Sat at the bar; service was great and so was the Bloody Mary! Main coarse was the beef brisket; it was half fat and about the size of four big strips of bacon, once I cut off the fat the meat left was meant for a taster's menu. Had a side of mac & cheese that was nice.
Still in search of good bbq ...
We went her for Restaurant Week and was able to try a wide variety of their yummy BBQ. We tried and LOVED: the brisket, pulled pork, links, coleslaw, cornbread!!!!!, mac n' cheese and dessert. Â Yum yum yum!
The service was great, the atmosphere was fun and they played country music all night.
It also looked like a fun place to go to for the night out. We already had plans for after dinner but wish we could have stayed longer. They had huge TVs and great music. We'll defiantly go back for the food and great atmosphere.
I visited Chicago this past week and I was less then impressed with the BBQ offered at Barn & Company.
We have a BBQ joint in San Diego called Phil's BBQ and I made the mistake of thinking it would be the equivalent.
We purchased a gift card on <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2FRestaurant.com&s=0aab4cbd731f3d3b0d1453050d3abc56a8c80bd214e25469c7555b750dca8a51" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://Restaurant.com</a> that was spend $37.50 and receive $25 off of your bill. Â Great deal and even better due to it not excluding Alcohol, which is what California does.
We order a half rack of ribs, Brisket and 2 sides, coleslaw and baked beans.
The ribs were extremely tough and had literally no meat on them. Â The rub on the ribs was very tasty but that doesn't mean anything without some meat on the bone.
The brisket was freezing cold when we received it so we asked the wiatress to heat it up for us and she politely apologized and took it back to the kitchen. Â
She returned and it was still cold and on top of that, flavorless. Â The coleslaw and baked beans were delicious! Best baked beans I've had other then my moms recipe.
We ate what we could and the waitress was very kind. Â She took the brisket off of our bill because she noticed that we didn't eat it. Â The drinks were strong and a good price. Â All beer on Wednesdays is $4 which is amazing! Â This includes specialty IPA such as Lagunitas YUM!
All in all it wasn't a terrible experience but i would never go back for the food!
Just the cheap drinks, good service and atmosphere!
$12 brisket is not a large dish, then 1/3rd of the plate was inedible because it was all fat. Hmmm. I don't know, isn't the kitchen supposed to help me out with that? I just don't know why it was worth $12 when brisket is a very well understood BBQ staple. On the other hand, the tacos looked fantastic. Yet, there was this one sort-of thick green sauce that had absolutely no flavor that came with the tacos. I was so confused by this wannabe steak sauce. Side sauces are stellar in choice and flavor, I definitely dipped every fry in each sauce. Overall, I didn't think this place is somewhere I will go again for BBQ brisket, at least.
Review Source:An above tolerable lincoln park bar. Â Service is all very friendly, and the turkey burgers are some of the best I'd ever had.
The rest of the food was pretty average. Â The fries and the fried pickles were forgetful, and the sangria was pretty fake-tasting. Â Decent beer list, and a decent place to watch a game, and get the turkey burger.
I leave BBQ to the masters...
tried as was looking for bbq after very good workout on sunday.
saw this place after parked. thought i would give it a try. was disappointed. had brisket skillet. was just brisket on skillet totally naked. fries were mediocre at best.
best thing about the place was my waitress who was very pleasant and look and feel, which combined sports bar and western feel.
much better bbq around. i wont give it a second chance.
I had a bad experience at this establishment. Â They seemed unorganized as the server took her sweet time to take our order and when it came to the check it came out wrong twice. Â We ended up waiting 30 minutes after eating sqauring the bill.
As far as the food, it came out cold. Â We asked for starters which came out at the same time as the entrees. Â We had to wait on the sides that accompany the meal which came several minutes later. Â For a place that prides themselves on bbq...they have only 3 sauces. Â If the service was good I might give them another shot for having dry cold dissapointing food. Â Since this is not the case I won't return for food, maybe drinks. Â I will NOT suggest this to others.
