Julian’s BBQ and Grill

It’s not often that I get out of the Chicago Loop. I was visiting friend who lived out in the suburbs recently & we went to grab a bite here. I’m a big BBQ fan. I’ve been to quite a few different spots in this category. This place was definitely up to par. Service, menu options, staff. I’m definitely coming back.

Blech. Disclaimer: I am not a hardcore bbq connoisseur. I simply like most, if not all food.
Having come here I realized that this place is a tiny, tiny BBQ shop right near my work — and that what comes with that is it being very mom and pop-​ish. It’s not like the food is awful, it’s just not a place I’d go to for food ever again — it was just kinda blah and yet remained at about the same price as any other BBQ you’d possibly consider going to.
There’s some place that does BBQ in the city that is cash only and they do a million times better than this. Sorry, this is kinda like Herm’s in Evanston — it’s not awful, but it’s basically just kinda bland and fried.

Had the chicken breast BBQ grilled was delicious with baked beans stayed away from. Fred foods enjoyed it all with corn bread. Will come back when I’m. In illinois again, even service was good

The service was nice but the chicken wings were dry and rough and the rib tips were the same. Cheese sticks were like rubber. Just bad food all around. First and last time I eat there.

Great barbecue place in a strip mall that seems like a mile away from the road. It is hard to see driving but if you are lucky to be n area and notice this place it is well worth the visit. The buffalo burger was excellent and they are very generous with the fries. There is plenty of seating here and this place has catering available and a great menu. The pulled pork is also excellent

I had a BBQ pork sandwich here and the pork was in big chunks. It was gross. I couldn’t even bite into it. Garbage!

Let me start by saying the service was friendly and quick. Now unfortunately I have to talk about the food. The pulled pork was very dry and came out drowned in sauce so I was never able to tell much about it. The rib tips were hard to cut and also very dry. I would be extremely shocked if they smoked there own meats. The sweet potato fries were great and fresh and the coleslaw was good, unfortunately the rest was not.

wow. don’t know why there’s anything less than 5 stars! Great food, friendly staff, and very affordable for lunch. I’m hooked to the breaded pork sandwich and sweet potato fries, and keep ordering that every time i go so haven’t explored the rest of the menu. looking forward to that!

Stopped in today for a pulled pork sandwich to go. For $ 6.95, you get a sandwich with fries. Trying to avoid fried foods, I asked if I could get coleslaw instead. Sure, no problem. I was pleasantly surprised. The pork was moist and tasty, with just the right amount of BBQ sauce — a few drips fell on my plate, but it wasn’t like it was swimming in sauce — it was just right. The coleslaw was another pleasant surprise. Crunchy and not overwhelmed with dressing. I could actually taste the cabbage. The container it came in held a full cup of coleslaw — yes, I measured! So it wasn’t the typical divot you get at most places, it was a full side.
I was also impressed with the cleanliness of the place. The man taking orders washed his hands with soap each time he handled money, even though he was just putting already-​packaged food into bags.
Tasty food, good value. I smiled at the décor while waiting for my order — the walls are painted with a southwest motif, and in the middle of it, near the ceiling, is a large mounted fish. Didn’t realize that fish like BBQ — maybe his name is Filet Vettel?

This is one of the best barbeque joints out there. Just about everything is good on the menu. Friendly staff. Espn while u eat.

I took a friend here for lunch today, hands down this is the worst meal I have ever eaten. I ordered the brisket, she ordered the pork, All i know is the brisket tasted & smelled funny, two bites & the stuff was so tough it sure as hell wasn’t beef, or the cheapest beef you can buy. I’m still wondering if it even was beef.
The pulled pork wasn’t pulled & was in chunks, fatty & tasted awful. She had two bites & threw it away, same as me.
OK lets get to the best onion rings, lets put it this way, fryer oil hasn’t been changed in god knows how long & right now I feel like I’m going to throw up all over my coworker. Only reason I don’t is because I know she’d like it too much.
Spent $ 21 on lunch that a dog wouldn’t eat.
HORRID!!! STAY FAR AWAY, BECAUSE IT’S NOT THE BEST.

True, it’s not complete authentic, smokey, prime cuts bbq. It’s more like mid-​grade bbq. It’s tasty, reasonably priced, quick, and delicious! Great for quick lunch bbq.

I go here atleast once a week for their pulled pork sandwich. It is honestly one of the best pulled pork sandwiches I have had. I recommend eating here to all my friends. Their staff is very friendly and their prices are fair for the food they give you. If you like hot sauce they a wide variety of different hot sauces you can apple to your food. I would honestly recommend going here and trying this place.

My go-​to spot for all things BBQ in Itasca/​Elk Grove. They always have solid lunch-​specials to appease whatever craving you may have.
Staff is friendly, the food is great, and it’s never a long wait.

After having Smoque’s beef brisket and BBQ chicken, and Honky Tonk’s pulled pork, this place is just average. All the meats need sauce, and lots of it. Otherwise, just sorta bland, and the sauces aren’t that great either.

