The Best Barbecue in Chicago

The oxtail gumbo here carries a whiff of hardwood smoke, which tells you everything about how this Beverly smokehouse operates. Sanders BBQ Supply Co. sits about twelve miles south of the Loop, deep in a neighborhood few tourists reach, doing the kind of slow, wood-fired barbecue that connects to Chicago's Great Migration roots. The New York Times put it on their 2025 restaurant list, and the pitmaster earned a James Beard semifinalist nod.

1. The New York Times 2025 · The Restaurant List
2. The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Chicago Right Now
3. Eater The 38 Best Restaurants in Chicago

1. The Banchets Nominee · Best Heritage Restaurant

1. AAA Approved

1. AAA Approved

The aquarium smoker in the window tells you what kind of place this is before you get through the door. Uncle John's is a South Side Chicago BBQ shop running one of the city's rarest traditions: pork hot links and rib tips cooked in a plexiglass box, fire controlled by hose, a technique tracing back to Delta pitmasters who came north during the Great Migration. The New York Times named it among Chicago's 25 best restaurants.

1. The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Chicago Right Now