I brought a Groupon and thought it was going to be a good experience. I ordered the full slab of ribs and the were really bad. Way too much of their bad sauce and the ribs were cold. The cole slaw taste like plastic and the beans tasted like they came from a can. Don't do it, stay away.
(1)
Diane R.
This was by far the worst BBQ I have ever had. My husband was really craving ribs and we were in the area so we gave it a try. (Normally we go to Carson's in Deerfield.). Robinson's claims to slow smoke their meats for hours on wood fires, but it actually looked and tasted as if the meat had been boiled. The sauce was bad, too. I even tried masking the taste with store bought sauce we had on hand- even that didn't help. I hate wasting food but this was so bad, that we ended up throwing a barely touched bucket of ribs and sandwich in the trash.
(1)
Dean K.
i'm boring. i almost always get the same thing - ribs, dry with sauce on the side, slaw, onion rings, mac n cheese and the muffin. it's always good, but not great. i'd prefer Lem's but the drive down to 75th can be a bit much. i have had the chicken her too and it is quite good.
(3)
j w.
Arguably, the worst food I've ever tasted in the 18 years I've lived in Chicago. What sort of fool, would actually go back to this place twice???
(1)
Lunch E.
Got the groupon expected more from this place. Sauce was ok. There was a visible smoke ring on the ribs but didn't taste much of the smoky flavor. Wouldn't come back here, even with another deal.
(2)
Ng s.
The ribs were terrible. They were freezer burned and as dry as a desert. I would never go back and if anyone is planning on going there... DONT! No one should ever eat here, the food is simply terrible. The side dishes were all terrible, and again the ribs were unbelievably dry. It was like I was eating jerky.
(1)
Anna P.
The baby back ribs are really good, but I am not a huge fan of the sauce. I had the baby back ribs "wet" (with sauce) and had to use my bbq sauce (store bought) I had in the fridge to cover the ribs with it instead. The garlic mashed potatoes were perfect, as was the corn bread muffin. The food arrived super fast -- nice and hot (I ordered through Grubhub). I also had a slice of the red velvet cake, which was so delicious. I have to give this place just an ok rating and that is for its disappointing bbq sauce. Its watery or something is just not quite right. I would order from them again, but douse the ribs in my store bought sauce, again.
(3)
M M.
This place serves the most disgusting ribs I have ever eaten at a "restaurant" in my life. I came here for my birthday- my family ordered a fairly large amount of food. I don't even want to describe the setting, just straight to the food. I ordered grilled salmon and we ordered several buckets of ribs. I hate how great manners I have- when the lady asked us if everything was okay, the answer should have been "NO!" We waited close to an hour and alas, the ribs came. I kid you not, the ribs were tender but in a bad way- you can tell that the ribs were pre-cooked, frozen and microwaved. Seems like NOTHING that was served ever touched the grill. The grilled salmon itself tasted microwaved! it was soooooo dry and no evidence of charring what-so-ever. That was the most disappointing birthday dinner IN MY LIFE. I advise you to choose elsewhere.
(1)
Brock L.
Please Note: This review is based on the fact that I used a Groupon! The BBQ wasnt that bad, but considering I bought a Groupon, and also had a promo code for the Groupon, this was a great deal considering the quality. For $34 (Price of Groupon: $44 - $10 promo) + $8 goof tax, I was able to get 2 full slabs of ribs, 2 orders of the BBQ platter (more ribs and rib tips), 2 corn breads, 2 mac & cheese, 2 cole slaw. All for ~$42 I was able to stuff 3 people. Not bad! I picked up the food right on the dot of when i placed my pickup order. Food was still warm/hot when i got it home to eat. For quality, I don't think it was amazing, but considering I paid $42, and was able to stuff 3 people, I am very satisfied. If I did not have a Groupon, I would have given it a lower rating.
(3)
Lorena C.
Took our family for Valentines Day we love the ribs and the best part was the BYOB... The staff was great the place was so nice and warm... I luv to go places where I could take my jackets off and not be cold. Definitely going back!!!
(5)
Burton D.
I would not recommend that anyone go out of his way to eat here. There are too many other good BBQ places in the city to spend your money on this place. If I lived a block away, I'd probably stop in now & then - it's not actually "bad" BBQ. The place is clean, and the service friendly. The baby back ribs are quite tender, but the sauce (there's only one) is merely serviceable. I'd avoid the buffalo cheese sticks - they really don't taste of blue cheese & red sauce. I dunked mine in the BBQ sauce. Count on noise - brick walls do nothing to absorb sound. BYO beer or wine. No corkage or glass fee.
(2)
Timothy C.
The customer service was the worst. I had a Groupon and went there w/ friends for lunch. We were the only ones in the place and it took 4 mins for anyone to greet us not to mention 2 employess came to the counter and said nothing to us. When they finally came to take our order the guy said he doesn't know how to redeem Groupon's and we have to wait for another guy to get there and he was really busy and told me good luck! We walked out!!! This guy was really rude and after reading other reviews I don't think we missed out on anything special. I also called Groupon and told them they should not support this business because of there lack of customer service.
(1)
Kaitlin M.
I love Robinson's pulled pork sandwich!!! They give you a great portion of meat for the price and serve on a crusted sandwich roll that is not too tough to each but still holds the sandwich together so you can eat it with your hands! (I hate floppy rolls that make you eat a sandwich with a fork and knife.) They also have crazy fast deliver or a quite little restaurant that is BYOB. I have had a bunch of BBQ in the city and this is the place I go to most consistently! Ps... ask for a side of their spicy BBQ sauce... so good!
(5)
Mikie B.
We walked up to Robinsons after getting to Twin Anchors too late in the night and the estimated wait time too long. Robinsons offers dry-rubbed ribs by request. Based off of what we were served, there is a good reason they are by request - the meat was dry and there were no spices to be found. Definitely not the same kind of dry-rubbed you would find in a place like Texas... or even down the street at the BBQ counter in Whole Foods.
(2)
Karl P.
I had a groupon to try here. My boyfriend and I went on a Tuesday night at 6:30pm. We walked in and the lady at the counter barely said even HI to us. I took out my groupon and asked her what do we get with this. So she pretty much shoves a Groupon Menu in my face.my bf and I order two sandwichs he had da pulled pork and I had da bbq beef. We had bbq wings as our side. As far as the food goes the wings were nice and hot and I would say they were good. We both loved our sandwich's. However as we were waiting the lady was texting on her phone. Very unprofessional btw.... It was dead we were da only two customers in the dining room. So the cook brings our food out while the lady behind the counter keeps texting. SMH...... Overall da food was decent but very unprofessional and unfriendly staff that lady at the counter need to goto Customer Service school. As we left my boyfriend said thanks and have a good night. The cook was siting in the dining room with the lady from behind the counter as she was still texting (go figure). The cook said thanks and have a good night . The lady said nothing to us at all didn't even look up and smile it was as if her texting was more important then customers. As far as if we might go back maybe. But the owner needs to re train her and show her how to do her job better.....
(2)
Matthew D.
I got the beef link sandwich here the other day. I wasn't really that hungry and it was the cheapest thing on the menu, so I figured it would be a fairly small meal. Boy, was I wrong. You get a side and coleslaw with the sandwich. All for $6.50 + tax. I got the onion rings just because I like dipping them in bbq sauce. Good call. The sandwich was what I expected- a tasty, spicy link smothered in sauce on a roll. Can't go wrong there. And the coleslaw was just right. Creamy and cool. I put it on my sandwich for that southern style thing. Overall, a pretty good value and the food was good.
(3)
Nick M.
2 and a half stars. After living in Richmond for 4 years I learned a good amount about BBQ. Specifically that the greatness in good BBQ comes from the actual meat and not the sauce that covers or masks it. The two elements must work together in a way that I can't quite describe, but you know it when you experience it. The ribs here were swimming in BBQ sauce. The sauce was nothing to write home about. They did not have much meat on them and were served in picnic-style plates. My buddy's pulled pork sandwich did not look like traditional "bbq". It was heavy on the sauce and looked more like slices of pork than pulled pork. He said it was not very good. The cole-slaw was not slaw, but chopped very fine. The mac and cheese, baked beans and the cornbread were by far the best part of the meal. And the fact that we could BYOB and were sipping on some nice beers....that was nice. I probably won't hurry to go back to Robinsons and when I do (my friends live next to it so it will happen inevitably) I'll ask for sauce on the side.
(2)
Tera D.
Robinson's is basic barbecue. Nothing special, but satisfies your craving. Personally, I think it's overpriced for what you get, but I live near here and if I need need need bbq (which happens from time to time), I'm willing to suck it up and pay. For example, the other day we spent $30 on a half slab, 2 hot links, fries and beans for takeout. We had zero leftovers, which is pretty unusual for us, and I was by no means bursting at the seams. But it was ready in 15 minutes flat, and definitely hit the spot.
(3)
Kelli B.
Robinson's is a hidden gem. You'd seriously walk right by the place if you didn't know it was there. Their restaurant is surprisingly small, mainly because most of their business is catering and carry out. They have a patio, which I have yet to see, but the waiter told me it has about 10 tables. One of the huge benefits to eating at Robinson's is..it's BYOB!! Noting like cold Belgian beer and Barbecue! My running club has catered Robinson's four times now and we have yet to be disappointed. They always show up right on time, almost to the minute! Their prices are very reasonable and the food is delicious. Everyone always raves about how great the food is, that's why we keep going back! The pulled pork, turkey and brisket is fantastic, the sauce is delicious and it's never dry. The baked mac and cheese is to die for and the corn bread is so good it's almost like cake! We ordered veggie burgers for a few of the vegetarians at our last event and even those were good! When we ate in we had the ribs which are great, and they come pre-cut which is unusual but kind of cool! That's probably how they come when you get them catered so maybe that's why they serve them cut when you eat in. We also had the onion rings which were wonderful as was the coleslaw. If you like barbecue and you love BYOB places, this is probably one of the best places in the city. Robinson's is very casual / no frills; think - the cashier with the baseball hat is also the waiter. But don't let the the size and casualness of the place fool you. This is some top notch barbecue baby!!
(5)
Randy N.
Rib sandwiches are worse than a McRib, ketchup tasted fermented, place reeks of mold. Pulled pork sandwich is ok, curly fries were good. Will not be going back.
(1)
Jordan R.
This review is for delivery. I'm always hesitant to order in ribs cause I feel like sometimes they don't travel well, but on Saturday after plans to go out for some BBQ got cancelled abruptly I had to have some. I figured instead of ordering from a local place that does a lot of things (I live on Addison), I'd take a chance and order from a dedicated rib spot, even though it was kind of far away. Got a rack of ribs dinner and the chicken tenders dinner. They said they'd be there in an hour and they made it in just under that. All the food was well packaged in tin foil and was still very hot. The ribs were delicious and tasted like they had just come out of the smoker. Bottom line, whenever I'm craving any type of bbq delivered on short notice, this is now my go-to.
(5)
Duke K.
Fairly disappointed with Robinson's. I was anxious to try a couple of things, so I spread out my order and got the Jumbo Style Hot Dog, their Fried Chicken Salad and lastly a Pecan Pie to top everything off. My Hot Dog bun was soggy. The hot dog itself was shriveled and very OVER cooked and the curly fries that it had been delivered with were freezing cold. The salad was served with Mexican Taco Lettuce. The yolk in the boiled eggs were brown in color; and the chicken smelt AWFUL! Almost like cleaning solution. I brought a piece and had given it to my dog. Instantly he threw up (no lie). Lastly the Pecan Pie was wrapped in a Sara Lee container; and purchased from Jewel Grocery Store. It was beyond disgusting! Truthfully I had hoped for at least a "good meal". It didn't have to blow me away; but instead what I got was something repulsive. I took 1 bite of each thing and it ended up in the trash. It was a waste of food, and it was a waste of my money. I'd never; ever, recommend Robinson's to anyone. Not even a homeless person. I'm sorry. By far the worst meal I've ever had; and the worst food I've ever tasted in Chicago.
(1)
John E.
Where to start. I love BBQ I make my own every weekend. The pulled pork was more mush then anything. The chicken wings are very over cooked and scrawny. The BBQ sauce is just there it is like Ketchup with vinegar added in. The hamburger tasted like a pre-made frozen overcooked patty. The ribs, boiled to death then dipped in nasty BBQ sauce and thrown on a hot grill to try to heat up the BBQ sauce. No signs of char or caramelization and not even a hint of smoke flavor you expect from good ribs. i have been to a lot of BBQ joints in the city and around it. This is the worst place for BBQ I have ever been to.
(1)
Morris F.
If it had been hot on arrival, the food would have rated two stars. However, after nearly a two-hour wait, the food would have had to be spectacular, and it wasn't. It was also cold, which had to take some work considering the restaurant is a quarter of a mile from my home. A big serving of beef ribs (I have some left for lunch) with lots of sauce (pretty much like you'd get out of a bottle from the grocery store). The side of onion rings would have tasted great hot. Cold, not so much. I should have known better when I saw they predicted a wait of 45-75 minutes (it turned out to be 115 minutes). Now I do.
(1)
Natalie S.
I think I have a personal beef with this place because of what I started seeing as "profiling". When I was in high school across the street eons ago at good ol' LPHS, we used to eat lunch there a lot. Then they started this whole "NO STUDENTS" ban on the restaurant. Really? I was a good, paying customer twice a week and you're just going to ban me because I go to school across the street? I'm sure they had some issues with some students but to just ban us from entering your establishment sounds unlawful to me. Fast forward 16 years... and I'm still pissed about it and now I get to vent via Yelp. Their ribs kinda suck. They are overrated and expensive for what you get. The rib tips are a better deal but even those are just mediocre. Not the biggest fan of their sauce either. Suck it, Robinson's.
(2)
Brendan C.
Pretty good place. Food it always delivered in the timeframe promised, always hot and the order is always right. A little pricey for the quality, but unless you go to the deep south or west sides of the city, you aren't going to find "gourmet" BBQ.
(4)
Rebecca H.
Sure, it's ribs. Sure, they deliver. Sure, they deliver late night. But don't do it. It's never as good as you remember it - mostly because the last place you ate BBQ at wasn't Robinson's. Also, by the time your soggy, sad food arrives at your home, you will have passed out anyway. It generally takes 1-2 hours.
