Love their food, let's be very clear about that. However, I would NOT recommend getting it delivered. Delivery times are always WAYYYYY longer than they tell you every time and the food is often cold. BUT COLD RIBS ARE AWESOME... umm, no. 5 stars for food 1 star for delivery & service 2 stars total for my excitement for life. read more

Hidden along the stretch of Division, at first glance, Smoke Daddy looks like a run-down storefront with questionable hygene. When I found out that Doug Dunley had a hand in this place, I was a bit suprised at first, but then as I learned more, it seemed to make sense. Previously at Bandera on Michigan ave, Doug's family is also involved in Dunley's on the Square (and on Clark). The corn bread on the menu is a striking resemblance to what Bandera serves, but I guess it is appropriate. The BBQ was very good and flavorful, but I felt was losing some creativity. BBQ sauces have an infinite variety, and I think Smoke Daddy, although the ribs do not need sauce, are missing an essential element of the art of the BBQ sauce. I like that they do not boil their ribs - which is a NO - NO with rib gurus. There is a reason why there are national BBQ sauce competitions, but a place this small probably doesn't have the resources to offer more than a few varieties. Given the attractive staff, Dunley seems to know how to attract a crowd, however, I find it a bit pretentious - the food should be enough. Overall, I feel that Smoke Daddy is great BBQ at a great price, but lacks some creativity to take it to the next level. I prefer a Brazilian BBQ, but when I want to save money - I like Smoke Daddy read more

What can I even say about this place, not enough good........THATS FOR SURE..............not only is the food to die for, but the little patio was not only darling with all it's beautiful foliage and spacious with an entire side lot patio as well but this place was so cool they allowed us to have our (super well behaved) as I'm assuming if not then perhaps they would not have allowed us to dine outside on the patio with our pups. My lil dachshund beagle mix Peanut sat on his very own chair on his pillow I had brought along, pulled right up to the table enjoying a sweet potato fry here and there and some brisket and my bestie's lil doxie Bridget sat in her lap. I only wish I knew how to upload the pic of what I'm describing. BY FAR THE BEST DINING EXPERIENCE I'VE EVER HAD.............. read more

Smoke Daddy - Peanut dinning at Smoke Daddy's - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great Food - love their homemade BBQ sauce - which is GF! Great atmosphere for dinner, sports and live music every night. Also, great service and friendly staff. They are never put out when I bring my high energy 2.5 yr old, even if my 6 month old is in tow as well. Great BBQ, awesome slaw, and quality sweet potatoe fries. Also, new grist GF beer available is a plus. read more

Do yourself a favor and go to Smoke Daddy:) If u love BBQ this is the place for you. Excellent food and music. Our server was just awesome. We'll be back soon. read more

I have been going here since 2009. oh my god. SSSOOOOO good. The staff is great and friendly, the smells are amazing, and the food is to die for. I love BBQ so this is my thing. I usually get the chicken wings in the munchie section of the menu. They give you like 6 huge wings, with this awesome cream dipping sauce on the side. I am in heaven every time i have it. so good Also they have great BBQ sauce, that you can buy, again sooo good. read more

This place is truly a hidden gem of Chicago. Not that it's particularly well hidden, being in a hopping area like Wicker Park and having a giant outer facade and front patio... but in that when you take a first glance you'd think it looks like any other BBQ joint. You'd be wrong. The Smoke Daddy, or as we like to call it in our circle of friends, "Smoke Daddy's" is delicious. As my grandpa always says, no restaurant is worth going into if it's empty, and this place is always full of people. Breakfast time? Tables are filled. Late night? It's packed. If grandpa saw the patio of Smoke D's from across the street at 5pm any day of the week, he'd want to eat there. That's not to say it's tough to get a table, because it's not. The service is really fast and they recycle tables every couple minutes.The food shoots out of the kitchen, and in addition, their beer list is excellent and can cater to anyone's taste. The price is more than reasonable, considering for around 8 bucks you can get a giant, tender BBQ sandwich and a side (a full plate of food). All in all: fast and friendly service, great food, great beer, great price = great place to eat at least once a week. read more

A visit to Smoke Daddy is a must for anyone who enjoys chowing on some swine. It's good anytime but I suggest a late night visit when the live band is rocking and you want some good hearty food to cap off the night. The meat has a very smoky flavor so it's not for everyone but if you like that taste you'll love any of the meat on the menu. The BBQ sauce is good too and there are three different varieties at your table. They just upgraded the patio with a sports bar atmosphere so you can watch the game and dine el fresco. If you're just looking for a snack, check out the pulled pork nachos! read more

