Been here a couple of times & the BBQ is on point!! Good prices as well... Live bands @ night makes this for a great chill/eat/enjoy read more

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Smoke daddy's comes highly recommended by my best friend who shares my taste for a good meal. Walked in excited to try some kick ass bbq, but left disappointed to say the least. It was our first time there and my wife and I were greeted and "reminded" they closed at 11pm as soon as we walked through the door. After being seated and waiting 10 minutes (no exaggeration) our server Hannah was not very informative...it was pretty much "what do you want?". She didn't offer us drinks or recommended any items. We went with the "taste of daddy". The food runner brought our food surprisingly fast. However, we didn't have any plates/silverware/or napkins. The food runner got those for us. Hannah then showed up with plates we didn't need. And after that We only saw her again when we requested our check. As for the food, the best thing we had were the sweet potato fries and the Mac-n-cheese. would I go back again? Probably not! read more

I feel that reviewing certain venues in Chicago is sorta silly. I mean if a place has been along for sooo long that you cannot remember it not being there that should say enough. Smoke Daddy's is an anchor of West Division. I recently revisited during my winter break back home. I decided on the baby back ribs, the Mac n Cheese, a slab of cornbread & ... The food is always consistent ('ly GOOD) here and I mostly stick to the baby back ribs or the rib tips. Smoke Daddy is one of my top three BBQ spots in the city. The beer selection is great, I am partial to the Two Brother's Domaine DuPage. The sides are all VERY good: sweet potato fries, mac & cheese, the best coleslaw in IL, there are more... If you are a vegetarian no need to feel left out, their salads are very good & if that doesn't suit you go outside and gnaw on a tree or something (j/k). read more

Nice place to eat ribs and drink beers! Definitely good ribs. 2 parts in restaurant: one with live music and the other with mostly live sports. Nice place read more

The other day I was trying to come up with the three restaurants where I would get breakfast, lunch and dinner on my last day on earth. Shockingly, all three of those places can be found in Chicago. Not as much of a shock is the fact that dinner would be had, without question, at Smoke Daddy's. It's just incredibly good food. That's it. It's nice that the prices are so reasonable, and the atmosphere is good too. You can usually expect some sort of wait, but take it to the bar and have a beer and you'll have a table soon enough. Ultimately though, I would wait an hour and pay twice as much. The pulled pork nachos are a meal by themselves, and if you're so bold as to fit in the pork and chicken, plus a few of the delectable sides, well, go home and go to sleep. I'm not kidding around here. Just go and enjoy. read more

Had an amazing experience this weekend at Smoke Daddy. Staff is friendly and service fast. I must say that the nachos here are everything! I love that there's live music and the environment is just great. Will be back! read more

I have to start by saying that I DID NOT eat here (although the food going to the tables looked great!) I visited Smoke Daddy to see a live band so my review is only based on that. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. The ambiance was cozy. Why I am only giving 4 stars is because: 1.stage was so small that the singer had to stand NEXT to the stage to sing! yikes. However, the sound was great! I'd like to visit Smoke Daddy again to try the food. *(STREET PARKING IN THE AREA WAS VERY TOUGH-we went on a Friday night) read more

Came here after eating at Smoque-I made the drive because I was hungry and still craving the need for smoked meat. The portions at Smoque left me wanting both tastewise and bellywise. I didn't think that I'd give this place a fair shake since I was kind of full by the time I got there. I was wrong. I split the sampler choice of ribs plus two kinds of meat plus two sides. The ribs were so soft I picked it up so I could cut it but they just came apart in my hands. The brisket was chopped but still had the juiciness of a sliced brisket and was covered in sauce and the pulled pork was good, really really good. My friend that accompanied me preferred the brisket and pork here liking the flavor of the meat and the sauce. (see Smoque entry) The vinegar based sauce was the favorite of the night and the mac and cheese served in the little crock was also excellent-again better than the other place we went too. Granted the place is a little pricier with table service but they have live music every night. Smoke daddy would be my choice both food and ambiance wise. *update* came here again last night just to drink and it has, in my opinion maintained it's 5-star rating. Any place that has live music and doesn't charge a cover is almost to die for. The bartender was drunk but a lot of fun and gave me a free beer. My friends really liked it and I do too, so a good place for food and as a place to hang out. read more

Great spot for lunch. I don't think I can give a real review because I had a salad with pulled chicken which was really good. I think eating the ribs would make for a better review. I will say the sweet potato fries are the best I have had. read more

We came for brunch and it was fantastic! They make one of the best bloody marys I've had! Come with an appetite and you won't regret it!

