Smoke Shack

Solid, but nothing more. After suffering through years of living in St. Louis with a surprising derth of good que, I was very happy to find the Smoke Shack right in LP. It’s good for takeout/​delivery, though they are also BYOB.
Everything I’ve had-​other than the ribs which were just decent– has been pretty good. The pulled pork, brisket, mac n cheese, all very tasty. If you’re lookin for que, and want to stay local versus venturing out to, say, Irving Park for Smoque, Smoke Shack is a serviceable choice.

Ok, this may be a stereo type, but I love BBQ. Key things that I look for in a BBQ place are: a sauce that’s good on its own, meat that’s falling off the bone, and homemade sides.
The only way I can describe my highly-​anticipated visit to Smoke Shack, was– OK. I ordered a full slab of baby back ribs, Coleslaw, chili cheese fries, and onion rings. The BBQ was kind of dry and tangy but had potential, whoever was on sauce control this morning put too much vinegar or something like it in the sauce. The Coleslaw was totally sour and had no other taste to it. The Chili cheese fries were, again, alright, even though the chili wasn’t homemade. The only thing that would ever make me return were the onion rings. Why out of the whole meal were the onion rings so crispy, hot, and tasty? An overall disappointing meal for someone who really loves BBQ. Sometimes I don’t understand why making homemade BBQ would be so hard to make delicious! If I ever return, I will try the pulled pork, and definitely another side of onion rings. :-X

With such a great location on Halsted Street, inside a pretty cool looking building, you’d think this would be pretty sweet place to grab some grub. Unfortunately the Smoke Shack falls short, very short.
When my friend and I went in to dinner at 7:30 on a friday night, we were surprised to be only two people that chose to come here. After a moment of reading the menu, my friend proceeded to order the entrée he wanted, only to be told, «We don’t have that.» Another option was in order, so it was surpirsing to hear again, that they didn’t have the second thing requested. A bit stunned and confused at a bbq place that just doesn’t shave two popular entrees and a cook/​counter person with absolutely no sense of customer service, he then made his third choice, the baby back ribs. Judging by the silence and blank stare of the guy behind the counter, we assumed they «had» this item. I then ordered the brisket sandwich with fries and mac n cheese.
Before I talk about the food, I’ve got to tell you about the service, or should I say lack there of. First off, we were asked three times if our order was for here or to go, before we even payed, well half-​payed. They charged us for half of the order before the food came and then the other half after it arrived, yet they seemed confused when asked why. I think most people know, as do I, being a cook, that speed is lifeforce in professional kitchens; you’re only as good as how fast you can move. Honestly, I’ve seen the senior Wal-​Mart greeters move faster than this guy. It took fifteen minute, not to cook, but to reheat the food that was our order. Only the fries are made to order. Everything else is cooked well in advance, then just warmed when ordered. My friend’s ribs weren’t even warmed through.
So aside from telling you that the food was terrible and bland, the staff seemed stupid and slow. They didn’t seem to know there own menu, had no skills when speaking with customers and the entire operation, simply got it wrong.
Earlier I said on a friday night at 7:30, no one was there, and that’s because sober, hungry people are out. This place is open til 5 a.m. and it’s BYOB, so if you’re a drunk frat guy on the weekends, come in and have at it. You won’t know the differnce. But I’m sure they’re used it. They wouldn’t be open otherwise.

What a delivery disappointment. I ordered a pound of brisket, with the Parmesan mac & cheese and beans as my sides. The brisket was okay I guess. I’m guessing, because there was so much overly sweet barbecue sauce slathered on the brisket it was difficult to taste the meat. Reheating required lots and lots of hot sauce to counteract the sweet BBQ sauce. The beans were also a disaster. I guess I got the bottom of the barrel, because the liquid to bean ratio was piss poor. I will say however, that the mac & cheese was pretty good. Lots of cheesy flavor, and the top was perfectly golden brown and delicious, very nicely done.
I’d try this place again, but ask them to go light on the sauce.

I love BBQ, and I have been meaning to try this place because I live so close by it, and I finally did Saturday night.
First off, because I had never been here before, I bought their teaser, which consisted of pulled pork, brisket, sausage, and 4 baby back ribs. I also got a large side of BBQ baked beans. They also give out a discount if you’re a DePaul student, so that was definitely a plus. I basically got my beans for free with the discount.
I waited about five minutes for my order, granted, it was a lot of food, and I couldn’t wait to try it. However, when the food finally arrived and I started digging in, I was a bit disappointed.
The pulled pork was very saucy, but it wasn’t tender, almost a stiff texture. The brisket was tasty, but very fatty, I couldn’t eat all of mine because it was half meat and half fat. The sausage was actually pretty good with the chimchurri sauce, which was salty and flavor-​packed. I am a huge rib lover, and I was very disappointed with their ribs. It was not the «fall-​off-​the-​bone» ribs at all. I had a very hard time cutting it, and it was rough and hard to chew. The meat was also way too charred on the ends, so without the sauce, they looked black, so I think it was definitely overcooked. They were also very small ribs so you don’t even get a lot of meat to begin with. However, their baked beans definitely made my meal. I loved how it was a spicy BBQ sauce and it was just so delicious and flavorful.
Next time I come back, I am definitely trying their wings, and hopefully I won’t be disappointed because I hear their wings are what makes this place. Personally, I think it’s their BBQ baked beans, but that’s just me.

