Best damn bbq period. Candy bacon... the best!! Great service and atmosphere! Don't miss out on this place!

Coming from someone who lived in the south; I am always on the hunt for some great BBQ. Since moving to Chicago a few years ago, good BBQ has surprisingly been very hard to come by. To date, Honky Tonk is by far the best that I've had here. Their smoked meats have phenomenal flavor and the brisket had a great bark on it. Also, they do offer hot soul food sides which I really admire because lot's off BBQ restaurants will only offer limited cold sides. After having it for the first time, I found myself back here 3 times within 2 weeks. It also has a pretty good location in University Village surrounded by a few other bars so I've gone here several times for dinner after grabbing drinks at a nearby bar. Is it better than than old fashioned southern bbq that I've had? No. But to essentially be a fast casual bbq restaurant in a Chicago area that has very limited options, this place is a home run in my book. Highly recommend. FYI : It is more on the expensive side, expect to spend $17-25/pp read more

Meh! I remember eating here a few years ago, but I couldn't remember whether I liked it or not. And the reason is because I didn't review it before and it was really mediocre. This time around, I ordered for delivery through grub hub. I wish I could say the food doesn't translate well to takeout, but it's really just because the food isn't that great. We ordered the combination platter to get a taste of everything. While the size of the meal was more than substantial, the quality was subpar. Hotlinks: A bit tough, overcooked and overseasoned Ribs: Nice rub but a little leathery on the outside, nothing to write home about Chicken: Decent enough but nothing I would go back for Pulled pork: VERY dry Brisket: probably the nicest part of the meal, but the little bun it came on seemed sort of unnecessary. Sauce: Three different sauces, all WAY too bitter! I ended up using my own bottled bbq at home, a shame! Slaw: Gross! It was dry and vinegary...no creaminess at all Cornbread: would probably have been tastier at the restaurant The entire meal was luke warm by the time it got to us, which was surprising because the delivery time was only about 45 minutes. How did it get prepared and delivered to us that fast and also be so cool to the touch??? All this for $33 pre-tax, tip and delivery ($45 after all that) I must remember that it's not worth going back. Damn you Food Network for making me crave BBQ when there really aren't any good BBQ joints close to home! read more

Ahhh.... As far as your popular meats are concerned this place gets er done, Ha! I ordered from there two nights ago, and I listened to some of the reviews and tried some additional items I wouldn't normally order. Unfortunately, they were so bad I took a few bites and tossed those items in the trash but the rest of the food was delicious! So what was the problem with those specialty items and what was right with the others? 1) Bacon candy - I heard it was the best thing ever. When I bit into this very tough piece of meat it tasted like some old meat that was turned into jerky with a bunch to brown sugar slapped on it to mask the taste. It was so tough to eat, I was chewing and chewing and chewing like I was a cow. I've never had chewy bacon so now sure why they called this thick overly tough piece of meat bacon. The candy part, I totally get. It was super sweet and normally this would be a great combination with a crunchy piece of bacon but the meat they used was not bacon and didn't taste anywhere near fresh. It wasn't even in the same zip code as fresh meat. 2) Fried green tomatoes in cornmeal. No seasoning whatsoever. It literally tasted like cornmeal without salt, pepper or any other kind of seasoning that insinuates that people with taste buds will be eating it. Cornmeal doesn't have an overly pleasant taste by itself so I'm not certain where they were going with completely unseasoned tomato's, but all I can ask is which crowd was this recipe intended to serve? 3) Rib Tips... they were really good. I ate too many but was super excited to put some in the fridge to eat the next day for lunch and guess what they were really good the next day too! 4) Championship Pulled Pork sandwich, I sampled my friends sandwich and it was decent. As far as pulled pork goes it wasn't spectacular. Once again the seasoning was "held back" the meat itself was fresh, the bun was a good choice and the sauces were excellent. My friend enjoyed and I would try it again with sauce on it not dipped so it's a thumbs up. 5) Honorable mentions... the Mac and cheese was pretty cool, the pork and beans had lots of pulled pork - yay, corn muffins were wow awesome, but the green ehhhhh I am going to say I prefer my greens made a certain way and it's quite difficult for a bbq place to spend the kind of time it takes to make greens taste like the smoked meat that is usually used to make it. The greens were a huge thumbs down but I was glad they offered them. Someone's going to eat them again, but it won't be me! Lol I will definitely eat here again, but I'm going to stick to their larger more popular meat selections like their brisket, rib tips and etc. I won't be trying their bacon candy or other items again. read more

not great, very dry and mealy ribs and brisket... save your money and avoid this place

