Great BBQ Went here a few weeks ago with mom for lunch. We were both craving BBQ. Had a hard time finding the place, but I am directionally deficient. I was in the right place the first time, just did ntogo far enough in the strip mall to see it. ANYWAY..... we go there early to beat the crowds. it did fill up FAST and a lot of people came in for pick-ups. You stand in line and order and your number is called and you pick it up. Floors were oddly slippery and i had rubber soles on. But the BBQ was really good. Good selection of sauces. Sides were good but prices are a tad high for the size. You can't go wrong here - except I forgot to get cornbread! read more

Get the burnt ends. Get a pound. Yes that seems like a lot... You will thank me. Tell your companion to do the same, it avoids fighting over them. Sauce is optional, but very good. read more

I've been to Steamboat BBQ a few times. Due to covid there is no indoor seating and limited outdoor seating; as well, there is a smaller list of items available on the menu. With the seating arrangement we took our food to go. Today we had a rack of ribs with baked beans and corn bread and pulled chicken with Cole slaw and southwest kernel corn. The ribs were seemingly cooked earlier. Which I would assume they were cooked earlier. But not earlier as in 1-2 days ago. Rib meat was tough and dry. Seemed they glazed the ribs and reheated them. The accompanying beans were watery and corn bread very dry. The bread was brownish / black on the surface. I remember the corn bread as being very good and beans as baked with a nice crispy consistency. As for the pulled chicken. It seemed like GFS pulled chicken that was ushered through chef mic. There was some watery bbq sauce on the pulled chicken which gave the chicken some flavor. The slaw was ok and the kernel corn was alright as well. Overall we were disappointed with the food we paid around $50. I can't say I'll make the trip there anytime soon, if ever, again. read more

This is the best Bbq in chicago area. Pulled pork, magnificent, almost a religious experience. They just placed 3rd in the Memphis in May past weekend, which is a big deal against the best in the country. Sauce is wonderful, but not really needed for the meat. You won't be disappointed in food quality. Not a fancy place, just wonderful food. read more

Steamboat BBQ - Pulled pork sandwich, fresh cut fries, and it's a reg, not large pork. - Barbeque Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

Rib tips, fries and sauce with a slice a bread. Yum yum. Reminds me of south side rib joints. Ordered via curb side and I got there about 15 mins early and My order was appea already ready. Sweet!! Good thing I ordered 2 orders of ribs because the 1st order was almost gone by the time I drove home to streamwood. My new favorite rib joint. I'll definitely be back. "Ribs so good make you wanna slap yo momma". For real, they are that good read more

Food is always delicious! My family and I have tried an assortment of what the menu offers and have been satisfied with it all. Sweet potato fries are a must! Not a lot of seating, it tends to get packed during busy hours, but I have never not found a seat. read more

Best BBQ in the area. The burnt ends melt in your mouth. Try the Carolina Mustard sauce!

A good local BBQ shack that's well worth a try. The star is the meat; the pulled pork is tender and the brisket is really excellent. The fries are also very good. The corn bread is a little stodgy and the mac and cheese bites were like someone made the box version and fried it. The sauces were interesting; the best were the Apple Bourbon BBQ (a little sweet with a kick of smoky flavor) and the Carolina mustard (tangy mustard, a little spicy). The other two we tried were passes: Butlers Tribute (something kind of weird taste that I did not like at all) and the Spicy vinegar (very thin and just basically straight vinegar but more bland). Interesting drink selection of root beers and cream sodas. Will definitely be coming back here. read more

If your looking for authentic BBQ this is the place in dupage county. I've tried almost everything on the menu multiple times. It's all great. You won't be disappointed! This isn't the place for a date...it's the place to order take out and bring to a friends house for the game or for a few beers. Brisket, catfish, pulled pork it's all good. Give them a shot! Portions are good. Service is....well there is none buy that's not what this place is about. read more

I just discovered this place recently and every time the food has been great! The food was promised at the exact time they stated lol. I really like their firebox hot bbq sauce, it has a bit of heat to it. I ordered the 3 meat dinner and picked burn ends, 3 ribs, and 4 chicken wings. I also got a whole slab of ribs and a pint of their firebox bbq. The fries are always crispy and really good but the corn bread, I wouldn't get that again. I was only disappointed when I got home to find that they forgot my ribs in the 3 meat dinner :( well, good thing I ordered a whole slab on the side lol read more

Steamboat BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

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Ordered smoked turkey at Thanksgiving. It was outstanding! We'll definitely be ordering again.

