I can't believe there are negative reviews about City Barbeque. I fell in love with City BBQ years ago while driving through Louisville, KY. I look forward to it every time someone in the family brings it up as a dinner idea. We don't live near a City Barbeque, so it's a special occasion thing for us.... And let me tell you, I have made up holidays so we can go. I love the turkey. Like, love it. The sides are amazing and every restaurant we have been in has been clean and the staff has been wonderful! Next Wednesday is National Bring your Teddy Bear to School day - perfect day for some brisket! read more

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I picked up dinner on the way home from work. My husband called in the order to ensure he told them I was celiac. I arrived a bit early and they were still putting the order together. They made sure they switched gloves, kept everything in different bags and even grabbed new salad ingredients to avoid cross contamination. They went above and beyond to make sure the food was safe. read more

I was really surprised to be disappointed by my meal today. Normally, I visit the Deerfield location but the City Barbecue app said they were out of ribs. At Vernon Hills I ordered ribs, hush puppies, cole slaw and baked beans. I quickly found the hush puppies had been overcooked and were pretty tasteless. The cole slaw and baked beans were fine. The ribs were tough which is certainly not what I've found before. Not sure what happened but I think I'll stay with Deerfield from now on. read more

After car shopping nearby ALL DAY, we were hungry for something hearty. Was happy to find City BBQ. Staff were friendly, gave us a sample of their corn bread casserole, which was pretty good! Ordered a variety of sides, a bbq sandwich and a serving of pork. The corn casserole, and the hush puppies were the only thing I can give any praise too. The pork was lukewarm,at best, and gristley. Cole slaw was flavorless, bbq baked beans tasted canned with house bbq sauce dumped on for flavor. Cornbread was overdone, not sweet (even with a pat of butter). Overall an unsatisfying meal. We left disheartened, and not full. The only thing that redeemed this restaurant was the service. The wait staff was attentive, smiling and kind. Also, not the cleanest restaurant I've ever been in. Needed a good sweeping, and a wipe down. read more

With the weather in the 90s, who wants to cook? We can't handle the heat so we got out of the kitchen and let City Barbeque man the grill. This is a little bit country a little bit rustic and a whole lotta tasty. My friend went for a cool crisp green salad with sliced tender brisket on top. I just went for the brisket and some green beans. You can top your meat (chicken-pork-brisket-ribs) with more sauce, I went with the sweet city. My brisket was sliced succulent and tender with charred ends. It was smoky and spicy and went down easy. The ribs sounded tempting - and of course the sides are good -- Cole slaw, greens, delicious fresh cut fries, Mac and cheese.... Glad we got out of the kitchen tonight and let City Barbeque handle the heat. read more

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Great location in Vernon Hills, especially with all the shopping in the area. We ordered at the counter and our food came out pretty quickly. The pulled pork and pulled chicken was excellent, very flavorful and moist. We also got the sausage which I find to be pretty average. The brisket was kind of disappointing because it lacked flavor and dry. I also found the cornbread to be dry and average. Mac & cheese was pretty good. Overall, ok barbecue spot. read more

City Barbeque - American Near Me - Vernon Hills, Illinois

1st time coming here with my wife and we ordered 2 samplers. Paid 3$ extra each for brisket/ribs/ leg&thigh. Ratings are 1-10 (10 being good) Overall: 3.5 Brisket: 5. Super lean and borderline dry. Small cuts also. Lacked smoke Ribs: 9. This was probably the best meat. Not fall off the bone, but it was tender. Fatty ribs which I liked. Lacked smoke Pulled pork: 7. Nothing special. Again lacked smoke Leg/thigh: 6. Started to get dry. Lacked smoke Collard greens: 7. Not my go to bbq side, but it was pretty good. Cheese fries: 9. I think they were seasoned. Wife liked it. Cole slaw: 7. Refreshing, but lacked flavor. Needed something to cut through the richness of the bbq Beans: 8. Chunks of meat in there. Not too shabby The bbq sauces all tasted the same... read more

