Finally, a great place for BBQ in the area. Â I rarely partake in a big heap of barbeque meats and sides. Â As such, I always want to stop somewhere good. Â In the past, it meant we had to travel a bit. Â Luckily, Real Urban Barbecue is right in my neighborhood, and everything I've had so far was really good. Â I had the smoked turkey with their spicy sauce, on Texas toast. Â The turkey was tender, well seasoned, and reasonably lean. Â My partner in crime got burnt ends, which were super-savory. Â All of our sides were really good. Â The restaurant is very vivacious, everything is clean, and the staff were all friendly. Â I'm looking forward to trying out more of their menu, soon.
Review Source:Ever go to a place, maybe when you are particularly hungry, and just love it; then when you go back a month or so later you are like, hmm, that's not nearly as good as I remember?
Well thats my experience at Real Urban BBQ, I tried the Vernon Hills location a month ago, went for a late dinner and was starving. Â The place was packed and the food was good. Â Not the best Q I've had, but I liked it, I had heard the burnt ends were the best thing on the menu, but they were sold out. Â Since I liked it, and wanted to try the burnt ends I couldnt wait to go back.
This time I went for lunch, figuring I'd have a better shot at the burnt ends. Â I also tried the Highland Park location. Â The burnt ends were pretty tasty, but were actually pretty cold, they took the brisket end out of the smoker, chopped it into chunks and then tossed it into a frying pan just to warm it up. Â I've never seen BBQ right out of the smoker that needed to be warmed up, and was still pretty cold when served. Â Despite this, they were good, a strong smoke taste and plenty of flavor.
It was the sides that were disappointing, the mac n cheese was boring straight up kraft blue box variety.  My wife had bbq nachos, and they used that fake cheese sauce again, just poured over some plane chips, she added  jalapenos, but still pretty boring nachos.  the pulled pork on top was good, but the nachos were a sad vehicle to showcase some good bbq pig.
they do pretty good bbq meats, but the sides are bland and do not at all seem made from scratch.
maybe it was too early? maybe the Vernon Hills spot is just better, but over all I was disappointed. Â it was by no means bad, I just thought so much more of the place the first time I went there.
My bud and I tried Real Urban Barbecue at Bloody Mary Fest last summer and since then have been meaning to get here to try all their food. I'm so glad we did because everything was quite good.
Honestly, my favorite thing was the lemonade and nice outdoor seating they have. It's just so amazing to sit outside on a perfect temperature day and their outdoor seating doesn't disappoint. And that lemonade! It may just be the best I've ever had! We couldn't stop guzzling it down! It comes in a refillable mason jar....Yep I said refillable! All you can drink! Sarah likes this.
Before going I had my eye on the mini sandwiches and wanted to try a couple of the side dishes. I got WAY too much food but the good news is that made for some extra meals for me - Dinner last night, breakfast this morning (cupcake), lunch today and dinner tonight. I'm still a bit confused if I got the mini sandwiches or they actually gave me the full size sandwiches cuz they were SO huge and packed with meat. I tried the BBQ brisket, pulled pork and texas sausage sandwiches/ The mini sandwiches are $3 each or 3 for $8.
*BBQ Brisket Sandwich - Found this to be a bit dry. I added some extra sauce to the sandwich and then it was all good!
*Pulled Pork Sandwich - LOVED this! It was so moist and delicious. I added the mustard BBQ sauce on it and it made it even better.
*Texas Sausage Sandwich - Absolutely LOVED this sandwich too. The sausage was super spicy for my weak tastebuds though so if you can't handle spice, you may want to avoid this.
*Sweet Potato Souffle $3 - If you love sweet potatoes, you may just love this. I can't say I'm big on them and found this to be too rich for my taste. I realize that's just a personal thing though, but also found them to be a tad dry.
*Homestyle Mac & Cheese $3 - Loved it! It was the classic, creamy, macaroni & cheese. Great flavor!
