GRIL CRAFT BBQ — Restaurant in Willoughby

Modeled after the Chipolte/ Bibibop model of line food, build your own, pile it on. Not comfortable seating, music was obnoxiously loud. I will say this; not ideal to pile all of this all together for barbecue. Works for Mexican bowls and Asian bowls but not barbeque. Their sauces are very good, slaws are very good, but beyond that it was tough to articulate or separate flavors, which was a drag because I think the Texas beans and mac-n-cheese were good. Now to the meats; anytime you wanna cover up smoked meats in sauces, red flags right away. I've had plenty of barbecue in Texas, Memphis, NC, and in NE Ohio. The "new technology" the owner told me about is essentially a pellet smoker. (I know, I smoke my own meats and make barbecue almost year round) the brisket was good but barely had a smoky flavor to it. Sausage was good quality, light on smoke, "grilled" chicken, not really but still good flavor. Not sure what the "craft" part is yet. 3 of us went and sat down. Almost $60. For that price, I know I can get excellent barbecue. Either he's cooking this way too short and not letting the pellet smoke penetrate enough or his temps are off or both. Either way, they have tweaking to do. I strongly suggest they get containers/biwls/plates that can compartmentalize their sides, so you can pick and choose as you est without having all this stuff combined into a mess of disperate flavors. Would also help if you could buy meat by itself and sides by themselves. I mean, even City Barbecue does that, and they're an average chain. Unfortunately, it was underwhelming. Sadly disappointing, especially after they've worked so hard to finally open. Will stop back in a few month to see how things are tasting. Maybe they'll work the kinks out a...

What a wonderful little spot in Willoughby! The service was top notch, and you can tell the food is made with passion! The owner clearly loves his work, and his food definitely reflects that. I got the mac n cheese which balanced my meal so well without over powering the rest of it. The brisket was smoked to perfection and the chicken was so juicy, and tender. As for the toppings, I got the spicy slaw that was packed with flavor, the pico which was super fresh, the potatoes which has just the right amount of seasoning, and the pickled onions which were perfection. Now for the sauces, all I can say, is WOW. He makes all of his sauces in house and was so excited to tell us all about them. They certainly did not disappoint. I tried all of them and they were all amazing. His hot sauce was STUNNING, not only did it pack the right amount of heat, but the flavor was just so unique and almost sweet. Overall, a 10/10 for service, for passion, and flavor! We found a gem and we can’t wait to take our favorite...

My family and I tried Gril Craft BBQ few weeks ago and we thought the food was excellent. The chicken and beef brisket we sampled in our build-a-bowl style meals was seasoned and grilled to perfection. And, as the attached photos suggest, the 'fresh to order' toppings, including sauteed veggies, tomatoes, cheeses, and sauces, almost seemed endless. The layout and ordering process puts you in mind of a BBQ style Chipotle restaurant. That said, the quantity and quality for the price point is comparable with other food establishments in the area. And, it's a bonus to have a handcrafted BBQ restaurant back in the area. The only downside of our experience was the lack of beverage options in the cooler. At the time we visited, they lacked bottled water and only had a small variety of carbonated beverages. All in all, we had a positive experience and certainly plan to...