While in the area visiting a museum on a Saturday afternoon I was going to get some lunch and make a day of the area so I stopped here, nice choice. The place is in the back of another business so you can't see it from the street with plenty of parking. The place is small with a few chairs to sit at while you get your carry out food, take out only. The place was nuts to but's and you couldn't move with so many people trying to get food. A nice smoke smell filled the parking lot as I walked in so you know it's going to be good, food smoked on site is usually fresh and good. I was going to do the Lg rib tip but I changed to the Lg rib combo to get the ribs with two sides and a can of soda to my surprise. My car smelled amazing with a nice smoked meat smell. I chose the corn bread dressing and Mac and cheese as my sides that came with a little cup of cranberry sauce, nice. When I opened the box it was the ghetto style bbq with the generic white bread which is not a bad thing, I have been to several ghetto bbq places with bars and thick glass in my life that were very good. The ribs were four bone in the combo and sauced that were meaty and fall off the bone tender. The ribs had a nice smoke flavor that were moist/tender, not the slight chew that I like but definitely hit the spot for bbq ribs. The sauce was sweet and mild that complimented the smoked meat nicely. I absolutely love that corn bread dressing is an option but the place is a bbq/sole food on Saturday the menu sign said. The corn bread dressing was very tasty and done just right, not dry but not very wet with a perfect moistness. The Mac and cheese was slightly over cooked with a mild cheese flavor in a thick creamy cheese sauce that was good also. Overall this place hit the spot for my Bbq crave and a great choice for my lunch. Bbq comes in many styles so keep an open mind because it's not like Famous Dave's, Dickeys or Texas Roadhouse chains but very good so I would definitely recommend stopping by. read more

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I Ordered the rib dinner which came with two sides. My only complaint was they put too much sauce on the ribs. Next time, (and there will be a next time), I will order it with sauce on the side. Service was great. read more

Ricks Ribs - Rib dinner with yams and Colored greens.. - Barbeque Near Me - Loves Park, Illinois

Food is on point. Fast and friendly service. Location close to my employment. Love the atmosphere.

Great Barbecue sweet and Tangy sauce. Good Service and good location. I ordered the rib tips and they were on point.

Great food all the time the ribs are very tender and the side dishes are to die for definitely a keeper

I'm convinced that the people who left a bad comment about this place are people who are generally unsatisfible an unhappy with life I bn coming here for years and I never had a bad experience and the bbq on point the meat the sauce reminds me of home I love this place best bbq around read more

Thought I was back in the 90's when I walked out after one of the most satisfying meals I've had in a long time. Im old and I've been around a long time and have had a lot of great meals. This restaurant is right up there for food quality, food quantity, and service. I equate the 90's to an era of those qualities that are hard to find lately. We went on a Sunday for all you can eat ribs. We each got a full slab which shocked me. Each meal came with 2 sides plus a salad or soup! I had the most delicious basket of onion rings that were crunchy and yummy. The ribs were slathered in a delicious sauce and were falling off the bone. The group I was with weren't chatting but instead groaning because their food was delectable. The service was perfect. Will be back! read more

I order two eggs and hash brown with a hot tea and it cost $14.97 did I say without toast?? without a tip... WTF??

This place is ok on taste but horrible For customer service! -0 you're not greeted with a friendly smile. when you call to place an order they hang up on you and disconnect phone so you have to place your order in person and then wait a ridiculous time for order, about an hour! which is inexcusable!!! They never have enough side dishes to finish out the day always run out! do better rick! Customer service is top priority!!!! AND YOU DROP THE BALL HERE! read more

Horrible, taste like it came out the oven. Drowning in sauce. Wasn't fresh at all. Waste of money.

Best ribs ever! I will not order from anywhere else anymore. Tender meat with tantalizing sauce. You won't be sorry!

I was at Rick ribs, loves park, I bought dinner ribs were burnt, front and back I mean really burnt. And then it was smothered with a lot of thick sauce., to cover the burnt. I think that sauce tooo sweet. $23.00 thrown in the garbage. I won't be going back for a long while, unless I try their polish read more

I can't say enough about this local family operated business! The food is ridiculously good! I've ordered a couple of times. You can only carry out food and there is quite a section, ribs, brisket, pulled pork, so many sides, and some amazing peach cobbler! All cooked to perfection. You must try the barbecue fries. Their sauce is a perfect combination of sweet and tangy. read more

Ricks Ribs - Barbeque Near Me - Loves Park, Illinois

Baby my brother wanna get the whole pan of desert everytime so check that out if he dont get it all ! We go on my off days all the time , food read more

The food was mediocre at best but the service was horrible. The staff was rude and off-putting. The small encounter my family member (Ms. P) had with the person who took her order was amazingly awful and smug. This is not a sit down restaurant so this was the only impression of the staff we experienced. The portion of food given for the price.. my family member says she strongly believes the staff intentionally shorted her portion. Too bad they didn't know that their antics would cost them our service and the service of our friends and family. We were going to contact them for our 4th annual Juneteenth Celebration, which the family member that ordered the food recommended but their customer service and unprofessional antics made sure that we will never use their services nor will we recommend them. Epic FAIL!! read more

Been here only once but great customer service and amazing ribs! Came all the way from Hawaii just to get more!

