Staff apparently doesn't know the difference between flat and point brisket. I placed an order on the phone for pickup, requesting 6oz of brisket from the point (where the good fat and marbling is). The girl on the phone sounded like she had no idea wtf I was talking about. I assumed the guy cutting the brisket would understand this very simple request. When I arrived, I was again questioned about my choice for point cut brisket by a very confused counter guy. I clarified that I wanted the fat and marbling that is present on the point. He then proceeded to start slicing a section of brisket that was VERY CLEARLY flat. I questioned him on this and he told me "well it's just a pretty lean brisket to begin with". Basically, he heard my request for point brisket multiple times and didn't care. I simply responded with "whatever" and a frustrated shake of my head. I got home with my food and my very obvious flat brisket was tough and chewy and fairly flavorless without much bark. At least the sauce is good and the broccoli salad was nice (only reason they got 2 stars instead of 1) So basically the staff doesn't know what's going on and, if you know anything about barbecue, they won't be able give you what you're looking for. I guess they're used to dealing with people who don't know what to ask for ‍ Very disappointed as Sharkos has such a great reputation and I had high expectations. Looks like I'll be taking the extra few minutes it takes to drive to Station One Smokehouse in Plainfield from here on out read more

Sharko's is hit or miss for me. Side are usually decent and the meat selection is good. I'm a big fan of southern barbecue and this does not compare. The smokey flavor is missing most of the time and the meat is not always tender. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of comparable souther barbecue places in the Midwest. Alabama has some of my favorite BBQ. I'm also a big fan of Kansas City BBQ. The best place for BBQ in the Midwest is Slo's in Detroit. In Illinois, there is a good place in Orland. So, Sharko's is not quite the same. read more

Nope, not going back . Very disappointing. Meat hidden in sauce . Meat didn't have a good flavor. Tried them twice. Three star is generous. Doesn't taste smoked maybe oven cooked day old? I don't know... read more

The portion sizes for the sandwich and sides. After reading other reviews I tried the pulled pork sandwich which was amazing. You add your own sauce at the table which I like. The cornbread muffin was tasty. They are losing a star from me for two reasons. First is the small beer selection. They had a few choices in bottles but that is about it. The second was the table set up. Most of the tables were set up for larger groups. I felt kinda guilty sitting at a large table with just 2 people. Service was great and food showed up fast. I would recommend. read more

Nice BBQ place where you can go to grab a quick bite. We personally like the brisket sliders and the burnt ends. Some of the sides are hit and miss but over all they're good, we enjoy the baked beans. Also, there's free ice cream in the back when you're done with your meal and the place is kid friendly, especially if you want to introduce your kids to BBQ that isn't very spicy. read more

Great bbq foods. Service is very quick. Many selections of sauces. Reasonable price. Will go back.

Two stars because of outrageous price. The pig out for 8 used to be $75. Now it's $90 for 3lbs of meat and you can no longer choose 3 meats. The food is decent, but they up charge without telling you and it's not on the menu board in the restaurant. You find out during check out when they add AN EXTRA $12 PER POUND for brisket. That's right, $12 ADDITIONAL DOLLARS PER POUND!!! It's outrageous! It's not worth it. From what I was told, the manager has been made aware of it several times and refuses to update the menu board, but they do have it listed online. That means it's intentional. They don't deserve our business with those practices. It's not worth it. Go to Mission BBQ just a few miles up Rte 59. Same quality food but more bang for your buck. Better yet, save your money for the grocery store! read more

Ordered the brisket, rib and pork platter. The brisket was very dry and almost like it was a pre packaged product and reheated. Tough and not moist at all. Ribs were okay but that's about it. Pork was okay tough. For sure not worth $40 we ended throwing away 80% of our two platters. Not worth it for bbq, much better in the area. read more

Amazing BBQ selection. Love the ribs, briskets, and chicken dishes. The sides are very tasty too especially the baked beans.