Trendy Chicago BBQ joints are one of my weaknesses. I came here for dinner on a Thursday night recently and was very pleased. We waited about 15 mins for a table, but we just had a couple of drinks at the bar while we waited. I would imagine that this place gets pretty packed on the weekend. I started with the Smoked Jalapeno Beer Cheese. This dip was highly recommended by the server. I am very picky about cheese dips/spreads, but this one did not leave me disappointed. The beer cheese had a great kick to it and I would get it again. My boyfriend and I decided to share the Smoke Daddy Rib Sampler since we both were craving ribs. It was more than enough for two people, and it allowed us to try the different styles of ribs available. My personal favorites were the baby back ribs and rib tips. All of the ribs were tender and had plenty of bbq sauce on them but I did enjoy adding some of the extra sauces available on the table as well. read more

Smoke Daddy - Rib sampler with greens and mac n cheese - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went this afternoon and ordered wings. Sat at bar and watched the cook prepare them. It appeared that the wings first went into the microwave, (defrosted I assume), and then taken out of what appeared to be a little plastic wrapping / bag. They were then grilled I believe, with lots of additional seasoning sprinkled on. Needless to say, the chicken tasted like . . . it was microwaved. Disappointed. read more

Food is excellent, you have to try the wings. The collard greens and the Mac and cheese are great sides. They have a good choice of sauces too. My only complaint is that when I go there I eat too much. read more

This is an okay place to go for bbq. I'm partial to beef brisket and bbq pork sandwiches, so I stuck with that and ordered the pulled pork sandwich. The portion sizes are hearty, but some things lack a bit of flavor. Three bottles of barbeque sauce are available at the table to add some more juicy-ness. My only complaint is that the bottles aren't labled, so you don't know exactly what you are in for unless you try each one. Prices are on target for the food that you get, but if you want fries, you have to order "deluxe" style, which includes two sides. read more

Smoke Daddy - Pulled Pork Sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Note to self: be more suspicious when your guy friends tell you a restaurant is awesome and they are known to eat anything and everything. With that being said I was still really excited to eat here. I love bbq esp ribs. Well, unfortunately, this is not the place to get ribs. The ribs were dry and I didn't care for the smoke flavor. There are just too many other bbq places in the city that know what they are doing when it comes to ribs and using a smoker. The brisket was the best thing here. Pulled pork gets 3 stars...too fatty. However the corn bread is gooooood. I came with a big group. They do not have ideal indoor seating for large groups. It's cramped so if it's nice out, sit outside. The drinks are ok and sometimes it takes a while to get anyone's attention for more beer/cocktails. read more

Came here for brunch and sat outside. It was a little annoying because there were a lot of dogs and I don't like animals around while I am dining. They had a great deal for a mimosa-I think it was only $4 I had a breakfast sandwich and enjoyed it-would have loved to try some of the BBQ. The only unnerving thing was when about 15-20 minutes after placing an order they said it would be another 20 minutes if we still wanted that dish-kind of forcing us to choose something different. Would have been nice to know that soon after we put the order in! The waitress seemed to be a bit in outerspace... read more

First timers and it was outstanding!! He had the Freak sandwhich and enjoyed it tremendously! I had a great salad and we tried the nachos too! They were good but could use less BBQ sauce! Server waz excellent too! We will be back! read more

i live within smelling distance of smoke daddy, and on the day i moved in, we had to go over there for lunch because the smell was SO incredible. YUM!!! they have great pulled pork sandwiches and awesome sweet potato fries. all my dad wanted for christmas was another dinner at smoke daddy, compliments of me... so i will be back very soon!! side note: their take-out is really good too.. they package the pulled pork and bun separately so it doesnt turn to mush before you get a chance to chomp into it :) read more

