Offset BBQ — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

I find lately that I don't tend to bother with reviews of plain or mediocre restaurants. These days I take the time when something about a place is outstanding. And I can't say enough about Offset! We were actually on our way to a larger BBQ steakhouse type place for Father's Day lunch, and we were running late and were out around California, so on a whim, we looked for BBQ in the general area, and Offset came up, Í hadn't heard of it, but I'm always up for learning about new BBQ places, so we turned that car around!, and after parking for free on the street (there's a star right there), 20 yards away, I was already digging it just from the beautiful, charred aroma! When we walked in the door, I immediately saw a small collection of guitars hanging in the reception area. I'm a guitar player, so yeah, there's another star! The building seemed fairly newly rehabbed, but with the requisite amount of industry rustic decor. Exposed beans, exposed brick, a retro BBQ sign, a boars head, and more guitars. Enough to show they cared, but not like some theme restaurant. The soundtrack was fun...a mix of 60s and 70s era rock, rockabilly, and soul. ,Star. I enjoyed hearing Little Deuce Coup as I looked over the menu, which had all the things you want to see (except, surprisingly, Mac and cheese, but I did NOT miss it), and some surprises (home made ice cream sandwiches). I love a good brisket, but it can vary SO MUCH from one joint to the next, that it's kind of risky to throw all your eggs into that basket, and also, ribs are a good test. My waitress, who was awesome, set me up with a half order of each, and a side of cornbread. OK. HERE'S THE IMPORTANT PART: I can't remember the last time I was this impressed by EVERYTHING on my tray!! The brisket was juicy, not dry, lean enough but nicely marveled, and FULL of flavor. I've never had brisket like that, period, and I'm probably ruined now. The ribs were great too... Not completely falling off the bone, but very very easily persuaded to let go of said bone. The wet rub/sauce it was cooked in was perfect, sweet, tangy, smoky, with a little hot kick in the background. Complex and perfect. The cornbread was in the form of a little loaf, a little crispy on the edges, warm and moist inside, with texture and little bits of tender corn. All accompanied by leaded lemonade, Great! Star, Star, Star! My wife, not as much of a heavy meats type, got an inventive bowl with some meat on top and she totally dug it. I blinked, and my son's sandwich was GONE! Dude from the kitchen came out and asked how we liked everything. We all sang its praises. It's not in my immediate hood and I don't care... I'm...

If I could give 3.5 stars I probably would. This place was good enough that I wouldn't discourage anyone from going, but not so good that I'm likely to go again. Neither the best nor the worst BBQ I've had in Chicago.

The decor and ambiance, nothing amazing, but we were there early and in the front room. Service was fine, neither amazing nor bad, just normal table service which is nice for BBQ, so no complaints. Let's talk food:

We got the pickle plate, I recommend the pickle plate. All the pickles were good, and they give you a generous helping of each. They bring out three sauces, kind of a pineapple / sweet sauce, a smoky barbecue, and a mustard horseradish, all were good on everything.

We tried the Meat the Meats. The smoked chicken was great, which is surprising because that's hard to nail. To balance it out, the pork was surprisingly dry, the pickled onions from the pickle plate helped to make it work but that was a shame. The brisket was fine, nothing special, could have been trimmed / rendered a little better. The beef sausage was nice, a little heavy on the fennel, but a good texture and a nice surprise, you don't see that often. With the sauces, the average was good but not great. If we did go again, we'd probably go all in on the chicken.

For sides, we got the coleslaw, the smoked sweet potato, and the cheesy cauliflower. Everything needed more salt, but there was no salt on the table, which always disappoints me - if you have the confidence to not put it out, make sure you're using enough. Coleslaw was fine, maybe a tad overly sweet, I added some of the mustard to it and that balanced it out. The sweet potato came with maple butter... it was fine, it was a sweet potato. The cauliflower was cooked well, still firm, not cooked to death, but the cheese sauce was a little too thin for what it was. On average the sides were okay - nothing was bad, but nothing stood out. There was a lot of grease on both plates and there was no white bread or anything to soak it up.

For dessert we got the ice cream sandwiches, banana chocolate and key lime. Honestly, if we lived nearby I'd go there at least once a month just for this - it was really good. If we ever do go back, we'll also be trying all the other desserts.

Overall it was fine, touching on good at points. I'm not disappointed we went, it was a nice night out, but I probably won't go again unless I happen to be in the...

Thank you so much to Offset Barbecue of Chicago on N California Ave. Just 400ft from Wilber Wright Colleges of Chicago. Huge shout out to Carlo and Maria - two very exceptional people. Positive attitudes and great conversationalists. As soon as I walked through the door with my partner Carlo offered us water and gave us all the time we needed to order. Even though we were going to take something to go, they were so welcoming that we actually decided to stay. Not only was the food delicious, but the sauces were absolutely divine. We got the Offset Platter which included: Pull Pork, Seasoned Pulled Chicken, Seasoned Waffle Fries (Lightly Fried, No Grease), and Cole Slaw (Freshly Cut Cabbage w/ a light Sweet Sauce). In addition, we added 1/4 of St. Louis Style Ribs w/ A Rush of Quick Delicious Spice for $10, so worth it. All together it costs about $34 dollars which was enough for the both of us. The sauces were Smokey Sweet BBQ (Offset BBQ), Huli-Q (A Twist of Tang), and Chicago White (Horse Radish). The BBQ went best we the pulled pork, Huli-Q and Chicago White Sauce with the Waffle Fries. A combination of all three was exquisite on the St. Louis Style Ribs. The scenery is amazing. There is a cute little sit down settings outside perfect for anyone looking to have a date night. Flowers and/or Roses in large decorative wooden planters, chestnut brown finished tables, and sturdy black chairs. They are quick to take orders and always checking in with you to make sure everything is going well. A western vibe all around, deserts, a bar, and so much more to see. They also sell Jackets, T-shirts, and Polos. Whether you yourself are looking for a great place to have lunch, a place that feels like home for the whole family, or a date night together this is the perfect place for you. Enjoy all this restaurant has to offer and more all from the comfort of your own home if you choose to do take-out with them. They hope to...