Smokin’ Will’s Barbecue

Never had the chance to eat there but did drive by and see the closed sign. Yes, I never ate there but I’m giving it 5 stars because some idiot gave it 1 star for having a sign that supported people’s rights to defend themselves so I’m giving it 5 to applaud them for doing so.

Sadly, Smokin’ Wills has closed for business, according to their FB page. Hopefully they will reopen, cuz they were 5 star all the way!

The only downside to Smokin’ Wills is it’s location.
My friend found them online and was really hankering for some delicious BBQ. The restaurant is located in a strip mall right out of a horror movie. They are only one of maybe thee business currently occupying the area, leaving the rest open an looking a bit rundown. They did a great job giving themselves a theme though; you’ll notice is a bit of a dive dinner feel, but with a ‘cowboy twist’.
The food is uniquely named and the staff is cute and pleasant to deal with. When we were there, we had the opportunity to meet «Will» which was pleasant experience as he is an older gent; who wanted to talk about ‘vinyl records’… (whatever those things are)
The food was delicious! A bit pricey, but delicious! The meat just melts in your mouth, and the flavor dances across your tongue. You’ll be able to tell that they spend a good bit of time preparing the food.

We were disappointed. Had pulled pork and ribs. Not awful, but it needed to be much heavier on the bbq sauce. I wasn’t impressed with the sauces.
The staff is very friendly, super nice guy.
The prices are good, we had ½ ribs, sandwich and a side for $ 20
The sweet potato fries are coated in cinnamon/​sugar.
We might try it again, but it definitely won’t become a regular place for us

Just had the Burnt Ends… AMAZING!

I’ve been coming to this food location since the early 90’s.
Smokin’ Will’s is the latest business in this slot.
A bit of a bummer. The brisket, the burgers, the fries, the sauces, all so so.
I hate to be negative because I love supporting local businesses but the quality could be better. Fresh ingredients will make any restaurant successful and create life long customers.
The 8PM evening cutoff is a bit annoying too.

Let me start out by saying, I go to Austin Texas every few months on business. I’ve been to the Salt Lick, Smitty’s market, and Franklin’s barbecue to name a few. To me slow smoked barbecue brisket is the best barbecue you can possibly eat when done well. I was excited to come to this place after seeing some of the reviews and looking at the menu, and also because the owner markets this place as real Texas barbecue.
I asked the server if I can choose moist or lean brisket, from the point or flat and first I get an attitude like I was out of line for asking. Then I was shocked to learn that the brisket is precut, which is why he can’t ensure I’ll get a piece from the point. Are you kidding me? Brisket starts to dry out the second you slice it, which is why in TEXAS brisket is always sliced fresh to order.
So then I seen him making the brisket sandwich… they keep the brisket in portion sized plastic bags in a warmer in the back of the kitchen. When I got the brisket and examined it, it was over cooked, no bark, no smoke ring, no flavor. It was tender but dry which is a sign of over cooking and not serving fresh.
On the positive the fries, BBQ sauce, onion rings and spicy Texas smoked sausage was good. If you want real Bbq, go to Real Urban BBQ in Vernon hills, or one of several BBQ joints in chicago. they do it right.

cute little place with a kitchy bbq theme, the owner who is from Texas always seems to be around and cares about his business
The food is always good, with good prices and portions, the sweet potato fries are the best I have ever had!
Worth the stop!

When I walked in to grab dinner last night, guess who was sitting at a table by himself?! Smokin’ Will! The man, the myth, the legend. Now I didn’t want to stare but he was wearing (or maybe it was all in my mind) overalls, a red bandana, a straw hat, looked just like how you’d think he would.
Anyways, my homie Pari P. went here recently in a surge to overtake my rule of all things Schaumburg. He shall not overthrow my kingdom! And so… I had to come and try Smokin’ Will’s for myself.
Smokin’ Will’s is hidden away in an unassuming strip mall off of Roselle. You order at the front counter and the food comes up pretty quickly. I had the BBQ Pulled Pork with Sweet Karoline sauce combo. The sandwich was friggin great! I really loved the non-​spicy but nice & sweet sauce. The pork wasn’t dry and with the sauce was great. The combo came with fries and I’m usually not a fan of the fried potatoes but I just couldn’t stop poppin’ them! It also came with a potato salad — SPICY potato salad! I took one bite and nearly died from heat overload. I’m sure it tasted delicious but sadly I didn’t get to try the yum that it was.
I am a very happy girl knowing there is a spot locally for me to get good BBQ. Smokin’ Will’s has a few other items on the menu I’d like to try so I will fo sheezey be back!
There’s a Unilocal Check In deal! I believe it was $ 2 off the meal — score!

They have bendy straws!
eh. I hope I just came on an off day, or maybe I ordered the wrong thing.
My go-​to standby to rate bbq is brisket, so I ordered the brisket sandwich. I think I had the second spiciest sauce. and a side of the baked beans.
All i tasted in both the sandwich and the beans was smoke. Maybe its the wood they use. Didn’t get any flavor out of the rub, or the sauce.
Maybe I’ll try it again, as the area is lacking in bbq, but maybe not.

