Food is good, drinks are great- this is one of my favorite places.... But.... The patio is not far from an open outdoor area with a band (and this happens often), so we can hear the loud band music, plus the canned bar music from the speakers on the patio! The competition is fierce and unpleasant.... I have asked several times if they can turn off the patio music, and have been denied every time. This is the one reason I hesitate to return. read more

Obscurity Brewing - Barbeque Near Me - Elburn, Illinois

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The smoked wings were very good also the variety of beer was also good. Service could have been a little better but the food made up for it. read more

Came here for outdoor seating with some friends. They have plenty of outdoor seating and the staff is friendly. They were also open to splitting our bill no problem. We were able to try many of the beers with the 5 oz flight. Great ipas. And the meads were cool to try but very sweet. Brisket - loved the fatty piece. Had a nice char on the outside Pork shoulder - a little dry but really tasty with the bbq sauce and white vinegar sauce Short rib - not much meat on this but loved the char Chili cheese grits - this was my favorite. Like a pimento Mac n cheese. Very tasty on everything Beans - loved the sweetness and Smokey bacon flavor Cole slaw - kind of an Asian flavor. Very small portion. Potato salad - I like my potato salad more mushy Honey yams - good portion size. Nice sweetness. read more

Obscurity Brewing - Beer flight - Barbeque Near Me - Elburn, Illinois

Nice hazy IPA and pulled pork, coleslaw with beans and nice pickles. I enjoyed the food and the service. The inside was roomy and open, very cozy read more

The setting is cool, a big rustic barn and the brewery with the tanks are visible. From the reviews I was expecting great bbq, but unfortunately it was disappointing. Pulled pork was dried out and the small portion of mediocre ribs doesn't justify the price. The potato salad was strange . I had an Amber beer which was good , but the service is slooww. Maybe I caught them on a bad day. read more

Whoo! That was some tasty brisket! After looking at other Yelper pics of the BBQ, my husband and I had to try Obscurity. It did not disappoint. We both ordered brisket, but mine was the sandwich - his was the meat plate. I would recommend getting just the meat, unless you are starving and like to eat brisket on a huge hoagie roll. It was too much bread for me. The brisket was perfectly salty and flavorful - it didn't need a lick of BBQ sauce. We were in Heaven! The sweeter sauce was nice for a little dipping, but I would have eaten a whole plate without any sauce! Sides cost extra, so keep that in mind. We ordered fries, beans and chili cheese grits for sides. The fries were awesome, but what made them extra special was dipping them in the white BBQ sauce. Do it...you will thank me later. The cheese grits were very good, but I would have preferred less peppers in them. Great taste and texture though! Don't waste your $9 on the brownie crumble dessert. It was a crumbled brownie with whipped cream on top, and lots of salt crystals. I could have made a whole pan of brownies and homemade whipped cream at home for under $5. I was kicking myself for wasting that cash. The beer flight was just as good as I assumed it would be. My favorite was the blackberry cider. I am planning my next trip back, and hopefully it will be soon!! read more

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Immediately when we walked in we were greeted with a welcoming smile. The entire team working was attentive and friendly. I believe our servers name was Tamara?... she was great! Helpful on offering suggestions and recommended the brisket to my husband. We both went with the pick 3- brisket, fish and turkey was my pick. We both asked to try the two different sauces so they served them each in their own little sample side dish. I can't wait to go back and try the grilled shrimp too! My husband wants to try next the ribs. I ordered a small side order of the chili cheese grits- they were pretty good. I love spicy and thought they might be spicy but honestly they aren't spicy but they still had delicious flavor. Definitely worth trying and my husband really enjoyed the corn. I didn't try any of the alcoholic beverages because I had to go back to work but look forward to trying their cocktails. We see us both coming back many times bringing friends & family as a new place to add to our list of "go to" places. They even have an outdoor patio area too & have tv's for when sports do start playing again you can catch a game on over a refreshing beer or yummy food. Great addition to the downtown Elburn community and as stated earlier service was awesome from the entire team working this afternoon! read more

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Service was helpful & patient. The Food was very good. The atmosphere has an interesting feel and enjoyable. read more

