County Barbeque

Never seen this place before till I was driving thru Taylor street and I saw «BBQ» on the side of the building, pulled over and without any hesitation went in a ordered. From the exterior of the building appear to be a large building but once inside, the exterior is much different then the interior. There is a large long bar that takes up most of the room and the rest of the floor are different size tables for dine-​in.
I had to admit that I had a hard time ordering due to too many items I want to try now, glad to see that there are combo’s listed for people like me who can’t decide on just a specific item. I choose the best two items for beginners to County BBQ.
1. «Meat and Three»: Protein of your choice and three sides — I’ve picked the St. Louis Ribs (Dry)
2. Texas Two-​Steps”: Brisket, Grits and Greens.
After a few hours eating all my goodies from Country BBQ, I have to say that the brisket is my favorite. The brisket was well-​made, the traditional smoke ring was apparent but what made the brisket so good was the «fat cap» (intramuscular fat: fat that is between fibers within the muscle, in other words «marbling» which gives the meat rich texture and flavor) in the brisket.
From my experience from eating brisket in other places other than Country BBQ, the brisket is more on the leaner side which sometimes leaves the brisket itself on the dry side.
The second protein I’ve ordered was the ribs which I choose «dry» on purpose to taste the smoke and all the spices rather than have the sauce mask all the nuances of flavor.
From the sides that came with my meal basically was an OK and the only thing that I like was the sweet potato fries that was decent. I enjoyed the smoke salt that was sprinkled on the fries.
Overall my picks for the dinner was the brisket and the sweet potato fries.

My husband and I brought our brother and sister in law here last night. The food was fabulous. The waitress and other staff were very attentive. We had a wonderful time. We will definitely be going back again.

Awesome spot, get the Chicago style rib tips! The service was awesome and atmosphere is perfect for bbq, beer and whiskey! I recommend sticking to the main items, they do bbq like a boss! Cheers to the chef

The place is smaller than we thought it would be. Good meat! The sauces are great. Some sides are good. Cauliflower is one of the good ones. So is the Mac and cheese. Service was good. Not a full bar and they only have Chardonnay and white Zinfandel as we choices.

Confession: I’ve only had BBQ MAYBE 4 times my whole life. Luckily County BBQ was a great suggestion to help catch me up a little!
My +1 and I had dinner here last Friday. Marissa was our server and she was super welcoming and gave us the run-​down of the drinks not posted on the menu. (Not updated since apparently they have a healthy rotation.)
Beverages:
I could have sworn the Mosaic on tap was advertised as a $ 5 special, but looking at the bill later, they were itemized at $ 7. Hmph. I would have just gone with a Revolution since I’ve grown to love heartier brews and my guess is they’d be at a similar price point. The flavor of the Mosaic was still fine. Oh well. My +1 ordered a Milk Stout — I had a sip and it was nice and full with chocolatey notes.
Pork Sandwich ($ 10):
He had the Pulled Pork sandwich and declined a side add-​on. The sammy was HUGE — stacked high (primarily) with pork and a bit of coleslaw. He enjoyed it but said it was a bit too saucy for his particular tastes. On another visit we’d ask for easy sauce and take advantage of the ones on the table. He ended up going the fork + knife route at the end due to the wet, slidy sloppiness. That’s how BBQ is supposed to be though, right? Not exactly sexy date food.
½# Brisket ($ 14):
Speaking of sauce: the Mustard sauce was pretty darn good. My brisket didn’t need much flavor help, though, since the rub + natural juices all but covered that base. My +1 had boasted it was fall-​apart tender… not quite, but not too far off! A half pound equates to 4 slices, btw, which doesn’t seem like much. If you’re ravenous, you might want something with a larger portion size. The Garlic Fries were plentiful (enough to share!), well-​seasoned, and piping hot. Total win there.
Food runners were friendly and relayed a request for water (which the bartender brought over). There were two unisex bathrooms and the one I used was clean, but absent of paper towels.
I’d definitely head back to County BBQ! To sum, it’s good food and service in a cute casual space.

