Really great experience. You can dine inside, on the padio, or by the street. Decent prices, would have liked the ribs but I went with the pulled chicken (pork might have been better also). Waiter was so nice it was crazy. Fast with the drinks, warm and friendly. Helped me pick a beer, and they have great beer here. I recommend the off color apex predator or the antihero ipa. read more

Smoke Daddy - Pretty awesome place! Great service, food looks delicious! - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

First American ribs and not disappointed by my half baby ribs ! It was tasty and the portions were really generous ! My ribs were served with French fries and an amazingly tasty coleslaw ! A good friend of mine recommended me this place and I'll do the same for my friends visiting Chicago. Nice place and food ! read more

Smoke Daddy - Half baby ribs, French fries and coleslaw - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm going to preface this review by admitting that I am a Memphis native. I will readily admit that this sets my expectations higher than a lot of people, so please take my words with that in mind: I am a BBQ snob. It is in my blood. It's my birthright. I will also state that my review is based off a catered lunch at my workplace, and not a dine-in experience. Perhaps that would be different. Perhaps not. It's hard to say. Now, that said, my first clue that this was not so great was that the pulled pork was swimming in sauce. Covered in it. Smothered in it. This is generally a sign that the pork is subpar if you have to serve it pre-sauced. It's the sort of trick you find in chain restaurants to add flavor to otherwise bland meat and it turns what should be tender and smoky into a greasy blob. Beneath the sauce - which I found to be a singular note of tang with no spice or sweetness to balance it - were chunks of fat and pork which, while moist, had little taste of its own. It was distinctly disappointing. I've had better pulled pork from a school cafeteria. If properly slow-smoked, a pork butt or shoulder will usually have the fat melt into the meat, imparting flavor and moisture without leaving behind blobs of it. My dad, who used to tend the smoker all day on weekends in our backyard, is probably rolling in his grave over this travesty. And then there's the matter of the collard greens, the likes of which my Memaw would have rewarded with the most wilting of her disapproving looks. Proper southern-style collard greens are cooked long and low with bacon, fatback, or a hamhock. That meat is an important part of imparting flavor into the typically bitter vegetable - the fat lends a silky mouthfeel, and the cure gives them a delicious salty umami. These greens have neither. They are flavorless, and even my beloved Crystal or Mamie's chow-chow would not be able to salvage the taste. Plus, on top of this, they are nowhere near cooked long enough. They are tough and stringy, while greens are meant to be slippery and almost falling apart and melting in your mouth. The only redeeming parts of the meal were the mac and cheese - which, while a little strange in texture, at least had some good flavor - and the BBQ chicken (but then it's chicken, and I had dark meat, and it's kind of hard to screw that up). On the bright side, I managed to learn where to avoid when I'm craving BBQ, and I wasn't the one paying for it, so that's a plus, I guess. For now, I will continue searching for somewhere local that'll live up to my expectations so I don't have to drive back to my hometown for a taste of the real thing. read more

One of the most over-rated joints in town. The food is average. But I've had notably bad service here, mainly due to clueless hosts which undoubtedly had a direct influence on my overall judgment because if you're not happy when you first sit down, they're going to to have to work twice as hard to bring the level of satisfaction back up. Service was intolerable at least twice in a row and the place has a grimy feel like AJ's Grill or Howard's Chicken. So that's it. It's not worth the grief when I can just go to Twisted Spoke and talk to real people who give a damn, not to mention order any kind of Scotch or Vodka I'm in the mood for... read more

Not good! I ordered the combo, baby back ribs and chicken. Chicken was def better, but on the dry side. Yes I like char on my ribs, but when char is covering so much of the slab you can barely taste meat - that's just overdoing it! Tried the sweet potato fries, boring. Mac n cheese lackluster. Two stars for: the cornbread which was the best thing, but you still can't make a meal out of cornbread. The music&atmosphere - it is a dive, but great local vibe. The drinks were decent and the service personable. I don't see a reason to come back here because the BBQ will not satisfy your Q cravings. read more

