Updating with new hours so no one will go and be disappointed when they can't get this delicious barbecue on a day they're closed! read more

Shorty’s Smokehouse - Note new hours as of June 2020: - Barbeque Near Me - Waterloo, Illinois

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Skip the big name places. Make the short drive to Waterloo. You will not be disappointed! The pork was slightly sauced and had tons of flavor. Turkey was juicy and flavorful. Sides were fresh and homemade. Gotta try the Mac. Adorable restaurant. Accommodating staff. read more

Brisket is the best I've ever tasted Meat is alway good but their sides are a bit lacking. I would go more often if they had better sides read more

They changed the potato salad recipe and now tastes great. Food quality has also improved dramatically, highly recommend!

Great atmosphere! Great food! Wow the brisket is amazing!!!! Love this place and highly recommend!

Fantastic barbecue in a great themed atmosphere. The brisket was perfectly tender. The baked beans were great. The person at counter, the owner, was fun and chatty. Go there if in Waterloo and make special trip if not. Cool town. read more

After a walk at the Paul Wightman subterranean nature preserve we ran into a couple of locals that after a little chitchat received a recommendation to try Shorty's Smokehouse in town square. The vibe is super chill and industrial throwback with a modern twist. The food!!! My goodness! It is the best bbq I have ever had! With counter ordering we were greeted by a member of staff who notice our indecisiveness and offered samples of the brisket and turkey. Holy moly both so good BUT the brisket was exceptional. We ordered one of each with 2 sides. So yummy highly recommend! read more

One of the best brisket sandwiches ever - from a self-proclaimed BBQ officianado. We've been going for years and always perfect. Owner is a great guy, great service, one of our regular spots for great Q. read more

This place is amazing! Great food, great staff. Lucky to have them in Waterloo! Keep it up!

Did the brisket sandwich with pit beans and smoked gouda mac and cheese on the side. Really, I was actually sad it was gone when I finished. Everything had an awesome flavor. Service was top notch, too. Folks at the counter were friendly and helpful as it was my first time visiting. I think this is a newer restaurant, but I hope they maintain such awesome service and food as they move forward. read more

The best brisket I've ever had and the rest of the items are great as well. Shortys is always solid and throws down and beats the other big name BBQ places in the area. Get there early or call in because they sell out fast but you won't be disappointed. read more

My son got married this past weekend- and we picked up Shorty's bbq and sides for the rehearsal. SO glad we did! The food was (as always) fantastic! So many people complimented the food. AND the sauce (can't go wrong with the honey bourbon sauce!) They were super friendly and helpful. They went out of their way to make sure we had everything we needed. We have been there many times for a meal, and I'm here to tell ya, that using their food for a catered meal is just as rewarding! Price was great too! We were so happy to have a great experience with a local place! We love to shop and eat local, and Shorty's did not disappoint! Thanks, guys!! read more

Best brisket ever! Not the thin sliced stuff that is dry . You can get a lean cut or a fatty cut. The fatty cut is awesome with great beef flavor and has a good moisture level. read more

A great downtown Waterloo location. Smoked meats done to perfection, tasty sides, excellent service.

If you're from the area and I haven't tried Shorty's your crazy. Absolutely just great food and barbecue and ran by some of the friendliest people. read more

From the moment you walk in you feel welcome, I had the brisket sandwich platter with pit beans and Cole slaw, all 3 were amazing. Even their sweet is really good,(not too sweet). We will definitely be back. read more

Shorty’s Smokehouse - Brisket sandwich with pit beans and Cole slaw - Barbeque Near Me - Waterloo, Illinois

We've been so excited for this to open. It was well worth the wait. I had the brisket sandwich with potato salad and smoked Gouda mac 'n cheese. They have one smoky-sweet sauce at the table- their signature BBQ sauce- and that was perfect. An orange Crush completed my meal. The food was delicious. My brisket had outstanding flavor but was just a wee bit dry. The inside and outside are beautiful, and they even re-purposed the old hotel doors as dining tables. Everyone who worked there was friendly. The bathrooms are neat, too! I'm very impressed and we'll definitely be back! read more

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Best brisket I've had outside of Texas. Seriously. The pit beans were also delicious. Service was fast and friendly, and I love the 80s-90s pop culture decor on the inside! read more

