Evanston ribs

Heckys or Merles?

thats it in a nutshell. Going Tuesday with my brother. He's been to Merle's a bunch of times. Reviews seem so so..
I prefer St Louis, like baby back as well. Not too spicy.

Hecky's doesn't get a lot of appreciation here, but it is our local favorite. Not too spicy. But if you are planning to "go" with your brother, thinking you will eat there, Hecky's is strictly take out.

Judy H wrote:Hecky's doesn't get a lot of appreciation here, but it is our local favorite. Not too spicy. But if you are planning to "go" with your brother, thinking you will eat there, Hecky's is strictly take out.

Go to Hecky's and take it to a lakefront picnic table.

Hi,

Hecky's has a small dining room next door, which they might open on request.

I was there last a few years ago. Things might have changed. If I have my druthers, I like to eat at a table sitting at a chair.

Regards,

I'd eat at Mcdonalds before Hecky's.

go a few blocks over and eat at chicken shack. that is real food. or go someplace else like honey 1, it isn't that far away.

Heckys and Chicken Shack are better appreciated for their chicken than their ribs, and neither has a dine-in area that's comfortable. I like Hecky's much-touted sauce, but have found the ribs themselves to be dry.

Merle's, OTOH, is overpriced for what it is, and while they have all kinds of "styles," I've not found any of them pay much attention to the actual meat or how it's treated.

Sadly, Evanston just isn't a great place to go for ribs...but we've got all kinds of great burgers, and a lot of interesting Asian fusion...

IMHO neither are really great. We used to go to Merle's for beef ribs, but something really changed there and we haven't been back for years now. If you don't want to go into the city, take a ride up to North Chicago and try Big Ed's.

saluki68 wrote:IMHO neither are really great. We used to go to Merle's for beef ribs, but something really changed there and we haven't been back for years now. If you don't want to go into the city, take a ride up to North Chicago and try Big Ed's.

I agree

Well that all sounds depressing. Now were discussing Japanese or something besides ribs.

If you want ribs, you might want to at least try Merle's or Hecky's, rather than completely discounting them based on others' feedback. I've had both multiple times, but neither in a number of years. My recollection is that neither were the greatest ribs I've ever had, but they weren't bad meals by any stretch.

I've had Hecky's a few times in recent months, and the ribs have been pretty good.
Not in the class of Big Ed's, Uncle John's, etc., but I think chances are good that you'll get a decent batch.

It's gotten to the point that I'd rather drive down to Smoque BBQ on 3800 N. Pulaski than partake in either Hecky's or Merle's.

If the Edens is clear, its only a 12 minute ride for me - only five minutes more than a trip to downtown Evanston. The ribs are vastly better, so's the brisket.

I still buy bottles of Hecky's sauce, which I use to finish my own ribs. I always liked the sauce, and I used to love Hecky's rib tips for a cheap dinner. But the value proposition at Hecky's was lost several years ago. Merle's never had a value proposition.

Definitely skip Merle's. We ate there in the winter on a gift card, and the only good thing I can say about the meal is that it was free. We used to like Hecky's rib tips OK, but these days we always go down to Honey1 instead, which is only a little farther for us. Japanese restaurants will be nicer to sit and talk in than any of the rib places.

Actually I like Hecky's but what I think is a stand out there are the rib tips, and the chicken is excellent, too.

And if you're going to North Chicago, I think Hillerys is worth a stop for some good smoked BBQ
1617 14th St - North Chicago, IL, 60064 - 1703 - (847) 473-1722

However, as mentioned before , neither Hecky's nor Hillery's are really "eat-in" places...

rfleisch1 wrote:It's gotten to the point that I'd rather drive down to Smoque BBQ on 3800 N. Pulaski than partake in either Hecky's or Merle's.
If the Edens is clear, its only a 12 minute ride for me - only five minutes more than a trip to downtown Evanston. The ribs are vastly better, so's the brisket.
I still buy bottles of Hecky's sauce, which I use to finish my own ribs. I always liked the sauce, and I used to love Hecky's rib tips for a cheap dinner. But the value proposition at Hecky's was lost several years ago. Merle's never had a value proposition.

I dont believe Hecky's has an eat-in place... I too have eaten at the "room next door" that C2 mentioned, but on my last few drive-bys it seems to be shuttered, I dont know if it exists anymore at all.

I stop in at Hecky's every now and then - the fried chicken is very good there (and they are currently doing a "two-buck sausage" thing IIRC.. with 4 options, chicken-sausage, brat, andouille and something else..). Their bbq is tolerable, not much more, IMHO. (It is much superior to Chicken Shack BBQ though - Chicken Shack makes very good chicken, as good or better than Hecky's though with a slightly different style - but Chicken Shack BBQ is purely oven-baked, no smoker at all). Hecky's BBQ is ok in a pinch.. I wasnt hugely impressed by Big Ed's in North Chicago (decent, but too long a drive from Evanston IMHO). Smoque too is variable - good brisket, the ribs arent that great. Honey One and Uncle Johns are much better options (Uncle John's is about as far away from Evanston as Big Ed's is BTW, shocking as that might sound .. Honey One you can eat in, UJ's is carry-out (but at UJ's, make sure to also carryout the hot-links, the single best BBQ item in all of Chicagoland).