I like this place a lot. I have been coming here for a while now. They have expanded recently. It used to be a little joint that could have a long wait time. The brisket was good, but my favorite dish by far is the Kansas City burnt ends. The fries are very good as well. My wife always gets the ribs, which I also like, but I'll take the burnt ends myself every time. They do have live blues here, and I must say that when I have been lucky enough to catch a band, they were very good every time. Service has always been satisfactory for me, especially the most recent time my wife and I were there, which was around 3 months ago. I have to get back over there again soon! read more

Went here late on a Saturday night with my boyfriend and we were told that the wait was 45 minutes to an hour. We found an open spot at the bar and opted to wait and order drinks. We were starving so we decided to just order food and eat standing up. Someone working there heard us and grabbed us stools from who knows where. Our food came out almost immediately and it was delicious. I got the hot link sandwich and it is one of the best sandwiches I've had in Chicago. Do not overlook this menu item! Smoke Daddy has great customer service even when they are slammed and they definitely care about making people happy. So happy this place is in my neighborhood. read more

THIS JUST ISN'T REAL BBQ Let me start off by saying the service was impeccable. Highly attentive wait staff and even the MOD came over to check on us (not because we complained or anything...just because he's a good manager). The service, I'm afraid, was the only good part of our experience. I've had a lot of good BBQ in my life, being a southerner and from a state where brisket is a religion. BBQ is kind of like politics....everyone has their own opinion. But this BBQ isn't debatable....it's simply BAD. The collard greens. Those poor, barely-cooked collards! Has the chef never had proper collard greens before? They need lots of time and love so they can be edible. These were thrown in a pan for couple of minutes....not good for digestion and not tasty either! The meat. Sampled 3: the brisket, the pulled pork, and the baby back ribs. None were tasty and none were done right. The brisket was sliced super thin like a lunch meat. Brisket should be sliced thick and fall apart when you stick your fork in. The pulled pork...well, I don't know what it tasted like because it was slathered in mediocre sauce. The ribs were dry....cooked way too long. We were immediately confused as to how a BBQ joint that has been in business for so long could get so many crucial things wrong. The owners/chef should get down to the south for a BBQ tour and take a few notes. read more

Long overdue review...love this place...3 separate eating areas indoor/outside covered with tvs surrounding/street eating areas. Personally don't eat pork so have to get creative at a place like this. Everytime I go The Smoked BBQ Chicken Wings are must have even if you want ribs just try the wings one time. Mac and cheese possibly some of the best in the city. Personally a fan of cornbread but this place has Jalapeño Corn Bread which has converted my non cornbread eating friends into fans. Also get the house made BBQ chips as a starter while you have some drinks. read more

Best bbq in chicago. Love the pulled meat nachos, and the brisket is melt in your mouth. The hush puppies are pretty darn tasty too! read more

Smoke Daddy - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came here on a Saturday night.. place was busy but there was seating available.. no wait! Server was on par. Beer selection was good.. nachos not so much. I may try again, but not a memorable enough experience to warrant going out of my way for a return visit. read more

Was psyched to eat here, but sadly was disappointed with the food. I'm giving this place a soft 3 stars. Ribs were dry and not as soft as I expected. Food served wasn't hot. Friendly service, but felt rushed on a week night. Place was not that busy. Nice ambiance, and outdoor seating. Only thing I'd reorder is the chocolate chip/ice cream skillet. Get BBQ ribs elsewhere. read more

This was our 2nd time here. I'm not sure what changed but it was awful. The ribs may have been ok but they were served with like 3 cups of sauce on them. They also came out cold. The beans tasted like the ribs. The corn bread was too dry and the nacho appetizer was cold and gross. I usually write more but very dissapointed with this meal. Waitress also not so good. Staff kept dropping pitchers of water and flying all over. 100 bucks for 2 people of junk. On the way out a couple asked us if it was any good. We had to say no. They walked down the street. 100 bucks should be better than chilis. Awful. read more

Great service and great atmosphere! Everyone was so pleasant and kind. Our waiter (Josh K) was awesome and very friendly. The hostess even went above and beyond to make sure our parking meter had not run out when he noticed someone doing meter checks! Food was equally as great (pimento hush puppies....oh my). Overall awesome time, definitely drop by if you want a pleasant dinner! read more

The chicken was pretty good. But the rib tips, brisket and pulled pork were just mediocre. My drink the hurricane daddy was great. The greens were also not good at all. The mac n chz was decent, very rich. I may go again and try the ribs but not likely. I also want crazy about their bbq sauces either, too much vinegar for me. The burgers are better from my experience years ago. read more