Went to Smokedaddy last night with a small group to watch the Hawks game and get some barbecue. They definitely have a nice beer list with many choices. We started out with the bbq nachos which were tasty then I went with a half rack of ribs with sweet potato fries, and the mac and cheese. We requested the hot bbq sauce which really added a nice spice to the ribs. The ribs were good, but there are definitely better spots in the city which is why I am only giving the place 3 stars. The fries were tasty, but the mac and cheese had way too many bread crumbs on top to even taste the mac and cheese. Overall everyone enjoyed the food, and the service was good. The place didn't get that crowded until later. I would definitely go back again since it is reasonably close to where I live. read more

Not what you'd expect from a BBQ place, but 3 words: Pulled. Pork. Nachos. These have changed my life! And they really know how to do the nachos right...everything is layered and mixed in appropriately. I hate when you get a huge blob of stuff all on top and then you're left with the plain chips on the bottom. I've tried just about everything else and it hasn't disappointed. Love their beans and coleslaw (cilantro!) too. read more

Something ain't right here... While Smoke Daddy offers me a variety of rib forms from baby back to tips - we all know the universal rule for BBQ joints, it's all in the sauce and how you cook the meat. Smoke Daddy is a wet BBQ, so while it's should be on the juicy side, the meat just did not have that charred, jerky quality to it. Sweet potato fries - meh Collard greens - mmm - it's as if it were stir fried in lots of garlic! I always enjoy squeezing a few bottles of the q-sauce and sampling the different flavor profiles - mustard, spicy, tangy, sweet or a combination of all these, but yet I didn't find a particular one I liked. It was just okay... but then I got a terrible headache soon afterwards, so did a few of my friends. It wasn't just me.... Could it be MSG? Not trying to be picky - I'm asian and I'm pretty sure I've had my share of it, but something just ain't right. read more

I went there one night for drinks, then returned the following day for food, So I will make comments on both of those experiences. Service was pretty good both visits, but the server didn't really know their whiskey very well, and I was surprised at how small selection thy have. Seems like most barbecue places have a good selection of Bourbons, etc. Therefore, I wouldn't recommend smoke daddy for a drink. I returned the next day, because I really wanted to try the barbecue nachos. They were very nice, but could've been a little bit better: I would've put on more beans, maybe some corn, and distributed the pork for little bit better, but they were very good. Also had a sandwich with burnt ends and brisket. It tasted a little bit funny frankly. It was good, but not great. I did really really like their barbecue sauces though. They had three different ones which were each very nice. The fries were very good too. Finally, they had a couple of nice outdoor seating areas. With that, and the prices, which seemed pretty reasonable, especially given the portion sizes, I'll give it just barely 4 stars. read more

I gotta warn the vegetarians and vegans, to just stop reading now. Nothing to see here. Okay.... Mmmmmeat. Meat. Meat. Meat. And cocktails. Perfectly done. We got the Sampler plate, which is sorta billed as an appetizer of sorts, but is plenty of food for two for a *cough* light dinner *cough*. Spare ribs, rib tips and baby back ribs. Buncha Carolina style sauce on them, and this is some delicious meat. Perfectly done, savory and crunchy in spots. OMG. Sides: the coleslaw is out of this world. Just great. My cocktail was a "Cherry Coke" that tasted spot on. I'll come back here anytime. read more

Such great food! They had a live band playing during our visit which I absolutely love. The burnt ends sandwich with Mac and cheese AND a couple PBRs was a delicious dinner. Great patio area although we went when the weather started to cool down. Definitely planning to come b read more

Smoke Daddy - Burnt ends and Mac n cheese! - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

A neighborhood drinks place. No trek necessary. SMOKE DADDY RIB SAMPLER ($26.95) -- shareable for 3. The driest, jaw hurtin' BBQ I've ever had. SIDES OF SWEET POTATO FRIES & MAC N CHEESE ($3.95) -- sparse, barely for one person...that's it? See photo. VENUE -- spacious, organized and clean. SERVICE -- pleasant. read more

