I have been a big fan of Sharko's over the year, as I most often have gone to the location on 59 near Plainfield. This is my second time to the location at Downers Grove. I paid $22 for a chopped brisket sandwich with mashed potatoes and a can of pop. This is insane pricing. My sandwich was good, and that's why I give it two stars, but the other thing that really hasn't changed over the years is that their sauces, the barbecue sauces, are lousy. I asked for both sweet and spicy. One was labeled S. And the other was labeled SB. Both were very sweet and the sauce was ready. There was no spice or no alternative taste in any of the barbecue sauce this place was a huge letdown, and I won't be back, especially with that kind of pricey relative to alternatives. read more

It had been several years since I checked out their Naperville location, so I decided to hit up their DG location. We were greeted promptly as soon as we entered. Keep in mind that this location is more of a pick up and go place. However, if you have a group of 2 to 4, there is some seating inside. (And weather permitting, some outside tables) I went with the judge's plate that let's you sample ribs, pulled pork, and brisket. It also comes with one side! I enjoyed the ribs the most (2 bones). The brisket they let you pick sliced, chopped, or burnt ends. I went with the sliced and very generous portion. Great way to sample a little of everything. I had the mac n cheese as my side and it was also a generous portion. Prices are very reasonable. They prefer cash payments if your order is below $10. Limited pepsi products, bottled water, and lemonade for drinks. Give them a try! read more

Everything here is great! The meats, the sides, the portions, the packaging... Except for the sauce. The sauce just doesn't seem to be up to the job of what sauce is. Maybe it's a me thing, I dont know... feel like I should rate them a 5 and leave the note as such... nah, just saw the South Park yelp episode so sticking with the 4. read more

Great place, great food and great people! Brisket was amazing and Mac n cheese was delish! The real deal!! read more

Sharko's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

This place is sooooooo good! Best potato salad around hands down. Add a bit of pepper and paprika to the Mac.... Mmm! Fantastic portions, love love love the chicken! read more

Again this year great catering. Food outstanding, everyone loved your bbq, sides , etc, Great job, great service. Thank you ! Mike Nicholson read more

We did the "pig out pack" for 40 people this weekend and it was just ok. The pulled pork and sides were good, but I'd definitely avoid the "chicken pieces" in the future. I was picturing whole rotisserie chickens portioned out into 6-8 pieces, but it was nearly all legs and wings. The meat was dry and over cooked, and most of the breast or thigh was chopped or pulled off. I think that caused some frustration in the buffet line too, when people were digging around looking for "a good piece." You probably get all those breasts and thighs if you order pulled chicken, but it should be more clear on the menu that you're mostly getting wings and legs if you do order pieces. read more

Pulled pork and sweet bbq sauce - delicious, good quality meat Mac and cheese - very creamy. Reminds me of the school cafeteria. I would not order this again. Creamed corn - good, good ratio of cream Garlic mashed potatoes - good, nice flavor and texture Pricing was fair but I think they should offer a meat plus two sides plate. Portions are large. read more

Closer to 2.5 First, it was freezing in there. We couldn't have eaten at the 1 table if we had wanted to. I picked the first thing on the menu just to get out of the cold. Where do you order? A wave of the hand showed me what the sides were~ not identified. Plan on carry-out. Maybe during dining out season you can sit on their patio and your food will be warm. Hot doesn't exist here. Maybe we came too close to closing (6pm), maybe it was an off day. The beef brisket was not even close to warm when we got it home and 2 containers of BBQ sauce did nothing to moisten the meat. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too dry. The bun being dry did not help the sandwich in any way. My husband said the baked beans were good. I don't eat baked beans. My favorite part of the meal ~ the pickles. Sad state of BBQ affairs when the pickles are the best. I will not be returning. read more

Ordered Rib tips. NOT tender AT ALL. Mac N Cheese is good. Probably won't order from them again, but, their other food might be good.

If barbecue is what you crave, then Sharko's will make you Rave! I have had some great bbq before, never like this, would I eat more, Yummy Yummy in my tummy, delicious going down! Sharko's Bbq will make you turn around. This is by far the best I have eaten, it's so good, I'm smitten Brisket Sliced, 1/2 Rotisserie Smoked Chicken, Baby Back Ribs 1/2 Slab, Smashed Red Garlic Potato, Buttermilk Coleslaw, Cream Corn My husband's hand reaching his mouth read more

Sharko's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

We ordered Sharko's last week - did a pick-up. You can eat inside - but not much seating. There is more seating outside. For food - we ordered a 1/2 slab of Ribs, order of burnt ends, and a side of fries - all with Shark Bite sauce. The Shark Bite sauce is the spiciest and I did like the sauce and fries. The ribs and burnt ends were fine - but nothing outstanding to us. The ribs were a little fatty - but not too much - more pull / tear off the bone (which I like). read more

I didn't care for it. The rib tips weren't the normal rib tips. They were more like rib strips, and very tough and had NO seasoning, The garlic mashed weren't garlicky, the spinach soufflé was phenomenal, I think because I like to cook, I like my food the way I like my food it got three because my kids enjoy it .will I come back again.. I don't think so but for $20 you get what you get. also the mac & cheese was very good. read more

