I was there on a cold snowy Sunday. The line was out the door but moved pretty quickly. One woman got to the front and noticed she didn't have cash with her, just credit cards. The cashier told her no problem and for her to pay on her next visit. THIS is a friendly neighborhood place! read more

Wow. Ok, just... Lem's how DARE you serve me so much delicious meat! I can't believe I ate the whole thing. Large tips, mild sauce, the epitome of Chicago cuisine. This BBQ is indescribable. I'll let others try. I'm still stammering. The service was also impressive! The line was out the door (the joint is small), but even so, I was out the door in like 10 minutes. Exceptional establishment. WARNING: you may soon need to buy bigger pants. read more

Chicago staple and venerable iconic eatery on the Southside. Try the tips and hot links

Lem's appears to be an old converted dairy queen with an enormous smoker protruding from the middle. I was in during a storm one time and saw everyone back away from the smoker after a thunder clap. :-) It's small and has the look of neglect but that's part of the south-side rib experience. Please, don't worry. South-siders won't attack you if you stop in for food. :-P The services is as good or better than any of the south-side BBQ joints. They're better staffed than any other similar bbq place and my service has always ranged from blazing fast (in BBQ time) to completely acceptable. If you demand McDonald's service don't go to a carry out BBQ joint. The staff is busy but courteous. They want your order but they treat you well. Though the place is small, I've never had trouble parking in the wrap-around lot or on the street directly out front. The meat is the highlight. It's smoked and crisp at the edges. If you like braised meat, you'll love Lems. Portions are voluminous. This is a smoke-house style rib, NOT some half-assed par-boiled mess of gelatinous slop with some caramelized sauce. Real meat, they way you'd cook it in your back yard.. if you knew how to do it properly. Sauce is top notch, but not my Favorite on the south side [I'm slightly more partial to Captain Curts]. Like a lot of places you can buy the sauce outright, in quantities of up to a gallon. I picked up a half-gallon at one point and received a half-full sno-cone mix container.. it's part of the experience. Overall, it's my firm belief that every non-vegetarian should try some authentic Chicago BBQ at some point and Lems is a excellent place to hit. I'd put it on my top 3 list for the south-side (non-suburb).. tied for 1-2. read more

Decades have past and the quality and service never changed. God bless the Lemon's family.

Standing in a long line, waiting behind bulletproof glass for BBQ- is it worth it??? My bbq stained fingers and my full mouth are shouting out a resounding - YES! read more

After hearing a friend bragging about this place over and over again I finally decided to stop by for some takeout on my way up to Chi-town. I've had my share of good BBQ in New York and St. Louis. I was really expecting some good stuff from Lem with all the fanfare. Honestly I was really disappointed. While the rib came with great smoky flavor, the meat was extremely dry. The BBQ sauce was too acidic for my liking and didn't have enough flavor. The hot links were ever dryer than the ribs. How is that possible? People actually like this stuff? Did I get a bad batch? I can't decide if I'm more disappointed with Lem or everyone who's given Lem a five star review. If I ever win the lotto I'll be sure to buy everyone some real BBQ ribs from Pappy's or Sticky Lips. If this is the best of Chicago, I guess my search is officially over. No more need to try any other places around Chi-town. read more

I've never been a huge fan of Lems mainly because of that yucky vinegar sauce they use. I've always enjoyed their hot links though. I guess I would call myself a hot link aficionado. I like to try hot links at every BBQ joint I visit. The hot link to me is true sign of what kind establishment you are. If you can make a good hot link everything else is probably gonna be good. Occasionally I have hot link fits, I never know when i'm gonna have one, they just come at random like seizures. Well the other day I had one. So I went to Lems and got a small link. It started out very good as usual, until I started on my second link, and bit into a bone. I was sooooo pissed! and disgusted, since my mouth hurt from biting into a boney sausage I couldn't eat anything else for the rest of the day.... I will never understand how a bone got into to this meat. I know alot of places use fillers, I don't agree w/using fillers, but it should never be bone matter if one decides to use them. I've watched my father and uncles make hot links for decades and all they've ever used is lean pork. Lem's you have to do better w/this one. I don't know if the hot links are made from scratch or if they come from a distributor but somebody needs to be tapped for this. I'm sure most people prefer boneless sausage. read more