This place just seemed too surreal to be in Pilsen. It was like walking into another world - a pretty awesome world. I shared The Sampler with a friend. It consisted of two sausage links, two dinky dunkers (one pork and one beef brisket), side of cole slaw, side of beans, half smoked chicken, two corn muffins and half a rack of ribs. The chicken was so moist. The rib meat came off of the bones. The beef brisket came apart nicely. The sausages were a bit spicy and grilled nicely. I'm not the biggest fan of beans, but these beans were good. I wasn't a big fan of the cole slaw though. It seemed like they got a bag of lettuce that you get in salad bags and added too much vinegar to it. It wasn't my cup of tea. I think aside from the food being awesome, the thing that made Honky Tonk BBQ seem surreal was the live country/folk music. The dim lighting helped to set the mood. Overall, it was a pretty good dining experience. read more

Honky Tonk BBQ - The Sampler - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Established BBQ joint that's been in Pilsen for like 15 years, right now the dining room is only open on the weekends. All other times except Monday they are take out only. The have a mobile app you can order from or order from their website and you pay at pick up counter. I think this helps them avoid these maggoty third party food apps that rob them of profits, they said. Pretty standard BBQ menu with half a dozen apps, platters, meats by the LB, sandwiches & sides! Tried the pulled pork sandwich and it was phenomenal, they won the gold medal at Memphis in May a few years back... they said. On to the sauces and they have three offerings. The Carolina garlic mustard is great, one of the best sauces I've had this year! The Memphis tangy is also very good, didn't try the Chicago sweet.. yet. Cornbread & Pickles also very well done and I can wait to go back to try the hot links & ribs! Must try joint/ talk later read more

Honestly I wasn't too impressed with the Brisket or the Baby Back Ribs, not enough flavor in the meats and a little bit too dry, maybe Memphis style is not my type? Southern Greens we're too salty but worth a try. The Hot Link was excellent, same as the sauces. read more

Just dont do it. Overpriced, undercooked often ...go to a bbq place like in the southern part of the city instead or west lol do not fall for the gentrified bbq spots. read more

Very very rude guy in front never had such horrible service in this area. 0/0 would recommend food isn't even that great then the staff wants to be rude on top of that? No thank you good luck read more

Grubhub order: 1/2 Slab of Ribs with Coleslaw, Mac and Cheese, Pretzel Roll Excellent packaging for delivery food arrive hot. Which was great, except for the coleslaw. Ribs: Texas Style. Very tender, very smoky. Almost didn't have to chew. Paired great with their Chicago BBQ sauce. Coleslaw: Very vinegary and watery. Meal didn't come with fries so it was up to the coleslaw to pull the weight in the classic "rib, fry, coleslaw, white bread" sandwich, but wasn't up to the task. Mac and Cheese: Had a good kick to it, which I didn't dislike, but was surprisingly. A fine at-home meal, especially for lovers of Texas BBQ, and I was perfectly satisfied, though there are other Chicago places I prefer. read more

Best wings ever, and Tommy like wingy. They are SUPER JUMBO. Crispy and flavorful, and the sauces are a bit different than most.