Very average BBQ and not nearly as good as it used to be. We ordered the pulled pork and burnt ends sandwiches. The meat was so dry and didn't feel fresh. We did however like the sides. The pickles are good, the smashed potatoes were yummy and the corn muffin was delish. This felt like a mediocre hole in the wall compared to the old location off of Freedom. I will say that the service was good and the people were kind. read more

I'm not much of a meat eater anymore, and am very selective when I do choose to eat meat. We picked up a combo plate of meat recently, and I also ordered their spinach. Both were delicious, and this reluctant meat eater plans to go back again. The pulled pork, baby back ribs, beef brisket, all were fantastic. BTW, the pickles were pretty incredible, too. read more

Brisket was flavorful and definitely wasn't dry. I'd skip the rib tips next time. Sweet potatoes were good and surprisingly not over sweet with the marshmallow too. The kids liked the Mac and cheese but it wasn't anything special. Service was ok, there's a few tables inside where you could eat but this definitely is more of a takeout place. 4 stars cause the brisket was good. read more

It's kind of a hole in the wall place, but it's very clean. The staff were friendly, but the food, in my opinion, was okay. I ordered a burnt ends sandwich, but it was actually more of a pulled pork sandwich. I am used to burnt ends being slightly charred and caramelized. These were not at all. They were moist and you can taste the smoked flavor, but they were not what I was expecting. The brisket although tender was lack luster in flavor. Their sauces, again, were simply okay. A bit too much on the sweeter side for my taste, but if you enjoy sweet BBQ sauce you'll like them. I hold my BBQ joints to a high standard, and this one is middle of the road for me. I may go back if I need a quick lunch because the service is fast. read more

Sharko's BBQ - Creamed Corn side. It was really good. Better than the sandwich. - Barbeque Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

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Fabulous BBQ!! Very friendly staff! Doesn't look like much from the street, but don't be fooled! The bbq is amazing! Wonderful homemade sides too. Redskin mashed potatoes, beets, green beans, spinach casserole to name only a few. (I'd pass on the mac and cheese...quite starchy...I wasn't a fan.). Quote from my husband, "This might be the best potato salad I've ever had!" Four or five different sauces to choose from, and killer homemade pickles!! Give this place a try! You won't be disappointed!! read more

Sharko's BBQ - Chopped brisket slider and potato salad - Barbeque Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

I became very sick from eating here and so did my fiancée. We spent the entire night and morning throwing up and etc. I'm convinced anything pork in there isn't any good or they are not sanitary in the kitchen. Brisket and Pork was dry, ribs were okay. Will not eat at this place again. read more

Ok great brisket sandwich with fries. The quality was great , service great and they did not skimp on the meat or fries. I highly recommend this place read more

Food is good buy prices are insane! $36 a pond for chopped brisket! That is $8 - $12 a pound more than anyone else. They have always been expensive but now they are insanely expensive. You have lost a long time customer! read more

May have been a much better experience, had they not forgotten to give me the BBQ sauce on the side (ordered carry-out). They even asked which one I wanted, but forgot to put in in the bag. The brisket sandwich I ordered had a nice taste to it, but was quite dry, especially without any sauce. The garlic mashed potatoes and green beans and carrots were okay, but the meal was kind of ruined (no BBQ sauce in the fridge either, and neither Cholula nor mayo were able to help. The original Sharko's was my Dad's favorite (always picked it for birthdays and Father's Days when we'd go out to eat) back in the 70's and 80's. read more

My husband decided we try this place recently. The bad: The sliced brisket was very dry and overcooked. That was a bummer because I was looking forward to having this. The good: Meats... The smoked turkey was surprisingly delicious. So much so that my husband wants to buy it by the pound weekly for lunches (um, no...but nice try). The pulled pork was fine, as pulled pork should be. Sides... The broccoli salad was basic but good. Coleslaw was good. The BBQ beans was good to the point that one of the kids wanted to eat just that on a roll (don't ask...kids are weird). The mac and cheese was underwhelming... It was a bit like the cheese was forgotten after making a roux. We'll not get that again. The potato salad was delicious. Overall, they have a good selection of sides that doesn't make you think they came out of a can. Sliced pickles were tasty, like a yummy side snack (which the other kid tried to do with them). Props on that. Sauce... We got the mustardy sauce (Carolina??) and the sweet bbq sauce (because kids). They were both delicious. Employees... Overall very friendly and helpful. I'll give them another try in case the brisket was a fluke that day (everyone has *that* day), but we'll see... Definitely try them for the smoked turkey. Dang. read more

ordered a double order of brisket and 3 sides (61 bucks) the sides were very good the brisket was so fatty was almost not edible nice young gentleman working there im sure it wasnt intentional however this was my last trip to sharkos read more

I had a taste for rib tips and there are not a lot of good bbq place locally so found this place nearby bbq place. The staff was very friendly. I tried the rib Tips Mac and cheese and green beans. I wasn't a fan of the bbq sauce but overall everything else was pretty decent. I would go back, next time I'll try the ribs. I would recommend this place. read more

Their moist sliced brisket and their creamy Mac N Cheese are the bomb! Love the pickles too!! Yumm!