The staff was very friendly and helpful, similar to Mission BBQ, but I wasn't impressed with the food overall. The 'Not a Sloppy Joe' was extremely salty (I was literally sweating from the salt), and the pulled pork was tough and dry. On a positive note, the sides were delicious, and I definitely recommend them. They were also accommodating when my youngest son didn't like the pulled pork--they kindly gave him a side of mac and cheese instead. read more

This was our second time dining here. The food was really good. Portions were generous. My husband and I shared the two meats/two sides combination. Plenty of food for us. Tge turjey breast in particular was delicious. I am actually thinking of ordering it for the holidays. The prices are reasonable as well. read more

Wow, every time I come in here I'm so impressed. You start with the best staff I've ever met and add in tasty BBQ and you get a restaurant that wins every time. First - the samples. Anything you want they let you taste first so you know you're getting a meal which satisfies. I especially love the potato salad and would do just about anything to get the recipe. The sandwiches are served up loaded with the tenderest meats and you have a wide selection of sauces to choose from. They're all yummy too! Great job, guys! I'll be back next week, and the week after...this is our new favorite place! read more

City Barbeque - Best potato salad ever! - American Near Me - Vernon Hills, Illinois

Love this place Stacy is the bomb .com the food is amazing the staff is even better we love it they make moments memories read more

City Barbeque - American Near Me - Vernon Hills, Illinois

Been there several times. Food is very consistent. Best BBQ in town. I would recommend them to anyone. read more

Ordered ribs and ribs were fall off bone. Brisket was cold . The texas toast was a toasted hot dog roll with no garlic toast flavor. The baked beans excellent. Potato salad lackluster . The sides should be half size and half the price . Ordering confusing.... Sides are ala cart. The barbecue sauces I didn't like . Need a honey barbecue or a another flavor. The chicken breast and wing difficult to cut with butter knives they supply. The chicken needed apple or pineapple juice marinated and then smoked for flavor... no flavor. Nice music and interior inviting. The staff friendly and made visit easier ordering... I will visit again ... but smaller portions and lower prices give people options for a reasonable lunch and not eating too much ... a brisket burrito with the baked beans would be a great lunch special burrito and a drink for 10 bucks? Overall , good barbecue even in Chicago read more

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My online carryout order was ready when promised. The beef brisket was outstanding, one of the very best sandwiches I've had recently. However, the wings I ordered were terrible. I've had wings from many different places around here. These were the worst I've had. First time I had to throw out wings. Three of the six wings were inedible and the other three were bad. read more

We went to City Barbeque in Vernon Hills today with a party of ten. The staff was patient as we tried to figure out what we wanted. The food was brought out quickly and was excellent. The pulled pork was great as was the smoked pastrami. We had four small children with us and they all cleaned their plates read more

My company ordered catering for 30. Pulled chicken, pulled pork and the desserts (banana pudding and triple chocolate cake) were loved by all!!!! Perfect catering for our group! Additionally - side note - love their buns. We had some extra buns left over so I brought them home for the family, now I'm going to have to go to city bbq for those too! read more

food is always delicious and staff is nice too:)love this spot. My place to go every Saturday

Let me start off by saying this location is not as good. Go to the Deerfield location, the food is SO much better! Here they got our order wrong. They were out of corn bread. My ribs didn't taste good at all. Everything seemed overcooked or under-seasoned or just not done right. What a shame because their specialty is BBQ and they can't even get that right. read more

This place has gone downhill so much since opening. I picked up dinner today and was so disappointed. City BBQ does not give a sheeet about putting their food together in an attractive and appetizing manner. The worst thing I got were the fries. They serve them in a little white cylindrical container now with no lid and no covering whatsoever. So nasty in a take home bag. The fries were cold and all over the place. Not only that, but the fry oil tasted like it needed to be changed out weeks ago. Such a nasty strong taste of over-used oil. Awful. I also got the dirty bird chicken sandwich. The chicken breast was: 1. Exceptionally small 2. Overcooked 3. Cooked in what tasted like old oil There were about 2 onion straws on the sandwich, which should have been topped with a nest of them. And, I also found potato chip crumbs and bits on my sandwich, of which there should be none. I am so sick of paying the inflated prices at places like this and having sheeet returned to us. I know I cannot be alone in feeling like this! YUCK! read more