Oh what to say about this crap hole excuse for a restaurant?
Nothing here is good. My friend had a
coupon for this place and we ended up ordering 2 entrees each plus sides. What a mistake the universe made on this place.
It sucks eating crappy food, but when you have so much crappy food it makes so much worse.
I had a hamburger and a chicken sandwich… Tasted how I imagine death tastes… Please don’t waste your money on this place!

I’m not an expert on southern-​style smokehouse cooking, so purists may disagree with me, but I thought the food here was mighty fine.
They were out of pulled pork on a Sunday afternoon (which tells me people must like it), but they had brisket, which was excellent. The garlic mashed potatoes were great, and so was the mac and cheese. Even the coleslaw had a little something extra to the taste. And they were playing great 80s music. What’s not to like?
My only quibble is that it isn’t cheap. We spent about $ 22 for two people for lunch, which is over my every-​day limit.

DELIVERY SERVICE (Horrible)
If I had to rate this place on Delivery service, it would get a negative star, which isn’t even an option. We ordered on a Friday night and were told it would take 30 – 45 minutes. 90 minutes after ordering we still didn’t have our order and called to check in on the order and it was out for delivery. Not sure who was in the wrong, whether it was just a very confused delivery person who somehow thought (Hermitage and Halsted) were the same street (even though the order slip says Hermitage right on it), or if it was just very long poor delivery service overall but ithe food was not worth the wait with so many other dining options in this city. On top of this, when the delivery guy came to the condo, he didn’t know how to use the door buzzer even though it’s the same as every other buzzer in the city, so I had to go downstairs to meet him at the front entrance.
FOOD (Just okay)
The food is definitely middle of the pack BBQ. If you’re looking for GREAT BBQ, this isn’t the place, but it’s not the worst you’ll have either. I ordered the ribs combo (½ St. Louis, ½ Baby Back) and they were decent. My wife had the pulled pork sandwhich and she said it wasn’t that great. She liked Smokin Woodys on Lincoln in North Center better for their pulled pork. Smokin Woody’s ribs are not good though, so we tried this place instead.
If you want good BBQ, you’re better off getting in the car and picking up carry out from Smoque on Pulaski north of Addison. I’m sure there are even better places than that as well, but Smoke Shack was a one and done for us.

For such a small place, the atmosphere felt as if it was somewhat close to a shack. I guess my main issue was the lack of smoke in everything. When you step into a «smoke shack,» you expect to smell the scent of burning wood or some other smoky smell, but you don’t. Also, the food is not smoked. There was no hint of any smoke and the brisket did not have a smoke ring. Apart from the brisket, I had the same issue with ribs. The ribs were a little small and had no smoky taste, but they did taste good. Plus, there was no real pit inside, which is essential if you plan to BBQ. I think they use a gas burner and add liquid smoke, which is a BIG NO NO.
Overall, the food is ok, but not good or great. If you are going to call yourself the Smoke Shack, smoke. It was disappointing to know no smoke was used. I recommend this for a late night BBQ fix.

The atmosphere in here is zip, so I either order delivery or stumble in Smoke Shack after a night out. The employees are really nice and tolerant– after one epically rough night I used their bathroom and as soon as I left the bathroom a guy followed my trail with a dustpan and broom (even though there was nothing to clean up, I swear!). So, props to dealing with me and my trashiness.
But the food!!! The pulled pork is super yumzors. It ranks pretty high up there for BBQ in the city. Tender, smoky, and a little spicy. They have a few good sauces to choose from but my favorite is the chipotle.
My only complaints are about their sides. First of all, they’re way too small. Like, a couple bites and it’s gone. It’s a shame because their onion rings are really delicious and somehow remain hot and crispy even when delivered. Their mashed potatoes are in need of more milkfat for sure. Their coleslaw is light and tangy and doesn’t seem to have the mayo base that most do.

When I first started eating here I was in a stage of not eating meat. so of course I had their veggie burger. Let me tell you– it was one of the best I have ever had! And also their mac n cheese is deliciously awesome. It’s open late which is great for your drunken adventures of hunger, and it’s byob– so why stop drinking?!
They have some awesome BBQ sauces to choose from that go great with literally anything you could eat there. And now that I’m eating meat again– I highly suggest their pulled pork, or chicken tenders! Even without being covered in a sauce they are definitely tasty!

Eh. It wasn’t bad. The meat was actually very good — I had the brisket sandwich. They just didn’t have enough sauce options, and those that they did have were nothing special.
I do like that it’s BYOB, and the worker was extremely nice and helpful. But the atmosphere really lacks, especially on the north side of the restaurant, where it smelled terrible because of the nearby bathrooms.

