Friendly staff. Delivered my lunch and checked in with me. It's my first time at the restaurant here, but I love the one in downers grove. The quality was as high here as it is in DG. I ordered half a chicken, coleslaw, and a side salad. I've got enough for food to go home for lunch tomorrow. read more

Thank you to Mel & Paul & the City BBQ team for hooking me up for the office party tomorrow! Great catering option for those who haven't tried the party packs. I came in close to closing time with no prior order or plan and the team helped me through the ordering process and made a new batch at closing so I could get exactly what I needed. I've always enjoyed eating here and this was my first catering experience - very happily recommend it! Thanks again! read more

Ordered their chicken tenders with the side of 3 sides. Potato salad and fries. My SO got the 3 sides potato salad Mac & cheese & cole slaw. We got one more Cole slaw with mine. They packed the hot items in open cups in a plastic bag with all the cold stuff. Only live a few min away but because everything was open they were cool when I ate them. The taste is good, good quality of meat just need to package to go orders better read more

City Barbeque - Barbeque Near Me - Deerfield, Illinois

Ok this place is delicious!!!!! All the meats were tender and juicy! For sides we got the fabulous macaroni, super creamy coleslaw, mind blowing corn bread, and perfect French fries!!! The chocolate cake blew our minds!!!!! We weren't even going to get it we were so full but thought why not just a bite....somehow it disappeared Thank you for the delicious meal and the music is great too! read more

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This sandwich was remarkable - packed with flavor from a savory tangy barbecue sauce. It had a nice flavor from the wine it was marinated in. If you order the sandwich to go, they separate the buns from the pulled pork meat to not make the sandwich soggy and weak upon arrival. But, when you assemble it, it holds together nicely but of course has that wobbling effect just as any other barbecue sandwich. I rated this four stars only because I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get coleslaw on the side - which may not have been City Barbecue's' fault at all considering I was handed this meal from a third party at work. Regardless, the mac and cheese was rich and thick which was nicely balanced against the pork sandwich. An amazing place as far as barbecue places go read more

City Barbeque - LoLo's Pulled Pork with a side of Mac & Cheese - Barbeque Near Me - Deerfield, Illinois

Came in with 9 people, not really knowing what to order. Everything was great, we tried everything! Didn't realize they closed early but no one rushed us out. We left soon after noticing. The people working there were awesome in every way. read more

I've ordered 'curbside pickup' here a time or two since this Covid virus makes it impossible to dine in, and it does travel pretty well with the exception of the fries. I'm in the 5-10 minute driving range from here and that's just enough time for the fries to cool off but not much else. Everything is better and hotter while dining in but the chicken, the tenders, ribs and brisket do travel pretty well. I'm still a big fan regardless of the luke warm fries or not. Curbside is easy, just order online and pay, then enter you car info and pickup time, pull up to the curb and they bring out your order and put it in the passenger seat. Sweet! read more

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For its first few years, City BBQ stayed true to my first review. More recently however, I've gotten very inconsistent meals, from dry as a bone off-the-bone ribs and chicken sandwiches to soggy fries with too much salt and diabetes-enhancing too sugary sweet tea. Recently, I've given up trying to order online because my orders wouldn't go through. I found out the problem today: a glitch in the computer system that requires customers to completely fill out every line of the order form. I tried that twice before giving up and placing my order by phone. I'm disappointed. Once a great place and one of my go-to's, I no longer can count on the food or the quick online ordering that used to be available. I'll go elsewhere, darn it. read more

how can you not love this place! shout out the brian the manager for always hooking it up! best bbq in the north shore! ignore any bad reviews this place is amazing read more

Dry brisket that gets stuck in your teeth and is as hard as a rock shouldn't be served to customers. I understand it was busy but that's no excuse for selling us food that we wouldn't serve to our worst enemies. read more