(1)
Lisa T.
I am honestly pretty surprised by some of the negative reviews on here, but readers take note ----- many of the low star reviews are from 4-5 years ago. I don't know if Robinson's used to have problems, but let me assure you they have remedied them if they did. Great spot for a quick BBQ dinner. This is clearly not the best barbecue in the city, but it's definitely good. I've had a few thing on the menu.... 1/2 slab and chicken breast combo, the salmon, and the chicken tenders. Useful tip - their BBQ items come positively swimming in sauce. I particularly like this; their sauce is nice and tangy and good and I've always liked a ton of sauce on my grilled meats. However, if you prefer a thin swipe of sauce, you're not gonna be happy.... I'd advise ordering your selection "dry" or w/ sauce on the side. The hickory baked beans are "a-ok"..... they are far superior to baked beans out of a can (honestly though, what isn't?), but at a rib place like this I would be waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy more satisfied if they were some burnt ends in the beans. One small complaint - for the love of god install a fountain soda machine. I kind of can't believe that all this place has in the way of beverages is cans of pop/lemonade/tea. Their delivery is fairly reliable, and the inside of this place is kind of a little hidden gem. It looks like a bit of a hole in the wall from the outside but it's actually pretty cute. Totally not fancy, but give me a break it's a BBQ joint!
(4)
Jayne K.
Came here on Friday night for dinner with a friend only to discover that the restaurant area had been closed for a private party. We were ok with carryout but still kinda janky since we had called earlier in the day and we just paid for parking. Foodwise I'd say I was definitely satisfied but not blown away. I got the rib tips and hot link combo with mac n cheese and cornbread. I'd say the carbs were definitely more memorable than the protein but not a bad spot overall. My search for good BBQ in Chicago continues!
(3)
Van P.
I had ribs at Robinson's (here) and at Honky Tonk BBQ down in Pilsen BOTH ON THE SAME DAY BECAUSE I LOVE RIBS and I have to say Honky Tonk BBQ wins but these were by no means lousy ribs. These were pretty good ribs.
(3)
Katherine E.
We ordered for delivery, and had a variety of things--a 1/2 slab of ribs, 1/2 chicken, a pulled pork sandwich and beer-battered cod. Everything was simply mediocre. Even the sides were just OK--mac and cheese, cole slaw, baked beans--nothing special about any of them. The seasoned fries were the only thing we all could say we enjoyed. Won't order again--worst $65 meal I can remember.
(2)
Tuyen T.
This place is not friendly to students in the area. It is unfair to kick someone out when they are with 5 other people who are paying to eat there. Their food isn't that great, nothing special, but it isn't bad if you want some chicken fingers. Their service is awful.
(2)
Kelly S.
I had the Brisket Sandwich, Mac and Cheese and the Cole Slaw. Loved it all and want to try more off their menu!
(4)
Michael S.
When it comes to restaurants. there is nothing I hate more than realizing I am a captive customer in an awful restaurant. I was in the hood because my daughter was performing in an hour across the street. I walked in here tonight with a positive attitude. I walked out with a bad taste in my mouth, literally. I saw the prices on the menu and gulped. Example: $6.95 for a hot dog. I looked around the dining room: empty. Bad sign. I looked at my watch: no time to leave, go elsewhere and make the performance on time. Shit, I'm stuck. My postage stamp size turkey burger looked like a defrosted mini-cowpie. It was served on a stale bun. The side of baked beans was runny and tasted like snot and looked like....worse. The best part of the meal was the water.
(1)
Richie D.
The location of this hole-in-the-wall restaurant off Armitage is dumpy, especially for Lincoln Park. I had to fight the door open to find the place empty. I thought nothing of it because those places usually have the best food. I ordered their well-known ribs which are found at the Taste of Chicago and was extremely disappointed. The sauce was ok and left me with heartburn the rest of the night. The worst part was the rib meat that was EXTREMELY fatty. I had tiny pieces of meat amongst all the fat. I wouldn't go back, especially with the somewhat high-end prices. Perhaps this place used to be astounding and tasty, but it has gone downhill since then.
(1)
Arlene A.
So can I tell ya that Robinson's has the goods! The ribs have a wonderful smokiness with the meat all beautiful and pink. When I saw the smoke ring, I knew this was the real deal. The BBQ link was spicy with a nice snap. The corn muffin (which was heated up later) was moist and yummy. The chicken was also good, and normally BBQ chicken does nothing for me, but it's apparent that Robinson's is committed to good traditional barbecue. I'll be ordering in again soon.
(4)
Cody B.
Loved it. I was a little off-put by the negative yelp reviews but it seems like the majority were from the nextdoor high schoolers who may receive unfriendly service. We walked in 20 minutes before closing and had very pleasant service and great food. We were welcomed to stay after closing for however long we wanted, and did. BYOB is a plus. I'm glad its a block away from my girlfriend's apartment, cause I'll go back.
(4)
Andrea M.
I've gotten carry-out here and liked it. Their pulled pork sandwich is very good. One piece of advice- stick with the fries as a side. I ordered onion rings as a replacement and was bummed. They're good, but you get like 5 onion rings as opposed to a decent amount of curly seasoned fries.
(3)
Linz C.
my boyfriend and i called to order delivery from robinson's and the guy on the phone was such a jerk that after talking to him for a while we decided not to order from there. i called back to try to talk to a manager to let them know that whoever was taking their orders was losing them business and it was the same guy and he was even worse! don't order from them! i have never dealt with someone as rude as this at a restaurant.
(1)
Kim P.
I was totally stoked to find an Entertainment coupon for Robinson's. I'd never been there before and supposedly the place boasted they were voted 1st place at the Taste of Chicago for 5 years running (or something like that). I'm wondering how that was possible. Truly. My BF and I got there at 8pm on a weeknight. There was no one else in the restaurant and we almost left thinking they were closed. But a disgruntled waitress with bad hair told us they were open and then grunted for us to pick a table. It's not a very big place, and we had it all to ourselves. So I was thinking, this should be good. We can get in an out quick. Boy I had no idea how quick we'd be getting out of there. Primarily because the waitress shoved her foot so far up our asses we had no choice. Apparently they close at 9 and despite the fact there was still an hour to go, we were treated like we must be assholes to expect to be served so close to closing. We ordered our food right away in an attempt to get the ball rolling. We both ordered ribs, I had a half slab and my BF had a whole. The food came out fairly quick. I think it was 8:20 when I glanced at the clock. I SHIT YOU NOT at 8:30 the waitress without saying a word to us turns off the tv, shuts off half the lights and begins putting the chairs up on the tables around us. I'm in no way a pokey eater, but duude cut me some slack. Ten minutes is not enough time to put down a slab of ribs, an ear of corn, a side of fries and slaw. We hastily tried to scarf down the mediocre food before they turned off all the lights. And it was mediocre. The ribs were tender enough, but lacking real depth of flavor. Instead they just tasted like they were drowned in sauce. And not even an ass kicking sauce. The fries were undercooked as if they pulled them out fast to assist in rushing us out the door. I think the best part of the meal was the cornbread biscuit. Seriously. I suppose the only satisfaction in this experience was when I presented the server with the coupon. And thank god we had one. Even with the coupon I still laid out almost $40. But rest assured it wasn't in the form of a tip. I gave the min (10%) and believe me that was being REALLY generous considering how crappy they treated us. We were gone by 8:45 so it wasn't like we kept them open past closing time. But we won't be venturing back there again. Too many other places in this wonderful city to get real BBQ where they welcome their patrons and not diss them.
(2)
Kyle S.
Robinsons is ok. The Pulled pork sandwich was much better than the reheated small portion of ribs we got. If you can find a better BYOB BBQ place, I'd go there.
(2)
Carrie S.
Thanks to some weird circumstances of not remembering the contents of my meatloaf recipe and a day of watching Veronica Mars on DVD, dinner came from Robinson's through Grubhub.com . Both of us got a half slab of ribs wet with different sides. As usual, the delivery was right on time and the food was nice and warm. My hickory baked beans were pretty good. Their version is slightly sweet and tangy. The corn muffin was average, but tasty in the moment. The ribs were also average, but kinda meh. The ribs were a little tough and fatty. It seemed that the delicious bbq sauce served to hide the flaws of the ill prepared meat. The sauce was truly the redeeming quality of the ribs, but overall I'd go somewhere else for my rib fix.
(2)
mark b.
After ordering Robinson's tonight, I checked out the Yelp reviews...and almost panicked. But, the Baby Back Ribs w/ Seasoned fries arrived hot in about twenty minutes. The person who took my order was considerate and patient, especially considering I called three times in the span of ten minutes. The ribs were tasty and not fatty like I've seen some here say. The fries were good and complimented the Ribs. My only real gripe was the side of garlic bread; it was obvious someone spent about one second preparing it before tossing it into the toaster. Mostly toast with a small smear of garlic'ness in the middle. Would I order again? If I didn't feel like driving to Portillos, sure I would!
(4)
Jenny N.
I like this Robinsons. I live near by so I go here occasionally. I've always had good food. I ordered a burger and fries a few weeks ago and it was fantastic. For the amount of food they give you, it's a reasonable price. The service is pretty fast and there is good food. What else is there to say? It's a rib joint people, it's not a Rick Bayless restaurant, give them a break.
(4)
Bill J.
Had Robinson's rib sandwich at Toyota Park. Unreal, I'll only be getting the sandwich from Robinson's going forward.
(3)
Ted C.
I remember this place being a good, cheap place for lunch when I was in high school-it was right across the street. The baskets were always a good value, never been there for dinner but I do agree that the service is pretty slack-but never in a mean way, they're just lackadaisical. The sauce is pretty good-again from what I remember, and I recall their rib sandwich being very good. I'll try to come by again and re-edit it.
(4)
Erin S.
This place is good for ordering in. Never actually been in the restaurant. I just got chicken fingers - which were actually pretty good, and Keith S was with me and got the ribs and he enjoyed them. So perhaps because we were starving and it was right across the street. But this place isn't bad when it's really cold and you want some decent food.
(3)
Mary L.
mmm. I don't understand all of the negative reviews for this place. I live very close and go quite often. Last night, I got the BBQ grilled salmon sandwich wiith fries- very tasty. My boyfriend got the pulled pork sandwich with fries and ate every last bite. Our waiter was super friendly and we never had to ask for anything. It is BYOB, they have a nice patio in the back, and carry out is efficient. In terms of BBQ spots in the city, Smoque is amazing but they have long lines and I feel rushed to get out of there. Robinson's is more laid back and almost as tasty.
(4)
Bunny K.
home recipe for the bbq sauce. ribs and fries is the way to go. i get a bottle or two of the sauce to go every time :) finger licking good.
(4)
Matt M.
It's just shitty. One time I ordered ribs, it came with a side of fries and a long ass hair that I pulled out of my mouth. At least it was from someone's head, unless they're not maintaining properly. Last Friday I got a brisket sandwich, fries and mac and cheese and it was generally crappy, but no hair. I'm not a BBQ connoisseur or anything, but I know what's gross. I was drunk at the time, but Smoke Shack on Halsted blew this place away when I ate there. I would have ordered from there last Friday too but they didn't have online ordering and I was too high to talk on the phone.
(2)
Sydney K.
I'm in love with the rib sandwich here, and so I haven't tried much else. The corn bread is great, but the ribs are just mediocre. The rib tips are very fatty - yuck.
(3)
Katrina F.
I ordered delivery this evening from Robinson's during a snow storm.....(Call me a completely mean woman for ordering delivery in the snow but I can assure you I tip accordingly for the weather). Just over an hour and fifteen minutes later my meal arrived. I was impressed with the bad weather that the hot food was still hot and the cold was cold. I always tend to over order when it comes to delivery and this time, I out did myself! I ordered the combo dinner, a 1/2 a rack of ribs, rib tips, 1/4 chicken and a hot link, so I could have a taste of every thing....The amount of meat I ordered could last me easily 3 days! It was all packed together doused in sauce (there was a wet or dry option when I ordered the food and I obviously chose the wet). The rib tips (always my favorite) were delicious! There were tons of them!! The chicken was fall off the bone tender and juicy. I am not a big hot link person...well not me, it's my stomach who doesn't care for them...but this one was perfectly charred and tasty...plus it actually agreed with my tummy. I was to overloaded on sauce to try the 1/2 slab so I will let you know later how they taste.....On to the sides. My combo came with coleslaw, corn bread and a choice side- I opted for the seasoned curly fries. I also ordered an extra side of mac and cheese for the low price of $1.75 (AWESOME price for an extra side) The mac and cheese was OK. It had the bread crumb topping which I don't care for but it was tasty. The fries were hot and crunchy which is such a rarity for delivery! They tasted really fresh and actually like a potato which is how i prefer my fries. I don't like coleslaw but I tried this one...It was decent better than most because it was more vinegar based than mayo based but I still don't care for coleslaw or mayo based salads.....The corn bread was a disappointment. I LOVE a good corn bread and this one was good and moist. It was shaped like a small muffin. That was the problem, it was so small!! With the amount of food I had I expected a big hunk of corn bread. Also the corn bread wasn't corn tasting enough for me. I did save room for dessert! The peach pie was semi frozen but after it thawed, it was delish!!! It wasn't overly sweet which I really appreciated. Over all I liked the food but I will continue to taste around until I find a place with more depth in the flavor of the BBQ. Heck I have enough food for a few days maybe Robinson's Ribs will grow on me!!
(3)
Dee W.
So disappointing - for only $40, my sister and I got the saddest half slab of ribs that just tasted kinda funny (not that fond of the sauce); the rib tips were only decent and the smallest side of corn on the cob - she ordered onion rings as her side and they gave her five small onioin rings. Definately felt gypped.
(2)
Liliana S.
I'm giving 4 stars based on their boneless rib sandwich that has my mouth watering as I type this review. Yes, it is expensive and you can probably get more for you buck at another Rib restaurant but they have the best boneless rib sandwich in chicago!
(4)
Mark P.
Can't taste anything but the sauce, which overwhelms any flavor the actual ribs may have.
(2)
Melissa C.
This is the place to go if you want great barbecued ribs or chicken. Their barbecue sauce is stupendous!
(4)
Justin B.
