Central Illinois Rib Report: Smokin’ Notes BBQ

(EAST PEORIA, Ill.) — If you’re driving around the Peoria area, you’ve probably seen ads for Smokin’ Notes BBQ in East Peoria.

I’ve been wanting to get here since they opened about a year ago, and I’m glad I finally did.

It’s a quaint, country vibe restaurant near a lot of the East Peoria shopping and eateries. It smells good right as you walk in.

Starter:

Loaded fries! Covered in pulled pork and a cheesy blend, this was a show stealer. The fries retained their crispness while offering a boat load of flavor. Loved it!

Side:

C’mon y’all! You know me. I had to go with the fried okra. These were some of the best fried okra I’ve had in a long while. I’m trying to get my son on the fried okra train, but he’s still unsure.

Main course:

Last but certainly not least, what this blog was named after. The BBQ ribs.

I got the Nick’s Combo, 1/2 slab of ribs with pulled pork and Texas toast.

For the ribs: You didn’t even need to pour sauce on them, they were already glazed with it and the flavor was both unique and delicious. I felt the same way about the pulled pork. They were already doused in BBQ sauce when they came to the table and both the tenderness and flavor were near perfect.

My only complaint: They only have 1 BBQ sauce here. I like BBQ restaurants that have a wide array of sauces, but not all places do, so I understand that. But if they would like to add to the BBQ sauce collection, I’d happily partner with them on creating an award-winning flavor 🙂

All in all I really enjoyed Smokin’ Notes and I will definitely be back. Our waitress was very attentive and the staff was friendly. I’d highly recommend it!