Among the fast casual options in our area, City Barbeque is a staple for my husband me. He could eat barbecue multiple times a week (and I think he does when I'm not around). I'm less enthused about it than he is because I don't crave smoked meat the way he does, but City Barbecue has earned a place in our regular rotation. City Barbecue is an Ohio-based chain of restaurants offering standard barbecue fare. They emerged in the Chicago suburbs within the past few years, elbowing places like Dickey's out of the way. This particular location is huge and occupies at least two storefronts in a small strip mall on the cusp of Deerfield. There are plenty of tables, including large community tables and some half-booth options. There are televisions on the wall, though I've noticed they never have the sound playing and instead of have music piped in. The space can be loud, only because it lacks any sound absorbing materials. The only gripe I have with this is the terrible noise the chairs and tables make when being moved on the floor (I just shivered in my desk chair thinking about it, days and miles removed). The menu features lots of smoked meat options and I can say with confidence that we've tried just about everything at this point. My standards are the pulled pork and pulled chicken. The pulled pork is flavorful with the crispy edges that make pulled pork worth ordering. I've had the ribs a few times recently and have enjoyed them, though I wish there was more consistency - sometimes they're tender (never fall-off-the-bone) but occasionally they're tough. My husband regularly orders two or three meats, almost always featuring the brisket and -- if we're lucky and they haven't sold out -- the burnt ends. My favorite side dishes are the green beans and macaroni & cheese. My husband lives for the corn pudding, which is almost dessert-like. The staff are friendly and helpful. Because we're often there late at night (we tend to go after we visit the gym), we've benefited by being gifted freebie desserts or cornbread instead of letting them go to waste. I can't promise that will be everyone's experience -- we're there a lot so they recognize us -- but it's a testament to their service and kindness. Also, banana pudding is a lifeline for me. My City Barebecue wishlist? A horseradish based barbecue sauce. The current sauces are fine - I'd just like more variety. Also, download the app. You almost always get rewards in the tune of $5.00 of your order. Totally worth it. read more

Always a good selection...good pork sandwich and great beans. Friendly staff and anxious to please.

Great take out! Turkey sandwich juicy! Served Hot when brought home! Points for rewards! All sandwiches & Meats Yummy read more

The pulled chicken was great. Was able to try all of the sauces, they were good. And the girl at the front check out was extremely helpful as it was my first time in. read more

What happened to the portion sizes? I've been going for years, and suddenly the portions are reduced by half. They changed the names of some of the sampler and combo dishes and snuck in a pretty substantial reduction in the amount of food served. This is unfortunate, and they must think customers don't notice or aren't smart. Lots of competition out there. We used to go once or twice a month. I doubt we'll be back. read more

This is the best barbecue I've ever had. The service was amazing for a restaurant that's not necessarily full service. The managers there were awesome and let my family try samples of stuff before we bought anything. I like the atmosphere. The smell walking in was so good, the decor was nice, it really felt cozy. The music, while not exactly my cup of tea, was fun for the atmosphere. I looked on Yelp and some of these negative reviews don't make sense as I tried the food and it was delectable. The brisket was so tender, the turkey was moist, the sausage was awesome- I don't even like sausage but I loved this sausage. 5 stars all the way around. Great food, friendly staff and a cozy atmosphere. read more

I had a bad experience ordering about 9 pounds of meat for a party and City BBQ essentially couldn't fulfill the order and informed me 20 minutes before I was to have it delivered. I had 30 guests and no main course. I was very upset and the staff seemed not to care. That was that and I originally left a one star review. The next morning the Corporate marketing director called me to apologize. While it did not solve the problem the night before, I appreciated this company taking responsibility. Mistakes happen, people are imperfect and I accepted their apology and have amended my review to 4 stars for their integrity. City will hopefully learn and improve. My and my guests learned that we are connected by more than just bbq, and we all survived and enjoyed salad and desert! I would suggest that anyone making a large party order, call a day before and confirm your order :). read more

Ordered 2 meat platter - smoked turkey (very good) and brisket (just awful. So hard and dried out I could barely cut it). I expect a restaurant with BBQ in it's name could serve good brisket. Will not go here again. read more