The mac-and-cheese and canned beans were tasty...everything else (rib tips, pulled pork sammich, corn bread, BBQ sauces) were not. The rib tips, in particular, were surprisingly bad, tough to chew, not that flavorful. I will give Robinson's this much--there were a lot of them, so I would have been full had I chosen to eat them all! The space is subpar but they give you the option to take it out, so I would exercise that option if I were you!
(2)
Gina G.
So let's start with the food. It was average. For the price I'm happy with what I got I will most likely order again if I'm feeling lazy. The chicken skin was semi soggy though so I will probably try something else (which is most likely from being delivered) so not a huge deal. I was very happy that it arrived in a timely manor and that the delivery man made sure I got my food when my roommate got it for me.
(4)
Hannah H.
About a 2-2.5: My friend and I came to Robinson's after shopping in the Lincoln Park area. We've always seen this place and it seems to be a popular spot among the DePaul students. The menu offers appetizers, jumbo wraps, salads, Cajun-focused dishes, ribs, and chicken. We shared a whole slab of baby back ribs, which was served as 'wet' (smothered by Robinson's BBQ sauce); the ribs themselves were slightly underwhelming, as they didn't necessarily fall off the bone and wasn't quite as tender; I did appreciate the amount of sauce, as I'm a total sauce person! However, the BBQ sauce itself was a little less thick as I would have liked. This platter came with a corn muffin (that was more on the drier side), cole slaw, and a choice of a side (we opted for baked beans as well as an extra order of onion rings). Service was efficient, and there is limited parking along Armitage. +offers 'wet' and 'dry' options for ribs +limited parking on Armitage
(3)
Eva K.
Last week we had our company picnic/softball tournament catered by Robinson's No. 1 Ribs-Lincoln Park and they were absolutely amazing! They were able to help us out on reasonably short notice and were very reasonably priced. Food was great. We'll definitely be giving them a call again!
(5)
Ignacio S.
I wouldn't give any stars if possible. I ordered here for the first time and #1. The Mac and cheese was bland, wasn't cheesy. It tasted like wet macaroni. #2. The pulled pork on my pulled pork sandwich was dry and had red pieces when I asked for well done. #3. The delivery man had an attitude when dropping it off because I had someone else sign for me since I was busy. #4. The coleslaw was sour and almost inedible. I threw it in the trash. I'm not exaggerating at all with these points. If you're going to be named Robs No. 1 Ribs, you need to actually serve quality food especially with those kind of prices. The only thing good out of my meal was the onion rings. You guys just lost a customer cus I'm never going back.
(1)
Jason A.
Nice pricing for a sandwich and a side. I had the pulled chicken, and the chicken itself was actually really nice. It was super juicy and the seasoning with pepper standing out was a standout. The sauce was ok, but forgettable, a touch sweet. The bun was mass produced store bought. The real downside was the fries. You can tell they were bought frozen and re-heated. That's a joke. Ok spot, but too many better food truck options to have again.
(2)
Marquise N.
I ordered from here on Tuesday for the first time. The sauce was horrible. My rib tips were not good. The Mac and cheese was bland. The pecan pie had more salt. The pork and beans were also flavorless. The coleslaw reminded me of the imitation crab salad at subway. For the amount of money I paid I was expecting much more. The only good thing was the curly fries. I will not be eating there again.
(1)
Joseph J.
I got the shrimp and ribs combo for delivery. The ribs were OK but nothing special and a little tough. The shrimp were flavorless and tasted like something from a Long John Silvers that hasn't exchanged its cooking oil in a year. The cardboard and lumpy flour construction misnamed "corn muffin" was a fitting end to the atrocious meal as it disintegrated into powder in my hands. I also tasted my friend's order of rib tips which were literally pieces of inedible gristle. Don't think I'll be ordering from this place again.
(1)
Mindy N.
Just ordered take out from here it took almost two hours, estimated delivery time was supposed to be 75 minutes or less. The delivery man was extremely rude! And my food was ice cold.. I live less than a mile away. Better service next time, but I doubt I'll order from.them again
(1)
Natalie S.
I think I have a personal beef with this place because of what I started seeing as "profiling". When I was in high school across the street eons ago at good ol' LPHS, we used to eat lunch there a lot. Then they started this whole "NO STUDENTS" ban on the restaurant. Really? I was a good, paying customer twice a week and you're just going to ban me because I go to school across the street? I'm sure they had some issues with some students but to just ban us from entering your establishment sounds unlawful to me. Fast forward 16 years... and I'm still pissed about it and now I get to vent via Yelp. Their ribs kinda suck. They are overrated and expensive for what you get. The rib tips are a better deal but even those are just mediocre. Not the biggest fan of their sauce either. Suck it, Robinson's.
(2)
Brendan C.
Pretty good place. Food it always delivered in the timeframe promised, always hot and the order is always right. A little pricey for the quality, but unless you go to the deep south or west sides of the city, you aren't going to find "gourmet" BBQ.
(4)
Rebecca H.
Sure, it's ribs. Sure, they deliver. Sure, they deliver late night. But don't do it. It's never as good as you remember it - mostly because the last place you ate BBQ at wasn't Robinson's. Also, by the time your soggy, sad food arrives at your home, you will have passed out anyway. It generally takes 1-2 hours.
(1)
Lisa T.
I am honestly pretty surprised by some of the negative reviews on here, but readers take note ----- many of the low star reviews are from 4-5 years ago. I don't know if Robinson's used to have problems, but let me assure you they have remedied them if they did. Great spot for a quick BBQ dinner. This is clearly not the best barbecue in the city, but it's definitely good. I've had a few thing on the menu.... 1/2 slab and chicken breast combo, the salmon, and the chicken tenders. Useful tip - their BBQ items come positively swimming in sauce. I particularly like this; their sauce is nice and tangy and good and I've always liked a ton of sauce on my grilled meats. However, if you prefer a thin swipe of sauce, you're not gonna be happy.... I'd advise ordering your selection "dry" or w/ sauce on the side. The hickory baked beans are "a-ok"..... they are far superior to baked beans out of a can (honestly though, what isn't?), but at a rib place like this I would be waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy more satisfied if they were some burnt ends in the beans. One small complaint - for the love of god install a fountain soda machine. I kind of can't believe that all this place has in the way of beverages is cans of pop/lemonade/tea. Their delivery is fairly reliable, and the inside of this place is kind of a little hidden gem. It looks like a bit of a hole in the wall from the outside but it's actually pretty cute. Totally not fancy, but give me a break it's a BBQ joint!
(4)
Jayne K.
Came here on Friday night for dinner with a friend only to discover that the restaurant area had been closed for a private party. We were ok with carryout but still kinda janky since we had called earlier in the day and we just paid for parking. Foodwise I'd say I was definitely satisfied but not blown away. I got the rib tips and hot link combo with mac n cheese and cornbread. I'd say the carbs were definitely more memorable than the protein but not a bad spot overall. My search for good BBQ in Chicago continues!
(3)
Van P.
I had ribs at Robinson's (here) and at Honky Tonk BBQ down in Pilsen BOTH ON THE SAME DAY BECAUSE I LOVE RIBS and I have to say Honky Tonk BBQ wins but these were by no means lousy ribs. These were pretty good ribs.
(3)
Tera D.
Robinson's is basic barbecue. Nothing special, but satisfies your craving. Personally, I think it's overpriced for what you get, but I live near here and if I need need need bbq (which happens from time to time), I'm willing to suck it up and pay. For example, the other day we spent $30 on a half slab, 2 hot links, fries and beans for takeout. We had zero leftovers, which is pretty unusual for us, and I was by no means bursting at the seams. But it was ready in 15 minutes flat, and definitely hit the spot.
(3)
Katherine E.
We ordered for delivery, and had a variety of things--a 1/2 slab of ribs, 1/2 chicken, a pulled pork sandwich and beer-battered cod. Everything was simply mediocre. Even the sides were just OK--mac and cheese, cole slaw, baked beans--nothing special about any of them. The seasoned fries were the only thing we all could say we enjoyed. Won't order again--worst $65 meal I can remember.
(2)
Kelli B.
Robinson's is a hidden gem. You'd seriously walk right by the place if you didn't know it was there. Their restaurant is surprisingly small, mainly because most of their business is catering and carry out. They have a patio, which I have yet to see, but the waiter told me it has about 10 tables. One of the huge benefits to eating at Robinson's is..it's BYOB!! Noting like cold Belgian beer and Barbecue! My running club has catered Robinson's four times now and we have yet to be disappointed. They always show up right on time, almost to the minute! Their prices are very reasonable and the food is delicious. Everyone always raves about how great the food is, that's why we keep going back! The pulled pork, turkey and brisket is fantastic, the sauce is delicious and it's never dry. The baked mac and cheese is to die for and the corn bread is so good it's almost like cake! We ordered veggie burgers for a few of the vegetarians at our last event and even those were good! When we ate in we had the ribs which are great, and they come pre-cut which is unusual but kind of cool! That's probably how they come when you get them catered so maybe that's why they serve them cut when you eat in. We also had the onion rings which were wonderful as was the coleslaw. If you like barbecue and you love BYOB places, this is probably one of the best places in the city. Robinson's is very casual / no frills; think - the cashier with the baseball hat is also the waiter. But don't let the the size and casualness of the place fool you. This is some top notch barbecue baby!!
(5)
Randy N.
Rib sandwiches are worse than a McRib, ketchup tasted fermented, place reeks of mold. Pulled pork sandwich is ok, curly fries were good. Will not be going back.
(1)
Jordan R.
This review is for delivery. I'm always hesitant to order in ribs cause I feel like sometimes they don't travel well, but on Saturday after plans to go out for some BBQ got cancelled abruptly I had to have some. I figured instead of ordering from a local place that does a lot of things (I live on Addison), I'd take a chance and order from a dedicated rib spot, even though it was kind of far away. Got a rack of ribs dinner and the chicken tenders dinner. They said they'd be there in an hour and they made it in just under that. All the food was well packaged in tin foil and was still very hot. The ribs were delicious and tasted like they had just come out of the smoker. Bottom line, whenever I'm craving any type of bbq delivered on short notice, this is now my go-to.
(5)
Nick M.
2 and a half stars. After living in Richmond for 4 years I learned a good amount about BBQ. Specifically that the greatness in good BBQ comes from the actual meat and not the sauce that covers or masks it. The two elements must work together in a way that I can't quite describe, but you know it when you experience it. The ribs here were swimming in BBQ sauce. The sauce was nothing to write home about. They did not have much meat on them and were served in picnic-style plates. My buddy's pulled pork sandwich did not look like traditional "bbq". It was heavy on the sauce and looked more like slices of pork than pulled pork. He said it was not very good. The cole-slaw was not slaw, but chopped very fine. The mac and cheese, baked beans and the cornbread were by far the best part of the meal. And the fact that we could BYOB and were sipping on some nice beers....that was nice. I probably won't hurry to go back to Robinsons and when I do (my friends live next to it so it will happen inevitably) I'll ask for sauce on the side.
(2)
John E.
Where to start. I love BBQ I make my own every weekend. The pulled pork was more mush then anything. The chicken wings are very over cooked and scrawny. The BBQ sauce is just there it is like Ketchup with vinegar added in. The hamburger tasted like a pre-made frozen overcooked patty. The ribs, boiled to death then dipped in nasty BBQ sauce and thrown on a hot grill to try to heat up the BBQ sauce. No signs of char or caramelization and not even a hint of smoke flavor you expect from good ribs. i have been to a lot of BBQ joints in the city and around it. This is the worst place for BBQ I have ever been to.
(1)
Burton D.
I would not recommend that anyone go out of his way to eat here. There are too many other good BBQ places in the city to spend your money on this place. If I lived a block away, I'd probably stop in now & then - it's not actually "bad" BBQ. The place is clean, and the service friendly. The baby back ribs are quite tender, but the sauce (there's only one) is merely serviceable. I'd avoid the buffalo cheese sticks - they really don't taste of blue cheese & red sauce. I dunked mine in the BBQ sauce. Count on noise - brick walls do nothing to absorb sound. BYO beer or wine. No corkage or glass fee.
(2)
Timothy C.
The customer service was the worst. I had a Groupon and went there w/ friends for lunch. We were the only ones in the place and it took 4 mins for anyone to greet us not to mention 2 employess came to the counter and said nothing to us. When they finally came to take our order the guy said he doesn't know how to redeem Groupon's and we have to wait for another guy to get there and he was really busy and told me good luck! We walked out!!! This guy was really rude and after reading other reviews I don't think we missed out on anything special. I also called Groupon and told them they should not support this business because of there lack of customer service.
(1)
Ricardo E.
I brought a Groupon and thought it was going to be a good experience. I ordered the full slab of ribs and the were really bad. Way too much of their bad sauce and the ribs were cold. The cole slaw taste like plastic and the beans tasted like they came from a can. Don't do it, stay away.
(1)
Diane R.
This was by far the worst BBQ I have ever had. My husband was really craving ribs and we were in the area so we gave it a try. (Normally we go to Carson's in Deerfield.). Robinson's claims to slow smoke their meats for hours on wood fires, but it actually looked and tasted as if the meat had been boiled. The sauce was bad, too. I even tried masking the taste with store bought sauce we had on hand- even that didn't help. I hate wasting food but this was so bad, that we ended up throwing a barely touched bucket of ribs and sandwich in the trash.
(1)
Dean K.
i'm boring. i almost always get the same thing - ribs, dry with sauce on the side, slaw, onion rings, mac n cheese and the muffin. it's always good, but not great. i'd prefer Lem's but the drive down to 75th can be a bit much. i have had the chicken her too and it is quite good.
(3)
j w.
Arguably, the worst food I've ever tasted in the 18 years I've lived in Chicago. What sort of fool, would actually go back to this place twice???
(1)
Lunch E.
Got the groupon expected more from this place. Sauce was ok. There was a visible smoke ring on the ribs but didn't taste much of the smoky flavor. Wouldn't come back here, even with another deal.
(2)
Ng s.
The ribs were terrible. They were freezer burned and as dry as a desert. I would never go back and if anyone is planning on going there... DONT! No one should ever eat here, the food is simply terrible. The side dishes were all terrible, and again the ribs were unbelievably dry. It was like I was eating jerky.
(1)
Anna P.