Good grief this place was amazing. A hidden gem off of E Riverside between N. 2nd and the river. I had rib tips and fries. Pros: - Great selection of meats that seem to change with the day along with other menu items. - The meat flavor is probably the best I've had from a rib joint in the Rockford Area Metro. You can really taste the slow meaty cooking as if someone made it for you in their own back yard. - Very reasonably priced - A very down to earth neighborly staff. A great representation of what a neighborhood joint should be like. This place has soul. Cons: - Carry out only. I'm not wild about taking my goodies in the car, but some sacrifices must be made I suppose. They have a few seats for you to wait (with a TV), but probably a good idea to order in advance. This place is tight. - Painful hours. Close at 7pm and completely closed Sunday thru Tuesday at time of review. I hate waiting for my ribs. Not the easiest place to find either. A little hidden next to a slot joint. Bottom Line: -Best rib joint in town until I find better. They make the most with this modest shop, and Rick's Ribs is the poster child of support local! read more

Food was mediocre, I ordered a beef polish it had nothing on it but barbecue sauce, when I asked for all the toppings. Called the restaurant back and the girl who took my order said I should've been more specific and didn't try to make it right. I spent 46$ Go to the smoke house on S.Main don't waste your hard earned money ! read more

Hit the spot! Right in these ribs were fantastic! Love that barbecue sauce not two sweet not to spicy! Husband had the pork hot link and that was fantastic also!! Onion rings were ready and crisp! And dang that peach cobbler was perfect!! Thank you!! Can't wait to come back. read more

All of our meats were over cooked, chicken, rib tips and the catfish was fried so hard that it was rubbery and hard to pull apart. Greens had no flavor, but yams peach cobbler and drinks were good. Very overpriced for the quality and by their attitudes, they probably don't care. No worries, will never go back! read more

Ricks Ribs - Worst catfish ever! - Barbeque Near Me - Loves Park, Illinois

I came here often but no longer the Male manager of this establishment is rude and my order was made wrong and he refused to remake my fish that was fried hard. The male manager talked offensive to me about not remaking my fish dinner that was not made right and fried to hard and I did not enjoy my meal and they almost forgot my dessert and cornbread. I had a problem with getting my fish fried hard 2 times at this place. The male manager and his employees are lacking care for there customers and laughing at people. Beware of the male manager that is at this establishment making your order wrong and not wanting to remake your food is wrong and not good customer service. So this place does not have good customer service and if they make your order wrong they will not remake it. Don't recommend. read more

Just get the rib tip and fries basket and thank me later! Feeds 2 people for $15. Amazing, life changing ribs. Call ahead 15 min before!

Those ribs tips hit the spot!! Great job Ricks Ribs. The kids also love the chicken, macaroni, and sweet potatoes. I look forward to tasting more menu items. read more

Ricks Ribs - I've been hearing great things about this place and it's all true. The service was excellent and the food was awesome. #SUPPORTLOCAL - Barbeque Near Me - Loves Park, Illinois

Amazing Ribs!!!!!! It's a just a tiny place if you blink you miss it don't let that fool you it'll be some of the best barbecue in the Midwest ribs chicken catfish salads onion rings!!!! I was driving bye I don't even live near here but I seen smoke and then the smell hit me BARBECUE that smokes from barbecue!! I'm from the south I live for barbecue and I was not disappointed one bit plus the lady comes out while you wait in your car and yells your number she's awesome super cool place and people!! A must go!! read more

First time visit off a friends Facebook suggestion. The meal I had was truly delicious. Rib tips and fries smothered in a sweet and tangy BBQ sauce with a side of creamy coleslaw. Carmel cake was my dessert choice. This is strictly carry-out and ordering ahead would not be a bad idea. You pay and wait and seats are available for that. I grabbed a menu on my way out and will be ordering something different next time as the choices look great! Please take my advice and indulge in some great Soul Food style cuisine. Your taste buds will thank you! read more

Ricks Ribs - All kinds of delicious! - Barbeque Near Me - Loves Park, Illinois

Their ribs will change your life, friendly people great food, good customer service, not veru long of a wait, expect to be there for anout 15 minutes, if you dont call your order in, prices are reasonable and you get good size portions , I definately recommend this place. read more

Ricks Ribs - Barbeque Near Me - Loves Park, Illinois

Ribs were good but pretty pricey for the dinner to be honest. It was a long wait on the day I went there for a rib dinner. They were out of a lot of their sides but what they did have was ok. Would still prefer to go to the bbq place at Harrison and s Main Street. read more