May I have some ribs to go with the pulled pork? Yum! Hit this joint a few weeks ago, it was my first time ever eating ribs outside of home so I was a bit skeptical. I’m not big on the smoky flavor but I still enjoyed the food (ribs, onion rings, cheeseburger, cheese fries oh my!)
The cook showed us the process of smoking the ribs and meats and was really nice so when we were deciding where to go to dinner last night we decided on the smoke shack. This time we didn’t go overboard with the ordering. We kept it at a slab of ribs and the pulled pork. We couldn’t even finish half of it! Granted, it was late at night, but still! We ended up bringing it home with us for today’s lunch. The guys there were so nice and courteous and helpful and the cook remembers us from our first visit! Yea, we’ll be back and we’ll bring some friends too next time.
FYI — it’s called The Smoke Shack for a reason, it looks like a shack. Sorry if you’re looking for ambiance and plush chairs, this is not the place. It’s a joint and it’s these type of places that have the best kind of food! Just close your eyes and enjoy the flavors making love to your tongue.

We got carryout from the Smoke Shack as much needed comfort food on a difficult day. The place obviously has no atmosphere — just benches and peeling paint — but the single guy making the food was really nice and clearly very competent. He had a good memory for remembering several detailed orders at once, and was very friendly.
Back at the apartment, we dug into the food. The rib combo was not bad — I could not differentiate which half-​rack was which, but one of them was much fattier than the other. I preferred the leaner one. Tasty sauce, but I had hoped for better. There wasn’t enough of it slathered on the ribs! The onion rings were deliciously hot and crispy. The mac ‘n’ cheese was too rich for me, but it was well made with crunchy bread crumbs on top. I think most people would like it — I am just generally opposed to mac ‘n’ cheese that I don’t make myself. The coleslaw was light, sweet, and much better than I expected. I think it’s a great place for late night greasy food, but based on taste alone, I don’t think I need to go back there for dinner.

To be perfectly honest, this place sucked!
Went here in a group of 4, and 75% of the orders were screwed up.
Following that, the menu promised Root Beer Floats but they were out of ice cream, that was disappointing.
I got the chicken sandwich, not a very good choice. The chicken was cooked well, but it was rather mundane and had to be doused in buffalo sauce before it became the least bit tasty.
One star for my small portion of good onion rings.

I’m not gonna lie… I miss Lincoln Town Gyros (the previous tenant); however, I am happy to have Smoke Shack as a neighbor.
I’ve tried a number of things on the menu… some excellent, some good, some «eh.»
I have found the chicken sandwich and chicken fingers to be EXCELLENT. Their BBQ sauce is REALLY good… make sure you get some on the side (I prefer the mild to the spicy). With the chicken fingers, you get a VERY generous portion. These aren’t your typical chicken fingers, as you’ll see.
The hamburger is very good. It’s home-​made (everything there is homemade).
I found the brisket to be on the weaker side. I’ll probably try it again at some point, but in the meantime, I’m going to stick with my favorites.
And with everything, you seemingly get fries… they’re awesome. Very-​well seasoned.

Hate to leave a bad rating but have to. I have been there about 3 times and the 3^rd time finally confirmed the yuckiness factor. What they do at this place is they put this identical awful seasoning salt on just about every damn thing they make. It’s on the burgers, it’s on the fries, it’s on the macaroni and cheese. It eventually builds up on your tongue until you can’t take it anymore. If they could get it into the soda they would. ICK !!!
Get some black people in there that know what they are doing!

I’m with Josh C. on this one. I’m no Texan but for a Chicago kid I know barbecue pretty well and Smoke Shack just wasn’t a great example.
First off, they say they cook their own meat but I haven’t the slightest idea where they do it. There’s no smoke coming from this shack and there’s not a stack of wood in sight. So I don’t know where they get it. The meat actually wasn’t bad, but both the taste and the quantity of the sauce were too much. The bun was far from fresh and the cole slaw a little weak. At least they have a gyro spit, but a good gyro can’t make up for everything.
The highlight was probably the mac and cheese — that is, the miniature mac and cheese.
There is some value in this place because there really aren’t any barbecue joints around in this part of the city. As the menu says, «It’s simple [sic] we just couldn’t find good BBQ in Lincoln Park.» Strange, I’m having the same problem…

Not too shabby!
I got the chicken fingers buffalo style. They were huge and the dudes that work there were super nice! They have a great selection of good cheap food, so head on over, it’s pretty clean in there!
The fries are also very delish!
It gives variety to the mexican and sushi places surrounding N Halsted

Man — I hate giving this place only two stars– but as a true Texan I can’t allow you Chicagoans to think that the bbq sauce here is legit.
I’ll agree with Daniel that the selections are vast, the sammy portions large and the Mac & Cheese tasty… but when I took my first bite of sauce-​drowned sandwich, the record completely skipped right off the track.
what the hell is this? they call it ‘smokey sweet’ bbq sauce. I call it red-​wine-​vinegar-​with-​tomato-​sauce-​and-​sugar. I know vinegar may be a contributory ingredient in typical sauces— but the twang on this stuff curled my lips.
so much so that I think I can only go back there if I get the sandwich dry and bring it home for my own bottle of Stubb’s.