Would not recommend this restaurant. Not open often for business. Staff unfriendly. Disappointing service and ambiance.

Yep. It was fantastic as always. I had their smoked wings. So freaking good. A+++++++++ A+++++++++++++++++ read more

Steamboat BBQ - Love Steamboats wings. Simply the best. - Barbeque Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

Dude. Seriously. It's all about the food. This is some seriously good Barbeque, the best that I've had in Chicago's suburbs. I've been here at least a half dozen times.. and the place is evolving. It used to be Butler's, then Smoke Ringz and now Steamboat.. Same owner for the last two places... but he kept the Butler sauce as one of his choices. He can keep changing the name because it's not on the sign anyway. Not sure why he went with Steamboat (I liked Smoke Ringz) because there is absolutely nothing about this place that says Steamboat. Probably a more accurate name would have been something "Shack"... I say evolving because while shack might be appropriate for the inside now... a year ago it would have been a major compliment to say "Shack". He focused on the food, people came and he slowly has added some seating... and some plywood to close off part of the kitchen.. and he's got good people working there too! Today I got sandwiches, a pulled pork sandwich and a brisket burnt ends sandwich, both with fries. Good fries, just not enough of them. Around 8$ for each of them (Brisket price was little higher) and they were excellent. I got excellent food for about what I would spend at a fast food place. I grabbed the Butler Sauce and The Firebox Hot Sauce today... they had another choice or two.. but I got what I wanted. I usually get some ribs when I'm here, they're excellent. They only offer St Louis style on the weekdays. I tend to prefer baby backs.. weekends only. I will often get containers of Brisket or Pulled pork to take home and make a meal out of. It's a deal and we can eat for days. A couple of things.. Only bring a first date here if they are extremely cool and like meat. It's rustic. You can BYOB, so you can go high end on some Zinfandel to go with that Brisket. It's a small operation, they run out of stuff, so order ahead or prepare to be flexible. read more

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Really good BBQ in town! I wish it was open more often but when I do go, I am very pleased.

Great BBQ. My wife and I had the burnt ends, pulled pork and ribs. All cooked to perfection. The burnt ends were the best either of us have ever tasted. There's about 5 different BBQ sauces you can add. The ribs and burnt ends were fine the way they were. The only thing I would suggest is the 2 different sauces labelled hot could be hotter, but that's a nit. The Mac n cheese bits were good and the cole slaw excellent. Can't wait to go back again. The restaurant is hard to see from the road and a bit on the small side. Approximately 8 tables inside which fill up fast. We arrived at 5 pm on a Saturday, all the tables were taken by 5:15pm and a line of people queued up to order already. The inside is old school BBQ joint, nothing fancy but only adds to the enjoyment of the meal. read more

Steamboat BBQ - Ribs and pulled pork - Barbeque Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

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My second experience was MUCH better than my first. Came here yesterday for dinner, got a full slab of ribs & mac & cheese bites. The ribs were really tender and flavored perfectly! The bites were a little on the salty side but it was quite alright. I'm glad the manager invited me to return. I'll be back. read more

Steamboat BBQ - Baby back ribs, full slab - Barbeque Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

I tried the ribs, rib tips, brisket, gumbo, fried mac & cheese (!), with the sides of fries, coleslaw, potato salad, and corn bread muffin. I had called in my order for pick-up after taking a look on their online menu, and I picked it up around lunchtime. The place was fairly busy with at least 5 tables occupied. Of the items that I had ordered, I liked the gumbo the best because the portion was huge with tons of sausage slices and pork pieces. The amount of meat was greater than the amount of veggies lol, which I've never encountered before in my gumbo-eating history. Amazing price of $3. The ribs were good, but not fall-off-the-bone tender, like other reviewers have mentioned. Nice smokiness to it, but I wasn't wowed with the first bite. Didn't have much sauce on it so you'll have to add some on in the restaurant before leaving if you ordered carryout like I did. What I didn't like was that there were only two available sauces there when their online menu had listed at least five. I got to try their sweet Carolina mustard and their sweet spicy bbq sauces. Of the two, I liked the spicy bbq, but I would have preferred a non-spicy bbq sauce to pair with my entrees, or a non-sweet tangy one. The spicy bbq sauce did have a noticeable kick to it, but it was manageable, nothing tear-enducing haha. Brisket was good. Rib tips, coleslaw, potato salad were okay. Fries were meh, ate one and left the others. The corn bread muffin was extremely dry and crumbly unfortunately. Now onto the fried mac & cheese. I had high hopes for this lil guy on the menu cuz I love mac & cheese, and I love deep-fried anything haha. Well, this item was a letdown. It was pretty much instant mac & cheese patties that came in triangle wedges. Light crisp on the outside I guess, but no cheese caramelization strangely or an insanely awesome crunchy battered crust (*drools*, this is what I am seeking...*prays to the mac & cheese gods*). I was kinda put-off that everything had the same orange artificial cheese color. I think kids and fans of Kraft instant mac would like this, but for me, I don't see myself ordering it again. PS - $0.50 wing special on Wednesdays, 10 wings minimum read more