Super friendly staff. The food is just incredibly delicious and tender meats. The free mini iced cream cones are such a treat too! My husband and kiddo love it. Be back soon! Oh and their bbq sauces are super yummy yummy. read more

HONESTLY, the worst bbq experience ever. OVER PRICED! Now if the food was halfway decent (which it wasn't) the price wouldn't matter but when you pay $19 for 2 sides and 1/2 of brisket (which we'll get to) it should be enjoyable. BRISKET: DRY. DRY. DRY. No smoked flavor at all. No fat. Just awful. The sauce made it minusculely better. MAC & CHEESE: AVERAGE. Some might say below average. POTATO SALAD: SALTY AS ALL GET OUT. To say the least I won't be back. read more

We visited this location a while ago. Loved the place, the fun and lively staff, and good service! For a fast food spot, their BBQ was pretty darn good. I myself loved the flavor of the pork and every bit of all the sides we selected (mac & cheese, corn, and sweet potato). My wife thought it was all on the saltier side which on second thought, was true. We probably downed several glasses of water. Can't complain about their free soft serve ice cream treats. Yum! read more

Sharko's BBQ - Pulled Pork - Barbeque Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

Burnt ends or beef jerky? I tried the burnt ends and they were they were crispy and chewy not, quite traditional burnt ends that I'm accustomed to. They were more like chopped brisket. I will say the green beans and carrots were tasty read more

Sharko's BBQ - Burnt end sandwhich - Barbeque Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

Great BBQ, love the variety of sides. Fair price for the product. Lastly the management must care about their customers as they are always pleasant and helpful. That's more than I can say about that place in downtown Plainfield. read more

Fantastic BBQ!! Tender pork, juicy brisket and delicious ribs! Baked beans are meaty and the corn bread with honey butter is like dessert. Cool spot and great food. All cut to order. Highly recommend read more

See all

I cannot day enough amazing things about this restaurant ! For what you, I have to say that I've always found it very worth it. The service is a go up to the counter and order yourself style, but because of that you get to interact with the nicest employees, get to pick what sides you want(they have a nice variety), and see the meat chopped up fresh! Some our personal favorites are the chopped or sliced brisket sandwiches ! Depending on the mood we'll either go for the smaller sized sandwich ("smaller" but really it's about half the size of the Normal Sandwiches) that comes with a side and is a bit cheaper than the full sandwiches, or we'll go for a regular sandwich and pick a variety of sides. The difference between the two options is really how much food you want and how much $ you want to spend. For all the food we got in the picture (plus another chopped brisket sandwich not pictured) it was about $26 and we found it absolutely worth it. Took about half of it home! Some sides we love are the cream corn, bacon potato salad, and baked beans, corn bread. Don't forget to get some of the free pickles they're delicious !! Or you can try a variety of bbq sauces (all of which are good but I'm a fan of the Carolina). And don't leave before getting a free tiny ice cream cone! The perfect way to end a meal. Love this place and can't say enough about it ! A fam favorite! read more

Sharko's BBQ - Chopped Brisket Chopped Sandwich, Bacon Potato Salad, Baked beans, Cream corn, Cornbread, pickles - Barbeque Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

I've been searching for a place that reminds me of most of the places in Texas. When they took the brisket out and cut it if front of me I knew this place was legit. They also have pickles and onions which a lot "BBQ" places in the Chicago land area/suburbs don't have. The brisket I'll give 5/5. The ribs were a bit of a disappointment though. Just very tough and fatty. Probably needed to stay in the smoker a bit longer. I'll def be back for that Texas style brisket. Well done! read more

Sharko's BBQ - Ribs - Barbeque Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

See all

I wasn't too impressed with their barbecue. It lacked flavor, was too dry and the ribs didn't fall off the bone! I gave them a three only because the staff was really good and very friendly. Maybe the owners should start eating their own barbecue to see what's wrong! read more