What do ya want? Oh yeah! Give me some ribs baby! It's a cold cold Tuesday and all I could think about are the meaty, tender ribs from City BBQ bc it is RIB Day! It's not like that imitation MC-something time of the year, Rib Day happens every week on Tues for $1.35 per rib, basically 40% off an order if ribs! (That's good value, good eating to me!) Thank you very much, I'll have some leftovers please! As I was stuck in construction traffic on Waukegan, I was considering having my wife order from City BBQ app so we could start eating right away, but figured I just wait till I get there to order, since the kiddies fell asleep. We counted all the bones that we had and I swear that they kicked in an extra rib or two, generous portions and the ribs were better than I remembered them. A barky crust of spices, slow-bbq'd for hours tender, and great smoky flavor, it's everything I'm looking for in a rib. Sauces changed a bit. Guess you can't get peaches in the middle of winter, but they now have apple and cherry wine BBQ sauce. They make their own sauces so good for a change every now and then. I just mixed all the sauces together to make my own sweet heat BBQ sauce. Unlike some people though the flavor on the ribs is fine on it's own, I like my sauce. Also had a couple of sides, just to break up the rib-fest. Green beans were not as good as I recalled and the corn pudding was not as sweet/buttery as I recalled. When we arrived at 5pm, the parking lot was empty, thought it was closed. But the meat eaters started streaming in thereafter and we saw large orders for takeaway start after we were chomping on our ribs. The parking lot is a tad tricky getting into, but it's like finding treasure after manuevering through the maze of Deerbrook shopping plaza. We noted that the staff was even more on top of their game than our other times, very good at handling our coupons that we had and helping us with our order. read more

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Had a huge craving for BBQ and City BBQ delivered! I had an amazing meal here. Fall-off-the bone ribs, perfectly cooked and seasoned. Cornbread - one of the best cornbreads I've ever had (in the top two). Great brisket. Love the pickles. Great service. And btw, this location has way better food than the one in Vernon Hills. read more

What a GREAT chain! LOVE the food and Cheerwine BBQ sauce is simply awesome. --Ribs-- Yes, please! If Florence G.'s review is correct, I must stop by Tuesday for 40% off ribs. --Sweet Vinegar Slaw-- Brilliant! Fresh, crunchy, and sweet. Everything I've ever wanted in a vinegar based slaw; do not throw away. --Burnt Ends-- Hell yeah! I rarely find a burnt end that I don't like. --Brisket-- Solid effort, but nothing really to rave about here. --Sausage-- Not made in house. In a two or three meat combo, don't choose this as one of the meats. If you really wanna try it, ask the cashier if you can add a link. If you like great bbq with a wide variety of sauces and a station for traditional accoutrement (pickles, onions, etc.), City Barbecue is your place! With many locations in Ohio (20), Illinois (6), and Indiana (5), I'm definitely heading to City Barbecue & Catering anytime I'm nearby. read more

City Barbeque - Awesome array of sauces! TRY Cheerwine if you like cherries. - Barbeque Near Me - Deerfield, Illinois

Really a 3.5 for me. We stopped at City BBQ as it was near the Botanical Gardens and I knew it would have decent options for me. First, the staff is exceptionally friendly, especially cashier Adam - definitely appreciated. I like that you can get smoked turkey which is one of my favorite BBQ options. I didn't like that you couldn't get a single meat plate, it was a 2 meat sampler or a sandwich so I opted for a sandwich, no bun. Thumbs up for the turkey which was moist and very tasty! Thumbs down for their BBQ sauces which IMO are not good. (I realize that's a really personal preference thing and you might like them?) - WAY too sweet and honestly the two we tried tasted the same. The Mister tried their special, a Nashville hot chicken sandwich which he said was excellent so if that's available consider it. Their cornbread is generously sized and not too sweet. It's a nice space but the socially distanced table we picked was full of crumbs so I'm not sure how much the dining space gets wiped. I wouldn't say no to a return, but I wouldn't make a detour. read more

Past take out food experience here has been mixed. Have not been back for months. Thought to give them another chance. Dec 38 my Birthday. Deerfield location. Full slab of ribs + a sampler. About $75.00 worth of food. Worst ever BBQ. The ribs were greasy fatty. Only could eat a few. The beans were OK. The sampler brisket was dried out. Sausage ok. We could only eat a little bit & had to throw away most. We are not picky eaters and can't remember ever throwing away BBQ. This place permanently off our lists. Too many decent BBQ places in the area to go back to City BBQ. Deleted app from iPhone. read more

