Wagner’s Ribs

5 star Ribs! I go there for nothing else (well maybe the pulled pork sandwich on the lunch menu but…).
The place is always busy for dinner, especially on weekends. Note that this is a bar and, as such, no kids allowed (even if just dining). The patio is nice and gives a bunch of extra room.
On other occasions, friends have had the chicken, the kabobs, etc and all reports were positive. Like I said, I need no menu, I don’t even give the gratuitous read/​review because it’s ribs all the way, no question.
If you want ribs, this IS the place you need to try!
As far as aesthetics, atmosphere, etc… it’s a bar and busy so it’s loud. The hostess is beyond the bar which is awkward with the crowds. Typical wait 10 – 25 minutes. The wait staff is general attentive and competent. (One-​off things happen but not typical)

It’s been a while since our last visit to Wagners and I mean LAST. I ordered the full slab of ribs and they were pretty good but not great. My wife is not a huge rib fan so she ordered a pulled pork dinner they had. Her pork was very dry so she asked the waitress for some bbq sauce to put on it. After we finished and looked at the Approximately $ 50.00 check I noticed they charged us $ 1.00 for the sauce. Granted a dollar is no big deal but it was insulting considering it’s a bbq and they probably have barrels of it in the back. Enjoy your dollar owners

Best ribs in the area. The rest of the menu is great as well. They have lots of beer available. Staff is very nice.

First time here and not very impressed. It may have just been the server (blond) we had because all the other people we came into contact with were a lot more friendly. We started dealing with I believe a bus boy who was much friendlier.
First we had questions about the menu signaling we hadn’t been there before but very little explanation of anything. They had 3 Floyds which was awesome, they’re known for ribs so I got those. They were really good and the cornbread cakes were also awesome both those and the GumballHead beer were the reason I gave 2 stars instead of one. My fiancé got chicken strips that were just average, her Mac and cheese was completely bland and tasteless definitely not worth the money. Our waitress did not get my finances drink right as she has sensitive teeth and ordered no ice but brought out 2 drinks for her, both with ice! When my fiancé asked her about what sauce types they had she got kind of an attitude and said original, and we asked is it sweet or do you have a sweet sauce she said we have original, hot or spicy. Hot or spicy? Doesn’t hot mean spicy.
The waitress didn’t come to check on us until we were basically done and didn’t offer me another beer or even a water after mine was empty for awhile. Overall poor experience. We won’t be back soon if at all.

I’ve been here a bunch of times over the years and really enjoyed it every time, my favorite place for ribs. Tonight’s visit was good, but dissapointed by 2 things.
1. They no longer serve their double baked potatoes. These were always fantastic and I’d would come here just for them. I really wish they would put them back on the menu.
2. My «full slab» was very small. It used to be not possible to finish a full slab and sides and tonight, even though I wasn’t super hungry, I cleaned all my plates. Maybe I got the smallest one in the place, but it was definetly much smaller than in the past.
Our waiter, Aspen, was awesome, and kept our drinks full and everything in prompt order. The table next to us was very rude to him and he handled them like a professional despite their totally disrespectful attitudes.
This place is always worth going to, just hope you gets bigger slab than I did tonight and be sure to bug the manager about bringing back double baked potatoes.

Excellent food, but I hold it to 3 stars for their serious disregard for any diner with a physical disability. There is no designated parking, and entering the restaurant entails climbing a set of wooden steps then balancing a storm door. If the customer is using a cane or other mobility aid, there simply is no way to hold the railing, ascend the stairs, and make use of the assistive device. Kyle P. Has an excellent photo of this in his review, or it may be seen in the listing of photos.
Indoors, things are slightly better until needing to use the restroom. This guest found it next to impossible to rise from a seated position on the commode without gyrations to redistribute body weight so as not to crash into a wall.
Perhaps the facilities are grandfathered out of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, but a savvy entrepreneur looking to expand a client base would certainly are some adaptations, especially since clientele is limited to those 21 and older.

This place is okay. Kids are not allowed there. Ribs were okay at best… I go for a lunch meetings and service is always a little slow. Staff is not that friendly.

Always good food. Good service. I eat here often and have yet to have a bad meal !!! Steak. Fish. Ribs. And the best corn bread cakes, ever. A must try.

We’re locals and love coming here– 21 and older only.

I have been going to Wagner’s for many years and after my experience yesterday I don’t believe I’ll ever be back. My favorite menu item is the combo ½ slab of ribs and perch. It was always the best — was! Yesterday my half slab of ribs were maybe a third slab when compared to my co-​diners full slab and the quantity of perch was not worth putting on the plate. They brought out so much tarter sauce and melted butter for these extremely small pieces of perch that I laughed out loud. My ribs were dry and not close to the quality I’m used to at Wagner’s. They got new menus and new dinnerware and ruined their quality. What a huge disappointment.

Wagner’s is very inconsistent for a place that specializes in ribs. Occasionally the ribs are 4 star, but not today. Very dry. The lake perch was very good in past years, but full of bones and scales today. Service is usually good, but not today. Dine at your own risk. Avoid if your expectations are high.

Waste of time because it is listed as a restaurant and it should be listed as a bar because a person has to be 21 years old. Even if you dial in the parameter of kid friendly that does not compute because I would not consider a twenty year old a kid.