*Suggestion* Slightly bigger tubs for the side dishes just so they aren't overflowing. These dishes are HOT and both of my side dishes had some fall onto my hand as the guys behind the counter handed them to me...burnnnnn! Literally.
*Double chocolate cupcake - Contrary to some of the other reviewers, I found the cupcake to be FANTASTIC! I had it for breakfast this morning and still a day later it was not dry at all. The frosting was great, cake was great, and the dollop of chocolate inside the cupcake was also great. Just a lovely cupcake that rivals actual cupcake shops.
Staff was great, and overall all the food was so good! It made for such a nice, relaxing night. I will absolutely be back when I'm in the HP area! Please open a location in the Schaumburg area! I would be ever so grateful.
Warning! The 'handles' on the sauce holders are not really handles even though they look like it. My poor buddy lifted it by said handle & BBQ spilled all over his clothes and ruined his white shoes....he was not a happy camper. My only suggestion would be for RUB to perhaps glue the center part of these holders in...? Or take out the center panel that has a hand grip when it's truly not that. We saw a couple other tables do the same thing he did but thankfully did not have the misfortune of the BBQ sauce exploding. :)
We came on a Thursday night around 7:30. Â It was kind of hard to find the place if you're not familiar with the downtown area. There is also plenty of seating in the restaurant. Â The guys behind the counter were all very nice and helpful in our selection. Â They even gave someone in our party a free sample to help him make a decision. Â
I ended up getting the brisket with spicy sauce delicious (there is a sweet sauce option too). Â The is also a large selection of sides. Â The mashed potatoes and mac and cheese were good, the green beans were just ok. Â I would definitely come back again. Â The only thing that surprised me is how early they close on the weeknights.
It may not be the very best BBQ in the world, but for the Chicagoland area, its as good as it gets. Â Growing up in Texas, I've eaten BBQ my whole life. Â I know good BBQ. Â I have had Memphis, to Carolina style, and this is holds its own anywhere. Â Solid Ribs, brisket, turkey, etc...i"ve had just about everything on their menu in 2 visits. Â Great sides. Â Variety of sauces makes finding the "sweet" spot a reality. Â Everyone I went with was impressed. Â The kids wiped out a pound of that smoked turkey in a matter of minutes...and they are picky.
Review Source:In 1,000,000 years I never would have thought there would be honest to goodness good BBQ in Highland Park. I mean, it's not exactly the area one thinks of when one is looking for good ribs with some heart & soul, knowwhatimean? People have sung their praises, but, some of these people who have also sung the praises of BBQ at Twin Anchors (disgusting) so it's not like their opinions can be trusted. Real Urban Barbecue is good, REALLY good. Â We were starving on a dreary Sunday afternoon, and decided to look thru my Yelp bookmarks for a new place, and BBQ seemed perfect.
Me and hubs were starving and our mouths started watering the second we walked in. I got a full slab of baby backs with 2 sides, and hubs got the pulled pork nachos. Thankfully the nice guy waiting on us suggested he hold off on ordering anything else, because the pulled pork nachos is a complete meal..appetizer my foot. The tortilla chips are smothered with tons of pork, sharp cheese sauce, BBQ sauce, and jalapeños. I highly recommend this, and if you are sharing with a group you'll have room for something else. The baby backs were delicious: excellent smoke and flavor, just a little pull, and not too much sauce (I ordered them wet). They came with 2 sides so I had mac & cheese and creamed spinach. The mac was good, creamy, but a little bland, creamed spinach was tasty and not soupy at all.