I love BBQ. I Love really good BBQ, is what I should have said. I search far and wide for the real deal. Pulled Pork, Ribs, Chicken, and most especially Brisket!
Today I tried Julian’s BBQ for lunch. I got the Brisket, of course. It was just about noon and there were more employees than customers.
Ordered and stood at the counter to see what they were doing. The guy before me had ordered 2 Pulled Pork sandwiches to go. They did something I’ve never seen before: they put some pork into a big china cap strained and dunked it into hot water for 30 seconds, then plopped it into a bowl and slopped sauce allover it, and used this to make 2 sandwiches.
So, now I’m wondering what they’re going to do with my Brisket. After about 10 minutes I get my food and head out to the car to eat. My lunch consisted of the Brisket, fries, and a can of Fanta Orange.
I take my lunch out to the car and open it up. I am not disappointed at what I see, I really expected it. My brisket is sliced a little thicker than Italian Beef and has this distinctive, thin, runny sauce on it. I’ve eaten a lot of BBQ and had a lot of sauces, so it’s easy to identify Open Pit. That orange runny stuff on my brisket is Open Pit! I take a bite and it’s as bad as I expect. Oh, and aside from being sliced very thin, I can’t taste a hint of smoke! Can’t be BBQ without smoke.
I try several of the fries and they’re undercooked, cold, and unpleasant tasting. I try the Fanta Orange. Surely you can’t mess up a can of soda, right? Wrong! It’s barely cool. Seem that the temp of the cooler needs to go down some.
I was hoping for good BBQ since the place has a 4 out of 5 rating. I was totally disappointed in the food. This isn’t even close to BBQ.
Looking for good BBQ avoid Julian’s cause it ain’t good or BBEQ.

I had been fiending for some BBQ for a while now, not sure why. I mean besides the fact that I’m a fat guy and the smells of grilled meat are like pheromones, drifting across the African veldt like so much prey attracting a hungry lion. So I was picking up some sushi from Sushi Today for the wife and remembered there was this new BBQ joint next door so let’s try it, right? Right.
I was in no mood to dawdle so I ordered a pulled pork sandwich and sweet potato fries and got the fuck out of dodge to get my sushi order and go home. The staff was courteous and the food was up pretty quickly so I have no complaints about that. Got home, dug in and found the pork sandwich with accompanying BBQ sauce totally good. It was more chopped than pulled but it’s pork, I’m a fat guy and that means I liked it. The problem came when I tried the sweet potato fries.
The last sweet potato fries I had were at Mr Bartley’s Burger Cottage in Cambridge and I was so very afraid to order them again, for fear I would experience the same tasteless, greasy nonsense I had back then. I’m sorry to say I was in the wrong again. The bad sweet potato fries strike back! Am I just a fry snob? Is my radar for these things off kilter? I ended up adding my own salt and was able to eat them that way but off the bat both my wife and I both said they had no taste and were, and I quote, «yucky.»
Oh Julian’s BBQ and Grill, I am disappoint. I saw the option for bacon cheddar fries on the menu and second guessed myself and went for the sweet potato option. That will not be a mistake I make twice. Next time I’m in the area for a sushi run I will visit Julian’s again but won’t be ordering those sweet potato fries again. Still, the BBQ was good and I’m a fan.

First tried Julian’s rib tips at the Elk Grove Village Rotary fest. Those were some impressive rib tips. Different than most because of its size and texture. Julian’s tips are the fattiest tips I have ever had. Just an FYI. I think most would think they are getting their moneys worth since each tip is almost 2 – 4 inches in length and girth. It’s got a mighty thickness to it as well. I’d only eaten 3 tips with toast and a few fries and felt full. The meat is tender and moist and can be cut without much effort. (Even with plastic utensils.) Side note: It’s a grievance to me when a restaurant only offers plastic utensils; sometimes a cheaper weaker variety and you’re unable to use them to efficiently eat your meal. Not the case here.
Rib tips were served with a piece of Texas toast and two sides, extra sauce available on request. Their beans had a mixed variety and paired with the slaw, both were average. I visited their restaurant on the weekend. It was dead. I think they are busiest during the weekdays since they are located in a corporate park. Most nights they are out of there by 7 or 8 pm. Weekends they close earlier, so best to call ahead.
The interior was clean and most areas smelled fresh. Their menu is broad with a number of items. My lunch pal was hankering for a fish sandwich, they only offered salmon but after a short discussion they decided to take the dinner special (Tilapia) and create a sandwich combo out of it. That too, was a tasty meal. Two guys, two meals with two medium drinks, total was around twenty three dollars with tax. Ample leftovers for the drive home.

…brought 2 more people here for lunch, and they’ve both asked to meet up there for lunch again very soon.
You know where to send the kickbacks, Julian.

Alright this is a two in my book. I was kind of stoked about going to this place because some coworkers recommended it. Unfortunately the only thing that impressed me were the different kinds of BBQ sauce that they had and the sweet potato fries. I had the brisket but it tasted more like shaved roast beef from the deli, and you could tell it had been overcooked or cooked wrong by how dry it was. In order to compensate for that they smothered it in BBQ sauce. From the people at my table I heard the pulled pork was a little better and the chicken was slightly better but still dry.
I don’t think this was in off day for them rather more like and everyday experience.