How did we not know about this place? Saw this on Yelp, hidden off of Riverside just west of North 2nd. Fall off the bone ribs, Tips are fantastic. Smoked to perfection. Best of all the people are so nice, give suggestions to make sure you don't miss anything. Hey, if only they threw a little pork in the beans, it would be over the top, bad ass. This was Wednesday and we are coming back this weekend. It really reminds me of our trip to Memphis! Home made sauce took it over the rainbow. Now everyone at work will be coming. Stock up ladies. read more

I have had great food during both my visits back home. It is pretty much a must have meal when I come to visit Rockford. Prices are great! Highly recommend using the online order option. Otherwise you may have a long wait. However, I will wait for good food! I hope this place stays around for the long haul! read more

Great service, food was really good! No inside dining but sat outside at picnic table, beautiful weather!

I went today and got the rib tips with the fries. I got the size large and it was plenty and I feel like for what I got it was definitely priced well. The sauce was amazing and the fries were fire too. The rib tips were of course great as well. The owner and workers were very nice and helpful as well. Basically "JUST COME HERE" read more

I'm going to generously give this "Rib" joint a 4 star rating based on what they do well. The lady at the counter was friendly and very good at her job. She knew all the regulars by name and handle the busy spurts very well. Their collard greens were the best I've ever had this far north and rivaled what I get down in Alamba. Unfortunately they were out of pinto beans so I had the yams instead, which were solid, but not what I really wanted. The caramel cake was moist and tasty. Now for the 4 instead of 5 star rating. This is a rib place, it's in the name, and the ribs while pretty tender and tasty were not slap yo mama good. They were tender, but didn't fall off the bone and lacked that smoky, spicy sweet flavor I expect to get by meat that has been properly smoked. They were also, like all the other Rockford local rib joints swimming in a vast ocean of "okay" tasting probably store bought sauce. In my opinion, unless you make a really blow my socks off with a house made sauce, leave it off. Even then serve it on the side. Ribs and other fatty meats slow cooked over fire don't need to be served in bath of sauce. The regulars all seemed to be ordering the rib tips, pulled pork, and catfish. Maybe by ordering ribs at a rib place I made a mistake. Rick's will get my money at least one more time. I really hope the rib tips fare better with the cooks handling of them than the ribs did. read more

Great rib joint. I had the rib dinner with sweet potatoes, spaghetti and mac n cheese. The ribs where fall off the bone tender. The sides were good except for the Mac n cheese. I don't know exactly how the made it but the texture and taste was totally off. I also had the Carmel cake which was delicious and moist. read more

I've tried every Ma & Pa rib joint in this town with some chains thrown in. This is the one to beat! I just got the rib tip basket which I am basing this review on-and it was heavenly smoked goodness! My son tried the ribs during a company function and said they were even better! I am kicking myself for not trying this sooner! Famous Dave's will never see another dime from this family. read more

tried this place for first time, got the rib sandwich, pulled pork, beef hot link,greens & coleslaw. My version of a sampler platter. Ribs had a tug that Myron Mixon would have judged best in class, Pulled pork was wife's favorite, beef hot-link was a tad dry; should have had the pork instead, greens spot on. I think Smokey Bones should go back to being a STEAK HOUSE!!!! Will come back here when ever in the area. People behind the counter were very personable & the phone never stopped ringing. Lady joked that when she's home she turns the ringer to low!!! Drive from south of the airport is well worth the product they put out!!!!! Jake H. read more

This is the best barbeque in the Rockford area--carryout only--the meat falls off the bone--staff polite--sides are really good--love the cole slaw--they do Soul Food on Saturdays--great selection and so good! Also the pound cake, caramel cake, and cobbler are definitely a must have--portion sizes are generoud too read more

Great food love the customer service The sauce was good and ribs juicy everything I had was wonderful! read more

Decent food with a decent price to get straight to the point. Before you come here call before with your order or else you'll end up like me for 30 minutes in some uncomfortable chairs. read more

The Hubby and I are new to the area and stumbled upon this place on Saturday night. The ribs were very good (a bit too much sauce for me) with plenty of meat on them and really tender. We ordered the soul food dinner-I got the mac&cheese and dressing and my husband got the baked beans and yams. Other than the dressing being a touch dry, the sides were excellent! I tried his beans and agreed they were fantastic and I thought the mac was really tasty! My caramel cake was better than expected too! The customer service was very good as well-we rudely didn't make it back by their 7pm close (there was a 15 minute wait so we decided to explore the area a little and got back 6 minutes after close!) and she was kind enough to wait and give us our order. They didn't have to do that. Do yourself a favor and get down there on a Saturday night for their soul food dinner. We will definitely be back! read more

If this is your first time coming here, I really recommend getting the Large Rib Combo it comes with two sides I normally get Mac and Cheese with Fries. Never disappointed and it always fills me up. read more