Smoke Daddy - Rib Sampler with sides of Mac N Cheese and Sweet Potato Fried - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went to Smoke Daddy in Wicker Park and was very disappointed. Our server was great - she was friendly and attentive. Our appetizer and main course came before our drinks and she stopped by the table repeatedly to apologize for the drink delay. It was understandable that the bar was overwhelmed on a warm Friday night so that was fine. The real issue was the food. It came cold and flavorless. We had the pulled pork and brisket sandwiches and had to drown them in the sauce because they had no flavor and the meat was dry, and the buns were stale. One of us had the Cajun fish sandwich and the flavor was ok but the fries on the side were cold, hard and shriveled up like they had been laying around for awhile. My Mac and cheese side was not what I expected - no crunchy topping, just soggy noodles in a sea of bland cheese, almost like macaroni soup. There are many great BBQ places in Chicago to choose from but this isn't one of them. read more

I had been craving a pulled chicken sandwich so I thought I would give this place a try. What I liked about the restaurant in general was the fact that it was open until 11pm. Anyway I ordered a pulled chicken sandwich with a side of Mac and cheese. They also had 6$ cheeseburgers with a side that was the Wednesday night special. The server came around with the food. It smelled great, looked great. I tasted the mac and cheese first, nothing special. It was to cakey and thick. Needless to say I didn't finish it. The sandwich was ok, It was filled with an abundance of chicken. I tried all the bbq sauces with it. I enjoyed the mustard bbq sauce and the sweet one too. Overall, the food was ok. The server was cool and friendly. The ambiance of the restaurant is cool, hip, with a little hint of a country feel to it. It looked like a band had just got done playing when I arrived. I wouldn't come back for the food. But I would definitely stop by here and have a beer. read more

Smoke Daddy - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Friendly staff but the food wasn't the best. The brisket doesn't taste like the real brisket!! I honestly felt it's tasteless and dry, the pulled chicken too nothing special!! The burnt ends were ok though. read more

Smoke Daddy - smoked meat platter - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

My boyfriend and I went on a date for our first time here on a search to find a good BBQ place in the city. A glance at the menu and the fact that they have live music was enough to make us check it out. The first thing I noticed was the attached outside area. Even though it was not warm enough for us to be seated there, it already looked like a place I would like to go back to in the summer. The inside reminded me of the BBQ joints in Nashville, TN. A shot gun layout and old/modern country mash up decor made this restaurant really unique. The service was great and our waitress was quick and attentive. We started out with the smoked jalapeño beer cheese. A semi small portion but a perfect size for a starter cheese. Very smooth with a good flavor and a kick of spice. For our main course my boyfriend ordered the "Taste of the Daddy" which is a choice of ribs, 2 smoked meats and comes with 2 sides (he got ribs with pulled pork and burnt ends with cornbread and coleslaw). A great spread of BBQ for the price. I ordered the pulled chicken sandwich with the mac and cheese as my side. The meats were tender and juicy with deep smoke flavor. My mac and cheese was creamy, had the perfect amount of salt and seasoning and had a great breadcrumb topping. I'm usually not a fan of coleslaw... but after trying it off my boyfriend's plate I ended up putting it on top of my chicken, delicious. The meal was filling and the live music made the whole experience that much more enjoyable. It wasn't exactly mind blowing food... but definitely worth returning to. read more

Smoke Daddy - ribs with pulled pork, burnt ends, corn bread and coleslaw. Pulled chicken sandwich with pickles and mac and cheese. - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Our server was amazing and the food and patio were great! I got a veggie burger and the southern limeade cocktail and they were both really good and reasonably priced read more

The food is disgusting, don't waste your money. No flavor at all and the sauce don't get me started I will not be back

Lives up to the hype! Man there is no place I would rather be than smoke Daddy for Sunday brunch during the NFL season. The vibe is like your cool uncle's garage. Cold beer, great Bloody Mary, some of the best bbq in town and TVs with the games on every where. During halftime there is live music up front and the service is top notch. Cheers read more

