Blackwood BBQ Lake Street
| Address: | 307 W Lake St, Chicago, IL 60606, USA |
| Phone: | +1 312-621-9663 |
| Site: | blackwoodbbq.com |
| Rating: | 4.7 |
| Working: | 7:30AM–3PM 7:30AM–3PM 7:30AM–3PM 7:30AM–3PM 7:30AM–3PM Closed Closed |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 12
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Sam Gillmer
Blackwood BBQ is a BBQ joint in downtown Chicago (in the Loop). Its in a great location, as its easy to get to for lunch from the Loop, as well as River North. There is a Divvy Bike Rack (the Chicago city rental bike system) right across the street with a lot of spots for bikes, so it may be quicker to bike there then walk there from the Loop. The food itself is very good. They have a few different varieties of BBQ sauce offered for their meals (Kansas City, Memphis, St. Louis, etc.), and the classic BBQ type dishes (brisket, corn bread, mac and cheese). The staff is very friendly and really quick with your order, which is good because the dining room is real busy, so you might have to get your food to go. Overall, Chipotle might be a good comparison to Blackwood, in that its a fast-casual type restaurant. Definitely worth a look for lunch.
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Betsy Thompson
The smell alone is worth the trip. Blackwood talks some serious BBQ....or rather smokes it. Since I dont do gluten* (medical reasons, not jumpin on any trends here, people!), the sides are pretty much out for me. There is coleslaw, but its rather heavy on the celery seed (I think), which I wasnt a fan. I like my coleslaw sweet! The baked beans were flavorful though. Id love to see them incorporate some corn on the cob (grilled corn, yum!) and maybe a potato salad or slow cooked green beans. They make an incredible salad! I ordered mine with pulled chicken, Memphis BBQ sauce, Ranch dressing, and all the toppings which are roasted corn, black beans, grape tomatoes, and red onion slices. Super good! *Regarding the gluten ingredients, I spoke to a co-owner, who spoke with the chef and they verified that there are no glutens in the sauces. Woo!
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Edward Bass
Ive been a partaker of Blackwood from their first day - in fact my buddy Ralph and I were their first two paying customers! If you like BBQ, and ESPECIALLY if you like BBQ brisket, youll love Blackwood; I guarantee it. Their brisket is the best Ive ever had, and I lived in Houston for ten years, and I had some pretty damn good brisket there. The pulled pork and smoked chicken are top notch. The sauces are amazing and the sides excel as well. The line may look long, but it moves pretty quickly. Get there a bit after 11:00am and there may be no line at all. Theyve been received very well, with rave reviews from many, many go-to sources, and theyve been successful enough that theyve just opened a second location after less than a year. Pretty impressive.
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Greg Johnston
Came in about 20 minutes before closing but they were still able to quickly serve me. I got a pulled pork platter with mac and cheese, with the Kansas City sauce. It was a very generous serving of pork, and just fatty enough. The sauce was good - quite spicy, it almost overpowered the pork, but I would still recommend it. The platter comes with pickles on the side, with some garlic cloves and a few bits of celery. It complemented the BBQ very well. Mac and cheese was good too, with a nice crusty top. I was sad that some of the top part stuck to the aluminum container that the mac and cheese came in, but it was only a little. Would definitely stop by again to try more of whats offered here.
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Dave Wagner
I am sorry, but this place does not deserve the credit it does and the fact it doesnt have any 1 stars amazes me. Portions are absurdly small for the price they charge. I am talking 2 pieces of brisket here with 1/2 cup of mac and cheese for $14. The Mac & Cheese is burnt to a crisp and portioned into a cupcake style tray and you lose half of it to the container. They do have decent choices of sauces, but none were "Amazing" and seemed like they came from various bottled sauces. The BBQ was the type you toss into a "cook it for you" smoker and nothing worth writing home for.
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John Trendell
Where is the sauce?? A good BBQ place should have the meat SWIMMING in sauce, and then if thats not enough, extra sauce should be available at the condiment counter if you want it. When you have to go back up and ask for more sauce at a BBQ restaurant, you have already lost. Aside from that, the meat was okay. But you only get one small side, so a platter is not really all that filling. And then they charge you a whopping $9 for it, but you should be used to being overcharged at restaurants in the Loop by now. I will not be coming back.
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Ryan Vaughn
I stopped in for lunch this week and had the pulled chicken platter with cornbread and mac and cheese. The portion size was excellent. I managed to leave this place and not fall into a food coma - that is a good thing! The chicken and sauce was great, but the mac and cheese was not quite up to par. It wasnt bad, but it wasnt as good as the rest of the meal. The cornbread comes with corn and cheese marbled throughout, which is a great touch. It is nice to finally have some BBQ to add to the lunch rotation.
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Elijah Litscher
After finally finding myself getting sick of Chipotle, I knew I needed a new spot for lunch in the Loop. Enter Blackwood BBQ - dont be fooled by the long lines. The service is quick, efficient, and friendly. With a simple but spot on menu, this spot is perfect for grabbing a quick lunch. The brisket is great, and the pulled chicken salad hits the spot on a hot day. They have a nice variety of sauces, my favorite being the Chicago blend - just the right mix of sweet and spicy.
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Adam Kamm
Been there for lunch a number of times since I work nearby, and wow - what an addition to the area. LOVED the brisket, and yet the pulled chicken might even be better. Great selection of sides between the beans and mac & cheese, and the cornbread is moist and has solid flavor. I prefer a little kick to the BBQ sauce, and both the Chicago Style & Kansas City style are favorites. Solid lunch crowd and they do a nice job of keeping it moving at a steady pace every visit.
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Jen Mui
I ordered the 1/2 lb Beef Brisket Platter for $9.99. Comes with house pickles and a side of your choice. I chose the 3 Cheese Mac with panko crust. Let me tell you... that was one good MAC!!! Recommended! The brisket was very flavorful and tender soft. You also get to choose your BBQ sauce. The place is small and not good for a very large group, especially during lunch. Though, good for take outs!
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Sean Brady
Maybe not the best pure BBQ Ive ever tasted, but honestly, if I expect the best ever from a restaurant that has close to 5 stars, Id be disappointed a lot. If I lived or worked anywhere close, Id frequent this place at least once a week, if not more. Good happy hour beer specials too for the the made-to-order restaurants that have followed the food trend the last couple years
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Jason Cadell
For the best BBQ in the Loop you have to go to Blackwood BBQ, 305 W Lake St, Chicago, IL 60606. Wonderful pulled pork, brisket and chicken. If you hit the time you go right you wont have to wait for a prolonged period of time. If you wait to long they could run out of what you wanted to order. Well worth the wait though whatever amount of time you wait for your food.
