Thank you fellow YELPERS for the recommendation. This place is amazing!! True, smoked BBQ and sides!! Pulled pork was spot on. Cowboy beans were a unique blend of kidney beans, I think green peppers and pork n beans. Cole slaw had a nice crunch to it.. My only complaint is.. WHERE'S THE BATHROOM??! read more

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My family surprised me with a 60th birthday party catered by Bear Down (yes, I'm a die hard Bear's fan). The smoked pulled pork and smoked brisket were moist and delicious. I also recommend the five bean cowboy beans. Bear Down comes with my highest recommendation for your catering needs and I'm looking forward to trying their restaurant. read more

This was not good bbq. Got the rib tips with dry rub and sauce on the side. They were not real rip tips and super dry. Also got the brisket which was mush. I had had to wait 20 minutes for it to be ready? What am I waiting for? I will not be going back read more

Decided to try this place out for lunch and they had some of the best ribs I've eaten, probably second one to Billy Boys'. The ribs are slow cooked over a low heat so they are fall off the bone good. My dad had the brisket and couldn't say enough good things about it. The slaw is better than the potato salad in my opinion. We will definitely be back! read more

Amazing food and service. The meat falls off the bone good! I love both the dry rub and the ribs with sauce. The baked beans were tasty too! Thumbs up all the way for me. I will be back. read more

Bear Down Barbecue & Catering - Barbeque Near Me - Frankfort, Illinois

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Great little BBQ joint. They are tucked away in a corner, but worth seeking out. Seasoned fries are unique and tasty. read more

Almost a five star. They make their own rub and their own sauce. Use wood to smoke them. Excellent rib tips and spareribs. Sides are very small portions, and too pricey. read more

After hearing great things my wife and I decided to order from here the other day for dinner. It did not disappoint!! We order a full slab of ribs, smoked Turkey, Brisket and a side of Beans. Everything was amazing. The dry rub used is so good no sauce is needed. But the sauce is great as well, I added just a little and that was it, perfect. This is bbq that you can tell has a lot of love in it, a lot of time perfecting and working on it. It shows. Will be back, soon. Again and Again!!! read more

Best barbecue I've had in a long time and I've had a lot. I had the brisket and my wife had the turkey. Both were delicious. Staff is very friendly which is kind of expected in a small family place but in this day and age is uncommon. Beans were very good and potato salad was like my wife's homemade. My only wish is that they get a spicier version of their sauce. It was very good but my own personal preference is a little spicy. Normal and spicy version and I'm giving 6 stars. Definitely will be returning. Keep the smoker on and cooking. Great job guys! read more

Bear Down Barbecue & Catering - Barbeque Near Me - Frankfort, Illinois

Bear down was a favorite of mine ordered half slab of ribs recieved 4 ribs that is a quarter slab I paid 20.00 for 4 ribs 5.00 DOLLARS A RIB WHAT A JOKE... I called to tell them they said that's how they cut them...well they are cutting half slab in half...check for yourself half slab has 7 to 8 ribs full slab has 14 to 16... I GUESS FALSE ADVERTISING IS PART OF THERE MENU read more

Stopped in for the first time tonight and the food was amazing. The owners were very nice and accommodating. I really hope they are successful. read more

Bear Down Barbecue & Catering - Barbeque Near Me - Frankfort, Illinois

In town making sales calls today and decided to stop in. I had the smoke pulled chicken sandwich. It was awesome! The ribs looked good as well. Met the owner and his father. Great guys. I would highly recommend giving this a try. read more

Top notch BBQ! The pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw on top is fantastic. The rib tips were served with sauce on the side, which is a good sign that the meat is tasty. And it sure is. Tender and flavorful. Has to be the best BBQ in the area. Welcome to Frankfort Beardown BBQ, please stick around! read more

Fresh bbq. Owner was super nice and my order was ready when i got there. I think his son took my order over the phone i love it who doesn't like that you have family working with you?? read more

Best bbq in Illinois hands down. If you have never tried it's a must. Very friendly staff.

