My lovely wife and I were in Oak Park last Saturday and were searching for a spot to have an early dinner. We agreed upon Q-BBQ as the place to be, as we have both enjoyed sharing a big ol' plate of barbecue at other restaurants before. We did not regret going to Q-BBQ at all. You order at the counter, and you seat yourself with your order number in hand. The service is fairly quick and efficient. The main space includes a sink where you can wash up before and after you tackle your food. Three kinds of sauce are featured, and I'd say I favored the sweet Memphis sauce over the zingy Texas and the vinegar-y Carolina sauces, but I suppose that is a matter of personal taste. Buy a bottle of sauce to go if you choose. We went with the Lil Q Platter, which is a "smaller portion" than the Papa Q, but that was fine with us as this includes 5 kinds of meat items and 3 sides if you count the hushpuppies that are yummy corn fritters. Yes we had ribs, burnt ends (basically savory dense cubes of solid meat), pulled pork, beef brisket, and even sliced turkey. The Mac-Q-Roni with a smidge of cornbread topping is excellent and fought valiantly with the meats for my taste buds' affection. The cole slaw was OK as the most nutritious item of our meal. We also enjoyed cans of Revolution beers, and cups of ice water. We were very satisfied by the variety of food and the overall portion size of the Lil Q Platter. read more

Today was a mixed bag. It wasn't busy so it was easy to hang out with a friend since it was fairly quiet. On the other hand, the food was just ok.. mostly overcooked. But the flavor of most was ok. I'd skip the burnt ends, but the ribs were fairly good. read more

Q-BBQ - The small Lil Q Platter is a good assortment of meats - Barbeque Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

I should have definitely read reviews first ~ Had the Burnt Ends Sandwich (small portion) didn't taste anything like I was excepting from a BBQ place .. Fries and Homemade Ranch were solids .. but definitely TOO expensive for the quality .. I would for sure skip over this unless you read better recent reviews read more

Don't go to this place. Overpriced, weak bbq, small portions and customer services could be a lot better. Don't waste your money. I ordered the burnt ends. It was more like bbq Chiclets. Go where you know real BBQ places. read more

What kind of BBQ restaurant doesn't give you BBq sauce when you order two sandwiches to go? I told the counter person it was my first time at the restaurant. She made no suggestions, didn't recommend any favorite choices, just stared at me. So I didn't find out there was no sauce until I got home. Very disappointing. Won't be going back. read more

I was hesitant to try this place based on the reviews, but dining in at the restaurant was a good experience. We ordered the Papa Q platter which was plenty for two people to share and be stuffed. The food came out quickly and the service was good. The platter came with four sides. We chose the fries, Mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and coleslaw. All the sides were tasty. I read bad reviews on the taste of the coleslaw, but I'm not a big coleslaw fan to begin with, so there's that. read more

Ordered 2 brisket sandwiches for pickup. - Didn't know they didn't come with bbq sauce until it was brought home - Elote was overcooked Disappointed, will not frequent this establishment. read more