A coworker recommended this place to me. It's a good bbq place but not better than your average bbq. As soon as you walk in you can smell the bbq. It's definitely got the country style decor you would expect from a bbq place. The have chicken, brisket, pulled pork and ribs plus a whole bunch of sides. I ordered the Mac Daddy consisting of mac and cheese and 6 oz of brisket. My daughter got the smoked brisket grilled cheese. The meat is good but both of us were really only a fan of the regular Sassy sauce. The mac and cheese was good but nothing out of the ordinary. I think if they had more sauces that appealed to us I would've rated it higher. The prices were ok. I like some of the other bbq places in Naperville better but this is good if you're in the area. read more

Really good barbecue and smoked meats, including turkey . Sandwiches are enormous and sides have a wide selection that include options outside the norm for bbq places (broccoli and beet salads etc). Need to remember this place next time I have a party! Special little extra on the way out is the free soft serve mini cone on the way out - perfect finish! read more

A few trys but nothing to keep me coming back for more. There are about 4 barbecue restaurants on and near route 59 and I would rank this place as 4th. read more

Great food !best bbq around ! Not inexpensive but worth every dime . The smoked turkey is absolutely out this world ! The sides are terrific the creamed corn the sweet potato the beans the corn bread Lemonade yum yum read more

Authentic BBQ is right down the street with all the southern temptations you could want worth out driving to the humid south. Try their homemade lemonade and don't forget they free iced cream cones at the end of the mean for the kids. Sauces... sweet, tangy, spicy yum yum yum. You can tell the owner really put his all in his southern bell atmosphere! read more

The best BBQ in the area that stems from a second generation of restauranteurs. They could never make a bad dish - it's not in their DNA. Meat, meat and more meat with tasty sides. There are no freezers in the joint because it's all homemade fresh daily. If you can tell I'm a big fan... read more

Sharkos is my go to restaurant when I don't want to cook dinner! Every meat dish is delicious and the sides are just as good. I love the spinach dish! Burnt ends, brisket and ribs are our favorites! The owner is usually there and many employees have been working there for a number of years. read more

Fantastic smoked meats and the sides are so delicious, it's hard to pick just one! Great service!

After being inconsistent and disappointing for several years now after being so initially awesome, I can proudly say Sharkos is back. Had an awesome meal there on Friday and even the leftovers were great still. The Pig Out for 4 is the best and heartiest portion size bang for your buck. Sharkos is back b read more

I tried 3 BBQ places while I was in the area and I'd have to say this was my favorite of the 3. When I pulled up I was a little skeptical as it's in a strip mall. I like my BBQ joints to resemble a hillbilly crack house with old appliances in the front lawn but I'm sure this part of Illinois has zoning laws against such things. I walked in and saw that the price of the meat was by the pound. That is one of the key signs for BBQ. I wanted a quarter pound of burnt ends they were out. While disappointed this was good sign number 2. Real BBQ places run out of things. So I got the brisket and the pulled pork. The brisket was really good. Smokey and meaty. Not a lot of fat. The pulled pork needed sauce. No real flavor without. The sides are more adventurous here. They have many and different versions of bbq classics. I for whatever reason was trying to act semi healthy and got green beans and carrots instead of my standard mac and cheese or beans. Nothing wrong with green beans but I should have gotten the norm. read more

My quest for consistently good BBQ continues. After my first visit to Sharko's, I was tempted to give a 5 star rating. My recent visits have run the gamut from 1 to 5. I think the key is to go when they're busy. This trip I was the only customer and I'm fairly certain my slab was from the night before. It was extremely dry and tough. The sausage was tender and cooked well, but lacked spice and heat. The sides and service have been consistently good. I've yet to try Gemato's, but this is the best option so far in the area. read more

