Pop’s Barbq

The sandwiches are great. If you are expecting a super saucey barbecue sandwich, you are in the wrong part of the country. The flavor is great and I have no complaints. The sides are copious. The staff is attentive and always ready to ask you «You want some more drink?». I would not hesitate to go back the next time I am in Benton.

Awesome BBQ great smoky flavor portion sizes are massive you will not be disappointed BBQ lovers you must try this place

The sliced pork BBQ sandwiches are awesome– a great change of pace from pulled pork. The sauce is pretty unique, but goes great with the sliced pork.

Food was good but we called in the order and had lots of issues with the order. They hadn’t put the order in the computer and when I retold them the order it was still wrong.

BBQ was pretty good at this place and the service was great. Everything was priced properly, food came quickly and tasted delicious.

Southern Illinois BBQ is about thinly sliced (not shredded) smoked pork, sauce on the side. Wrapped in serving paper with a side of vinegary coleslaw the sandwich we got at Pop’s is a winner. They offered two sauces – a molasses-​based sweet, and an unusual white sauce that the server said was hot. It had a tangy zing, but was not hot. We saw the French fries someone had ordered and took a pass. My husband ordered a ½ slab of ribs– a bargain at $ 7.50. A whole lotta meat in that half slab. At that price they weren’t baby-​backs, but spare ribs – a good quality spare rib. A smoky dry rub made them tasty, but extra time to tenderize in the smoker was needed. Get a side of the home made bread – well worth the extra carbs. Service was mediocre – we had to ask for sauce twice, we had to ask for bread twice.

My husband and I stopped by Pop’s BBQ when we were driving along I-​57 S. It seems as though this area along I-​57 has probably about at least 1 BBQ places at exits for a good 10 miles. To get to Pop’s you drive a bit away from I-​57 and hit downtown Benton.
Pop’s seems to be an everyday joint for family and locals to visit. The menu was filled with comfort food. I ordered the pork basket and my husband ordered the roast chicken basket. I loved the pork because I’ve never had pork sliced so thin. Most BBQ places that you go to in Chicago drench the pork in BBQ sauce. Pop’s just drizzles the BBQ sauce on top, so that when you taste the pork alone, there’s so much flavor. You don’t need all that sauce. It was nice because the edge of this thinly sliced pork had so much crunch and crisp to it.
My husbands chicken was so tender. The meat fell off the bone. Their sides were yummy. I loved their cole slaw, because the dressing was clear with just the vinegar. Most cole slaws I’ve seen are that milky color. Other yummy sides included green beans, mac & cheese and your usuals.
The only comment that I have in terms of what could have been better was the bun that my pork was on. It seemed to be any old bun you could buy from the grocery store.
Thanks Pops for the wonderful meal!