Good stuff. I've been here and I usually get the pulled pork sandwich with chicago style sauce. As far as sides are concerned, I've had the macaroni and cheese (awesome), bAked beans (pretty good), and the corn bread (delish). This place is definitely on my heavy rotation list. Love it! read more

Blackwood BBQ - Pulled pork sandwich with chicago style sauce, baked beans, and cornbread. - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Perfect option for lunch on downtown Chicago! Healthy salad options and all food was made fresh and the BBQ was really good. Very friendly and clean location. read more

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Solid BBQ in the Loop! My husband and I went here for lunch today. We each got a platter with one side and ate in. The inside seating area is limited, but we managed to snag a table inside. The Line: When we arrived, the line was out the door and nearly all the way to Franklin and Lake, but we persevered and were rewarded with delicious, delicious BBQ. The line actually moves pretty quickly; so don't get intimidated if you see a long line. Beef Brisket: The beef brisket was sliced to order. They ask you if you want your cut Lean, Regular, or Fatty. I went with the regular cut today and truly enjoyed it, though I might go with the lean next time, just as a personal preference. In any case, the meat was juicy and flavorful. I had it with the Chicago Style sauce, which was tangy and sweet. Pulled Pork: The pulled pork was moist and delicious. The husband had it with the Memphis Style sauce, which was a bit sweet and paired well with the pork. Sides: The cornbread muffin was a moist and a little bit sweet with kernels of corn scattered throughout. The baked beans were on the sweet side but not cloyingly so, as many baked beans tend to be. I appreciated that I could taste more than just brown sugar and molasses in the baked bean sauce. Observation: I saw an employee (presumably on her lunch break) sit down to eat 3 foil cups of macaroni and cheese and a cornbread muffin. Now, I know what side I need to try when I come back, and I will be back! read more

Quick BBQ at a decent downtown price? Count me in! I had the pulled pork platter which was a nice serving and include a side. The meat was perfect - not too dry. I had the side of mac & cheese which also hit the spot. And the BBQ sauces were great! I can't wait to try them all. The real beauty to this place though is the convenience of being able to get in and out. It has a Chipotle type setup where they prepare your food in front of you while in line. I was able to get in and out in about 8 mins (right before the noon rush hour). Seating is limited so plan to take your food back to the office or sit outside if you go during the lunch hour. read more

The well-charred, melt-in-your-mouth brisket is incredible. The cornbread was good, too, but didn't quite have that just-baked taste. Instead, it seemed like it had been on a heat table for a few hours. A pretty minor quibble. Bottom line: the queue moves quickly and it's worth the wait if you love good 'cue. read more

Good food if you're looking for que. But if your lookin for your Carona drunk uncle wit those super tender ribs that are knuckle and nub tender (#sotenderyoucouldfeedittoanewborn) cause he forgot they were on da pit ribs. Not gonna get it. Got da smoked sandwich to a chipotle standard. Experts for profit at work. read more

Blackwood BBQ - Brisket sand with beans - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The value isn't as good here anymore. Prices have increased again and you no longer get your choice of side with a platter, only coleslaw, which I hate. Sure you can add a different side for $1 but the sides are half the size they used to be (at least for the Mac & Cheese, and the cornbread was noticably smaller). They've also long since removed the best breakfast items from their menu & for some reason no longer have biscuits & only serve a wrap or a bowl for breakfast. Bizarre choices for a BBQ place. Bring back biscuits for breakfast. There are now better BBQ places to go in the loop for value & taste. read more

Amazing (and quick) BBQ in the loop - who could ask for more??? And did I mention it's economical as well? I stopped into Blackwood BBQ, which has been open for a short time now - it was easy to find...once you're a block away, you just follow the aroma of smoked meat. The system is quite simple - step up, place your order. You have a choice of salad, sandwich, or platter - with your choice of pulled pork, pulled chicken, or beef brisket. Step down and select condiments, sauces, and your side. Pay and you're on your way. My total time in the store - with three people ahead of me - was less than 5 minutes. My selection today was the salad with pulled chicken. Fresh greens, mixed with sliced cherry tomatoes, red onion, corn, and black beans. On top of that I got a combination of ranch dressing and Chicago-style BBQ sause, on the recommendation of the man that took my order (and wow, he was right). For my side, I selected the corn bread muffin...and was pleasantly surprised that a mac-n-cheese side was thrown in, gratis. All this for less then $9. The pulled chicken with the combination of sauces was heavenly, mixed with the coolness of the fresh salad fixin's. The cornbread muffin has corn and cheddar cheese inside, and was nice and warm. And the mac and cheese? To die for...bread-crumb topping with stringy, melty, cheesy goodness below mixed with nice firm pasta. The portions were generous, and I am sated. I have also tried the pulled pork (sans sause) and was completely blown away by the tenderness, juiciness, and the wonderful smoky taste. I highly recommend you stop in here. SOON. I'll be the guy in line behind you, eager to try another delightful combination. read more