Returned here a few times now, and while the beer menu is still solid the food has taken a slight step backwards. Sadly, they removed the collard greens from the menu a while back, which were fantastic. Some of the recipes seem to have changed as well. For example, the beans no longer contain chunks of burnt ends and they arrived scorching hot. The brisket was overcooked, dry, and sliced too thin this time. The smoked meat loaf was actually burnt black in areas. The number of flat meads on the menu seems to have been reduced and replaced with a bunch ciders and sparkling meads. I used to come here for the meads. Going across the street to mead hall yielded a similar disappointing selecting of plain meads. On the most recent trip, we waited nearly an hour for our food. Arrived at opening on a Saturday morning (11am), ordered by 11:15am, and food didn't arrive until after noon. When it was time to go, our server spent 5 minutes socializing with another table. They also had several meats unavailable at open: ribs, turkey, and burnt ends. Our server apologized for their kitchen problems. This place was a shining star for bbq back when it opened, but now seems to have lost its luster sadly. read more

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Used to be thriving but ownership has gotten over confident, cut costs, can't retain staff and under poor leadership. Service suffers and food quality as well. What happens when you acquire too many businesses instead of focusing on the strong performer. read more

Ok, this is actually for the beer-only place they have in Utica. Large open outdoor space. Hanging fire pits with comfy chairs. 20+ beers on tap. Great spot for a beer before dining in downtown Utica or close by Ottawa. Go there. Go now. read more

Obscurity Brewing - Barbeque Near Me - Elburn, Illinois

Went with a party of 7 on a nice summer night. Last call at 8.30 and the staff locked the door at 9 before we left and a table full of dishes! They seemed in a rush to close, not provide service. Very disappointing read more

Drinks took over 20 minutes while bartender stood around. Food was good and came before drink

We frequent this place usually once a month and really enjoy it. The open concept and casual setting is great for a casual weekend lunch and beer. The staff are very friendly and attentive. The menu is very bbq heavy with a few fun twists like fried bologna and bbq pork bao buns. They also offer a wide variety of traditional and eclectic beers. I would say the food and beer is good not spectacular. We have tried most of the menu over time and would say the brisket and turkey are the highlights. There is nothing on the menu that will blow your socks off, but don't think there is much that you would order that you wouldn't enjoy. All in all a great place to hang and that have a lot of events and live music happening which will keep you coming back read more

Obscurity Brewing - The restaurant seating - Barbeque Near Me - Elburn, Illinois

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Why did it take so long for a brewery/bbq joint to open? I'll never know now. I had heard great things about Obscurity and the food/beer they had to offer. We finally made our way over last night. I had seen in a prior review that someone suggested trying everything. We did the best we could. Between our family and our friends we probably took down 2/3rd of the beer menu and 1/2 of the food menu. It was an expensive trip, but well worth it. I can't ever say no to brisket that hasn't been tried before so that was my dinner staple. On the side I tried potato salad, street corn, fries, ribs and onion rings. The brisket hands down beat any I've had in the county. There's another place in Geneva that I really enjoy..Obscurity's brisket is better. The street corn is amazing too...I can't suggest that enough. While the fries and potato salad were average (but good), the onion rings were divine. I only tried one rib but the meat was tasty and succulent. Beer. Can't come in here without trying a beer. Or in my case, five. Like the food menu, there are far too many choices on the beer menu to just choose one. The flight was a good idea that allowed me to try five different pours: Vanilla Doom, Everything Gum Drop, Cherry Maple Train, Violet's Pom Squad Mead, and Raspberry Crusher. The Raspberry and Vanilla were my fav's, followed closely by Violet's Mead and the Cherry Maple. Gum Drop was average. Logistics-wise, you have your choice of inside or outdoor seating. The outdoor area looked smaller and sort of cramped (and in the direct sun) so we opted against, and dined inside. Seating inside ranges from picnic tables to regular tables and barstool accommodations. We went with a picnic table that allowed the six of us a little extra space. Service is knowledgable and courteous. Really enjoyed our first visit here...key word 'first'. There will be others! Cheers. read more

Obscurity Brewing - Barbeque Near Me - Elburn, Illinois

What a cool place! We were in town for a high school basketball game and stumbled upon this gem. Great beer selection and food was delicious . Lots of parking and able to make a reservation online . Can't wait to return in the summer . Looks like a cool outdoor section! read more

Obscurity Brewing - Beer #13 - Barbeque Near Me - Elburn, Illinois

The sum of the parts is more than the whole here! The bbq is just okay, maybe not even average. The baked beans were above average and bomb. They have alot of space so I wonder if they have bands/performances there as it's not really advertised. They also have 3 Stern pinball machines so that tops it off for me! Otherwise I'd probably rate this place 3 stars read more