The baby back ribs are really good, but I am not a huge fan of the sauce. I had the baby back ribs "wet" (with sauce) and had to use my bbq sauce (store bought) I had in the fridge to cover the ribs with it instead. The garlic mashed potatoes were perfect, as was the corn bread muffin. The food arrived super fast -- nice and hot (I ordered through Grubhub). I also had a slice of the red velvet cake, which was so delicious. I have to give this place just an ok rating and that is for its disappointing bbq sauce. Its watery or something is just not quite right. I would order from them again, but douse the ribs in my store bought sauce, again.
(3)
M M.
This place serves the most disgusting ribs I have ever eaten at a "restaurant" in my life. I came here for my birthday- my family ordered a fairly large amount of food. I don't even want to describe the setting, just straight to the food. I ordered grilled salmon and we ordered several buckets of ribs. I hate how great manners I have- when the lady asked us if everything was okay, the answer should have been "NO!" We waited close to an hour and alas, the ribs came. I kid you not, the ribs were tender but in a bad way- you can tell that the ribs were pre-cooked, frozen and microwaved. Seems like NOTHING that was served ever touched the grill. The grilled salmon itself tasted microwaved! it was soooooo dry and no evidence of charring what-so-ever. That was the most disappointing birthday dinner IN MY LIFE. I advise you to choose elsewhere.
(1)
Rebecca H.
Sure, it's ribs. Sure, they deliver. Sure, they deliver late night. But don't do it. It's never as good as you remember it - mostly because the last place you ate BBQ at wasn't Robinson's. Also, by the time your soggy, sad food arrives at your home, you will have passed out anyway. It generally takes 1-2 hours.
(1)
Duke K.
Fairly disappointed with Robinson's. I was anxious to try a couple of things, so I spread out my order and got the Jumbo Style Hot Dog, their Fried Chicken Salad and lastly a Pecan Pie to top everything off. My Hot Dog bun was soggy. The hot dog itself was shriveled and very OVER cooked and the curly fries that it had been delivered with were freezing cold. The salad was served with Mexican Taco Lettuce. The yolk in the boiled eggs were brown in color; and the chicken smelt AWFUL! Almost like cleaning solution. I brought a piece and had given it to my dog. Instantly he threw up (no lie). Lastly the Pecan Pie was wrapped in a Sara Lee container; and purchased from Jewel Grocery Store. It was beyond disgusting! Truthfully I had hoped for at least a "good meal". It didn't have to blow me away; but instead what I got was something repulsive. I took 1 bite of each thing and it ended up in the trash. It was a waste of food, and it was a waste of my money. I'd never; ever, recommend Robinson's to anyone. Not even a homeless person. I'm sorry. By far the worst meal I've ever had; and the worst food I've ever tasted in Chicago.
(1)
John E.
Where to start. I love BBQ I make my own every weekend. The pulled pork was more mush then anything. The chicken wings are very over cooked and scrawny. The BBQ sauce is just there it is like Ketchup with vinegar added in. The hamburger tasted like a pre-made frozen overcooked patty. The ribs, boiled to death then dipped in nasty BBQ sauce and thrown on a hot grill to try to heat up the BBQ sauce. No signs of char or caramelization and not even a hint of smoke flavor you expect from good ribs. i have been to a lot of BBQ joints in the city and around it. This is the worst place for BBQ I have ever been to.
(1)
Morris F.
If it had been hot on arrival, the food would have rated two stars. However, after nearly a two-hour wait, the food would have had to be spectacular, and it wasn't. It was also cold, which had to take some work considering the restaurant is a quarter of a mile from my home. A big serving of beef ribs (I have some left for lunch) with lots of sauce (pretty much like you'd get out of a bottle from the grocery store). The side of onion rings would have tasted great hot. Cold, not so much. I should have known better when I saw they predicted a wait of 45-75 minutes (it turned out to be 115 minutes). Now I do.
(1)
Kaitlin M.
I love Robinson's pulled pork sandwich!!! They give you a great portion of meat for the price and serve on a crusted sandwich roll that is not too tough to each but still holds the sandwich together so you can eat it with your hands! (I hate floppy rolls that make you eat a sandwich with a fork and knife.) They also have crazy fast deliver or a quite little restaurant that is BYOB. I have had a bunch of BBQ in the city and this is the place I go to most consistently! Ps... ask for a side of their spicy BBQ sauce... so good!
(5)
Mikie B.
We walked up to Robinsons after getting to Twin Anchors too late in the night and the estimated wait time too long. Robinsons offers dry-rubbed ribs by request. Based off of what we were served, there is a good reason they are by request - the meat was dry and there were no spices to be found. Definitely not the same kind of dry-rubbed you would find in a place like Texas... or even down the street at the BBQ counter in Whole Foods.
(2)
Joseph J.
I got the shrimp and ribs combo for delivery. The ribs were OK but nothing special and a little tough. The shrimp were flavorless and tasted like something from a Long John Silvers that hasn't exchanged its cooking oil in a year. The cardboard and lumpy flour construction misnamed "corn muffin" was a fitting end to the atrocious meal as it disintegrated into powder in my hands. I also tasted my friend's order of rib tips which were literally pieces of inedible gristle. Don't think I'll be ordering from this place again.
(1)
Mindy N.
Just ordered take out from here it took almost two hours, estimated delivery time was supposed to be 75 minutes or less. The delivery man was extremely rude! And my food was ice cold.. I live less than a mile away. Better service next time, but I doubt I'll order from.them again
(1)
Brock L.
Please Note: This review is based on the fact that I used a Groupon! The BBQ wasnt that bad, but considering I bought a Groupon, and also had a promo code for the Groupon, this was a great deal considering the quality. For $34 (Price of Groupon: $44 - $10 promo) + $8 goof tax, I was able to get 2 full slabs of ribs, 2 orders of the BBQ platter (more ribs and rib tips), 2 corn breads, 2 mac & cheese, 2 cole slaw. All for ~$42 I was able to stuff 3 people. Not bad! I picked up the food right on the dot of when i placed my pickup order. Food was still warm/hot when i got it home to eat. For quality, I don't think it was amazing, but considering I paid $42, and was able to stuff 3 people, I am very satisfied. If I did not have a Groupon, I would have given it a lower rating.
(3)
Lorena C.
Took our family for Valentines Day we love the ribs and the best part was the BYOB... The staff was great the place was so nice and warm... I luv to go places where I could take my jackets off and not be cold. Definitely going back!!!
(5)
Hannah H.
About a 2-2.5: My friend and I came to Robinson's after shopping in the Lincoln Park area. We've always seen this place and it seems to be a popular spot among the DePaul students. The menu offers appetizers, jumbo wraps, salads, Cajun-focused dishes, ribs, and chicken. We shared a whole slab of baby back ribs, which was served as 'wet' (smothered by Robinson's BBQ sauce); the ribs themselves were slightly underwhelming, as they didn't necessarily fall off the bone and wasn't quite as tender; I did appreciate the amount of sauce, as I'm a total sauce person! However, the BBQ sauce itself was a little less thick as I would have liked. This platter came with a corn muffin (that was more on the drier side), cole slaw, and a choice of a side (we opted for baked beans as well as an extra order of onion rings). Service was efficient, and there is limited parking along Armitage. +offers 'wet' and 'dry' options for ribs +limited parking on Armitage
(3)
Eva K.
Last week we had our company picnic/softball tournament catered by Robinson's No. 1 Ribs-Lincoln Park and they were absolutely amazing! They were able to help us out on reasonably short notice and were very reasonably priced. Food was great. We'll definitely be giving them a call again!
(5)
Ignacio S.
I wouldn't give any stars if possible. I ordered here for the first time and #1. The Mac and cheese was bland, wasn't cheesy. It tasted like wet macaroni. #2. The pulled pork on my pulled pork sandwich was dry and had red pieces when I asked for well done. #3. The delivery man had an attitude when dropping it off because I had someone else sign for me since I was busy. #4. The coleslaw was sour and almost inedible. I threw it in the trash. I'm not exaggerating at all with these points. If you're going to be named Robs No. 1 Ribs, you need to actually serve quality food especially with those kind of prices. The only thing good out of my meal was the onion rings. You guys just lost a customer cus I'm never going back.
(1)
Jason A.
Nice pricing for a sandwich and a side. I had the pulled chicken, and the chicken itself was actually really nice. It was super juicy and the seasoning with pepper standing out was a standout. The sauce was ok, but forgettable, a touch sweet. The bun was mass produced store bought. The real downside was the fries. You can tell they were bought frozen and re-heated. That's a joke. Ok spot, but too many better food truck options to have again.
(2)
Marquise N.
I ordered from here on Tuesday for the first time. The sauce was horrible. My rib tips were not good. The Mac and cheese was bland. The pecan pie had more salt. The pork and beans were also flavorless. The coleslaw reminded me of the imitation crab salad at subway. For the amount of money I paid I was expecting much more. The only good thing was the curly fries. I will not be eating there again.
(1)
Justin B.
The mac-and-cheese and canned beans were tasty...everything else (rib tips, pulled pork sammich, corn bread, BBQ sauces) were not. The rib tips, in particular, were surprisingly bad, tough to chew, not that flavorful. I will give Robinson's this much--there were a lot of them, so I would have been full had I chosen to eat them all! The space is subpar but they give you the option to take it out, so I would exercise that option if I were you!
(2)
Gina G.
So let's start with the food. It was average. For the price I'm happy with what I got I will most likely order again if I'm feeling lazy. The chicken skin was semi soggy though so I will probably try something else (which is most likely from being delivered) so not a huge deal. I was very happy that it arrived in a timely manor and that the delivery man made sure I got my food when my roommate got it for me.
(4)
Erin S.
This place is good for ordering in. Never actually been in the restaurant. I just got chicken fingers - which were actually pretty good, and Keith S was with me and got the ribs and he enjoyed them. So perhaps because we were starving and it was right across the street. But this place isn't bad when it's really cold and you want some decent food.
(3)
Mary L.
mmm. I don't understand all of the negative reviews for this place. I live very close and go quite often. Last night, I got the BBQ grilled salmon sandwich wiith fries- very tasty. My boyfriend got the pulled pork sandwich with fries and ate every last bite. Our waiter was super friendly and we never had to ask for anything. It is BYOB, they have a nice patio in the back, and carry out is efficient. In terms of BBQ spots in the city, Smoque is amazing but they have long lines and I feel rushed to get out of there. Robinson's is more laid back and almost as tasty.
(4)
Bunny K.
home recipe for the bbq sauce. ribs and fries is the way to go. i get a bottle or two of the sauce to go every time :) finger licking good.
(4)
Matt M.
It's just shitty. One time I ordered ribs, it came with a side of fries and a long ass hair that I pulled out of my mouth. At least it was from someone's head, unless they're not maintaining properly. Last Friday I got a brisket sandwich, fries and mac and cheese and it was generally crappy, but no hair. I'm not a BBQ connoisseur or anything, but I know what's gross. I was drunk at the time, but Smoke Shack on Halsted blew this place away when I ate there. I would have ordered from there last Friday too but they didn't have online ordering and I was too high to talk on the phone.
(2)
Sydney K.
I'm in love with the rib sandwich here, and so I haven't tried much else. The corn bread is great, but the ribs are just mediocre. The rib tips are very fatty - yuck.
(3)
Karl P.
I had a groupon to try here. My boyfriend and I went on a Tuesday night at 6:30pm. We walked in and the lady at the counter barely said even HI to us. I took out my groupon and asked her what do we get with this. So she pretty much shoves a Groupon Menu in my face.my bf and I order two sandwichs he had da pulled pork and I had da bbq beef. We had bbq wings as our side. As far as the food goes the wings were nice and hot and I would say they were good. We both loved our sandwich's. However as we were waiting the lady was texting on her phone. Very unprofessional btw.... It was dead we were da only two customers in the dining room. So the cook brings our food out while the lady behind the counter keeps texting. SMH...... Overall da food was decent but very unprofessional and unfriendly staff that lady at the counter need to goto Customer Service school. As we left my boyfriend said thanks and have a good night. The cook was siting in the dining room with the lady from behind the counter as she was still texting (go figure). The cook said thanks and have a good night . The lady said nothing to us at all didn't even look up and smile it was as if her texting was more important then customers. As far as if we might go back maybe. But the owner needs to re train her and show her how to do her job better.....
(2)
Matthew D.
I got the beef link sandwich here the other day. I wasn't really that hungry and it was the cheapest thing on the menu, so I figured it would be a fairly small meal. Boy, was I wrong. You get a side and coleslaw with the sandwich. All for $6.50 + tax. I got the onion rings just because I like dipping them in bbq sauce. Good call. The sandwich was what I expected- a tasty, spicy link smothered in sauce on a roll. Can't go wrong there. And the coleslaw was just right. Creamy and cool. I put it on my sandwich for that southern style thing. Overall, a pretty good value and the food was good.
(3)
Duke K.
Fairly disappointed with Robinson's. I was anxious to try a couple of things, so I spread out my order and got the Jumbo Style Hot Dog, their Fried Chicken Salad and lastly a Pecan Pie to top everything off. My Hot Dog bun was soggy. The hot dog itself was shriveled and very OVER cooked and the curly fries that it had been delivered with were freezing cold. The salad was served with Mexican Taco Lettuce. The yolk in the boiled eggs were brown in color; and the chicken smelt AWFUL! Almost like cleaning solution. I brought a piece and had given it to my dog. Instantly he threw up (no lie). Lastly the Pecan Pie was wrapped in a Sara Lee container; and purchased from Jewel Grocery Store. It was beyond disgusting! Truthfully I had hoped for at least a "good meal". It didn't have to blow me away; but instead what I got was something repulsive. I took 1 bite of each thing and it ended up in the trash. It was a waste of food, and it was a waste of my money. I'd never; ever, recommend Robinson's to anyone. Not even a homeless person. I'm sorry. By far the worst meal I've ever had; and the worst food I've ever tasted in Chicago.
(1)
Morris F.
If it had been hot on arrival, the food would have rated two stars. However, after nearly a two-hour wait, the food would have had to be spectacular, and it wasn't. It was also cold, which had to take some work considering the restaurant is a quarter of a mile from my home. A big serving of beef ribs (I have some left for lunch) with lots of sauce (pretty much like you'd get out of a bottle from the grocery store). The side of onion rings would have tasted great hot. Cold, not so much. I should have known better when I saw they predicted a wait of 45-75 minutes (it turned out to be 115 minutes). Now I do.
