Love this place! We enjoyed the excellent food and atmosphere. And the staff is super friendly. We will definitely be back for more.

We've eaten at Shortys since it's opened and other than the Gouda Mac and cheese being luke warm most of the time it's been awesome (I mean c'mon you're really there for the Q anyway) Not last night....four of us ate around 5:30....3 ordered ribs and 1 turkey w/sides. The ribs were horrible.....dried out and sparse on meat. Now I've had ribs here before and they've been great but it's been lunch time. ‍ The previously mentioned Mac and cheese wasn't good either ....they used to have noodles separate and then spoon cheese sauce on em. This version is sauce and noodles mixed but they were pretty void of sauce and also gummy. The slaw I had which is normally very good was mostly just dry cabbage. So let me reiterate EVERY other visit has been awesome I hope the fact that Shortys ownership has changed or their extended hours isn't causing this. I'm going to chalk it up as a bad night for them but my future visits will be earlier in the day to compare. read more

Shorty's has been my go-to BBQ spot since I moved to Illinois six years ago. However, I had not been for quite a while when Mrs. P and I visited last week. We were very surprised at the decline in quality. The usually succulent, smokey brisket was kind of dry, as was the pulled pork. The portions seemed quite a bit smaller than normal. I ate every bite of my dinner and was still a little peckish. Has the place changed hands? Changed management? One worries . . . read more

Why is it so hard to put in an order? The lady running the cash register needs a completely different job! Ask for ranch dressing and she opens a small one and pours some out in another cup!? My wife and I ordered together to eat inside and we got to separate Togo boxes! Customers don't know where to order from but you pay in the same place!? She was yelling load from the front to back in the kitchen!The big problem..... is that the food is pretty darn good! read more

Love this place, great food and great atmosphere, little on the pricey side for Waterloo

This place is super cute and the food is amazing. The decor is very GenX which is perfect in my opinion ;). Had the brisket which was so tender the knife isn't necessary. Baked Beans tons of flavor, Mac and cheese creamy goodness to say the least, potato salad was a touch on the salty side for my liking, but the coleslaw eeeh a bit too vinegary in my opinion. Was like raw sauerkraut. Service was superb!! Highly recommend this little place! read more

Shorty’s Smokehouse - Barbeque Near Me - Waterloo, Illinois

Decided to go for a drive on a beautiful November Saturday to try another new to me barbecue spot. Arrived at Shorty's Smokehouse not long after open at noon. Mild pit smoke in the air right as you walk in the door. Mmmmhhh. I ordered the sampler which comes with 4 meats and 3 sides. I chose brisket, pulled pork, ribs and pork belly burnt ends, the daily special. I chose the coleslaw and put beans as my sides. Service was abundantly friendly and quick. Top notch really. Food was all on point except for the pit beans. To me... they were too sweet. But otherwise good flavor. Others would probably love that sweet hit. Brisket had a nice smoke ring and good smoke flavor but the beef flavor was still very present. It was tender and moist. Great with the mustard sauce. Pulled pork was perfectly seasoned, tender, moist, had nice bark, good smoke flavor as well. Good without sauce and also good with the OG sauce. Ribs were as good as my favorite spot here in St. Louis, Bogart's Smokehouse. Perfectly smoked and seasoned. The pork belly burnt ends were just awesome. Sticky, smokey, perfectly seasoned chunks of pork belly with a good mix of lean and fat. It's a haul over to Waterloo for me, but I'll definitely slide back down there. Good service, great food. read more

Shorty’s Smokehouse - Pit beans and coleslaw - Barbeque Near Me - Waterloo, Illinois

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First time here and was glad we stopped in. Large portions and very tender brisket and turkey. Baked beans were yummy. Wished for more options on BBQ sauces. Wife like the mac and cheese. Reasonable pricing for quality and qty of food read more

Shorty’s Smokehouse - Turkey , gouda Mac and cheese - Barbeque Near Me - Waterloo, Illinois

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Excellent service. I love the Gen X decor. I ordered brisket with two sides. The guy recommended potato salad and smoked Mac n cheese. Brisket was dry. May have been cooked correctly at first but after sitting in the warmer it was pretty tough. Mac and cheese was bland and no smoked flavor at all. I would have preferred Kraft Mac. But the potato salad was the bomb. Excellent choice if you go here. read more

I have been A few times and the pulled pork is delicious along with the pork rinds and mac and cheese.