Best rib tips and hot links in the city!!! There's something for the whole family as the fried foods (wings and shrimp) are good as well. The mild sauce is special, smoky with a hint of vinegar, just to add a little kick! If you are not from Chicago and a little leery of a jaunt to the South Side of the city (i.e. Afraid of black people), push those fears aside and get some great "cue"! Take out only! read more

Just got the worst customer service from this establishment that I and my family have been patronizing for years, probably as long as they've been in business. Hell, we go as far back as 59th and State St. I Can not believe that they have hired riff raff to interact with customers. I just literally got into an argument with some thug that bags the food over a parking spot. The two front spots east of the restaurant. When I pulled up there was an SUV parked in the south stall and I proceeded to take the empty north stall. Just as I was about to turn the car off and get out here comes this pregnant man in a green apron talking about I'm finna park here....(talking about the stall I was already in) I said how you gonna do that I'm already in here.... he says "I'm just gonna move the owners car up and you can take that one.......so I pulled out and let him pull up which was very pointless.... he literally moved the vehicle one car length and then he mumbles "that's how" and literally argued all the way back inside the restaurant talking about that's the owners spot... and I said well it should say owners spot. So the owner is like whats all the ruckus and I explained he could have done that a better way. He was very confrontational and called me a liar when I told her what he said. I mean she wanted a better view of her vehicle and it was so urgent it couldn't wait until I got my food and left. I would think those spots should be designated for handicapped as well as the regular customers more-so the owner. This has really upset me because I have been supporting them since before that young man that they hired was born. I was utterly disgusted and literally lost my appetite behind this. I got kicked out of my parking spot for the owners car... had an argument with the thug they hired over it in the restaurant... and got called a liar in a matter of 10 minutes....For that (because I'm old school and the customer especially in this case is always right) I rate them 0 stars. read more

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

Bbq sauce was watered down and vinegar tasting. They charge 50cents extra for a half of an ounce of sauce that half of that is water. I'm not sure why this place is still in business. When you buy bbq half of the taste is the sauce. read more

Visited Lem's for some late night grub, and what a great experience! Rib tips were very good, a little on the dry and tough side a very tasty. Mild sauce had a nice little kick. Spice rub and smoke factor seemed right on. Will definitely visit again when in Chicago, and try the chicken and shrimp as we'll. During this experience, it was probably more like three and half stars. read more

This place has the best rib tips I ever had. This is a take out only place, and the place is rather small. I went during the day so it wasn't too busy. But I can imagine how crammed it would be on a busy day. I ordered rib tips, links, and wings. The wings werent anything special. The links were very cooked just right and was rather good. The rib tips was to die for. The flavor was just all there, and the meat was so tender. I love the sauce, it had just the right amount of tang to it and also had a bit of a kick. Everything came with fires and a few slices of bread. The fries soaked in their sauce was killer! I also soaked the bread in the sauce and ate every piece. You get very large portions too. The large order of tips I had was enough for 3-4 people and it was only about $10.50 if I remember correctly. For the price you really can't pass it up. read more

Lem's is apparently the best Southside BBQ.. nah. Was craving some tips, so Ok went in today for my first time. Ordered a small tip. The wait wasn't long. When i got home, I realized the tips were burnt, not falling off the bone. No flavor, either. I was so shocked because I'd heard rave reviews. I imagine years ago it was better, but now just not up to par. No worries, though. I'll freeze the tips and give them to my dog as treats. I guess a win, win... For dope BBQ, go to Excenetors in Dolton or Smoque on the North side. read more

Scary at first but worth the journey. A large rib tips is 2 meals and worth buying 2! Sauce is just like Russel's sauce. The fries on the bottom and bread on top of the ribs was a awesome bonus. The Char on the ribs was thick n smokey and amazing and is now my fav bbq joint in the world. sj from the burbs read more