I lived in Oak Park for over 22 years and I have eaten at QBBQ several times over the years. The reason I'm writing this review doesn't have to do with the food, which I always have felt is consistent and most of the offerings are delicious. I'm writing today about the service. We ordered takeout for the second time in the past two months, where in both instances our delivery showed up and was missing items. In both instances, we called back to talk to the manager. The first time I had to drive all the way back to Q to get an item only to find out that the Kitchen already closed so they offered me a bottle of barbecue sauce as a make good. OK not ideal and I just spent an extra half an hour going to and from the restaurant but things happen. In the second instance, my son initially called to ask them to send the two missing side items. He was then instructed to call Uber eats because that's who delivered the order and the choice he clicked on for delivery on the Q website. He tried calling Uber eats and they said the best thing to do is offer for him $1.95 credit. Mind you the two side items were about six dollars each before any taxes ($12). Now we're missing parts of our meal and being told that even though they screwed up, they're only gonna give us the equivalent of 15% of items that we paid for. I called back to talk to the manager, who explained to me that since we ordered through Uber eats from the Q site, they were responsible for our food. Uber eats has nothing to do with packing the food to go out. It's your restaurant. It gets packed in the kitchen. Asked if they could send the two side items and she said "we don't have a driver" though earlier in the conversation she said we could've selected Q to deliver the food versus Uber eats. I told her that if they can't make this right then I'm going to have to put a bad review out on social media. She then said she was going to tell on me to the owners. Which I said " I hope you do because I'm sure they want the restaurant to run better so they don't lose customers." I also said I would wait to write this review to hear from the owners first which I never did. It's disappointing because I hate to leave two stars because the food is really good, but food is only one part of running a good restaurant. Since Covid, I feel that they have really nice kids working in the restaurant, but they're always short staffed. That likely leads to the fact that things are getting left out of orders. The other thing and this isn't only a Q problem. Uber eats and their competitors like DoorDash are killing the restaurant industry. I was trying to explain this to my kids, and I highly encourage anybody reading this to check out the last week tonight episode with John Oliver about the subject. These services I'm not only charging for service fee, which is understandable cause they're delivering the food but the real crime is they're marking up the menu. In many cases, you can call the restaurant directly or you have a choice on the restaurant website to order directly through them or through the services like Uber Eats. As an example with my order a barbecue sandwich, my son bought would've been $9 directly through Q, but was $10.60 through Uber eats. All the sides were marked up like a quarter. If you're ordering for a family and you might normally be paying $80, through these markups you're going to be paying closer to $100 in some cases. Depends on the restaurant. Think about how much money that is overtime. The crime is the restaurant is not getting any of that extra money and now appears to be pricey. Anyway, I'm disappointed in how this went down and I hope Q can turn it around . read more

We tried Q-BBQ on a whim, and I'm so glad we did. We went with the Lil Q Platter, and for two people, it's the perfect amount. The $24.99 price is a great deal in my opinion. The meat is fantastically flavorful. The ribs were my favorite meat. But let me tell you, the mac n cheese (topped with corn bread) is baller. The slaw was good as well, though there is nothing unique about it. The young men working late-afternoon on 3/2/24 were so upbeat and helpful. I appreciated the service a ton. We took a table for two by the window, and it was lovely to enjoy excellent food while people-watching! Our dinner was on the early end, but by the conclusion of our meal, they became busier. They have a really great hand-washing station. They do serve alcohol that includes several Revolution options in addition to other brands. With the platter and two beers, we spent around $40, and that's a great price considering how much we enjoyed everything. read more

Q-BBQ - This is the Lil' Q Platter! Totally enough for two people! - Barbeque Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

Quality has slipped, true disappointment! For what they charge, I'm expecting much better! read more

The restaurant has plenty of outdoor seating and indoor seating. I had the pulled chicken and fries. The chicken was decent. It was a lot of fries for a small. It comes with hush puppies which are very tasty. The burnt ends are more like a bbq pot roast to me. The staff were very friendly. read more

Q-BBQ - Pulled Chicken A la Carte and fries - Barbeque Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

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Love the convenience of this Marion Street location, right in the center of downtown Oak Park, within walking distance to my favorite book store and around the corner from a great movie theater. I arrived half an hour early to an appointment across the street so I got a sandwich and some work done in the dining area which was super chill. Very clean. Peaceful! Great service, too. Friendly and prompt. I'll come here again, for sure. read more

Q-BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

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This is my 2nd time here, the first was for carryout. We came for the Jazz Thaw festival in Oak Park. A few venues were involved. Food, drinks, live music? Even in 'still-pandemic' times, I'm in! It was packed of course, but seats opened up continuously. We ordered, were given numbers, and sat at a booth. The waitress would bring the food by looking at the table numbers. InsteI got tacos with pulled pork and burnt end brisket, and mac Q Roni and cheese. Both were SO good! The brisket was moist and flavorful, not tough like I was worried it would be. The mac Qroni was good, especially with CORNBREAD crumbs on top! My other party got brussel sprouts, QCumber and tomato salad and pulled chicken it came with hushpuppies (called 'Qpups. Maybe ease up on the 'Q-talk?). What I tasted was pretty good. I got a soft drink that was refillable. I guess I am taking a star off because of the soda dispensers. I know the new, endless combination types are very expensive, but I was NOT comfortable refilling my soda with the same cup (they would not let me get a new one) by pressing the metal tab. For sanitary reasons we should get new cups everytime, or at least get the dispenser that uses buttons instead of tabs. I'd definitely go back but for carryout only. read more