Decided to stop in here for a drink before a show at Thalia Hall and we're glad we did. The bartender (Sadie) mixed us a couple of good drinks and the banana pudding was fantastic. I wish we'd gone there for dinner before the show as the BBQ smelled delicious. read more

This is a great place to go to when you want to party; the live band is jumping and it's tough to sit still. The coleslaw, the portobello mushrooms, the tasty ribs and the banana pudding are simply divine! There is so much love in their food! And the servers bend over backwards to serve with graciousness. Beth and Willie are the best! One of my favorite places to eat and listen to music. read more

I was just at Honky Tonk BBQ (Chicago) and if you're going because it was featured on the TV show "Diners and Drive-ins" don't bother. I ordered 1/2 slab ribs and with that meal you get a little coleslaw cup. I think they threw in a roll just because I asked if there were any other sides. I could have ordered more sides for an extra charge. I typically get ribs at other establishments and get a Meaty size 1/2 rack ribs, beans and corn muffins (included). The ribs at Honky Tonk BBQ were small and had very little meat on them. I didn't think these ribs even compared to some other rib joints. I won't go back. read more

I ordered this on door dash. Everything was dried. Pork need to cook longer n bland. Ribs seem old and over cooked. Brisket was dried needed more flavor. Cornbread was dried. Never again read more

Torn between 3 or 4 stars. 4 stars only for the ribs!! Service- excellent. Our server was warm and friendly, and got us everything we needed the entire time. We were a large table with 9 people and 20% gratuity was automatically added. Food- some items were disappointing and some were good: STL ribs- my favorite of the night. The ribs were hot and fall of the bone tender. Super moist and juicy. Cornbread- dry and cold. Sad face. Brisket- dry. Needed sauce to finish it. Mac n cheese- good. Wish it was warmer though. Portobello mushroom side- good. Hot link- okay Coleslaw- too tart/ vinegary! Habanero mango wings- first, they are not HUGE as described. They were normal sized wings. Second, not spicy at all. More sad face. Banana pudding- okay. Missed some fresh whip. Overall would come back for the ribs! read more

The food is just nasty. Please don't waste y'all time. The beans smell like baked beans but don't taste like anything. The ribs have a dry rub and literally just taste like meat. I got the platter (the biggest one) and it was the biggest mistake. The pork had the texture of fat but when you look at it, it wasn't fat? The coleslaw tasted like vinegar. The Barbeque sauces are disgusting. I was hoping it would save the meat but nope, made it worse. This is the worst bbq I've had. The chicken skin was so cooked that I thought it was wrapped in paper but no, it was the skin. Lastly, the cornbread was dry and burnt and tasted like nothing as well. Idk how they managed to make everything taste like nothing. A true talent. (I posted pictures, it's the chicken that is very very light) read more

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I just want to say, I am a big fan of this restaurant. I am so freakin disappointed with my meal tonight. I mean this is the first time I can say it was horrible.... I always ordered a sampler platter about 50 dollars bucks. I came in and ordered my food so it can be hot. I am about 15 minutes from the restaurant. The food was cold, brisket was dry, link was overcooked and chicken was under cooked. The ribs and pull pork was alright, baked beans, coleslaw and cornbread was good. Just an FYI ... read more

I ordered the BBQ platter thru Grubhub on Sunday (9/19/21), and the delivery was quick. Everything was tasty (per usual), but my fiancé and I got VERY sick one hour after consumption. We assume it was either the sausage or the coleslaw. The sausage was undercooked and the slaw was slightly sour. Anyway, just a heads up to smell the slaw and ensure your sausage is fully cooked to avoid the awful sickness that we endured!! read more

I had been hearing about this place for awhile now. I ordered the platter. It was pretty good.

Food was great, the live music was great! It's a seat yourself place- so service could have been better

Ordered their ribs through delivery. It was completly burnt. It was burned so bad it was hard to break pieces off, let alone chew it. The ENTIRE half slab of meat was burned to a crisp. Do not order from here! read more

Honky Tonk BBQ - St. Louis Ribs - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Love everyone who works here Food was top notch Who doesn't love live music everyday read more

Cobbler had no peach. Ribs dry and no flavor. Mashed potatoes out of a box. Corn bread cold and old. Yams are too sugary with not enough texture. Ugh. read more

Due to COVID is only delivery or pick up I stop by pick up some Brisket sandwiches , BBQ wings, Mac and cheese , and 6 pack of Lone star. The food was amazing read more

