Partly because I miss Famous Dave's (recently closed in Vernon Hills), I thought I'd give this place a try. When my date and I showed up around noon on a recent Sunday, FS was preparing for some (probably terrible) blues act in the main dining room. Because I don't care for ninth-rate live music (if that's what it should be called) I asked to be seated in the small room away from the bar, only to be told that while we could sit there, it was scheduled for cleaning at 12:30. (Really?? Who cleans a restaurant at 12:30 pm at the height of the lunch rush?)
In other words, the message was "eat fast and get out." Our business clearly couldn't have been less important to the witless, lazy, feckless management. Â As we waited for our order, we were treated to the "talent" tuning up and testing their equipment (again, this was just after noon on a Sunday). Charming.
The meal did arrive, and was serviceable barbecue, if mostly forgettable. Paying was an adventure unto itself. We sat for ten minutes or so to see if they'd come by to pick up the check. When they didn't, I walked the bill to the front counter, where the waiter looked as though he'd never seen a bill or debit card before. (Think of the first ten minutes of 2001: A Space Odyssey, for a general impression.
This place doesn't want your business, so don't give it to them. Carryout BBQ from Jewel would be preferable.
Wow, I wish I would have red yelp before going here. I did have a $25.00 gift card to here and even with that, it is not  worth it.
First I ordered the Hot Link and Rib combo, it was not a Hot Link but an Italian sausage and a bad one at that. The rib's were over cooked, the sauce was not any good.
The kid's meal was so bad that the kid that was with us wouldn't eat it. Who I went to dinner with had the brisket and pulled pork, both of these were not good, the corn you could tell was frozen corn. I tried both of her meats, I was at Costco earlier in the day and they were giving out samples of BBQ, and their prepared meat out of a box was MUCH better than what they were serving here.
Finally $4.00 for an Iced Tea, com on, that is borderline ridiculous for a BBQ joint.
The only reason that they got two stars was the service was good and the potato salad was decent. Other than that everything else was terrible.
I will not return, I don't even know if I would return if it was a free meal, not worth wasting the calories on.
I just changed my mind, they do only deserve one star as bad as they were.
Fantastic BBQ and really friendly service. We went in on a lazy Saturday afternoon and left very impressed with the service and quality of our food.
I had purchased a Groupon for a half rack of ribs, 1.5 lbs of pulled pork, cornbread, coleslaw, 6 chicken wings, and cheesecake for dessert. This said it was supposed to serve two, but the three of us did perfectly fine with this, and left feeling full and satisfied.
The raspberry lemonade there is delicious as well! Definitely going to be heading back to the Full Slab next time the BBQ urge strikes!
Stay away. Â Go to Main Street Smokehouse or Smokin' T's instead. Â I should have read the other yelp reviews before I tried Full Slab but Groupon had a deal and I thought I'd try them. Â What a waste of money, literally I wasted money. Â A friend and I went on a Friday night and the place was half empty. Â That should have been a clue but we stayed. Â The waitress or the kitchen got the order wrong giving us rib tips in place of a half slab of ribs and messing up a few of the sides. Â When we finally got the correct items the flavor was so so and one of the dishes was cold. Â
The waitress had to be flagged down to get the check. Â The Groupon had a paid value of $20 and a promotional value of $40. Â They took only $15 off the bill. Â They didn't correct it so I wrote to the manager. Â That was Nov. 6th, it is now Dec. 19. Â They don't want you as a customer and it shows from the moment you walk in. Â So, don't.
We stopped in a few times for dinner a few years ago and it was pretty good bbq and the sides really rounded out the meal. Â We stopped back in a few weeks back and it seems like some else is running the show. Â The hostess was more intressed in what was going on at the bar then seati g us and the waitress was not much better. Â We only saw our waitress 3 times once for drinks then for for dinner order and then with the check. Â We were shorted 2 out of the 8 sides we should have gotten but by the time she broutht the chwck we just wanted to leave. Â I had the ribs and while they were ok they were no where neat as good as they jave been in the past. Â My wife had the pulled pork and i am pretty sure tnhy arw no using a food service type of pulled pork product. Â We also didn't know that there prices had gone up so much since we had been there last.
