So I definitely spoiled the end of this review last week by telling you that Green Street Smoked Meats just might be my new favorite restaurant in Chicago. But there’s so many wonderful things to say about this super unique West Loop joint that I can’t not tell you all about it!
Green Street is one of the coolest restaurants I’ve been to in Chicago. It’s in a giant warehouse-type building, and you order your food at the counter and then sit down at long family-style picnic benches. The décor is eclectic, and though the line to order is probably going to be long (we waited about 45 minutes), it winds around a centrally located bar with an incredible draft beer selection and some pretty delicious-looking cocktails as well. There’s also an adorable “Grab a beer” cardboard sign and tub setup for an honor system grab-your-own bottles and cans option. We opted for some draft beers from a local brewery at the bar and drank them while waiting in line – it made the wait go by really fast!
The menu at Green Street is short and sweet – just meats and sides. We had little trouble deciding what to order – mainly because everything looked so amazing, we knew we couldn’t go wrong. We ordered the sliced brisket, the pulled pork, and the pork ribs for our meats and baked beans (my personal weakness), spicy pickles, broccoli salad, and cole slaw for our sides. (I’ve also heard the tamales are amazing and the salmon looked incredible, but we could only do so much in one visit!) We then loaded up on napkins and a selection of the house-made bbq sauces – there’s 4 to choose from! – and headed outside to enjoy the gorgeous summer night in the outdoor patio area.
While all the sides were totally stand-alone great, the real star of the show was the BBQ. I’m no Southerner, but I thought all three of the meat dishes we ordered were near-perfect – so tender, literally falling off the bone, and incredibly flavorful (especially when topped with that bbq sauce). My favorite, I have to say, was the brisket – it was thick-cut and so meaty and perfect – but all three were incredible.
In terms of the sides, I was also very impressed. The baked beans were my favorite, with chunks of pork and incredible sweet-smoky flavor, and the broccoli salad took a close second – crisp broccoli, carrots, and raisins lightly coated in a creamy and incredibly well-balanced dressing is basically my idea of veggie heaven. The pickles were also solid and packed quite a punch – tangy, vinegary, and a perfect complement to all the meat. My least favorite was the cole slaw, although I appreciated that it was vinegar-based (mayo-based cole slaw is not my thing at all) – I just thought it was a little bland compared to the incredible flavors of the rest of the food. Brad loved it though, so it worked out great (more baked beans for me).
BBQ is certainly an art, and I definitely feel that Green Street has perfected the art for the Chicago foodie audience that visits the West Loop. It’s the kind of food where you can just feel the love and the soul of the people that made it – the hours and hours of smoking and roasting and care that makes it so fantastic and worth seeking out. The food definitely compared to BBQ I’ve had in Texas and I thought the whole vibe was such a fun, modern, urban spin on a classic southern BBQ joint. The only negative about Green Street, in my opinion, is that it definitely seems like a summer restaurant, with the gorgeous outdoor patio and the massive amounts of additional seating offered by it. It might be a longer wait for a table (and a less charming experience overall) when it’s -40 and snowing in February!
But that’s a problem for another day. Today, it’s summer, and you Chicago locals should head over to Green Street for fantastic barbecue ASAP! I know I’ll be back soon.
Restaurant Information:
Green Street Smoked Meats
112 N Green St, Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 754-0431
http://www.yelp.com/biz/green-street-smoked-meats-chicago