The food is delicious and the ribs & pork are seriously good. This is some of the best BBQ I've had since Memphis and I'm definitely going back. Oh, if you get a drink in a mason jar, keep it for future visits bc you get free refills. The peach iced tea was so good, but why no watermelon iced tea at this location? I'd drink that by the barrel full!
oh boy - this is disheartening! Â I HAD to update my review of this place. Â I've had a couple 5 star experiences, many 2-3 star ratings, and today I had a solid 1 star rating experience. Â : / Â Their food is good, but DEFINITELY overpriced (but that's Highland Park for ya); the service is the variable factor, unfortunately. Â I have special requests due to food allergies (read: "I can't help it...BUT I'm helping you help me, AND I'm very nice about it, so really, it shouldn't be a problem AT ALL!"). Â I order the pulled pork entree; that comes with 2 sides; due to the way they prepare their side dishes (ingredients - yes, even the "hidden" ingredients), I can't have any of them; thus, they make an exception for me....EVERYtime. Â Today, however, they were not interested in these exceptions. Â Please note that I've eaten at this location probably 47 times in the last year. Â Pretty bizarre!!! Â I had to ho-and-hum and stumble over my bewilderment quite a few times before they finally "gave in" and let me get the dam sweet potato fries as a side. Â Since they were doing me a "favor" (ie: publicly embarrassing me and holding up the line), I told them we could count the sweet potato fries as BOTH of my sides. Â They have TWO size orders for sweet potato fries: small and large (pretty basic, right?). Â They chose to make me a SMALL order! Â (their "small" is smaller than the average small order). Â So now I've paid $12 for not that much food. Â It's already over-priced, and then with the "favor" they did for me today, it's a COMPLETE rip-off! Â (I also ordered a large dinner salad AS A SEPARATE ITEM to not have to "bother" them with making me a tiny salad on exception as a side - which they've always done for me in the past as well). Â On top of it all, EVERY employee I encountered in that one trip (four total) was very rude to me! Â The "take you food and get out of here!" vibe was really REALLLLYYY strong. Â So they're going to get what they want! Â They will never see me again! Â (and frankly, if you have food allergies, take your business elsewhere; you and I know when food-allergy-people eat out in public it's hard enough; the LAST thing we need is attitude x 4!)
Review Source:It's delicious, it's fresh, it's clean, its menu is huge, it has mason jar drinks and paper towels on the tables... sounds like the best BBQ I can find on the north side. Â Having just moved from St. Louis where I was on borderline BBQ territory, I had high expectations. e showed up as a group of 7 on a weekend night and stayed a few hours slowly making our way through the meat and having a good time. They let me try a sample before I committed to the entree. We even bought a whole pecan pie from here and were very satisfied. What I like best is that their meat is cooked fresh daily and is limited to however much they made - now that's how it's done!
Review Source:HOW have I not reviewed RUB yet?! Â That's pretty much blasphemous.
The first time we had RUB was on the 4th of July. Â We were all exhausted from a full day of boating on the lake and no one wanted to sit in a restaurant or start cooking. Â You don't get much more American than BBQ, right? Â BBQ and carry-out. Â 'Merica. Â Eff yeah!
We had the whole chicken (okay, we had 3 whole chickens) which are seasoned with an amazing dry-rub. Â They quartered the chickens for us, and threw them on the grill to get caramelized.
Over the few other times I've had take-out, we've tried several of the side dishes:
coleslaw: Â Creamy. Â Good consistency. Â Not watery. Â Needed extra pepper (I love my coleslaw REALLY peppery.)
buttermilk mashed potatoes: Â Again, creamy. Â Good flavors.
homestyle mac & cheese: Â Holy hell, this was good. Â Definitely homemade, not like the wax-y tasting stuff you get at Boston Market. Â Rich. Creamy. Cheesy. Gooey. Â MUST ORDER EVERY TIME.
sweet potato souffle: Desserty. Rich. Â Can't take more than a few bites.
smoked baked beans: Â excellent. Â I think they add bbq sauce to them.
creamed spinach: again, so good!
Bottom line, the chicken rocks, the bbq sauce rocks, the side dishes rock. Â Go. Â Go now. Â Do not pass go, do not collect $200.
I really wouldn't recommend this place to anyone who enjoy eating good food.
Before this place opened I was so excited to have a good BBQ place in Highland Park. Yes, Players is good, Ravinia BBQ is excellent, BBQ Pit is solid, but I wanted a quick service BBQ place like Smoque.
