Great local BBQ joint just off the highway. I always prefer a local joint to a chain which can be hard to find when you're on a road thrip. Service was fantastic. Food was great. The guy that waited on us even brought out a sample of the BBQ turkey - just cuz he wanted us to try it. Brisket outstanding and the pulled pork pretty good. If you're passing by St Joseph and are hungry check this place out. PS - huge bourbon menu. read more

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8/1/26 Stopped in for a quick supper, around 5:45 pm medium crowd. Places our order with an appetizer of deep fried mushrooms, our favorite here. Eh it's 5 of a scale to 10. Batter great but mushroom looked like the got them right out of the tub from the grocery store across the street. Mushroom typically cooked down in the fryer these were still white button mushrooms dense and some hard. We didn't eat 3/4, I told server. Just a oh I'll tell them. Nothing else. Wife ordered pork burger and potato salad, our potato salads were extremely runny, again 5/10. My 2 meat platter, tri tip and brisket. No real flavor, I mean spices, smoke was ok, tri tip extremely hard to eat, stringy (overcooked) not tender at all (3/10) Brisket again not spice flavor, it had smoke, also only ate about 3 bites (3/10). Pit beans, 5/10. Everything on plate was not hot, also ordered a side of ribs which never made it to table but was on the bill. Wound up taking about as much home as that was brought out to us. Our son eats anything, since I paid 70$. I should have stayed with just a burger. We will return cause we like the place, it's an hour drive for us. But it was our conversation all the way home. We aren't ever going to cause a seen at a restaurant, but if a server would notice people not eating their food, there should be questions asked. Oh well she only came to take order delivery drinks when mushrooms came out, delivery food and drop the check. We didn't feel served well, which is odd for them. Usually very attentive. We never had this server before. We will return, but we will try some other small places in the mean time. read more

For a change , I decided to forgo the ribs in favor of a lighter meal I choose the single barbecue bacon burger with a side of jalapeno , macaroni and cheese The food lived up to what I have learned to expect from here, top notch The beef is ground in house, giving it a great flavor The jalapenos add just the right amount of spice to the mac and cheese , along with giving it a smoky flavor As usual, the staff was on top of things, checking back toake sure everything was okay for me I'll be back time and again read more

He had ribs, I had a burger. Both were delicious!! Meaty tender ribs, perfectly seasoned, fall off the bone. Homemade sauces, several flavors on the table, labeled & dated. Burger was cooked to perfection, quality meat. Not greasy (yay!!). Sides were amazing, especially the jalapeño Mac n cheese & waffle fries. Excellent service (thank you Des!) clean, very cool place. Would go again. Easily accessible location. read more

The Ribcage BBQ - Burger w Swiss - Barbeque Near Me - Saint Joseph, Illinois

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Such great food and great portion sizes. The Garlic Buffalo wings are to die for and are the perfect amount of garlic to tame the spicy buffalo taste. The wonton nachos are also huge!! read more

The Ribcage BBQ - Pulled Rib Meat Nachos - Barbeque Near Me - Saint Joseph, Illinois

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Staff is inattentive. Kitchen is efficient Atmosphere was open and quiet. Mind you , we went mid-afternoon on a Saturday. Food is decent but the single cheeseburger/cup of jalapeño mac & cheese seem on the smaller side. If you have an appetite, get the double. I would go back to eat but I would not go out of my way to eat here. OH! They do have gluten free options! read more

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I have been to the Ribcage twice now and obviously it was good or I would not have gone back. My most recent visit was for a birthday meal with my family. Nine adult and three young children(7,4, and 4). Everything was great. They put us in the back room which worked out perfectly for the kids. Even with a party of our size, the waitress was accommodating and fast. The food was delicious. We will definitely go back. read more

I don't really know why the other reviews are so positive. We ordered a burger and the smoked turkey sandwich. The burger was a wet crumbly mess. The patty wasn't holding together and the mouthfeel was super gritty. The turkey was okay, but two drinks, two sandwiches, and one extra side was 50$. The service and the restaurant were nice, but you're probably better off going to the Dairy Queen down the road. read more

Cold food, short staffed watched manager play on internet sitting at bar. I feel bad for the employees.

Average at best. They are trying but really misses the mark in flavor, quality and overall. Love supporting local and still try to but man the food is never great. Dry meats, flavorless -you must add bbq sauce in most cases just to get it down Their sauces always miss the mark too. We've tried to bring fam/friends and they always report the same feedback it was just ok-or let's not go there again. Service has been on point lately-friendly staff. Little outdoor tables too for ppl which a is a lovely perk. Hopefully they can really sit down and do a little "R&D" on their meats, sauces and flavors to give this place an upgrade! read more

Dinner on the way home after a disappointing OT loss on the road against a better Illini team. This place has high Yelp ratings. I ordered the rib tips dinner with 3 sides. Tips were tender and the sides were for sure homemade with great flavor profiles. Scratch made sauces. Service was great and that chocolate peanut butter explosion cake. The dining room has great decor and fun atmosphere. read more

