Ribs ‘N Bibs

I used to come to this place for a long time for my favorite treat of french fries with BBQ mesquite sauce. I went over today to grab my favorite snack and saw they had closed down permanently. This place was pretty popular with U of C students among many places that lined 53^rd Street within the shopping district. I miss that place and I had no idea when this place closed because the last time I recall was about two years ago when I was last in Hyde Park on 53^rd Street. They used to be rocking Friday and Saturday nights when people would be having dinner out since it was the weekend. This was a great place and it is sorely missed. This place was around since 1966, but apparently it couldnt keep up with so many places it has to compete against for the patronage of those who love BBQ and only want the best from Chicago’s south side.

the sauce was horrible!!!

Just found out this place is closed. Horrible service and food = CLOSED.

Delicious food .
Burgers great… fries excellent. .rib tips best iv ever eaten… yummy …
Draw backs… they don’t care about service… Cash only… The credit machine doesn’t work forever… so good way of tricking by sticking a note «machine out of order «.no drinks …it’s basically a not place to sit and eat… coz if you do, your sitting next to the trash can… you could sit out If the weather is good …
Great food… great prices… just find a better place to enjoy the yummy food… get some drinks with you… get cash along with you …

The ribs where ok not bad but not great either. Prices where ok. This is a take out place only!

Food: 3 ribs too burnt for my taste
Service: 2 took too long as no one else was ther

Sorry but after multiple try’s, I must side with earlier reviewers. I love the sauce, but the so called tender small ends-​tips were once again tough and stringy. Had I been stringing a violin, I could have easily used this batch of tips for the job. Not likely to go back any time soon; so long Ribs-​n-​Bibs.
Now I need some serious dental floss…

There are better places out there. Just not in Hyde Park.
Nuf said

I wish I lived closer to his joint!
The next time I am in Hyde Park, I am going to be sure to seek this place out. If you want to try this place out, I beg you to NOT judge a book by it’s cover. Just by looking at the exterior, it really does not look like much but once you get your food and dig in you will be glad you stopped in.
My suggestion would be to get the rib tips. They are truly spectacularly amazing! I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and then some!

Absolute lowest quality of food available/​only saving grace was the cool western names for all the sandwiches, etc. They were out of Pulled Pork? And Credit Card Machine «Broken»… Right! P. S– Ask for an extra thimble of Sysco Cole Slaw

Dear Ribs ‘N Bibs,
I enjoy your ribs and I have ordered two full slabs on each visit. However, I am very disappointed now. I have visited your restaurant 3 times in the last 4 months. On each visit I was told that the credit card machine is broken. It is not unreasonable to expect credit card payments to be accepted for orders of $ 40-​$ 50. It is also not unreasonable to expect any credit card processing issues to be resolved in a matter of days. I will call before my next visit. If credit card payments aren’t accepted at that time then you will have lost a loyal customer and I will have to find another place for barbecue.

This is a little hole-​in-​the-​wall shack that you would expect to have cheap but surprisingly great barbecue. You would be wrong. It is amazingly overpriced only OK barbecue. And really, why can’t you pour a little sauce on the fries next to the half-​slab of ribs that must have been smoked over endangered California redwoods considering what I paid for it? I mean, it’s just Sweet Baby Ray’s! I’m not even going to discuss the little two-​biter crucible of bulk-​purchased cole slaw. Oops, guess I mentioned it.
And what’s up with the credit card machine being down EVERY time I’ve been in here? Just take down the Visa/​Mastercard sticker and say you’re cash only, jeez.
Yet one more old-​guard Hyde Park restaurant that is better in memory than in present real life.

Every now and then on a Saturday night I will have already committed to not «going out» out and instead settle for a night of kicking it with some friends at my place. On some of these occasions, a groundswell movement (never thought I’d be able to use that term in a Unilocal review) builds to go on a «food adventure». This desire has led to such excursions as Fatburger down in Beverly, White Castle (when there wasn’t one of the northside) and Arun’s up north (so obviously three places of somewhat equal status). On this particular occasion our taste buds took us to Ribs ‘N Bibs.
I’m usually a baby back guy, but the guy behind the counter informed me that the rib tips were more the local speciality (apparently it’s what Obama ordered when he went there). I got ‘em and they did not disappoint. I’m not sure I would consider its quality to be worth the extra effort of getting there, but they were damn tasty, so if you’re ever in the neighborhood (specifically did NOT use the shorter ‘hood there, though my efforts are probably moot since I couldn’t just leave it there), you should definitely check it out.

It had been years since my last visit to Ribs ‘N Bibs. My recent order jogged my memory. The food is the epitome of blah. The ribs just aren’t what you would expect from a bbq joint. More like what you would expect from a high school cafeteria. Aside from the lack of flavor and tenderness. all the food taste reheated. My theory is that they don’t generate enough business like Smoque or Lem’s to pull meat right off the grill/​smoker. They’ve been around for decades. I don’t know how they’ve survived.

