Blackwood BBQ — Restaurant in Schaumburg Township

I visited Blackwood bbq with the family over the weekend. I loved the unique decor. From the strung lights to the menu written on butcher paper. Everything just worked. Even the bathrooms were decorated simply but cool. We ordered the sampler tray. This definitely could be shared amongst 3 people. Comfortably. 😉. Loosen your belt buckle because you are not going to be able to stop!! The tray came with the following: Pulled pork, pulled chicken, brisket, Alabama chicken, sausage, 2 cornbreads, 3 sides ( waffle fries, brussel sprouts, cole slaw) and white bread. WOW!!! The Alabama chicken (in the center) was amazingly delicious!! Great flavor, tons of chicken. The cornbread was perfectly sweet, with kernels. I couldn’t pull away from the pulled pork!! The waffle fries were great. Not your typical style. These were hot, seasoned perfectly and they had a great crunch! Charred Brussel sprouts: ummm delicious! Great crisp with just enough maple. (A must try!) the cole slaw came in a generous cup. Thinking back I should have grabbed some with every single one of my bites of pulled meat. My daughter got the pulled pork sandwich and son got the pulled chicken bbq tacos. The pulled pork had burnt ends, as it should. So my daughter being a daughter ate around the crispy flavorful ends and just ate the pork and roll. My son ate the tacos so fast he started digging into the tray. I guess he liked them!! I was happy to see adult beverages. Bbq and beer. Yum! Had to! So we ended the meal with the popsicles. I chose watermelon, kids each had a bubble gum and was told we had to try the Oreo soooo had one of those too. Watermelon was very light and just sweet enough. But after trying the Oreo it reminded me of an Oreo pudding pop!!! Great addition to the restaurant. Never had them before and learned the vendor who makes them also makes them for local Mexican restaurants! Where have these been all my life?!

I really enjoyed the lunch. Walking out I had a stranger ask if I liked the restaurant and if they should eat there. I think you can tell by my review how much my family and I enjoyed it. Food was solid! Hospitality was spot on. Beer was cold. A great family lunch. Find our video of our experience on YouTube! To...

**If you have food allergies, read this first!

I really would like to write a five star review for Blackwood, but unfortunately that would not be reflective of my dining experience earlier this afternoon. I went here today for lunch with my work colleagues on their recommendation. I was pleasantly surprised to see a public allergen menu available online for my reference so I knew what I could eat before ordering.

I noticed that they had self-serve order kiosks but you could also order with a cashier. I opted for the latter since I figured they might be more accommodating for me with my egg allergy. When I mentioned my situation, they took out a paper copy of the aforementioned pdf to reference while I ordered. This also was nice to see. Unfortunately for me, this is where the pleasantness of the restaurant ended.

After I selected the Beef Brisket Fry Platter with no Coleslaw ($2.49 side normally included) or Texas Toast (normally included) because they contained egg, I was asked if I wanted a different side. I turned back to check on the menu for something and asked to sub in the Smoked Beans. They informed me it would still be a $2.99 upcharge for the side addition. They offered to add “some extra pickles” in lieu, but not a different side. It is unbelievable to me that even though I had to give up half of what the dish I wanted came with (the only other options for brisket were a platter without fries, or as a sandwich—which I couldn’t eat) Either way, I politely declined because the fry platter was already $17.99 to begin with. After a drink I was a bit over $23 total.

I sat down and awaited my order to come up. When my buzzer rang I was given a paper fast food tray with fries in it, four pretty small slices of brisket, and a few pickles. I understand that brisket is not cheap, but I feel this serving size was extremely disappointing.

The one positive thing is that the food was good. I don’t say this out of guilt for writing a low rated review—the meat was tender and juicy, and the fry seasoning was great. I just can’t help but feel disappointed with my experience. I don’t really see the value of coming here over a good local BBQ place and get more for your money. Just keep these things in mind before...

HELP YOUR BEANS OUT: So, the food here is better than most "fast food" places around the area. I say fast food because I have ordered pick up on about 4 occasions. Rather than review all the food, I am just going to cut to the chase on a few things. The mac and cheese is very delicious, and does not hurt my stomach, so I know it's quality. Now, the beans need serious help. The second time I went I did not order them. I ordered them after thinking it was a mistake on how bad they were.

Despite me not being on the payroll, I really think someone should take this advice as I would order beans every time if the following measures are taken to improve the status. The beans are super dry, undercooked, flavorless and does have a severe lack of brisket. Also the main thing that made these beans inedible for me yesterday was - the onions. Whoever is cutting the onions into a particular shape - does not know their way around a kitchen and must stop this abuse to an otherwise useful, delicious ingredient.

So, start dicing, or cutting the onions into strips rather than some triangle piece - that doesn't even get cooked, and becomes some type of onion chewing gum. I even reheated them yesterday. Adding some spices, and chicken broth so I can at least cook the beans, and add moisture. Trying to eat those onions was sad. But trying to pick them out was even sadder. Please add more moisture so the beans are cooked through, make sure each serving has brisket, and for people who love to cook, and sometimes need a break - cut the onions into edible pieces. There is much promise for improvement. I am still trying to wrap my brain around who would cut an onion into that shape.

(Trick for heating up leftover mac n cheese - put the aluminum on my skillet to heat up i/o microwave and it was better...