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Wow! Driving down the interstate I used an app called iExit for the first time. "Oh! BBQ 20 miles ahead...hey this lists Yelp ratings & reviews..." Didn't disappoint at all! Very friendly staff, excellent rib tips, good side options. Enjoy the hash brown casserole and the pit beans. read more

Staff member was friendly and energetic. Room was spacious and staff was cleaning and doing side work. I ordered the pork nachos. My friend had a brisket sandwich with Mac/cheese. Due to the fact our waitress was busy doing side work our order sat awhile and I could see it from our table. The wanton chips were not good as some were crispy some were soggy or tough. The meat cheese and jalapeño were good. My friends' sandwich was very small as well as the Mac/cheese. I would order something different next time. read more

We happened across this gem on our way home. St Joes IL is near the interstate exit and this place will be our goto if we feel need again when passing through. It was Fast, Excellent quality food... the place is clean and matter of fact sports venue. You seat yourself and grab a menu. Our waitress (Regan) was prompt and attentive on an otherwise light Sunday evening. The BBQ is smoked variety with dry rub. The brisket was healthy portion of the slab portion. It was pulled from smoker at 4pm (noted on blackboard) but still nice and not dry. I had Babybacks, which also were smoked well and dry rubbed. Texture was little weak for my liking but most people like a fall off bone rib. The sides were fantastic. Jalepeno/Bacon Mac n Cheese and a Hasbrown Casserole were excellent. The Mac n Cheese had jalepeno flavor, not to hot. Hashbrown casserole was good at soaking up BBQ. For starter we had pulled pork eggrolls. Deep Fried crunchy cheesy goodness. Nice place and looking forward to stopping by next time we head to Champaign for Basketball game. Kudos to owners. Really nice place. read more

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Arrived at opening for the day. It was approx 2 degree outside but nice and comfortable inside. Seating was comfortable table and chairs. It was obvious this is the place to be in town for a good time, a place to meet friends for a meal. We ordered a variety of items to try. Everything came out hot and tasty. We tried several of the house BBQ sauces and liked all of them. Really liked the Horse radish dip for onion rings and the Honey Hot BBQ sauce. The sausage and Turkey was wonderful. Wife loved the smoked Brisket. I had the Jalapeño Mac n Cheese very tasty. The corn bread was fantastic. The wait staff was friendly and helpful. We had Sweet tea and it was wonderful. They have a full bar available if drinks are what you need. Place was clean and rest rooms were clean and well stocked. Excellent customer service. read more

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Wonderful food in St Joe! I've yet to be disappointed with the quality of their food or their service! read more

A great place for a business meeting, visiting with friends and gatherings from clubs or teams. Higher recommend the venue. Great food and drinks. The service is always froendly friendly read more

My wife and I started going to the Ribcage Spring of 2022 and it's become one of our favorite places to go! The food and service is amazing!!!! My personal favorite is sharing a pulled pork Platter with the pot beans and bacon jalapeno Mac and cheese and mandatory Spicy cheese curds. We have also tried their taco Tuesday and no doubt YUM!!!!!!!! As I am writing this review it's making me crave the Ribcage right now!! I get excited when I hear the Ribcage food trailer will be in the Danville area and make a point to stop and grab something from the food truck. read more

The Ribcage BBQ - a view of a street corner - Barbeque Near Me - Saint Joseph, Illinois

Massive brisket slabs awesome. Will be back! Service was fast. Friendly place too!

I had the single cage burger and onion rings. Burger was on the small side and had decent flavor. Onion rings were a bit of a let down. Was expecting what I had seen online and received a typical battered onion ring. $17 for a burger and onion rings is a bit pricey. Service was slow at the bar but there were a lot of people sitting there for one waitress. Nice location. May go back to try something else in the future. read more

Really good BBQ!! We were passing through for a late lunch and pleasantly pleased with our meals. I ordered the Cuban sandwich with cheesy hash brown casserole. Yum. The pork melted in my mouth. I would have liked more cheese and a few more pickles. My friend ordered potato skins- topped with shredded pork, green onions and BBQ sauce. No leftovers at this meal! The mule was just right. The missing star is for service- if the server would have asked if we would like another drink, we would have said yes. She disappeared once the check came but not a surprise because she was not attentive during the meal. read more

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Good serving size and reasonably priced. Nice selection of gluten free menu options. Good quality was good, not the best bbq I've had and only one sauce is GF but overall a good experience. read more

Found this place by accident while traveling through the area. Glad I did. We eat a lot of bbq in KC and this place would hold its own. My typical BBQ order when trying a new place is brisket, beans and fries and that is what I ordered today. The brisket was tender and flavorful. Was more tender than competition style, but that is how I enjoy it. Had a good amount of smoke flavor, didn't need sauce. Maybe a few too many fatty pieces, but that comes with brisket. The pit beans were excellent. Variety of pinto beans that were not over soft with plenty of brisket chunks. Great smokey flavor...the sauce in the beans could be used by itself. Fries were crispy and hot. I will stop again, and if you live anywhere close it would be worth a visit. read more