This is my first experience at Bear Down Barbecue and I will definitely be returning! I had the dry rubbed half slab and it was delicious! read more

Bear Down Barbecue & Catering - Barbeque Near Me - Frankfort, Illinois

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I really wanted to like this restaurant. I had the baby back ribs dry rub and it was the most flavorless meat I've ever had in my life. It was tender I will give them that but taste be damned. The macaroni and cheese was just some boiled shells with salt and pepper. The baked beans had no seasoning more bell peppers. My mom had the rib tips and she said it wasn't seasoned but well at all. The fries were soggy and the Cole slaw was dry as dust and tasteless. This meal was not worth $37.00. read more

Needed a quick place to eat andBear down barbecue did not disappoint. Had some of the best brisket I've had in a long time, great service, cool atmosphere highly recommend it if you want some nice barbecue and they have a very diverse menu as well, lots to try. I will be back when in the area! read more

My husband and I went here for a quick delicious dinner. We are not from the area and didn't hear much about this place. We lucked out big time. First of all, we are Bears fans. But we actually loved more than just the decor. This place is family owned and so delicious. The owner is the cook and he brought us our food and asked how it was. His sons took our order and were so polite. We appreciated how kind they were. Plus we loved the food! We will be back. read more

I've been taste testing the newer BBQ joints in Mokena and Tinley and decided to try Bear Down. I ordered the pulled chicken (they were out of the pulled turkey). It was tasty and flavorful-I liked that they included a container of bbq sauce in my to-go bag without asking for it. I really liked the bun. I also ordered fries. I'm a girl who likes her salt but these were even too salty for me. I would go back and try other offerings. (Edited my comment to reflect the owner's input.) read more

This place is tucked away like a hidden gem it's not a big place but it offers BIG and BOLD flavors my mom got the pulled Turkey, Chicago style pork sausage and Turkey tips and my wife got the pulled beef and I got the pulled pork, everything was seasoned perfectly the pork was soft and succulent while snuggling on the brioche bun which was soft and sweet and the bbq was tangy with a nice little kick of heat that I just love please if you love bbq give this place a shot you won't regret it read more

I live in Southern California and my husband and I were looking to throw a party back at his parents place in Illinois. We only were able to use yelp to make our choice and this was one of the only places that wasn't a chain in the nearby area. They blew my expectations out of the water. Not only were they able to accommodate a short notice catering order, but it was all inclusive. They provided literally everything from the sterno heaters to the trays, dinner rolls, plates, serving spoons, you name it. We ordered brisket, pulled chicken, cowboy beans, and Mac n' cheese for 35 people and it was absolutely phenomenal. We carried the order out (which they helped cart out to our car), and the location was small, but very clean. The brisket was incredibly tender. My only criticism was the sheer amount of food. 35 people showed up to our event and we still had at least a half tray over everything left over. Not bad a bad thing to have as leftovers for like 2 straight weeks haha! read more

I recently hosted a retirement party at work and Bear Down provided the food. The service was great, the food was outstanding. Lots of compliments about the food. I would highly consider Bear Down BBQ for any occasion. read more

They just canceled my Grubhub order with no warning. They said they were too busy to be handling Grubhub orders when I called. Glad they're making enough money to tell everyone not placing large orders they don't want their money. Guess I'll never order here. read more

Best bbq in the south suburbs hand down! The ribs tips are so tender and smoky. But those links!!! Man o man! They are tender and just hot enough to be hot links but not overpoweringly spicy where you can't taste the flavor of the meat. The burgers are giant super delicious as well! Fresh cut fries as well! Finally!!! A great bbq spot near me with decent prices! read more

Holy smokes was I surprised, especially since i wasn't expecting much. I ordered the pulled pork sandwhich with cowboy beans and a link. The link was to die for!! The right amount of char on it and very flavorful! The sandwhich was regular good, tasted smoked, what sold me was the bbq sauce and beans!!! The sauce is unique and the beans are FIRE!!! Very tasty!!! The best beans ever!! read more

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Best bbq in the area. Puts hog wild express to shame! I wish them a long time in business!

Just got done eating some good food. The Pulled Chicken Sandwich with BBQ and fries was Amazing!!!!!! You need to get here because the food is worth it and meat is fall off bone. read more

Ribs fell right off the bone! Everything we had was DELICIOUS!! Can't wait to go back!

Food was great server was pleasant. Very small location with a few tables 3/4 but thanks to Yelp we found it. I wish they had a soda fountain, profit margin would increase and customers could get refills. read more

My absolute favorite BBQ place! The food is amazing. The smoked pork is tender and so flavorful I didn't even use the bbq sauce. My husbands beef brisket was so tender and juicy it was amazing. This place truly knows how to do BBQ right! read more

Great brisket! Great mac and cheese and their season fries are amazing!! Great customer service as well, we will definitely be back!