The pulled pork sandwiches were great, as was the mac and cheese, corn pudding, roasted cauliflower. I had seen this place on Check Please! and was in the neighborhood. If I were around there again I would not hesitate to go back. It’s a little unfortunate that a sandwich doesn’t automatically come with potato chips at least, without an upcharge.

Smoked pork puppies? Wow! Really enjoyed everything but the stars were brisket tacos w/​chimichurri and the pork puppies. Small good beer selection. Great staff, especially John. Will be back.

The best BBQ that I have ever had in my life, hands down. I love their mac and cheese, their corn pudding, their fries… everything. Out of all the meat cuts, the brisket has got to be my favorite, as it is flavorful, tender, and seasoned perfectly. My favorite thing on the menu though, has to be their pork puppies, which are absolutely bursting with flavor and absolute perfection. Perfectly shredded and seasoned pork is balled together, and fried into this crispy, crunchy little bit of heaven– and the aioli that is paired with it makes for a heavenly combination. The food has always been amazing every time I have gone, and their staff is consistently friendly, helpful, and very sweet.
The atmosphere of County is very homey and comfortable, and the outdoor seating is perfect for nicer weather. Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite places, and my number one option for when I’m craving BBQ.

Excellent brisket sandwich… filling! The macaroni was off the charts. The smoke pork puppies as a starter was the best manner to start this fantastic lunch. I’ll have to stop in soon to experience their ribs. The service was great… knowledgeable servers describing items to the tee. I was not expecting this high level quality from a venue that appears more like a bar. I’m impressed!

For BBQ fans and meat lovers alike, you must come! This is a very laid back bar with a backyard and picnic tables where you can drink and eat in a very relaxed, welcoming setting.
I’m starting with the burger, which was definitely 4 star worthy. Juicy, with bacon jam, which was not a spread but real bacon pieces carmelized topped with a fried green tomato. For an extra $ 2 you can add sweet potato or garlic fries. I chose the blackened cauliflower, which was served spicy, and could have been great but was so salty.
The mac and cheese with brisket was also a crowd pleaser. Other meats such as ribs, rib tips, bacon, brisket or pulled park are served bare, with your choice of homemade sauce to drown them in. So why only 3 stars? They have a limited menu and it’s all about the meat. No side salads, or veggies other than cauliflower and standard or kale Cesar salad to choose from, not many options for me. Also, they only serve smoked chicken, and again, it’s a preference thing, so I went with the burger which was great. Service was friendly and prompt. For a meat lover, so worth it, and very light on your wallet. They also have a daily special and today’s happened to be chicken tacos, which were also pretty good.

How in the world can this little place on Taylor St. of all places serve up some of the best BBQ I have had here in the Midwest?!
I dropped by County during my first weekend here in Chicago after a friend recommended it (since I live so close by). This restaurant definitely sets the mood with its dim interior lighting, but the outdoor seating is larger and can accommodate bigger groups. Right as I got here, a big group of Japanese tourists were leaving and wondering whether to go to the Sears Tower or not. If County is big enough to attract tourists, then that is a sign.
Our waiter Chris was awesome in explaining the menu and recommending some of the limited beers they had here; some of which can only be consumed outside (weird huh?) I immediately drew my ideas to the brisket because I’ve been hella disappointed in the Midwest with what I’ve found. I figured I’d give it another go.
We got some pork puppies to start, and these crispy little pork balls made me ready for the main meal…
BAM. Best BBQ decision ever!
The brisket was juicy, smoky, and downright delicious. My one meat/​three sides combo ($ 16) came with a healthy portion of the meat, and I was super satisfied with how great it tasted. The real winners here were some of the sides: CORN PUDDING is a MUST. Forget the rest and just order three helpings of these. I wasn’t a fan of the collared greens as I found this a bit too salty for my taste.
With the food being bomb and the stellar service, I know that County is going to be one I keep in the books for when I am craving a good beer and some lean, mean BBQ.