Dang me! Another landmark in the Great hamlet of Pilsen that I never reviewed but go to quite often. They've been around for years but not as long as I. I met the owners of HT on the north side when they were doing their mobile BBQ and serving those dinky dunkers at shows and fests. I've been coming here since they opened and have had most if not all of the food. I like coming in when it's cooler because I like the throw back of the front bar to older and simpler times. It's dark and you can smell the smoke and meat. Although they have pretty good bar service I'm happy with the Lone Star - it goes down fast and it's cheap ($). I'm not a sweets fan so deserts I'm low on opinions but I do like Baked Alaska and Creme Brulee - which are not on the menu. Just an FYI.... So - what I like are the rib tips especially when they have that deep char crust over the fat. They have excellent sauces but I like the meat naked (ha ha - no sauce). The smoke permeates the meat and the combo of meat, char and fat make for a gastronomic party. A few beers and an order of the tips is all I need. For the real treat - I do the Viking Short Rib in winter. It's like a giant size version of the rib tips but beef and it's worth the money. In case you wonder why winter? -- It's too damn hot in summer for a belly full of beef. So wait til it cools off - split the ribs tips with a friend and then do the Viking - I dare you. And if you can't finish it is easily reheated. And that aint no bull. read more

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We stopped by here before our daughter's volleyball game at IIT. Really interesting decor that makes you feel like you are in an old time saloon. BBQ was excellent. My husband had the brisket which was so tender you could cut it with a fork. I ad the 1/2 chicken which was really good. The skin was more like cracklings and the inside was moist. For the price, it is a great deal. The Mac and cheese had a great roux which I used to dunk my chicken in. Slaw is vinegar based and good. Southern greens were spicy with a kick. We ere early in the day and service was good - they were still setting up for later but made us feel welcome. Definitely will come back! again. read more

The food here is amazing - well seasoned, fairly priced and very filling. I ordered the wings, Mac and cheese. Both were good, but it wish the wings were a bit less chewy. As for the bread, it was some of if not THE best cornbread muffins in the city! read more

I love Honky Tonk! The candied bacon, the dunkers, the ribs, the chicken, I love this place. I recommend the sampler platter! This is very good bbq read more

We were stoked to get bbq for dinner! The packaging was probably the best part of the whole meal. The meat was great, although the ribs weren't "fall off the bone" good. The Mac and Cheese tasted almost sour, like the cheese had gone bad. We took two bites and didn't go back for more. The beans should have showed as "watery bean soup" because that's what we got. Horrrrrible. The cole slaw also tasted tart as if it had just gone bad. Lastly, the cost for all this was so exorbitantly high we really expected the food to hit it out of the park. Was a huge swing and an even bigger miss. Never again. read more

Smoked chicken was bland and dry. Brisket was not cooked long enough to render the fat and grizzle. Pit master needs a talking too cause this BBQ ain't right. Atmosphere was great and service was awesome but the BBQ didn't equal that. read more

Friendly staff. Love that there is space for live music. Dark as most bars usually are I guess. We went there based on the fact that they serve pound cake with bourbon sauce. We made the right choice. If you don't get anything else, get the pound cake with bourbon sauce! read more

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Honky Tonk BBQ, located in the Pilsen neighborhood, is the no-frills, music-loving, bbq-cooking kind of establishment you need in your life. We ventured in on Friday evening to watch the blues duo Bubbles Brown perform. Such a great, low key Friday enjoying good music and good food. We ordered the sample platter. I didn't love everything on the platter, but am glad we tried it as I now have a definitive ranking of their meat selection. 1. Brisket Sandwich - Hands down my favorite. The brisket was as tender as the bun. 2. Pulled Pork Sandwich - Good, but I wouldn't say exceptional 3. Half Chicken - Perfectly cooked, for fans of dry rub 4. Ribs - Too smoky for my preference 5. Sausage - Was not a fan, then again I'm not a fan of most Next time I go back, I will definitely be ordering the brisket again. I'll skip the mac and cheese, which I didn't like much. And will order the candied bacon which I hear is somewhat famous. read more

