Whaddaya know--I was there tonight! Completed my tour of the menu with a 1/2 slab of the Filipino BBQ Glazed St. Louis Ribs. As stated above, these are some meaty bones with excellent flavor. If you're looking for a traditional Rib, you're in the wrong place. These are more reminiscent of the Barbecued Spare Rib Appetizers you got as a kid from a (if you've been around this long) 1960's era Chinese restaurant, but without the cloying quality.

Didn't have the same problem with "toughness" experienced by blipsman. In fact, mine were an almost perfect texture; slight tug from the bone with a good chew.

Elotes was as good as the last visit. I asked for an extra hit of garlic in the Toasted Garlic Rice and they delivered.

These guys are gaining popularity at the same rate as Smoque in the early days. Getting through for a phone order was futile. They're going to need to start thinking about making Smalls at least a Medium if they're going to keep up with demand.

Buddy

Does anyone have a recommendation for a nearby watering hole that would be okay with a customer bringing in Smalls to eat while having a few beverages? On a day like today somewhere with ann outdoor option would be terrific, but I am interested in hearing about any viable options. Thanks in advance.

Lizard Lounge is right on the corner of Irving Park and Albany, just two doors or so south from Smalls. Not only don't they mind you eating in there, Smalls will deliver your food to you while you're waiting!

Buddy

Revolution Brewing's production facility on Kedzie (just south of Roscoe) is about 1.3 miles away and they have a very comfortable tap room that opens at Noon. They don't mind if you bring food in (or even have it delivered). Starting at 3 or 4, though, it can get pretty hectic since that's when the tours start -- but at that point, it would make more sense to just hit up Lizard Lounge, as mentioned.

Had dinner at Smalls tonight. Arrived around 5:30 ish. There were a few people inside waiting for food. I was able to order immediately and got the Bi Bim Bop with Brisket. Decided to go next door to Lizard Lounge and have a drink. Food was delivered to me within just a few minutes of getting my beer. There were several other people in the lounge either eating Smalls food or waiting for it to be delivered. The BBB tasted like the typical kind I get at Korean restaurants, except for the substitution of beef with the delicious smoked brisket. In the box it looks like a small but I was pleasantly full by the time I ate the last grain of rice. The brisket was very tasty and juicy, and the homemade kim chi was very fresh tasting. Thus far, in addition to the BBB I've tried the fried chicken, brisket, and the ribs. I think the ribs are outstanding, chicken 2nd best dish, then the brisket and last, the BBB. I mentioned to the guy who took my order that I hope to try breakfast but he said that they've actually stopped serving breakfast and are looking to change it up a bit. Too bad as I really wanted to try their biscuits. Oh well, if a break means even better food eventually, I'm all for it. Happy eating!

buttercream wrote: I mentioned to the guy who took my order that I hope to try breakfast but he said that they've actually stopped serving breakfast and are looking to change it up a bit. Too bad as I really wanted to try their biscuits. Oh well, if a break means even better food eventually, I'm all for it. Happy eating!

They 86'd breakfast after the first week. I also wanted to try those biscuits; would have been nice to grab a house-made ham biscuit on the drive into work.

I've had pretty much every meat item on the menu and the accompanying, excellent, market vegetable specials. They are all great, IMO. It's certainly nice to have some of the best fried chicken around only a mile from the house as well as ribs done just the way I like them, but I'm a sucker for the brisket. Hoping they have continued success.

Lunch from Smalls today was the pulled pork platter and I was pleased as punch with the cardboard takeout box I received. Inside was toasted garlic rice, texas toast, fries, smoked pork and in a slightly smaller bag was a tiny cup of the slightly pickled cucumber and the hosin-ish ketchup and "bacon" mustard. The pork had a nice smoke on it, the fries were acceptable but the rice was outstanding. The flavor profile of the rice was near identical to garlic bread, thats all I could think of as I was shoveling it into my mouth. I thought the ketchup was a decent accompaniment to the fries but the mustard played perfectly with the pork. I finished with the pickled cucumber, lamenting how small the amount there was. It was an excellent lunch and I look forward to my next trip to the tiny blue building on Albany.

I made it to Smalls last week, and being without a dining companion, I decided to make a bit of a pig of myself. Well, I took home leftovers so it really wasn't that bad. I had the brisket bibimbap and the fried chicken.

As for the bibimbap, it was very good. I'll admit that I'm really a fan of dolsot bibimbap for the way it crisps up some of the rice, but no matter my preferences, this was a delicious dish. The brisket was tender and flavorful, but not too smoky as to dominate the dish. The egg yolk was plenty runny too and all of the components were delicious. Even the little cup of kimchi was pretty good.