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Don't let the strip-mall location keep you away - great bbq here! Prices aren't terrible... get there before they sell out of things like burnt ends. Delicious, smoky, and you can sit right by the pit! read more

Steamboat BBQ - Burnt ends and fries! - Barbeque Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

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A little on the pricey side, but damn well worth it. These guys get it right! I've had just about everything on the menu and nothing bad. Keep up the award winning work. read more

Having lived in Texas for 20 years, I am a barbeque snob, and I'm still looking for a remote location that will satisfy my jones for grilled goodness. While Steamboat was pretty good, I wouldn't hand over the moniker "best bbq ever" to them. One thing that disturbed me was the thought: "Do these guys ever clean??" like, I know a place filled with smoke and meat is going to leave a certain...essence, but my god, the floor was downright tacky; you could see it where people had walked, all over. Look at the menu online first and have an idea what you'd like, because it's really hard to read the menu up on the wall (big menu + unclear font = :( ), and the guy taking orders was kind of impatient. The meat was tasty: I had pulled pork and my friend got the brisket. The apple-bourbon sauce spiked with some of the hotter one was the way to go. My side dish, sweet potato fries, was an up charge, and not worth it: over cooked and pretty forgettable. You're fine getting the regular ones like my friend did. A lot of people were taking to-go orders, which is good because seating is limited. Overall, the meat was the highlight here; setting and sides are not. So if you're looking for a streamlined meal, Steamboat is a score. read more

I feel like we've been lacking in the "try something new" department, so we made a visit to Steamboat BBQ on a Saturday around 2pm. I'm a believer. It was really very good. Parking was a bit of a drag, but I would have happily walked a lot farther to make it inside to smell that smokey goodness. We were overwhelmed by our choices, but after staring at the menu board for far too long, we did make some decisions. My favorites included the pulled pork, the Apple bourbon BBQ sauce and the smokey bacon potato salad. The hot links were good too, but a little different from what I anticipated. They are a BYOB establishment which I don't feel we see much of here in the burbs, so that was interesting. The staff was great and even though it was quite crowded, we were able to snag a table right as someone else left. I'm glad they're pretty close to home because I foresee some future visits soon. Steamboat BBQ is a welcome addition to our dining out rotation! read more

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I have wanted to try out Steamboat for months! My hunny and I finally made the trip to Wheaton. It is very small, but the line that runs the length of the place will reassure you that you've found something good. The owner was taking orders the night that we were there and walking around asking people about their food. We ordered the ribs, brisket, pulled pork, fried mac n cheese, and sweet potato fries. Though the ribs were good, the pulled pork and brisket are definitely their top sellers. They are both so moist, tender, and are not fatty! YUM! They are served naked so that you can take advantage of their BBQ sauce bar. The sauces range from Carolina Mustard to Apple Bourbon - with lots of variety in between. The sweet potato fries are seasoned with brown sugar instead of salt. GENIUS! Finally, I have been craving their friend mac n cheese ever since our visit. Hands down the best fried mac bites that I have ever had. We will definitely be back to Steamboat very soon! We even talked about how great it would be to take advantage of their catering options for football season. Mmmmm! read more

Steamboat BBQ - Baby back ribs with fried Mac not cheese. - Barbeque Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

For a non bbq region of the country this place is great. Don't skip the cornbread and I can vouch for the burnt ends.