This place is a joke compared to Smoque. Portions are smaller, food has half is not less of the taste, and the atmosphere just isn't the same. Oh ya, and Smoque isn't $15 for a bad meal, its like $8 for an unreal meal.
Pulled pork is usually very good here, but unfortunately, it's inconsistent. Â Whereas, it's typically lean and has a great BBQ flavor, occasionally, there's a ton of fat chunks, and it's just a greasy mess.
Also noteworthy are their sugar biscuits and corn bake, which are deliciously sinful. Â They also have great sauce.
Definitely a good choice for BBQ.
Great meat and chicken, the brisket is always tender, and the chicken is also tender and juicy. I both ate there and ordered take away for a party and the staff were  always very attentive and fast, they even let us try the sausage and meat to decide what to order. It is not a fancy restaurant, but one to definetly go  if you want to enjoy  a great barbacue style dinner and avoid the hassel at home, especially if it is winter, and barbacueing gets nightmarish.
Review Source:I have traveled the country in search of great barbecue, and I definitely found it at Real Urban Barbecue. It was so good, we went back a second time the next day. I enjoyed the three meat platter with two sides. I chose the dry rubbed St. Louis style ribs, pulled pork, and sliced brisket along with BBQ baked beans and macaroni and cheese. The ribs were meaty and tender with the perfect balance of smoke, sweetness, and saltiness. The pulled pork was moist and flavorful with the perfect amount of smoke. The brisket was fantastic, perfect smoke ring, perfectly tender, and great beef flavor. The sides were great as well. I feel comfortable saying the baked beans were the best I have ever had. The next day, I was able to try the smoked chicken which was excellent as well. It was perfectly seasoned and smoked and turned out quite moist.
The sauce selection at Real Urban Barbecue is fantastic as well, and that is coming from a person who does not think BBQ needs sauce. The selection of sweet, spicy, and tangy will fit anyone's palate.
I have dined at over 50 barbecue restaurants around the country, with the majority being in Memphis and Kansas City, and I can confidently say that Real Urban Barbecue is at the top of my list. It beats out Rendezvous in Memphis, Pappy's Smokehouse in St. Louis, and Fiorella's Jack Stack in Kansas City which are near the top of my list.
We will definitely be making the trip back up to Highland Park from Springfield to visit family, but also to get some Real Urban Barbecue!
I love this place! Having lived in the South for a while, this is as good as Southern food can possibly get in the Midwest. I always order their chopped salad with burnt ends on top. Their iced tea drinks come in cute mason jars and if you bring your mason jar back, they'll give you a free refill.
They could definitely improve on better organizing their stations - it's a bit confusing because when you go to order, I'm never sure if I'm allowed to cut in front of others to go to the salad line or not.
Other than that, a definite must if you live in the North Shore.
If you enjoy ribs the way they're suppose to be prepared, there's no better place in Chicago's Northwest suburbs.
In a sentence "Order your ribs with the dry rub." Â You will savor every rib and you WILL GO BACK endless times. Â This is one delicacy that just doesn't tire. Â Combine this with the attentive and friendly staff and ... What more can be said?
So, apparently I have been living under a rock. Thank you wonderful husband for relaying this new information to me:
Those mason jars filled with delicious beverages (the unsweetened peach tea is my fave) by the cashier? Buy one and YOU GET TO KEEP IT FOR LIFE. Bring it back with you when you come again and YOU GET FREE REFILLS!
Stupid me. I've been buying a mason jar full of unsweetened peach tea for about 13 trips here (and mean mugging people who walked out with their mason jars). Don't be stupid like me. Just to think! Even if I'd paid for all those teas and taken the jars, I would have 26 mason jars of pickles in the fridge. Oh, the humanity! #themoreyouknow
Another expert tip: Whatever you've having for dinner, add a mini Homewrecker sandwich to it.
You're welcome!
