Fat Willy's Rib Shack

I recommend ordering the ribs and the collard greens. Save room for dessert and order the New Orleans Chocolate Pecan Pie. Also order the ...

Conveniently located across the street from the City North movie theater, it's great for after a movie. The ambience is nothing to write ho...

Me and 3 other friends stopped in, because the smell was intoxicating. I ordered a 1/2 slab of the St. Louis Ribs and my friends ordered the 1/2 ribs tips. The ribs were over cooked & for $10, you only got 5 small tips & fries. The staff was very courteous. The only nice thing I can say about this expierence was that, I did like their BBQ sauce, but that's It !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Overall, I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone.

I LOVE BBQ food and I'm not going to trash Fat Willy's for the food... their food it... ok, at best. But they charge HIGH prices for food that really isn't worth all that you are paying for it. If you live in the area and just want fast decent food then ok, but I wouldn't recommend driving halfway across the city for this place. Fat Willy's is DEFINITELY overrated.

Fat Willy's. I finally found a bbq spot in Chicago that knows what their doing. I have eaten fare from the top spots in KC and Memphis (Central's, Jack Stack, Payne's, Neely's, Gates, etc), and Willy's uses the same cook steps as some of the best I've tasted. The bark on the ribs was the first tell tale sign, you know that this meat spent many hours in a smoker. Not like some of the other ribs I've had in the city where they are just "cooked" over wood smoke. The bright pink color of the meat when you pull apart the bones is pure bliss. The links were another nice suprise. They don't hang out in the smoker for hours, but they are very flavoful and have a crisp skin on the outside. The horseradish sauce that comes with them is very unique, and a perfect compliment of flavor. The 2 negatives here are the uninspired bbq sauce, and the very high prices. There are 2 types of sauce available, the standard sweet sauce and of course a spicy version. They both had a good tangy flavor, but lacke... Read more

I had lunch with friends who were treating me a couple of days ago. Because they had thought it great, I did not want to say anything negative so pretended to enjoy it. The brisket was the worst I ever had anywhere. It was like trying to swallow cardboard. I loaded it with the mediocre sauce so that I was able to get most of it down. The reviews saying the brisket is good must be written by the restaurant owners. I tasted another member of our party's ribs and they were just ok. The ones I get at Dominic's on sale are much better. This is an over-priced, highly over-rated place. I added the second star only because of an outstanding, lovely server.

My good friend and I have begun checking out different BBQ places in Chicago to find the best we can. Unfortunately, this has caused us to not only gain weight but also a good appreciation for BBQ. Today we went to Fat Willy's as it was one we haven't gone to yet. There were a few people left from the lunch rush but plenty of tables. It took a while to get seated but we weren't concerned because it was BBQ time. We sat down and eventually were able to order when the waitress came around. We ordered hot links, a BBQ rib tip basket, pulled brisket and an order of Cole slaw. The Cole slaw was good. Why start a BBQ review with the Cole slaw was good? Because nothing else was. The sauces hot in the small one, mild in the big one were thick, unbalanced and very similar. The brisket tasted like it was flavored with liquid smoke, cooked in a crock-pot and then sat in a steamer for four hours. It was chewy, stringy and all-around horrible. The hot links were OK but most places do... Read more

Had lunch here after hearing good things about it for a long time. The beef brisket sandwich is delicious and the ribs (at least when we went) were tender, meaty, and tasty. The mac-and-cheese appetizer isn't worth 9-10 bucks, but it satisfied our mac-and-cheese fix. And the baked beans -- top notch. Our server was a little spacey, but very nice. Fat Willie's is a touch expensive, but we didn't leave regretting the meal.

I thought it was going to be a fast food type of place, but was a little nicer than that. Ribs were good!

First saw Fat Willy's on WTTW's Check Please and had to check it out myself. My wife and I went for lunch on Saturday and it was great! We started with "Willy's Chili" loaded with meat, beans, cheese with salsa and sour cream on the side (we threw that in too). Fat Willy's is no longer BYOB, they serve beer and wine now. We then ordered a full slab of ribs and a half chicken so we could have a little of each; we had enough leftovers for another big lunch. Seating was immediate and service was excellent. I was impressed that the waiter took the time to say "you're welcome" whenever we said "thank you." It's a small touch, but appreciated. We especially liked the warm barbeque sauce, it didn't cool off the hot food. Two sauces were delivered to the table, mild and spicy. If you like things really spicy you'd be disappointed by the spicy sauce; it really wasn't spicy. I liked them both and used the mild sauce on my fries. We did not save room for desert, but we saw a coupl... Read more

If you're taking out of town guests out for a Chicago Rib experience this might not be my first choice. If you live in Chicago however and y...

