Ben’s Bar-Be-Cue Restaurant

Very good food, clean environment, kind Peoples working, Great Rib tips very juicy. Good service, get you in and out quickly. They have good cat fish, with mild sauce on it. Good!!!

I didn’t even make it to ordering the food. Reading the reviews about the service made me decide to call in my order. You would think that would be a good idea. Wrong! A guy answered the phone and then started stalking to a friend. Didn’t say hold plz. I was repeating hello. By the fourth hello he returned to the phone and said «what’s up». That was the end of my relationship with this business. Shame.

Slightly disappointed. Mostly from a value standpoint. Smoking woodys had good food at a good price point. This place $ 18 for a large tip link combo? Ok. But it barely fed a big brotha like myself. Food flavoring is decent not slap the cook finger licking good. If only they weren’t so stingy with the sauce. For $ 18 you better be making it rain with the sauce. I recommend the mild sauce the hot sauce is a bit watery. And take into the account to call ahead of time. They do take awhile so if you walk in come patient because the place is pretty popular. The people are the counter are very nice. I know it’s a down economy but throw in a couple extra tips or links from time to time ya heard?

This place is so slow it took about forty minutes to get my order. I order a larger turkey tip and link combo. The food was okay but these people were slow and unprofessional by airing out there business like they didn’t have costumers present. Will never come here again. Laymon’s on Washington and Kilpatrick will get my business from now on.

This is the closest rib place close to my house, the ribs are mouth watery good. The only thing is that the wait is a longer than most rib places I go to but I guess good things come to those who wait. You wont regret coming here

Good rib tips! Sadly, the service sucks. Each time I go there, there is an issue. The staff has more fun talking and playing around with each other than they do waiting on the customers. The owner tried hard to convince me to come back after I stormed out after waiting for over an hour for an order that I called in well in advance. He even met me at my car and promised me that he my «next order» would be on him. I told him his staff is pathetic and it isn’t worth the aggravation (not even for free). After talking to my friends and family, I was convinced to give Ben’s another try. It’s been weeks so I called to remind the owner of his promise and he remembered the ordeal in detail. However, instead of him giving me what I had before, he tried to convince me that 1 small order of rib tips would be sufficient enough to make up for the 2 large tip orders I had the night of the worst and last case (there have been others). It’s one thing to have good food and another to have integrity and good service. The service at Ben’s is horrible. They are located less than 5 minutes from my house and now I will have to go 15 minutes out the way to get good ribs and good service. Coleman’s here I come!!!

The tips were average at best. Now $ 14.99 for an X-​Large order. Fries on the bottom completely swimming in sauce. For an XL, not really a boatload of tips. Sauce was nothing special– big on the vinegar. Should have got it on the side. Staff was very friendly. May go again if driving by, and only if I can get a quick parking spot.

I thought the ribs were too tough. My mother had them last year and they were more tender than this batch. They really jacked up my back teeth.
We ordered on Sunday, the day before memorial day. It was so slow, it took about half an hour. They put sauce on the two orders of ribs, even though it was clearly specified that for one order, sauce was to go on the side.
I had the hot link meal, and darn it, they were hooooooooooooot!!! I could barely eat one, and I like really spicy food, like when your nose runs, this was way worse than that, they were headache-​spicy.
Poor mother suffered while eating hers. The barbecue sauce they put on there tasted really good with the fries and bread, but it seemed spicy as well. I would consider ordering them again, but I would have some ibuprofen on hand.

Finally catching up on my reviews.
Stopped here after a Hawks game. Ordered Ribs, Chicken, Rib tip /​Hot link combo. Took a long time to get the food even though there was only one other customer.
The three of us sampling the food all thought the same: The BBQ was just blah. None of it was very good. Meat was dry, sauce was not very tasty. Sad but true. Many better BBQ joints better than this one.
Cheers to all

Barbecue so good, you’ll break promises.
Monday’s commute home from work. I’m eight hours deep as a newly-​minted vegetarian, and I’m yearning for flesh. Tasty flesh.
Enter Ben’s BBQ.
In this corner, from the West side of Chicago, wearing a corner brick façade, weighing in at 500 pounds of barbecuing artist (s) soaking wet, standing in a kitchen narely 30 square feet, sporting a bullet proof glass grill… it’s Ben’s BBQ.
In the other corner, from the South side of Chicago, wearing business casual clothes, with a bone-​dry earth mass of over 100 kilos, sitting in his car in northwest side traffic, and sporting a grimace for breaking his promise to fight the urge to go carnal — and losing that fight, again, before the bell has even rung… it’s me.
No contest.
But I had my dignity. Yes, I lost. And I’m ordering a large rib tips with hot links to go with another beef ribs for good measure. I’m detoured an extra hour driving through parts of the city as unknown to me as Andrew Zimmern’s favorite pig parts.
So I promised myself. I will fight the urge to eat Ben’s BBQ while driving home.
No contest.
I was hungry. I missed meat. It was barbecue. I sweat. And then I teared, into, the bag, because I threw in towel, before the bell even rung.
Two promises broken.
So much for word is bond. Ben’s BBQ reduced my bond rating to junk status.

