7 BBQ restaurants to visit in Illinois!

(ILLINOIS, USA) — When thinking about barbecue, your mind might go right to Texas, St. Louis, Kansas City, or Memphis.

While all of these places have AMAZING BBQ to enjoy, let’s go through six BBQ restaurants in Illinois I visited this year that you should try, too!

Most are located in Central Illinois, but one is near St. Louis, MO on the Illinois side! As I did in my 2023 year-end Illinois winery article, I’ll start in chronological order!

1: Brickhouse BBQ, Burgers and Brew – Washington, Illinois

After my first visit to Brickhouse BBQ for a Valentine’s day with my then-girlfriend, now-wife Rachel, this has become a place we enjoy visiting in Washington. The BBQ ribs with green beans and fries was my go-to here, but for starters, the burnt ends and cheese curds are where it’s it. The staff has always been extremely friendly here and the food comes out decently quick. The ribs are well-seasoned and the sauces are a good addition to the flavor for both the ribs and burnt ends.

2: Dac’s Smokehouse – Morton, Illinois

Illinois Foodies recently named Dac’s Smokehouse the #1 Barbecue restaurant in Illinois. Recently, Dac’s focused their efforts on their Morton location and closed down the Campustown spot near Bradley University in Morton. The ribs are very meaty and packed with flavor. I gave the breaded cauliflower wings a 5/5, great flavor and just the right amount of kick! I’m also a sucker for cheesy corn, which was a great addition to the meal at Dac’s.

3: BC BBQ – Pekin, Illinois

One of my all-time favorite BBQ restaurants is a place called Rudy’s. It’s mainly in Texas but can be found in Colorado Springs, too. BC BBQ in Pekin reminded me a bit of this, especially with the gas station meets saloon vibe. First I tried the “hog wing.” This was something I never had had before and I’m glad I tried it. It’s a meaty piece of pork that falls right off the bone. There are 4 BBQ sauces to choose from, and I was happy to see Lovingood’s BBQ was a part of this! They’re a local barbecue sauce/seasoning company that has great flavors. Try the mac n cheese + green beans alongside some well-cooked ribs, packed with sauce and spices that you’ll love.

4: Whitey’s BBQ – West Peoria, Illinois

For weeks, I received comments and messages on Facebook that I had to try Whitey’s BBQ as part of my rib report. So I did! When I visited, Whitey’s was a part of Crusen’s on Route 29 in Creve Coeur, now the BBQ is offered inside Crusen’s on Farmington Road in West Peoria. I have told many people this before, Whitey’s had some of the best ribs I have ever had. Perfectly glazed in sauce, with the right amount of smokiness and tenderness, you don’t even need to dip these in sauce. Alongside the ribs, the honey sriracha wings and tots (which my wife said were “crisp to perfection) are great options. Whitey’s served us up the 3 meat combo full of burnt ends, pulled pork and brisket. I put that the burnt ends were the best I’ve ever had.

5: Smokin’ Notes BBQ – East Peoria, Illinois

Opened last December in East Peoria, Smokin’ Notes BBQ has entered the central Illinois BBQ scene in strong fashion! With a quaint, country vibe, the atmosphere is really nice and the food is even better. We started out with a shareable of loaded fries, covered in pulled pork and a cheese blend that was delicious. As seen above, I ordered the Nick’s Combo which was a 1/2 rack of BBQ ribs which was greatly glazed with BBQ sauce so you didn’t even need to cover them in sauce along with pulled pork. For a side, I got the fried okra, my favorite BBQ side on planet earth. We really enjoyed our stay and we will be back!

6: Blue Duck BBQ Tavern!

There’a a reason Blue Duck Barbecue Tavern was voted “Best ribs in Peoria area.”

Meaty, tender, fall off the bone delicious, and full of flavor.

With crispy fries, pickle chips, and cornbread to go with your ribs, you’re set! The two sauces available are a sweet red and a Carolina-style, for those mustard lovers out there. Luckily for me, I loved both sauces! It was a perfect match to have two completely different flavors to dip the ribs into.

7: Edley’s Bar-B-Que – Glen Carbon, Illinois

Last but not least, let’s head to Glen Carbon for Edley’s Bar-B-Que! The Tennessee-based restaurant mainly is home to spots across Nashville, with an additional restaurant in Franklin and Chattanooga, TN. The BBQ chain hits Illinois in both Glen Carbon near the campus of SIUE, and O’Fallon. The ribs were very meaty with great flavor, glazed in BBQ sauce where they were fine all by themselves. The star of the show were the smoked wings, though. I got the White BBQ wings which for a spicy level, is in between the BBQ sauce and the hotter sauce Edley’s has. My wife got the brisket tacos. I’d like to get back to Tennessee and visit Edley’s at one of their locations there! Maybe in 2024 or 2025.

Comment, email or message me what Illinois barbecue restaurants I should visit in 2024. I have been in talks with multiple locations already, and I think we’ll have a great line up for next year!