Review Source:I would give this place no stars if I could.
This place is either going out of business and about to close, or I don't know what's happening. Â AC is broken, so it's sweltering inside. Â The restaurant is nowhere near the basic cleanliness level one would expect - every surface is sticky, tablecloth has dried food and stains on it. Â When the plates arrived, I asked to have mine replaced, since it also had dried something stuck to it, to which the waiter replied "It's just barbeque sauce". Â Seriously?
We ordered some sort of a sampler (special?) - appetizer, sampler of ribs, pulled pork, wings, sides, and desert. Â The restaurant was out of pulled pork (on a weeknight, and they weren't busy - how does that happen at a barbeque place?). Â The waiter neglected to mention that when taking the order, he took it upon himself to substitute beef. Â We only found out when the food arrived. Â Afterwards it turns out that the restaurant is out of desert, completely. Â Did anyone mention it? Â No, we had to ask when we got tired of sitting and waiting. Â Refund? Â No. Â Substitution? Â A domestic beer, if you'd like. Â And then the manager has the balls to come over and ask if we are enjoying ourselves and would we come back.
The pace is that of a Caribbean island. Â There were 4 of us, it took 2 hours to go from order to check. Â Most of the time spent staring at an empty table. Â Every other patron had a complaint to make as well.
We went here cause it's local and there was a Groupon available. Â I would have been really pissed if I had to pay full price.
Oh, the food. Â Edible, but not special. Â If you can make toast, you can cook just as well as this kitchen.
In short, stay away, save your money and wait until this joint is replaced by something better. Â Hard to imagine worse.
A while ago groupon had a deal for the Full Slab so my husband and I figured we try it. Â I will never go back! There were only 2 other tables with customers and yet it took 15 minutes to get a drink (of which she forgot mine). Â We ordered the fire stix appetizer. Â The fries were soggy and bland; definitely microwaved! Â For the main meal we had ribs, pulled pork, chicken, baked beans, coleslaw, and a muffin. Â The ribs were ok...Ribs from chain restaurants are way better. Â The pulled pork was dry and tasteless. Â The food came out steaming but when I cut into the chicken the center was cold. Â Obviously not cooked recently. Â The muffin was so dry that we couldn't swallow without drinking water. Â Our groupon came with dessert but the waitress just brought our check without ever asking if we wanted anything. Â At that point we really didn't care because we just wanted to leave and walk across the parking lot to Lou Malnati's to pick up a pizza. Â I will never go to the Full Slab again!
Review Source:Wow. I heard this place was really good. Unfortunately, that was not my experience.
I ordered the brisket meal for $14.95. I received 4 quarter inch thick, half inch wide, five inch long pieces of brisket, a 4 ounce container of mac and cheese and sweet potatoes and a cold mini corn muffin. The sweet potatoes had an unpleasant death via a huge overdose of cloves.
The decor was over lit and sterile, the bar was a mess, huge TVs had a game on but R&B music was playing....it was like eating in 7-11 only more expensive.
As two star state; "Meh. I've experienced better". The BBQ was good along with the side, but the place is really run down in general; the signs that it is not doing very well. I was there at 7pm on a Thursday and there were only 4 other people in the whole place. The ceiling tiles are stained and cracked, the pictures on the wall seems to be from the Goodwill and half broken. The bar had nothing on tap, but had tappers. If it wasn't for the decent ribs and brisket that I had, this would have been a 1 star. Owners - repaint the place and maybe give it some "life". Too dark and old, but not in a good quaint way, more like a "I am out of money and will be closing soon" way.
Review Source:I will just start and say that I am dissappointed. The ribs are pre-done and dryed out tasting. The cooks look like they are pissed off, the wait staff are more interested in jabbering with each other than serving. The corn bread and their cole-slaw were good. I notice when they are a bit busy the management just stands around and does not try to get involved, (um, don't they want to make money?)... kinda like Lovie Smith. Â This place was only ok, then it went downhill.