For our birthday's we pick a place we have never been to. My wife picked this place for my birthday and it did not disappoint. First off, this looks like it's in the middle of nowhere. Off a side street from downtown Elburn, you're all the sudden there. I wish it told you where to park because I was not sure. Maybe there was a sign and I just didn't open my eyes to see where to park. When we walked in, it is definitely a brewery. Wide open and clean. Bathrooms were clean too. Too many restaurants are not clean but this one was. So being a brewery we had to try many different beers. I asked our waitress what her favorite was and that was the best beer I had. The entire selection of beers they had were enjoyable for me. If you like apple cider alcohol or blueberry they have good ones too. Those aren't my thing, never have been, hence why those two would be the worst to me. The prices of the beer are very decently priced. I was quite surprised The food here, well we got a lot of it. The appetizers we got were onion rings and cauliflower bites. The onion rings were good. It's really hard to screw that up and one thing I enjoyed was the onion not coming out all at once. As for the cauliflower bites, again I thought these were really good. I've been on a kick of these for some reason, and these didn't disappoint. Nice and crispy and the sauce was good. The main entree we got was the brisket, shoulder, and shrimp with baked beans, street corn, and Mac and cheese. The meat is really good, nice and tender. I've never had shrimp at a bbq joint and have nothing to compare it to. I enjoyed the shrimp and would get it again. The one disappointing of the food was the sauce. The sauces were just ok. I usually like a little spice and none of the sauces had that. With bbq, I believe the sauces are too important to skimp on. As for the sides, the Mexican street corn was the best I have ever had. The Mac and cheese was really good and tasted fresh. The beans, well they were beans and they were fine. For dessert we got some raspberry donut cheesecake and this was the perfect ending of the dinner. This dessert was one of a few highlights of the dinner. I can't explain it but it was some of the best dessert I've ever had. The service was excellent. She gave us recommendations on the beer and she was not wrong on her choices. She even said she wasn't a huge fan of the apple cider but a lot of people like it. She was attentive and professional. I would come back to this place. If I happen to be in elburn, which although is rare I'll make another appearance here. If you are in the area, I would recommend it. Obviously, illinois bbq is different then Kansas City but I found it to be great. read more

Great brewery and resting! BBQ was all tasty, well seasoned and very fresh. Beers were all pretty unique and tasted great! Would definitely come back to try some of the other menu items and brews. I will say tho that it does get expensive fast! So maybe don't try to sample everything on your first trip, or be prepared to spend more than you think you will. Dinner and drinks for two with tacos and tip was $126 read more

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Phenomenal food and delicious beers. While we were disappointed they were out of one of the meats we wanted for the pick 3 and out of onion rings, we were thrilled with what we did get. The pork was tender and juicy. The shrimp were large and very well seasoned, but the brisket was the winner here! We would consider ourselves brisket aficionados, this was among the best we have ever had! read more

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(lactose free review!) My wife and I drove out here to try this brewery. Definitely a fan. We ordered the pick 3 BBQ which was really great. We got brisket, spare ribs and salmon. The salmon does come with tartar sauce that isn't lactose free but the bbq sauce was fine with me. We also got a side of the Formula 47 fries which were yum. We also ordered the bacon wrapped fried oreos. I thought they were really good. The beers we had were the following ordered by favorites First time feeling - strawberry kettle berliner weiss Vanilla doom - red ale with vanilla Tow City - braggot hefeweizen Crazy soul - coffee blonde ale Talk to me about it - session ipa Cals Gold Ribbon - belgian ipa I made the mistake of ordering a 12oz of the First Time Feeling (strawberry weiss) with dinner. Event though it was our favorite beer. It did not go with bbq and brisket at all. I would have much rather got the hefeweizen or the session ipa to go with the meal instead. For milk haters (like me) this place had enough options. The challenge was asking the waitress who didn't seem confident in what did or didn't have lactose in it. I think they could do a better job and help their staff and customers out by listing allergins on the menu. Overall great visit and loved the decor and music playing. Will go again. read more