I have been here quite a few times. They have a beautiful patio that's not super loud, when the weather permits, so it's a nice date spot or place to catch up with friends. I've had their bloody mary's, which are a steal for $8. They have great flavor and come with a hunk of pulled pork wrapped in brisket. They also come with a mini beer back up. Unfortunately Miller High Life is the only option for that, but it's a nice inclusion. As far as food goes, I love their brisket. My boyfriend usually gets the rip tips. Their mac and cheese is rich and creamy, not yellow soup water like a lot of places have lately. I'm not a fan of their beans, they have a very strong cumin taste. Their coleslaw is good, definitely heavy to the vinegar side, which I enjoy. I've also tried their banana pudding, which is huge. Good pudding with bananas and nilla wafers. It's nice to share. My only complaint is that they must have changed something in their standard bbq sauce that comes on their meat. It has an overwhelming cumin taste. I do not like it. I will be ordering my brisket with no sauce and saucing it with the mustard bbq sauce at the table, which is fantastic. I don't know why they're using such a strong flavored bbq sauce. Their meat is good and does not need to be covered up. read more

Stopped by on a whim before a concert at United Center. Great service with great recommendations. The food came out so quickly! Great quality food. Definitely recommend. read more

love smoke daddy's. first time there we did mother's day brunch. lots of food to choose from (all you can eat pancakes, bacon, eggs, fruit) service was great! thanks to heron. read more

The below is the delivery packaging from ONE ENTREE (two meats & two sides combo, one banana pudding), not including utensils and bags. Normally, I like to be more constructive with feedback, but this is abhorrent. Did you know: styrofoam can take up to a million years to biodegrade, and single-use styrofoam constitutes 30% of the landfill waste in the US? Smoke Daddy: YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM. I am too for ordering from you (if at all) and won't do it again. Management: as a former industry GM, feel free to contact me for some simple ideas on how you might mitigate your footprint. I would be happy to update my review after a conversation. Ecologically friendly packaging is only marginally more expensive, and costs can be passed on to consumers. Do better. read more

Smoke Daddy - The true cost of your meal: an obscene amount of styrofoam in a landfill for the next few hundred thousand years. - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Some of the best barbecue I've ever had hands-down... Definitely give it a try!! I had to smoked chicken and my wife has the smoke brisket and pork combo plate... Truly amazing, the flavor was spot on and the meat was absolutely delicious!! read more

The food was fantastic, they didn't open for another hour but they did accommodate us as we ordered online. We drove over a half hour to get food here. And it did not disappoint. read more

Good and friendly staff! I would recommend for a quick bite. The food was okay. If you are looking for something that inexpensive I would recommend. read more

Pulled pork sandwhich was decent, Mac was pretty good...but mannnn those greens...disrespectful. They taste like they weren't throughly washed and didn't have any flavor. No meat or grease touched those bad boys. Don't get the greens! read more

Just left your bbq place and I must say it was not good at all. The bbq sauce was nasty you should allow people to put their on sauce on the food you have it at the table. The only reason I gave you 2 star is for the nachos and the cornbread those item was ok. read more

Wednesday is $6 burger night. What are you waiting for? Come grab one of these awesome burgers and enjoy the outdoor patio. Cheers! read more

Smoke Daddy - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Fantastic BBQ. The hash brown are phenomenal. Crispy exterior with a gooey interior, it like it was made in some magical kitchen. The pulled pork benedict is simply phenomenal. A mixture of everything good in life in a plate. The food was so good, it inspired me to take a job blocks away from the restaurant. read more

Decent food, nice patio and live music. I'm not huge on meat, so it might not be too fair to judge, but I thought some of the meats were dry. Drinks were good. We started with pimento cheese hush puppies and shared a taste of the daddy (chose rib tips, brisket and burnt ends) with sides of Mac and cheese and fries. Fries are super sad. read more