To celebrate my husband's birthday and to get us excited about an upcoming trip to Kansas City, I conducted a barbeque fest at my house this week. I got ribs and some sides from Smoke Daddy, Lillie's Q, Honeys No 1 BBQ, and Smokin Ms (Forest Park). The other family members did not know where I went, and thus, did not know where the ribs were from! My little taste test yielded a win for Smoke Daddy! The ribs have such a wonderful flavor. The baked beans are the best I have ever had, and the mac and cheese is YUMMMY! We have actually dined here many times, so it was no surprise that it was the winner of my competition. It is a great place for dining in, outside, or for carry out. Cool spot with great service. read more

One of my favorite meals to have when I come back from an extended journey (particularly of the camping/climbing variety) is BBQ Ribs. I usually go to East Bank Club for real nice rack with Sweet Baby Ray's sauce everywhere, but this go around time was short and we wanted to check out the brick and mortar location of one of Chicago's BBQ institution located down the street from our new apartment. While SD has a great patio and plenty of seats, I was really dissapointed with the sauces and flavor of our ribs. I love BBQ sauce and have tried my best to check out almost every BBQ spot in town. As I've said before, the sauce makes the meal and Smoke Daddy just didn't have that day. There are three table side bottles to choose from - original, sweet and smokey and mustard q. All are vinegar based (not my favorite) and none quite stood out with originality. I found my best flavors with combining the mustard q with the sweet/smokey. We ordered a chicken + ribs platter, with sides of mac cheese and sweet potato fries. The food came ridiculously fast (a necessity since we were heading to a bulls game) but somewhat curious. I thought the ribs were cooked ok but didn't have anything to put on them, which was needed. Erica is the mac 'n cheese expert and that didn't quite pass the test since it seemed too easy to replicate at home (and not very creamy or cheesy). To our surprise the half chicken that arrived second was cooked to perfection - tender but super moist with a crispy skin. I was full at that point but kept eating the chicken because it was the best thing we ordered. If it were allowed I would order that chicken but BYOQ (bring your own bbq sauce). We were in a rush so maybe I'm passing judgement too fast and we also didn't get to eat a lot of items on the menu. However, it doesn't take long for me to enjoy good bbq sauce and good ribs (it must be a midwestern thing). Smoke Daddy is an institution and isn't going anywhere. The fact that it's down the street from me only adds to the likely hood I'll be back at some point. But with other great bbq spots in the city (with a favorite Lillie's Q down the street), I would take a lot of convincing to go to SD for a bbq meal versus the other options. read more

Smoke Daddy - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Smoke Daddy is packed! Packed to the point that a line forms outside the building. We dined al fresco (remember to wear layers during the fall). I had the pulled pork sandwich with a side of mac n' cheese and cornbread. Everything was delicious. I especially loved the cornbread. I will return. Fun place! read more

Big fan of this place, and with the expansion there's more seating and more reasons to visit if somehow you have never been. Love their ribs, bt they do a solid job with all things barbecue. Have even had them smoke a whole turkey for me for thanksgiving which is not only convenient, but they do an excellent job. Live music on a lot of nights, did I mention they have expanded seating? read more

Really good no-frills BBQ here. We sat outside on a Sunday evening, and their side patio is the perfect vibe. We still got some of the live country music from inside, but at a much more manageable volume, while being able to enjoy the nice weather and look out at the street! Ordered the smoked meat sampler + ribs, which was plenty of food for two! We chose the brisket, pulled pork and baby back ribs, accompanied by the collard greens, mac n cheese, and hand cut fries. Everything was awesome, but my favorite were the ribs and mac n cheese. Their standard sauce isn't necessarily my favorite, but their smoky sauce makes up for it! Definitely a good place to try on Chicago's bbq circuit. read more

I had heard about smoke daddy and even seen it on tv, so maybe my expectations were too high. My bf and I split the pulled meat nachos, which were great, then the taste of daddy, which included ribs, brisket and pulled pork. The meat was overly sauced with a weird sour tangy bbq, the Mac and cheese was a thick gritty cheese sauce that tasted like it came from a can and the live musician was so loud we couldn't hold a conversation, which seemed out of place at 4 in the afternoon. Service was slow but I could visibly see our waitress being sat with a 10 top so I don't blame her read more

Smoke Daddy - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This is typical american restaurant for tourist. They have famous smoked ribs and delicious salad. The service is very good for me. You can choice from several types and size of ribs. The taste of ribs is very excellent. Atmosphere of the restaurant is cozy. I want back ;) read more

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Their ribs are bomb af! Their house sauces too! I literally crave their ribs here. So soft and flavorful!