Unimpressed.
This place was great when it first opened but like many businesses it has forgone ingredient quality in order to save money. The last time I went in the ribs were so full of fat they were barely edible. They were also cut in half on the bone, which led me to believe they were cut rate low grade meat.
When I tried to get some recourse from management it fell on deaf ears. That was it for me. I will not patronize them again.
I've been a fan of the Full Slab since the beginning when it opened. What set it apart from other smoked barbecue shacks was a little nicer atmosphere, delicious sides, and amazing brisket, ribs and pulled pork. It has lost two of these three. The barbecue is still absolutely delicious. What was once an alternative to the take out rib joints in Waukegan has become a takeout place with a boring sports bar. Gone is the family atmosphere. Gone are the 6 different regional barbecue sauces to choose from. They used to have a great loaded potato salad and coleslaw. If they do, it's not described on the menu anymore. It's too bad, because the barbecue is still the star here. I would recommend this as a take out shack only. It's also great for catering. Otherwise, it's not much of a restaurant. Too bad!
Review Source:wow What happened to this place? Usually when a restaurant remodels, the place gets better. Not in this case. They brightened the place and turned it into a bad sports bar. The environment changed, and not for the better. I stopped in for a beer and they place was full of young smokers in the front, and the food was not up to par.
I feel like the ownership dropped the ball on this one.
Loved the place...as soon as you walk in the smell and the atmosphere is great! Â The baby back ribs are yummy and I love the Kansas City BBQ sauce. Â We have ate twice at this place. Great both times! Â Love the blues playing in the back ground. Â Will recommend to everyone. Â Seems like a hidden location. Â We would have never found it if we did not receive the online deal. Â Thumbs up!!!
Review Source:The first 2 times I ate at the Full Slab I was so excited because the service was friendly, and the food was exceptional. Â Oh how this place has gone down hill. I went there on Monday night during a snowstorm. Â The place was empty, which would make you think you would get good service, but that was not the case. Â The manager acted as if we were inconveniencing him by eating there. Â We ordered the pulled pork potato skins to start. Â They we mediocre at best and had little to no meat in them. Â When we got our ribs they had gotten my order wrong. Â We had a coupon for a Monday night special that had just came out for a buy 1 get 1 half off rib dinner. The ribs were good, but they were out of cornbread. Â How can you be out of cornbread when you just put out a coupon to drum up business??? Â Also, the carousel of different BBQ sauces that used to be on every table is now gone...a little perk that used to make this place good. Also...there were no wet naps! Â I thought this was a BBQ place.... Its not worth the trip anymore.
Review Source:I concur with a lot of the other reviews re the mediocre quality of the food and the service. Â However, I wanted to add something about my own experience at the Full Slab.
I went there to watch a Bears game with some friends. Â Full Slab was offering a special: $20 per person for all you can eat wings / all you can drink draft beers during the game. Â It sounded like a pretty good deal, so I said "I'm in."
You might wonder how any place could make money with this kind of an offer. Â At Full Slab, it's easy -- just have your server make him or herself scarce to ensure that the patrons don't have an opportunity to order too many wings or ask for too many refills for their beers. Â
Voila! -- problem solved! Â Our server came around so rarely that I thought she was an endangered species. Â And, if that wasn't bad enough, by the 3rd quarter, they were out of wings and draft beer. Â Our server grudgingly brought us each a bottle of domestic beer, but made no effort to provide a substitute for the lack of wings.
To top things off, our server charged us for seven people when there were only six of us there. Â When asked why, her response was "you told me you were expecting seven people". Â Wow -- it's a good thing we didn't tell her we were expecting 12 people -- she might have tried to double our bill!
When I took my kids here, I thought this was a close to our home good BBQ joint, but I was disappointed when we went in. Â It's a sports bar first and foremost and there were some afterwork folks at the bar getting tipsy and being very inappropriate too close to our table.
The food wasn't bad, but the fries were cold and the ribs were cold. Â The brisket was well cooked and great sauce on it!
We've been to the full slab several times and each time it was missing something.