My little boy (a barbecue fanatic!) and I stopped in on Saturday afternoon to try this place, and after waiting almost 10 minutes by the counter with at least three employees standing there, one of the women at the counter finally acknowledged my presence and made eye contact. She did not ask me if she could help me, or 'what can I get you?' She just looked at me. So, I went ahead and ordered a pulled pork sandwich, and she told me that my order will take at least 50 minutes. FIFTY! Not 15. I said, what about a hot dog? She said anything I order will be at least 50 minutes because they are busy. I was embarrassed by her very dismissive attitude. It was like I crashed their private party with a Packers jersey and a cheese wedge hat on. There were only four tables of people, and nobody waiting in line. So my son and I left. SMH. Sorry, Bears Barbecue, I hope the whole 12 customers that were in the restaurant come there every single day for lunch and dinner so that you can stay in business and keep the regulars happy, because your potential new customers who LOVE barbecue will not be back for the 50-minute hot dog or pulled pork sandwich. Very sad, because we were really looking forward to this place after reading the reviews. ***thank you for your response. I really wish that the ladies at the counter would have started a conversation and offered to take my cell phone number and call me when my order was ready. I would have been 100% elated by such great service! I did have some shopping to do there, and I would have been so happy to wait for my order if that was an option given to me. However, as you may have read, the dismissive attitude was what led me to leave. I truly was embarrassed by her curt attitude. Looks are deceiving, and I am happy that you had phone in orders and people waiting in their cars for their orders. But I hope you understand that what I saw was about 12 people IN your carry out place, and not the additional 40 orders waiting before my order? I am a very easy-going person, and I was in no big hurry. I really believe that your place has some excellent home-cooked food made from scratch. I see your 5-star ratings. I go OUT OF MY WAY to support local businesses and NOT corporate-owned chains with frozen food. So again, I would have been happy to leave my cell # and do my grocery shopping at Walts while I waited for my order. The counter staff did not give me that option. They did not even say hello, can I help you, kiss my grits, have a nice day, or even goodbye. read more

Excellent ribs and beans! So flavorful and moist. I will be going back. So delicious!

Last night I FINALLY got to try Bear Down BBQ in Frankfort and I was disappointed. This was the 4th time going there. I called in my order at 4:40 and told them to have it ready at 6:00. We purposely gave them extra time because they are beyond slow. Called at 6:30 to let them know we were 5 minutes away.....they said they'd have it ready in 10 minutes. The food had a good smoke and was tender but under seasoned. To make it worse, they are overpriced. I really wanted to fall in love with them because they are black owned but I will not be going back read more

Take a Pass. Overpriced. Pork sandwich was ok, slaw is funky tasting. What pissed me off, is we got brisket the 1/2 pd. I don't take kindly to people that try and pass off a brisket which was visibly a roast. Like pot roast. Was horrible, which consisted of two pieces for 9 bucks. Terrible. read more

This place has pretty good BBQ and I've been looking for a decent BBQ place in the south suburbs for a while. I had a 1/2 slab of ribs that were fall off the bone tender with a good tasting sauce. The only issue that I have with this place is that around 6:30 pm on a Friday evening, all of their sides and Rib Tips were sold out. The place closes at 8 pm and I thought maybe that's acceptable until the woman at the register told me that they usually sell out of Rib Tips and etc. on Saturdays by 2 pm. I really hope they find a solution to this cause I would hate for them to lose money around dinner time if they're selling out of things so quickly. Plus, there aren't many Turkey or Beef options for non Pork eaters. I guess I'll continue to go to I-57 Ribs for dinnertime. read more

See many shows and video on this place. So we decided to try it out and see what the hype is all about . I got the sampler and my brother got the pulled pork sandwich . So with my sampler cane with a half slab of either ribs or tips I got the ribs and then u got a small portion of beef, chicken, pork. For 27.00 sides were extra so I got a small side of the smoked Mac and cheese and potato salad so that was an extra 4.75. Not a fan of ala carte. I feel for 27.00 you should get at least 2 sides with the sampler. The food was pretty good , but I've truly had better. Ribs were definitely fall off the bone clean and tasty . The 3 other meats were just ok. I'd definitely go back for the ribs . The smoked Mac and cheese was very good and the potato salad was just alright. The pulled pork sandwich definitely needed the sauce. Meat was kinda bland . I was expecting some kick from the slaw when they asked me if I wanted it southern style , but no kick. Then I had to buy drinks out of the fridge. Not a big pop fan , but had to pay for water. 1.25 not a big deal , but sometimes I like to drink a lot of water. So all and all I think a little pricey , but was good. I hope the food wasn't just ok cause we came 1hr before closing time . The guys were very nice. I just feel they need to offer more . read more

We tried the ribs and tips....thee best! I highly recommend!! Baked beans are very tasty! The only thing I wish they had were fries.

The best bbq you can find. Very nice family run business. They have great meats and delicious sides. We've never been disappointed whether we ordered for dinner or for catering. Always great! read more