As good as the brisket bibimbap was, the fried chicken was the dish that blew me away. I know there's five spice in the coating, but I wouldn't say it was in your face. What really stood out was just the delicious, well seasoned crust, which was beautifully crisp and brittle, and the incredibly moist chicken. Although I'm a fan of the chicken at Big Jones and Parson's, I much prefer a thinner, more brittle crust and Smalls really delivers here. I mean, I was just gnawing at this stuff. It's that good. For days I've tried to think of better fried chicken I've had and I still haven't come up with any. Really, this stuff is about as good as it gets.




I wasn't so much a fan of the chicken's sides though. The fries seemed dusted with five spice and I just didn't think it worked. The accompanying banana ketchup wasn't so unique either in my opinion. And the Texas Toast, though tasty and offering some nice char from the grill, was just not toasted enough. The accompanying thinly sliced pickles however were stellar.

One side note: the tip jar. Alas, tip jars at places like Smalls really baffle (and annoy) me. You order at the counter, you get your food at the counter, you dispose of the garbage yourself, and you box up your own leftovers. So, why the tip jar? Anyway, tip jar or no tip jar, the food was so good that I expect I'll be returning again . . . and again . . . and again.

I would think that maybe the tip jar is primarily for those having the food delivered next door to the bar.

I was able to get in there on Saturday with petite_gourmande and her beau and we, too, were tempted by most of the menu. I got to try the chicken (we asked for the garlic rice as a substitute which was granted and thank goodness--probably one of my favorite things there!), the bibimbap and the ribs. All were fantastic. I enjoyed the chicken but preferred the ribs which were perfectly cooked and so delicious, no sauce required!! And I devoured the bibimbap, which could easily have been gimmicky but wasn't at all--and the brisket was not lost in the various flavors and ingredients.) One word of warning--the bar next door where we enjoyed our feast isn't quite ready for prime time. They have a more than decent beer list and a (day time?) bartender who isn't knowledgeable about any of them. In fact, she can't seem to find most of them Hardly a factor that will keep me from returning.

Guess I hit Smalls on an off nite, should have known better as i heard the chef imploring his staff to "taste the food before it goes out" to his kitchen crew before he left for the night.

Brisket in the bi bim bap was minimal and over smoked(heavy creosote taste), other brisket i tried was better but dry. The spare ribs, good spice profile, but undercooked and tough as a tire tread.

I am curious re: their fried chicken(based on positive reports).

boudreaulicious wrote:I would think that maybe the tip jar is primarily for those having the food delivered next door to the bar.

Ok - I'll accept that. Now I was there before the bar would have opened, but I'll accept that they simply leave it out.

boudreaulicious wrote:I got to try the chicken (we asked for the garlic rice as a substitute which was granted and thank goodness--probably one of my favorite things there!) . . .

This is good to know . . . never thought of doing that. I also know they do a market vegetable each day so maybe that's an option too.

had fried chicken, OUTSTANDING, fries where great with the banana ketchup ,loved it

i love this place and it's in my regular take out rotation. whenever i order the chicken the staff is kind enough to sub the garlic rice for the fries when i ask. the rice certainly travels better, if you're not eating at the lizard lounge and i prefer it to the fries in any case. i'm also crazy about the ribs- i'm amazed how meaty they are and they really don't need any sauce to enhance the flavor.

BR wrote:As good as the brisket bibimbap was, the fried chicken was the dish that blew me away. I know there's five spice in the coating, but I wouldn't say it was in your face. What really stood out was just the delicious, well seasoned crust, which was beautifully crisp and brittle, and the incredibly moist chicken. . . . I mean, I was just gnawing at this stuff. It's that good. For days I've tried to think of better fried chicken I've had and I still haven't come up with any. Really, this stuff is about as good as it gets.

So I returned to Smalls and was disappointed to find that the perfectly seasoned chicken I loved so much on my first visit was totally lacking on my second visit - under-salted and lacking in spices/seasoning. I added salt . . . but that merely gave the crust salt flavor. Crispy, yes; moist, plenty; but the seasoning was just so sorely lacking compared to my first visit that I was pretty ticked off. High hopes completely dashed.

Also, after not being a fan of the fries on my last visit, I ordered the garlic rice. Well, portions were quite good, but unfortunately there was enough burnt garlic in the rice to make portions unpleasantly bitter.