My new favorite rib joint. Smoked low & slow, the smoky flavor of the rib tips is unbeatable, well at least on the west side of Chicago. The sauce is tangy & flavorful with just a tiny hint of sweetness, not syrupy sweet like you often find. I haven’t had the pleasure of tasting other menu items yet, I just can’t not get those darn tasty tips. Lol. The staff people are very pleasant & welcoming. I recommend you check ‘em out, soon!

I’ve been here twice and ordered the half slab and rib tips. Tips were tough and the ribs had been cooked either one or two days prior because I could hardly eat them. They were like neckbones. Not consistent, so I won’t be going back. I’ll drive over to Smoque next time. They’re very consistent and I’ve never had day-​old food there.

Right now Ben’s is the quiet contender for King of Ribs in Chicago. The food is just that good.
Many Bar-​B-​Que places in Chicago are about what they use to be (Kennys, Colemans, Leons, Carson’s & Robinson’s) while serving mediocre food hoping you remember the old memories of when they serve good ribs but Ben’s is about right now the present.
I ordered the sampler (tips, wing & 3 fries) and took my first bite… wow. A nice taste that is reserved for cookouts with tasty sauces. I hope Ben’s only keep the good flavors with time and not become «use to be» Place.
Pros: Good Ribs, Great Rib Tips, Good Prices, Daily Special
Cons: Take out only, Not enough fries with specials (3 fries)
Bottomline: I discovered a new BBQ joint near Oak Park that is simply good. Give Ben’s a try!

This place has some of the best barbecued anything in town! The link & tip combo is one of my favorites. The chicken wings with mild sauce is a close second and lastly I love the pizza puff dipped in mild sauce. It’s just something about the bread when it’s smashed into the food with sauce! :)
Two reasons why I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.
*The price of the food (especially the links) keep going up drastically.
*If you do not call your order in you can easily wait 30 – 45 minutes for your order.
In waiting at least you know it is fresh.
Do not let the neighborhood run you away. The most that will happen to you is the bootleg man will try to sell you DVDs, CDs, socks or towels.

Large portions, they take credit, and you take it to go.
Pros:
Large portions
Most orders come with fries
Friendly service
Street parking is free
Cons:
Carry-​out ONLY
It’s not closer to my home
This place is pretty great. After the amazing review in the Chicago Reader and watching Kevin Spacey chow down on «House of Cards» I couldn’t wait to try Ben’s. The place conjures up endless thoughts of divey food at a great price that hopefully only you know about. Be prepared to feast. We ordered a slab and a half, an extra order of fries, and were easily filled. I shouldn’t have eaten so much but I love to clean my plate.
Eating ribs is a very debatable topic so I can’t tell you it’s the best ribs I’ve ever had because everyone likes them a bit differently. I *can* tell you the ribs are very thick, soft to bite, moist, juicy, and have a medium-​like hold on the bone. Personally I felt that the ribs and the sauce work in concert to give you a great experience. I’ve had ribs where the meat alone was award-​winning and the sauce was an added bonus but that was at Naperville RibFest and those vendors are TOO far away. Don’t shy away, order from Ben’s, and plan where you’re going to eat so your meat stays hot and your fries stay crispy.
BBQ sauce is mild or spicy. Both are great, spicy sauce won’t stop you from enjoying the flavorful cooking.
Pork Ribs (full slab): $ 21
soft meat: not falling off the bone but holding on ever so ready for your hunger
Fries:
crinkly, not skinny, usually included
Wings: $ 3 (three pieces w/​fries)
Didn’t try these but they are limited 2 orders per customer and available almost every day except Saturdays.

