Honky Tonk Barbeque, Pilsen

Honky Tonk Barbeque

To the best of my knowledge, it’s the only BBQ joint in Pilsen.



We had just about everything on the menu.

Here are two types of ribs: one baby back, t’other St. Louis ribs. Can you tell the difference?



Our fav was brisket. Meat was juicy, a little crunchy on the outside, and the fat was tasty. The fresh horseradish on the side was a good touch. I believe applewood and hickory are the woods of choice here. Cole slaw was a perfectly sharp counterpoint to the meat.



Willie is the pitmaster. He’s a good guy; he homeschools his kids, helps his wife run her Amazon book biz, and in his spare time, operates his restaurant.


If you stop by Honky Tonk, check out the Thalia theater next store; here’s the front door and related images. It’s a big place, now functioning as a series of apartments; a café is scheduled to move into the ground floor. It’s got a lot o' potential -- kind of like Honky Tonk Barbeque.





Honky Tonk Barbeque
1213 W. 18th
Chicago, Il
312.226.74427

David Hammond wrote:To the best of my knowledge, it’s the only BBQ joint in Pilsen.

I've been a couple times, once last night and once during their soft-open period. Our favorites items were the salad (now up to $8 for mixed greens, walnuts, goat cheese, blueberries, and jicama, but very good and generous) and the smoked short rib.

I was very unimpressed with the spare ribs, which weren't smoked long enough when I got them around 8pm. The brisket during the soft open was dry and under-crusted, but it looks like it's improved somewhat. Baby backs were better than the spares, but I'm not a big fan of baby back ribs.

Worth noting is that the membrane was not removed on the spares, and since they were underdone, it was very unpleasant. I'm not bothered by the membrane in general.

It's the best barbecue in Pilsen, but next time we'll make the trek north to Honey One or south to Uncle John's, maybe grabbing a salad from Honky Tonk on the way home.

If I hear positive reviews in 6 months, I'll give it another shot. Let him get used to the customer flow, the smoker, that sort of thing.

gleam wrote:The brisket during the soft open was dry and under-crusted, but it looks like it's improved somewhat.

Tonight, the brisket was not at all dry, but the spares, baby backs and even pulled pork were all somewhat drier than one might expect, though meaty, especially the spares, and dense. They do put sauce on the tables, one sweet and the other tangy, but I can't say I cared much for them -- and I don't think Willy does either. He's definitely of the school that wants the meat to do the talking, with sauce for those who must have it.

The Roto-Chix seemed pretty good, but by the time I got to it, I had already eaten a pound or so of pork, so the buds were starting to numb up.

We walked by the other day, but didn't even realize it was a restaurant. We thought it was a play - stupid us!

We love the Thalia Theatre and contacted them when we first moved to the neighborhood (2 years ago) about getting a space for FIG. The developer was very against having another "restaurant" to deal with and dismissed our inquiry straight out. It could be a beautiful space, but the "work" is going slooooooow. They don't seem to be interested in opening until the huge condo complex across the street goes up (it's a parking lot now).

figmolly wrote:We walked by the other day, but didn't even realize it was a restaurant. We thought it was a play - stupid us!

I can see how you'd conclude that, given the posters outside:



There is a actually a performance space inside that Willie hopes to use for music/drama stuff. He's got some kind of connection with a bluegrass band.

I've been waiting for this place to open and work out the kinks before trying it. I was also set to go last week, but called the phone number and got no answer.

It turns out that they are closed for lunch... From the metromix site, they are open 4:30-10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday.

Maybe next week sometime...Brisket looks good.

veeral wrote:It turns out that they are closed for lunch... From the metromix site, they are open 4:30-10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday.

I believe they're open on Sunday now, and Willie does plan to open up for lunch at some point in the futurre, but they're still, as you say, getting their sea legs. I think he's going to see how biz goes before he locks down the schedule.

Stopped by on Saturday night. The place was almost empty, but we were very pleased with our meal. Had the pulled pork and brisket- both were perfectly moist and well seasoned. Sides were great too- stand outs were the coleslaw and the garlic mushrooms. We'll definitely be back soon to try the ribs...

But can we talk about the bread? I'll be giving this place a few second chances, but the night we tried it, the brisket was on the dry side, and the bread--Turano French rolls? What's wrong with plain ol' white bread? Good barbecue needs little more than a slight bread "handle" to sop up the grease and disintegrate in the mouth...so as not to get in the way of the
aforementioned good bbq.