I am a sucker for barbecue, and more specifically, pulled pork sandwiches. The problem is that usually after ordering, I really do feel like a sucker. Overcooked, stringy meat with sauce that’s too sweet or just plain overbearing is usually the sad norm in Chicago. Either that or to get genuine smoky barbecue, you have to pay through the nose.
But not here.
Smokin Wills is located in a once thriving strip mall that prominently featured a Blockbuster Video. Then Blockbuster went out of business and no one gave much thought to the other businesses in that spot. For years, as I passed the hollow shell of the once great video empire on my way to work, I assumed that nothing much was goin on around that lot. But apparently that changed for the better two years ago. And I am late to the party.
I should have known better in retrospect– in spite of all of the closed and empty stores, the parking lot has remained full. There is good reason for it.
First, the restaurant is small but nicely put together. The «cowboy chic» atmosphere is clean and modern with some fun southern touches that give it just the kind of look you’d hope for.
The food is what you’d hope for too. You can build your own bbq sandwich or just order off the menu– but either way you’ll be thrilled when the food arrives. It’s clearly as advertised. Real pulled, smoked meat. Real homemade barbecue sauces. Buns from a bakery just up The road. It’s hot, fresh, and something special.
I tried the pulled pork and I loved it. But I also loved the side of sweet potato fries I had with it. The fries were hot, crisp, and not terribly greasy. The best part about them is they aren’t just sprinkled with salt– they get a little cinnamon and sugar on them too. You could eat them as a side or a dessert. To date, they are some of the best sweet potato fries I have ever tried.
On my way out I met Will himself, and he was really nice. He deserves you business, IMO
In sho

Been passing this place for a long time before I finally got a gang at work together to check it out for lunch.
The restaurant is pretty small, about 10 tables. You order at the counter from a menu on the wall. They get right on it and serve it to you hot, at your table. They have the standard barbeque fare — you order your meat, sauce and bread. The menu offers a value option where you get fries, a side and a drink (Pepsi products).
The food is hot, and tasty. There is a great variety of sauces. I’ll have to go back to try them all.

If you are from the South, then BBQ means smoke. For the rest of us Yankees, we’re use to throwing meat on a grill and slopping on some sauce. Here’s some BBQ 101 from a fellow Yankee. True BBQ is cooked low and slow and you can get the real deal at Smokin’ Wills BBQ.
The food is definitely smokey hence the name. Even though the owner is from Texas where they are known for beef brisket, I enjoyed the ribs the best. They were thick, meaty, moist, and falling off the bone tender (pull test passed). Did you know that most ribs in the area are boiled on the stove or braised in the oven? Another fact if you didn’t know. For sides, make sure to get the coleslaw since it goes hand in hand with BBQ.
Normally in the south, you choose getting your ribs either wet or dry meaning with or without sauce. These ribs come dry with the spice rub so that you can choose which sauce you want on them. You can choose from sweet, sweet and tangy, sweet and spicy, and a mustard base. Since the ribs were so tender, I just pulled them off the bone and dipped them in the sauce like it was a meat nugget. For heat seekers, try the mule kick sauce. It’s spiced with some ghost chile powder — it’ll creep up on you then kick you unexcitingly.
Don’t be a typical Yankee and order a cheeseburger even though it’s on the menu. Get something smoked for cryin’ out loud.

Smokin’ Wills BBQ has been at the corner of Nerge and Roselle Roads since May 2011. I finally made it in for lunch this week and I was pleasantly surprised.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, so I went with no expectations. I walked up to the chalkboard menu and struggled with my lunch choice. In talking with the girl behind the counter, I decided on a beef brisket combo with fries and onion rings. This ended up being too much food for me. I focused on the brisket and the onion rings. I couldn’t even finish the bun that the brisket was served on. The brisket was juicy and tender. The smokey flavor was definitely present in every bite.
Smokin’ Will has some mighty fine options for sauce. I tried all but their hottest one and I liked them. I even tried the mustard sauce and enjoyed it ‘straight up’ and mixed with the other sauces. Did I mention that I don’t even like mustard? ;-)
I was psyched to have Mug Root Beer as a fountain drink option. Caffeine free. Happy girl.
Their takeout menu is on a brown paper bag. Cute concept!
Overall, it was a really good experience. I wished for fresh cut fries rather than crinkle cut, but the fries are really unnecessary here. Go for the meat and the sauce.

Personally, I think the reviews are too hard on this place. I enjoyed it. They did the important things right, in my book: Service with a smile, they legitimately smoke their meats, good value and good tasting food. The execution could use some work. For example, they did not have ribs for lunch and the sauces had too much molasses in them. They still tasted good, but a little sweet for my taste.
The pulled pork is fantastic.
The brisket seemed a bit over cooked.
Lots of fries and drink refills.
Lot of sauces.
Someone made a negative comment about the bread? Are you kidding me? Their Turano white rolls are amazing. It would be sacrilegious to use whole grain bread with BBQ.

I really wanted to like this place more. They have a good vibe in there, good smells and interesting sauces but after picking it up and I ate thinking how this could be better.
Pulled pork was overcooked. To me pulled pork is hard to mess up. They must have cooked it and then kept it warm and dried it out. Ribs were good and fall off the bone. The sauce did burn on the grill which led to some complaints. The brisket was cut very thickly and missed the smoke ring. It did taste good but I expected more.
The sweet potato fries were the star of the meal.
Maybe because I do my own BBQ I’m harder on these places, but there is a difference in good bbq and average bbq.