Honest review: (okay place) i been looking for a barbecue place in the suburbs for a while now this place was okay when going to a barbecue place its either the sides are amaizing and the entree sucks or the entres are amaizng and the sides sucks thats the kinda vibe i was getting that the entrees were decent and the sides suck. When i walked in it was really awkward the menu is on the wall????? N u order rite where they serve food they werent helpful at all or gave good suggestions there is a sign that says free samples i wish it was bigger so i would have known to try different things and there is a menu but its not where u order they need to fix that. All in all okay but it was expensive so not worth it idk if id come back again but every time i go to caputos imma get free ice cream here Coleslaw: this was one of the worst ones i ever had. It was really creamy but there was nothing special about it no seasoning just really mediocre . I like mine creamy but vinegary. Tasted like just a plan lettuce salad Cream corn: it was creamy but lacking alot of flavor thought it was gonna be grilled no just plain corn not alot of seasoning on it Sweet potato: i love sweet potatoes so i was excited after i ate all the marshmallow it went down hill from there it had no seasoning on it just really plain stopped eating it after the marshmallow went away Burnt end sand which: there was alot of meat and there were actually alot of burned pieces which is a good think it was seasoned well not to dry but it was a lil bit to salty and the bread was not toasty Ribs: surprised but it was actually pretty tasty the seasoning on it was really tender cooked well which means tender but not falling off the bone tender has a nice bite to it over all could but there wasnt alot of meat to it and it was a really small half slab Barbecue sauces: nothing special i tried them all tasted like any other barbecue sauce at least there not watered down though thats the worse Free pickles: these were really could really vinegary just wish it was a lil more sweater or spicier for another dimension of flavor read more

See all

Sharko's is good BBQ. I just have an issue with trendy joints like this. Each portion of meat must be weighed for accuracy to the micro ounce. You will not get more than your portion allows, but you might get less as well. That's "Cold" customer appreciation in your face. Sharko's will tell you this is a good thing! You can actually buy "one" rib at a time. "Who the Hell is going to do that"? Think about it. When is the last time your favorite "Italian Beef Joint" weighed your sandwich? read more

See all

This is a tough one for me to write. I'm not a BBQ fanatic- far from it. I don't really have any other experiences to compare this to, except Dickey's, which was awful, and Best Truckin' BBQ truck, which is probably the "best" I've had. I came here for a UYE on a Wednesday. After looking at the menu, I decided on the off the bone chicken sandwich, because chicken is pretty fail safe. I also ordered a side of mac and cheese. My fiance had terrible luck though. Every item he tried to order, they were out of. Frustrated, he mumbled under his breath "well, what DO you have?" It was pretty pathetic. It was a Wednesday evening, and yet they were out of multiple items? He finally settled on the same thing I ordered, plus a side of the bacon potato salad. Our friends with us experienced the same frustration in ordering their meals (see Angela P.'s review). The chicken sandwich was dry. I suppose that is on purpose so you can drown it in one of their sauces, which we both had to do to give our meal any sort of flavor. I used the "Snake Bite", which was supposed to be one the spicy side. I eat spicy food regularly, and Snake Bite was pretty "weak sauce" in my book. M agreed with me about the sandwich, although we both thought it was filling. The mac and cheese wasn't anything special. It was creamy enough, but there was very little flavor. I was tempted to throw some BBQ on that just to give it some "oomph" but decided against it. Again, M agreed that the mac and cheese was pretty boring. However, the bacon potato salad was pretty damn good. I also enjoyed the homemade (err, "housemade", says their sign) pickles. I feel like my experience was a two-star one, but I'll throw in the extra star for the employee that put the Blackhawks game on all the TVs for us. Kudos to her. The interior has a cozy western theme going on, and the four saddle seats are interesting. I'm sure the kids enjoy them but I doubt an adult could eat their meal comfortably in them. The tables and floors were clean and the employees were somewhat friendly, but had less than enthusiastic attitudes. All in all, have several back up options before ordering and be prepared for a lackluster meal. read more

Sharko's BBQ - Average Mac and Cheese - Barbeque Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

