Chicago Culinary Kitchen + BBQ — Restaurant in Palatine Township

We moved to the area right around the time this location opened. We followed news and reviews for a while before getting to head over and try it out! It’s a bit far for us for takeout, so we were hoping to dine-in instead. Right around Christmas time, I heard about an event from a neighborhood group and thought it would be a unique gift for my husband! We have been wanting to come here and just hadn’t gotten around to it. The event we just attended was the BBQ, Beer & Bourbon Class event and honestly, it was the perfect first impression of this restaurant!

Having only read reviews up until now, I was conflicted. I don’t get all of the negative reviews. I guess BBQ, like many things, is subjective, but attending this class FIRST, helped set the standard for what to expect here and also to appreciate it, in my opinion. We walked in with a little bit of knowledge of what to expect, but immediately we were welcomed in, seated and the “class” kicked off. They weren’t kidding with the amount of food you receive in a progressive-dinner-style meal. I did not pace myself well, but had a lot to bring home with me to enjoy!

There was a ton of awesome information provided and explained on how they prepare their meats and the style and also drink pairings for the items presented. We basically got to taste a bit of everything they offer and had seriously several take-home boxes full! The sausage, brisket, pulled pork and ribs were all super tender and flavorful and I didn’t even need sauce. Nothing was dry to us! And the sides were complementary to the meats. They didn’t over-shine them though, and that’s important; the meat is the star here!

Chef Greg and Certified Cicerone Kristina (owners) know their stuff! He explained the importance of having the meat moist and flavorful instead of hidden in sauce. Christina provided a wealth of knowledge on craft beers and bourbon and it was enjoyable to try her selections with our meats and sides. I was so impressed! I’m glad we came here first for this class before trying the standard restaurant experience because it helped me to understand why they do the things they do and how to make it good. He also gave away a lot of tips and tricks and advice and welcomed questions. Dessert was Fireball Bread Pudding and it was delicious!

Highly recommend attending some of these events to understand their style and enjoy a sampling of most of their menu, you will appreciate it very much! We have soo much food to enjoy for the rest of the week it’s ridiculous haha but soo good. My husband enjoyed it too!

The class part was interesting but we will probably just come eat here instead of making it ourselves though!...

Okay, I've had barbecue from New York to Arizona, and I've tried all the regional styles—Texas, North and South Carolina, Kansas City, Florida, Chicago, and more. I'm going to tell you, the brisket I just had is probably in the top three of all the briskets I've ever tasted. I've had all the famous ones, but this one was truly one of the best I mean I might even say it and that's super hard for me to say but it might actually be the best I've ever had. The Legacy barbecue sauce complements it perfectly. It has a nice sweetness, and if you want a little heat, the Texas is the sauce that delivers. They also have a really good mustard sauce, but I'm not a huge fan of mustard barbecue myself. Still, wow. Just, wow. The manager Jay over there was very open very friendly I mean honestly this was an experience.

Some other special things to note and their fries were actually great and I enjoyed the fact that their ketchup was even good had a little heat twisted to it Wow.... They were so opening Jay even wanted to get our opinion on this new brisket tamale that they're working on which was actually great It came with this sauce that I understand why they combined it with it but the barbecue sauce made it 300 times so much better. He also won our opinion on this new dessert that they're trying out and this guy ran all the way to another shop to let us try the topping that it was going to come with completely an absolutely amazing service. You can't find that nowadays Hey don't come there on Mondays and Tuesdays they're closed but Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday you need to be there. They also have a catering truck in case you have like an event you want to plan. I'm the president of my association and they are definitely going to be on the list of one of the events that we will be holding. Thank you for such...

The only thing that I was offended by, were their prices. 62 dollars for 2 people to eat. 21 dollars for a pulled pork sandwich, only once I ordered was I informed it was a la carte. We didn't even drink, I had a soda and my wife had water. Ridiculous.

The atmosphere was confusing. Proof that as a restaurant owner, every idea for your concept isn't necessarily a good one. But, I suppose that's was only to be expected by pulling into a bbq joint called the Chicago culinary kitchen.

The menu had a overwhelming layout, a board, and tons of notes behind the register. Then add in the overly loud music and disco lighting, and it's a recipe for any first timer to be confused. Not a enjoyable experience.

The decor was interesting at best, mix of the standard bbq stuff, advertising and then skulls and skeletons? What is it, Halloween year round?

Lastly the food, the sausage was good, pulled pork was good. But the ketchup was spicy? I don't know what it was outside of not good. Not everything needs to be "Custom" or "kicked up" in flavor. The corn bread was dry. Mac and cheese, was terrible, I think a dollar box of kraft is better. Mac and cheese was served lukewarm, and the cornbread was cold, for 6 bucks for a cornbread I'd expect it to be hot.

Overall I had high hopes for this place, but for me, the confusing/busy atmosphere was just to much to overcome just regular old bbq food. And the super high prices will keep me from being a 2nd time or regular customer.

And lastly, the day after experience was less then to be desired, something made my tummy upset and it wasn't fun. While I don't think it was food poisoning, something...