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Elburn Illinois is a sweet little bump in the road on the far far western outskirts of the Chicago megalopolis. Everything west of there is eastern Iowa, for all practical purposes. Mostly corn. Hardy little Elburn, however, harbors a few culinary high spots-one being the über-butcher REAM'S. Not a resto, you'll have to take the goods home and cook them yourself, and bless you if you do--the place is beyond fabulous. The other one is this brewery/BBQ joint with the unfortunate name. Not as spectacular as Reams, but damned good. It's nominally a brewery, but the bar knows what they are doing for sure-I ordered a Sazerac (a drink sometimes fumbled by Yankee Bartenders, alas,) and it was NOLA-worthy! The brews I've tried were really good, although once I ordered a heifenweizen, and it tasted like many things, none of which were a heifenweizen, It was actually a fine quaff, but not as advertised. There was a chance, however the order was botched, and I was served something else. Food-wise the place rocks. Fine Brisket and ribs. BBQ'd shrimp was fab--in this case it means Shrimps done on the barbie, and NOT NOLA-style spicy shrimp in a butter sauce. They sometimes have a BBQ bologna thing, and that's what I always run to when I'm there. You should, too. The sides were all tasty--I mentioned corn and beans in my notes. I remember the slaw was great as well. Service was very good-parking is adjacent, and you can buy their beers to go. They also have another facility across the street specializing in mead, which they apparently offer here, too-but each time I've been to the resto in the spotlight here they've been "out" of mead. Bummer, 'cos I dig mead. Haven't been to the joint 'cross the street-it's on the list--maybe next time we'll pig out at the resto then head to the pub across the street for "dessert". Yeah, I said "dessert"! Don't judge... read more

A gem in the vast wasteland of decent food and BEvERages in the area. Have made it a regular stop; you should as well. (They could use a few lager or helles beer and wheat selections. read more

Stopped by here for dinner while out looking at christmas lights. The beer and mead are really good, with lots of different styles. That alone is worth the trip. But then there is also the BBQ. Some hits, some misses. But the brisket, ribs and turkey were great (especially the turkey). A reasonable amount of COVID dining areas, with heaters. Service was fast and friendly. They also have a big screen in the parking lot and show drive-in movies there. So order some food and beer (but keep in mind it's illegal to drink in your car, even if you are parked and a passenger) and catch a movie! Worth the trip! read more

My friend referred us here. And wow I was not disappointed. I really want to return like asap. Anyways I can't stop thinking about their belgian Witt Beer. I probably mis-spelled that. Anyways the pork shoulder was delicious, the brisket was really good and the rib tips I think they called them? Were super yummy. Sadly I didn't like the mead, too sweet but my husband did. He got the flights. The place is pretty hip and cool. The staff was super nice and friendly. Highly recommend them. Oh I loved seeing the beer tanks. Those are always too cool to look at. read more

So very happy that Obscurity is a part of Elburn. The servers and bartenders are always great to deal with, the food has always been an absolute joy to eat, and the beer/mead selections are phenomenal! They've been adapting to the changing times with covid and have been impressively resourceful with they're creative ways to keep people coming back and staying safe. Heated outdoor areas for winter, large spacious interior for eating and drinking, and I have been pleasantly surprised with the wide variety of events they have had. Drive in movies, Kris Kringle Market for Christmas, Oktoberfest beer, music and food... What more can you ask for? Did I mention the food and beer are awesome? read more

Obscurity Brewing - Barbeque Near Me - Elburn, Illinois

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Really liked this place. The food, service, beer/mead and atmosphere is spot on. Cool interior as well as outside dining. The grain bin themed beer garden looks terrific. DO NOT PASS UP THE BRISKET. If you haven't tried mead, try it here. Look forward to returning. read more

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The service was awesome and the food was even better! If I lived closer, I would go there all the time. I was there an a Saturday afternoon and it was quite quiet but I could see it on a Friday night or Saturday evening it being a lot louder but fun! read more

Love the brisket, pork shoulder and especially the street corn. I'm not much of a beer drinker, but I liked their Mexican lager. Nice dining area. They also have tons of outdoor space. VERY friendly staff! read more

This was our 2nd time eating at Obscurity, and it was once again, delicious! Both my husband and I had the Classic bbq pork sandwiches, and it was stuffed with goodness, and seasoned fries. He also had a small brisket chili w/cheddar cheese, he said it was delicious, as well. We both had drinks, a must! Lol Our server was delightful, so friendly and accommodating- I felt like I knew her for years!!! But I'm ashamed to say, I can't remember her name, I'm so sorry! And I didn't ask for a receipt, so I couldn't look on it for her name -stupid me! A good server needs recognition, they work very hard these days! Must add, loved the mix of music! It's nice to here old school too. Thanks again, we'll be back soon! 5+ stars! L. Cicero read more