Best BBQ place in wicker park! Their pulled pork burger is amazing, the pork is juicy, and the customer service is always on point they make everyone feel welcome! Prices are reasonable! And it has outdoor seating! read more

Mediocre.... Not worth the hype at all. First, a rip off of the restaurant smoque BBQ. You could make bbq like Smoke Daddy's food in your own yard. The greens tasted weeds pulled out the alley. Where's the flavor?? Mac and cheese tasted like it was out of a box. Chicken, needed sauce to taste good. When you need sauce thats how you know its not good bbq.Sad to say, the appetizer chicken wings were the best part of my $80 meal. read more

Honestly, I'm not usually one to write a mediocre review, but I feel like the owner should take note of a few things. The BBQ itself was probably some of the worst I've had in the city, which is surprising just because of where this restaurant is located. It's around a lot of top notch restaurants that offer good food and atmosphere that you'd just expect this one to be the same. The bbq sauce is nothing special and in fact I find it too tomatoy. The meats weren't juicy and delicious, they were kinda dry and looked old. The Mac and cheese was fine, but not something I'd be dying to have again. I just think the food needs a good revamp, it has potential to be great, but something's gotta change to get to that. read more

We stopped there for brunch after going to renegade-art fair, we were seated right away and only waited a few minutes. Our waitress named Eva gave us a very friendly welcome and was very polite. The food was great as usual, we ordered the bottomless bloody Mary's the brunch special, the brunch special ended at 2 and it was 2:30 and we wanted another round of bloody Mary's, when we asked her she said that it was after 2 but she'll see what she can do and she definitely came through for us with 2 bloody Mary's, thank you again for a great time , the hospitality was great and we definitely will be back there again soon. read more

One of the only places in town that is pet friendly and we love barbecue, so we thought we would give it a try. Staff and service were great! However, we ordered the wings and ribs. Wings were ok, but the ribs were a little tough and there was way too much Cumin we were guessing. ..left for quite and aftertaste. We could tell that it was also present in the wings as well, but not as potent though. I have lived in Lincoln Park most of my life and I am giving these new places on Division a shot, but this one may be tough to come back to. read more

Server made only ONE daddy reference although it was sly and well delivered, after serving our bbq (which was tasty) she asked; "how does daddy taste?" And we told her that daddy did NOT disappoint. We loved the food and the beer was cheap. Daddy treated us very well and I cannot wait to taste him again!! read more

I love that this place has live music! The food is always good and the service is great. Great spot to go to get your bbq fix

Was nervous going because of COVID, but the waitstaff was so friendly and welcoming and gave us our preferred seating outside. The service was so fast and the Daddy-O sandwich (add coleslaw and burnt ends with the sauce) was INCREDIBLE. Thank you so much for a stress-free and delicious dining experience! read more

The smoked chicken wings are yumilicious. There's a decent selection of beers and again the wings are amazing. I ordered a rib platter and was underwhelmed by the pulled brisket and the spare ribs but the fried pie finale convinced me to visit again.. the next day. Those chicken wings!! read more

Let me start off by saying that I am a huge fan of barbecued meats with sauces so when my friend Michelle told me about how great this place was I had to check it out. A huge group of us decided to go before attending a rock show. It was Thursday which is half priced burger night!(Best night ever) I had some delicious BBQ burger creation with fries and it was great. The flavors were on point and the price was right. I would give this establishment a 5 star rating except for the fact that every time I have been the service was mediocre and the place it self to me is small. There is out door seating but that doesn't make up for when its ten degrees outside and little seating inside. All in all I am pleased with the menu, the beverage selection, and if you go with good friends it makes it all the better. O did I mention there is occasionally live music? I have never witnessed this but I hear it's good. read more

Atmosphere is congenial. Servers are great. Alcohol is food. There goes my three stars. The food is okay. The ribs are often dry and hard. I don't know who's cooking then but the art of barbecue is lost on this restaurant. Fix that problem and you can open another shop. read more

Love the atmosphere as soon as we walked in. I tried the rib sampler which came with 2 sides. They were so good but wasn't a fan of the rib tips. The flavor and sauce had great flavor. I will def be back! read more

Get the most amazing fricken bloody mary at this restaurant. Great vibe inside the restaurant and they have live music sometimes and that makes being in the restaurant very enjoyable. HIGHLY recommend the nachos read more

Smoke Daddy's is the go-to joint for the girls at my office. Nothing helps you work harder like an order of 1/2 chicken with sides of cole slaw and sweet potato fries. Be warned: You should totally share when you order here because once you start eating their delicious food.... it's awfully hard to stop and the portions here are VERY GENEROUS! The food here is awesome and the servers are friendly. read more