The pecan pie was mighty fine.

crrush wrote:But can we talk about the bread? I'll be giving this place a few second chances, but the night we tried it, the brisket was on the dry side, and the bread--Turano French rolls? What's wrong with plain ol' white bread?

I agree, the bread was not great. My guess is that many customers might prefer a sturdier French roll to a perhaps more traditional squishy white slice.

my GF and I went there last night (sat) around 9ish and we were the only people beside some takeout customers. We got 1/2 slab St Louis and a brisket sandwich - both very tasty. Cornbread (iron skillet) was the standout amongst the sides, the coleslaw was very light on the dressing and the beans & bacon were tasty but not outstanding. Very nice people, and they're starting to do live music in the adjacent room this week.

We'll definitely go back for more cornbread and to try the rib-tips (were a special) and the pulled pork.

We visited on Thursday night (with a friend from Memphis in tow!). We were the only folks at first, but by the time we left there was a table of Chicago's finest and a large party in the other room. There was a good take out business, and also the wood guy (who delivers the applewood for the smoker -- also some hickory and charcoal -- but the main wood is apple) stopped here for his dinner.

The front door needs some help -- like a big OPEN sign, so that you know its okay to enter! But once you are inside the welcome is warm.

The barn doors around the kitchen give the right down-home ambience.

Our brisket had an excellent crust. I can see how some might find it a little on the dry/lean side, but it was still VERY flavorful. (and great with the horseradish too). The pork was what won the owner 12th place in Memphis and its clear why -- big hunks of falling-apart shoulder meat with a perfect pink smoke ring. And the ribs were also stellar. We got St. Louis Ribs and they had amazing bark, some chew to the tooth, but were also moist and the bones fell out clean. Fabulous.

I was really happy with the alternative-to-fries approach in the sides selection -- mushrooms in garlic, and the salad called "what your girlfriend wants". I cannot think of another BBQ joint with a salad that can hold a candle to this one -- plump blackberries and olive oil are supposed to form a vinagrette in your mouth, plus mesclun, goat cheese, jicama and walnuts. (They were supposed to be blueberries but I think they were blackberries unless michigan blueberries look like blackberries) I completely respect that they will sub for a fruit that looks in better condition on any given day). At any rate, this was the winner among the sides for me (although the cornbread which also looked mighty fine) (I am not eating breads right now, so I didn't try that or the rolls).

Bottom line -- what a great addition to the neighborhood and the city. A fine BBQ option. And, they are BYOB. Worth a visit to see if they are your cup of BBQ.

Paging G Wiv. Paging G Wiv. Wiv-check on aisle 18, please.

Well, they sold me. Maybe it was because I had the first batch of the day at 4:45, but my moist, crisp-crusted sliced brisket topped any I've experienced from a public establishment in the city. The pulled pork was only average, and as crrush mentioned, the textureless French rolls have to go, but overall the wood flavors coming through the meats and smoked sides were a refreshingly sweet perfume.

I brought home a "What your girlfriend wants" salad; Will made a specific point of mentioning that the fresh blueberries were just in from Michigan. He also put a handful of blackberries and sliced fresh figs on with the jicama and goat cheese. This is a rather spectacular salad from a BBQ joint or just about anyplace. "It *is* what your girlfriend wants!" chirped my wife. "Although I'm your wife. Well, it's what your wife wants, too."

One of the two table sauces tasted a bit too much like Sweet Baby Ray's for my preference, but the other, which was creamier and slightly oilier, like Smoque's, had a lot of woodsmoke and was quite good. The four tables in the main room each contained a separate party of male barbecue experts arguing about the best in the city; it would have been good article material. I threw Uncle John's into the mix and might have given Mack some business, since nobody else had been down there (including one Hyde Parker, who actually enjoys Ribs 'N Bibs).

Minor gripes: bread, fact that sides are $1.50 each and don't come with the entrees, and portions are on the small side for a $8 brisket sandwich and $6.50 pork sandwich, especially compared to the ridiculous quantities of food you get at Smoque at relative pricepoints. But the overall prices compare favorably with Honey-1, and Will seemed happy to put together an off-menu "sampler platter" for two gents that walked in as I was leaving. His special for the evening was rib tips, which I didn't have a chance to enjoy. But I'll be back for at least the brisket, and am very happy to know of another good place roughly on the way back from Hyde Park to Oak Park (thanks, Hammond).