Not open, despite saying they are on Apple Maps. Thanks for wasting an hour of my time.

We stopped by Saturday. The ribs were ok. ordered pulled pork and brisket sandwich both were really dry. good looking place, service was good read more

Love this place! Family owned by locals. Great food. Great atmosphere. Movie themed decor that takes you down memory lane. Service is friendly and amazing too! Can't go wrong with great BBQ! read more

Excellent BBQ in a great location in downtown Waterloo. Service is fast and affordable. Highly recommend! read more

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I love this place. It's a hometown smokehouse with fresh food and a great atmosphere. One of my favorite things about Shorty's is the specials. They'll often do a brisket gyro or pulled pork tacos. Their normal menu is awesome too. Personally, I love their brisket. It's tender and juicy. They slice it when you order it. The pork rinds are excellent too. Pricing is good for a smokehouse. I had a massive brisket sandwich, pork rinds and a soda - all for $16. That's not bad at all for barbecue. read more

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Food bbq the best in monroe county Illinois. Brisket is so melting in your mouth. These guys have changed waterloo

This was very disappointing. Both the ribs and brisket were overdone. We didn't like any of the sides (pit beans, coleslaw, potato salad, smoked gouda mac & cheese). They were "out" of turkey and pulled pork at 12:30 - they opened at noon so I suspect they were out when they opened and just hadn't made any. $50 for a light lunch for two. I would not recommend or go back. read more

briskest was super dry ribs were super dry the turkey fell apart beans were ok mac and cheese was bland

The food is always very good. I had a pulled pork sandwich with bbq beans and slaw. The service is also good.

OMG! So good!!! I had the pulled pork with all the fixings. So much meat. It was a meal and a half. Staff was super friendly and personable. Movie themed ambiance. Lots to look at. Even the ladies wash room is mentionable. read more

Pros: Open on Mondays. Cons: Two menu options No sweetener for iced tea (wtf!) No BBQ sauce on the table (arent you a bbq place!???) No sides other than fries/onion rings Onion rings not hand battered I never get the hype for this place. Food was fine- we both had the italian beef- Just sucks that there is only two menu options on a Monday-but i guess you can do that when youre the only place open on Monday in the whole town. Flavor was good- read more

ANOTHER great place to eat in Waterloo! This small town gets 5 stars from ME!!! A group of us stopped in here on a Friday night before a play (down the street at Monroe Actors Stage Company) and stuffed our faces. I had a brisket sandwich with sides of slaw and beans. The food was all FANTASTIC! My 2 gripes would be that they offer VERY little in the alcoholic beverage arena, and that they didn't have half of what was on the menu. The prices weren't unreasonable, and the service was pretty quick. I'd come back, but hope they get better at offering more... read more

Shorty’s Smokehouse - Brisket Sandwich with Slaw and Beans - Barbeque Near Me - Waterloo, Illinois

108pm looking for lunch in foreign land Found Short's only a mile away Welcoming counter help Cheese added to the Mac and cheese right before your eyes The brisket was tender, moist and full of flavor Location was super clean and updated vintage with movie and tv items Great find in an old school downtown area read more

Portions are good. Bbq is delicious. We have always taken it home to eat so I don't know if the atmosphere is. The outside looks very inviting. I love the building that it's in. read more

Went to Shortys Smokehouse cuz friend asked me to try this. I had beef brisket sandwich with 2 side. But we're told that cole slaw were out so Got baked beans and Gouda Mac and cheese. They were good. Brisket is perfect not dry. Friend got turkey with potato salad and baked beans. Turkey is perfect too and not dry. Next time wanna try cole slaw read more

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This place is perfect: the quality and craft behind their bbq, the service from the owners, and their amazing friendly staff... this place is everything! It's hands down one of the most amazing bbq I've had in both Missouri and Illinois. A hidden gem in Waterloo. I'm a huge fan of their special on Friday and Saturday: Pork Belly Burnt Ends. It's unbelievable how good it is. On Sundays, they have Pork Steak as their special, and it's also mindblowing. Huge, huge fan!!! read more

First time in Waterloo for lunch and WOWZA!!! We chose wisely....I am not name one item that tasted better than the next......!!!!!! The Bake Beans are to die for, Smoked Gouda MAC n Cheese was amazing....I happen to have had the pulled pork this time and it melted in my mouth. I am told by other customers around my table that the turkey and brisket is equally moist!!!! The owner made several rounds to the table to be certain that everyone was pleased with their dinning experience!!!! I may be in the area more often just to visit this restaurant again more of read more