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18 months ago I wrote a 4 star review for Q-BBQ. I can't do that today. On a recent visit with a friend we were both really disappointed. I couldn't call the what we experienced "Service", because it seemed like the two young men working up front would rather we hadn't shown up at all. They took our orders without a smile or even an attempt at courtesy. The food was average at best, and we actually didn't finish it. The restaurant seemed like no one cared how it looked any more, kind of tired and worn. We were one of two tables of customers, and were ignored once we had our meals. I don't know what has happened at Q, but it feels like management is just going through the motions if they care at all. Nothing like my first visit years ago, when the smiling, cheerful manager visited out table, the staff was attentive and friendly, and the restaurant was full of happy customers. Too bad, because Oak Park needs a good, fun BBQ spot. read more

Pork Sandwich was mediocre at best. It tasted day old and not freshly prepared. Used to be much better. Not good value as no side was included as in the past. Plus I was charged 3% for using a credit card. I likely will not be back. read more

For the price the food is some shit. I've been gone for 30 yrs and this is what you new Chicagoans except? How do you not give bread when you order hot links? And the say you get hush puppies with your ribs wait till you se the fn hush puppies, if you can recognize them. I'm just all around pissed the F off. I will never ever go there again. I don't care if they are last BBQ in the State of Ill. Now after tasting this horrible presentation of BBQ. The ribs are tough, the coleslaw is bland, and the little tiny Winnie hush puppies was hard as hell. The only thing that may be worth consuming is the bbq sauce. Do yourself a favor and never go there! read more

Q-BBQ - This crap - Barbeque Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

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Probably the best smoked turkey I have ever had. Been eating here for year and the smoked turkey is the clear standout. The Brussel Sprouts are also so good. Brisket is pretty good and the other items are solid. It isn't Austin or even Smoke BBQ, but having this place in Oak Park is a luxury! read more

It is not bad. The food is decent and readily available upon an order. The service is great. The atmosphere good too. It wasn't crowded. The sauces are good. It is overall good. Yet not better than some other BBQ spots in Illinois. read more

Q-BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

Decent bbq place. Came during Thursday Night Out. Got some smoked wings (good just some were overcooked), burnt ends (this was sadly disappointing with half of this being fat and inedible.) And Mac and cheese and spicy fries. A friend said they had a better experience about a month ago so I'll still give it another try soon. I did like their sauce choices. read more

Q-BBQ - Smoked wings and spicy fries - Barbeque Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

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First off.. this was delivery. Delivery took 8min. I got the small Q-platter. Service - delivery was okay. They forgot the two sauces that I ordered as well as the pickles. The meats were lukewarm warm at best. The container was not properly sealed so I assume that was the issue. Food - brisket sample was okay. Moist but not much flavor. Slides turkey sample - meh nothing special. Not bad just okay. Sausage sample - not bad but someone really has to put forth an effort to screw up sausage at a bbq joint. Burnt ends - terrible. After the first bite it felt like saw dust. Ribs - worse then the the burnt ends. Hush puppies - again, not bad but like sausage, you have to put in effort to make those suck. Cucumber salad - pretty good. This food reminds me of when you buy really good bbq on one day and reheat the leftovers the next. This is next day reheated bbq. I'm guessing the sauces would have helped but..............ya about that..... read more

I don't get here often, but I've never had a bad meal. I generally get the pulled pork & a side. Bang for the buck with the cost of food lately- I feel like this place is a great value. Whenever, I'm on OP I'll continue to visit. read more

No bbq sauce again... for the 3rd time . Ordered the little Q and the best was the Mac and cheese... even that was dry

This has to be the worst Q-BBQ around. We entered at noon on a Saturday and it was empty. That should have been my first tip off. We ordered pulled pork sandwich with fountain drink, pulled chicken sandwich with a bottle of water, side of Cole slaw and the total was $25. Everyone who works there looks depressed. The sandwiches were dry with a small amount of dry meat that seemed like it sat somwhere for a day --not the quality of the Q-BBQ in Naperville, for certain. Each sandwich came with two hushpuppies. The sauces on the table were kind of goopy--like one the lid came off when I went to pour it. The best thing about the meal was at least I did not get food poisoning. read more