Santander wrote:One of the two table sauces tasted a bit too much like Sweet Baby Ray's for my preference, but the other, which was creamier and slightly oilier, like Smoque's, had a lot of woodsmoke and was quite good.

Santander,

Honky Tonk Barbeque is high on my must try list, maybe number two after Borincuba the new Cuban/Puetro Rican place that opened where Fontana was on Irving.

While the brisket you describe sounds quite tasty, your mention of woodsmoke flavored BBQ sauce makes me more than a little cautious. If the meat is properly smoked there is no need for woodsmoke flavored BBQ sauce.

Enjoy,
Gary

I should say smoker-dripping infused, as if they let some of the brisket fat mingle in with that particular sauce preparation, as opposed to the other, which was very standard, thick, sugary, and didn't have any house-prepared flavor. I think the pulled pork did need a little bit of sauce, but I don't think you will be touching the brisket with anything other than your teeth. Even the horseradish (while nice to have) is unnecessary. All of that said, I need to try them at several different times of day before I truly trumpet this place. But the first impression was very good.

I'd be interested in more comments on their beans vs. other places in the city - while I don't love Smoke Daddy's meats, I think they do a really nice pot of beans. Smoque's are good as well. Honky Tonk's are at the same time sweeter and more baldly vinegary than I'm used to, and feature what appears to be their pork shoulder instead of bacon or rind. Not bad at all (just wish they didn't cost twelve bits extra).

Santander wrote:I should say smoker-dripping infused, as if they let some of the brisket fat mingle in with that particular sauce preparation, as opposed to the other, which was very standard, thick, sugary, and didn't have any house-prepared flavor. I think the pulled pork did need a little bit of sauce, but I don't think you will be touching the brisket with anything other than your teeth. Even the horseradish (while nice to have) is unnecessary. All of that said, I need to try them at several different times of day before I truly trumpet this place. But the first impression was very good.

We found both sauces too sweet, and the tangy one was not very tangy -- both seem highly avoidable and, like at GWiv's legendary smoker-fests, probably put out because people expect it, not because the host wants you to use it.

Liked the horseradish.

I also agree that both sauces were a tad too sweet - we suggested that one should be spicy-spicy, and the other sweet & tangy. Also agree that the side portions were small for $1.50, I would pay $1.00 or they should up the portion. slaw, bean, etc were served in 3oz plastic portion cups...

David Hammond wrote:

crrush wrote:But can we talk about the bread? I'll be giving this place a few second chances, but the night we tried it, the brisket was on the dry side, and the bread--Turano French rolls? What's wrong with plain ol' white bread?

I agree, the bread was not great. My guess is that many customers might prefer a sturdier French roll to a perhaps more traditional squishy white slice.

Agreed. Just had my brother bring me back some pulled pork, and my first thought was the bread was a complete mismatch for the sandwich. What a bizarre choice to accompany a pulled pork sandwich. It was like that bread they use for those Wendy's Freschatta sandwiches. Luckily, there were a couple normal hamburger-type buns included with the meal, so I transfered the meat over there and the sandwich was much better. Still, as far as pulled pork goes, it was pretty average, I'd say a little too light on the smoke flavor.

The ribs (baby backs) were better, but, in my opinion, a tad over seasoned, and a tad too smoky. They didn't have that clean smoke taste to them--perhaps a slight tinge of creosote. It didn't bother me much--the meat itself was cooked properly, good pull, not overcooked. Just wish they had a lighter hand with the seasonings and smoke.

Brisket I'll temper my judgment on. It tasted perfectly serviceable to me, but I don't have a good reference point for brisket. Once again, if you get the sandwich, it was served on that heavy bread, which ruins it for me. Picked off the bread, it tasted good to me: moist, lightly smoky, flavorful. But nothing special. I think perhaps I'm just not a brisket person, because every brisket experience for me has been like this (from Smoque to Whole Foods...maybe I just need to go to Texas), so please take the opinions of the other posters over mine on this subject.

I would probably return, but I'm a tip & links kind of guy, so there's better choices for me around the S/SW side for BBQ.

Time Out's take on Honky Tonk:

http://www.timeout.com/chicago/article/ ... k-barbecue

Pretty valid criticism overall (though I didn't share the bathroom experience; I love it when this stuff makes it in to restaurant commentaries). I too have enjoyed the beans very much and think that the pulled pork is a slight notch above average, but I've had better experiences with the brisket, which has been fatty but also nicely burnt at the ends. I have yet to try the ribs but their take seems to align with some experiences in this thread.

