Barbara Ann's

7617 S. Cottage Grove, Chicago, IL - (773) 651-5300

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Posted By Hanna Rhoades on July 10, 2010 11:56 PM

Stopped here on a trip through to Iowa from Cleveland. And it was a brilliant stop. The food is wonderful and flavorful and, judging by the local traffic, a very popular place among locals. As a matter of fact, when we were standing in line, a regular customer assured us that this barbeque has much better than the place up the street.

We had the rib tips and the chicken, both of which were great. It's a take out place, so everything goes away with you in take out boxes. Meals come with 2 slices of white bread, cole slaw and fries, which is typical of most BBQ places. Fries are from a bag as is the white bread. The cole slaw is hand made and tasty, but comes in a teeny-tiny, 3 bite container.

Most of the meal (medium) size boxes are enough to feed 2-3 people. We did not know this, ordered 1 meal per family member and we ended up with enough left overs to have dinner off it later as well, and we still had left overs after that.

The neighborhood may also seem a little scary, but don't let that intimidate you (some run down and abandoned buildings). Lovely and friendly people all around. Everyone was chatty and happy to tell us about the place and the neighborhood.

I have to laugh because the comment from the other reviewer brings to mind what happened after we ordered...

There is no seating at the place, which is cool as it is obviously a local take-out place. But the family and I settled down in the parking lot next to the car to dine due to the fact that we were traveling and had no place to "take" it to. An African-American woman stopped and looked at us for a minute, then commented that she "did not know that white folk (her words) ate rib tips. All my white friends find them too fatty." We replied that if it tastes this good, we were happy to be ignorant of that. She agreed and we all laughed.

All and all, I was glad to be sent that way as a break on a long road trip.

Overall Rating

Rib Tips

White Chicken Meal

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Posted By Gregg Pill on February 21, 2009 11:10 PM

As advertised, Barbara Ann’s Bar-B-Que sits in front, and in the parking lot, of a Chicago south side motel by the same name. We double-parked just out front for convenience and speed. It was mid-afternoon and business was slow, but as soon as we opened the car doors, the aroma hit us!

While there are many different choices, the menu and boards are not arranged in numerical order, so the number 7 combo is between #39 and #8. That #7 is listed as Combo Hot Links/Rib Tips... and that’s exactly what we got. As there is no dining on-site, all orders begin with a Styrofoam tray. First in are a couple of handfuls of fries. Next come the rib tips, loudly cleavered right in front of us. Add a couple links of hot sausage and it is ready for the sauce, a thin and fiery mix with a dash of sweetness. Several ladles are poured on top. All this is crowned with two slices of white bread and a piece of wax paper before the top is closed.

The rib tips are flavorful but have too much fat for my liking. The sausage is thick and smoky and pairs well with the sauce. The bottom of the container contains the treasure or pot of gold. In the pools of sauce are fries, pieces of rib meat, and sausage all combined together, creating a BBQ sampler in every bite!

Drinks are from a vending machine just inside the door and on our side of the bulletproof glass wall. Your order is passed through a mini-revolving door as an added security measure. While the food was delicious and everyone was gracious, we did get a “you’re not from this neighborhood” kinda look!

Overall Rating

#7 Combo Hot Links & Rib Tips

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