This BBQ Hotspot In Illinois Has Been Serving Up Some Of The Best Southern Eats Since 1954
By Melissa Mahoney|Published January 25, 2022
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Melissa Mahoney
Author
I'm an east coast girl living in a west coast world. I've worked in the entertainment industry for much of my adult life and I love photography, writing, and traveling around the U.S. as well as to far-flung locations around the world! Travel is my life and writing about it is a dream.
What makes for great barbecue? Is it the rub that’s used, the sauce, the way it’s smoked, the way the meat falls off the bone and practically melts in your mouth? Perhaps it’s all of the above. If there’s one place that does barbecue right, it’s Lem’s Bar-B-Q House, an eatery that’s been around for over 65 years and offers some of the best bbq in Illinois.
It all began in 1954 when brothers Bruce and Myles Lemon took their dream of opening a business and combined it with a love of barbecue. They opened their first Lem's Bar-B-Q House location in Chicago that year, and it's been a landmark eatery ever since.
Myles, a chef, developed a secret blend of spices and a barbecue sauce that customers fell in love with. From the time it opened through today, it's been one bbq joint that customers come back to time and time again.
And due to the popularity of Lem's flagship location, the brothers decided to open up a second location in the Chatham neighborhood in 1968.
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On any given day, you'll see a line of bbq lovers waiting to place an order stretching around the building. It's quite the hot spot in Chicago's south side.
Once customers make their way to the front of the line of this no-frills eatery, they order at the window. There's no seating here either, but no one seems to mind.
Among the many mouthwatering items on the menu are ribs, hot links, fried chicken, and fried shrimp. Sides are also a big deal here, so be sure to order some coleslaw, French fries, or potato salad to go with your meal.
If you want to barbecue your own meat at home, you may want to purchase some Lem's All-Purpose Seasoning as well as Lem's Bar-B-Que sauce which comes by the gallon or half-gallon.
Have you ever been to Lem’s Bar-B-Q House for some of the best bbq in Illinois? Let us know in the comments if you have and what you ordered! For more information on location, hours, and menu, visit Lem’s Bar-B-Q House’s website and follow the Facebook page for updates.