Headed here to watch some Illini basketball & hoping to simultaneously find a solid alternative to Smoque BBQ (my gold standard) that is a bit closer to home. Unfortunately, I'm still on the search for some good local BBQ, sigh.
Food
I split a combo platter with my husband that included sausage, pulled pork and beef brisket. It's a great deal to split (cheaper than ordering individually) and you get two sides - we opted for mac and cheese and french fries.
I tried the sausage and the beef brisket. The sausage was nothing special, honestly tasted like those sausages you find in your grocer's deli case. The brisket was OK - but I was a little grossed out by the large amounts of fat in the middle, leaving me to have to throw out about half the brisket once the fat was all cut off. Without any of the sauces, the flavor of the brisket was pretty bland so I ended up saturating mine in the house sauce which I actually liked - good BBQ flavor, not too sweet with just a hint of spice.
The french fries were great - skinny, crispy and not very salty - just the way I like them. My husband was underwhelmed by the macaroni and cheese.
Service/Atmosphere
Decent crowd for a Sunday night with plenty of people there obviously there to watch sports. I liked the various seating options: long bar, booths in the middle and the high tables on the side. The TVs made for good sports-viewing. However, I was quickly reminded of my DePaul days as there were some obnoxiously loud people at the bar which was a bit annoying, yet secretly amusing.
The décor was nice - cool old license plates and wood lined the walls all leading to a nice, barn-like rustic vibe. One star for serving soft drinks and beer in adorable old mason jars.
I was excited to use my 15% off deal for checking in via my handy Yelp app, but when I initially showed it to our waitress, she had no clue what it was and told me to just save it for later. Unfortunately, wasn't able to do that since she brought out the check before I could show it to her again and she had clearly forgotten about it.
Oh well - fun time had watching the game with good company, some decent french fries and sub-par BBQ. I'll stick with Smoque - thanks!
Never had a great, or even a good overall experience here. While I enjoy the screens everywhere for big game days, that and the bbq smell outside are about the only two things I like about this place. The bbq is pretty meh, brisket has been hit and miss, pulled pork is nothing special, seems like more often than not the smoker items are dry. I don't particularly care for any of their sauces either, a couple are downright gross.
Also, when I was there on the same day as an Illinois game, they had the volume turned up as loud as it could get, it was impossible for anyone at my table to talk at any point. They also sat us right next to the grill outside and the smoke was overwhelming, our food came out, and then after we had started eating we had to grab our own plates and move to another table inside.
There are better bbq options just about everywhere.
I live around the corner and come here fairly often. Â It's actually really good. Â The service is good. Â I have had BBQ in Houston, Memphis, Nashville, etc... This place can keep up. Â The brisket was pretty good. Â Their burgers are good, too.
Decent beer selection. Â Prices are pretty good.
My one gripe is that their deep friers seem to be WAY too hot. Â On several occasions my daughters corn dogs were dark brown crisps... My fries were OK, but my wife's sweet potato fries were completely overdone. Â
So... Fix your deep friers and I'll upgrade the rating to a 4.
How has this place only gotten three total stars? Went here last night for a dinner pre-Million dollar quartet show (conveniently around the corner). Me and hubby were seated immediately. Not too pushy server, but still there. They have three different bbq sauces at the table. My fave was the bourbon one. Mmm... The lead chef/owner walked around and asked how everything was. Seriously?!?! This never happens! Kudos for that! Prices are good. Cool atmosphere if you are with a group, date, or just want to sit at the bar. Easy street parking, and saw plenty of cabs. Good extensive beer selection. One of the best restaurants I have had bbq Ive had in Chicago (born and raised). Will definitely be back!
Review Source:I like this place, but it's definitely a guy place and if you prefer wine, forget it! Never any specials on their average, but expensive wines...not a great move to attract the ladies who come with the guys. Good food but sometimes tastes like it's been on the counter waiting to be picked up for a few minutes.
Review Source:I went here to watch the Bears game. I was impressed with the TVs, they are everywhere, which is great for watching a football game. Their beer selection is ok.