Fantastic food and service. Best BBQ in Southern Illinois and the metropolitan St. Louis area. Worth the trip to a very nice Community Square. Get your food to go and take next door to brewery if you want a brew. read more

12:30 on a Sunday and out of pork steaks and ribs ridiculous!!! That is not how it should be. I can see 2:00, but come on 12:30. Do better. Make more. Or have preorders the day before. read more

My husband and I stopped in for lunch it was an exceptional experience. The service was fast and friendly, and WOW was the meal delicious. As we left three staff thanked us for coming in. Now that's world class customer service. I would recommend Shorty's Smokehouse to everyone. Thank you! read more

This place has some excellent BBQ. Delicious and tender brisket. I had the potato salad and mac n cheese for sides, both were super tasty. The sauces were perfect for dipping, and tasted real instead of the fake smoke or sugary flavors you get elsewhere. Friendly counter service, and fast. The ambience is cool, with a retro movie theme. If I didn't live in Saint Louis I would go here instead of Sugarfire or Pappy's, it's that good. read more

First time in Waterloo for lunch and WOWZA!!! We chose wisely....I am not name one item that tasted better than the next......!!!!!! The Bake Beans are to die for, Smoked Gouda MAC n Cheese was amazing....I happen to have had the pulled pork this time and it melted in my mouth. I am told by other customers around my table that the turkey and brisket is equally moist!!!! The owner made several rounds to the table to be certain that everyone was pleased with their dinning experience!!!! I may be in the area more often just to visit this restaurant again more often!! read more

Shorty’s Smokehouse - Front area - Barbeque Near Me - Waterloo, Illinois

I generally go to the turkey or pork. Their ribs are some of the best around. If you go, you must try their Gouda Mac n cheese. It's the favorite side. read more

I cannot say enough good things about Shortys! The owners and staff are the best around. They prepare and serve fresh, locally grown food. The brisket is the best in the St Louis area, hands down. If you are in Waterloo, be sure to make Shortys a must do. You will thank me later. read more

Food is good but it seems they run out early!! Went a few times and fairly early in the day and they are already out of everything except one meat!! Very frustrating to the point we just go elsewhere. Food is good when they have it. read more

Most excellent brisket burnt ends. His attention to detail is spot on. Great selection of craft and local beers to accompany the food.

Great Q on the city square. Excellent pork and beef sides and more! Great ambience, near micro-breweries. Will be back!

I understand how good reviews are subjective...what you like isn't what someone else likes...so i tend to take them with a grain of salt. What I do take note of is how many good reviews a restaurant has. That being said, I'd like to add another rave review for Shorty's Smokehouse. Lunch today was fantastic! The combo of fatty and lean brisket cuts were awesome! The perfect blend of salty, smoky, beefy! The sides are equally impressive...beans, slaw, potato salad and mac and cheese, all worthy of their own, individual glowing reviews. I've had Shorty's pulled pork and turkey in the past and also found them to be exemplary! Check out Shorty's in downtown Waterloo...a gem in and of itself...but get there early, they smoke their meats for quality not quantity and like any good bbq place, they do run out. read more

Food is delicious! The staff is so friendly. The dining area is really clean. I will definitely come back. The Gouda Mac n cheese is so delicious!!! read more

Shorty's catered a recent event my husband and I attended. We were excited to try the food because we enjoy sampling local BBQ and had never had Shorty's. Served were: brisket, pulled pork, sliced turkey, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, and baked beans. All of the meats were very good. Brisket had a good bark and wasn't too fatty, pulled pork was flavorful and not greasy, and turkey was moist. We took some of the turkey home and it was tender enough to withstand being warmed in the microwave the following day. I'd love to try some of their other sides. I tried the potato salad and macaroni and both were very bland. The potato salad appeared to be seasoned with dill and maybe relish, but I didn't taste either. The macaroni and cheese looked cheesier than typical restaurant Mac and cheese, but it tasted like nothing. No one thought to bring salt and pepper to the event space, so I was not able to season the sides to see if that would be an improvement- which isn't Shorty's fault. Overall, I gave it 4 stars because the meat was very good. It's a BBQ, so I find that most important. My husband and I will make a visit to the restaurant for the brisket and turkey, and hopefully the sides will be better when they're served in house. read more