Really clean but delicious BBQ join in the city (I do enjoy my hole in the wall BBQ joints!). The location is quite small so do not expect to dine in. There is one community table with a community bar along the front but again, hard to get a seat. My friend and I ended up just taking it back towards our office and eating it there (no biggie). As for the food -- quite delicious and priced very reasonably. I ordered pork platter with a side of mac & cheese and it was under $9 -- enough to fill me up until dinner time (do wish they provided a slide of bread instead of ordering cornbread). Their sauces are great. Make sure to combine some of the sauces (I went w/ Chicago and KC) and see what makes your taste buds tingle. Overall, very good food and conveniently located by my work. Minus the seating and missing carbs to go w/ the BBQ, I highly recommend you trying it otu! read more

The excellent food is the only reason this restaurant doesn't get one star. The BBQ is delicious. The process for getting that BBQ needs a complete overhaul. First, the line moves incredibly slowly. They need more people working on it. Second, whoever they had working the register was just rude. After she took my order, she refused to hand me a receipt, then copped an attitude because I stood there waiting for it. I might go back for the food. But this is also downtown Chicago and there is good food everywhere without having to deal with obnoxious staff. read more

Used to be so much better. Got takeout today but something has changed. Great meat, but the size of the sides shrunk and the elotes were bland at best. Tried 2 tacos - good flavor but small for the price and wrapped to go so tight that the tortillas stuck together. For the price, not sure I'll return. Friendly staff at least. read more

Being from texas, I have a preeeety high standard for BBQ. So when my co-workers suggested this new little joint near my workplace I was a bit skeptical. Walking in the setup and decor reminded me of Chipotle, which is a good thing I guess (fast service at least). I chose the brisket plate which came with a side (i chose the mac n cheese). Now for the food: The brisket portion was pretty big and filled me up. The meat was rubbed and cooked very well. The proportion of fat to meat was good and the fat made the meat oh so good. The only knock on this place is the sauce. I got the Kansas City BBQ sauce (supposed to be a bit spicy) but it had pretty much no kick to it at all =( but besides that this is a good option for lunch in the loop! read more

Ate it again for lunch yesterday- the brisket (option to cut from the fatty part which is a fantastic option yum) and baked beans are incredibly tasty. I tried the Chicago style sauce and the guy working recommended I mix it with Kansas City style sauce, seriously can I eat this every day? Great portion size too! I just wish they were open and delivered on weekends haha read more

Blackwood BBQ - Brisket platter with a mix of Chicago and KC sauce and baked beans - 10/10, would eat/10 - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

It was a good idea that I came here. It was a bad idea to do it when I'm on a diet. Now I want to come here every day, and I am not allowed to do that! At least the portions are on the small side, which is about the only downside. I had their pulled pork with Chicago BBQ sauce, some Carolina mustard, and some cole slaw piled on top. It's been a while since I had BBQ that good, since there's little selection in the loop. But it definitely hit the spot. Chicago sauce has cumin, the BBQ meat is moist and tender, and the cole slaw was a nice touch...I don't think they do that normally, but the guy behind the counter offered it after I said I wanted Carolina mustard...and said that was "down south" style. I used to live down south and didn't know that was a Southern thing (as opposed to anywhere else), but as far as I am concerned, whatever style that was is fine with me. I could possibly give this 5 stars, but BBQ is a highly competitive genre in the food connoisseur's province, and I've had some mind-blowing stuff in my day. This is really good, but it's not totally over the top. read more

How could you not love this place? Pulled pork with spicy KC sauce was done just right. Generous 1/2 lb portion. Great slaw and cornbread. What a treat for a downtowner at lunch. I could kick myself for passing this place by before. The lines can get long. But worth the wait. Some of the best BBQ anywhere! read more

Quick awesome brisket. I saw other reviews and ordered FATTY brisket with chicago and Kansas City sauce. With a side of Mac and cheese which was fresh out of the oven. The meat is really good and soft. The Mac and cheese is ok. A little on the pricey side for not much meat but it's just enough. read more

Great place for BBQ for lunch Not sure why they close so early, and are not open on the weekends read more

I have been very happy with the food here. However, as some other reviewers have mentioned, the customer service leaves something to be desired. I've felt very rushed on a couple of occasions. I've felt like the people behind the counter don't understand what I'm saying/asking and don't make an effort to or try to remedy the situation but instead continue to rush you. I was going through the line today ordering 2 platters. I got slaw on both and then they asked if I wanted cornbread. I said yes, one cornbread for mine. Employee says "are you sure you don't want one for the other? It's included". This leads me to think they changed their pricing so I say yes. Get to the cashier and he has charged me for the cornbread. I explain that the other employee told me it was included. He asks if I've been there before instead of asking which employee said that. At this point, he should be trying to clarify what was said, and make sure HIS OWN EMPLOYEE knows their pricing. Neither he, nor the manager next to him offered to take back the cornbread and void that charge. I hope they improve upon their customer service so I'm more inclined to return. read more