Other than that, nothing really exciting. I had the brisket sandwich and cornbread. My companion had the deviled eggs, brisket (dinner?) and baked beans. The sandwich and regular brisket were awful. For a place that's supposed to be known for BBQ, it was just bad. Probably about 45% fat; I wish I was exaggerating and their sauteed onions were plain bad. The cornbread was dry, the baked beans totally flavorless; eggs were good, did enjoy those.
We left totally dissatisfied and will likely never return.
Went here with a couple friends on a whim because we were in the area at an art gallery. The place was packed but were able to be seated right away. We had a couple appetizers including the deviled eggs and the macaroni and cheese. Both were fairly tasty and came out quickly. Two of us ordered the brisket. The meat had a good flavor and was extremely tender, but the cuts were very, very fatty. The two types of BBQ sauce provided at the table are pretty good with one being more traditional and the other a more sweet version of a sauce. The other person had the turkey burger and wasn't overwhelmed. Overall a decent place for the price, but just not very memorable in general.
Review Source:I don't why it took me so long to eat here because it's so BBQ-y good. I lucked out and it was a game night so they had great specials. Â I got the Chicken Wings for $5 (normally $9), fries, and mac and cheese. Â Barn and company provides you with 4 different sauces at the table in ketchup and mustard bottles. Â They were great for both the wings and the fries. Â The mac and cheese was so thick and savory and as good as home-made. Â I definitely want to come back to try out the ribs and such. Â Come on a game night and look forward to some great food and drink specials.
Review Source:I am reviewing this just on the food and service. Â I was at a Local Tourist event so we were in the back enclosed porch area. Â From what I can tell this is a great place for BBQ and game watching!
I'm not a pork or beef eater so I'm only reviewing the chicken, tots, pie and fried pickles. Â The friends that I was with seemed to think the pork in the pork nachos was good (the nachos were ok) the ribs were just ok and the brisket was mundane (his words not mine)
I was crazy for the fried pickles! Â They were crispy, not too thick or thin, and just tart enough. Â I could eat a whole basket of them by myself.
I thought the chips in the pork nachos were suspect. Â They reminded me of the nachos that I get at the burrito hut up the street from The Liars Club. Â The thin greasy kind. Â I wonder if they're just frying them on premise. Â
The same goes for the tots. Â They were obviously frozen and then fried b/c they were all sticking together. Â It was one big tot clump. Â Any tot is a good tot but I don't think these were made here.
The 2 salads that we had were alright. Â The one had smoked pumpkin in it which was a miss. Â The chunks were really cold and that was off putting. Â
I liked the bbq chicken. Â So flavorful! Â And the fried chicken was ok. Â Too much breading and that made it really dry but they have these homemade sauces that I think would make it all better. Â The sauces on the table were the highlight!
I didn't get too deep into the wings. Â
The pecan pie was superb!! Â Very very good and a great crust. Â Two thumbs up.
I don't really hang out in this hood but I bet people are glad that there's a decent bbq joint in place of Grand Central. Â If I were around I'd be up for a basket of pickles!
I'll admit up front that I am not a BBQ fan, so take this review for what it's worth. Â A friend and I were looking for places to watch a Bears Sunday night game. Â He suggested Barn & Company. Â I, as always, looked at the Yelp reviews and was less than thrilled. Â But, I had no better suggestions and I'm the adventurous sort, so to Barn & Company we went.
I'd expected the place to be completely packed for the game, but to my surprise it was only about half full. Â We were seated at a high top table in front of a wall of televisions. Â Okay, +1 for Barn & Co - they have a LOT of televisions. Â Like, everywhere. Â In fact, the booths all have their own individual televisions. Â It's actually kind of insane.
