Chubby Cattle BBQ | Chicago — Restaurant in Chicago

⚠️ IT’S CHAOTIME ⚠️

So, I’ll start by saying this dining experience deeply mooved me 🐮. From the intoxicating smell of grilled meats that greets you as you walk in, to the cool refreshing soft-serve ice cream that you get on the way out, Chubby Cattle is truly one of the best, if not THE best, AYCE BBQ spots in town—and I say that without hesitation.

This brand new Chinatown establishment feels like the culmination of everything related to trendy Asian dining in Chicago—the ultimate crossover between AYCE sushi, hotpot, and BBQ. Y’all, they even got unlimited milk tea. If you like all of the above, you’ll LOVE Chubby Cattle. (Note: if you’re primarily looking for sushi or hotpot, you may find the selection to be inadequate; it’s more of a supplement to the main BBQ dining experience than the main course in itself. Don’t forget, the cow is the star of the show 🐮).

We walked in on a Sunday evening around 6:30. Tables were full, so we hopped on the waitlist. The estimated wait for the two of us was around 20-30 minutes, but we got seated in only 10 minutes. 👌

The menu is divided into two tiers: the Silver Tier ($55 per person) and the Gold Tier ($75 per person). The Gold Tier includes the entire Silver Tier menu as well as an additional selection of ✨premium✨ items. If you want the full experience, if you feelin’ fancy, if you want the A5 wagyu, the caviar, the scallops and the uni—this is for you. But me? I was already overwhelmed by how vast the Silver Tier menu was, so I was completely content with forgoing the more expensive option (I’ll try Gold one day..!).

After about 10 minutes or so, our server Tim came to greet us. Seeing as it was our first time at Chubby Cattle, he began by giving us the full rundown, all while turning on the grill and starting us off with some cheese corn (I thought that was cool—didn’t even need to ask!). Essentially, here’s what you need to know: 1) there is a 90-minute time limit for every table, 2) you need to use the electronic tablet to place orders, 3) you can only order up to 12 menu items at a time, 4) after placing an order, you will have to wait 5 minutes until you can place another one, and 5) you can use the tablet to tap on the picture for any menu item to get a recommended cooking time. After the rundown, my boy Tim helped get our order started by giving us his personal recommendations for the meat (shoutout to Tim for providing great service), and then we finished it off by ordering sushi and sides.

Alright guys, I’m not just saying this—nearly everything was good. Like, really good. Additionally, the quality and freshness of the meat was just so obvious, it was superb. So, for the sake of brevity (not tryna make this longer than it already is), I’m only going to be discussing what stood out far above the rest.

Top 3 Meats (in no particular order):

Thick-Cut Beef Short Rib - so tender and flavorful. Miso Wagyu Chuck Eye Log - the umami goes crazy, incredibly rich in flavor. Angus Top Blade - nice thick cuts; literally exploded in my mouth with juiciness.

*Honorable Mentions: Iberico Pork and Wagyu Steak

Regarding the sushi, the salmon nigiri straight up seduced me, from the first sight of its glistening, sunset orange hue to the moment it slid down my throat… Buttery, tender, and a subtle kiss of sweetness, with the warm hug of rice to balance it out… Spectacular. I was honestly not expecting an AYCE BBQ place to have such high quality salmon, but Chubby Cattle is out here breaking rules and taking names. One of the best salmon nigiri I’ve ever had! (Note: Chubby Cattle does NOT do your typical 6-8 piece sushi rolls; they only do nigiri and handrolls. No Godzilla nor Dragon rolls over here 😂).

Y’all, if you’re looking to treat yourself and have an immersive dining experience with family/friends (or if you’re trying to hit your protein goal for the day and you’re ravenous like I was), this is the SPOT. Check it out. ‘Til next time, Chao...

The experience at this place was truly memorable! Our server, Aileen, was awesome. As it was our first time dining at Chubby Cattle, she professionally guided us through the menu and dining rules, even offering to help us cook the Gold Tier Meat Specials (!) while keeping up friendly small talk and sharing her own dining experiences. Her service added a personal and enjoyable touch to the evening.

That said, I do have some suggestions for improvement. Before writing this review, I read others and found myself agreeing with many: at $75 per person, the portion sizes for the premium Gold Tier selection meats could be slightly larger. I’m not expecting a huge plate, as I understand items like uni, caviar, and A5 wagyu are costly and must be portioned carefully. I appreciate the exclusivity of being able to order these items only once per meal, which adds to their specialness. However, the portions were so small that it was difficult to even savor or fully appreciate the taste. In contrast, the unlimited menu items were much more satisfying and left me wanting more, while the premium selection felt like, “Wait, that’s it?”

Another minor issue was the level of staff attentiveness. While I appreciate the effort to keep tables clean and clear, having so many staff members constantly watching and moving around made it hard to relax and enjoy the meal fully. It honestly just looked a little too busy which made me nervous, almost to the point where I wanted to get up and help clean or something. A little more space to breathe would go a long way.

On the positive side, everything else was excellent. The interior design was lovely, and the yuzu dipping sauce was a standout. The marbled meats were beautifully fatty and juicy, and the tom yum soup is an absolute must-try—it’s refreshing, with lemongrass that cleanses your palate perfectly. The salmon carpaccio was also fantastic. The small but curated drink selection was a nice little touch.

I also want to highlight their yearly subscription (about $24), which comes with great perks. It offers discounts on premium meats (like the $15.99), birthday rewards, and other benefits. Be sure to ask your server about it before paying your bill—it’s definitely worth considering! Save your receipts as it can give you points on their app and eventually you get a free meal.

Thank you again to beautiful Aileen for your outstanding service!

We’ll definitely be back, but next time we’ll likely go for the regular Silver...

I had reserved a birthday dinner for me and my wife at Chubby Cattle, and the entire experience was very disappointing from start to finish.

First off, their app says the birthday dinner is free if you sign up for their membership beforehand and have visited a Chubby Cattle location at least once prior. The catch? The system is highly predatory and unnecessarily stringent — you don’t just need to be a past customer. You’re required to show a receipt from a prior visit at that exact location, dated the day of that visit, and the app uses location tracking to validate it. Basically, unless you’ve already been there and saved your receipt, you’re out of luck.

Knowing that, I called this location to double-check if they offered any other concessions for birthday celebrations. The staff member on the phone specifically told me that if I bought the membership during our dinner, my birthday dinner would be free. This sounded too good to be true, so I even asked twice to confirm since it conflicted with what was online, and they reassured me.

However, when we arrived, the manager flat-out denied this and accused us for having “misheard.” No apology, no attempt to make things right, not even a small gesture like a small discount or a slice of fruit to acknowledge the miscommunication. Instead, it was basically: “you can eat here, but don’t expect anything.” That alone tells me customer service is not a priority here.

Service overall was terrible—servers mumbled, avoided eye contact, and gave off the vibe that they didn’t want to be there. The wagyu was almost entirely fat, leaving us feeling sick afterwards. At the end of the meal, our server asked if it was my birthday and then handed me… a pin. He also offered to sing happy birthday, but with no dessert or anything else attached, it just felt awkward and pointless. Obviously, I declined.

On top of that, the place feels cheap. No fountain drinks, no fruit, just canned sodas and a soft-serve machine. For a place that positions itself as premium, it felt anything but.

If you want the Chubby Cattle experience, I’d recommend checking out Mikiya instead. This location in Chicago is...