Very disappointing. The pulled pork sandwich did not have enough sauce. The plate was very empty they couldn't even provide a side of fries or anything. I paid $13 because I ordered a side of Mac & Cheese which was not even worth it. Definitely wouldn't recommend this for lunch and to finish it off I didn't even get full. read more

The service wasn't bad. However, once I got my food the meet was dry and the food is overpriced. Won't be coming back. Very small portion sizes for the price. Don't waste your money read more

Nice new spot, I got the BBQ Brisket sandwich. Great sandwich, just wish they put more BBQ sauce on it. The line could of been faster, but it's a new place. Will def be back for more read more

I grabbed a slightly late lunch here the other day, after intending to do so for months. I was not disappointed. There are a lot of barbeque joints in this town that fall short, but Blackwood does it right. The restaurant has a little bit of seating and I'd imagine that around noon, it's pretty tight. It's an assembly line production to get your food and it moves pretty quickly. I stayed simple, getting a pulled pork platter. You get your choice of sauces, and I went with the most benign, the Memphis sauce, and got a side of mac 'n' cheese. And when I saw they had Cheerwine in a cooler behind the counter, I had to get a bottle to complete the experience. I got back to the office and dug in. The pulled pork had a nice smoky flavor. While it wasn't the Carolina/Nashville style that I love the most, this tasted great and the portion size was just about right, as hungry as I was. The mac 'n' cheese was good too, and I wish that came in a slightly bigger container. Washing it down with the cherry flavored goodness of Cheerwine just completed a very good lunch. If i could fine tune my rating, it would be closer to 4.5. I look forward to trying some other things on the menu. It's nice to have good barbecue near my office. read more

This was my first time coming to this restaurant. I went during lunchtime approximately 1:00pm. It was crowded with limited seating. But the line moved extremely quick and the staff was very courteous. I ordered the beef brisket platter (one side included) & Mac & cheese with the Chicago BBQ sauce with the homemade lemonade. They have I think 5 different flavors of BBQ sauces from around the country. The brisket was tender and the Chicago BBQ sauce was delicious. I also enjoyed the side of Mac and cheese. I was a little disappointed in the portions, I left feeling a little hungry still. For a 6'1" 210lb. male, maybe I should have had the sandwich. Also seating is limited durning there peak times. Overall the food was delicious I'll be back to taste the other BBQ sauces and I recommend giving them a try. read more

This review is more about the service than the food, even though the BBQ is pretty good. I put an order in online and I didnt realize that it pushed my time back by a full hour. When I got the counter the guy told me that the order wasnt supposed to be ready for another 30 mins, but they would push it through now. I had my food in less than 5 minutes. Might not seem like a big deal, but with all the places out there to eat, its the little things like this that will keep me coming back. read more

We catered a meeting with Blackwood, and we hit the ball out of the park. We ordered pulled pork, chicken and beef brisket along with all the sauces. For sides we ordered coleslaw, mac n cheese, baked beans and some corn bread. Will definitely order form here again. read more

Delicious! Bbq brisket bowl with Chicago sauce and I drizzled the Carolina mustard on it. Yummmmm! read more

Blackwood BBQ - Brisket breakfast bowl with Chicago sauce and I drizzled the Carolina mustard on. DELICIOUS!!! - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Awesome BBQ! You can get a platter with Mac and cheese or go the healthy way and get bbq'ed meat on a salad. They also serve breakfast with cheddar eggs, house potatoes, cheddar eggs, and BBQ! I can go inside in the morning and be walking out w my breakfast bowl in a couple minutes! They also have a variety of BBQ sauces, which makes it easy to please anyone's pallet. read more

The pulled pork, pulled chicken, and brisket are amazing! Such good food, including their buns, corn bread, and pickles. I would have given 5 stars, but I tried their chili today and it was terrible. They use way too much tomato and it overpowers every other ingredient in the chili, just bad. read more

New BBQ place? AND it's in the loop, too??? Awesome! Anyway, I am VERY hard to please when it comes to BBQ. Done right, it's incredible; done wrong, you might as well just eat the charcoal. Blackwood definitely does it right. Matter of fact, the only "problem" I have with the place is that it "forces" me to choose between 5 different styles of BBQ (Chicago, KC, Memphis, South Carolina, and North Carolina!). They should have an "all of the above" option! And then I need to decide between a platter or sandwich?? These guys are pure evil in playing with my emotions like that. If they can maintain the quality of food, this place will never stop being busy. I won't mind in the least. The wait is worth it! read more