We started off by ordering drinks. Â Barn & Co has a fairly decent selection of craft beers that are priced about as you'd expect. Â My friend and I both went with 5 Rabbit beers (5 rabbit for him, 5 vulture for me). Â I perused the menu and decided to play it safe with the traditional pulled pork (like I said, I'm not a BBQ fan and I generally hate ribs and beef, so my options here were pretty limited). Â I went for the "dry" version so I could try each of the 3 BBQ sauces on the table. Â I didn't find any of the sauces mind-blowing, but I have to admit by pulled pork was darned delicious. Â My friend ordered the brisket and deemed it good, as well.
So overall Barn  & Company exceeded my (admittedly low) expectations.  Given my general "meh" attitude towards BBQ, I won't be rushing back here, but I'd gladly come here to watch a game again.
We came here for a Local Tourist event so got a great sampling of the menu. Â Overall it was A-Ok. Â Not the best BBQ I've had, but I was impressed that they make almost everything in-house. Â I like that. Â Here are some high (and low) lights.
The Good
-smoked pulled pork nachos - freshly made chips topped with big smoky chunks of pork and all
the nacho fixins'. Â Good eats
-chicken wings - I am not normally a chicken wing gal, but these were great. Â The pit master (how awesome would it be to have that on your business card?!) explained they are brined, then smoked, then dipped in buffalo sauce. Â Best wings I've had
-BBQ chicken - not as good as the wings, but tasty nonetheless
-fried pickle chips - obviously, these are great
-tater tots - I'm a sucker for tots, and when you dust them with BBQ rub, that's even better
-pecan pie - shut the front door, this pie was good!
The Ok
-grilled asparagus - supposedly there's something special about this, but it just tasted like grilled asparagus to me
-baked beans - like canned, nothing special here
-coleslaw - it's a simple creamy coleslaw and I prefer vinegar based. Â
-smoked fried chicken legs - nothing special here
-beef brisket - on the dry side
-baby back ribs - I'm not a fan of ribs so don't rely on my judgment, but these seemed just ok
The Not So Good
-harvest salad - go figure a BBQ place doesn't have good salads, the smoked pumpkin on this was stone cold and really ruined the rest of the flavors
-pit master salad - pulled pork on a salad is just weird to me, get the nachos instead
Service was really great and there are plenty of local brews to choose from, as well as whiskey if that's your bag. Â The crowd is exactly what you picture for Lincoln Park, so proceed with caution.
One of my favorite places in Lincoln Park. The atmosphere is great, with cool people and a friendly laid-back vibe. It's very comfortable and even though I'm not much for barbecue for some reason I love everything I've tried here. The smoked sausage was phenomenal and the salads are always refreshing and delicious. And you MUST try their bloody mary's. SO good and spicy. I will be back again soon!
Review Source:i got the full slab, buddy got the combo 2 platter (pulled pork, brisket, link), we had the fried pickles to start and sides were fries, mac n cheese and cornbread.
everything was very tasty, ribs had a lil spicy flavor to em, really liked the brisket.
my allagash white was delicious in its mason jar.
pretty good service.
would definitely go back...may hit some event they have coming up in a few weeks.
So I have only eaten appetizers and have never come here to party, but from what I have experienced this place really knows how to make addictive food (which is highly unfortunate because I literally live across the street and soon they'll be calling me by name like the people at Lou Malnati's.)
Since I live across the street, the only reason I went here was out of pure laziness. Needless to say, I was very pleasantly surprised. I had the macaroni and cheese, deviled eggs, and cornbread. Only 4 deviled eggs come in an order, but they are perfectly made. Not too much mayonnaise and the eggs are not flimsy or soggy. The mac and cheese has a slighty porky taste to it, but it is delicious. My only complaint is that I can't supersize my mac and cheese order everytime I go, because I most definitely would. The cornbread is a huge portion and comes with a delicious flavored butter. I couldn't tell you what flavor, but the butter compliments the cornbread very well.
My boyfried had the Western Burger. We got takeout and were very surprised to see that it came with all 3 of Barn's homemade sauces. He liked all three and saved them for later (they come in fairly large cups)--strange, but he actually used them the next night when he made chicken and said they were just as great on the poultry.