Stopped in on a late afternoon. The crew seemed very inclined to please. You walk up to the menu board to place your order. It's straightforward. Trying to decide what would be a test of their barbecue, went with the brisket and sides--a pretty good deal. The brisket was delish (no late afternoon overcooked issues)! Served on a traditional bun. Macaroni was a good side for me, not so much on the coleslaw (it's fine, just not to my taste). Good place to catch lunch I'd say. read more

City Barbeque - Step right up! - Barbeque Near Me - Deerfield, Illinois

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This restaurant has the absolute best pulled pork sandwich. If you add the original barbecue sauce on it makes it even better. The service here is always excellent. The atmosphere is welcoming and relaxing with music to listen to while you enjoy your meal. If you love barbecue food than you have to try City Barbecue Deerfield!! Happy eating!!! read more

Ordered food here for the first time during Covid and picked it up to go. It is great to order online ahead of time and they also call you to confirm. Service was quick fast and clean. The food quality is pretty good although a little bit dry with some of the meats. Additional sauces help. For the price this is decent barbecue especially if you were in the suburbs. I would come back here again and try more of the menu. I would not necessarily classify this type of barbecue to any specific region of the country with its style however it is decent barbecue. read more

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Went here for the private VIP pre-opening event. This is actually their 3rd location in the Chicagoland area and I have been to 2 of them. I am very pleased and impressed with the food here. The barbeque is authentic and delicious! There are so many choices here that it will take several return trips to try them all. My favorites are the Pulled Pork and the Beef Brisket. Love the smoky barbeque flavour! I had a sample of the smoked turkey breast and have put that on my list to try next time as it was also delicious! When you add 2 sides to any entree for only $3.49, it's a bargain! There are so many choices, such as: fresh-cut fries, potato salad, mac & cheese, corn pudding, garden salad, green beans w/bacon, sweet vinegar slaw, collards w/pork, hush puppies, baked beans w/brisket and cornbread. My favorites are the cornbread (even though each entree comes with Texas toast) and the sweet vinegar slaw. The portions of the entrees and sides are large and shareable. In fact, we always have left overs to take home and enjoy another day. What a great addition to the area, plan on coming here again and again and again! read more

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Arguably, best BBQ joint north of Memphis. This chain restaurant has mastered the art of BBQ. The portions are generous, the meats are tender and the flavors memorably good. Whether it's Pork, Brisket, Turkey or Chicken, they all seem  to be cooked with the same reverence, to a smokey tenderness that melts at first bite. The choices are many: They offer sandwiches for those who want a casual meal, a "pick 2 meats" which is more of a full diner plate, 1/2 and full "Rib slabs" and "Chicken" plates, but, to experience this place to the fullest, one of the sampler plates is in order; you will get to sample 4 meats with side dishes and toast. The family dinners are another option to share with friends or kids of your own. Take your time selecting your sides, with 11 to choose from, it can be a daunting task; but the portions are generous, so if you want to try a few, share with your friends. The sauce bar is an interesting aspect of the restaurant, for me the original sauce is best, but I must confess, I tried them all at one point; I couldn't help my self, thinking there could be another I would like best. I have visited other locations of City Barbeque in the past, and have never been disappointed. That's why I'm pleased they have come to the north side. P.S. Catering available read more

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This started out as a three and a half star review. We got take out from City Barbecue, so I can only speak to the food. The consistent theme was "it's fine". The brisket was fine. It was pretty moist. It could have been a bit more smoky, could have had a bit more bark on it, but it was fine. The ribs were fine. They tended a little to the dry side, maybe a little overcooked, but they were meaty and basically fine. The sausage was actually pretty good, kind of a polish style with some nice peppery notes. The turkey was fine, the pulled pork was fine. The sides were mostly fine. The side salad had a good variety of greens and some cherry tomatoes. The potato salad was strong on the mayonnaise, but it was fine. The corn pudding was sweet and had a nice consistency. The desserts were sweet and tasted like dessert. Nothing blew me away, but nothing scared me away either. There's something to be said for a place where you can order pretty much whatever and it's going to be OK. We're not going to be rushing to come back here, but when we're in the mood for barbecue, we're not going to be hesitant either. That gets City Barbecue the fourth star for us. read more