The best ribs in the STL metro area! Bar none! The HB sauce is incredible and is a perfect accompaniment to the perfectly cooked, juicy and flavorful ribs. Staff is awesome - so helpful and friendly. Mac n cheese and cole slaw are our favorite sides but really they're all good. We love ribs and this is the only place we will order ribs from. read more

Great BBQ. Some of the best in the area. As good or better than the popular BBQ places in St. Louis. Burnt ends made the right way. Wonderful sides. If you want BBQ that actually tastes like it was smoked this is the place. read more

Shorty’s Smokehouse - Best BBQ. - Barbeque Near Me - Waterloo, Illinois

They need to update their online information to eliminate customer service issues. Special on Mondays not listed on line. Online says closed on Monday and Tuesday. They are open but the special is not listed. read more

Hands down, the best bbq I have ever had! Highly recommend this place. It's not a short drive for us so it may be a while before I can get back there again but I sure do look forward to it! read more

Love the turkey! The seasoned fries are great, and so are the chippers. Get there early to make sure you get to choose from all the great meats. read more

Man this place is awesome! Took my wife and Dad! Brisket was to die for!! The dry rub is full of flavor that just compliments the Smokey flavor in the Brisket. Moist and tender, melts in your mouth! We also had the pulled pork and again not disappointed. In fact it was very good!! We had baked beans, Gouda mac n cheese and potato salad. All were fresh made and delicious! We would recommend highly that y'all check this out!! Love local businesses!! This is one to get behind!! read more

Some of the best BBQ around. Very helpful and pleasant staff, locally owned. Only thing fir my taste some of the bbq sauce is too spicy. Brisket very tender, great taste. Smoked or bbq turkey the best around. read more

What a great place in a cool historic building! From the decor to the friendly staff, Shorty's can't be beat. The #1 rule of a bbq joint is you should smell the smoke and the meat cooking! The delicious smell led us straight in the door and the welcoming staff had us seated and ordering in record time. The food was fabulous and plentiful for the price. Shorty was there to welcome guests and oversee the entire operation. We were celebrating a birthday and he was so accommodating, it was like visiting with family. We will definitely be going back! read more

Amazing BBQ!!! Stopped with the fam on r way to Ozarks. Well worth it... had ribs and brisket. The brisket was spot on. Spoke to pit master and they smoke the brisket for 13 hours. Melted in my mouth. Very impressed and service was great. Highly recommend this joint read more

AWESOME!!!! Best brisket I've had in a long time! The building is old but totally restored and clean inside. Modern, but definitely the down home feeling you look for with BBQ. One of the owners served me, super nice guy. We probably talked about bbq and building smokers for 15 minutes. I'm from out of state but definitely plan to hit this place again before leaving town. All the great sides that come with bbq. To sum it up, DAMN GOOD FOOD!! read more

Excellent food, ribs and pulled pork delicious, go early because they do run out of some menu items. Mac and cheese is tasty!

I stopped in for a carryout because someone gave me a gift certificate. I hate to go with 5 stars right out of the gate, but I cannot find anything to complain about. Most people judge a bbq place on its ribs, but I go for the brisket. The brisket was tender and smoky, with just about the right amount of fat in my portion. My friend had ribs, which were also smoky and succulent, with a good chew to them. She kept saying she was going to save some for tomorrow, but she ate them all in one sitting. All of the sides were excellent, too. This is important, because it's where so many bbq places fall down. Their baked beans were rich, with a little meat floating in the sauce, their potato salad was very flavorful, and not inundated in mayonnaise. And they offered a vinegar-based slaw, which is essential with barbecue. Mayonnaise-based slaw has it place, but you need the tangy flavor of a vinegar slaw to counteract the basic sweetness. Just a great meal, and not too expensive. I will be going back. read more

First time here and it was phenomenal. Friendly staff and delicious food. The brisket is tender and full of flavor! Their mac and cheese is on point and the potato salad is perfect. Definitely reccomend going here. They also offer a military discount. read more

