Smokin BBQ on 45 — Restaurant in Mundelein

You never know with BBQ what you're gonna get. You walk in the place looks clean and care for but still you wonder"is the food any good?"

Simply put us the best one tasted in all of Chicago. I have it five stars because because it's that good. The only knock is that the cornbread is mediocre at best.

I had them bring the food out dry, so I can test the Que without the sauce... because period hide the meat under the sauce. The jerk chicken is delicious by itself. The ribs are on point with no sauce. They have different flavor sauces. Not the same one mixed with a little more of one ingredient. They BARBECUE for real. You can taste the bark ... it's not burnt. You can tell they pray over the food. You can taste the hope of something greater come through the meat.

Cost was appropriate for the proportions. I was full of one plate. I asked to taste the burnt ends just to see and it didn't disappoint. They leave the fat on for flavor and you can taste it.

If you are looking for a place to eat BBQ this...

My kind of joint. No pretensions. It's about the food. You've either got it -- or you don't. They do.

Checkerboard table cloths, metal frame chairs and a roll of paper towels for napkins. One person in my group thought the music was a little loud but it was good. (Bill Withers, EW&F, The Commodores, etc.) Now that the table is set, dig in.

Great ribs. Good sides. And a decent selection of beer. The couple running the joint were as nice as they could be.

The ribs (and the baked beans) hide just the right amount of kick to them. I wish I could have had another beer with them. (Alas, I was driving.) I got them with the sauce on the side just so I could taste how good they were. They were excellent. The BBQ sauce, of course, just made them better.

It's funny, I'm a Southerner, eating BBQ in Chicago and they advertised the ribs as "St. Louis style". Wherever you (or the ribs) come from,...

So glad a new restaurant has opened in Mundelein. Many have come in the past and have fallen short but not Smokin BBQ. First time trying it out tonight and the food was delicious. I tried the jerk chicken dinner (1/4 dark, mac&cheese, coleslaw, & corn bread). It normally comes w/fries but they let me sub them out no problem.

The chicken had unbelievable flavor. It was spicy but not too much and cooked to perfection. The mac & cheese was great and coleslaw was fresh and crunchy. You can tell everything is made in house here and it shows. I will be back many times.

Also, other than the food, you're treated like family here. When I got my food, the guy behind the counter mentioned they threw in a side of turkey chili? I think he said as they were trying it out and it was on the house. These people know how to...