Food is decent. I live in the area and crave it once in awhile. But I had a recent visit and it'll be my last. I really can't get past the unpleasant service from the dude at the front. No hello or any greeting whatsoever, zero customer service. When you ask questions about the menu, he's actually very rude. Literally just wanted to walk out. From reading other reviews, it looks like this was pointed out multiple times even a year ago. Obviously nothing has been done about this issue. Will not visit this establishment again and do not recommend this place when there are many other bbq places around the area. Leaves a horrible taste in your mouth due to the service. Please don't treat your customers as if they're not worth your time. read more

This is a solid BBQ place. The only thing I wished the BBQ had was a nice smoky flavor, but they have a nice sauce. The restaurant is always clean and the service is nice. During the warm months they have a nice outside seating area. The hushpuppies are delicious, get a side of them. They are good the next day, but double bag them and put them on a plate. Then reheated in an oven or toaster oven they crisp right up like fresh, but the double bag for left overs is key. read more

Delicious filling food. The portion sizes are perfect and the food is fresh flavorful. The pricing is affordable not overpriced. I love they have pickle container so I can get as many pickle chips with my barbecue as I want. The wings are seasoned generally with dry rub. My mentor ordered the wings Mac n cheese and baked beans. I ordered the burnt ends tacos, baked beans, and spicy Brussel Sprouts. I enjoyed every bite especially the pickled onions. I had a coke and my mentor had a sweetened iced tea. The tables and the entire restaurant was very clean although I didn't go to the restroom. read more

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I enjoyed the food and service. I receive a gift from someone as a welcome to the neighborhood. This place has some amazing tasting food. My food was well cooked. Delicious food well seasoned. The service was good as well. Located downtown Oak Park read more

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Overall fantastic BBQ spot with great seating inside or outside. I always get the burn end sandwich with a side of beans and cornbread, so freaking good. The staff is somewhat indifferent to you as you order, but nothing toxic like some reviews have said. Would it bump them up to 5 stars if someone said hello as you walked in, or maybe cracked a smile, it wouldn't hurt. Overall, it's a great place that I'll continue to frequent. I've gone 4 or 5 times, it's always been good. read more

Food was bland!!! Had absolutely no flavor whatsoever. Coleslaw tasted like chopper up cabbage with no sauce or any toppings but pure cabbage. Brisket was horrible, it was so hard to chew on and it was only ok with the barbecue sauce. I ordered cornbread, didn't even get it and they still charged me, and I got a sausage expecting it to be this huge original sausage but it was just a small hot dog size!!! Trying to find an actually decent bbq place but it just never comes my way. Horrible experience would not recommend to anyone!!! read more

I have visited the one in Naperville and it was an amazing experience. Was expecting the same type of quality from this place in Oak Park. WRONG!!!!!!! Let's start off by not being greeted warmly my girlfriend and I waited for over five minutes to have our order taken, there was a couple that came after us and the waiter gave them our food by mistake and the other customers began eating it. When I pointed that out the waiter was unapologetic and didn't compensate us in any way. When we finally got our food it was cold and the meat was dry, what are they doing in the kitchen? When I got up to tell the waiter about the cold food he seemed annoyed and reluctantly took the mac and cheese back to heat them up. Save yourselves from going to this place you can spend your money somewhere else for better quality such as smoke daddy. I highly recommend avoiding this place, even if they offer a free meal I still think you'd be paying too much. No wonder it was empty when we walked in that should've been an indicator right there. If yelp would've allowed me to give them a half star I would have. read more

Hostess, you ordering or picking up? Me, ordering. He doesn't say Hi, can I help you, or even smile. I inquire about the ribs and he just does not explain anything. One word response as he looks at me. I have never been here before and was not familiar with restaurant. So I left. read more

I will begin here, it was been a while since I have been here. This location has always been a good go to stop. The customer service is still top notch. There are no complaints on that. I ordered the spicy fries, which are amazing. The flavor is beyond great. The ambience is always welcoming. Very clean location. Very spacious. Feels like home. I was in a rush so my order was small. But I will make a return trip for a sit down lunch or dinner. I am glad I discovered one of the best bbq spots in downtown Oak Park. I will be back soon. read more

Q-BBQ - a black and white photo of a restaurant - Barbeque Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