Stopped by for the first time yesterday afternoon with a part of 4. Staff wasn't friendly, being the first time we expected at least a greeting of some sort. They stood behind the counter and merely stared. Being a new restaurant, you'd expect them to be friendly and make you want to be there or at least return for another visit. The inside of the restaurant is nice. Themed appropriately and was spacious. The bathrooms were closed off however, which was odd for a restaurant. We were all surprised that the menu wasn't very large and it doesn't include a potato product outside of Potato Salad. Disappointing and we immediately considered just going to Gallaghers around the corner. One of my party members ordered the Brisket, which was juicy but lacked in flavor. It required sauce I order to be remotely good tasting, without it was incredibly bland. With their Brisket they ordered a side of what was supposed to be Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese but tasted nothing like you'd expect. Definitely no gouda taste, let alone a smoked gouda taste. Party member 2 ordered Ribs with baked beans, he seemed to enjoy them both but felt like he's had better. Party member 3 ordered the Pork with a side of the Mac. They agreed with the sentiment of the first person on the Mac and cheese, it wasn't good. The pork was meh, not great, it desperately needed sauce to give it the flavor it was lacking due to lack of seasoning. I ordered the Pork as well, with a side of Coleslaw. Initially I was optimistic about the slaw, it was a red wine vinegar slaw, even though a mayo based slaw pairs with bbq/smoked meats FAR BETTER but it was just average coleslaw. I agreed with the other party member that got the a Pork, it wasn't great. Across the board we all agreed that the portion sizes seemed small compared to similar establishments. For the Brisket and My own order it was around $23 and I felt like I could've for more for the same amount elsewhere. I personally tasted everything but the Ribs and Beans. I have limited intent on returning for a chance at redemption, Waterloo itself has a better alternative in Wicked Smoke. Being from Columbia I would also prefer Bully's as well, both have a better flavor for what you are paying. I cannot recommend Shorty's until things gets better, if they get better. 2 out of 5, which feels generous. As a culinary school graduate, I felt it was disappointing in nearly every way imaginable. In summary: - Portions seem small for what you pay - Lack of options for sides - Staff wasn't welcoming - Meats were poorly seasoned, seemingly outside of the Ribs - Sides were lackluster, seemingly outside of the Beans - Bathrooms were blocked off - Uninspired take on BBQ/Smokehouse read more

This place is absolutely amazing! I make it a point on my travels for work to stop at local BBQ joints and this is the best I have had in SO IL! Brisket was to die for. Will definitely be back read more

The owner could not have been nicer and the customer service was excellent! I was offered to try the two best sellers - the turkey and the brisket - both were excellent!!! My husband had the ribs and brother in law had the pulled pork and everything was delicious!! The BBQ sauce was good as well! No bad complaints! We definitely will be back! read more

Wow. Delicious everything and they strive to source from local businesses! Their pulled pork and beef brisket has that great Smokey flavor throughout and are juicey with really little fat (appreciated!). Fluffy buns from the Hill in St Louis (for those that don't know - it's the Italian section in St Louis) made for the perfect pulled pork sandwich - have to add their peppery bbq sauce to it too! The coleslaw is done with a raspberry vinaigrette that is delicious and gets your taste buds all awake. The potato salad had a good texture, taste, and small bite sizes for enjoyment. We had them cater a surprise party and everyone can't wait until they have their grand opening in a couple weeks! Right next to Stubborn German. read more

We stopped on a trip to pickup a new church van. The building is very cool. Beautiful woodwork and incredibly nice people there. Now for the bbq. It was FANTASTIC. I'm a native KC bbq fan and this is just as great. Make sure you stop in. You won't be disappointed. read more

This place has some of the best brisket I have ever had! Added on top of that their staff is super friendly and the place is very clean. I would recommend giving this place a try if you love bbq! read more

Came here on a day off. Got here right when they opened. Super friendly staff. Love how they serve right at the counter! Answered all our questions too! And on to the food.... Oh my gosh the brisket! It is so tender and flavorful I couldn't even put BBQ on it! It was that good by itself! Also got the pulled pork that was fantastic. We had coleslaw, Mac and cheese, coleslaw and pork rinds as the sides. Usually when you go to bbq places either the meat is great and the sides are not or the opposite. Not the case here. Both are amazing. Eat here you won't regret it! read more

Food was fantastic and service was great. Had brisket and chips with beans, recommend.

This a very good BBQ joint in the small town of Waterloo IL. They have great smoked turkey and beef, I have not had their pork yet. They have awesome white Gouda Mac and Cheese, their potato salad is okay to much relish for me. They were offering Hush puppies the day I went in and those were a swing and a miss. Not really a restaurant just a BBQ counter. They have seats and a drink station but you gotta do all the work, Like McDonald's. read more