I am seriously surprised that Real Urban Barbecue doesn't have at least 4 stars! Â My fiancee is originally from Kansas City, so of course I have been exposed to the "Best of the Best" when it comes to smoked meats. Â I visited Real Urban Barbecue for lunch on a weekday and was more than pleasantly surprised! Â
I ordered the brisket and it was amazing! Â I love that they slice it for you when you come in, so it isn't sitting there and drying out while waiting for people to come. Â I also love that they don't sauce everything for you unless you want them to. Â My fiancee's theory is that the meat should be good enough to stand on its own without sauce-sauce is only a great compliment. Â Real Urban totally succeeded on this in my eyes!
For sides I've tried the Green Beans, Mac 'n Cheese, Flame Roasted Fuji Apples, and Baked Beans. Â Skip the green beans (why are you trying to be healthy here anyways?!), but the rest are all great-I especially loved the apples! Â
Bottom line-if you're looking for great, authentic BBQ in the Chicagoland area, stop in to Real Urban Barbeque. Â I live in the city and have tried nearly all the "good" BBQ places here, and Real Urban is for sure in my top 2!
"BBQ?"
This is how most discussions about lunch start in my office. And how they end. Because Real Urban BBQ is without question the best lunch option in highland park. No discussion.
It all starts with the meat. My favorite is the Homewrecker sandwich. You get the spicy texas sausage AND a mountain of pulled pork on a bun for like 7 bucks. Spicy pickles on the side. I also like the brisket- although it isn't the juiciest I've had, it has a ton of flavor. The side dishes are just as good as the meat. I usually get the green beans which are crunchy and slightly tangy. When I'm famished I go for the mac n' cheese.
Satisfaction and post-lunch food coma guaranteed.
I was really excited to try this place and for the most part it did not disappoint. Â
The food:
The best part of the meal by far was the meat. Â I'm not a huge meat-eater... and I'm really into sauce (lots of it). Â But the meat was so tender and delicious that I didnt even bother to add much bbq sauce to it. Â I tried both the burnt ends and the pork, both delicious. Â I slightly preferred the pork because it had less fat and still packed flavor. Â The beans were really good but seemed slightly overseasoned, I enjoyed the different types of beans used. Â The sugar bisquits were a hit but had way TOO much sugar. Â The mac and cheese was just ok, similar to Stoffers. Â Very cheesy but not a quality cheese flavor. Â The potatoe pancakes were good, but were dripping in oil, which makes it lose some of its appeal. Â The garlic fries simply didnt make the cut. Â They lacked much taste or flavor, and were pretty much tossed. Â
The restaurant itself:
There was always a line almost out the door, but it moved quickly. Â There is plenty of seating so you dont have to worry about finding a table once you get your meal, which I really appreciate. Â Staff was friendly.
I'll be back for the meat, not so much the sides.
I love Real Urban Barbecue. There isn't much I've tried here that I didn't like - Pulled Pork is the best, whether in sandwich form or on the Redneck Taco (think hoecake standing in for tortilla). Sides are all excellent, but favorites are baked beans, sweet potato casserole and mac and cheese (especially for our toddler!). The sauces are great and I like to mix and match them as I eat. They have tons of options, even salads and soups that look and sound great, but I haven't been able to pull myself away from my pulled pork yet. Others I've brought here have tried the brisket and burnt ends and declared them delicious as well. Maybe when the Vernon Hills location opens and I only have to drive five minutes to get my fix I'll try some other menu items.
A note for parents, the kids' meals are advertised as coming with fries but last time I asked if we could have something else instead and they let us pick any side we wanted. Which is awesome, because some places are not so accomodating. Just a heads up if you want to pick something healthier or at least not fried for the kiddos.
I've recently rediscovered the joys of eating meat and was very excited to eat at this place with my family and boyfriend for my brother's birthday. Â I had heard lots of good things about this place before dining here.
First of all, the restaurant does not offer a waiter service. Â It's more like Chipotle for BBQ - you place your order up front and it's prepared there for you. Â They do have people who clear off your table for you when you're done with your meal.