Oh yeah, and they have Allagash which is my hometown beer, so they definitely get an extra star for that.
This bar is good if you are in college, or love wasted college people, or love music that is really loud and bad.
That's just not what I prefer when I go to a bar, so it's not up my alley. People seem to like it though, so if you're wanting a bbq/sports/loud music bar, I'd say hit it up.
A plus is the patio. That is nice and big.
Went with a group of about 20 people to watch the sat night Illinois game. Had reservations, if we didn't then there is no way to get a table. It was a bit confusing, i don't think the waitress knew where to out us, but were then sat and it all worked out just fine.
Food was okay- I got the pulled chicken salad which exactly how it sounds. Nothing too spectacular. Everyone seemed to like their food though.
The bucket special they had was pretty good- each was $15. The tvs didn't work right for some of the game, Which is not great at a sports bar, but whatever. It was also suuupppeeerr crowded, which I usually don't care about, but I could really move. It would have been better if a bit less people were there.
Late night it turns kinda clubish... Which I though was a bit odd? Â
Anyways, it was fine. Typical lp bar. If I go back I'd  go and hang out in the beer garden
Barn & Company is one of those places that leaves me scratching my head. The interior is wonderful, the staff was attentive and professional, but the food was mediocre. The only thing I can say about the food is, Blah!! I actually felt jipped when I walked out. The food is Bennigan's quality at twice the price.
There were quite a few options on the menu that looked appealing. My wife and I love fried pickles, so we went with that as our appetizer. I asked our server if she would recommend the Ribs or Brisket. She told me that B & C is known for it's Brisket. Â And she said it with a straight face. To make a long story short, the fried Pickles tasted like the batter was drowned in salt, and the Brisket was dry and bland. Very little flavor. To food was disappointing to say the least.
Here's the brief bottom line: I came. I tried. I went home with a frown. There are plenty of other BBQ options in Chicago that offer you much better grub for your hard earned dollar. Do yourself a favor, the next time you have a hankering for some BBQ, try one of the other places on my list.
It's a barn and it's a barbeque. That draws people in the door, right? They even have a little roaster outside to prove it to you. Lots of fancy bells and whistles but just average barbeque.
You won't find anything special here. I've been twice and it's average at best. Nothing is wrong with average, but people are blowing this "grand opening" waaaaaaaaaay out of line. It's new to the area and people are excited about it - but it's not like outstanding or anything.
Ever hear that the mind makes something better? Well - in this case, get sucked in by the environment, cause that's the only thing lifting it anywhere above a B-.
Peace out.
Food and Drinks - We were all very excited because we were hoping to have a great BBQ dinner. We all ordered a combo platter (2 combo #1 and 1 combo #2).
The ribs were pretty tough, dry and not as good as I was expecting. I've had better, juicer ribs at Dunlay's, which doesn't pretend to be a BBQ place. The chicken was fine, but nothing to die for and so the sausage link, the pulled pork and the brisket.
I've also had better mac n' cheese and baked beans than these. The portions were big and we had enough left over to take home.
Service - The service was good, but a little too attentive for my taste. I wanted to order an Allagash White, but they were out.
Ambiance - The ambiance is quite loud, and the place has more of a bar feeling than a BBQ restaurant. In fact, I believe that most customers go there for the bar experience.
Because of the noise, we purposely asked for a table by the exit, where the noise level was still manageable to hold a conversation.
I will probably go again to give the place a second chance. This time though, I will go fora drink, since I saw a couple of interesting options in the menu (the Haymaker Punch, and the Carolina Sweet Tea).
Disclaimer: I am from Texas and I am a bit of a smoked meat snob.
I really like the look of Barn & Company...great interior and patio. Â I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the brisket...it was well flavored and tender. Â That is not something you see a lot of here in Chicago. Â I also enjoyed the cole slaw. Â However, I was disappointed in the pulled pork. Â It was fairly dry. Â In fairness, the menu does give you the option of ordering the pork "sloppy" so maybe that will be the way to go next time. Â I am going to try again and I hope to be able to give a better review next time.