The Ribcage BBQ - Brisket, put beans and fries. - Barbeque Near Me - Saint Joseph, Illinois

We have never had a bad meal! Be aware that if you get there later in the evening they tend to run out of items, but the other items are just as good. You have to try the cornbread and the skillet cookie. read more

Service is absolutely horrible and the food is mediocre. The meat has the "reheated by microwave" flavor," and is extremely over priced. Loud and obnoxious employees drinking after work. Every other word was fuck this and fuck that. Disgusting, uncalled for and absolutely classless. Nolan was drinking with his co workers and I was unable to enjoy my dinner because of their vulgar language and disrespect toward others. RIDICULOUS!!! read more

Good BBQ, but I am from Memphis and a bit disappointed in the sauces offered. KC is good, but crave Memphis style sauce! Liked the the space and the service--we will be back for more! read more

Our family stopped at The Ribcage after a sporting event. We are always looking for mom & pop shops that do what they are good at-- and we found a WINNER!!! A smoky smell greets you as you walk into this quaint (and incredibly clean) restaurant, and your mouth starts crying! We ordered a variety big options: pretzel bites with beer cheese, polish sausage with grilled onions and peppers, pulled pork sandwich, grilled chicken sandwich, and a three meat combo (Smoked turkey, briquet, and pulled pork). You get to sample your choice of sauces (out of 7 or 8 options) and all sauce comes on the side so you can mix & match whatever you like. This was an overwhelming amount of food for five people. Loved the Busch Light on tap, and the Bourbon Smash drink was to die for! Sides selected: chili, beans, and corn muffin piping hot from the oven. It's a great night when three teenage boys say they would drive out of their way to come back in the future. You won't be disappointed or hungry after a visit to The Rib Cage! read more

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Great food, great service, great atmosphere!! Their Tuesday night pulled pork tacos are awesome!!

Great selection. Food is awesome. The pigskins are amazing. Service is wonderful. Attentive. Polite

You cannot go wrong with the rib cage in Saint Joseph Illinois the owner is a really good fellow and his staff are helpful and prompt to serve it's a really beautiful place and hes done such a nice job with the building the food is outstanding. read more

Nice place in this little town, not far from Champaign/Urbana. Plenty of room and a great bar selection, so I bet it gets busy. We stopped for lunch while traveling. Service was very friendly and attentive. Food was plentiful and good quality. Hubby got the brisket sandwich. Said quality and cut was great. Only complaint was both his sandwich and the fries were TOO salty. I tasted and agree. We'll come back again to give it another try. Hopefully the saltiness was a fluke. I had the bbq nachos appetizer (special.). It was HUGE! I ate about 1/4 of it. Made with wanton chips instead of tortilla. Interesting option, though the made the dish pretty rich. Lots of chunks of smoked pork. Delicious beans and lots of toppings. My only comment is the combo tended to be on the sweet-side, even the candied jalapeños, making it a very rich and filling dish--more than I expected for lunch. We come through the area often and look forward to trying other options next time. read more

The food is awesome. Beer cold.....and Jess our waitress is THE BEST I have had serve me in a long time. She is a gem!!!

I can not speak on how good the food is because we didn't even get any service. My family walked in sat down waited 5 minutes no service not even acknowledged. There was less than 10 customers one waitress, one bartender and one lady rolling silverware who only said something as we were all leaving. Food? Service not good to say the least. read more

There ribs are cool if you get them fresh of the grill or smoker had good flavor the fries was cool the Mac an cheese was fair

Second trip to this restaurant. Waited on our food for an hour. Was told it would be another 10-15 minutes. Said, no thanks and left. Food in BBQ restaurants is already cooked/prepared. It just needs plated and served. I don't get it. They weren't even that busy. Won't waste our time there again. read more

I have been a Kansas City BBQ judge and this restaurant has my thumb's up! I only wish they had bread pudding for dessert. read more

AMAZING the food was amazing. Their meat is cooked to perfection. The service is fa nominal. Mike served us and he took so much care of us. I love this place, and i recommend stopping by. read more

First time at the Ribcage, 9 of us before an Illinois football game. Great food, great service, easy parking, just a great time and a great meal. Great prices on beer and mixed drinks, chilled glasses. Don't hesitate, go there! read more

Service: Although they were swamped, the staff was attentive and regularly checked in on us throughout our wait. Beer was cold and bartender and owner checked on us many times. Food: OUTSTANDING! Turkey platter was amazing. Maybe the best smoked Turkey I've had. Pit beans were second to none. Coleslaw was also superb! Staff: Friendly, attentive, and willing to do whatever they needed to! Overall: read more

Very friendly staff, quick service. Good prepared fresh. TriTip Sandwich was outstanding, piled high with meat. Wife had the turkey sandwich which was also plied high, excellent. read more