These best ribs I ever had.. The staff is very friendly and nice. I just have a little complaint.. The food portion is getting smaller...

Caution: Do not wear white to this place - you'll prob get BBQ sauced! After spending a day at the zoo, my boyfriend and I were craving BBQ - I know, that just doesn't sound right. We had planned to eat at Honky Tonk on 18th but dammit it was closed on Sundays and Mondays! Armed with hunger and a laptop, I yelped "BBQ" and found Smoke Daddy. "4 stars? Open Sunday til 11pm? Let's go!" I flew down the highway and got there in 10 min flat. On our menu: BBQ ribs & chicken, pulled pork sandwich, sweet potato fries, vegetable of the day (potato salad) and mac & cheese. First off, let me start by saying that the portions are huge and the extra bottles of sauces on every table is a huge plus. Sometimes a girl likes her pulled pork sandwich a little bit saucier. My favorite was the dark sauce - smokey something. The meats were delicious, but the sides just blow them away. Honestly, the BEST sweet potato fries I've ever had - perfect and fresh. Best mac & cheese, their potato salad was awesome too, I wouldn't say it was the best but it's up there. Everything was so flavorful, the chicken was fantastic and beat out the other BBQ'd meats we had. I think I wanted something a bit more smoky in my sandwich though so I'll probably get the pulled chicken sandwich next time. read more

Have you been searching for perfectly seasoned crunchy sweet potato fries in chicago? If so, search no more. Were I Shakespeare, I would surely write sonnets to the perfection of these fries. The service was great here, the pulled pork was great (although who am I kidding, I had the combo sandwich that added brisket to the pulled pork), and there seemed to be a decent selection of beer. I'd definitely like to come back for the slabs of ribs... with a side of fries of course. Side note: Smoke Daddy will take reservations for more than 6. read more

I've been on a huge pulled pork kick lately so when I heard we were going to try out this place I was definitely excited. We went down on a Friday night and, like the other reviews have mentioned, it is a small place and it does get crowded. I would say, without a reservation, we waited 30-40 minutes, which we didn't mind because the food made up for it, but being as it's a small place it's hard to find space around the bar to stand without being in anyones way. So after sitting down I ultimately decided to go with the pulled pork sandwich... ok, I didn't "ultimately decide" anything, I knew exactly what I wanted before I even stepped foot in the door. My date got the same thing and the other couple we were with got a pulled brisket and pulled pork. I got the cornbread on the side and we also had mac and cheese and sweet potato fries on the table. Everything was absolutely delicious. There were 3 choices of BBQ sauce on the table and while all of them were pretty good, one in particular was amazing (I'd tell you if I remembered the name, but it was the thicker/darker one, molasses based I believe). The pulled pork was a good sized portion although I wouldn't say it was massive as some of the other reviewers have said, but it was definitely big enough... and amazing. The cornbread was equally as good and the sweet potato fries need to be had by all. I did not try the Mac and Cheese for fear of what it may do to my insides later in the night, but I was assured that it was delicious. The live band was setting up right behind us as we were finishing up so we didn't get a chance to check them out, but I have to imagine it gets pretty loud in there with a band considering how small it is so if that's not your thing make sure you try to go earlier. Overall I would definitely go back to this place again. The food was great, the service was great and the wait was worth it. read more

Great barbecue. Nice service. Good atmosphere. We come here with our kids and always have great food and drinks. The kids enjoy the food too. The outside seating is nice when the weather cooperates. This has become our go-to spot for a casual night out for comfort food. read more

Delicious! Went for lunch on a Saturday and sat outside. They had live music inside you could hear a little from outside which was nice. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich and my boyfriend got the brisket. The food came out really quickly and service was great. We both loved what we ordered (seriously debated which was better)! We will definitely be back and we did not have to wait for seating which was great. read more