(1)
Natalie S.
I think I have a personal beef with this place because of what I started seeing as "profiling". When I was in high school across the street eons ago at good ol' LPHS, we used to eat lunch there a lot. Then they started this whole "NO STUDENTS" ban on the restaurant. Really? I was a good, paying customer twice a week and you're just going to ban me because I go to school across the street? I'm sure they had some issues with some students but to just ban us from entering your establishment sounds unlawful to me. Fast forward 16 years... and I'm still pissed about it and now I get to vent via Yelp. Their ribs kinda suck. They are overrated and expensive for what you get. The rib tips are a better deal but even those are just mediocre. Not the biggest fan of their sauce either. Suck it, Robinson's.
(2)
Brendan C.
Pretty good place. Food it always delivered in the timeframe promised, always hot and the order is always right. A little pricey for the quality, but unless you go to the deep south or west sides of the city, you aren't going to find "gourmet" BBQ.
(4)
Kelli B.
Robinson's is a hidden gem. You'd seriously walk right by the place if you didn't know it was there. Their restaurant is surprisingly small, mainly because most of their business is catering and carry out. They have a patio, which I have yet to see, but the waiter told me it has about 10 tables. One of the huge benefits to eating at Robinson's is..it's BYOB!! Noting like cold Belgian beer and Barbecue! My running club has catered Robinson's four times now and we have yet to be disappointed. They always show up right on time, almost to the minute! Their prices are very reasonable and the food is delicious. Everyone always raves about how great the food is, that's why we keep going back! The pulled pork, turkey and brisket is fantastic, the sauce is delicious and it's never dry. The baked mac and cheese is to die for and the corn bread is so good it's almost like cake! We ordered veggie burgers for a few of the vegetarians at our last event and even those were good! When we ate in we had the ribs which are great, and they come pre-cut which is unusual but kind of cool! That's probably how they come when you get them catered so maybe that's why they serve them cut when you eat in. We also had the onion rings which were wonderful as was the coleslaw. If you like barbecue and you love BYOB places, this is probably one of the best places in the city. Robinson's is very casual / no frills; think - the cashier with the baseball hat is also the waiter. But don't let the the size and casualness of the place fool you. This is some top notch barbecue baby!!
(5)
Nick M.
2 and a half stars. After living in Richmond for 4 years I learned a good amount about BBQ. Specifically that the greatness in good BBQ comes from the actual meat and not the sauce that covers or masks it. The two elements must work together in a way that I can't quite describe, but you know it when you experience it. The ribs here were swimming in BBQ sauce. The sauce was nothing to write home about. They did not have much meat on them and were served in picnic-style plates. My buddy's pulled pork sandwich did not look like traditional "bbq". It was heavy on the sauce and looked more like slices of pork than pulled pork. He said it was not very good. The cole-slaw was not slaw, but chopped very fine. The mac and cheese, baked beans and the cornbread were by far the best part of the meal. And the fact that we could BYOB and were sipping on some nice beers....that was nice. I probably won't hurry to go back to Robinsons and when I do (my friends live next to it so it will happen inevitably) I'll ask for sauce on the side.
(2)
Tera D.
Robinson's is basic barbecue. Nothing special, but satisfies your craving. Personally, I think it's overpriced for what you get, but I live near here and if I need need need bbq (which happens from time to time), I'm willing to suck it up and pay. For example, the other day we spent $30 on a half slab, 2 hot links, fries and beans for takeout. We had zero leftovers, which is pretty unusual for us, and I was by no means bursting at the seams. But it was ready in 15 minutes flat, and definitely hit the spot.
(3)
Katherine E.
We ordered for delivery, and had a variety of things--a 1/2 slab of ribs, 1/2 chicken, a pulled pork sandwich and beer-battered cod. Everything was simply mediocre. Even the sides were just OK--mac and cheese, cole slaw, baked beans--nothing special about any of them. The seasoned fries were the only thing we all could say we enjoyed. Won't order again--worst $65 meal I can remember.
(2)
Lisa T.
I am honestly pretty surprised by some of the negative reviews on here, but readers take note ----- many of the low star reviews are from 4-5 years ago. I don't know if Robinson's used to have problems, but let me assure you they have remedied them if they did. Great spot for a quick BBQ dinner. This is clearly not the best barbecue in the city, but it's definitely good. I've had a few thing on the menu.... 1/2 slab and chicken breast combo, the salmon, and the chicken tenders. Useful tip - their BBQ items come positively swimming in sauce. I particularly like this; their sauce is nice and tangy and good and I've always liked a ton of sauce on my grilled meats. However, if you prefer a thin swipe of sauce, you're not gonna be happy.... I'd advise ordering your selection "dry" or w/ sauce on the side. The hickory baked beans are "a-ok"..... they are far superior to baked beans out of a can (honestly though, what isn't?), but at a rib place like this I would be waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy more satisfied if they were some burnt ends in the beans. One small complaint - for the love of god install a fountain soda machine. I kind of can't believe that all this place has in the way of beverages is cans of pop/lemonade/tea. Their delivery is fairly reliable, and the inside of this place is kind of a little hidden gem. It looks like a bit of a hole in the wall from the outside but it's actually pretty cute. Totally not fancy, but give me a break it's a BBQ joint!
(4)
Jayne K.
Came here on Friday night for dinner with a friend only to discover that the restaurant area had been closed for a private party. We were ok with carryout but still kinda janky since we had called earlier in the day and we just paid for parking. Foodwise I'd say I was definitely satisfied but not blown away. I got the rib tips and hot link combo with mac n cheese and cornbread. I'd say the carbs were definitely more memorable than the protein but not a bad spot overall. My search for good BBQ in Chicago continues!
(3)
Van P.
I had ribs at Robinson's (here) and at Honky Tonk BBQ down in Pilsen BOTH ON THE SAME DAY BECAUSE I LOVE RIBS and I have to say Honky Tonk BBQ wins but these were by no means lousy ribs. These were pretty good ribs.
(3)
Richie D.
The location of this hole-in-the-wall restaurant off Armitage is dumpy, especially for Lincoln Park. I had to fight the door open to find the place empty. I thought nothing of it because those places usually have the best food. I ordered their well-known ribs which are found at the Taste of Chicago and was extremely disappointed. The sauce was ok and left me with heartburn the rest of the night. The worst part was the rib meat that was EXTREMELY fatty. I had tiny pieces of meat amongst all the fat. I wouldn't go back, especially with the somewhat high-end prices. Perhaps this place used to be astounding and tasty, but it has gone downhill since then.
(1)
Michael S.
When it comes to restaurants. there is nothing I hate more than realizing I am a captive customer in an awful restaurant. I was in the hood because my daughter was performing in an hour across the street. I walked in here tonight with a positive attitude. I walked out with a bad taste in my mouth, literally. I saw the prices on the menu and gulped. Example: $6.95 for a hot dog. I looked around the dining room: empty. Bad sign. I looked at my watch: no time to leave, go elsewhere and make the performance on time. Shit, I'm stuck. My postage stamp size turkey burger looked like a defrosted mini-cowpie. It was served on a stale bun. The side of baked beans was runny and tasted like snot and looked like....worse. The best part of the meal was the water.
(1)
Arlene A.
So can I tell ya that Robinson's has the goods! The ribs have a wonderful smokiness with the meat all beautiful and pink. When I saw the smoke ring, I knew this was the real deal. The BBQ link was spicy with a nice snap. The corn muffin (which was heated up later) was moist and yummy. The chicken was also good, and normally BBQ chicken does nothing for me, but it's apparent that Robinson's is committed to good traditional barbecue. I'll be ordering in again soon.
(4)
Cody B.
Loved it. I was a little off-put by the negative yelp reviews but it seems like the majority were from the nextdoor high schoolers who may receive unfriendly service. We walked in 20 minutes before closing and had very pleasant service and great food. We were welcomed to stay after closing for however long we wanted, and did. BYOB is a plus. I'm glad its a block away from my girlfriend's apartment, cause I'll go back.
(4)
Kim P.
I was totally stoked to find an Entertainment coupon for Robinson's. I'd never been there before and supposedly the place boasted they were voted 1st place at the Taste of Chicago for 5 years running (or something like that). I'm wondering how that was possible. Truly. My BF and I got there at 8pm on a weeknight. There was no one else in the restaurant and we almost left thinking they were closed. But a disgruntled waitress with bad hair told us they were open and then grunted for us to pick a table. It's not a very big place, and we had it all to ourselves. So I was thinking, this should be good. We can get in an out quick. Boy I had no idea how quick we'd be getting out of there. Primarily because the waitress shoved her foot so far up our asses we had no choice. Apparently they close at 9 and despite the fact there was still an hour to go, we were treated like we must be assholes to expect to be served so close to closing. We ordered our food right away in an attempt to get the ball rolling. We both ordered ribs, I had a half slab and my BF had a whole. The food came out fairly quick. I think it was 8:20 when I glanced at the clock. I SHIT YOU NOT at 8:30 the waitress without saying a word to us turns off the tv, shuts off half the lights and begins putting the chairs up on the tables around us. I'm in no way a pokey eater, but duude cut me some slack. Ten minutes is not enough time to put down a slab of ribs, an ear of corn, a side of fries and slaw. We hastily tried to scarf down the mediocre food before they turned off all the lights. And it was mediocre. The ribs were tender enough, but lacking real depth of flavor. Instead they just tasted like they were drowned in sauce. And not even an ass kicking sauce. The fries were undercooked as if they pulled them out fast to assist in rushing us out the door. I think the best part of the meal was the cornbread biscuit. Seriously. I suppose the only satisfaction in this experience was when I presented the server with the coupon. And thank god we had one. Even with the coupon I still laid out almost $40. But rest assured it wasn't in the form of a tip. I gave the min (10%) and believe me that was being REALLY generous considering how crappy they treated us. We were gone by 8:45 so it wasn't like we kept them open past closing time. But we won't be venturing back there again. Too many other places in this wonderful city to get real BBQ where they welcome their patrons and not diss them.
(2)
Bill J.
Had Robinson's rib sandwich at Toyota Park. Unreal, I'll only be getting the sandwich from Robinson's going forward.
(3)
Ted C.
I remember this place being a good, cheap place for lunch when I was in high school-it was right across the street. The baskets were always a good value, never been there for dinner but I do agree that the service is pretty slack-but never in a mean way, they're just lackadaisical. The sauce is pretty good-again from what I remember, and I recall their rib sandwich being very good. I'll try to come by again and re-edit it.
(4)
Jordan R.
This review is for delivery. I'm always hesitant to order in ribs cause I feel like sometimes they don't travel well, but on Saturday after plans to go out for some BBQ got cancelled abruptly I had to have some. I figured instead of ordering from a local place that does a lot of things (I live on Addison), I'd take a chance and order from a dedicated rib spot, even though it was kind of far away. Got a rack of ribs dinner and the chicken tenders dinner. They said they'd be there in an hour and they made it in just under that. All the food was well packaged in tin foil and was still very hot. The ribs were delicious and tasted like they had just come out of the smoker. Bottom line, whenever I'm craving any type of bbq delivered on short notice, this is now my go-to.
(5)
Tuyen T.
This place is not friendly to students in the area. It is unfair to kick someone out when they are with 5 other people who are paying to eat there. Their food isn't that great, nothing special, but it isn't bad if you want some chicken fingers. Their service is awful.
(2)
Kelly S.
I had the Brisket Sandwich, Mac and Cheese and the Cole Slaw. Loved it all and want to try more off their menu!
(4)
Kyle S.
Robinsons is ok. The Pulled pork sandwich was much better than the reheated small portion of ribs we got. If you can find a better BYOB BBQ place, I'd go there.
(2)
Carrie S.
Thanks to some weird circumstances of not remembering the contents of my meatloaf recipe and a day of watching Veronica Mars on DVD, dinner came from Robinson's through Grubhub.com . Both of us got a half slab of ribs wet with different sides. As usual, the delivery was right on time and the food was nice and warm. My hickory baked beans were pretty good. Their version is slightly sweet and tangy. The corn muffin was average, but tasty in the moment. The ribs were also average, but kinda meh. The ribs were a little tough and fatty. It seemed that the delicious bbq sauce served to hide the flaws of the ill prepared meat. The sauce was truly the redeeming quality of the ribs, but overall I'd go somewhere else for my rib fix.
(2)
Andrea M.
I've gotten carry-out here and liked it. Their pulled pork sandwich is very good. One piece of advice- stick with the fries as a side. I ordered onion rings as a replacement and was bummed. They're good, but you get like 5 onion rings as opposed to a decent amount of curly seasoned fries.
(3)
Linz C.
my boyfriend and i called to order delivery from robinson's and the guy on the phone was such a jerk that after talking to him for a while we decided not to order from there. i called back to try to talk to a manager to let them know that whoever was taking their orders was losing them business and it was the same guy and he was even worse! don't order from them! i have never dealt with someone as rude as this at a restaurant.
(1)
mark b.
After ordering Robinson's tonight, I checked out the Yelp reviews...and almost panicked. But, the Baby Back Ribs w/ Seasoned fries arrived hot in about twenty minutes. The person who took my order was considerate and patient, especially considering I called three times in the span of ten minutes. The ribs were tasty and not fatty like I've seen some here say. The fries were good and complimented the Ribs. My only real gripe was the side of garlic bread; it was obvious someone spent about one second preparing it before tossing it into the toaster. Mostly toast with a small smear of garlic'ness in the middle. Would I order again? If I didn't feel like driving to Portillos, sure I would!
(4)
Jenny N.
I like this Robinsons. I live near by so I go here occasionally. I've always had good food. I ordered a burger and fries a few weeks ago and it was fantastic. For the amount of food they give you, it's a reasonable price. The service is pretty fast and there is good food. What else is there to say? It's a rib joint people, it's not a Rick Bayless restaurant, give them a break.
(4)
Randy N.
Rib sandwiches are worse than a McRib, ketchup tasted fermented, place reeks of mold. Pulled pork sandwich is ok, curly fries were good. Will not be going back.
(1)
Katrina F.