I had the 12 hour pulled pork sandwich, which was very delicious! Â I didn't get sauce on the meat so I could sample the various samples of sauces our table. Â I liked all of them except the M Sauce, which is a mix of original BBQ, 3 types of mustard and vinegar and sugar.
You can get 2 or 3 sides with our meal. Â I tried the Golden Corn Base - think of broken up pieces of cornbread and the mac and cheese. Â The sandwich also was served with pickles, which had a spicy kick to them. Â Everything tasted great.
My parents and brother got ribs, which they enjoyed. Â My sister was lucky enough to try some brisket. Â The brisket blew me away. Â It was thick and delicious and tasted even better with the spicy and Piedmont sauce. Â My boyfriend had the fish tacos, which tasted great as well.
Overall, good food and I would definitely come back to try it again. Â They are also opening up a location in Vernon Hills very soon.
However, the service sucked. Â We came on a Saturday night and the line was out the door. Â The man at the front who was taking the orders was a bit off putting. Â He wasn't very friendly and was not helpful when my mom asked him questions. Â He seemed to want to rush her along with her order so he could help other customers. Â Lastly, the food got cold quickly and was served to us somewhat lukewarm.
But, I definitely enjoyed my meal. Â I will definitely come back and cannot wait for the location in Vernon Hills to open.
I have been here a few times for lunch and even though I try something new, and every time I'm blown away by their barbeque. Â I've had the burnt end sandwich (end cut of the brisket charred to perfection), brisket sandwich, pulled pork sandwich, and the heart attack sandwich (might be a different name but it's brisket with a hot link on it). Â Each of the sandwiches were great and rival Smoke Daddy's in Ukrainian Village as my favorite BBQ spot in the area. Â
The sauces are 3 unique flavors, all three hit my palette. Â The pickles are way better than Famous Dave's and they give you a good portion of them. Â Â The sides were good, not amazing, but still pretty darn good for a BBQ spot. Â The mac and cheese was my favorite of the sides, along with the coleslaw. Â
I'll come back here as often as I'm in the area. Â Best spot for lunch in Highland Park.
We want for dinner on Saturday night. It was busy as you'd expect. I love the ambiance.
The main problem with the food is that it was luke-warm. because of that's the flavor was just not there.
One thing seemed clear. This was good BBQ (flavor wise). But we didn't enjoy it because the temp of the food was just too cool. Like room temperature.
We had the brisket, ribs and chicken and it was all consistent. Promising flavor but blah due to temp.
On the other hand, we also,tried they smoked wings. Â These are flash deep fried right before serving so,they were hot. They were some of the best wings I have had. Period. Their rub was awesome.
We will try the place again, and hopefully be able to upgrade our rating.
This is very solid barbecue, I could eat it regularly, and it's just a few blocks from home. Â Unfortunately, time and dietary constraints prevail. Â Aye, there's the rub. Â Get it? Â RUB?
I've never dined in, only to go. Â And I will be back... again and again.
Get the baked beans. Â They might be the number one item on the menu. Â If I were comparing barbecue restaurants, which I should probably do, then this place has the best baked beans of any nearby barbecue place. Â
The meat is all standard barbecue fare, nothing that would stand head and shoulders about the other very good restaurants (and really I'm thinking of places like Smoke Daddy), but very solid.
I think sauce is always a preference thing, RUB's sweet sauce is a little on the sweet side, and spicy sauce is a little on the spicy side, for my taste, but both are also very good. Â They go big.
You should probably get the cranberry bread pudding, too. Â The sides I've tried so far were all tasty.
We caught the name of this place from Chicago Magazine. Â
Its not something you'd notice from the main walking area in downtown HP, I had to look for it.
