ZZQ Smokehouse

Reviews 8

JO

John Smith

Please stop calling restaurants Texas, Texas Style BBQ, or Southern BBQ... Ive eaten here and it is not southern BBQ. Yes, the meat maybe be smoked with oak, but it is white or red oak. It may even have a southern bbq rub, but southern states do not warm up bbq on a flat-top stoves. That is not the way, nor has it ever been a practice in any southern state. At least at a good BBQ joint. Dickeys may claim TX style as they were founded in Dallas TX, but even Dickey’s is mediocre and that’s because they’ve franchised and use oven smokers. This is not to say that someone cannot open a TX, Kansas City, or N Carolina bbq joint as their influence, but if they do, your bbq needs to back it up. Do you want to know what makes good BBQ? A good Pit Master, someone who tends to their fire and spends hours on top of hours making it great. Unfortunately that is not possible up here when everyone uses oven smokers. I’m sure Zack the owner is working hard and I don’t want to undermine his business, but it is not southern bbq. I will however state that it is better than other establishments in the area.

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TO

Tony Bombardo

This was my first time visiting this place since they opened and I was very happy overall with the quality of the food and the service I received. The employees were all very friendly and you can tell these people are proud of the business they operate. I got the brisket sandwich with cole slaw and hand cut fries. The brisket was delicious and smokey, the fries were really good as well (better than most fries Ive had at fast food places and perfectly seasoned). The coleslaw was cold and crispy, though my one issue with it was that the sugar seemed to have been omitted from this recipe. Im not entirely sure if this was on purpose or not, but Id try it again next time to see for sure. I added some of their sauce to it (the sauce is very good as well!) and it improved the flavor quite a bit. Overall a good experience and I hope they stay in business because the world needs more unique no-chain restaurants like this.

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Ryan Eggleston

Ordered 12lbs of the pulled pork my daughters birthday party. Wife and I, my daughter, and entire family loved it. The pork comes un-sauced but is amazingly delicious. The meat is the lead actor at this place. Plus the sauces they do provide (in generous amounts), were also super delicious. Since we had a bunch of leftovers Ive been eating it for every meal for a couple days now. Also, I believe I talked to the owner when ordering, and he was very nice and informative, and seemed genuine when saying "If theres anything wrong, or recommendations, or things I can do to make my product better, let me know." He seems to really care about his business and be active in catering to his customers needs. That is a huge plus just by itself, and I love supporting businesses like this. We will definitely be back both in store, for takeout, and more catering. Best BBQ weve had in the south burbs, maybe the cities.

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P & S Tocko

I dont normally write reviews, but when I do its because it was WELL earned! This place is SMOKIN!!! My husband and I travel extensively and LOVE barbecue - he adores brisket, I heart pork, both of which were truly TOP NOTCH at ZZQ. The cut of meats that they start with have to be very well selected as the brisket was AMAZING - moist, easy to chew and full of yummy flavors. The chicken and pork were equally as moist and succulent. As for the sauces - WOW. The mustard blew me away as I thought I wouldnt care for it & I loved it! I cant say enough nice things about this place - great portion for the prices as well! There isnt a big variety of sides, but that is typical of GOOD barbecue joints - you come for the meat, not the extras. This place competes with our two top picks so far - a place in KC & in St Augustine (yep, FL). Go there, its worth it.

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AA

Aaron Johnson

Middle of the road from my experience. To be fair, we had it catered at work, so maybe not indicative of the best way to experience it. The sauces I tried were ok. Not "write home about to mama" good, but not "tell everyone I know it sucks" bad. The ribs looked really good, but didnt have much flavor, very bland and I like a good dry rub vs. soaking it in sauce. The chicken I had was decent, the brisket was decent as well. I liked the beans probably the most, which the rest of my family will be punished for later. My only real dislike was that mouth full of vinegar I got with that nasty cole slaw. If you like vinegar, itll be right up your alley. Overall, if you just need some BBQ and you dont care if its the best around, go for it. If you want the best, keep looking.

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HU

Hugh Betcha

I stopped in there for my first visit today, arriving at 4pm. They had no ribs, rib ends or chicken for sale, so your choices on what you could order were quite limited. This seemed pretty odd to me for a Friday late afternoon, but oh well it is what it is. The prices were a tad on the high side while portions were just average as was the taste. I tried 3 of their house bbq sauces (sweet, smoky and Carolina) and neither my spouse nor I cared for any of them. So while we didnt outright dislike the food, we certainly have no reason to return, especially since we wouldnt even be guaranteed the opportunity to purchase the items we wanted. Back to Famous Daves for us, which at least always has their products in stock.

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ER

Erik Buhrow

I went with a group as we are on an adventure to find the best BBQ in MN. We went in thinking this should be a good baseline to separate good from bad. we have been to some more typical places and chains as well for a bearing. We have also been to Revival in St. Paul which is another level. Lets just say we left establishing this place will likely be in contention for worst BBQ in MN. We got a little bit of everything on the menu and tried each others food to confirm across the board, it was over salted, dry, and sauce was overwhelming. Also we picked this place to start because of all the good reviews and convenient location for us...to give a better comparison we regretted not going to Dickys.

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JU

Justin Boelter

Whats not to like. Chicken - good. Coleslaw - good. Pork - Goooooood. (My wife would be proud of the Friends reference). Seriously though, the meats were very tender, flavorful, and each sauce (try as many as you can) brought something new to each bite. Fries were fresh and better than most places. Only complaint was that we were in on Sunday and I was hoping to try some burnt ends, but they never came out with the meal/to our table with them. Will def. be back to try the brisket and ribs. Highly recommend if you are tired of oven-cooked pork or chicken being passed off as a BBQ sandwich! To the owner - Id like to see one option of a smoked vegetable as a side.

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