Boot, Scoot & Boogie!  If you're in the mood for some BBQ & country, saddle up & go to the Honkey Tonk BBQ in Chicago, IL. Honkey Tonk is a low-key, casual/divey, neighborhood bar that serves up an appetizing menu of BBQ, brews & specialty house drinks. I guess it has a more countryish theme than your average Chicago bar cuz it's called "Honkey Tonk," serves Q & country-sounding, specialty drinks & plays music that's not hip-hop, pop, rock or alternative. But that's about as country as it gets at HT cuz you're more likely to find neighborhood locals & a crowd o'hipsters rather than any cowboys. HT is no-frills & is dark with a bar & wooden booths & has a small stage for live bands. Nothing at HT really screams "honkey tonk" to me but perhaps the menu gives it southern cred! HT has a whole gamut of traditional BBQ offerings: ribs, brisket, pulled pork, BBQ chicken, sausage & the like. BBQ is my least fave food group to be honest & I really only like ribs from 1 place in Chi & 1 place in Memphis. But I was hungry so I tried food here for the first time on my last visit & got the "Girlfriend Salad." It's mixed greens with goat cheese, jicama, berries, walnuts, HT house dressing for $8 & I added BBQ chicken for $5. The salad was a big portion with ample fresh goodies & I think the chef placed a whole damn chicken on top! The chicky was very juicy & flavorful like a dry-smoked, BBQ seasoned kinda chick not drenched in BBQ sauce, thank goodness! Giddy-up! I'd eat this GF again, this was surprisingly one of the best chicken salads I've ate in awhile! The sides are a la carte so I got the small side of portobello mushrooms ($3.50) cuz I can't ever pass up a gemmy bowl o'shrooms! These guys were big & sautéed to a crisp literally, the edges were a lil too crunchy for my preference. Good flava but ease up on the char-effect perhaps?! I also added on 1 corn muffin for $1.50. Presentation was cute but muffie was kinda cold. Kudos for bakin' it with real corn pieces inside though, was probably betta/fresha earlier that night but still tasty. I can't vouch for the ribs or other Q options at HT but based on my gemmy, BBQ chick-GF salad, I'd wager the other stuff is good too. FYI: If you're a fan of all things bacon, you're in for a treat cuz HT is known for its specialty starter, bacon candy. For $11 ya get a plate o'cut-up, caramelized, fried, crunchy bacon strips. I've tried it & I'm not a fan but lotsa peeps go hog wild over this shit!  HT has gotta a good selection of beer on tap & cool countryish, house drinks & lotsa liquor. I usually just go straight vodka but I did taste the "Moonshine" house cocktail ($8): It's bourbon, Veev Acai spirit, lemonade & house-made cherry. It's too sweet for my bitta blood, but I'm sure it'd only take a couple o'these & I'd be a Mello-Yello!  Last HT provides free, live musical entertainment for its patrons. The time lapse between my previous visits to HT & my most recent one has been quite awhile but if my memory serves me right, I believe there were blues-country, hillbilly rock genre kinda bands performing on past occasions. I can't be 100% certain since every time I've been to HT it's been quite late & drinkin' straight vodka tends to blur the memory. But on my last to visit to HT, a jazz band was undeniably performing & not the cool, bluesy kinda jazz rather the "I feel like I'm stuck on a GD, packed elevator & I wanna effin' hang myself kinda jazz!" But ya can't always get what ya want!  So if you're in the mood for something a lil off the beatin' path or are cravin' some Q & live music in a low-key/neighborhood kinda joint, I recommend boot-scootin' into the Honkey Tonk BBQ in Chicago! A lotta peeps are supes cray about HT & would prob give it a 4 or 5, but I'm not really into C&W & am usually just ridin' bitch when I wind up here. HT isn't really one of my fave watering holes in Chicago but y'all might FUC luv it & I still think it's a pretty cool place to get some Q, brews & if you're lucky hear a lil blues! read more