Reroute... We ordered an assortment of things/ all a total bust. None of the food was warm, like nothing. They do chili on Sundays Halloween - Super Bowl on Sunday... decent, yet super salty. The spinach casserole, had to try it as it's they're "speciality" ummm absolutely awful. Was also pretty cold and seemed like it separated. Ribs, super tough- definitely not a fall off the bone kinda ribs. Brisket was super dry. Boys said the homemade lemonade was awful. My hubby went to pick up the food and said service was terrible too. Like he was bothering them walking in to order food. less than 2 hours before closing. We've seen it for years and haven't checked it out. Checked it and skipping it. Also gave like only 6 sauces. Rotisserie chicken was decent. Again, cold... so maybe better if we reheated everything. Shouldn't have to do that when you live less than 3 minutes away. read more

OMG OMG OMG!!! Best pulled pork ever but it needs to have the AMAZING thin sliced pickles with the sassy sauce. I was at an event today where they catered from Sharko's and everyone raved about the pulled pork with the pickles. I've had cole slaw on my pulled pork but these pickles take the sandwich to a whole new level. You have to try them!! read more

Awesome food. I came in from Tennessee and my daughter took me here I'm so glad she picked this place great food and very nice people. Thank you read more

Brisket sandwich with pig juice and sassy sauce amazing Mac n cheese amazing Bacon potato salad amazing Spinach casserole good but might try another side next time. 10/10 recommend next time taking the whole family amazing food! read more

Sharko's BBQ - Brisket Sliced Mac & Cheese Bacon Potato Salad Spinach Casserole Pig Juice Sassy - Barbeque Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

These guys catered a wedding I did and the food was fantastic. The staff was great and super helpful. They have a really nice operation and offered a good value for catering. Beyond that, the food quality was top notch. I would recommend going with the brisket and burnt end beans as a side. read more

This was by far the worst bbq in town. The food was cold and overpriced. The portions were very small for the price. The brisket was dry and drowning in sauce was the only way to get it down. The quality of the meat was subpar. The service was equally poor, they were out of pulled pork and offered brisket, but failed to inform us of the higher price. I will never be going here again. So disappointed!!! read more

Food was great and staff were friendly however, both me and my boyfriend got really sick after eating here. We got a sandwich and brisket with potato salad and Mac n cheese. It was my first time eating here and I most likely won't be returning due to probable food poisoning. read more

We have driven by Sharko's for a long time. I wish we would have gone in sooner. We had these items Brisket, , Mac N Cheese, Pulled Pork sandwich and the potato salad. Everything had great flavor and was priced just right! Th we portions were plentiful. The brisket has good color and flavor. The Mac N Cheese was flavorful and very cheesy. The potato salad had some bacon in it and tasted fresh. The pulled pork sandwich had great flavor and juicy. If you are near here and crave BBQ get here. Be flexible if you are planning to dine in. It's has small tables to eat in. Not good for groups. But they do a brisk takeout business. So take it home and enjoy!!! read more

This crew was super polite and made great recommendations for a wonderful dinner! The brisket and amazing sides were fantastic. Will be back! read more

Brisket and pulled pork were top notch! And all of the sides were exceptional!! This is our new go to for BBQ! Look no further!

Have driven past other locations and always wondered how legit the bbq might be. Turns out, totally legit. The real deal. This location is takeout only. You can eat outside, but that's it. I had the Judge's Plate with the tri baked beans and wife had the half rotisserie chicken and potato salad. Fantastic all around. The judge's plate came with brisket, pork, and some ribs. You get your choice how you want the brisket: chopped, burnt ends, sliced. I chose burnt ends, however received chopped. I'm still giving five stars for value and flavor. No matter, all was delicious. The pulled pork was tender and juicy without being greasy. Brisket had some crisp edges and full of flavor. The ribs were just how I like, not fall off the bone, but with a little chew. The rotisserie chicken also tender and not mushy. Flavors and spices are spot on and you get choice of sauces. Their Sassy flavor has one first place at Naperville Rib fest. I also like their spicy version. Sides of potato salad and the baked beans, while classic, have their own unique flavors. The beans made me think I was eating chili, but in a good way. The potato salad was substantial without being over powered by any one flavor or ingredient. For $35 we felt like royalty with full and satisfied tummies. read more

Amazing Bbq!! We had it at a College baseball game and family day!The food was spot on, everyone loved it!

A great addition to our neighborhood. Food and services excellent I recommend this place..

I recently placed an order for a college game day tailgate and the Sharkos team was so helpful! They helped me with best menu plan for the guest count. They had everything loaded and ready when I arrived and rehear directions. And everyone loved the pulled pork and pulled chicken! One of the guests said the chicken was the best he ever had! We didn't win the game but the food was a real Winner! read more