This is a solid BBQ place, EXCELLENT for lunch. This is chipotle for BBQ: you choose what you want, chicken, beef or pork, how you want it, sandwich, salad or plate, and then the sides. My favorite is the brisket. Yumm. The sauces are all good, but I would start with the Chicago and work around from there. The cornbread is superb, the baked beans adequate - they sjhould concentrate more on the beans and the sauce and not the other ingredients, and the mac and cheese is wonderful. Eat here, you will love it and return often. I have become a regular. read more

Its pretty good BBQ for a downtown Chicago BBQ joint. Chipotle style serving. Seeing a line out the door was a little of putting, but it moved pretty fast. Again very much like Chipotle restaurants. Get in, start with a meat, move down the line and build to taste. Brisket was the best we tried. Moist, good bark mix and a decent amount, not TExas hearings, but better than a subway meat pile for sure. 5 sauces to choose from with all the traditional and a Chicago style. Sweet and spicy mix. Small selection of meats and sides, but very good at what they make. Especially the mac n cheese. They even make their own lemonade! Friendly staff too. Not that fake over the top try and make you laugh. Just mellow, genuine kindness. Great place for BBQ in the loop. Recommended! read more

Amazing brisket, one of the best I have had, recommend getting it lean. Kansas City sauce is da bomb as is the crusted mac and cheese. This place is legit, I will be coming here many more times. read more

First, let me start with Blackwood BBQ having the Best restaurant Mac and Cheese I've ever tasted. We had them cater a lunch meeting. We got pulled chicken, pork and beef brisket. We got all the sauces, Mac and cheese, apple cole slaw and chocolate chip cookies. They did not disappoint on any level. I'm going to sit down in one of their restaurants this weekend. I love the Carolina Gold sauce on the pulled pork and chicken. I even added the slaw to my sandwich. So good, flavorful and smoked to perfection. read more

Update: I tried breakfast here this morning. I got the breakfast bowl with potatoes, brisket, and cheddar eggs. I was simply unimpressed. Their lunch will blow you away! Breakfast? Average at best. read more

Blackwood is absolutely delicious and for a fast BBQ joint, if you do it right, it can be healthy too (skip the cornbread and it is essentially meat and veggies). I have never been disappointed with the quality of my meal, and it's all for a fairly affordable price. (The thing I like the most is their sauce selection. No matter what kind you like, they have it!) The reason that they do not get the full five stars, however, is because the service is repeatedly bad, unfortunately. The first time I went in there I thought I had just caught the staff on an off day, however after frequenting there quite often over the last couple months as I work right next door, I have noticed this is a recurring issue. I am treated rudely every time I am in there and they hardly listen to you when you speak. I have to repeat myself multiple times if I want my order to be correct. When you ask for an extra side, they make it seem like you are causing them some great, big inconvenience. Not only that, the side I ordered last was baked beans priced at $2.69, which is reasonable. However, the man behind the counter barely filled up the already little dish halfway so when I went to eat there were only a couple of spoonfuls. A dollar a bite! So far the food is too good for this to deter me from going entirely though... read more

They are good but not amazing. I say they are the average of barbeque. I will go there again because they are close by and the best I can get in this area. They are clean, organized and the service is good and fast. I recommend you get the brisket and stay away from the chicken as it is plain if it wasn't for the source. read more

Today was my first visit to Blackwood. As a native of NC, and a bit of BBQ nerd I am always excited to try new BBQ, and often disappointed. I ordered the NC style pulled chicken platter, and ate a bit of KC style brisket off my friend's plate (a good friend, right!). While I feel the KC style brisket was really authentic (from my perspective), and super moist the NC style chicken was of a milder variety (Piedmont NC Style) than I prefer. I am more of an Coastal NC style person, that is vinegar based with no tomato, and a bit more zip. While I was sad they did not choose my favorite variety of NC BBQ sauce their rendition of the Piedmont NC style was well executed. The application of the sauce just before consuming suggests to me that I might like it more if I placed a take out or catering order and gave the meat a little time to toss around in the sauce before consuming. I will definitely be back for the Chicago and Memphis styles. Probably not the SC style. :-) ~~~~ EDIT I forgot to mention the macaroni and cheese and the cornbread, both well executed. read more

Been here before the place is mouth-watering delicious. If you're looking to grab some American food in the area- I'd suggest to stop here and get your fingers dirty. read more

This place is amazing! The best BBQ I have ever had! The sides are worth coming here alone! By far the best cornbread and Mac ever! I obviously love it here lol. read more

Blackwood BBQ - Black wood bbq in the loop - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great place for a quick barbecue sandwiches. Order their pulled pork with coleslaw and cornbread .