God I wish this place was better. Â When they start up the smokers and grills it fills the neighborhood with wonder and the breeze carries the aroma into my apartment and it's literally like Jerry being carried by food aromas in the old Tom and Jerry cartoons. Â
BUT...the bbq is just mediocre. Â I went on a Saturday afternoon and the pork ribs were tough and the brisket was dry. Â Why?!?! Â It was in June and there were plenty of people in there so the food couldn't have been sitting around that much. Â
I wanted to like this place so much. Â It's a great space inside and perfect for watching a game but the food just, kinda sucks. Â
Someone please tell me if I'm missing something
Hear ye hear ye - please try Combo #2! Three slices of brisket, pulled pork sandwich, full sized sausage link and two sides (go with mac and baked beans). You cannot beat this combination unless you're hankering for some brick chicken (combo #1).
I was surprised to see so many three star reviews. The atmosphere is terrific and the servers are both attentive and easy on the eyes. The only reason why I cannot and will not give Barn & Co. five stars is the el train which it can't control but makes outdoor eating a challenge especially during the week. Otherwise, I would recommend this BBQ joint to anyone visiting or looking for a new casual spot to dine. These owners just know how to do it right, e.g. Hubbard Inn, Black Bull, English.
came here with a group of about 12 of us for some good ol' BBQ food. The portions were decent - I had brisket and tried some of the ribs. Â The brisket was juicy and was way better than the ribs which turned out a little dry.
The atmosphere was pretty good and it definitely had a sports bar feel with tons of tv screens showing the Olympics.
I would have given this place a four but, the food just wasn't quite there.
Go for the food and a few drinks and then get out. Service at the bar is fantastic , and I can only speak to that (shout out to Daniela V and Sarah H), as I have not grabbed a booth for dinner. Typically visit on Friday nights before heading somewhere else to carry on with the evening.
Food:
+ Smoke house taco platter for a mere 10 bills gets you pulled pork, brisket tips, and BBQ shrimp. Accompanied by tortillas, pickled red cabbage, salsa, and sour cream. Get it and split it, its a great base. Â
+ Pulled pork sloppy style on a bun was smokey and plenty to fill me up with fries
+ 3 or 4 sauces served up to suit anyone's taste
- Â BBQ Popcorn, negative, stay away!
Need to get in for a combo platter to make full judgement on the cuisine.
Drinks: Several great Illinois craft beers & IPAs from Cali on tap served in mason jars at $5-6 a pop. Two hand-fulls of bottles to choose from...please don't order a bud light here.
Digs: Newly remodeled, large patio which is worth a visit, large bar, and a semi-dance floor? DJ booth in the corner by the men's room. TVs are a focal point at the bar and a projector screen in the rear takes over.
Atmosphere: First sentence explanation. The DePaul college crowd starts to roll in around 10pm or so. The bar area slowly approaches four deep and its a bitch to get a drink or hit the b-room. Â If you are holding a bar seat down with a few friends you don't have to fight for a drink. Arrival time around 8 can secure that position - if you so choose.
BBQ priced reasonably, along with the drinks, in a nice establishment. Attentive bar staff and they are often dressed like you would end up tipping 30%. Makes for a great pit stop on your evening itinerary .
Most of the food here is very... meh. I was looking forward to an awesome BBQ joint right at the end of my block, but I unfortunately only visit this place if I'm looking to get hammered on the weekends- which in that case, 4 stars- very fun. The atmosphere is the best part about this place, very cool interior and great patio for watching games
The only good thing I've had on this menu were the BBQ pulled pork nachos, which I would highly recommend. Good beer selection, I don't know if the bartender blacked out when he mixed my bloody mary, but it tasted like he had lost his mind in a bad way.
Everyone has their ideal vision of what they want when they go out for drinks on a Friday night. My review is solely based on drinking, I've never tasted the food here and have only been on Friday/Saturday nights (2 visits total).