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Honky Tonk BBQ is definitely a restaurant that will not disappoint! I've had the pleasure to visit this place a couple times with a large group of friends - easy and oh so yummy! My Boyfriend and I were so fortunate to host Boston Globe Best Seller Kyle Darcy while he visited Chicago for the weekend. We thought, where can we take him??? It wasn't long for us to decide on Honky Tonk! This restaurant has never disappointed us and each time we've visited the live entertainment has always made our visit even more memorable! Parking in the area is a real BITCH, especially in the winter it's a COLD BITCH, prepare yourselves... It's so worth it! Upon entering we were greeted and quickly seated with no problem! Our drink orders taken and shortly after receiving the men were ready to order their meat platter! More than enough for two growing men!!! I went with the Fried Green Tomatoes and the Mac & Cheese, more than enough for little me! Everything was perfect! You'd expect to wait forever for your food but that's not the case when it comes to Honky Tonk! They really make it a point to keep their customers happy and most importantly fed! We waited no more than 10 minutes and everything came out fresh and tasty! We were very pleased with everything and our special guest enjoyed the food and entertainment! Definitely a highlight of his visit and we are surely going to bring him back the next time he visits. I should mention that being a VEGETARIAN, Yes that's right, I absolutely love this place! The fact that there are options for me is huge! Come in for the BBQ and definitely make it a point to try their sides, you will not be disappointed. The fact that Honky Tonk keeps me well fed and satisfied says a lot! Hard to believe a Vegetarian loving a BBQ joint, it's possible and especially when it comes to Honky Tonk. Check it out, groups, intimate date night... expect to enjoy yourselves and leave with a full and satisfied belly! ENJOY! read more

Honky Tonk BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I said it was a one-time thing and I should have left it at that. The years have not been kind to our steamy tryst, Honky Tonk. This was a lesson in "You can't go home again" and when I say something, I need to mean it. I fully realize that in the three years it's been since I last set foot in your doorway, things have changed. You've enjoyed mucho success. The dining room is crowded. The physical space has doubled. I am pleased to see you doing well. But, I was not pleased with: - the non-existent service. More than once, I asked my dining partner if the restaurant was self-service. From the time we sat to the time we left, we saw our waitress four times. No bueno. We had to ask for napkins -- at a BBQ place -- because we weren't given any (or silverware). Eh? I had to ask for my soda (when my food came) and it was brought over by a bus boy. She never asked how our food was, if we needed/wanted anything, if we had a pulse. Who/how do I tip for being ignored and not waited on? I definitely got the impression that I and my business were after-thoughts. - the speed with which we were rushed in and out. As I mentioned, I received my food before I received my beverage. Odd. Add to the oddness, I received my food pretty quickly after ordering. I fully realize that BBQ can sit in warming bins as it (in busy restaurants) has been smoked/bbqed/whatever hours previously. But if it takes more time to press a lever and fill a glass with carbonated beverage than to put a plate of food in front of me and there are no golden arches in sight... that gives me some pause. This added to the wham/bam service we received. - the food I ate. My bbq was nauseatingly fatty. Once I stripped away the globs of congealed goo from my sandwich, I had a third less food. The bread fell apart (like last time) as I ate and getting through the sandwich was more chore than joy. I get paid to do chores, not the other way around. The mac & cheese was substantial but rather tasteless. I enjoyed the cornbread. The price for two people was not insignificant and I was galled to pay it given the experience. Waiting for my change (oh yes, this tip would be parsed out with exact precision) took almost as long as the dining-in experience and came with about as much care. This really is the last time. read more

1st disappointment, I first ordered the bbq jackfruit, not Avil! so I ordered the fried green tomatoes (BLT) I didn't know was a sandwich, let me add this in the black community fried green tomatoes DO NOT belong on BREAD, ugh, I just went by the waitress's suggestion & a side of mac & cheese, which came cold I asked if could be warmed up, the guy said he'd just bring me another one, okay, so then I ordered fried pickles. and wow I couldn't believe they would serve something like this and expect someone to accept it, it was OVERLY cooked, burnt, fried super hard, greasy, and untasty. I was so disappointed I didn't stay for the band for the reason I went there. I had to wave someone else down to request a check, my bill was 33.53. I gave her/the waitress $40.00 cash she gave me a change of only $6.00. I called her back & asked where my change of .47 cents she stated they didn't have any change, and that they round up or down, but she'd get it from her pocket, WHAT? sooooo! you round up/down in the favorite of the restaurant & not the customers, more importantly, to inform them? that's cheating & stealing, purposely not giving a person ALL their change due, so do the math. If they do this to all their customers... my 47 cents & other lost cents all add up to a lot in the end, BAD BUSINESS. SMH The food blah, not good, the cook must be someone who just works in the kitchen & not a CHEF. read more

