This place is located on the West side of Broadway, NW of the I-65 and US-30 junction…read more There is a sitting area inside to wait for your food but it is takeout. No dine in. The workers there are very understanding and patient with tourists. We had a lot of questions and wanted some substitutions and they were very accommodating. They had a burnt ends special (see photo) for $7.99 which was ridiculously good. The chicken and brisket were very good and tender as well. The sauce is very tasty. Okra, potato salad, and cole slaw were all excellent sides. Great meal overall.

The best rib tips this side of heaven! All center cut no bones! Friendly staff great customer…read moreservice!

Have been back to Franks many times, they have a large picnic style room dine in area and outdoor…read moreseating, I get mine to go. Keep arriving late I the day so they run out of rib tips so I have to get a full rack. I don't mind when they run out, let's me know how good it is and that they make it fresh each day. They do sell vacuum packed products too if you really want something including beef talo. Service is fast and friendly, save a few percent and pay cash.

Love this place!! Fantastic brisket and excellent sides. Fantastic Smokey flavor throughout all…read moretheir food making a nice cohesive meal. They have beer and live entertainment occasionally including outside in the summer. I'll keep coming and hopefully make and outdoor concert sometime soon!

Ember and Oak Smokehouse is a hidden consistent gem of the barbecue world in Gary. The rib tips…read moreand grilled/smoke wings are it and are an unapologetically an intense flavor-packed experience that delivered on every level. Ribs are not just "cooked"-they were smoked to perfection, breaking down the tough connective tissue into succulent, melt-in-your-mouth bites. Each piece was exceptionally tender, yet held that signature bouncy, chewy resistance. There was zero dryness here--just pure, smoky collagen-rich tenderness that made the cartilage easy to navigate around. The flavor hit hard from the first bite. The seasoning blend was bold, with a perfect balance of herbs, creating a "low-and-slow" depth that permeated all the way through the meat. The magic, however, was the sauce--a tangy masterpiece with just enough sweet molasses to create a sticky, caramelized bark. The tanginess cut perfectly through the fatty richness of the pork, leaving a lingering, savory heat that keeps you reaching for another piece. I keep creeping up on Ember and Oak and each time, meat and fries consistently seasoned, prepared cooked with an abundance of love.

When I am out in Gary I try my hardest to support a local business in miller. My dad and I were…read moredriving around stumbled on Ember and Oak Smokehouse. When we walked in there were a few people waiting so I said this has to be good. They do have a wide range of items. It is a take out place there isn't seating. I wanted the Turkey KTMB which is the signature item but they were out of turkey tips. I ordered the Build Your Own Combo with Fried chicken and chicken tips which came with fries with Wildwood. I also got spaghetti and Mac and cheese. My dad got the salmon burger with sweetwood on the fries. The Wings were very salty to a point that I couldn't finish the wing. The Fries and Chicken tips were very good and I really enjoyed the sauce. The spaghetti was good to me but I can see how some wouldn't enjoy it because it had a sweet sauce. The Mac and Cheese was not good to me. My dad enjoyed his Salmon Burger. He felt that his Fries were a little drowned in sauce. Price point I think it was a little over price as our meal cost about $85. I do still want to try the turkey tips Soon

Probably the BEST BBQ we have ever had! The brisket was cooked perfect and the Spoon Bread was…read moredelicious! Definitely stop by!

The best in North , excellent food and service ! I highly recommend this place for your barbecue…read moretaste !

This place is a straight-up trap. Granny always said, "Roll with pigs and you get up dirty," and…read morethat saying fits this situation perfectly. I came here to support the business and walked out with my car gone. The towing setup is predatory, lightning fast, and conveniently aimed at the very customers spending money inside. Whether the owners are "aware" or pretending not to be the result is the same ...dirty and unethical business practices. You've got multiple restaurants bunched together, but suddenly they want to be "discretionary" about parking? Park one space too far to the left or right and some invisible, lurking tow vulture swoops in while you're inside grabbing food. Seriously he's sitting back in a cut "waiting". No warning. No grace. Just gone. A $240 bill from a hole-in-the-wall chicken spot is insane. Not to count the $30+ spent on the food from "Woo Woo" Ain't NO chicken and ribs worth that!! By the time I got my car back from a sketchy tow yard way out in Markham (stay alert out there), the food was trash!! Dry chicken!! Fries shriveled up!! Ordered a chicken and fish combo the fish tasted like fried brown paper towels dusted with Lawry's. If a business profits while its customers get ambushed, that tells you everything about its integrity. This is not community-focused ‍it's exploitation, plain and simple. Save your money. Save your car. You can get hot fried chicken anywhere, and Harold's sauce is sold in stores now. Never again. Just my luck trying something called "Woo Woo's" ... you'll be saying "woo woo" alright when you came with chicken money and leave $240 lighter‍ Thank God I was able to get my car back, but I thought about the mom with 6 kids who probably can't. Or the hard working father getting off work from 60 hour week and all he wanted was some hot chicken and to get home and rest and make the last dollars he got stretch it til payday again. I know everyone not as fortunate as I am and that is a reality for some, especially in that neighborhood. But make no mistake they know exactly the community they serve, and this setup is intentional exploitation. If we don't stand for something, we'll fall for anything. #Integrity