I ordered delivery this evening from Robinson's during a snow storm.....(Call me a completely mean woman for ordering delivery in the snow but I can assure you I tip accordingly for the weather). Just over an hour and fifteen minutes later my meal arrived. I was impressed with the bad weather that the hot food was still hot and the cold was cold. I always tend to over order when it comes to delivery and this time, I out did myself! I ordered the combo dinner, a 1/2 a rack of ribs, rib tips, 1/4 chicken and a hot link, so I could have a taste of every thing....The amount of meat I ordered could last me easily 3 days! It was all packed together doused in sauce (there was a wet or dry option when I ordered the food and I obviously chose the wet). The rib tips (always my favorite) were delicious! There were tons of them!! The chicken was fall off the bone tender and juicy. I am not a big hot link person...well not me, it's my stomach who doesn't care for them...but this one was perfectly charred and tasty...plus it actually agreed with my tummy. I was to overloaded on sauce to try the 1/2 slab so I will let you know later how they taste.....On to the sides. My combo came with coleslaw, corn bread and a choice side- I opted for the seasoned curly fries. I also ordered an extra side of mac and cheese for the low price of $1.75 (AWESOME price for an extra side) The mac and cheese was OK. It had the bread crumb topping which I don't care for but it was tasty. The fries were hot and crunchy which is such a rarity for delivery! They tasted really fresh and actually like a potato which is how i prefer my fries. I don't like coleslaw but I tried this one...It was decent better than most because it was more vinegar based than mayo based but I still don't care for coleslaw or mayo based salads.....The corn bread was a disappointment. I LOVE a good corn bread and this one was good and moist. It was shaped like a small muffin. That was the problem, it was so small!! With the amount of food I had I expected a big hunk of corn bread. Also the corn bread wasn't corn tasting enough for me. I did save room for dessert! The peach pie was semi frozen but after it thawed, it was delish!!! It wasn't overly sweet which I really appreciated. Over all I liked the food but I will continue to taste around until I find a place with more depth in the flavor of the BBQ. Heck I have enough food for a few days maybe Robinson's Ribs will grow on me!!
(3)
Dee W.
So disappointing - for only $40, my sister and I got the saddest half slab of ribs that just tasted kinda funny (not that fond of the sauce); the rib tips were only decent and the smallest side of corn on the cob - she ordered onion rings as her side and they gave her five small onioin rings. Definately felt gypped.
(2)
Liliana S.
I'm giving 4 stars based on their boneless rib sandwich that has my mouth watering as I type this review. Yes, it is expensive and you can probably get more for you buck at another Rib restaurant but they have the best boneless rib sandwich in chicago!
(4)
Mark P.
Can't taste anything but the sauce, which overwhelms any flavor the actual ribs may have.
(2)
Melissa C.
This is the place to go if you want great barbecued ribs or chicken. Their barbecue sauce is stupendous!
(4)
Tuyen T.
This place is not friendly to students in the area. It is unfair to kick someone out when they are with 5 other people who are paying to eat there. Their food isn't that great, nothing special, but it isn't bad if you want some chicken fingers. Their service is awful.
(2)
Kelly S.
I had the Brisket Sandwich, Mac and Cheese and the Cole Slaw. Loved it all and want to try more off their menu!
(4)
Michael S.
When it comes to restaurants. there is nothing I hate more than realizing I am a captive customer in an awful restaurant. I was in the hood because my daughter was performing in an hour across the street. I walked in here tonight with a positive attitude. I walked out with a bad taste in my mouth, literally. I saw the prices on the menu and gulped. Example: $6.95 for a hot dog. I looked around the dining room: empty. Bad sign. I looked at my watch: no time to leave, go elsewhere and make the performance on time. Shit, I'm stuck. My postage stamp size turkey burger looked like a defrosted mini-cowpie. It was served on a stale bun. The side of baked beans was runny and tasted like snot and looked like....worse. The best part of the meal was the water.
(1)
Richie D.
The location of this hole-in-the-wall restaurant off Armitage is dumpy, especially for Lincoln Park. I had to fight the door open to find the place empty. I thought nothing of it because those places usually have the best food. I ordered their well-known ribs which are found at the Taste of Chicago and was extremely disappointed. The sauce was ok and left me with heartburn the rest of the night. The worst part was the rib meat that was EXTREMELY fatty. I had tiny pieces of meat amongst all the fat. I wouldn't go back, especially with the somewhat high-end prices. Perhaps this place used to be astounding and tasty, but it has gone downhill since then.
(1)
Arlene A.
So can I tell ya that Robinson's has the goods! The ribs have a wonderful smokiness with the meat all beautiful and pink. When I saw the smoke ring, I knew this was the real deal. The BBQ link was spicy with a nice snap. The corn muffin (which was heated up later) was moist and yummy. The chicken was also good, and normally BBQ chicken does nothing for me, but it's apparent that Robinson's is committed to good traditional barbecue. I'll be ordering in again soon.
(4)
Cody B.
Loved it. I was a little off-put by the negative yelp reviews but it seems like the majority were from the nextdoor high schoolers who may receive unfriendly service. We walked in 20 minutes before closing and had very pleasant service and great food. We were welcomed to stay after closing for however long we wanted, and did. BYOB is a plus. I'm glad its a block away from my girlfriend's apartment, cause I'll go back.
(4)
Andrea M.
I've gotten carry-out here and liked it. Their pulled pork sandwich is very good. One piece of advice- stick with the fries as a side. I ordered onion rings as a replacement and was bummed. They're good, but you get like 5 onion rings as opposed to a decent amount of curly seasoned fries.
(3)
Kim P.
I was totally stoked to find an Entertainment coupon for Robinson's. I'd never been there before and supposedly the place boasted they were voted 1st place at the Taste of Chicago for 5 years running (or something like that). I'm wondering how that was possible. Truly. My BF and I got there at 8pm on a weeknight. There was no one else in the restaurant and we almost left thinking they were closed. But a disgruntled waitress with bad hair told us they were open and then grunted for us to pick a table. It's not a very big place, and we had it all to ourselves. So I was thinking, this should be good. We can get in an out quick. Boy I had no idea how quick we'd be getting out of there. Primarily because the waitress shoved her foot so far up our asses we had no choice. Apparently they close at 9 and despite the fact there was still an hour to go, we were treated like we must be assholes to expect to be served so close to closing. We ordered our food right away in an attempt to get the ball rolling. We both ordered ribs, I had a half slab and my BF had a whole. The food came out fairly quick. I think it was 8:20 when I glanced at the clock. I SHIT YOU NOT at 8:30 the waitress without saying a word to us turns off the tv, shuts off half the lights and begins putting the chairs up on the tables around us. I'm in no way a pokey eater, but duude cut me some slack. Ten minutes is not enough time to put down a slab of ribs, an ear of corn, a side of fries and slaw. We hastily tried to scarf down the mediocre food before they turned off all the lights. And it was mediocre. The ribs were tender enough, but lacking real depth of flavor. Instead they just tasted like they were drowned in sauce. And not even an ass kicking sauce. The fries were undercooked as if they pulled them out fast to assist in rushing us out the door. I think the best part of the meal was the cornbread biscuit. Seriously. I suppose the only satisfaction in this experience was when I presented the server with the coupon. And thank god we had one. Even with the coupon I still laid out almost $40. But rest assured it wasn't in the form of a tip. I gave the min (10%) and believe me that was being REALLY generous considering how crappy they treated us. We were gone by 8:45 so it wasn't like we kept them open past closing time. But we won't be venturing back there again. Too many other places in this wonderful city to get real BBQ where they welcome their patrons and not diss them.
(2)
Kyle S.
Robinsons is ok. The Pulled pork sandwich was much better than the reheated small portion of ribs we got. If you can find a better BYOB BBQ place, I'd go there.
(2)
Carrie S.
Thanks to some weird circumstances of not remembering the contents of my meatloaf recipe and a day of watching Veronica Mars on DVD, dinner came from Robinson's through Grubhub.com . Both of us got a half slab of ribs wet with different sides. As usual, the delivery was right on time and the food was nice and warm. My hickory baked beans were pretty good. Their version is slightly sweet and tangy. The corn muffin was average, but tasty in the moment. The ribs were also average, but kinda meh. The ribs were a little tough and fatty. It seemed that the delicious bbq sauce served to hide the flaws of the ill prepared meat. The sauce was truly the redeeming quality of the ribs, but overall I'd go somewhere else for my rib fix.
(2)
Linz C.
my boyfriend and i called to order delivery from robinson's and the guy on the phone was such a jerk that after talking to him for a while we decided not to order from there. i called back to try to talk to a manager to let them know that whoever was taking their orders was losing them business and it was the same guy and he was even worse! don't order from them! i have never dealt with someone as rude as this at a restaurant.
(1)
mark b.
After ordering Robinson's tonight, I checked out the Yelp reviews...and almost panicked. But, the Baby Back Ribs w/ Seasoned fries arrived hot in about twenty minutes. The person who took my order was considerate and patient, especially considering I called three times in the span of ten minutes. The ribs were tasty and not fatty like I've seen some here say. The fries were good and complimented the Ribs. My only real gripe was the side of garlic bread; it was obvious someone spent about one second preparing it before tossing it into the toaster. Mostly toast with a small smear of garlic'ness in the middle. Would I order again? If I didn't feel like driving to Portillos, sure I would!
(4)
Jenny N.
I like this Robinsons. I live near by so I go here occasionally. I've always had good food. I ordered a burger and fries a few weeks ago and it was fantastic. For the amount of food they give you, it's a reasonable price. The service is pretty fast and there is good food. What else is there to say? It's a rib joint people, it's not a Rick Bayless restaurant, give them a break.
(4)
Bill J.
Had Robinson's rib sandwich at Toyota Park. Unreal, I'll only be getting the sandwich from Robinson's going forward.
(3)
Ted C.
I remember this place being a good, cheap place for lunch when I was in high school-it was right across the street. The baskets were always a good value, never been there for dinner but I do agree that the service is pretty slack-but never in a mean way, they're just lackadaisical. The sauce is pretty good-again from what I remember, and I recall their rib sandwich being very good. I'll try to come by again and re-edit it.
(4)
Erin S.
This place is good for ordering in. Never actually been in the restaurant. I just got chicken fingers - which were actually pretty good, and Keith S was with me and got the ribs and he enjoyed them. So perhaps because we were starving and it was right across the street. But this place isn't bad when it's really cold and you want some decent food.
(3)
Mary L.
mmm. I don't understand all of the negative reviews for this place. I live very close and go quite often. Last night, I got the BBQ grilled salmon sandwich wiith fries- very tasty. My boyfriend got the pulled pork sandwich with fries and ate every last bite. Our waiter was super friendly and we never had to ask for anything. It is BYOB, they have a nice patio in the back, and carry out is efficient. In terms of BBQ spots in the city, Smoque is amazing but they have long lines and I feel rushed to get out of there. Robinson's is more laid back and almost as tasty.
(4)
Bunny K.
home recipe for the bbq sauce. ribs and fries is the way to go. i get a bottle or two of the sauce to go every time :) finger licking good.
(4)
Matt M.
It's just shitty. One time I ordered ribs, it came with a side of fries and a long ass hair that I pulled out of my mouth. At least it was from someone's head, unless they're not maintaining properly. Last Friday I got a brisket sandwich, fries and mac and cheese and it was generally crappy, but no hair. I'm not a BBQ connoisseur or anything, but I know what's gross. I was drunk at the time, but Smoke Shack on Halsted blew this place away when I ate there. I would have ordered from there last Friday too but they didn't have online ordering and I was too high to talk on the phone.
(2)
Sydney K.
I'm in love with the rib sandwich here, and so I haven't tried much else. The corn bread is great, but the ribs are just mediocre. The rib tips are very fatty - yuck.
(3)
Katrina F.
I ordered delivery this evening from Robinson's during a snow storm.....(Call me a completely mean woman for ordering delivery in the snow but I can assure you I tip accordingly for the weather). Just over an hour and fifteen minutes later my meal arrived. I was impressed with the bad weather that the hot food was still hot and the cold was cold. I always tend to over order when it comes to delivery and this time, I out did myself! I ordered the combo dinner, a 1/2 a rack of ribs, rib tips, 1/4 chicken and a hot link, so I could have a taste of every thing....The amount of meat I ordered could last me easily 3 days! It was all packed together doused in sauce (there was a wet or dry option when I ordered the food and I obviously chose the wet). The rib tips (always my favorite) were delicious! There were tons of them!! The chicken was fall off the bone tender and juicy. I am not a big hot link person...well not me, it's my stomach who doesn't care for them...but this one was perfectly charred and tasty...plus it actually agreed with my tummy. I was to overloaded on sauce to try the 1/2 slab so I will let you know later how they taste.....On to the sides. My combo came with coleslaw, corn bread and a choice side- I opted for the seasoned curly fries. I also ordered an extra side of mac and cheese for the low price of $1.75 (AWESOME price for an extra side) The mac and cheese was OK. It had the bread crumb topping which I don't care for but it was tasty. The fries were hot and crunchy which is such a rarity for delivery! They tasted really fresh and actually like a potato which is how i prefer my fries. I don't like coleslaw but I tried this one...It was decent better than most because it was more vinegar based than mayo based but I still don't care for coleslaw or mayo based salads.....The corn bread was a disappointment. I LOVE a good corn bread and this one was good and moist. It was shaped like a small muffin. That was the problem, it was so small!! With the amount of food I had I expected a big hunk of corn bread. Also the corn bread wasn't corn tasting enough for me. I did save room for dessert! The peach pie was semi frozen but after it thawed, it was delish!!! It wasn't overly sweet which I really appreciated. Over all I liked the food but I will continue to taste around until I find a place with more depth in the flavor of the BBQ. Heck I have enough food for a few days maybe Robinson's Ribs will grow on me!!
(3)
Dee W.
So disappointing - for only $40, my sister and I got the saddest half slab of ribs that just tasted kinda funny (not that fond of the sauce); the rib tips were only decent and the smallest side of corn on the cob - she ordered onion rings as her side and they gave her five small onioin rings. Definately felt gypped.
(2)
Liliana S.
I'm giving 4 stars based on their boneless rib sandwich that has my mouth watering as I type this review. Yes, it is expensive and you can probably get more for you buck at another Rib restaurant but they have the best boneless rib sandwich in chicago!