The name is very accurate. It really is a barn, and we are just the animals packed inside it. It's not really big and it was crazy crazy packed last night (July 6/2012). If you got a table, maybe it would not be so horrible but best of luck with that.
The area between the bar (well, the majority of the bar) and wall is pretty narrow, so navigating through that portion of Barn and Co is a warzone. Getting to the bar to order a drink is also a decent challenge: just think of the Normandy invasion...like that.
As for the dance floor, lol. Just seemed like a bunch of sweaty douchebags lookin to get their creep on. Music was pretty loud too.
Maybe I'll come back here for some food sometime, but for weekend drinking, I will stay clear of this animal house.
Used to come here back when it was Grand Central (an establishment that wasn't even worth reviewing at the time).
But I love what Barn & Company has done with this spot. Went for dinner on a regular weekday night and it was pretty packed. They have an outdoor front patio seating area as well, and booths/tables inside. Plenty of televisions and a huge projector screen, so you'd have no problem watching a game here. You can also see the kitchen in the back, and there is one large bar area right by the entrance.
They were doing $4 bottles when I went, and the waiter we had was very pleasant and good at her job. I enjoyed the sliders (just a tad dry but nbd) and tried the buffalo popcorn, which is great to munch on while sipping a beer or two. They also have pretty fair prices on wine bottles, if that's your thing.
Good weekly specials listed on their website (thought it was funny they do a $120 bottle of Absolut on Saturdays :p )
*Much to my surprise I also discovered this restaurant is part of the AAdvantage Dining program, so needless to say, I'll be back plenty more.
You might call it my fatty moment at Barn & Company. My eyes were bigger than my stomach and I was in over my head with food. Â This is what happens, for example, when I go grocery shopping on an empty stomach.
We came in expecting to order a post-workday plate of smoked pulled pork bbq nachos. That was the hook that got us through the door. Â Then we heard it was all-you-could eat rib night (Thursday). Â Then we saw they had fried pickle chips. Â We got all of the above. Â
The nachos were fantastic and loaded down with guacamole, shredded pork, and all the other usual toppings. Â As a heads up though, watch out for the scalding hot iron platter that they're delivered on. Â The handle of the platter is also scalding hot, so there's no way to adjust the thing when all those toppings cause a nacho avalanche. Tip to wait staff: leave a rag or some sort of oven mitten for people to use in order to adjust the iron skillet on the table.
Unfortunately, the ribs were not as good as the nachos. Â They were a little dried out and didn't have much sauce on them. They were very edible, and really, ribs are almost always delicious to a certain level. Â I just expected something a bit more well prepared, given they're a bbq rib kitchen. Â The pickles were pretty typical, nothing too memorable. Â This meant the nachos were the MVP for the night.
Other factors - The service was prompt and nice. Â Our waitress checked in with us all the time and when we were nearly finished with a serving, she would tell us that another order of ribs was already on its way. Â It was a pretty calm night at the restaurant during our visit. Â The setup of the place was fun and huge. It's a sort of well decorated Texas road house with tv's everywhere. Â
This would be a great place to catch a sporting event with a group of really hungry people.
This place is a real steal. I don't mean this ironically at all, I mean their employees actually stole from me. Left my cell phone here, contacted them about an hour after I realized I had left it. Called over there, described the phone, pictures on it and they confirmed they had it- Yea!
I came back and the guy who I had spoke to earlier told me "he couldn't find the phone, have a seat while he figures it out." I sit and after 15 minutes of no one getting back to me, he tells me, "Oh yeah, we can't find your phone, someone must have misplaced it." As I continued to pursue some type of resolution over the next week, they resorted to lying and telling me they never had my phone and that they never told me they did- even though I had several conversations with them both in person and over the phone where they confirmed they did. Not to point fingers or anything... but it was the guy who worked the front door and the manager with a chin strap goatee (sweet dude). You guys suck
Always nice to spend $50 on lunch for 2 and $500 on a new phone. Can't wait until this place shuts down due to the total lack of competence by the management and the low lives they have working the door.