So much for me thinking that I had found the very best chicken ever. Consistency earns continual visits, while inconsistency frustrates the hell out of me. If you want to rake in my dollars, prove that you give a shit about what I taste. It's really that simple.

I've had the chicken five times. The first time it was overseasoned, but not to the point that I didn't want more. One time there was virtually no seasoning and the other three times were spot on.

Mr. X and I tried Smalls for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Brisket bi bim bop and 1/4 fried chicken with garlic rice. We loved both dishes. The chicken was crispy and flavorful -- no issues with lack of or too much seasoning. I'm still thinking about the bi bim bop. We're fans of Lizards Lounge, so it was great to order at Smalls and have our food delivered to us at the bar.

We were super excited to try this place since Asian BBQ is a totally underserved niche. We ordered a half slab of ribs and a half order of dark chicken (lol at white chicken, who would order that and at a higher price too?) along with the vegetable special which was chinese broccoli.

The ribs were the highlight. First off these are not saucy and they are not tender, hewing more closely to a toothsomeness more common among Asian ribs. I prefer my ribs a little more tender, but the wife really liked them. They have a light smoky flavor that I would describe as only a slightly Asiatic spice and I would have to disagree with a previous poster that they taste anything like Chinese hoisin ribs.

The chicken was perfectly fried, but I found it underseasoned. Discussion upthread suggests this might be due to inconsistencies, but I can only go by what I ate and it tasted like pretty much any other fried chicken. Certainly had nothing on Crisp or Mott St. or Rainbow Cuisine or Nha Hang in terms of chicken wings.

Chinese broccoli was tasty, though not as spicy as the person taking our order claimed. We both enjoyed the cucumber salad but wondered why the portion was so small, it's just cucumbers after all. Garlic rice not very garlicky and a bit dry to be honest and the texas toast was pretty mediocre being not much more than lightly charred white bread. Lastly were the fries which tasted fine but were texturally limp. My wife would have preferred regular ketchup over the banana version as well.

Overall not worth the long transit for us. At least we got some Bad Wolf pastries on the way.

As a side note, I overheard the staff say that the pulled pork is now in a black bean garlic sauce. Not sure if this is temporary or a permanent change.

Finally had a meal at this shoebox last week and walked away quite impressed.

I'm always impressed by what some folks can do in such small spaces.


Smoked Brisket Platter tiger cry sauce, not slaw, toasted garlic rice, beets

For me, this was the highlight of my meal. Extremely tender, fall apart brisket with some nice smoke to it.

P Parada BBQ Style Glazed St Louis Ribs toasted garlic rice, not slaw


Perhaps a touch sweeter than I expected and would have liked, but no denying that these were smoky, juicy and delicious.

Buttermilk Brined Fried Chicken house cut fries, banana ketchup, texas toast, not slaw

From what I've read above, Small's chicken has fallen out of favor with some folks. Having never had it before, I thought it was...fine. No, not the best fried chicken I've had, but certainly not the worst.

Elotes

We had a foot out the door when I remembered seeing some photos of this on LTH. Though it was already 5 past closing (and the register already put away for the night), I was told they'd fire one up for me. What sweet, sweet people.

And that's what the tip jar is for...

Hi, happy to report i had another delicious meal at Smalls on Friday night around 6:30. I haven't been there since spring. The menu appears much the same, and I was about to go with the fried chicken when the man taking the orders informed me that they had some specials that night. I decided to go with the housemade Filipinos sausage with garlic rice. I also tried their soup of the day, cauliflower miso with a fried dumpling stuffed with brisket. The soup was slightly creamy, hints of cauliflower and miso. Highly recommend ordering it and paying a little extra for the fried dumpling which was a powerhouse of flavor. The sausage was delicious as well and the portions very generous. My friend ordered the brisket sandwich and fries. The food was delivered next door to Lizard Lounge. My friend loved her brisket. She reported it as moist and super flavorful. Regarding the comment upthread about the tip jar, I use the jar when I'm having food delivered next door. My friend opted to skip the tip jar and just tip the deliver guy directly. I'm not sure what's the preferred method. I have to mention how friendly the staff are. I was impressed by the guy who delivered the food as well. He didn't just plop down the bag of food and take off. Instead he took the time to take out each dish, point out what each condiment was for, and lay out the plasticware for us. I plan to frequent Smalls more often. Delicious food, good price point, and great staff, all in my neighborhood. I can't ask for more.

Long time reader, first post.