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Loved the barbecue we picked up here. Granddaughter's school was doing a fundraiser there. Hubby & I shared a Papa-Q. We had enough leftovers to feed the grandkids & to put into a tasty salad later. They serve the BEST hush puppies! They taste great the next day, too. Great wings & sausage, too. Burnt ends very tasty! Ordered a taco at a later date of burnt ends! Pulled pork & chicken very tasty. Turkey & brisket were my hubby's favorites. read more

Okay, we inhaled our takeout from here today. Yep, not even ashamed. The ordering process online was super simple however I didn't have a ChowNow account so I had to create one to order online - no biggy. The inside of this location was clean and there was tons of space inside for social distancing. All of the employees had masks on which is great to see. We got the Brisket Burnt Ends Bundle. First, if you've never had their brisket burnt ends, you are missing out! They're incredibly flavorful and fall-off-the-fork tender. They have a variety of sauces to choose from. We got the Memphis sweet and the Texas spicy. The Texas spicy sauce took the W. It was spicy, without being over powering. Think of a solid traditional BBQ sauce with an extra kick. Can't recommend this combo enough when ordering here. For sides, we got the mac n' cheese and the mashed potatoes. I'm dairy sensitive so I couldn't indulge in the mac, but I still tried it and it was super creamy. The mashed potatoes were also creamy and loaded with flavor. Loved the herbs. We got it all for about $20! They even had beer to go and BBQ sauces in the bottles to go. Overall, we will come back and order again! Our order was ready quickly, hot and easy to heat up at home again if needed. read more

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They redeemed themselves. The Mgr called and made it all good. All because of one employee who didn't care what they were doing!! read more

Q-BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

Do not order the creamy slaw at this restaurant . It did not have any flavor to it. It was a dish of finely chopped cabbage and that's it! No mayo, apple cider vinegar, sour cream, sugar, or pepper. It tasted like it just had water poured over it. They need to improve their recipe or take it off the menu. read more

Good ( not great) I would say a solid 3.5 when you are looking for some local bbq. My boyfriend and I ordered online from their website and picked up the food. we got the Papa Q platter and for 35$ you get so much food! it comes with all the meats ( ribs, sausage, turkey, 2 kinds of wings, burnt ends, pulled pork, pulled chicken, other meats i cant remember) and 4 sides ( we ordered mac and cheese, mashed potatoes with gravey, baked beans and spicy Brussels sprouts)- ALL OF THAT FOR $35 ( plus an extra side of hush puppies). All the sides we got were delicious- I personally enjoyed the ribs, chicken wings and sausage. It was more then enough for 2 people ( I would for sure say its good for 3 people) we had left overs the next day. read more

It's been a while since we ordered from here but it was a Sunday there was football and we wanted a selection of food to share with a few friends. Mistake. Order was missing 2 sides, the burnt ends were globs of fat with a thin strand of meat on more than half of them. They put coleslaw on the pulled pork sandwiches when it wasn't ordered, but the ribs were very good. Also they now label the sauces so that's a positive. The pulled chicken was dry in an old and dry way. If we ever order carry out again I will need to open the bag and check every item but that is lame so I guess we'll just go somewhere that cares more about the food they send out of the kitchen. read more

This place use to have great BBQ, but I don't know what happened in the last year. I ordered Burnt ends, Brussel sprouts and baked beans. Let's start with the Burnt ends.....they were still pink in the inside(uncooked). They had absolutely no flavor. I took one look at them and immediately threw them in the trash. The brussel sprouts were actually burnt. They were charred beyond recognition. The also lacked flavor as well. The baked beans tasted exactly like Pork & beans from a can they lacked flavor and didn't have usual molasses baked bean color. The whole meal became trash. I will never eat here again. Q's gave me a sour taste in my mouth. I did speak to the lead on duty didn't catch his name, but that doesn't matter. He wasn't apologetic at all and very unprofessional. I asked to speak to a manager which he stated there wasn't one on duty. This has to be one of the worst restaurants experiences I've had in a long time. I'm posting this to bring awareness and hopefully the next customer won't have to endure the same unflavorful, undercooked, low quality food from this place. read more

Q-BBQ - Undercooked Burnt Ends(not burnt at all) - Barbeque Near Me - Oak Park, Illinois

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The bbq is fine, but it is definitely over-priced. It's a pity, because it's one of the only bbq joints in the area. I will say it is much better than Russell's BBQ, but the amount of food you get for the price isn't really worth it. read more