I note that the "What Your Girlfriend Wants" salad, the menu item that makes this place really stand out from the average barbecue place, didn't make the review. I know that greens are not what make most of you head to a 'cue joint, but I thought this was a very creative, thoughtful, and correctly targeted menu inclusion, and very nicely executed.

Looks like I'll have to make one more visit to re-try the pulled pork and brisket.

gleam wrote:Looks like I'll have to make one more visit to re-try the pulled pork and brisket.

I had a diametrically different experience than Ms. Shouse -- I liked the pulled pork least and the brisket most, but it's very likely that the Southern Pride was just working differently on different days. Our brisket did have a fair amount of fat, but I liked it.

That's where I am as well - average pulled pork, very strong brisket on two visits. Binko wrote in good detail about the ribs, and I'm waiting for the other rib experts to weigh in too.

Okay, it is just around the corner from us, so last night we finally made it to Honky Tonk. We shared the St. Louis ribs, the brisket and the Girlfriend Salad. The brisket was the clear winner - moist, just fatty enough, great flavor. The ribs were pretty good too - a little too smoky for my tastes (but figjustin would probably disagree), nice rub, decent sauce. After reading all of the praise for the salad I was really looking forward to it and while I do applaud them for putting something different on a bbq menu, it just didn't live up to the hype. There was a fig on it which earned a couple bonus points, but not enough berries (blue, in this case), no jicama (promised in the menu) and bland dressing. Oh well, I guess I'll stick with meat next time and maybe try a few more of those sides (where's the mac and cheese?)

Some off menu items at Honky Tonk.

Birria:


Goat's head soup:


I tasted the birria and the spicing was delicious: guajillo, pasilla, achiote and chipotle (exactly the same four as I used in my T-giving mole).

David,
Just curious-was it really achiote, or did you mean ancho chile?

stewed coot wrote:David,
Just curious-was it really achiote, or did you mean ancho chile?

Yes, ancho, of course, thanks for the catch -- I've been running up periodically from the kitchen to check email/post and had my mind on other things (like fried pickles). Appreciate the correction,

Hammond

I continue to enjoy the brisket here after a few more visits, including one on the same day as Uncle John's. I think they're doing a nice job with the place and am glad to see some attention for them around town.

I've been hitting Honky Tonk at 5-ish on most Wednesdays, if any other LTHers are around; I'd consider going later if there was interest in a group tasting, particularly if Hammond was interested in helping us connect with the off-menu items.

Brisket tonight was particularly succulent; very nicely burnt ends, very moist, a single melty ribbon of fat in the flat, which was the mainstay of the serving. Instead of a rectangular Gonella roll, tonight's bread offering was a goofy Frescata square affair. I adhere to the Prime Directive, so I didn't pointedly tell Willie that he needs to save himself some cash and just hand out fresh discount white bread if anything.

The beans hadn't been simmered with pork for quite as long as previous visits, and were rather transparently Bush's or Van Camp's from a can, but this was compensated by a serious mound of pulled pork added to the middle of the dish, and on previous visits they had been superb, so this is not a knock. Condiments were fine tonight - large sea salt and pepper shakers have been added to the two sauces, and the horseradish was sharp and tasty (another item that makes this place unique as far as I know - are any other strictly-barbecue places serving fresh figs or horseradish on the side?)

David Hammond wrote:There is a actually a performance space inside that Willie hopes to use for music/drama stuff. He's got some kind of connection with a bluegrass band.

My friends Matt Gandurski and John Hasbrouck of the Northside Southpaws (a left-handed mandolin/guitar duo that play old-time country, obsolete ragtime and vintage gospel on National Reso-Phonic instruments) are playing there every Friday night at 7:30pm.

Fujisan wrote:

David Hammond wrote:There is a actually a performance space inside that Willie hopes to use for music/drama stuff. He's got some kind of connection with a bluegrass band.

My friends Matt Gandurski and John Hasbrouck of the Northside Southpaws (a left-handed mandolin/guitar duo that play old-time country, obsolete ragtime and vintage gospel on National Reso-Phonic instruments) are playing there every Friday night at 7:30pm.

FYI, these two gentlemen will also be performing at the LTH ChanuKwanzaChristadan Festivus: Manny’s, 12/15/07 at Manny's.