Born & raised on Lem's BBQ. I've had the opportunity to do a great deal of domestic travelling for work over the last 20+ years. I've had Texas BBQ, KC, St. Louis, Memphis, LA (both the city & the state), NYC, franchise (Chili's) BBQ, et. al. You name it, I've had it. They only leave me disappointed and wanting Lem's BBQ that much more. BTW, kudos to Famous Dave's BBQ joint. I love the fact that there are pictures of other local BBQ landmarks hanging in the establishment. I saw a photo of Lem's. Way to pay homage, FD! if I can't get Lem's, you are next in line! My 1st stop often after leaving the airport: LEM'S!!!!!! read more

Went on an suggestion and was not disappointed. We had tips and hot links and shrimp. The tips were tender and the shrimp crunchy and flavorful. Neither me our my wife cared for the hot link. Also the sauce was a vinegar base which I didn't care for read more

Wow. By a mile, the best rib tips I have ever had. Ribs are awesome too. This is the best ribs in Chicago IMO. read more

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

I went here on a whim late Friday night. Apparently this place has some amazing bbq. To be honest, I'd never heard of this place though I'm a resident and consider myself to be familiar with Southside spots. When I got to Lem's the place was packed! The tiny parking lot was full of cars and there were also cars lining the street. Inside is very small and there's nowhere to sit. There was a 30 minute wait for rib tips but it turned out to only be 20 minutes. Needless to say, it was worth the wait. The ribs were perfect, not too tough, very flavorful and not drowning in bbq sauce. I was so impressed with the food that I didn't care about the location, or the wait. Will def be back. read more

Nommmmmmms. One of the best BBQ spots in the city. Bare bones, greasy spoon with a simple menu that they execute so well.

Great bbq. Worth the trip and the wait. Rib Tips and Chicken just melt in your mouth!!

(Insert expletive) that was amazing Barbeque!! Maybe the best rib tips I've ever had. There is a down side to Lem's, it's not always 5 star quality. The first time I had the rib tips they were really good. The second time I ordered them I noticed how moist and juicy they looked through the glass. I got home and was blown away. Amazing Barbeque, the sauce is good but the meat itself is amazing. Is line likely to be long? Yes, don't be surprised if it's out of the door Do they take orders over the phone? No Did I go back the day after I tried it? Yes I have had the rib tips and the wings. I am a huge fan of rib tips but they aren't available everywhere. They do put everything on top of the fries which leads to fries drenched in barbeque sauce but if you tell them not to they won't do this. read more

Lem's is still awesome, they are open late and they do accept credit cards. I usually get a small rib tip chopped small, sauce on the side. The staff is great and the customers are crazy, but not in a bad way. Keep up the good work yall. read more

literally.....the BEST hot links......ever Not really a fan of that vinegar sauce from the start but i quickly have learned to love it...and crave it read more

Crowded all the time because the food is good. The last time I went in two employees (the cashier and an order taker) got into an argument. The cashier apparently wanted to be the only person taking orders. We are stuck in the hallway anyway so why argue right in front of the customers. That is what the back room is for. Be more professional. You are the last of a dying breed. The food is good and you get folks from all over the country coming to you. We need your business to stay strong. Decorum. read more

I love this place. This good is delicious. I don't eat pork so I always get the chicken which is excellent. There is often long long lines, and they don't have turkey products but I love the food. read more

We finally made it to the south side on our BBQ tour. This place is definitely authentic. Lem's has great BBQ, and bulletproof glass. I think that about sums it up! The rib tips and hot links are my favorite. And plan on taking it somewhere else -- no seating there. My Chicago BBQ rankings so far: 1. Fat Willy's 2. Merle's (Evanston) 3. Smoque 4. Lem's 5. Honey 1 read more

their rib tips are so tender and delicious. the bar b que sauce is great. this place is great for late night cravings or after the club/bar when you need something to pad your stomach. read more

We had the hot links and rib tips. I see why people stand in line to get them, they were very tender and tasty. The only downside is the sauce was very thin, but I will go back. read more

This is a favorite neighborhood spot for me my go to barbecue place I usually try to go when it's not too crowded

When I want to have my taste of BBQ all year around this is my go to place. I'm not a fan of Pork, but If I must have it I'm going to always go to Lem's!! read more

The best bbq on the south side!! We've been going to Lens since I was a child and I'm never disappointed!!