I have been to Smalls a few times in the past and had the fried chicken and bi bim bop and enjoyed each. My last trip I went a different route and tried the brisket sandwich. As mentioned above, great smoke flavor, the brisket remained moist and the thick cut texas toast sopped up the sauce (comes on the side, don't worry) nicely. Fries were on point with five spice seasoning. The worst thing I can say is that the banana ketchup, although tasty, isn't needed for the nicely spiced fries.

Also echoing Buttercream's post: the staff is great. I was offered a taste of a new special of coconut flavored mashed potatoes. If only they were open on Sundays or Mondays as I always seem to be in the area on those days.

I meant to post about my maiden visit here last Friday, including the incredible cookies we had. Now it appears I was, in fact, the first dessert customer! (Everything else was exceptional--brisket bi bim bop, fried chicken, the beets--can't wait to return.)

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20141119 ... tion-sight

I've been going to smalls every couple of weeks for lunch.

I've had the pulled pork which comes on a hamburger style bun. This BBQ is more smoky than most BBQ that I've had and has slightly more fat than a sandwich at Smoque or Green Street. I find this one needs no additions at all, it's just right.

I've also had the brisket sandwich which comes on two big slabs of Texas toast. It, as well, is slightly fattier, but not as smoky as the pulled pork is. I like the "not slaw" as an addition to this sandwich.

The fries are excellent. They're well salted -- and peppered. The banana ketchup is a tad sweet.

Can't help but think I'd love the option of some amazing, slightly hotter/zestier sauce with this stuff. Love this place though. It's fun to see great food come out of a little joint like this. A great Irving Park spot.

Try the fries with the Japanese spicy mayo and have some ribs for a spicer version of BBQ.

Been here a handful of times and liked it a lot. But, gotta be honest, had it a few weeks ago and had such a bad experience I doubt I'll be ordering again.

Ordered the brisket platter and I don't mind some fat, but it was about 70% fat. Couldn't even eat it. Ended up just throwing it away.

was really disgusted that they would let that leave the kitchen since it was obvious upon inspection that the serving was essentially just a bunch of large pieces of pure fat.

shakes wrote:Couldn't even eat it. Ended up just throwing it away.

Whoah whoah whoah!

shakes wrote:Been here a handful of times and liked it a lot. But, gotta be honest, had it a few weeks ago and had such a bad experience I doubt I'll be ordering again.

Ordered the brisket platter and I don't mind some fat, but it was about 70% fat. Couldn't even eat it. Ended up just throwing it away.

was really disgusted that they would let that leave the kitchen since it was obvious upon inspection that the serving was essentially just a bunch of large pieces of pure fat.

you're right, a serving like you describe shouldn't leave the kitchen. but, it's always a good idea to call the restaurant, explain the problem, and give them a chance to make it right.....

Pulled pork bibimbap yesterday was stellar, aided by a healthy dose of spicy gochujang and a perfectly fried egg. Long bean side was also delicious -- I think they might have incorporated a little Szechuan peppercorn in the spice mixture as I thought I detected just a little tingling sensation and citrus note. I was joined by a few friends who had never been and they were just glowing about the place.

We spent a most pleasant evening at Lizard's Lounge with food from smalls on Friday night. I had the Filipino BBQ pork special, Mr. X went for 1/4 white fried chicken. The flash-fried beets are now a regular menu item so we had those to start. The pork was phenomenal. It came with their great garlic rice and a side of escabache. I wish I had a clear way to describe how good this was. So many good flavors dancing on my tongue. I had the leftovers straight out of the fridge on Saturday morning and they were just as good. I didn't get to try the chicken this time, but Mr. X rates it as one of his top. I want to get back to smalls sooner than later.

The pork appears to have become a permanent special. I hope the same will be true of the "Rib Tipth" They're great with just a wee bit too much sauce. This is not the sort of thing to order sauce on the side as the sauce is applied during the finishing process where it is thickened by the heat.

Hit up smalls with a buddy on Saturday with hopes of getting a chicken fix. To my shock and the surprise of everyone working too, they were out of chicken by 3 PM. I'm not really complaining because the fall back options at smalls are just as exceptional. We settled on a brisket platter, a half slab platter, an order of the special cheese fries, and some salted brown sugar cookies.

The brisket was great as always and the fried beets made a solid side. I've been meaning to try the ribs for ages now and they delivered. Love that they left the tips on the spares for an extra fatty morsel. The cheese fries were their usual five-spice fries topped with a cheese sauce and some escabeche. The portion was huge but they were so good that we had no trouble polishing them off.

It was pretty hot in the shack itself and it was so nice outside, so we took our trays to the curb to enjoy the sunshine. Can't think of a better way to spend a summer afternoon.