Tough to get into the place but the food is worth the effort. after a u-turn to get my touch-less pick up, I was off the the races to eat what smelled very good. We ordered for 4 of us and had a pint of creamy "dreamy" coleslaw which was great. Flavor and texture was a perfect compliment to our bbq meat. Nice cracked black pepper finish too. Next we had the quart of baked beans, honestly, these were some of the best I've had. Real chunks of burnt brisket ends made these a joy to eat and practically a meal in themselves. Oh yes, the meat! We had a pound of Turkey and a pound of brisket. Both were moist and flavorful and brimming with flavor. Corn bread, I'd suggest taking a pass here. I've had it twice and it's lacking flavor, not moist, and in general, just say no. It's big so that's the only plus. Pickles- tasty but only gave us 2- 2oz plastic cups for 4-5 people. Disappointing and seemed stingy. Also- sauces- 4 small 2-oz cups for same amount of people. Stingy in my opinion. Plus, I'm not a big fan of NC vinegar type of sauce and prefer KC much better but these were to the tomato side of sauces and were good. Lastly, while ordering for take out I specifically asked for plates, napkins, and cutlery. We were bringing to a new home and were starving. Well, what do ya know, they forgot to put that stuff in the bag. How embarrassing! We worked it out by eating with the lids from sauce and using the lids of meat containers as plates. Violation of take out law in my opinion. Thankfully I know my way around the caveman eating style. Don't do this stuff to yelp elites! read more

I was here for the first time yesterday. I really enjoyed it. We came early right around 10:40 and it was quiet. We ordered the 2 meat basket and I had the brisket and pulled pork. Both very good. The corn bread was delicious and the peach cobbler amazing! What I enjoyed the most is the sauce station, I love trying all the different ones and the self serve pickles are a fabulous additional. I even took a small container home. Service was fast and every one was friendly! It is pricey compared to our lunch spots such as McDonald's but your getting quality smoked meats and I think the price justifies what your getting. I will def come back to try the triple chocolate cake. Also I did have to take a doggy bag home so the portions are very read more

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We had a terrible experience at City BBQ in Deerfield, IL last Saturday (9/7). We were supposed to be curbside pick-up, but after parking and no response, my husband went inside. He was handed our pre-ordered dinner for 8-10 people. When he took it, the handles on the bag broke while in the store. He asked for help and they handed him another bag. We got home and the plastic containers holding the slaw, potato salad, and pork were shattered and the food was inedible. We called and the manager gave us $20.00 off our $100.00+ meal. I contacted City BBQ corporate and after a week have not heard back. We are former Columbus, Ohio residents and used to love City BBQ. We could not be more disappointed and would not go back, nor would we encourage anyone to patronize City BBQ. Such poor customer service! read more

I ordered the 3 meat sampler and portions have been reduced significantly. It seemed like the 2 meat sampler I used to order. The quality of the food overall was mediocre. This is a trend I've seen in struggling businesses. Unfortunately I won't be returning. read more

We needed dinner in a pinch and ordered the Judge's Sampler. We were impressed with the teamwork of the employees and the pure hustle, and were out of there in less than 10 minutes with a crowded dining room going on. The place is brightly lit and has an open counter/kitchen layout with communal and regular tables. It's got a modern bbq, yet local vibe, including 2 seats from Wrigley Field. There's a great variety of sauces and we tried the spicy blackberry, bourbon, green Chile, original, and sweet. On to the food. The Ribs and pulled pork were the stars, and the brisket and chicken solid. None of the meats were too Smokey and the portions fair. The mac and cheese was creamy and the right level of cheesy while the vinegar slaw was tart and crunchy-- a nice change of pace. The corn bread and Texas toast were both way above average and nice complements. So if you've got a hangry crew Jonesin' for bbq, is the best $39 you'll spend for takeout. read more