The food isn't great. It typically isn't served hot making it taste like left overs. Â
The service didn't handle the problem any of the times. Â I would love to have this place live up to our hopes. Maybe we'll give it one more try tonight and I'll update this.
We always have high hopes but leave disappointed.
I have been to The Full Slab a couple of times for after work nosh and cocktails and have been pleased.
Let me make one thing clear that other reviewers have apparently missed; this is not a "family" restaurant. It would seem that they are targeting affluent singles and empty nesters.
On their web page they caption The Full Slab as "Smokehouse and Sports Lounge". Â
On the "about" page they state:
"The Full Slab combines culinary excellence with the entertainment value of sports and music to create the ultimate restaurant experience. The Full Slab is not a BBQ Restaurant--it's Lake County's only nice sitdown Smokehouse that combines delicious food and cocktails guaranteed to excite your taste buds with the excitement and entertainment of having a private box at your favorite games. "
Are they what they say that they are? I say a resounding YES.
There are many "family friendly" non-sports bar places to take your brood- please feel free to patronize these establishments in the future!
If you are visiting for the first time- The Full Slab is in an odd shaped strip mall slash shopping plaza. So watch for the sign rather than trying to spot the building.
The Full Slab's fries are fresh cut thin style with skin on- slightly "soft" but very tasty. They give you a huge pile- easily enough for two people with a sandwich order.
Worth noting is that even during busy times I have been served drinks and appetizers promptly at the bar; I feel that the cocktails are top notch too. Try a carmel apple martini if you are in the mood for something sweet.
I've heard hit or miss reviews about Full Slab, and after encountering 45 minute delays at the corporate haven along Grand, I suggested to our group that we give The Full Slab a try before giving up and ordering pizza. Â We only waited 2-3 minutes for a table, we were dining with a small child who was generally well behaved, got a little fussy by the end of the meal, but it wasn't distracting. Â I went there with the intention of getting the brisket/pulled pork combo, but I just had to try their rattlesnake pasta, which had the surprise of andouille sausage in addition to the chicken. Â This dish was phenomenal, the alfredo sauce was creamy, and the pepper blend and the sausage provided a good amount of heat. Â I convinced some rib ordering friends to upgrade to the combo so we all could sample the pulled pork and brisket. Â Both were prepared well and seasoned with terrific sauces. Â What keeps this from a four star rating were two minor annoyances. Â There were only two servers for a very large room, and they ran out of the St Louis ribs. Â I'll be back and will be willing to change my review.
Review Source:I think this place is having a bit of an identity crisis... is it a restaurant or a club? Â
The food isn't horrible... it's OK. Â Actually there aren't many good BBQ places in Lake County so I was hopeful that this was the one. Â We've eaten here a few times and each time it feels as if it's missing a little something.
I do think this wannabe club like atmosphere may be distracting to delivering a true down home BBQ experience and patrons.
Famous Dave's is better food, but not as local. Â This is a place with good ribs and pulled pork, but I'm disappointed they took the numerous sauces off the tables. Â You'd think this is more of a bar than a restaurant, but I've never seen anyone really capitalize on the enormous bar.
The temp of the food is hit or miss.
Oh Full Slab, it's sad to see how far you've fallen.
When this establishment first opened I was ecstatic. For months I told everyone I knew to come experience the Full Slab and their fantastic BBQ and especially their loaded baked potato salad and cornbread (I can still taste the original stuff in my mouth just thinking about it).
But, as time went on (a few short years) the restaurant has lost its swagger. Perhaps not by the owner or her waitstaff but in terms of the quality of the restaurant, the food taste and portions as well as price.
People in Grayslake thrive on finding a new place to eat since we don't have a whole lot. People want a place that's a quick drive so they don't have to trek to downtown Libertyville or through Gurnee. The Full Slab had the initial potential to be a place everyone went to (like Pat's Pizza, not great pizza but a great environment).
As they became a more popular spot, it's as if they changed how they made things and how they treated their customers. I'm happy for a business when they're booming and chalked full of patrons, but I liked those days where it was my group and maybe someone else at the bar.