Great service and food was great. Went right after the Bears training camp visit and food hit the spot!!Thanks Stacy! (Vernon Hilss)

Mediocre BBQ. Horrible service. If you do try it out make sure you call first and order so you're not waiting 30 minutes for your food. Then as for the food.. well I would expect a lot more for 15 bucks than what my picture shows. I mean the brisket looks dry. The pulled pork is.... yeah. how is this 15 bucks worth of food? And the Texas toast is a hot dog bun??? Reviews speak for themselves. You would think with other BBQ joints around they'd step their game up. read more

City Barbeque - 14.99 2 meat combo with Texas toast. Not worth it. - American Near Me - Vernon Hills, Illinois

A group of us came here today for lunch, August 27th! We're here around 11:30 am, yeah I know, it's early, we just want to beat the lunch crowd! We went to their Vernon Hills location! They are located at the Melody farms Mall on 60 and Milwaukee! We went today because they offered a whooping 40% off on their ribs every Tuesday, so we thought that was pretty good! We ordered the full slab which is $22.99 and with 40% off, you think it would be $13.79, but no, they do a different kind of calculation, the price turns out to be $16.20, no idea how they came up with this, it's what I say, false advertisement! Okay, besides all that craziness, I really like their ribs and all the sauces that you can choose at the back of the room! The ribs were very tender and tasty! Don't forget to download their app right before you go, you get $5 off! read more

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The food is decent here, and I usually order takeout for my family and I. I like the pick 2 meat option for a meal and they have a variety options for sides. Sauce is also quite flavorful, and I like how it's separate from the meat so it doesn't get soggy. The past two times I've gone, however, they've run out of half the things I order. I usually order at the start of dinnertime too, around 5-6pm. Instead of calling me to notify, they just skipped out on things altogether. If they improved their customer services and supply management, I feel like they would do much better and be an asset to this community! read more

Delicious! Visited for the first time Sept 10. Ordered to go, 2 lbs of brisket, collard greens, corn pudding a little corn bread and banana Pudding too. All very good! Great place, good atmosphere and the ones working the counter were so friendly and helpful! Everything was generous. Greens are tender and seasoned well, Corn pudding flavorful and the brisket is tender and juicy with a nice bark, so delicious. I'm visiting from Dallas and would recommend City Barbeque! read more

Very kind lady and great service. Food was amazing including the Cobbler and Chile they gave us for free.

Been on my list, smelled delicious driving thru mellody farm. So stopped in and was greeted by David. He was fantastic . Very informative and when I enquirer about sides he let me sample them. Wow that with pick two. I had pulled pork and brisket was good flavor a little dry . I think they were under the lamps and coming in after two . I will come back with the family and try it on a peek hour. The guys were wonderful very happy and sure seemed to like their job. I loved the selection of sauces and they also have a relish area . My daughter would pull herself up to the pickle bar like a trough all 110 pounds of her. But boy can she eat. Enjoy it now that time in your life has a short window once you approach 25. Good thing she works out. Any way give it a try and download app first time in and you get 5.00 off. Say hello to Davis he was the best!! read more

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The best BBQ and service in the burbs! They always take care of me and my family and we usually have a big party!