See all

I've been trying to find a good BBQ spot in the burbs and Sharko's definitely isn't it. Was the food decent? Sure. Was it good enough for me to return? Probably not. My friend and I were craving some good rip tips and burnt ends and since we were in the area we decided to check out Sharko's. Since we're gluttons, we ordered enough food for a family of 5 and I'm pretty sure the kids working there were disgusted by the amount of food we ordered. We just wanted a little bit of everything, what can I say! We settled on 1 lb of rib tips, 1 lb of burnt ends, 1 lb of sliced brisket, mac n cheese, corn muffins, and baked beans. Go big or go home! Let's discuss the food now. Our favorites were definitely the rib tips and corn muffins which came with a sweet butter. The rib tips were well flavored and more tender than the rest of the meats. The brisket was chew and the burnt ends were stringy. Both meats should have been fattier and much more tender. I think they over cooked one and undercooked the other which is quite disappointing. There's definitely potential to make the meats better since the sauces and rub were well flavored. As for the baked beans, these were lukewarm and nothing about them impressed me. I'd probably say skip this joint and check out Q BBQ in Naperville. read more

See all

Best bbq in the area! Even my toddlers love it here! If you love perfectly seasoned French fries, this is your place!

I've heard a lot about this place, so we decided to give it a try. I'm tough on BBQ joints. So here goes. There were four of us. My wife and I shared a meal. We had a half rack, sliced brisket, hot links, pork and turkey. For sides we have the Potato Salad, Spinach, Green Beans and Mac n' Cheese, along with Cornbread. The other couple had a Chicken Sandwich and Brisket and Pork. Ribs - undercooked. They had a good flavor and a light smokey flavor. But were a bit tough. Brisket - also a but undercooked, and also a bit dry. Good flavor. Hot Links - not hot. Didn't taste a bit of heat. Flavor was good. Pork - excellent. Tender, juicy and smoky. Turkey - also excellent. Tender and juicy. Sides were all excellent. And the cornbread muffins were good. They needed some Honey Butter. Their homemade pickles are excellent, and their sauces are great. If I'm in that neck of the woods again I'll go back. read more

Did you have the opportunity to enjoy the Fire Roasted Salmon over Lent? Tonight was the last night and the Mango/Pinapple Salsa was a nice surprise. It was so delicious and I usually don't do Salmon. You can plan on an amazing brunch for Easter... but Mom wants to cook so I'm missing an amazing menu. AYCE Ribs just for starters, Pork Loin, Ham and all his regular meats. Even a build your own sundae bar. $19.95 They also recently had the Sharko's Family Fried Chicken Recipe on the menu in February up to Ash Wednesday. Brian always mixes the menu up and I'm a huge fan of his catering abilities. He also regularly serves up items at local kids sporting events and Naperville Ale/Wine Fests. It's easy to get addicted to the Sharko's "Jawsome Sides." Spinach Souffle on top of your Sliced Brisket Sandwich is the way to roll. The Shark Bite has the heat and the Sassy is nice and sweet. A little bit of both is how I roll. Rumor on the street, Brian's looking for a 2nd location! The great folks at Chicago's Best TV even awarded him with #bestoffthebone. Chicago's Best Off the Bone: Sharko's BBQ: http://youtu.be/KJz9jjk5fd8 read more

See all

Yes, your food is good, not excellent but good, good enough to return a few times. The ribs are a bit dry, but they are still good. Your customer service on the other hand is a disgrace. So bad that this will be followed up with a phone call to the owner. read more

Good is very good but prices are too high for a walk up to order eatery. Menu that is not so unique. Very average.

Born and raised in Texas and this place is beyond great!!! Love it best in Illinois close runner to Texas' brisket. read more

Sharko's BBQ - SHARKO's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Naperville, Illinois

This is a great spot for lunch or take-out. The food was delicious and you can try any of the sides before buying. The staff was very informative and friendly. It has a western country vibe. Love the cows lights below the menu. Oh not mention free ice cream too! This worth coming for really good bbq in suburbs. read more

See all