I usually don’t review a restaurant, until I’ve frequented it at least 2 or 3 times. However, I’m in the car on my way home and I just had to. I’m no barbecue expert so take my words with a grain of salt.
It’s a Sunday afternoon, not crowded, so hopefully that isn’t the only reason our service was superb. Also, it’s a little too dark inside, I’d like a tad bit more light so I can actually see what I’m eating. It is kind of small, but that’s kind of typical for Chicago restaurants theses days. However they do have an outdoor eating area, also typical.
First off, I always appreciate when my server can tell me the menu front and back. John did just that. He knew the food, how it was prepared and what side items complemented them. I didn’t order any alcohol, but I watched him Bartend a couple seated at the bar and he was equally knowledgable. He told me that they don’t freeze any of their meat, and the smoker runs 24 hours, 7 days a week. The taste of the Chicago Rib Tips definitely reflected that.
I offered the Meat & Three combo. One meat & three sides. I feel the portions were very reasonable.
The rib tips had a dry, smoked rub on top, with succulent and moist meat underneath. One mistake many make with rib tips is leaving too much fat on them or too much grease. But nope, not the case here. They were perfect.
I’m not very picky on BBQ sauces because I’m not a big BBQ eater as is, so their sauces were fine with me. However I could see how other would be less impressed. There was no real staple flavor amongst the 3 they offer.
I had a side of Mac n cheese. Listen. I’m not a fan of rotini pasta used for Mac n cheese. HOWEVER, this is the exception to the rule. My god, it was soooo creamy, flavorful, and not too rich. Order it. Don’t ask any questions.
I don’t even want to discuss the corn pudding because if you’re reading this, I want you to be just as taken aback as I was. Again, order it. Don’t ask any questions. It was so good i ordered an extra side to go.
The collard greens. Yes. Order it. They were cooked just like a southern grandmother would approve. Little bits of hamhock, cleaned with minimal stem, a hint of vinegar, and lots of flavor. I also ordered an extra side of this to go.
Lastly, the raisin & nut bread pudding topped with bourbon & banana cream. I’m not a big fan of bread pudding because it’s usually dry and bland, but this was very tasty. You can actually taste the bourbon and banana in the Crème topping.
They say first impressions are lasting impressions, and I can’t imagine that my future visits here will fall short. Great customer service from everyone in the restaurant. I already know what I’m ordering the next time I come.
Keep up the good work County BBQ.

I give this place 3 stars because the food is way too salty and also the food is way over fried. I was not able to eat the sweet potato fries because they were burned. The popular hush puppies extremely salty and the water we got had no ice. This restUrant is over rated. We came here because I saw it on check please. I think I should stop watching that show because I get to disappointed when I personally taste the food and I think WOW are the people from «check please are they for REAL?» I like our waiter he was pretty knowledgeable of the whole entired menu.
What I loved the most was desert, the bread pudding. I also loved the fact that I took another adventure with my son and he paid the check.
Thank you COCKEY

