Mary’s Bar-B-Que

Saturday evening I was visiting a friend that just moved to the area and smelled the aroma of BBQ, I immediately had to try it. Let me say I consider myself a BBQ master. During the summer I grill every weekend… low and slow is my motto so I know good BBQ.
My friend doesn’t eat pork so she had chicken wings, fried hard. She said they were good. She liked the fact that they weren’t the big steroid pieces.
I ordered a tip and link combo with hot and mild sauce. It was the best that I’ve eaten from a restaurant in years. They were perfectly seasoned with just enough sauce… speaking of sauce, it’s definitely the boss. I really like the way they cut their meat. I don’t like it when restaurants give me big chunks and its hard to bite. This place gives you a lot of meat that’s cut to enjoy.
The workers were friendly and seemed to be having a good time.
We parked in the back parking lot, we were a bit nervous going back to the car because of the lighting which is why I didn’t give them 5 stars. I think they need more lights in the parking lot. I’m not saying it’s dark but more lights would have made us feel safer considering we’re new to scene.
I’ll definitely go, just next time park in the front unless there’s more lights.

First of all I drove all the way from Rogers Park and wish I hadn’t. We ordered a large combo that’s rib tips and hot links also and extra hot link. I was a little skeptical at first since the girl who was taking the orders was scratching her head but u thought let’s give it a try. We got it to go and paid $ 34.00. Let’s just say that was a little more than expected since the place looked like is was on its last leg and would be demolished any day. When we opened the bag first thing I saw was that the bag full of grease and the food we will call it that for now. Now here’s where I just wish I would have never made that trip. The hot links were chopped up in these little circles the rib tips were nothing but bones and grease the sauce was pure watered down and had zero taste. This place may have been good years ago but it’s a real dump I would have like to give it no stars. DONT DO IT this place should be ashamed to be on the map.

Really good tips. The sauce could improve. Unlike most Rib Joints the meat was not burned. It was flavorful and affordable. They give you plenty. I got the Large Tip/​Link and thought I would be able to finish like other places. I was eating rib tips for two days. The area is sketchy. I guess surviving in a crime ridden area makes your food more tasty. I stay in the suburbs and work in the city. Anybody coming this way, brings the Mary’s

We are working our way through South Side BBQ joints… Mary’s.yum. Rib Tips, wings, sauce, french fries… all in a brown bag. How can you go wrong? Rib tips and chicken wings are excellent. Also, don’t know how the fries are made, but, damn, they are good. Is it beef fat, goose tallow, duck lard, deer antler? Dunno. But tasty num nums.
Mary’s, by the way, is all outside. Don’t come here expecting to sit down, silly. Order, wait (under those really bright lights that attract the moths) and move on. As did the woman who came from Belmont and Cicero, biding her time, chatting with my husband (as I waited in the car, listening to the Cubs lose again. Yes, Mary’s is worth the gas money, and yes, go ahead and give me a hard time about the Cubs. I’m used to it.) Oh, and the sauce is good, but for me, it’s a bit mild and sweet. I like a little more kick (think Rudy’s from Austin) but that is purely a personal preference. All in all, if you drive away with a bag of food from Mary’s, you will be happy. And isn’t that what we’re all aiming for?

Having moved far away from Exsenators, my previous bar-​b-​que joint of choice, I was faced with a dilemma… Should I start up my naughty habit of eating unhealthy rib tips occasionally or let it die away? I was doing well not being tempted to stop anywhere on the West side for Bar-​b-​que, but I had a mad craving last night. I called the janitor at my school, to get the low down on Mary’s…why did I do that? He said they were great, but be careful and to call my order in ahead of time. This was my cue to let my naughty habit die away since I didn’t have a number… but my life for a chance at some good tips, I decided.
Mary’s has no inside… you walk up and order from outside through the window, like getting a Jewtown, my bad, Maxwell street polish. You really don’t want to be hanging on the corner, but these tips were worth it… tender, juicy, the sauce was really good, however I didn’t care for the vinegary twang, but others might. I ordered wings also, they were not dropped fresh, so they were not as pleasant an experience. Oh yeah… tax is included in the price.
There was also a free show of an older man standing in the middle of the street, drunk (hopefully) and rapping the same line, over and over and over. He then started yelling then went away… rib tips and a show! And the coup de grace, the man who gave me my food said, «Here you go, baby.» I was not a ma’am! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Oh yeah, a cop car kept circling the block… I didn’t know whether to clear out or feel safer, however I will definitely be back because those were some really good rib tips.

Have you ever been driving and found yourself so distracted by the smell of barbecue that you almost wrecked your car trying to locate the source? If so, consider yourself forewarned if you find yourself driving along this stretch of Pulaski.
Having almost killed my husband and myself driving by this place, I was determined to see if their cue was really worth nearly killing the both of us for. The answer — absolutely!* We ventured here today, hit the highlights, and left very happy, very stuffed customers and new fans of Mary’s. Open since 1968, this is your new favorite barbecue place that you never knew existed.
Wings — crisp, juicy, moist, NOT greasy, not at all. I love these wings — add some hot sauce and you are ready to go. Before proceeding further, you should know that I’m of the «Sauce hides a multitude of sins as well as the flavor» school of barbecue. If barbecue can’t stand up on it’s own without the sauce, it’s not barbecue at all, so I ordered our tips/​links combo sans sauce. Tips — nice smoke ring, good chew, rich porky flavor, good even without the sauce. Honest tips, my friends, honest tips. My generally mild mannered and very picky eater husband ordered me to step away from the tips as he decided they were all for him, high praise, indeed. Links… oh my! VERY spicy, absolutely speckled with flecks of pepper, great texture, nice snap, quite good. This carnivore says «more, please.» We also tried a cup of their highly touted chili — while quite good, I think I caught it on a thin day as it wasn’t quite as thick as I like, but chili is like the weather and changes from day to day, so I’ll definitely try it again.
Served properly, with white bread and soggy fries, this place does barbeque right. The default sauce is a bit sweet for my tastes, but apparently they have a great hot sauce that you have to specifically request. Do it. Their motto is «Where the sauce is boss and every bone is well worth eating.» How can you NOT put a motto like that to the test?
Strictly Chicago style barbecue (aquarium smoker, tips/​links/​wings, no full sized slabs here), but they do it very, very well. No frills, you dine ala Trunk here as there is no seating (no inside in fact, you order through a window). Amazingly nice staff, friendly patrons, inexpensive… I command thee, Barbecue Lovers, eat at Mary’s and show these terrific people some love.
*There are those that would argue that my life is worthless under any circumstances, a sentiment that I, at times, fully appreciate and enthusiastically endorse, but this is a review of a barbecue place and a discussion on the actual value of my life would be inappropriate here. Catch me at an event after I’ve got a few in me and I’ll gladly debate it then.