I hate to write negative reviews, but this was embarrassing. The fact that I showed up on a Friday at 6 pm and the place was empty should have been my first clue. I asked what they would recommend and they said the pulled pork sandwich. The pork was chopped so fine, it reminded me of a sloppy joe. I could tase the smoke in the meat which was good, but after my first bite, the entire sandwich began to fall apart in my hands. The bun was a regular hamburger and it collapsed. A sandwich should stay a sandwich! The fries were fresh and tasted decent, I'll give them that. The sauce in the baked beans tasted like ketchup. Very poor flavor. And even the iced tea tasted like it came out of a can. I may have to drive an hour to get to Smoque or Honky Tonk BBQ, but the drive is well worth it compared to a half hour drive for this place. read more

Had a late lunch with my sweetheart, but I had a taste for BBQ. Nice, local place, pleasant staff, and a plethora of BBQ sauces. We brought collectively seven sauces, but initially carried four to our table. Our rankings/favorites (top to fourth favorite) hot diggity dog, firebox hot, Apple bourbon, spicy vinegar. Each of us had the three meats: ribs, brisket, rib tips. And he had brisket, pulled pork, catfish. And two sizes each: I had Mac and cheese and Smokey bacon potato salad and he had beans and sweet potato fries. Opinions/recommendations from me: get the rib tips, get two orders if you must, and the potato salad and Mac and cheese bites are heaven. My boyfriend loved the brisket. The beans had a hint of a sweetness or bourbon to it, and the fries filling with cinnamon on it. Try all of the sauces and find your favorite. Get and try all of the root beers. We tried these: butterscotch, salted caramel, sasaparilla, and a vanilla creme soda. Favorites are the salted caramel and vanilla creme (even though it's not a root beer) Wonderful place. We'll be back. And side note: they have BYOB read more

Steamboat BBQ - Salted caramel and vanilla creme are our favorites! - Barbeque Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

This place is the real deal. Probably the best bbq I've had. We got the burnt ends beef sandwich. Holy smokes. Best. Ever. Place is small and crowded when we went. We can see why it was so packed. We are about an hour away but we will be back. read more

Steamboat BBQ - Burnt ends beef sandwich. - Barbeque Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

Great place for bbq, great sauces friendly people. Along with great food. Their bbq flavors are so good and keep many people coming back. It is a place I would recommend for bbq anytime. In fact I have and those I took there still agree. read more

FABULOUS FOOD AND EXEMPLARY SERVICE! My wife and I hosted a rehearsal dinner for 80 people when our son got married. We are not from the Chicago area and needed to find a caterer for a pig roast. The online ratings for Steamboat BBQ sold me and we decided to go ahead with John and his crew at Steamboat after a couple phone calls. From the outset, they were extremely helpful and responsive. The day of the event was hectic--and John and Joe were incredibly accomoating. They arise on time, set up quickly and even helped out with our non-food set up. In fact, they even ran out and found some baskets to facilitate a last-minute need. And the food was absolutely perfect. Tenderly smoked pork and chicken. The bacon potato alad was other-worldly. And the bread pudding was worth the trip to Chicago all by itself! What's more, it was very reasonably priced. I would wholeheartedly recommend Steamboat catering for your next event! read more

Steamboat BBQ - Pig out at Steamboat BBQ! - Barbeque Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

I have to update my review and give Steamboat BBQ one more star. 5 stars for this delicious place. My boyfriend and I have ordered from here on several occasions now, so much that we crave their food. Love them!!!! read more

Maybe 5-stars seems high for one visit, but I know my BBQ; and this is the real deal! I have driven by this place on my way to/from work since it opened in 2014. I smelled its goodness, yet it took almost 2-years to finally try it. I walked in and was greeted by a nice crew and a wonderful smoky aroma. I said that I loved BBQ and used to live Texas. The man behind the grill turned around said, "order the burnt tips and beef brisket meal." So I did and had a bottle of Sioux City Root Beer. Man oh man that meal was so good my head was swimming in smoke for hours! Seriously the best BBQ I have had had in Illinois! read more

Steamboat BBQ - He had to show off the smoker! Mmmmm, So Goood! - Barbeque Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

Amazingly good BBQ! I regularly order Burnt ends, Brisket, pulled pork, and Ribs. (Yes, I order all of them specifically so that I have left overs!) The service was fast and even the sides were great (corn bread, potato salad, and bbq beans were money every time). Very affordable and it's BYOB (no hard liquor) -what more can I say? If you haven't had Steamboat BBQ, stop searching elsewhere, and go there now! read more