Honest review: i saw this on check please so i came here on the quest for best barbecue in Chicago. Must orders corn pudding hush puppies ribs. Dislikes everything fried was burned. Food was a little to salty and i love salty food. Service is to unprofessional either their busy socializing with coworkers to laid back or literally doing nothing at all. Its really really small be warned about that
Food: corn pudding with fixings: best part of meal i was really skeptical about this dish it was so great. The texture of it is really good thought it was gonna be really dry its not to sweat its savory the fixings on it were great really gave alot of pop from the jalepenos and creaminess from the sour cream i believe there was chili on it to it was so good i would just come back here for this dish
Parfait: i dont like grits but i did like the grits they were really good really creamy idk why i jus didnt like the combinations of everything like it was to much like there was to much clashing of the other ingredients i wouldnt recommend this At all worst part of meal
Macaroni: got this with the brisket i love macaroni and cheese i am really picky on it i didnt like the brisket it was dry and flavorless. The actual macaroni was ok nothing special wouldnt order it again
Chicken wings: surprisingly these were really good a little dry but not as dry as others i have it has a really good flavour to them there really flavorful probably one of the best wings i had problem they were really salty i love salty food but its really really extremely salty and no ranch dressing or blue cheese? Then the waiter told us oh ya everybody asks for those condiments then buy some then or make ur own!
Smoked pork puppies: these were the best hush puppies i ever had they were so delicious supper extremely crispy and the inside is really cheesy and meaty like a meatball fucked a hush puppy and they had a baby the sauce is really rich really complimented everything perfectly problems it was a little bit to salty and was to dark meaning a lil burned would order again though
Sweet potato fries: i love these kind of fries i prefer them over regular fries the problem was they were burnt so i couldnt pretend to like these it was really bitter since they were burned the sauce was ok
Garlic fries: ok not anything really special just normal garlic fries picture mcdonald fries with garlic powder
Texas Brisket: this was horrible there was no flavor it was supper bland and dry wouldnt order this again ever after this im done getting brisket never getting it again its always dry and not that flavorful.
Ribs: omg must order the crust was to die for supper supper crunchy like these were so good. They were so tasty best ribs i ever had they werent fall off the bone they had some meaty chew to them these were so good defiantly ordering again soooooooo good only problem though was there wasnt alot of meat on it at all like one bite and youd be like halfway done with it must order though cant come here without ordering this
Bread pudding was really good kinda dry though but not so bad loved the nuts on top they were so crunchy needs more though. There was something tart in it that i didnt like if they could get rid of that then home run it was really good i ate the whole thing the brown sauce really good
Service: he was nice just i hates the service like the waiter was to chill like we walked in n just sat down a lil awkaward nobody wears a uniform a little un professional then he would be to laid back it was kind of annoying then the bar tenders were just goofing off and having a good time not being helpful to anybody at all then this chinese lady would just watch and not do anything like nobody woule pick up our plates and it took forever to pay then there was this another guy that didnt do anything
The ambiance: outside its a cute colorful building inside is really reallt small be warned ut gonna bump in to people and kinda ugly inside like confused on the orange flag?

Went here with a couple of friends for some delicious BBQ. Just came back from my favorite BBQ place in San Diego, Phil’s, so this place had a lot to live up to. I ordered the spare ribs with garlic fries. I wasn’t too sure about the ribs since I’m used to getting baby back, but these were really tender, fall off the bone ribs. I also liked that they serve them dry so you can add the sauce yourself. They have a house BBQ, spicy, and mustard sauces. I tried all of them and they are all pretty good. My one complaint is the sides. The garlic fries tasted ok, but I’m pretty sure they just made some fries and added some garlic powder. I was expecting the kind with chunks of garlic and parsley, but oh well. And the cole slaw was not your typical cole slaw. It was really dry and kinda reminded me more of sauerkraut or kimchi. I guess I’m used to cole slaw with a little more mositure.
My friends got the fried chicken sandwich and the brisket which they said were good too. I tried the corn pudding my friend got, and it was delicious! I would have a side order of that next time I go.
It is a little pricey ($ 14 for ribs, fries, and cole slaw), while at Phils I can get more food for half the price. But it’s good BBQ and I’d go again to satisfy my BBQ craving.

Pros:
1. New favorite jalapeño infused tequila drink, right here!
2. All of the sides are worth making a meal of! Garlic fries, delicious! Blackened cauliflower, incredible (who knew I could rave about veggies?!) Corn pudding, umm yes please! Mac and cheese, savory goodness!
3. Service was super friendly, attentive and helpful!
4. House made BBQ sauces and mustards are an excellent addition to any BBQ!
Cons:
1. Actually wasn’t too big of a fan of the actual meat. My brisket was tasty and had a nice layer of fat to add extra flavor, but it was overcooked and chewy. The ribs had a ton of bones in it, with very little meat, which made it difficult to enjoy.
To sum it up: I will definitely will come back for the drinks and sides. Maybe I’ll have better luck with a sandwich next time

