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Despite lack of seating, no-frills eatery is staple for fans of barbecue & ribs served late-night.
Address and Contact Information
Address: 311 E 75th St, Chicago, IL 60619
Phone: (773) 994-2428
Website: http://lemsque.com/
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Reviews
Hey it’s me
First time being here… The line was a little long it was like a 30min wait. It wasn’t so bad because the have over head heaters on the building. This only helps if your farther up in line. First red flag I saw the cook pulling the ribs out the box and putting them right on the grill. Hopefully they washed the meat to remove reside that is often on the meat and placed them back in the box. Probably not but I dont know.
The lady at the cash register has a horrible attitude. She seems like a nasty miserable person. She is out right rude. If the food was good I wouldnt come back just off of her terrible attitude. There are too many places you can patronize. Without having to deal with ignorance.
Now back to the food. They give you a big portion. However the good is subpar at best. We had rib tips, and chicken. This food is an absolute waste. The sauce is vinegary. I’m not a fan at all. The ribs are NOT seasoned well at all. The ribs can not stand alone without sauce like other bbq places. This place is over hyped. This is NOT good bbq. You can make better at home and just use grocery store sauce.
Go ahead and make the trip to I57 bbq or Kirks Bbq (ask for no sauce, their ribs definetly stand alone) in South Holland.
Sorry to say Lem’s is a waste of money. I will Never go back even if it was free.
… moreThe lady at the cash register has a horrible attitude. She seems like a nasty miserable person. She is out right rude. If the food was good I wouldnt come back just off of her terrible attitude. There are too many places you can patronize. Without having to deal with ignorance.
Now back to the food. They give you a big portion. However the good is subpar at best. We had rib tips, and chicken. This food is an absolute waste. The sauce is vinegary. I’m not a fan at all. The ribs are NOT seasoned well at all. The ribs can not stand alone without sauce like other bbq places. This place is over hyped. This is NOT good bbq. You can make better at home and just use grocery store sauce.
Go ahead and make the trip to I57 bbq or Kirks Bbq (ask for no sauce, their ribs definetly stand alone) in South Holland.
Sorry to say Lem’s is a waste of money. I will Never go back even if it was free.
Michael Waite
Legendary Southside Chicago eatery serving out of this world BBQ for 70+years. You do have to be patient though as you can wait up to 45 minutes in line to get your order in but it is so worth the wait. The family and team go hard at it start to close and have to take small breaks but they’ll always give you a heads up. Friendly convos in the line filled with laughter, interesting happenings going on in the neighborhood while you wait for your delicious meal. You can’t go wrong with anything in the menu. If you want a little bit of both, then order the JBL Special. Great value. The sausage is like meat candy! You can also buy a bottle of their BBQ seasoning. The family is also very big on giving back to the community so if you’re able to spare a little dosh, it’ll go to a great cause.
… moreDamian Zieminski
I got the 6 wings and small rib rips mild.. enough delicious food to feed 3-4 people! Fries were swimming in their famous sauce. I even got some sauce on the side to take home for a rainy day. Very delicious food. Would recommend if you’re in the area but be mindful that the lines can be long around dinner time so best to visit for lunch.
… moreRia Gates
Last go around didnt like the customer service. The owner the lady is rude and mean asl the way she was yelling and telling the men in the back go get your people and telling them they had to get out is pretty rude . We already had to wait an additional 15 mins in the cold because they ran out meat.
It was cold wind blowing the place already small and we body to body then she mean.
The man on the grill swinging the meat & half was burnt and half was done some was pink
I will never come back especially if this how you treat customers sending in the cold wanting food! The men are respectful and try to keep the peace .
… moreIt was cold wind blowing the place already small and we body to body then she mean.
The man on the grill swinging the meat & half was burnt and half was done some was pink
I will never come back especially if this how you treat customers sending in the cold wanting food! The men are respectful and try to keep the peace .