This was at least our family's third "we're going to give you another try" visit to this restaurant, but now we will never go back. Little "glitches" in service and food have become "gullies." Our waitress was MIA for almost an hour after taking our food orders. Finally she came by and said, "Your food should be here soon. We had a lot of carry-out orders tonight." No "sorry" or "can I offer you..." Another 20 minutes goes by, and one of the adults goes to find her only to be told, "We've got a big party out back (on the patio), so we're backed up." We've now given the kids about $20 to spend on the restaurants pinball and arcade machines, and still we have no food--and we've been there almost 90 minutes. We decide we're DONE. We're gathering kids and gifts to leave when the first plates of food start coming, and guess what--yup, hot food is not hot; the cheese in the grilled cheese sandwich wasn't even melted between two dried out pieces of bread. The baked potato wasn't hot, and the waitress snapped back, "That's because it has cold sour cream on top of it." But then she told us it couldn't be cold because it had been "under the broiler." The mac ' cheese dishes were dried out, and on and on it went. We asked another server, "Are you by chance the manager?" Her answer: "Well, sort of." We told her our experience, and in reply received nothing but the same brief excuses --no apologies for poor service or horrible preparation/presentation of the food. Last night, for the first time ever in many decades of dining out, we walked out. Happy there are so many other good options nearby. read more

So, I love Obscurity - both the brewery and the mead/cider hall. Always good food, good service, good drinks. But I was super bummed to find that the coffee shop vibe of the mead hall has been ruined by using part of the space for storage. It does not look good or feel inviting. :( That's too bad, since I usually feel welcomed, especially by Lucas when he's working. read more

Obscurity Brewing - What happened to the tables, Obscurity Mead Hall? - Barbeque Near Me - Elburn, Illinois

fun, lively yet conversation friendly place. Wait staff is busy. Be proactive about your requests. Early and often!! LOL... Server did work with us about menu items, availability, recommendations. Helpful. It's a ride in the country though in 10 years, expect it'll be suburban as Kane county population spreads west. Still, a rural small town feel. Recommended, really enjoyed the country drive/roads more during the day (so lunch if possible for you.) Enjoy! read more

Great food and brews! Outdoor seating was nice! We enjoyed our visit here and it would be great if in the future they added some slow charging EV stations. read more

Decided to try on a Tuesday so we could order the tacos (not served on other days) as well as going during a quiet lunchtime. Server was great and was bouncing from table to table keeping all her "pie plates spinning" so to speak. Upon seating, she immediately offers water to give you a few minutes to review the beverage options menu. We ordered smoked onion rings as a starter - Kitchen seemed a tad slow as there were only 7 tables seated. They had a significant breading as you can see in the photo - were good / tasty but I probably wouldn't order again. We ordered the 3 meat platter (serves at least 2) to try the beef brisket / pork shoulder / pork ribs, a side of beans as well as the shrimp tacos. All of the meats were delicious as well as the shrimp tacos. There was a point where I waited on a new "keg" or whatever their size is called to be brought out to replace empty tap - it seemingly took forever (I drank 2 full glasses of water while waiting) - someone in the back was not bringing out the new keg for some unknown internal reason. He was completely oblivious to the impact to the front of the house and the servers ability to provide guests this specific tap #5 Hefeweizen so knocking my rating down a star due to that. They should be far beyond new business operational issues at this point. read more

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Best pulled pork ever! On the sandwich with awesome sauce or just the meat. Awesome corn and beans too! Nice inviting atmosphere. read more

Wife and I had dinner tonight. I had barbecue turkey she had build your own grill cheese with Turkey. Both excellent. Beer selection excellent and wife loves Carmel apple spritz to drink. Service is always good! Highly recommended if you like barbecue! read more

Tasty brews, yummy food and great staff . We enjoyed all 3 last Sunday. I chose Obscurity for my birthday lunch and not disappointed. BBQ Turkey and Pulled Pork Sandwich were enjoyed Ed by my guests. I loved my smoked portabella sandwich. Brought home there 2 beers, read more

Obscurity Brewing - Sampler - Barbeque Near Me - Elburn, Illinois

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This was my second time at Obscurity. I appreciate the option to sample drinks before you order and the ability to order 5 oz pours instead of larger portions. Our first visit was much better. This time, though they opened a few minutes before we arrived, they did not have three meats available. The kitchen was also behind and, the server apologized for the amount of time for the food to come out. Those things aside, the smoked wings were outstanding and the Alabama sauce was fabulous! The wings were tender and juicy; the sauce seemed to have undertones of ranch and horseradish. Other favorites were the pulled pork and grits. We'll still visit again. read more

Obscurity Brewing - Portions of the 3 meat plate: brisket, pulled pork (meatloaf, not shown), grits, baked beans, and smoked wings. - Barbeque Near Me - Elburn, Illinois

The BBQ food was a nice surprise! It is very tasty! We always get the platter with a sample of all the meats with sides of mac and cheese and beans. Being located in a brewery, you would not expect it to be great, but it is! Service is always fantastic and the food is consistent. We enjoy this local place! read more