This is a local favorite! The waitstaff is SO friendly. Food here isn’t bad which makes it a great location to go to but you really have to be in the mood for something heavy.
Some need to knows:
1) Mac and cheese with brisket — just yes
2) Briskets are all great — little on the fatty side
3) Rib tip tuesday #0.50 cent ribtips! Really tender and covered in slat and pepper
4) Chicken is massive and well worth it
5) great selection of bourbons
People really like the hush puppies and the dessert pudding im not really a big fan.

I went here on a Thursday night for a spontaneous dinner. The place was pretty empty so we sat down right away and were tended to pretty frequently.
I ordered the pull pork sandwich with garlic fries and my boyfriend ordered the rib tips with sweet potato fries. The sandwich was just okay, but the rib tips were awesome! If I ever go again I’m definitely going for that menu item instead. And I’m a HUGE garlic fan, but I have to say, the sweet potato fries were superior. I was considering getting one side of fries to split, but the portion of fries they give you is pretty small. Although it’s perfect sizing for one person.
The atmosphere was rather chill – dark with some loud music playing. I imagine this place gets busier/​louder on the weekends.
Overall, the place was alright. I’m a huge pulled pork fan and was a little disappointed with its quality. The food was a little overpriced, too, especially given its mediocre quality. Thus, only 3 stars.

Big fan of County Barbeque, I’ve eaten here twice and have been impressed each time. For starters the Bacon & Barbeque Parfait is the perfect little shot full of all the barbeque flavors I love — this is always a must-​order. The Smoked Pork Puppies are also very good and one order is a very generous serving. Pair these with a great beer, cider, or one of their cocktails and you’re well on your way to a great meal.
As far as meats go, I really love their brisket and St. Louis Spare Ribs — I’m a big fan of places that don’t sauce your meat for you, and County’s is good enough to hold its own. I’ve tried every side and enjoyed them all, but the Corn Pudding and surprisingly the Blackened Cauliflower are my two favorites. The Collard Greens are also very good but can border on too salty, so proceed with caution.
Overall big fan of County BBQ and happy to know they’re also on GrubHub if I’m not up for the trip to Little Italy!

I have to preference this first by saying I’m not a huge fan of barbecue food. The only place I seem to like so far is Chicago Q, but even then there’s only some things I will order.
I went here with my mom and sister (huge barbecue fans) and we started off with a few appetizers. I like to try a few weird things when I go out to eat so I figured why not try the bacon and barbecue parfait. Um… ewwww. Tasted like weird baby food covered in barbecue sauce. Totally not a fan of that one. I however, did enjoy the hush puppies. It was an interesting mix with the pork and I liked the lemon aioli dipping sauce. We also got an order of the garlic fries loaded. The jalapenos and chili over the garlic fries was excellent!
I wasn’t impressed with the entrees we ordered. My sister got the rib tips (way too fatty) and my mom and I shared the BBQ Sampler: Hot Link (probably the best item of the sampler. Nice spicy kick), Chicken (okay), Ribs (way too fatty), Brisket (Is this supposed to be fatty???) LOL.
I’m not a fan of barbecue sauce and out of the 3 sauces on the table (House, Mustard, and spicy) my favorite was the house sauce. I think the reason I wasn’t a fan is because I want my meat to already be marinated in sauce. I’m not into doing the work myself when I go out and eat.
The dessert was also a disappointment. Ordered the Bourbon Banana Bread Pudding. I am a huge fan of bread pudding, so you really got a bring it for me. It was dry and not sweet. The whip cream on top didn’t even melt into the bread pudding because of the lack of moisture.
If I were to come back it would definitely be for the appetizer and sides. Main courses I could do without. I also have to mention the service because it was great! John was as sweet as can be and did a great job explaining the menu items to us and checking on us throughout the meal.