I live across the Street from Barn and keep going back, hoping it will be better... but it never is.
The location and interior is great with a ton of TVs, comfortable seating, and nice decor. The menu is great offering a nice variety and reasonable prices on food. Â
Where Barn goes way of course is service and food quality.
I've had notably bad service experiences every time I have been to Barn. The waitstaff just does not seem to care very much.
The food looks like it has a lot of potential, but just doesn't taste that good, not even the meats! Â Two notable exceptions are the Sausages and Pickle chips. Other than that, most of the food tastes like its been sitting out for a while.
Please get better, Barn.
SO, I walked into this place at 11 on a Friday night beginning of December. LOVE LOVE LOVE the atmosphere. However it was busy but not crazy busy and I couldn't get a drink to save my life. I have been in the service industry for 9 years, any owner/manager/bartender should realize they need more BARTENDERS for drinks. I waited 15 minutes for a drink at 11 before they even got "slammed"
Gave it a chance and came back to eat. Food was good, which makes it hard for me to give this 1 star. BUT we got our food before our drinks because they have the worst service ANYWHERE. So I thought this would be my last time.
I was wrong, my friends insisted we go because it literally is a sausage fest in there and Im not talking about the BBQ. So I gave it one more go. SAME thing waiting anywhere from 20-30 minutes for a drink at 11 at night on a Saturday.  The bartenders clearly look frazzled as there are only 3 to try to accommodate for  200 people plus wait staff.
PLEASE get better service here honestly its the worst service I have seen in Chicago. HIRE more bartenders and get more wells and service stations because you could double your revenue if you did. Or perhaps open a beer station in the back to relieve the cluttered mess the bar becomes. Would be nice if you could open another bar in the back as well but I know that makes for a lot of hassle with liquor license.
The sign outside says "BBQ Redefined". Yeah, redefined in a BAD way.
The remodel of this place had me chomping at the bit every time I drove by. It looks really nice, and the decor and layout ARE great.... but it was, in the end, a packed sports bar. I wish I knew this place was more about drinking and watching sports with friends than it was about the food.
We went at a time where it was particularly filled- Saturday night a week before the holidays. The music was extremely loud and disjointed- we finally asked if there was a dj spinning... and there was. Don't quit your day job, dude. It really ruined the atmosphere. We got a booth, but could not sit across from one another it was so loud with music and drunk college girls cackling. We cozied up at one end of the booth and shared a combo plate with ribs, chicken, sausage, cornbread and mac'n'cheese. We ordered the fried pickle chips appetizer, but it came out after the main meal...???
Food was subpar. So disappointed. The sausage and cornbread rocked. This does not make a meal though, ok? The chicken wasn't bad. But the ribs? The rub on it was good, but it was so tough!!! My girlfriend said it's probably just tougher because it's smoked... I've had smoked bbq in texas. It's not my favorite way to do ribs, but I know what good smoked bbq tastes like, ok? This is not it. I gave up on it after one rib.
The mac n cheese was so "meh" we didn't even finish it. Didn't even finish the mac n cheese!!! I mean, it's cheese and pasta, how could you NOT finish it? The BBQ sauce options lack. The bourbon base wasn't too bad. The fried pickle chips... what a waste. Very dill heavy, soggy, and the sauce that came with it was so bland I couldn't even tell what it was. Fail.
Drinking. CANS of PBR, Bud Light, and Coors were $4. And they were not advertised as tallboys either. Who in their right mind would pay $4 for a can of PBR??? The decor and prices are the only things that make this place upscale.
My bill was $34 for a combo plate and appetizer. No alcohol. We had food leftover, but I didn't even want to take it home. That says a lot.
Lilly's Q is where I will keep going for a nice atmosphere and great food across the board, Smoque is where I will keep going for the REAL DEAL that is BBQ in this city. I wish that we had gone to Burger Bar this night, which was our second choice for the evening- they show sports too. And at least they're honest and put "BAR" in their name. Barn and Company misled me, and many others, it seems.
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