These ribs are HUGE!!! I can eat a lot but I couldn't even finish a half order of the spare ribs. Also, this may sound scary, but there are quite a lot of interesting bites I had in my ribs, some pieces of bone, some stuff I didn't know what it was nor do I care to know. Awesome sauces though, and they give you extra bottles at your table. This is a messy meal!!!! I went with my Dad, so don't take a date here unless you want to show them how much of a pig you are.....or is it how much pig you can eat? read more

I've been told this place is no good. It's all smells, no taste. It's too crowded. But I just can not agree with the critics on this one. Sure, go on a weekend and you'll have to wait. So what. Grab a few brews and chill. I've eaten here many times and have never left unhappy. And usually I am rolled back out onto Division, because I had a hard time quitting. The live music is always nice, but don't go to whisper sweet nothings in your internet date's ear on these nights- she won't be able to hear you. Im sure this isn't the best bbq to be had in Chicago, but it's a great place for a decent plate of food and a good time. read more

I want to love this place but unfortunately, it will not make the cut of favorites. However, it is still a decent option when in the neighborhood. I have been there a total of three times in the last five years. My most recent visit was this weekend. I got the pulled pork sandwich and the chili. The chili was good but my sensitivity to really spicy items got the better of me about 1/3 of the way through. The pulled pork was good but I opted to skip the bun afterall. The fries were decent but nothing particularly spectacular. A more unique seasoning could definitely take these shoe-string fries to another level. Especially when coupled with their sauce. The staff is friendly. It is obvious that they hire a certain "look" to their waitresses. I know they have a lot of live music at night but in my visits, I have usually been there in late afternoon, early evening. My next visit, I would like to catch some of the live entertainment. read more

After reading several reviews in various magazines, feeling home sick in need of some good food in a vegetarian friendly establishment (or so I read), I opted for smoke daddy. For starters this place doesn't hold a candle to home (Texas) BBQ, in the land of cattle, they still make excellent vegetarian food. In contrast, smoke daddy did not, they simply through a pre-made boca burger on the grill. The homemade BBQ chips had no flavor, until i dipped them in the BBQ sauces (which were pretty tasty). I was very disappointed, my root beer was good and that was about it. My friends had the chicken, which looked moist, but was very dry. They also had the rib tips, you get a lot, but again they lacked in BBQ seasoning and flavor. I definitely don't recommend this place if you are vegetarian or if you have had real BBQ before. read more

being from the dirty dirty, i've eaten my share of BBQ.. I'm not an expert -- but Smoke Daddy's was dern good. I got the baby back ribs.. plenty of food! the cornbread was kickin! if i lived there in Chi_town, I would certainly go back. My friends who took me are definitely on the food snob side and I would have to agree with them, its worth the visit read more

As someone who's lived in both Texas and Tennessee, I have pretty high standards for BBQ, and I was just not impressed with Smoke Daddy's fare. Their brisket is decent; but their pulled pork is bland and fatty(!), and lacking the all-important crispy edges that define great pulled pork. I can't attest to their ribs, but I have to deduct one star for not even having smoked sausage on the menu (you call this BBQ?). Their sides are nothing special. Really. I get excited when I see sweet potato fries on the menu, but if you've fried the flavor right out of them, what's the point? I'm also not a fan of their cornbread, which (jalapeno or no jalapeno) is dense and gooey like cake. In general, I think Jenny Z got it right when she said: "Everything here is acceptable, but there isn't anything on the menu that isn't much, much better elsewhere." Still, as someone who's lived in both Texas and Tennessee; I guess I'd rather have a mediocre BBQ place in the neighborhood than no BBQ at all. read more

Service was bad bad bad. We were given our menus when we sat down. We ordered drinks while we decided what we wanted. The bartender gave us our drinks and peaced out for like 10 minutes no lie. He was chatting at the bar. We had to literally wave him down. That really makes me crazy. I ordered the brisket sandwhich. It wa not tender the way brisket should be. The only thing that kept me sane was the sweet potato fries. I really have nothing much to say. I will give them another try eventually. read more

I've been here several times and they never disappoint! Always something different, always great food! Probably my favorite BBQ place. (Shout out to Smoque) Staff is OK at best, but they do prepare your food pretty quickly. Good atmosphere, large outdoor seating area, and I don't want to forget to mention their mac-and-cheese. Will be back soon! read more