(4)
Mark P.
Can't taste anything but the sauce, which overwhelms any flavor the actual ribs may have.
(2)
Melissa C.
This is the place to go if you want great barbecued ribs or chicken. Their barbecue sauce is stupendous!
(4)
Hannah H.
About a 2-2.5: My friend and I came to Robinson's after shopping in the Lincoln Park area. We've always seen this place and it seems to be a popular spot among the DePaul students. The menu offers appetizers, jumbo wraps, salads, Cajun-focused dishes, ribs, and chicken. We shared a whole slab of baby back ribs, which was served as 'wet' (smothered by Robinson's BBQ sauce); the ribs themselves were slightly underwhelming, as they didn't necessarily fall off the bone and wasn't quite as tender; I did appreciate the amount of sauce, as I'm a total sauce person! However, the BBQ sauce itself was a little less thick as I would have liked. This platter came with a corn muffin (that was more on the drier side), cole slaw, and a choice of a side (we opted for baked beans as well as an extra order of onion rings). Service was efficient, and there is limited parking along Armitage. +offers 'wet' and 'dry' options for ribs +limited parking on Armitage
(3)
Eva K.
Last week we had our company picnic/softball tournament catered by Robinson's No. 1 Ribs-Lincoln Park and they were absolutely amazing! They were able to help us out on reasonably short notice and were very reasonably priced. Food was great. We'll definitely be giving them a call again!
(5)
Ignacio S.
I wouldn't give any stars if possible. I ordered here for the first time and #1. The Mac and cheese was bland, wasn't cheesy. It tasted like wet macaroni. #2. The pulled pork on my pulled pork sandwich was dry and had red pieces when I asked for well done. #3. The delivery man had an attitude when dropping it off because I had someone else sign for me since I was busy. #4. The coleslaw was sour and almost inedible. I threw it in the trash. I'm not exaggerating at all with these points. If you're going to be named Robs No. 1 Ribs, you need to actually serve quality food especially with those kind of prices. The only thing good out of my meal was the onion rings. You guys just lost a customer cus I'm never going back.
(1)
Jason A.
Nice pricing for a sandwich and a side. I had the pulled chicken, and the chicken itself was actually really nice. It was super juicy and the seasoning with pepper standing out was a standout. The sauce was ok, but forgettable, a touch sweet. The bun was mass produced store bought. The real downside was the fries. You can tell they were bought frozen and re-heated. That's a joke. Ok spot, but too many better food truck options to have again.
(2)
Marquise N.
I ordered from here on Tuesday for the first time. The sauce was horrible. My rib tips were not good. The Mac and cheese was bland. The pecan pie had more salt. The pork and beans were also flavorless. The coleslaw reminded me of the imitation crab salad at subway. For the amount of money I paid I was expecting much more. The only good thing was the curly fries. I will not be eating there again.
(1)
Justin B.
The mac-and-cheese and canned beans were tasty...everything else (rib tips, pulled pork sammich, corn bread, BBQ sauces) were not. The rib tips, in particular, were surprisingly bad, tough to chew, not that flavorful. I will give Robinson's this much--there were a lot of them, so I would have been full had I chosen to eat them all! The space is subpar but they give you the option to take it out, so I would exercise that option if I were you!
(2)
Gina G.
So let's start with the food. It was average. For the price I'm happy with what I got I will most likely order again if I'm feeling lazy. The chicken skin was semi soggy though so I will probably try something else (which is most likely from being delivered) so not a huge deal. I was very happy that it arrived in a timely manor and that the delivery man made sure I got my food when my roommate got it for me.
(4)
Joseph J.
I got the shrimp and ribs combo for delivery. The ribs were OK but nothing special and a little tough. The shrimp were flavorless and tasted like something from a Long John Silvers that hasn't exchanged its cooking oil in a year. The cardboard and lumpy flour construction misnamed "corn muffin" was a fitting end to the atrocious meal as it disintegrated into powder in my hands. I also tasted my friend's order of rib tips which were literally pieces of inedible gristle. Don't think I'll be ordering from this place again.
(1)
Mindy N.
Just ordered take out from here it took almost two hours, estimated delivery time was supposed to be 75 minutes or less. The delivery man was extremely rude! And my food was ice cold.. I live less than a mile away. Better service next time, but I doubt I'll order from.them again
(1)
Brock L.
Please Note: This review is based on the fact that I used a Groupon! The BBQ wasnt that bad, but considering I bought a Groupon, and also had a promo code for the Groupon, this was a great deal considering the quality. For $34 (Price of Groupon: $44 - $10 promo) + $8 goof tax, I was able to get 2 full slabs of ribs, 2 orders of the BBQ platter (more ribs and rib tips), 2 corn breads, 2 mac & cheese, 2 cole slaw. All for ~$42 I was able to stuff 3 people. Not bad! I picked up the food right on the dot of when i placed my pickup order. Food was still warm/hot when i got it home to eat. For quality, I don't think it was amazing, but considering I paid $42, and was able to stuff 3 people, I am very satisfied. If I did not have a Groupon, I would have given it a lower rating.
(3)
Lorena C.
Took our family for Valentines Day we love the ribs and the best part was the BYOB... The staff was great the place was so nice and warm... I luv to go places where I could take my jackets off and not be cold. Definitely going back!!!
(5)
Burton D.
I would not recommend that anyone go out of his way to eat here. There are too many other good BBQ places in the city to spend your money on this place. If I lived a block away, I'd probably stop in now & then - it's not actually "bad" BBQ. The place is clean, and the service friendly. The baby back ribs are quite tender, but the sauce (there's only one) is merely serviceable. I'd avoid the buffalo cheese sticks - they really don't taste of blue cheese & red sauce. I dunked mine in the BBQ sauce. Count on noise - brick walls do nothing to absorb sound. BYO beer or wine. No corkage or glass fee.
(2)
Timothy C.
The customer service was the worst. I had a Groupon and went there w/ friends for lunch. We were the only ones in the place and it took 4 mins for anyone to greet us not to mention 2 employess came to the counter and said nothing to us. When they finally came to take our order the guy said he doesn't know how to redeem Groupon's and we have to wait for another guy to get there and he was really busy and told me good luck! We walked out!!! This guy was really rude and after reading other reviews I don't think we missed out on anything special. I also called Groupon and told them they should not support this business because of there lack of customer service.
(1)
Ricardo E.
I brought a Groupon and thought it was going to be a good experience. I ordered the full slab of ribs and the were really bad. Way too much of their bad sauce and the ribs were cold. The cole slaw taste like plastic and the beans tasted like they came from a can. Don't do it, stay away.
(1)
Diane R.
This was by far the worst BBQ I have ever had. My husband was really craving ribs and we were in the area so we gave it a try. (Normally we go to Carson's in Deerfield.). Robinson's claims to slow smoke their meats for hours on wood fires, but it actually looked and tasted as if the meat had been boiled. The sauce was bad, too. I even tried masking the taste with store bought sauce we had on hand- even that didn't help. I hate wasting food but this was so bad, that we ended up throwing a barely touched bucket of ribs and sandwich in the trash.
(1)
Dean K.
i'm boring. i almost always get the same thing - ribs, dry with sauce on the side, slaw, onion rings, mac n cheese and the muffin. it's always good, but not great. i'd prefer Lem's but the drive down to 75th can be a bit much. i have had the chicken her too and it is quite good.
(3)
j w.
Arguably, the worst food I've ever tasted in the 18 years I've lived in Chicago. What sort of fool, would actually go back to this place twice???
(1)
Lunch E.
Got the groupon expected more from this place. Sauce was ok. There was a visible smoke ring on the ribs but didn't taste much of the smoky flavor. Wouldn't come back here, even with another deal.
(2)
Ng s.
The ribs were terrible. They were freezer burned and as dry as a desert. I would never go back and if anyone is planning on going there... DONT! No one should ever eat here, the food is simply terrible. The side dishes were all terrible, and again the ribs were unbelievably dry. It was like I was eating jerky.
(1)
Anna P.
The baby back ribs are really good, but I am not a huge fan of the sauce. I had the baby back ribs "wet" (with sauce) and had to use my bbq sauce (store bought) I had in the fridge to cover the ribs with it instead. The garlic mashed potatoes were perfect, as was the corn bread muffin. The food arrived super fast -- nice and hot (I ordered through Grubhub). I also had a slice of the red velvet cake, which was so delicious. I have to give this place just an ok rating and that is for its disappointing bbq sauce. Its watery or something is just not quite right. I would order from them again, but douse the ribs in my store bought sauce, again.
(3)
M M.
This place serves the most disgusting ribs I have ever eaten at a "restaurant" in my life. I came here for my birthday- my family ordered a fairly large amount of food. I don't even want to describe the setting, just straight to the food. I ordered grilled salmon and we ordered several buckets of ribs. I hate how great manners I have- when the lady asked us if everything was okay, the answer should have been "NO!" We waited close to an hour and alas, the ribs came. I kid you not, the ribs were tender but in a bad way- you can tell that the ribs were pre-cooked, frozen and microwaved. Seems like NOTHING that was served ever touched the grill. The grilled salmon itself tasted microwaved! it was soooooo dry and no evidence of charring what-so-ever. That was the most disappointing birthday dinner IN MY LIFE. I advise you to choose elsewhere.
(1)
Kaitlin M.
I love Robinson's pulled pork sandwich!!! They give you a great portion of meat for the price and serve on a crusted sandwich roll that is not too tough to each but still holds the sandwich together so you can eat it with your hands! (I hate floppy rolls that make you eat a sandwich with a fork and knife.) They also have crazy fast deliver or a quite little restaurant that is BYOB. I have had a bunch of BBQ in the city and this is the place I go to most consistently! Ps... ask for a side of their spicy BBQ sauce... so good!
(5)
Mikie B.
We walked up to Robinsons after getting to Twin Anchors too late in the night and the estimated wait time too long. Robinsons offers dry-rubbed ribs by request. Based off of what we were served, there is a good reason they are by request - the meat was dry and there were no spices to be found. Definitely not the same kind of dry-rubbed you would find in a place like Texas... or even down the street at the BBQ counter in Whole Foods.
(2)
Karl P.
I had a groupon to try here. My boyfriend and I went on a Tuesday night at 6:30pm. We walked in and the lady at the counter barely said even HI to us. I took out my groupon and asked her what do we get with this. So she pretty much shoves a Groupon Menu in my face.my bf and I order two sandwichs he had da pulled pork and I had da bbq beef. We had bbq wings as our side. As far as the food goes the wings were nice and hot and I would say they were good. We both loved our sandwich's. However as we were waiting the lady was texting on her phone. Very unprofessional btw.... It was dead we were da only two customers in the dining room. So the cook brings our food out while the lady behind the counter keeps texting. SMH...... Overall da food was decent but very unprofessional and unfriendly staff that lady at the counter need to goto Customer Service school. As we left my boyfriend said thanks and have a good night. The cook was siting in the dining room with the lady from behind the counter as she was still texting (go figure). The cook said thanks and have a good night . The lady said nothing to us at all didn't even look up and smile it was as if her texting was more important then customers. As far as if we might go back maybe. But the owner needs to re train her and show her how to do her job better.....
(2)
Matthew D.
I got the beef link sandwich here the other day. I wasn't really that hungry and it was the cheapest thing on the menu, so I figured it would be a fairly small meal. Boy, was I wrong. You get a side and coleslaw with the sandwich. All for $6.50 + tax. I got the onion rings just because I like dipping them in bbq sauce. Good call. The sandwich was what I expected- a tasty, spicy link smothered in sauce on a roll. Can't go wrong there. And the coleslaw was just right. Creamy and cool. I put it on my sandwich for that southern style thing. Overall, a pretty good value and the food was good.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Street Wheelchair Accessible : No Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Ricardo E.
I brought a Groupon and thought it was going to be a good experience. I ordered the full slab of ribs and the were really bad. Way too much of their bad sauce and the ribs were cold. The cole slaw taste like plastic and the beans tasted like they came from a can. Don't do it, stay away.
(1)Diane R.
This was by far the worst BBQ I have ever had. My husband was really craving ribs and we were in the area so we gave it a try. (Normally we go to Carson's in Deerfield.). Robinson's claims to slow smoke their meats for hours on wood fires, but it actually looked and tasted as if the meat had been boiled. The sauce was bad, too. I even tried masking the taste with store bought sauce we had on hand- even that didn't help. I hate wasting food but this was so bad, that we ended up throwing a barely touched bucket of ribs and sandwich in the trash.
(1)Dean K.
i'm boring. i almost always get the same thing - ribs, dry with sauce on the side, slaw, onion rings, mac n cheese and the muffin. it's always good, but not great. i'd prefer Lem's but the drive down to 75th can be a bit much. i have had the chicken her too and it is quite good.
(3)j w.
Arguably, the worst food I've ever tasted in the 18 years I've lived in Chicago. What sort of fool, would actually go back to this place twice???
(1)Lunch E.
Got the groupon expected more from this place. Sauce was ok. There was a visible smoke ring on the ribs but didn't taste much of the smoky flavor. Wouldn't come back here, even with another deal.
(2)Ng s.
The ribs were terrible. They were freezer burned and as dry as a desert. I would never go back and if anyone is planning on going there... DONT! No one should ever eat here, the food is simply terrible. The side dishes were all terrible, and again the ribs were unbelievably dry. It was like I was eating jerky.
(1)Anna P.
The baby back ribs are really good, but I am not a huge fan of the sauce. I had the baby back ribs "wet" (with sauce) and had to use my bbq sauce (store bought) I had in the fridge to cover the ribs with it instead. The garlic mashed potatoes were perfect, as was the corn bread muffin. The food arrived super fast -- nice and hot (I ordered through Grubhub). I also had a slice of the red velvet cake, which was so delicious. I have to give this place just an ok rating and that is for its disappointing bbq sauce. Its watery or something is just not quite right. I would order from them again, but douse the ribs in my store bought sauce, again.
(3)M M.
