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    Rudy's BBQ Shack

    3.8 (63 reviews)
    InexpensiveBarbeque
    Closed Closed

    Order Rudy's BBQ Shack Takeout or Delivery

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    RUDY'S BBQ SHACK ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Dry, overcooked ribs
    Todd B.

    Worst BBQ I've ever had in my life. I was plucking multiple bits of feathers off of my chicken wings. Then we got some extra dry, overcooked ribs. I can't believe this place serves such low quality food. Paid $90 for this experience, also we were never asked once how our food was or if we were enjoying our meal. I think even the waitress new we were served trash.

    Wrigley R.

    Spent a LOT of time trying to find good barbecue in the area, and Rudy's is literally the ONLY one I will even consider eating at again. The food is beyond amazing every time, the staff provides a comfortable and home style feel. I love spending time at the big, beautiful park across the street to build an appetite before getting the best BBQ you will find in NWI.

    Rowdy Hog (ribs, pulled pork, rub tips, hot links, and pork belly) with slaw
    Rhett B.

    I saw Rudy's during my 1st visit to Valparaiso. Since I live here now, I had to put it on my list of places to try. First of all, they have sweet tea. That should make it an automatic 5! My first visit,, I went with the Rowdy hog which came with ribs, pulled pork, rib tips, pork belly, and hot links.  The ribs were hands down the best of the bunch.  They had an excellent rub and were cooked to the point that they were easy to chew but you had to tear it off the bone.  Pulled pork was seasoned well and tender.  The hot links was a solid sausage.  Some of the rib tips were cooked just right and some were cooked too much.  The pork belly was fried and decent.  The last piece I had was fried too much. My 2nd visit, I had the brisket and mountain beans. The brisket is the best meat they serve. It is moist and fatty with a good crust of black pepper. I have had 2 sides so far - slaw and mountain beans. The slaw was ok but the mountain beans were phenomenal. They were meaty with some kind of BBQ conglomeration. No beans out of a can here! There are 2 sauces - both vinegar based. There is the regular and the spicy.  The spicy is a 2 on a heat scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being mild.  Personally, I thought the sauces needed a little more punch. The dessert option is homemade cheesecake from a place down the road that they buy from. The cheesecake was good but I bet it was cheaper down the road. Overall, Rudy's is a good BBQ joint.

    Bacon jam goat cheese crostini

    Brunch was amazing! Delicious food and mimosas. Such a fun experience to try here especially for a barbecue place !! Service was very good too

    Rowdy Hog Platter

    The food here is amazing. Great ambiance and tunes. And the service was fast, friendly and top notch. Definitely worth checking out if you're travel to or through Valpo.

    Brisket nachos
    Sarah J.

    Rudy's is the best bbq in the area. When you first pull up to the building it looks average but walking inside, the atmosphere is very cool. The waitress was seriously the nicest person and made sure we always had full drinks and that everything was to our liking. The amount of food you get is well worth the price of it and the brisket nachos were OMG good. We got the brisket, pork belly, spicy sausage and it all literally just melts in your mouth, you can tell it's been cooking for hours and hours. The sides were very good, I got the pasta salad and it was delicious, the fries were your average French fries but still were crispy and went well with the bbq. We will definitely be back!

    Tee L.

    Great place, staff attentive, food is edible, best place to go during COVID, they seem to enforce rules where other venues don't. Small tap selection, but top shelf in my opinion. Rib tips and smoked chicken can use a whew bit more flavor, but that's not real breaker.

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    8 years ago

    Great pastrami Rueben !! Staff treated us like family. Will definitely come here again

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    9 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    8 years ago

    Great atmosphere, great food and great service! Will definitely be back for another pulled pork sandwich! Brisket sandwich was great too!

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    10 years ago

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    6 years ago

    It was great. A pleasant surprise because it was hidden away but definitely good. Would definitely recommend.

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    9 years ago

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    9 years ago

    Great flavor, excellent service and reasonable prices. The homemade cheesecake is yummy too..

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    9 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    10 years ago

    Good pulled pork & the corn nuggets are a fun starter. Meals are served on metal trays to go with the casual western bbq shack atmosphere

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    Page 2 of 2

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    The Rolling Stonebaker

    The Rolling Stonebaker

    4.5
    (120 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $$

    What a gem! I am so pleasantly surprised by the food choices in the Valpo area and I will be back,…read morebut I needed something light before some ice skating and the Rolling Stonebaker was in the perfect spot (THANKFULLY). I love a great wood fire pizza and this place is excellent. Small with a few tables, but filled with so many choices for both pizza, other items, and drinks. Love that they have a great spot to sell out of a window to those visiting the park area for events (SMART). The choices for pizzas had me wanting all of them, but I finally settled on the Sticky Finger and the Joker. I was so impressed with the Sticky Finger that I still think about those flavors all together. It was a perfect fit for my palate and I loved it. The Joker was also great and the hubby loved it. We had a peach old fashioned to share (needed that before busting our butts on the ice rink, liquid courage) and the staff was excellent with keeping our waters filled and making sure we were well taken care of. PROS: Great spot downtown, next to event center areas Wonderful choices to fit all tastebuds in pizza choices Cocktail choices that are fun CONS: Parking, at the center near the ice rink (you can walk there though)

    Such a cool place! You can order at the window or dine in. There are about 4 tables & some counter…read moreseating. Tiny & cute decor. Friendly staff too! Huge stone pizza oven that they make so many delicious menu items in. We ordered the mixed greens salad with dried apricots, goat cheese & almonds. It came with a balsamic & oil dressing. The container was too small for the salad. It was difficult to add dressing without losing half the salad. I shook up the dressing, but the balsamic vinegar was stuck to the container. They gladly gave me another dressing. Pizza was great & so was the crispy crust. We got the roasted corn pizza. So delicious. Fresh cilantro & jalapeños. It tasted like the herbs & veggies were just picked. It's small, so sized for 1 unless you get more to eat. The key lime triffle was so good. Homemade whipped cream. Pound cake, & key lime filling was rich, but refreshing. Triple X root beer hit the spot too. We didn't have any cocktails, but the menu had many different kinds that sounded amazing.

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    The Rolling Stonebaker
    The Rolling Stonebaker
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    Big D's Eats

    Big D's Eats

    5.0
    (3 reviews)
    1.5 mi

    This is a mobile business, using a hot dog cart and a flat top griddle. I found them in Chesterton…read moreset up downtown near the park. I'm not sure if they have a normal location or not, but you can call and see where they are that day. Super friendly people, and they were happy to accommodate my requests. I ordered a regular cheesesteak with no onions. The sandwich was prepared freshly, and incredibly quick. Great conversation while I waited as well. Overall, solid sandwich and I'll be on the look out fur them in the future.

    So, something I didn't understand right away: Big D's is one of like five small business inside the…read more'Lincoln Kitchen' building. I don't remember all the names but there's the Philly cheese steak place called Big D's, a hot dog place, a taco place, a cheesecake place, and a gluten free food (they had sweet and savory) and bubble tea place. Please go there and try it... the food is so so good! We tried the spicy cowboy Philly from Big D's, the bubble tea from the adjacent business for gluten free treats, and a bunch of individual cheesecakes and everything was really good. The man working the counter at the time is one of the owners and he was patient and kind and helpful when I didn't understand why there was so many different menus. I honestly can't wait to go back. The menus for the hot dog place and the taco place looked really good and the place was clean and everything so I really can't wait to go back also I want more Phillys haha! So, SO good; go give it a shot man

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    Big D's Eats
    Big D's Eats

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    Rudy's BBQ Shack - bbq - Updated August 2026

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