Kimberley Harris
I know that Michelle Obama approved this place however I disagree. I had been hearing great things about this BBQ place however I was extremely disappointed. While the gentlemen in the location were friendly enough, I would not recommend this place. Not only did I drive an hour to get the food I waited over an hour in line to get what amounted to me wasting my time and money. My rib tips were cut extremely large and there was little to no BBQ sauce on the ribs. There was little to no BBQ sauce on the rib tips as they had all been put on the French fries at the bottom of my order. The coleslaw was watery and just overall not very tasty. The best part of my entire order were the three slices of bread that were included in the order. Overall disappointing trip!!
… moreLiv Kim
Lem’s BBQ has been serving their delicious barbecue for over 70 years, and the tradition shows in every plate. The ribs are smoky and tender, and their sauce is the real star—rich, flavorful, and unforgettable. This spot isn’t just about food, it’s about generations of history and community. A true Chicago classic worth every visit even though the line is crazy sometimes
… morekross cut
Easily the best BBQ I’ve had in Chicago. The meat has just the right amount of smoke flavor balanced with a perfect char that makes every bite memorable. This isn’t the kind of place for quick service — and that’s the point. Great BBQ takes time, and the results here are absolutely worth the wait. The line was long when I arrived, but given the reputation and all the great things I’d heard, it was no surprise. Once you finally get your plate, you’ll see why people keep coming back — flavorful, tender, and cooked with real skill.
… moreDenny Ochaita
Delicious food takes time. There’s a reason why people wait in line. I had the rib tips a it was worth the wait. Delicious .
… moreRachel Erotika
A Chicago taste of James Beard Award-winning food. Be prepared to wait in line for a while, as only five people are allowed in at a time. The fried chicken was crispy and perfectly cooked, the ribs were very tender with just the right amount of smokiness and packed with flavor, and the food came in big portions. I must say I wasn’t a fan of the sauce, which was very watered down and probably needs a good shake before serving. It is a busy place with a hectic atmosphere, and take-out is the only option since this establishment doesn’t have any benches or tables for dining in
… morewhatwhat720
Where do I begin. I believe I’ve written a review about this restaurant before but now they’re updates. My family and I had eaten here for close to 15 years. The quality in their ribs has been inconsistent throughout but in the past, the good outweighed the bad which is why we patronized them for so long. Within the last five years, we stopped purchasing their ribs because they were inedible. 95% of the time, their sauce is darn near as liquid as water. You seen them putting sauce on your food but when you get home and open your bag, it’s as if there’s no sauce at all. We banned them for about a year recently, for receiving subpar ribs. My husband was there today (09.01.25). He and others were in line 15 minutes before they opened at noon. He bought three orders of small end rib dinners with sauce on them and fries. He came directly home, I opened it and knew immediately that I could not eat that. I’ve included a picture. When you see “striations” on your ribs, you already know that that meat will be tough like beef jerky and difficult to swallow…and it was. There was a scant amount of sauce on the meat and just like in the past, the sauce saturated the fries at the bottom. The striations are akin to those anatomy pictures of the human body, where the muscles are depicted. You have to remove that hard beef jerk portion so you can try to find meat that you CAN eat. How are you serving hardened meat to customers when your store just opened for the day?! Anyway, the store is tiny, narrow but clean. Only 5 people are allowed in at a time. Staff is relatively friendly. There are two older women who work behind the counter and they’re always frowning or berating the other gentlemen who work there. The only positive is the R&B music that’s played on their loud speakers. There’s one long, rectangular heat lamp near the entry door during the cold months. There are also times when they run out of cooked meat. The long line just stops moving suddenly and before you know it, you’ve been waiting in line over an hour for food, trying to figure out what’s going on. Every blue moon, someone from the store will come out and yell to the crowd what the issue is. Otherwise, you’ll hear that they’ve run out of meat, chicken, etc, from other patrons in line. Their jumbo shrimp, chicken wings and fries are the ONLY food items that they’ve been able to provide consistent edible products to their customers. Some type of honor was bestowed to them for their ribs but based on my experience, I don’t see how. The parking lot is small and is seemingly shared with the lounge next door to them or the liquor store across the street. Prices are reasonable. We’ve bought Lem’s for guests who’ve come to visit. 50% of the time the ribs are good…50% of the time, they’re NOT. I’ve grown weary of rolling the dice for edible ribs with this place and won’t patronize them again…ever.
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