Pit & Tap — Restaurant in New Trier Township

After coming across Pit & Tap on Google and being Intrigued by some of the creative dishes I saw on their menu I had to stop in. I tried the smoked wings with Alabama sauce and the Knucklepunch with french fries. The wings had a lightly smokey flavor to the skin and the meat maintained a nice juicyness. I thought these were highly enjoyable. I ordered them with the house special Alabama Sauce, but I have no idea what the sauce taste profile was, it was white, but I don't even know how to describe it. 7 wings to an order. Wings are close to 5 stars, the sauce is 3 stars. The Knucklepunch sounded like an absolute behemoth of a sandwich, it didn't quite live up to my expectations. It was too busy of a sandwich. The most notable take away from this sandwich was the pork belly, It waa just 2 thick peppered slices of fat that needed more rendering to be edible. I did think the smash burger had a nice taste and might be good in the right application. This is the sandwich that finally taught me that more is not necessarily better. The fries here were the high spot. Fresh cut and exactly the type of fry I remember restaurants for having. These were unsalted so if you want them salted you'll have to ask. I could eat a mountain of these and they'd probably be next level awesome with a good white cheese sauce. I carried my order out after placing my order online and the lady was beyond pleasant and smiled with her every word. I also thought that the restaurant had a nice set up in a nice neighborhood. For my next visit whenever that might be I plan on either the Poutine or the ATX smash burger. They both look fantastic. For now, I think 4 stars best describes my grade for Pit and Tap. I liked it, but think theres a real chance that they could bring this rating to a 5 in the future with a strong showing my...

I am actually so excited to write this review. I feel like with Pit and Tap I have finally come across a local restaurant that has found the correct formula for good food, great service and efficiency for the restaurant and for the staff.

In my travels abroad, especially in the UK, I've always appreciated how personable the staff are but at the same time how efficient the service experience is all around. Menus don't seem overly extensive, food is served fairly quickly, the check is presented at a tasteful point during the meal and the card reader is always in tow so that you can pay right at your table. This makes for quick turnover and an expedient exit from the restaurant.

Pit and Tap has paired this concept with great barbecue, an extensive selection of beers and craft cocktails. The staff are awesome, the food seems to be served before you can take the first sip of your drink of choice, and it's all uber delicious.

The outdoor patio is perfect for those with little ones or who want to avoid eating indoors due to the pandemic. And if you do choose to eat indoors, the decor is on trend but comfortable.

If I had to make suggestions to the restaurant, however, they would be as follow: While I love barbecue, my husband is a vegetarian. Yes, there are sides and salads that he could choose from but I would challenge tthe restaurant to come up with a vegan or vegetarian play on barbecue. I would also like to see more ciders on the menu, especially since fall is right around the corner.

All-in-all, I think Pr and Tao is definitely worth a drive up to the North Shore for friendly, family oriented outdoor fare or comforting eats in...

Whelp, it was pretty much what I expected of bbq in Wilmette. There was nothing remotely Texas about it, and I know, because I've lived there. And in Louisiana. And in North Carolina. So like, don't try to pull one over on me when it comes to bbq. This was like someone from California drove by a sign for Texas bbq and got ideas. The sides were tasty, so, that's nice. Good beans, and the elotes were solid. Super greasy, but they always are when you take them off the cob. HOWEVAH. I had the pulled pork and hubs had the brisket. Both were super dry, desperately bland, and mine came out room temperature. The sauces were vinegary and not much else. It was...not good. The "corn bread" was more of that sweet muffin nonsense you find up here where nobody can make cornbread properly. They had an extensive bourbon menu, which was mostly just a tease, as hubs and I are big bourbon fans, so we know what those bottles cost, and I'm afraid that's a hard no on paying half the bottle for a 2 oz pour. The markup was kind of nuts.

Not food related, but the place was loud AF. The sportsball game was turned way up and it was hard to hear the server, who, not for nothing, was quite attentive and did not lie to me about the cornbread, so at least I didn't go in to THAT expecting much.

There's a place in Evanston called Soul and Smoke which is LEGIIIIIT, and that's where you should spend your money if you want bbq in these here burbs, because this place is...