Let's hop right into it…read more I will not, I CANNOT mince words. I WILL SAY, there is this unspoken "understanding" with most that there is always a wait with Ribhouses/Rib Joints. I will not debate all the reasons as to why this is the truth. But let me take you down a review of a continued disappointment in the restaurant of Woo Woo's . 1/31/25 Called in an order for a bucket of ribs mild and 2 6-piece wings(sauce on). Order done. I get a call back to tell me they wouldn't be able to do the order for the bucket,but could do 2 large tips. Alright(was my response). 45min to 1 hour wait. Alright. Well... The wait was over and hour. And they didn't even have 2 large tips to give me. No explanation. What was said? "We have a regular tip and a large and we can comp you for the large tomorrow if you come back.." Even after the phone calls placed regarding the order. *sigh* The prayer is that this food we ordered would be worth the waited time and slight inconvenience. Wings- Didn't come with sauce and were over fried. They kids did not like. *sigh* Rib tips(pictured): Fries were old, some were hot, some were cold. Some could be eaten, some couldn't. I have no idea what that was about, but it is what we received. The ribs were over sauced in my opinion but were not bad. The pieces that I could eat,were tender. The pieces I couldn't eat were over cooked(hard or burnt ) and there was more bone just slathered in sauce. As I type this review it is 2/1/25,and I am literally standing (back) in the restaurant waiting on a rib tip owed that I called in a 5:36pm. It is now 7:43pm. Everyone Angie the cashier/order taker speaks to, she tells them an hour wait time. Angie speaks to everyone very nicely. But Angie DOES NOT TELL THE TRUTH TO ANYONE IN THIS PLACE. TODAY OR YESTERDAY. Yes, I get it. It's a ribs place. Cool. I won't argue with anyone. But NO ONE should wait like this. NO ONE. I have dined at amazing places all over the world and have never had to wait on PORK SMOKED OR GRILLED like this. This entire experience was trash. There is no other way to say it. There is no other way to report it. And I know, there are hardly NO BBQ spots around here. It is the south burbs. I have not bene this infuriated in such a long time. For pork? Lol No. Never again. NEVER EVER AGAIN. I cannot support nor encourage the disregard of people's time. No matter how BASIC a ribs tip is. Lastly, (again, I called in to pick up what eas owed to me at 5:36pm). It is now 7:49pm and I am still standing here. *rolling my eyes* Blessings. Now sitting in my truck at 7:54pm Ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!!

Rudy's is the best barbecue in Valpo. We normally get the fried chicken (if it's in the menu) or…read morewings, but we tried the brunch this time and it was fantastic! Highly recommend going on a Sunday morning, grabbing a mimosa and trying all of their brunch items.

Another five star visit! The server was busy but right on point. Kitchen did good too! Food was…read morefresh and hot. I always pick the fried lake perch dinner and it was on point as always. Bar was clean and so was the bathroom.

Good bbq and excellent sauce, good variety (ribs, rib tips, Jamaican or regular sauce, easy street…read moreparking. The sides (slaw, a collard Greens, baked beans) are also excellent.

After following these guys for almost a year waiting for the opening of their brick and mortar…read morerestaurant, I FINALLY was able to try their full menu. The interior is really nice and comfy with a Caribbean vibe. The food is kind of expensive compared to other bbq places in The Region, but I was so excited to try their food. Got rib tips, brisket and four sides for $50. That included a $5 surcharge on the brisket. My experience wasn't all bad but it wasn't all good. First, the sides. We had the green beans, corn, Mac and cheese and yams. The only side that tasted fresh were the yams. They were delicious. I would rate them a 9 out of 10. The only thing that could have been better was a little more sugar. The green beans and corn were cold and bland. I would rate both a 4 out of 10. The Mac and cheese was cold, dry and bland-- not cheesy at all. 4 out of 10. The tips were fresh. A little fatty, but good. 7 out of 10. The best bite we had was the brisket. Unfortunately, for $20 (brisket with one side), we felt ripped off because the portion was TINY!!! We got three little thin strips of brisket about 4-5" long and one piece was literally half fat. Despite the small portion p, it was easily the best brisket I've ever had. The flavor was outstanding...10 out of 10! I just wanted more of it. I was still hungry after eating my brisket. BBQ is usually a hearty meal. I spent too much money to still be hungry.

Their owner will hunt you down for a review. It's really distasteful, honestly. If you are willing…read moreto purchase an ok meal, at an absurd price point, Hardys is just the place for you!

Best chicken wings in the area!! Service is awesome. Food is made fresh every time for your order…read morethe way you want.