I had never heard of this place until I was watching The Tyler Perry Movie «Meet the Browns» I wanted to see if it was just a Hollywood made up place or if it was real!
Well, it was real but it didn’t have any seats for you to sit down or a wait staff!
The first time I came here I got the Ranch Owners Smörgåsbord Bar B Q Ribs, 2 Pc of chicken, Maverick Minis (tips) 3 pc gun slinger (which is nothing more than one sausage cut up into 3 pcs) Onion Rings (2), French Fries and Bread) which for 16.60 wasn’t bad because it allowed us to taste a little of everything and it was really good except for the chicken it was kind of rubbery but not so bad that I didn’t want to go back.
My second visit I just get the tips and I am delighted!
My third visit we got a Gun Slinger sandwich, Hamburger, Turkey Legs and Ribs… Well the Gun Slinger for me taste better without being drowned in the sauce, the hamburger was a frozen hockey puck and the Turkey Leg moist and delicious!
So, I have to say that over time I began to go to Rib N Bibs about 2 times a month and I was fairly satisfied each time I went.
Well, on my last visit I bought a pan of tips because I had friends coming over and there isn’t really any bar b q places around my neighborhood like it use to be.
Anyway, when I receive my ribs they taste old, and like charcoal I immediately call Ribs N Bibs to tell them that I didn’t like the food that I just received and because I had friends over I couldn’t come back that day.
Well, the rude voice on the other end tells me well he doesn’t know what I’m talking about because the ribs are made fresh everyday and that he couldn’t give me a refund because the cash register only takes money it doesn’t give money back!
I stood there staring at the phone while I am not only disrespected but applaud at the fact that the gentlemen could even say that too me and then he says Well, you can bring back the pan and we will replace it… Really, did he think I wanted a replacement of crappy tips and horrid service… I think not!
I chucked up my loss and have not and would not go back to this place if someone paid me too.
It is so sad that I would even have to write a review like this for a place that may not been the best but they did have some good food items that had me going back!!!
So, if you want horrible customer service (that is if you have a problem with the food), mediocre food then this is the place for you… otherwise don’t waste your time or your money!

Ever thought about taking a torch to a $ 10 bill out of sheer enjoyment? Yea, that’s never been high on my bucket list either, but Ribs N Bibs definitely aided in helping me piss away $ 10. I would have rather spent the $ 10 on a can of raw sewage. Then, at least I would have known I was getting liquified trash prior to handing over my money.
A while back, and by a while back I mean three or so years ago, I tried the rib tips and wings. If I had to define them both, I would say they were «mush meat.» And here I was thinking only cereal and bread could become soggy.
This time around, I tried the beef hot links. And on first bite, all memories of three years prior came rushing back to me. Mush Meat!
Two rancid hot links floating in a pool of barbecue sauce with two pieces of barbeque soaked white bread as decrepit spring boards. Mouth-​watering right?
I gave them a mint green Alexander Hamilton which had the number «10» stamped on all four corners and they gave me BBQ sewage which incorrectly and proverbially had «edible» stamped on all four corners.

Don’t get the burgers, which are frozen, prepackaged, and not very good. Don’t get the pork sandwich, which was almost inedible. Maybe think about getting the chicken, though this was nothing spectacular.
But the rib tips! My goodness, the rib tips are outstanding. Yes, they aren’t fall-​off-​the-​bone, but that’s because they are actually smoked (this is BBQ, people), and the flavor is outstanding. The rack of ribs is quite good too, but I’ve found you get so many rib tips for so little money that it’s not worth getting the full rack. The sauce is quite tangy and acidic, and the mushy fries are surprisingly addictive. Remember: don’t not get the rib tips then complain, because I warned you.

It’s all in the timing. Set your boots to walking around 5:30, and you will make you way to culinary heaven once you step into the tight confines of Ribs N’ Bibs. The ribs and tips are the peak of their succulent, juicy glory. The rich, hard, spicy crust protects the tasty meat, and the sauce is a thing of beauty: not too sweet, not too thick, and totally worth the extra few bucks it will cost you to get the quart sized container.
The ribs are prima when you get the good batch, though I have had a few overcooked racks here in the past. Like I said, come early to get the ribs before they dry out. The ribtips on the other hand, have never disappointed me. Nowadays, the bucket, yes, BUCKET, of tips comes with two plates of fries and coleslaw. The fries are OK, but only there to help you scoop more sauce into your face. The ‘slaw is actually really good, but the matter of a good slaw is a subject too deep to fight over in a rib review. You also get some wonderbread with the slab, and it’s good as a sauce and grease catcher.
Their chicken is also good (my gf thinks it tastes weird), but for the price you might be better served by getting some lower quality Harold’s down the street.
The link sandwiches are actually really good and very well priced. Worth a try, but not the main attraction.

Obama may have (or may not have) eaten here once… and you might say the same for me. The food at Ribs ‘N’ Bibs was decent and you definitely get plenty for your dollar, but it certainly wasn’t the best form of BBQ that I’ve ever had the opportunity to devour.
I ordered the rib tips platter and the number one thing I noticed was that the meat didn’t come right off the bone — you really had to struggle with it. That was highly disappointing especially since I really liked the thick sauce that was poured on top of the ribs.
The fries were delicious and crispy and paired well with the extra BBQ sauce that didn’t stick to my ribs. Wish they served more than a dollop of cole slaw though, because it was pretty good.

Since my last review, my family and I have discerned a pattern. Here are the two rules for eating here.
1. You must be able to smell BBQ within at least a one-​block radius of the restaurant. If you can’t smell anything, don’t go in. If you can’t see smoke rising from its smokestack, don’t go in. The ribs are only good fresh, and if there isn’t smoke, they aren’t fresh.
2. If there is a rib competition, rib eat-​off, rib pride parade, or otherwise rib– or BBQ– related event going on the city, do not go in. Their best cooks will be at the event, and not at the restaurant.
Follow these guidelines and you should be bathing in BBQ bliss. If not, you might be stuck with some dry, tough, disappointing ribs.

In Hyde Park there is one big argument, one that has been around longer than I have been alive. What is it? Ribs N Bibs or Harold’s Chicken, which is better?
RIBS N BIBS DUH! Sure there is the occasional shut down, but no matter what they come back stronger than before and stay as family friendly as they have always been. When you are a regular there and come back after YEARS like I did when I went away to school, they remember your order AND your name! This is a Hyde Park staple that needs to keep on chugging so when the time comes I can take my kiddies there for bronco burgers and rib tips with fries bathed in sauce!