I have had a lot of barbecue. This is some of the best damn barbecue you will ever have. It is without a doubt the best barbecue I have had in the last year.
Some friends and I biked here from Logan Square, ordered a huge amount of meat and ate in a nearby park. You can’t miss the place — it’s the only storefront with a smokestack coming out of the roof. We got pork ribs, rib tips, hot links, okra, two sides of coleslaw, and two peach cobblers — all for $ 51 and change. Split that 6 ways, and it was an amazing meal for almost nothing. You just cannot go wrong here. I think I found nirvana from the hot links alone.
The staff was great! The woman behind the counter gave us approximately one bazillion wet naps, all of which were needed.
Ben’s is carry-​out only. I don’t think they sell any drinks from behind the counter, but there are some vending machines with soda. (Didn’t matter to me, I had a water bottle.)
As others have said, don’t worry about the neighborhood. I’m sure the bulletproof glass is there for a reason, but we didn’t run into any trouble at all.
My wife is vegetarian but I’m going to find an excuse to come back here anyway.

Awesome rib tips, hot links and chicken wings, oh my!!!

This place has some of the best rib tips I’ve ever tasted. They are a little pricey but its worth the money! I’ve only ordered rib tips, but they have been delicious every time! Good service, great food and they take plastic which is rare in the ‘hood!

I stopped in for the large tip and hot link combo. This is some of the best bbq in the city! Do not miss this! Strictly take out. I think i ate for 3 days with the portion size. Price is great. Wings are also good. People are friendly. Good people working hard making good food. Dont let the neigborhood keep you from stopping in. This area overall is safe but This place deserves better than the low life criminals that occasionally wander the area. I have been there a half a dozen times now. Worth the trip.

I’m saying. So I’m coming back from Maywood yo. And I’m hungry, like a wolf, and I smell smoke, good smoke. BBQ smoke. so like a bloodhound I engage and follow it to it’s source, a little cue house on the corner, son.
I’m talking bout first of all, I ordered an extra large tip cause I’m thinking. They probably on some Honey 1 BBQ sh*t where they be steady ripping off hipsters and yuppies who don’t know no better and me too who do know better but didn’t have no choice because Honey 1 BBQ is the only real BBQ joint in Logan Square. But I don’t F*ck with them no more, son. Yea, I can understand Honey 1 BBQ «coming-​up on a come-​up», by getting some clandestine «reparations» for 400 years of slavery by over charging white folks for miserly proportions. But I’m a Brotha! So how you gonna juke me?
But then I remember that this is da hood, son. And in da hood you can’t get away with steady ripping folks off unless you’re a JP Morgan Chase, CitiBank or Bank of America investment banker or an elected official. But any way, the price was only 13: 89 son instead of the 20 dollars they charge at Honey’s! And my man behind the triple reinforced bullet proof (for all you predatory jackers out there, go else ware!) counter top window, comes back with a Leaning Tower of Pisa made of firm yet tender rip tips dripping with hot and mild sauce, and, not just one, not just two, but THREE slices of Wonder Bread perched atop of it like a White LL Cool J Kangol Cap, you-know-what-I’m-saying? I’m saying though! So I get it home right, cause it can barely fit in the boot of my scooter and I got a huge cactus also for the ride home, but that’s another story. So any way, I get home and unveil this rip tip tower. I’m talking taller than the steeple of the Mormon Temple that’s about five miles north of Washington D. C, son! D.C. ain’t go no BBQ, but that’s another story. Any way, so I sample on of these savories. First I get a powerful burst of hickory infused with cherry wood with a deep hint of allspice. I thought it was cinnamon at first. Then I tasted the spicy zest and saw saw an allspice pepper in the sauce, boyyyyy! I ain’t lying. How clever is that?
I ate four of them mutha F*ckers cooked to perfection. I’m talking moist grayish pink on the inside and gently charred on the outside holding it together like a sandwich. And after the third, my belly was swelling, so I put the rest away for tomorrow’s dinner, keyed. I’m saying.
Now lets add up the stars. The taste and quality of the tips, get the highest rating, three stars, son. On value, especially during what is the second American Depression, three stars. Sauce, three stars, and during these pandemic violent times in Chicago, what has become a very important rating, Thug Love, zero stars! Seriously, I saw the white socks and white T-​shirt man and the Boot leg C. D man, and the scrape metal man, but no thugs hanging and or slinging, and this is a corner spot, yo.
So you might as well get there son, I’m saying.
On a historical note,
the late great Andre Williams must have had these tips when he wrote and sang his
legendary songs…
«Rib Tips Part 1 & 2
„Guh Guh Gimme some of dem
RIB TIPS!
Ooh wee, ooh wee
Ooh wee, ooh wee.
“ These rib tips show is good!
Ooh wee, ooh wee
Ooh wee, ooh wee.
Gimme some of yours and
I’ll give you some of mine
Ooh wee, ooh wee
Ooh wee, oooooooh… RIB TIPS!
May I have a toothpick, please
uhmmm uhmm uhmm
RIB TIPS!»