Honky Tonk has been on my list to try since before it got popular on Check Please! and I've just been waiting for the fever to settle down before checking it out for myself. The space is simple- outfitted like an improvised art gallery or coffee house with huge paintings on the wall and wooden tables and chairs. We were there on a weeknight and there was even some entertainment with a guitar player crooning out tunes which was a nice touch to the place. We ordered a couple of slabs of ribs, and two sides- the mac and cheese and some cornbread. Surprising for us was that there was not the BBQ standard of Beef Brisket on the menu (unless you wanted it pulled on a sandwich). The ribs were delicious. Meaty with that crisp outside that shows that they are slow cooked and not boiled like some places. I loved that they come plain and you have a choice of three sauces to tempt your taste buds. The sides were only so- so. The corn muffin was a little dry and stale, and the mac and cheese tasted like noodles with Velveeta on top so you may want to try something else when you go. But the real winner? The peach cobbler! OMG! It was like I was sitting at my grandma's table and she had just pulled this from her oven. Hot, sweet and doughy- this was an unexpected surprise to end our meal. Service is utilitarian so know that you take your bill to the counter in the front room to pay- and bring CASH as they don't take plastic. The place is BYOB so don't forget to grab some beers before coming. And if you drive- parking is fairly easy (depending on the night you go) on this stretch of 18th. Honky Tonk isn't fancy. It's quirkiness is just a part of it's charm (check out the pig lamp and you'll know what I mean) But it serves up some pretty good ribs and in my book- that's all a rib place should do. read more

What you should know about Honky Tonk BBQ: BYOB. At the time I dined here it was Cash only (At the time I wrote this review it was cash only, I've been told that since late Jan 2010 they now accept cards, I'm not sure and it's wise to call ahead). Their barbecue is different than most of the BBQ you get most anywhere else in Chicago. It's perfectly cooked meats served plain. You then choose from three sauces (offered on every table) and cover it as much as you like. Their sauces come in; something like a peppery or hickory flavor, honey mustard and a sweet and tangy type. For most that are used to having prepared meats served with sauce applied while cooking, it's a lot different since the sauces are at room temperature. I prefer barbecue with sauce applied while cooking, burnt on, soaking in it, smoked, whichever. I visited with two other guys, one got the pulled pork sandwich, the other the brisket sandwich and myself with rib tips and 2 dinky dunkers of brisket and pulled pork. The brisket was dry and the buddy that ordered that sandwich was not satisfied. The other one with the pulled pork wasn't satisfied either. I thought my dinky dunker pulled pork was fine, once I doused it in sauce. Btw, dinky dunker is just a cute name for mini sandwich, there's nothing extra special about it. The bread was an Artisan sandwich bread, soft on the inside with an almost crisp crust. The rib tips were pretty good served plain over a soggy piece of garlic bread. I took some of my food to go. On day 2 I threw everything into a wok with barbecue sauce, a bit of mango, hot spices and sizzled them all together. I took that soggy garlic bread and toasted it till it became a crisp wafer. Having that bread extra crispy with BBQ'd leftovers was bangin! Oh yea, I also got a corn bread muffin which was sweet to the taste and it contained bits of creamed corn (I'm guessing); which was a nice surprise. If going, I'd suggest going with a group, getting a bunch of food to share like their sampler platter and a few different sides. This way you may still have space for dessert! Pluses.. sweet staff and service with a smile. Our waitress came over often to check up on us and an older lady (maybe the owner) came over just to thanks us for visiting and remind us that they are there to help, that was cool. If hitting the Honky Tonk on a weekend, finding street parking can be a headache and time consuming task but, they are open till 11pm, so there's still time. read more

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