Shady Akers' BBQ — Restaurant in Town of Strongs Prairie

A true gem in Adams county. Locals and outsiders alike should take notice of the service and quality of food offered at this establishment.

I walked in this afternoon ~1:00 PM. I sat down at the bar and the waitress told me she would be with me shortly. As I looked around I could tell that there was a passion for BBQ in this establishment. The decor and vibe is just right for Adams county.

The waitress brought me my water, menu, and sauces. She proceeded to inform me about the menu and what was/was not available for ordering today. (Sounds like the deep fryer was out of commission. No big deal, I came for BBQ. As a consumer I appreciated the candor)

The menu itself was not hard to follow, but in my opinion could be simplified even more. I opted for the 1/2 chicken dinner for 12$ and am glad I did. (They guy next to me said "if you don't mind me asking, what did you get?" It just looked good!) The dinner came with two sides, a slice of cornbread, pickled onions and sweet pickles . I chose Cole slaw and Akers corn for my sides.

Before I got my meal I asked the waitress, (who was bussing, bartending, and waitressing all herself) if they had a "shake a day". She said they did. (If you don't frequent Wisconsin, shake a day is a good habit to get into ;) look it up on google. ) The waitress came back with the dice and informed me of the house rules for shake of the day. "Three rolls, no farming" Won a free drink on the first shake. The poker chip in the picture is my drink token.

When the waitress first brought over the sauces she told what each of them were. Alabama sauce (combo of horseradish and Mayo) , Mustard sauce (had a nice base of yellow mustard which I like, but not too overpowering), and House BBQ (seemed like a ketchup based sweeter sauce, would be nice with fries). She then asked if I liked spicy, I told her absolutely. She went back in to the kitchen, brought out a bottle of another sauce, and told me it was a sort of sweet and spicy Nashville hot bbq sauce. She proceeded to tell me it's sweet on the front end but will sneak up on you a little bit. All of the sauces were well put together, yet simple, and tasty.

My chicken was very nice, I could tell it was fresh. Had a nice smoke to it and seasoning was just enough. I would get it again.

Coleslaw was very simple nothing really, good or bad, stuck out to me. Added a little spicy bbq sauce to it and that was a nice touch.

Akers corn was very nice - basically creamed corn with peppers and some other stuff, and would absolutely recommend it to others.

Overall, my experience was pleasant. Good Chicago style BBQ. Pretty cool to have a former executive chef for Sweet Baby Rays on Castle Rock Lake. Thankful for the experience. Hope to be back again...

9/9 of our family members agree: BEST BBQ EVER! Shady Akers is off the beaten path but worth the drive for quality from scratch family style food! We tried the Texas Style Sausage, Brisket, and Pulled Pork - all of which was packed with flavor! The brisket and pork were so tender they just fell apart. The sauces covered the spectrum of BBQ - from Carolina to spicy with a sweet one that was perfect paired with pork and mac'n'cheese! For sides, you have to try the fries - crinkle cut crispy and perfectly salted - no dipping sauce required! The mac'n'cheese was the kids' favorite - pasta cooked to perfection with a creamy cheese sauce that complimented the meats. Coleslaw had a snap and the vegetables were fresh. The cornbread was a favorite as well - sweet with a delightful texture. We also enjoyed the shady corn! We were all completely full when presented with the option for dessert - a smoked chocolate Texas sheet cake - that we just couldn't pass up! Literally everything was 10/10! The waitress, Molly, was a delight - very attentive and helpful. The owners are exceptionally kind and obviously put a ton of love in every part of Shady Akers! We have zero complaints and are brainstorming ways to get food shipped cross country...

Ok. Order or disorder. It was more like disorder. 7 at or table,we ordered drinks. 1 in our group ordered a bloody Mary. Waitress said they were great and so on. It has to be the worst bloody I ever tasted, she came back told her it was terrible, so she said she would make it over her self. Ok. She brings that one back it is even worse tasting than the first one,mix was definitely spoiled or on the the edge. Whatever it was bad. Got a beer.

We all ordered food,looked at my phone clock and around the dining room, we were the only table. Not in hurry so I will be patient. 1 hr later no food. This is BBQ not rocket science, should be ready in 15 minutes, not a hr.plus. So finally here she comes. Got our food,some of us!!!. The ones who didn't get food she said it's coming, for Got to put it in. Come on,we the only table in here at time of oder. Now there is 2 other tables. Anyway it finally all shows up our food. Most of our food came out Luke warm. The meats were tender and had a smoke taste. Coleslaw was awful, bean's were out of some can,not actually homemade BBQ style. This place doesn't even offer Ribs.

I guess I'll just say I'm not coming back...