We went here in a whim and ordered a plate to split. My daughter loved the Mac, we loved the hush puppies and the turkey and pork were so moist. All the bbq sauce have great flavor. We will definitely go back!! read more

So disappointed today. We took our grandchildren to enjoy a favorite place of ours, only to find out that the Judges platter is no longer on the menu and no other similar options. The pulled pork and brisket was barely warm where the ribs were not warm at all. Part of my dinner was pulled chicken that didn't come out with the order and I was told it was coming. We asked again for it and was told they were making it fresh? When we finally rec'd the chicken it was not hot, it had bones in it and it tasted disgusting. Not able to eat it so it went in the trash. Plus it came out after we finished with the dinner. We had been eating here for years and always enjoyed our food but today changed that. After spending $75.00 we will no longer recommend this restaurant. read more

The staff at this place are very customer oriented. I got the 3-meat combo.Most Excellent

Love the food here. BUT they are out of some kind of meat every single time we've gone. One night they only had sausage left.... My family doesn't eat late, so I can't imagine what people are supposed to eat if they arrive later. The store needs a better way to estimate food. Nobody wants to find out a BBQ spot has no BBQ read more

I ordered from this location twice for catering and both times they forgot something from my order. Not sure who is working at the Vernon Hills location, but they have no clue how to package orders. Please explain how you forget very important items like plates and utensils or buns. There is no excuse in the world for this type of incompetence. read more

This place is always a favorite. The service is not just spot on, it's also super quick. I always get the brisket, lean with extra bark. For me, the only correct sauce is a mixture of their sweet heat, brushfire and a packet of honey. Even if they opened a location closer to me (Chicago), I'd still find myself stopping here even I'm in the area. Cause, it's more than just the food. The Vernon Hills location is my new favorite. Go to there... It's exactly like I'd make at home... If I knew how to make a brisket and various BBQ sauces (shrugging face emoji). Hahaha. read more

I'm really thrilled with City Barbeque. I find it very hard to believe they have over 50 locations around the country. When you walk in you would not think this is a chain and when you taste the food, again, it tastes homemade. We went to the pre-opening Yelp Elite event a few weeks ago and decided to go back. First, we thought the experience was so good, we wanted to do it again. But, they also do catering. We're planning a wedding and our daughter (the Bride) is considering having them do the catering. She and her fiance loved it so much they are arranging a tasting next week. While a little far from our home, going to this place was well worth the extra travel. Carolina barbeque at its finest! read more

City Barbeque - American Near Me - Vernon Hills, Illinois

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Visiting from Austin, TX. We didn't have high hopes for this restaurant, and we were correct. If you're from Texas, think of dry, very bland, nonsmoky bbq like Bill Miller or worse Dickeys. But we were in a hotel and hungry, and it fed us. read more

Awesome BBQ! Great tasting sauces and variety. Many sauce cups which is great for taking to go or sampling in. Great tasty food. Had the cheesy bacon fries which are great along with the Cow Bell. Unexpected cow bell ring lol, nonetheless great tasty food. Highly recommend this place for your BBQ fix read more

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Love the staff, love the food. Good prices and good people. Love that they have a substantial military discount and their loyalty program is the best around. Love going here. Love rib day especially. The cowbell sandwich has quickly become my favorite. The Texas toast is awesome. They've helped us with a couple of charity initiatives and I am forever grateful. They've also been so accommodating with my service dog who has made friends with several people on the staff. Do not hesitate to go here. read more

City Barbeque - American Near Me - Vernon Hills, Illinois

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The restaurant is open for dine-in and to-go. My husband is a big eater so he ordered the city sampler, guess what, it was too much for him! Kept in the fridge and ate the next day and they tasted even better! LOL. My kids had tenders and mac 'n cheese and they both finished their meal food super fast! The sauces are awesome, they like the version of nando's peri-peri but for different kinds of meat. Sweet meat was too sweet and should be complemented well with Brushfire (spicy but not so much). The people inside wore masks and they were kind & friendly. We'd definitely be back and dine-in when this is all over! read more

Such great service from the crew. I really enjoyed myself while here last week. The food was very good and I enjoyed having multiple sauces to choose from. I can see myself going back soon. read more

Curbside take out review Food was good but the packaging and service was terrible. Ordering over the phone is a hassle , I would think the company would rather make it easier for people to order directly through eliminating 3rd party. Curbside delivery was basically a mystery ? Why offer it when they don't do it. We had to come get the food from the inside and the 2 guys working the counter on 5/8 seems like they were just bored and didn't want to be there. read more