I havent been to Merle's in a while... however, if youre talking "value proposition", I believe Merle's does have a $15 all-you-can-eat-ribs on Monday nights (I think?) - Ive tentatively planned on stopping in for that one of these days, just to see what Merle's is like for ribs nowadays..

My suggestion - if you must stick to Evanston.. do Merle's if you must eat-in, Hecky's if you can do carry-out.If youre willing to drive.. HoneyOne if you must eat-in, Uncle John's if you do carryout. (Eating-in also includes beer.. Merle's has it, HoneyOne is BYOB).

c8w

Having grown up in Evanston - I've always enjoyed Hecky's - but I find the Rib Tips to be BBQ item of choice...

Lots of good to very good Japanese in easy striking distance of Evanston, and that's the route I would go. Renga-Tei, Kuni's, Kansaku, and Makisu (IMO, in that order)

Mhays wrote:Lots of good to very good Japanese in easy striking distance of Evanston, and that's the route I would go. Renga-Tei, Kuni's, Kansaku, and Makisu (IMO, in that order)

+1. there is so much good stuff to eat in Evanston, I honstly don't know why anybody would eat at Hecky's

Oh, Hecky's is perfectly serviceable if you have the ribs craving in Evanston and don't feel like travelling. It's been years since I've had them, as I don't get up there that often anymore, but I remember them being good, especially if you like saucy ribs. Hecky's is not really a "sauce on the side" kind of place.

Just give it a try and see if you like it. Barbecue is one of those intensely personal and erratic foods people love to argue about. My absolute favorites are LTH standards like Uncle John's and Lem's, but I do like Hecky's. Other forum favorites, I've had real inconsistent luck with, like Honey 1 and Barbara Ann's, so much so that they've dropped out of the BBQ rotation. It's all UJ's and Lem's for me.

Agree with Binko in that BBQ can be a very disputatious topic! Like chili.

My $0.02...Hecky's ribs are meat jello. Not to my liking at all. Merles ribs are slightly less so but still not that good. Both probably boil their ribs before baking them.

There are so many other better places to eat in Evanston...

I don't recall Hecky's ribs being jello-like, but, like I said, it's been years. (I believe December of 2005 was the last time I had them.) They are smoked and finished on an aquarium smoker, that's for certain. I'd be a bit surprised if they're parboiled, but I'm going on memories. Same with Merles. It's been even longer since I've had them, but they certainly weren't parboiled. Lots of tooth in those ribs.

Binko wrote:I don't recall Hecky's ribs being jello-like, but, like I said, it's been years. (I believe December of 2005 was the last time I had them.) They are smoked and finished on an aquarium smoker, that's for certain. I'd be a bit surprised if they're parboiled, but I'm going on memories.

The aquarium smoker at Hecky's hasn't been in operation for years. It's still there, but is not used any more.

Despite the existence of several good Japanese restaurants in the area, all of this talk of Hecky's has piqued my interest in a return visit.

Darren72 wrote:Despite the existence of several good Japanese restaurants in the area, all of this talk of Hecky's has piqued my interest in a return visit.

Get the fried chicken.

Like its neighbor, Evanston Chicken Shack, Hecky's cooks its fried chicken to order. They advise calling 30 minutes ahead.

stevez wrote:

Binko wrote:I don't recall Hecky's ribs being jello-like, but, like I said, it's been years. (I believe December of 2005 was the last time I had them.) They are smoked and finished on an aquarium smoker, that's for certain. I'd be a bit surprised if they're parboiled, but I'm going on memories.

The aquarium smoker at Hecky's hasn't been in operation for years. It's still there, but is not used any more.

Yipes. If that is the case, disregard what I've said about Hecky's. I wonder when this change occurred. I don't remember the rib tips from 2005 very well, but from 1993-1998 I used to get ribs from them fairly regularly, and I swear I remember the aquarium smoker in use.

That said, I also remember when Buffalo Joe's used to be good, too....

Hecky's took a big drop after they were forced to stop using the aquarium, and have dropped even further since then. Merles also started out not too bad but has steadily declined. To me, the only decent ribs in Evanston, aren't. RUB BBQ company on Lunt just west of Western is awfully close to Evanston, and while they aren't near the top of the BBQ heap they are a suitable choice when the urge hits and a long drive isn't in the cards.

Hecky's dining room is no longer in service, has been taken over by an art gallery/ethnic tchotchke store. I'm not really a a fan of either Merles nor Hecky's unfortunately, though Hecky's sauce with tapatio added is fairly nice (and vaguely reminiscent because of the tapatio, of Bryant's)

Our visit to Evanston got put off due to the weather last week, so we are on for this Tuesday. Right now its between Dixie Kitchen (his latest suggestion and my current vote) and Merles, which my brother really wants me to try. Im leaving it up to him but trying to sway him towards DK.

I live in Algonquin so there's about 1000 places anywhere up and down the North Shore and the north side I'd like to go. For this trip looks like it will be pretty close to north Evanston.

aviva5675 wrote:Our visit to Evanston got put off due to the weather last week, so we are on for this Tuesday. Right now its between Dixie Kitchen (his latest suggestion and my current vote) and Merles, which my brother really wants me to try. Im leaving it up to him but trying to sway him towards DK.

I live in Algonquin so there's about 1000 places anywhere up and down the North Shore and the north side I'd like to go. For this trip looks like it will be pretty close to north Evanston.

seriously, there are so many better places to eat on the north shore.