The sauce was excellent and the ambiance was great. I can’t wait for the patio to open!!! Just wish the meat itself was a bit more substantial and better quality. Felt like the «baby back ribs» we’re a little too literal, but maybe the summer season will be better!

I heard a lot of people recommending this place and I was so disappointed when I went to check it out for myself. First off you have to be 21 and older so don’t bring your kids if you plan on trying it. The place is cramped and the staff was not friendly. They all seemed to have a «whatever» attitude. The food was mediocre, something I could have just made at home, I got the grilled bbq sandwich with waffle fries and another member of my party got the ribs. Besides the food being just okay the sauce was what really ruined it. It is so insanely sweet and sugary and had an apple flavor, it didn’t resemble BBQ sauce at all except for the color. This is what they are supposed to be known for? If they have different sauces I wouldn’t know since our unfriendly waitress didn’t give us an option, just gave us all the same disgusting sauce. We will not be back.

I have been going to Wagners since I was a kid. I recently moved to Chesterton and I am a vegetarian now. I thpught there wouldnt be anything on the menu to eat, but there was actually alot of stuff. The staff is friendly and it has a really nice relaxed ambiance. I recommend this for any rib lover or non meat eater. ;)

My wife was out if town yesterday and I overheard how good Wagner’s was at the Post Office and since she’s not a fan of rib’s I decide to go out solo for dinner. What a disappointment as I had high expectations. I expect rib’s to slow smoked or at least baked and then final grilled. I asked the server and they boil their ribs– blasphemy! Yea they fall off the bone, but their’s no flavor to speak of. The baked beans were stone cold and the supposedly great cornbread like pancakes were cold and dry/​cracked on the plate. One draft beer and ribs the check was close to $ 34.00. If the food quality was commensurate, I’d have no issue. Honestly Chilli’s has better rib’s and they are a chain restaurant.

First off anything I say would be redundant… As many have said and experienced this place is fantastic ! what a gold mine ! wish I owned it…((Meat Candy))… well worth a visit or two… three… I wanna live here… somewhere in the kitchen… all I need is a little corner… just a corner… close to the ribs !.

If I could give a ZERO I would have! We tried to go to the famous Wagner’s but my 16 yr old daughter was with us and they said she couldn’t eat in their establishment. My daughter waited outside, so we proceeded to get a «to go» order but were told that they don’t have
«to go» capabilities. It’s too bad they lost out on a $ 70 order. And they seemed to let us walk out the door with a who gives a s**t attitude! Too bad for them! It also surprises me that a bar is 500 feet from an elementary school. How nice to have a place that has is a 21 years and older right across the street. Amazing!!!

Some folks were telling D and I about Wagner’s place near Michigan City, IN that served some of the best ribs they ever tasted. I do love ribs though I don’t eat them often since they’re not the healthiest of dishes. In fact I couldn’t even think of the last time I ate ribs (not even during the standard rib cooking holidays). But they’re ‘oh so good’ when they’re done right.
So we put Wagner’s on our bucket list of places to check out someday. It just so happened I had a hankering for some ribs so we made our way there. We got there just before 2 and saw there were a lot of cars parked in the street and in their parking area. The building itself reminded me of someone’s home. From our vantage point, it looked like a nice cozy area.
We went inside and saw that the place was bigger than it seemed from outside. Everytime we thought of sitting in a section, we would see another section. And just when we hit the back room, D spied the outside area and we opted to sit outside.
Apparently so did everyone else. So that’s where everyone was. There were sprinkles of folks inside but the majority opted to eat outdoors. And there was no reason not to since it was a nice warm Saturday afternoon. There was only one open table for two. It unfortunately didn’t have an umbrella like the others but thankfully the sun wasn’t too overbearing.
The outside space itself was huuuuge. If I had to do some rough estimate measurements, the area felt like it was 30×50. I’m sure I’m wrong but rest assured the area was nicely spaced. It was the perfect spot for getting together and enjoying great food and folks.
So we both ordered half slabs of their ribs, not sure if full slab would be too much. I ordered my half slab as part of a combo. The other half I ordered was steak kabobs. As sides I had the bbq baked beans and their pancake like corn bread. D was elated to see one of their sides was tater tots. So he opted for those and got a side salad.
Service wasn’t the greatest. Once again I found the server seeming to focus her conversation to D, which wasn’t good since I was paying for the meal. Even D noticed it and made a comment afterwards. Also there was a couple that came at least ten minutes after we did and they got their order sooner. When D asked our server for food status, she snapped at him saying ‘it was coming in a minute’. She was walking in a different direction and was probably distracted but the tone was uncalled for. Thankfully it did wind up being served to us in the next two minutes.
The food itself was very good. The ribs were so tender you could pick the meat off with a fork. D ordered the dry rub so he had sauce on the side. The sauce itself reminded me of Open Pit though not sure if that was it or their homemade sauce. The sides were all good but the MVP award went to the corn bread. D kept wanting to sample the corn bread. I was curious how it would taste with syrup but it definitely didn’t need it though I dipped pieces of it with the bbq baked beans.
But service aside the food was worth the extra wait time. And the outside space is a winner. The extra star is definitely because of that area. We will probably give the place another chance.

Tried the macaroni and cheese with a breaded chicken sandwich. it was delicious! The mac & cheese was gooey and definately homemade. The chicken breast was huge and very juicy. Nice afternoon stop on our way from the dunes. only complaint was they should adjust the menu for price and items changes so there are no suprises.