All in all, if you like BBQ and don't mind getting messy come check out the Full Slab at least once. The loaded baked potato salad is still good but as you taste it realize that it was once so much better. The portions used to be larger as well, but in this day in age maybe it's for the better. They could be aiding us from becoming the BBQ balloons we all want to be. :)
It's a good place to check out once and then from there - BBQ at will.
This was a fantastic rib place I found completely by accident. I had the rib sampler and the two kinds of ribs included were cooked just right and full or real smoke flavor. Â The garlic bread slice they served with it was addictive (I could have had a whole meal of just that!) The person who took my order at the bar was a little spacey, but who care - its the food that counts! Nice blues playing over the PA. Â All in all a wonderful place!
Review Source:I took our family of 7 there for my daughter's 8th grade graduation dinner. We were on a tight schedule so I let our server know right up front. This seemed to make a difference as things moved quickly from orders to drinks to food. The food is a little hit and miss. The rib combo plate was good but the sides were disappointing. Be wary of the bean sides and the fries were cold.
I think they may be trying to be all things to all people with the sports theme, live music some nights and carryout business too. But for a local suburban BBQ place - I think they try pretty hard. Â The beer selection and the BBQ sauce selction is impressive. Â I think everyone should give it a shot.
So, I had a jones for barbecue today, and this is close by. Â It was my first time coming here, and it was definitely hit or miss on the food and service. Â I ordered a mojito from the bar that was delicious, but it was unfortunately the high point of my meal. Â I ordered the Sunday rib tip dinner with Mac and cheese and green beans. Â The rib tips were very tasty and tender, the mac and cheese was okay (nothing to write home about), but the green beans were inedible. Â WAY TOO SALTY! Â Our waitress then disappeared for quite a while after we put in our dessert order. Â Meanwhile I overheard the server at the next table explaining that she would just leave their take home peach cobbler frozen so it wouldn't get too hard being reheated twice. Â Wait, it's frozen? Â I wish I would have known that before I ordered it (to go, no less!) Â I might go back, but I think I will stick with more meat and beverages, less everything else.
Review Source:So went there today and got the Sunday special which was a pick of a meat and two sides with a dessert. Not a bad price if it wasn't that the ribs really weren't that great, I will have to say that I am a little biased only for the fact that the last three rib places didn't have that much meat on the bone. The sauces they have are amazing and I would recommend the memphis sauce!!! Also had the greens and they were ok. The peach cobbler was very good. All in all I probably won't recommend them to anyone but it was ok to give it a try once. Give it a try on the weekend, they look to have a great selection of beers on tap.
Review Source:Don't know how to call this place. Been here twice with totally different experiences. Dined here last night and had the brisket and ribs dinner (comes with salad and baked potato) for $25. The brisket was excellent - moist, melt-in-your mouth good and slathered in tasty bbq sauce. The ribs were just OK - kind of dry but good otherwise. The meat was well seasoned and hot like bbq should be. The salad and baked potato were as I expected - no complaints or compliments although they skimp on the sour cream and butter with the potato. So last night was actually a good experience.
Contrast that to the last time we dined there. The service was nonexistent and the food was horrible. I ordered a full rack of beef ribs and they came out dry and more cold than hot. There was hardly any sauce on the ribs and the waiter gave us attitude anytime we asked for something to improve the dish...like bbq sauce! I came away thinking that this place was a dump that overcharged for sub-par food. Bottom line, I would call the food and service here a crap shoot bc you don't know who or what you are going to get. That's why I am giving this place only 2 stars - the food quality is inconsistent.
Finally, the atmosphere is not family friendly. This place feels more like a sports bar serving food than a bbq restaurant with a bar. Their bar dominates the front of the house and forces diners around the perimeter. There are 3 giant projection TVs broadcasting whatever major sport is in season at the time, and numerous wall TVs around the rest of the space. So beware when dining here - the food may be bad and the games may be blasting during dinner.
Went here looking for something different, and wish I had stayed away. Although I did not have the BBQ, I went across the lot to Yuri of Japan instead, the wife and child purchased salads from here.