You're served on a metal tray... cafeteria style, you can pick what you want as you scoot down the counter. Â Â They give you a very generous portion of meat. Â I had the pulled pork entree and had plenty for 2 meals. Â I added fries to that and green beans (my attempt at doing something healthy!). Â My husband had the brisket sandwich. Â Â I loved my pulled pork, the original bbq sauce was probably my favorite... fries were yummy. Â Tried his brisket and was pleased - he really liked it too. Â
Fun lemonade served in mason jars.... I guess you can take them but that wasn't super clear & I don't need them, so I left mine behind. Â Â
I almost forgot  - the sugar biscuits! To die for.  These are 3 for $1, please get them!
We'll definitely head back here. Â Our bill was $30 for two. Â I had leftovers.
A real north shore treat! Â Great ribs, but also great brisket and turkey. Â Portions tend to be generous which is nice, especially with a group so you can share.
The sides rock! Â And I love the selection of sauces at the table. Â A couple of thick ones, and a couple that are not - one is vinegar based, the other mustard based. Â I used to travel to NC on business and think it is a welcome and authentic treat to find those options here. Â Also, these fit it better on a low-carb diet :-)
They run specials from time to time. Â If you are ordering a special ask about the size of the portion. In my experience the portions on the specials have been smaller than the regular menu items. Â Otherwise this is a 5-star place. Â
I think its great that  a tony 'burb like Highland Park can host - and sustain - a true BBQ joint.  Makes living in this town just that much nicer :-)
Meh...
The dry rub ribs were dry which, if you are a BBQ place, you should at least get these right. Â The brisket was down right tasteless and the only thing I could say was decent was the pulled pork.
I was disappointed as I really wanted a top notch BBQ place in the North Shore, but alas, it was not to be. Â
Also, the ordering line could really use a Six Sigma go over as it should be much more efficient than it was. Smoque BBQ on Pulaski is still the place to beat, unless of course you are heading down to St. Louis, and then Pappy's is the place to be.
The barbecue scene in Chicago has been growing of late, and thanks to Real Urban Barbecue, the Northers Suburbs have been taken over with Real Urban locations on HP and Vernon Hills.
Simply put, Real Urban is the best casual BBQ the suburbs has to offer. Although I wouldn't put their food on par with some of the most infamous places in the city or rank it among the best BBQ ever, they make up for it with great variety in terms of entrees and sides. Most places don't offer smoked turkey on the menu, but it's quite excellent here. I've also had rib meat tacos, a special they offered that day, but there's something unique offered regularly. Basically you don't see that many options at most speciality BBQ joints.
The brisket is the featured meat. I recommend it with their Texas Roadhouse sauce. Lately, however, I've been diggin' their pulled pork with some of the sweeter sauces. Burnt ends are also good and it's one of their specialties. Numerous sides to choose from, and you know a place is good when I can recommend the macaroni or potatoes au gratin. Balsamic green beans are good if you need some veggies.
I've mostly been here for lunch and occasionally dinner, so I can't speak to takeout service. The one time i went for dinner on a weekend it was extremely crowded, but I think the Vernon Hills location has alleviated some of that congestion. The location is a pretty old one (it used to house a hotdog place that moved down the street), so the layout is far from ideal (there's nowhere for the line to go) and the parking situation can be tricky in the winter. You might need to take a little walk if its peak hours.
The people behind the counter are also pretty friendly, though you don't get to interact much with the owners.
If you live in the Northern Suburbs and want BBQ without table service, this is your place. I've only been to one comparable joint (Main Street Smokehouse in Libertyville), otherwise you won't find anything like Real Urban.
This place was DELICIOUS and I love the style of ordering, makes me feel like I'm in the south. It was a nice experience and the food was awesome, even if it was a bit pricey. The "line cooks" in the back were knowledgeable and helped you pick what was great off the menu if you asked or seemed to be unsure of what to get.
I can't remember exactly what we got but it was great! As for sides, we weren't so pleased with any of them but their side of pickles was a must have!
The only reason this place gets 3 stars is because of their prices.
Went there last week on a Friday, had a half-rack ribs (6 bones) and 2 pretty small sides and a drink for $20 bucks. Don't get me wrong, the food was delicious but for $16 for a half rack, I've had much better BBQ for that price.
Great place nonetheless.
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