I've loved this place for a long time but after today my opinion has changed. I let the server know right away I have some food allergies, and asked for a substitution. She completely blew me off even though the substitution I wanted is cheaper than the regular item so it wasn't like I was asking for a free upgrade. I used to be a server and you make any effort you can to help a customer with a food allergy request if you want to be good at your job. I also was without a drink a majority of the meal and didn't even have water or anything to drink for 30 minutes. I will say, the food was good but this review is for the terrible, insensitive service I received today. The menu even says they care about food allergies, well clearly you don't. Not sure if I'll be coming here again. Edit: management blew me off when I explained my issue. They acted concerned about it but didn't do anything to rectify the situation. I'll find bbq elsewhere in the city. read more

Smoke Daddy - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I have been a fan of Smoke Daddy since my first visit in 2012. They have the best and meatiest rib tips I have ever had! Today I ordered the half order of Rib Tips with Collards and Coleslaw. (The best coleslaw ever! I don't usually like slaw) I also ordered the Nachos with Smoked Chicken and Chili. The only reason I rated Smoke Daddy a 4 instead of a 5 is because the collards were undercooked. (Nothing that steaming in chicken broth can't cure) Other than that everything was awesome. read more

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Great BBQ, decent prices, killer patio. This is a great neighborhood BBQ joint. I am from Memphis and can be a little picky about BBQ restaurants, but this one does a pretty good job of diverse menu options without impacting the quality of the classics. LOVED the brisket sandwich (the bread was incredible). They have a mustard-based cole slaw that was very refreshing, and the cornbread was delicious. If you have enough room, the BBQ nachos are a great choice for appetizer, and if you're feeling boozy at brunch their bloody Mary comes with a mini bottle beer back, so cute! Can sometimes be a bit of a wait on the weekend, but there's tons of seating inside, service is fast and attentive, and when it's warm the patio is great for sunning and drinking and people watching. Great stop on Division! read more

First time here. The ambiance is pretty cool. The food...not so much. Our food came out in less than 5 min. I ordered the ribs, coleslaw and beans. My daughter ordered the rotisserie chicken. The food was cold. My ribs wasn't the best tasting and were a little dry. The beans, eww . The coleslaw was the only thing that was decent. The fries looked like they were cut in half. They were not full size fries. Given the whole 5 minutes it took them to bring out the food I can see why the quality of the food was the way it was. Its like they have the trays pre-made waiting for pick up. I had left over food that i didn't take. Not that we needed anything but we saw our waitress twice after she took our order. Once to check on us and then to bring our check. She didn't even bring our food, which i get. They have food runners. 2 thumbs down. We won't be back. read more

First timer, will definitely be back. Everything on my plate was delicious and the meats were done right. Smokey, tinder and the sauce was pretty good too. I ordered the smoked meat platter with chicken and brisket. The mac n cheese was creamy and the beans full of flavor and meat. I'll be back for the ribs soon! read more

Smoke Daddy - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I think the ambiance and nice staff is what saves this experience. We got smoked wings and shared a full slab of bb ribs. Both were suprisingly dry and tough. The sauces we're good but still couldn't save them from being disappointing. For the price Ill probably choose other spots in the future. read more

I have visited Smoke Daddy twice and loved it both times. I liked the atmosphere- there was a live band playing which was cool. They have a great beer selection. Food was great! Went back after my first time for my birthday to celebrate with my family. Everyone loved it. To end the night we somehow managed to fit in a chocolate cookie skillet which was amazing! I wish I still had photos of the actual food but for now, drinks and dessert will have to do. Don't worry, I'll be back soon. read more

Smoke Daddy - Bloody Mary comes with a Highlife beer. - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I bought the $50 family meal for my wife and I. We took it home, tasted it...and put it all in the trash. Not good.

We had a wonderful breakfast/brunch meal here on a Sunday morning and it was quite delicious. My sister and her husband both had bloody mary beverages (a house specialty it appears) and they were delicious. I had another breakfast beverage and it was also good. We split the housemade monkey bread to start- it was just as wonderful as I remembered from my childhood. I also had the pulled pork benedict which I thought was quite tasty, though the fruit was not my favorite part (I would go with the potatoes next time). The service was excellent & I really enjoyed the restaurant space itself. It appears they have a great outdoor seating section for during nice weather (though that was not open when we were there in December). I would definitely come back to try other items on the menu in the future. read more