10 bucks each, and the salads were mostly iceberg lettuce. They forgot the chicken on my wife's salad (didn't check till we got home/takeout), and my daughter had 3 small shrimp on her shrimp salad.
From what a person whose culinary opinion I value, the portions are crazy small, and the ribs are nothing to even write about.
I came across the Full Slab purely by circumstance , I was actually looking for a Sushi place but who knew they weren't open for lunch on Saturdays round those parts? I literally said to myself I was going to the next restaurant I saw because I was so hungry. I passed the Full Slab , a place on my radar , but I never before made it inside the place. I have a nice stable of BBQ joints , some really good , considering this place was in the middle of nowhere , I didn't expect much. It is a nice enough place inside , big projection screen tv's good sized bar space , comfortable enough , a little class for a rib joint. Got to the menu , good selection of bbq related dishes , good side variety. The prices seemed a high for the boonies , but not exorbitant. They have 5 variety's of sauces ; Chicago style,KC style,Texas , Memphis,and Carolina, my personal favorite was the KC style. The fries were coated and really good , the ribs ... Outstanding! Definitely in my top 5 ribs anywhere , Â the beef brisket ,I'm not a huge connoisseur of brisket but this was best brisket I've ever had, ever. The slaw was great , the potato salad was really good ,the green beans were pretty good and I don't really like green beans, the corn cakes were really good , the pulled pork really good as well. I did get a little taste of my son's bacon cheese burger , keyword "little" and it was really good. I WILL be back here again , often I'm sure , and I might even go purely for the brisket , which was before now not a favorite of mine in the BBQ world.
...
Got my Super Bowl ribs here , 2 slabs of baby backs , best game ever. I find myself liking the Chicago style a little more than the KC style this time around. Just an update to say they reheat well and this place still rules.
OMG! Â This was the BEST BEST BEST-EST pulled pork I have EVER eaten!!!
My mom took me an my three (small) kids there for dinner last night. Â We both got the pulled pork sandwich, I got the pulled pork sandwich- Carolina style ,with the slaw on the top (drool)....
The Pork was so, so so good. Â I also got the green beans - YUM!
I believed they were steamed, the waitress said they are tossed with sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil and garlic-- Â VERY Good combo!
The kids got the chicken tenders off the kids menu. Â My kids were into the fries so much they did not really eat the chicken until today and they wanted more than we had left over. Â I took a bite too and they are VERY tasty, neither bland, nor too spicy...just right.
If I did not live so far away (1 hour) I would be dragging my hubby back tonight!
Thank you for giving us another reason to go visit grandma!! Â :D
Honestly, from first walking in the door - this place wants to be more a sports bar than a southern down-home barbecue joint.
I ordered a full slab of baby back ribs - meat was bland, mushy & overcooked. Â Barely a faint hint of hickory smoke. Â Sauce was ok.
Truthfully, a McRib would have satisfied me for a lot less $$$ (and for alot more flavor)
Ordered a second time (figuring, maybe a few weeks later, they'd improve a little) - beef brisket was lil dry, tough and tasteless.
I tried their half-chicken meal, which was good, bit too much sauce - a lil bit pricey (could also get a  good rotisserie chicken from Jewel for less)
Both times, the staff there I guess take turns at the register - each time, the folks who rung me up had problems. (maybe its me?)
my recommendation - goto either Hillery's or Brothers BBQ.
Latest Update - went over and picked up 2 pulled pork sandwiches (after reading such a glowing review here)
They were huge and messy, Â loaded with sliced onions (odd?)
Really didn't care for it - sauce kinda funky, I had big slimy chunks of sliced fat in my meat. Did have some spice to it. For the sandwich and one side - it's certainly not worth the $9 bucks they sell them for.
They offer to "Carolina" style your pulled pork sammie - their idea is just to top it off with a scoop of cole slaw. If it was going to be truly carolina style, they'd leave the pork dry and offer a vinegar based BBQ sauce to spice up your meat. Â Just kind of disappointing all around. Sorry.
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