Wow! How did I not know about Butler's? Went for lunch today. The smell outside was the first clue that I was in for a treat. Had the Pick Two. Ribs and Brisket. Excellent choice. Ribs were excellent. Not quite fall off the bone. Smokey flavor. Overall they were excellent. Brisket was cooked to perfection. Just the right amount of "pull" to the slices. Only complaint is that they drench the meats in sauce. I like to taste the meats, and add my own amount of sauce. Oh, and I got a quart of sauce to go home. They dip it out of the pot fresh. Yummy. Will definitely be back. read more

I saw 4 1/2 stars and thought it must be good! I left wondering who/how someone could give this less than a 5 star rating. No liquor license was the only downfall I could come up with, but doesn't that open the door for BYOB? Staff were all super friendly so nice to you, it was like they could be your neighbor. Everything was great and over delivered on my expectations. I had the brisket sandwich with a side of slaw. The beef was awesome, home made sauces were delicious, fresh, warm, cooked perfectly! Cole slaw was a nice side. Of course, they had a sign that had a deal of the day, $.65 wings. I added 1/2 dozen that were smoked perfectly and topped them off with the home made chili garlic (I think) sauce. I was thinking the whole time, how do they make this sauce soooo good? Terrific experience! read more

Finally, a great BBQ joint in the western suburbs. Up until now if I wanted excellent BBQ I'd have to drive into Chicago, or I'd have to settle for the other bad-to-mediocre places around here. This will no doubt be my go-to BBQ place now. Pros: Wow - pulled pork was possibly the best I've ever had. So juicy and tender, that it was the first meat my 7mo old daughter tried and actually demanded more of. If that isn't an endorsement I don't know what is. Great variety of sauces as well - the apple bourbon was my favorite, but there were a couple that had some really nice heat to them. The garlic fries and the s+p fries were also very good. Cons: The jalapeno bites were fine, but not as good as everything else we had (looked like a frozen item - which makes me think that only getting the stuff they've prepared themselves is the way to go. Lesson learned, I'll be trying the other sides the next time I'm there). And I realize this next point may be a giant "seriously, who cares?" for most people - but I'm picky about the ice in my pop (a fan of tiny ice pellets/crushed ice myself - in this respect, I think Dickies BBQ wins - but in that category only). The drinks we got today didn't have any ice in them, so, I can't actually compare it to anything. (Bonus points for using styrofoam cups though - totally the way to go IMO) All in all, my main complaint is that they're not open 24 hours a day. Still, 5-stars. And thank you for coming to Wheaton! read more

Steamboat BBQ - Piles of wood right when you walk in. Always a good sign. - Barbeque Near Me - Wheaton, Illinois

Everyone talks about the potato salad so I sent my son to pick up rib tips and potato salad. Well I got coleslaw even though he ordered potato salad so mistake 1 then these rib tip come with no BBQ sauce on them and they are all burnt. I can't believe they don't cook with the sauce on them. So disappointed ! I would have never paid for Burt rib tips. If I lived near I would have brought the food back! 3/19/17 Update to my previous post. I am now giving 5 stars for the way the owner handled the situation! I've never been so impressed and he went out of the way to make sure he fixed the problem! I will trying the place again very soon! 6/26/17 This is after my second visit. Much better this time. Food was not burnt and tasted great! I'm glad I gave them a second chance and we will be back soon! read more

We had take away yesterday and it was delicious. The ribs were amazing and brisket was not dry. Baked beans and slaw was good as well, as expected as with any great bbq meal. The sausages were alright, seemed heavily spiced with hints of cumin and curry. Some did not like the taste as much. A few hours later, my mouth was very dry. I think MSG are present with the sauces. I figured it couldn't be that much but this morning, the mouth is still dry! If you have any sensitivity to MSG or monosodium derivatives, be mindful, otherwise the meats were done really well and is a welcomed addition to the takeout list. Sorry, no photos were taken this time, it would not do them justice as the food would be in take away containers. read more

I finally got a chance to experience their ribs in house. I had sampled them at Kreger's before, so I'm such a fan. Was grateful for the deal they offered, as I'm always on a hunt for a deal on ribs. If you follow them on Facebook you'll find a deal time to time and also see they offer up new menu items. John & Nels are great hosts. read more

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Tastiest barbecue around. Try the wings or the ribs and you will not be disappointed!

Excellent BBQ spot. The burnt ends are incredible, I crave them. Not too much fat, great amount of char. The hot links are very good, as is the brisket. Pulled pork was really just pulled pork. Sides are pretty good as well. There's a good potato salad, and the cornbread is amazing. read more