Okay, now I love barbeque. And I heard so much about this place,. I actually was disappointed that the barbeque wasn't what I thought. I expected alot more I guess. Seating was fast, the place is small but I didn't get wow'd like I thought/ Although I must admit I would give this place

The place is actually a lot smaller than I thought, but cozy nonetheless. Our waitress for the evening was not very attentive, which is a little hard to understand considering there aren't that many tables to wait on, but she at least gave us what we asked for. I have to try the beef brisket anywhere I go that serves it, so I did, not really impressed. I've had better at Famous Daves. My second issue was the sauce. Good sauce makes for good BBQ. Theirs was like glorified ketchup. The corn had some seasoning on it that tasted like meat tenderizer and the fries were either old or overcooked. I don't like to write a place off after just one experience. It could have been an off day. I would try them again, but who knows when that will be because i live sooo far away.

THIS PLACE HAS THE MACARONI AND CHEESE BAKED BY THE WAY AND THEIR RIB TIPS ARE TO DIE FOR I WOULD FOR SURE GO BACK AGAIN AND AGIN THIS IS N...

When we finally got seated, I was ready to eat some BBQ ribs! I thought to myself, terrible hostess but possibly delicious BBQ ribs waiting for us. When the BBQ ribs came to our table, they all appeared to look dark black. I said to myself it was the BBQ glaze all over the ribs, well I was completely wrong. Just biting into those ribs were just charcoal. The BBQ ribs were burnt, dry, and little meat. It was completely disgusting. I asked my girlfriend to taste my ribs to find out her opinion. She couldnt eat much of it since there wasnt any meat on the bones except for charcoal. The quality of ribs to the price we paid for them was NOT WORTH MY MONEY! Beware and caution yourself if you go there and hopefully you can have a better experience than mine was.

I've had BBQ all over the world and the US and I think Fat Willy's is one of the Best. As a man from Chicago, I take my BBQ very Seriously. Up until now, I thought Carsons had the best Ribs in the city. I like Ribs with the sweet BBQ that strech off the rib. I know, others like it to fall off or like dry BBQ. Not me! The Flavor is a cross between, chinese and open pit, OUTstanding.

In Short It's downright homey inside this laid-back Logan Square barbecue joint. Most folks do takeout, but the tight space does offer a few booths for seating, plus a cooler for keeping drinks cold (it's B.Y.O.B.). The menu brims with Southern favorites like slow-cooked pork ribs or rib tips in light, slightly sweet sauce. Chicken, served dry or dipped (covered in barbecue sauce), is charred on the outside and moist inside.

not worth waiting an hour for a burger that was not prepared as specified- no apologies made for the lengthy wait & lack of quality control- customer service obviously not enforced-

Driving up Western Ave how can you NOT stop by Fat Willy's? The aroma of the BBQ makes your tummy grumble and nothing else will satisfy. I have been across the country and eaten in plenty of BBQ joints - Fat Willy's is by far the best in Chicago! The pulled-pork sandwich is the bomb be sure to get extra slaw because that too is spectacular!

Ribs were very dry and tasted like they had been cooked several days beforehand. Appeared as though they heated them and then put more BBQ sause on top. Not very tasty at all!

ive been to bbq joints all over and this place aint special. for instance, the baked beans are over the top. too many ingredients. and a pulled pork sandwich for 8 bucks? come on.

Great food. I love the chicken sandwich (which I can rarely eat more than half of), the ribs are awesome and they also have one of the best hamburgers in the city. Cramped on the inside, and a lack of a non-smoking section is a turn off for me, but I'll keep coming back for the food. I think this place hands down the best bar-b-q place dollar for dollar in Chicago.

This place rivals twisted spoke with out a second thought. Great fresh tastefull and the more than enough on your plate. Makes you go on your way with a happy tummy :)

I have eaten at all the editor's picks. Fat Willy's is the best bbq in the city. BYOB and put it in the cooler, sit outside or in. Staff is curtious. Check out a movie across the street! I and everyone that I've taken there loves this place.

best barbecue spot on the north side. they use mesquite wood to smoke their meats and it is da BOMB!!!! Nice outdoor seating with byob.