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One visit was more than enough. Oyyyyy....where do I start. Upon walking in, the energetic, zealous, young man spoke absolutely too fast when he explained to me how to use the City Barbeque app to get a discount. That being said, I slowed him down and I was happy to download the app for the hour in order to get the discount. For that matter, the ambiance and the food were not that good and would not have been worth full price. It was the second week of business and this joint was packed to the gills. We waited probably 25 minutes or more before reaching the service counter. At least the menu board was fairly self-explanatory and easy to understand and so we have plenty of time to check out this new place and get an idea what interested us. City Barbecue has that fun, stereotypical BBQ, corrugated metal look she also plenty of mural painting and fun signage. The murals seem to be locally oriented themes. As well, it seems they have As well, it seems they have plans to have fundraising for local groups, based on some of the signage on the walls. The queue to wait in line for placing your order is fairly standard and easy to follow, tight and packs in a lot of people. And just like some other barbecue places, there is a reach-in cooler for unique, small batch, bottled beverages. You can also get a good look at Cooks in the back slicing up meat, which makes it a little more interesting and fun. You get a good overview of this chaotic, crowded, loud, visually overly busy dining room. The young customer service girl was ambivalent. We realized it was very busy but we had arrived only an hour and a half into their service hours and so she couldn't have been there very long and had no reason to be bored. We noticed that half of the employees looked this way and the other half were enthusiastic and happy to be at work. Placing our order was easy and the process was pretty self-explanatory. Dad ordered chicken with baked beans and I ordered a brisket sandwich with corn bread casserole and hush puppies. We both ordered fountain drinks...self-serve pop. We found an empty table in the middle of the dining room and it was clean. However that put us in the middle of the noise, and between the music, customer service shouting orders , customers talking, and chairs scratching on the concrete floor, it was so very loud. My dad was about ready to turn off his hearing aids, and I wished I had hearing aids to turn off. The food was ready fairly quickly given how busy the restaurant was. We were happy about that. Dad was not impressed with the pollo -- it wasn't hot and the flavor was good but not exciting. I tasted it and felt the same way and thought it was also not that moist. The quantity was perfect. The baked beans were sweet and a little tangy, and we think there was meat in them -- the restaurant should make this clear on the menu board. My brisket was not tender and not moist/juicy...and at the same time had more fat than I've seen at other local BBQ joints. The flavor was nice but, like Dad's chicken, not exciting. One nice thing to note is that it was not salty. My cornbread souffle was delicious and definitely ample in terms of volume, and the hush puppies were decent and there were enough of them. I went to the barbecue sauce station, which was very nicely designed and easily accessible, and they had six or eight different flavors of barbecue sauce. There was definitely something There was definitely something for everyone, sweet, Tangy, vinegary, habanero, fruit... I really liked some of these sauces! Thank goodness we downloaded the app and use the instant coupon because the food would not have been worth full price. After we left the restaurant, I deleted the app and unsubscribe from the email list. read more

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Do you like for your shoes to stick the floor grounding you while you eat fatty cold BBQ served by staff who could care less if you ordered or stayed or left? Well then this is your place!! Fun fact! If you fill out their customer service survey you can only complain about one thing. Fun fact #2: when they call and leave a message the agent sounds as enthusiastic as the server you had 3 days prior! Fun fact #3: the customer service number they leave first asks if you want employment verification Apparently the world wants to service horrible BBQ in shabby/plastic like establishments Side bonus: Wouldn't invest a dime in a franchise or stock that this Mgmt company runs... read more

Really overpriced. Three meat sampler $ 30.00, and skimpy portions, barely warm food. Never going back.

Close to Texas as it gets! Worth the trip and I'll be back. I got the brisket sandwich abs green beans! Epic!

Fantastic BBQ. Was hesitant seeing the 3 star review but the food and atmosphere is great. Clean restaurant, fast service, reasonable prices. Lots of sauce and side options. read more

City Barbeque - LoLo's Pulled Pork - Barbeque Near Me - Deerfield, Illinois

The food was decent , too expensive . The restaurant turned me off with the fruit flies all over the soda Machine and sauces. read more