I feel like this place should have more stars. Came here late on a weekday evening in a not-that-hungry state of mind. Sat down, smelled things from the kitchen, and I was suddenly starving. Go figure. We shared a platter that included all the meats + 2 sides. It was more than enough for 2 people, and everything was tender and full of love. The baked beans were max velocity awesome. The only thing that was less than perfect was the white bread that came on the side - it was super stale. I am not picky about carbs, but this stuff made me sad. Other than, thumbs up! read more

Smoke Daddy has some amazing barbecue dishes on their menu. On my second visit, I had the ribs and sweet potato fries with mac and cheese. The ribs were cooked perfectly and the sides tasted great too. My friend had the pulled pork sandwich and was very happy with it. We shared the baked cookie desert with ice cream. It was tasty and was practically inhaled. I recommend you try this restaurant if your in the wickerpark area of Chicago. read more

Smoke Daddy - Out door patio seating - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Always happy with everything this place has to offer! I'm from Stlouis and the ribs compare to some of my favorite spots!

I dream about this place... and I'm a vegetarian! How can that be you ask?! Well I could live off of the sides alone, but they have this clever little thing called the bbq veggie sandwich. Now I wondered what that could be... trying to think how you could barbecue veggies. Well its a veggie burger. So you know, the norm. BUT they serve it with barbecue sauce and coleslaw on top. OMG I never thought of barbecue sauce on a veggie burger, but it is such a natural idea. This burger changed my life. I suggest adding cheddar or pepperjack cheese, and call it a day. And... since I'm eating a meal that consists of subbing things for the norm, get the sweet potato fries!! OMG! They are really thin cut and crispy, which is pretty hard to find. And they are tossed in some sort of saucey thing, or maybe its just the fryer grease, but these go so well with some salt, its the sweet and salty... i crave it. This is my dream meal. And sometimes if I'm feeling really hungry, or just can't decide, I get the coleslaw too. Their coleslaw is not traditional. I'm ok with that because I'm not a fan of the gloppy mayonnaise-y stuff. This coleslaw is light and fresh, and has cilantro. So if you hate cilantro be warned, but if not indulge. Also, the cornbread is dense and cakey, with some green chilis mixed in. OMG foodgasm! Plus this is a good place to go with a friend or s/o who really likes barbecue, because the veggies will be happy too! And I think the prices are pretty reasonable, especially when barbecue can be somewhat expensive at other well-known joints. I wish the smoke daddy was my daddy. That way I could eat this delicious food every day! MMMM. read more

My first time trying this place and it was good. I had burnt ends and brisket and cornbread and slaw. Now I must admit I'm not a slaw person but I have had some good before but there's is not..lacked flavor and kinda tasted watered down. The burnt ends and cornbread were by far the best for Chicago. The food took a long time but the waitress was very attentive and nice! read more

If you are in Wicker Park and want BBQ, this THE SPOT! Great portions and the meat is so tender. I really like their pulled pork sandwiches and Mac and cheese. read more

I really like the Smoke Daddy and I often talk my wife into the drive so we can get our smoked rib fix. This place is a little bit of a "dive" but I wouldn't call it dirty. Small, simple, and good. Good beer selection. Sports on TV and outstanding smoked ribs. We get the sampler platter (always the best bet at BBQ places) and just enjoy. Great smoke flavor, tender ribs and nice sauces. Everything I look for in BBQ. My 3 year old like this place, too. They are great to us when we go with her and she doesn't feel out of place. Love the BBQ at Smoke Daddy. read more

As a Mac 'n Cheese Enthusiast, I love coming to Smoke Daddy because theirs comes in a mini crock with lots of nice baked cheese crumblies on the top. But chances are you're probably not here for mac 'n cheese. I don't pretend to know a lot about BBQ besides knowing full well it tastes real good. I'm sure there are probably more authentic joints in Chicago (with owners named Mama or Willie) where BBQ freaks can go on and fucking on about how the meat sticks to the rib better and it's cooked on hickory or some crap like that...I really don't care. Smoke Daddy is yummy as all hell and that's what matters most to me. Each table is equipped with three different choices of sauce. The dark brown is reeeeeally sweet and smoky, the yellow cap is slightly mustardy and the red (the BEST) is more fiery. I recommend the pulled pork and the brisket sandwiches. Sandwiches come with a choice of one side (each one I've tried has been almost as good as the sandwich itself...their coleslaw has cilantro in it and taste amazing). If you're a real glutton, their rib platters look big enough to feed the population of Monaco. One star deduction for frenzied service. You'll either have 4 different servers through the course of your meal or one harried girl (who you'll have to flag down no less than 3 times) who will more than likely quit at the end of her shift. read more