This place serves the most disgusting ribs I have ever eaten at a "restaurant" in my life. I came here for my birthday- my family ordered a fairly large amount of food. I don't even want to describe the setting, just straight to the food. I ordered grilled salmon and we ordered several buckets of ribs. I hate how great manners I have- when the lady asked us if everything was okay, the answer should have been "NO!" We waited close to an hour and alas, the ribs came. I kid you not, the ribs were tender but in a bad way- you can tell that the ribs were pre-cooked, frozen and microwaved. Seems like NOTHING that was served ever touched the grill. The grilled salmon itself tasted microwaved! it was soooooo dry and no evidence of charring what-so-ever. That was the most disappointing birthday dinner IN MY LIFE. I advise you to choose elsewhere.
(1)Brock L.
Please Note: This review is based on the fact that I used a Groupon! The BBQ wasnt that bad, but considering I bought a Groupon, and also had a promo code for the Groupon, this was a great deal considering the quality. For $34 (Price of Groupon: $44 - $10 promo) + $8 goof tax, I was able to get 2 full slabs of ribs, 2 orders of the BBQ platter (more ribs and rib tips), 2 corn breads, 2 mac & cheese, 2 cole slaw. All for ~$42 I was able to stuff 3 people. Not bad! I picked up the food right on the dot of when i placed my pickup order. Food was still warm/hot when i got it home to eat. For quality, I don't think it was amazing, but considering I paid $42, and was able to stuff 3 people, I am very satisfied. If I did not have a Groupon, I would have given it a lower rating.
(3)Lorena C.
Took our family for Valentines Day we love the ribs and the best part was the BYOB... The staff was great the place was so nice and warm... I luv to go places where I could take my jackets off and not be cold. Definitely going back!!!
(5)Burton D.
I would not recommend that anyone go out of his way to eat here. There are too many other good BBQ places in the city to spend your money on this place. If I lived a block away, I'd probably stop in now & then - it's not actually "bad" BBQ. The place is clean, and the service friendly. The baby back ribs are quite tender, but the sauce (there's only one) is merely serviceable. I'd avoid the buffalo cheese sticks - they really don't taste of blue cheese & red sauce. I dunked mine in the BBQ sauce. Count on noise - brick walls do nothing to absorb sound. BYO beer or wine. No corkage or glass fee.
(2)Timothy C.
The customer service was the worst. I had a Groupon and went there w/ friends for lunch. We were the only ones in the place and it took 4 mins for anyone to greet us not to mention 2 employess came to the counter and said nothing to us. When they finally came to take our order the guy said he doesn't know how to redeem Groupon's and we have to wait for another guy to get there and he was really busy and told me good luck! We walked out!!! This guy was really rude and after reading other reviews I don't think we missed out on anything special. I also called Groupon and told them they should not support this business because of there lack of customer service.
(1)Kaitlin M.
I love Robinson's pulled pork sandwich!!! They give you a great portion of meat for the price and serve on a crusted sandwich roll that is not too tough to each but still holds the sandwich together so you can eat it with your hands! (I hate floppy rolls that make you eat a sandwich with a fork and knife.) They also have crazy fast deliver or a quite little restaurant that is BYOB. I have had a bunch of BBQ in the city and this is the place I go to most consistently! Ps... ask for a side of their spicy BBQ sauce... so good!
(5)Mikie B.
We walked up to Robinsons after getting to Twin Anchors too late in the night and the estimated wait time too long. Robinsons offers dry-rubbed ribs by request. Based off of what we were served, there is a good reason they are by request - the meat was dry and there were no spices to be found. Definitely not the same kind of dry-rubbed you would find in a place like Texas... or even down the street at the BBQ counter in Whole Foods.
(2)Karl P.
I had a groupon to try here. My boyfriend and I went on a Tuesday night at 6:30pm. We walked in and the lady at the counter barely said even HI to us. I took out my groupon and asked her what do we get with this. So she pretty much shoves a Groupon Menu in my face.my bf and I order two sandwichs he had da pulled pork and I had da bbq beef. We had bbq wings as our side. As far as the food goes the wings were nice and hot and I would say they were good. We both loved our sandwich's. However as we were waiting the lady was texting on her phone. Very unprofessional btw.... It was dead we were da only two customers in the dining room. So the cook brings our food out while the lady behind the counter keeps texting. SMH...... Overall da food was decent but very unprofessional and unfriendly staff that lady at the counter need to goto Customer Service school. As we left my boyfriend said thanks and have a good night. The cook was siting in the dining room with the lady from behind the counter as she was still texting (go figure). The cook said thanks and have a good night . The lady said nothing to us at all didn't even look up and smile it was as if her texting was more important then customers. As far as if we might go back maybe. But the owner needs to re train her and show her how to do her job better.....
(2)Matthew D.
I got the beef link sandwich here the other day. I wasn't really that hungry and it was the cheapest thing on the menu, so I figured it would be a fairly small meal. Boy, was I wrong. You get a side and coleslaw with the sandwich. All for $6.50 + tax. I got the onion rings just because I like dipping them in bbq sauce. Good call. The sandwich was what I expected- a tasty, spicy link smothered in sauce on a roll. Can't go wrong there. And the coleslaw was just right. Creamy and cool. I put it on my sandwich for that southern style thing. Overall, a pretty good value and the food was good.
(3)Nick M.
2 and a half stars. After living in Richmond for 4 years I learned a good amount about BBQ. Specifically that the greatness in good BBQ comes from the actual meat and not the sauce that covers or masks it. The two elements must work together in a way that I can't quite describe, but you know it when you experience it. The ribs here were swimming in BBQ sauce. The sauce was nothing to write home about. They did not have much meat on them and were served in picnic-style plates. My buddy's pulled pork sandwich did not look like traditional "bbq". It was heavy on the sauce and looked more like slices of pork than pulled pork. He said it was not very good. The cole-slaw was not slaw, but chopped very fine. The mac and cheese, baked beans and the cornbread were by far the best part of the meal. And the fact that we could BYOB and were sipping on some nice beers....that was nice. I probably won't hurry to go back to Robinsons and when I do (my friends live next to it so it will happen inevitably) I'll ask for sauce on the side.
(2)Tera D.
Robinson's is basic barbecue. Nothing special, but satisfies your craving. Personally, I think it's overpriced for what you get, but I live near here and if I need need need bbq (which happens from time to time), I'm willing to suck it up and pay. For example, the other day we spent $30 on a half slab, 2 hot links, fries and beans for takeout. We had zero leftovers, which is pretty unusual for us, and I was by no means bursting at the seams. But it was ready in 15 minutes flat, and definitely hit the spot.
(3)Kelli B.
Robinson's is a hidden gem. You'd seriously walk right by the place if you didn't know it was there. Their restaurant is surprisingly small, mainly because most of their business is catering and carry out. They have a patio, which I have yet to see, but the waiter told me it has about 10 tables. One of the huge benefits to eating at Robinson's is..it's BYOB!! Noting like cold Belgian beer and Barbecue! My running club has catered Robinson's four times now and we have yet to be disappointed. They always show up right on time, almost to the minute! Their prices are very reasonable and the food is delicious. Everyone always raves about how great the food is, that's why we keep going back! The pulled pork, turkey and brisket is fantastic, the sauce is delicious and it's never dry. The baked mac and cheese is to die for and the corn bread is so good it's almost like cake! We ordered veggie burgers for a few of the vegetarians at our last event and even those were good! When we ate in we had the ribs which are great, and they come pre-cut which is unusual but kind of cool! That's probably how they come when you get them catered so maybe that's why they serve them cut when you eat in. We also had the onion rings which were wonderful as was the coleslaw. If you like barbecue and you love BYOB places, this is probably one of the best places in the city. Robinson's is very casual / no frills; think - the cashier with the baseball hat is also the waiter. But don't let the the size and casualness of the place fool you. This is some top notch barbecue baby!!
(5)Randy N.
Rib sandwiches are worse than a McRib, ketchup tasted fermented, place reeks of mold. Pulled pork sandwich is ok, curly fries were good. Will not be going back.
(1)Jordan R.
This review is for delivery. I'm always hesitant to order in ribs cause I feel like sometimes they don't travel well, but on Saturday after plans to go out for some BBQ got cancelled abruptly I had to have some. I figured instead of ordering from a local place that does a lot of things (I live on Addison), I'd take a chance and order from a dedicated rib spot, even though it was kind of far away. Got a rack of ribs dinner and the chicken tenders dinner. They said they'd be there in an hour and they made it in just under that. All the food was well packaged in tin foil and was still very hot. The ribs were delicious and tasted like they had just come out of the smoker. Bottom line, whenever I'm craving any type of bbq delivered on short notice, this is now my go-to.
(5)Duke K.
Fairly disappointed with Robinson's. I was anxious to try a couple of things, so I spread out my order and got the Jumbo Style Hot Dog, their Fried Chicken Salad and lastly a Pecan Pie to top everything off. My Hot Dog bun was soggy. The hot dog itself was shriveled and very OVER cooked and the curly fries that it had been delivered with were freezing cold. The salad was served with Mexican Taco Lettuce. The yolk in the boiled eggs were brown in color; and the chicken smelt AWFUL! Almost like cleaning solution. I brought a piece and had given it to my dog. Instantly he threw up (no lie). Lastly the Pecan Pie was wrapped in a Sara Lee container; and purchased from Jewel Grocery Store. It was beyond disgusting! Truthfully I had hoped for at least a "good meal". It didn't have to blow me away; but instead what I got was something repulsive. I took 1 bite of each thing and it ended up in the trash. It was a waste of food, and it was a waste of my money. I'd never; ever, recommend Robinson's to anyone. Not even a homeless person. I'm sorry. By far the worst meal I've ever had; and the worst food I've ever tasted in Chicago.
(1)John E.
Where to start. I love BBQ I make my own every weekend. The pulled pork was more mush then anything. The chicken wings are very over cooked and scrawny. The BBQ sauce is just there it is like Ketchup with vinegar added in. The hamburger tasted like a pre-made frozen overcooked patty. The ribs, boiled to death then dipped in nasty BBQ sauce and thrown on a hot grill to try to heat up the BBQ sauce. No signs of char or caramelization and not even a hint of smoke flavor you expect from good ribs. i have been to a lot of BBQ joints in the city and around it. This is the worst place for BBQ I have ever been to.
(1)Morris F.
If it had been hot on arrival, the food would have rated two stars. However, after nearly a two-hour wait, the food would have had to be spectacular, and it wasn't. It was also cold, which had to take some work considering the restaurant is a quarter of a mile from my home. A big serving of beef ribs (I have some left for lunch) with lots of sauce (pretty much like you'd get out of a bottle from the grocery store). The side of onion rings would have tasted great hot. Cold, not so much. I should have known better when I saw they predicted a wait of 45-75 minutes (it turned out to be 115 minutes). Now I do.
(1)Natalie S.
I think I have a personal beef with this place because of what I started seeing as "profiling". When I was in high school across the street eons ago at good ol' LPHS, we used to eat lunch there a lot. Then they started this whole "NO STUDENTS" ban on the restaurant. Really? I was a good, paying customer twice a week and you're just going to ban me because I go to school across the street? I'm sure they had some issues with some students but to just ban us from entering your establishment sounds unlawful to me. Fast forward 16 years... and I'm still pissed about it and now I get to vent via Yelp. Their ribs kinda suck. They are overrated and expensive for what you get. The rib tips are a better deal but even those are just mediocre. Not the biggest fan of their sauce either. Suck it, Robinson's.
(2)Brendan C.
Pretty good place. Food it always delivered in the timeframe promised, always hot and the order is always right. A little pricey for the quality, but unless you go to the deep south or west sides of the city, you aren't going to find "gourmet" BBQ.
(4)Rebecca H.
Sure, it's ribs. Sure, they deliver. Sure, they deliver late night. But don't do it. It's never as good as you remember it - mostly because the last place you ate BBQ at wasn't Robinson's. Also, by the time your soggy, sad food arrives at your home, you will have passed out anyway. It generally takes 1-2 hours.
(1)Lisa T.
I am honestly pretty surprised by some of the negative reviews on here, but readers take note ----- many of the low star reviews are from 4-5 years ago. I don't know if Robinson's used to have problems, but let me assure you they have remedied them if they did. Great spot for a quick BBQ dinner. This is clearly not the best barbecue in the city, but it's definitely good. I've had a few thing on the menu.... 1/2 slab and chicken breast combo, the salmon, and the chicken tenders. Useful tip - their BBQ items come positively swimming in sauce. I particularly like this; their sauce is nice and tangy and good and I've always liked a ton of sauce on my grilled meats. However, if you prefer a thin swipe of sauce, you're not gonna be happy.... I'd advise ordering your selection "dry" or w/ sauce on the side. The hickory baked beans are "a-ok"..... they are far superior to baked beans out of a can (honestly though, what isn't?), but at a rib place like this I would be waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy more satisfied if they were some burnt ends in the beans. One small complaint - for the love of god install a fountain soda machine. I kind of can't believe that all this place has in the way of beverages is cans of pop/lemonade/tea. Their delivery is fairly reliable, and the inside of this place is kind of a little hidden gem. It looks like a bit of a hole in the wall from the outside but it's actually pretty cute. Totally not fancy, but give me a break it's a BBQ joint!
(4)Jayne K.
Came here on Friday night for dinner with a friend only to discover that the restaurant area had been closed for a private party. We were ok with carryout but still kinda janky since we had called earlier in the day and we just paid for parking. Foodwise I'd say I was definitely satisfied but not blown away. I got the rib tips and hot link combo with mac n cheese and cornbread. I'd say the carbs were definitely more memorable than the protein but not a bad spot overall. My search for good BBQ in Chicago continues!
(3)Van P.
I had ribs at Robinson's (here) and at Honky Tonk BBQ down in Pilsen BOTH ON THE SAME DAY BECAUSE I LOVE RIBS and I have to say Honky Tonk BBQ wins but these were by no means lousy ribs. These were pretty good ribs.
(3)Katherine E.
We ordered for delivery, and had a variety of things--a 1/2 slab of ribs, 1/2 chicken, a pulled pork sandwich and beer-battered cod. Everything was simply mediocre. Even the sides were just OK--mac and cheese, cole slaw, baked beans--nothing special about any of them. The seasoned fries were the only thing we all could say we enjoyed. Won't order again--worst $65 meal I can remember.
(2)Tuyen T.
This place is not friendly to students in the area. It is unfair to kick someone out when they are with 5 other people who are paying to eat there. Their food isn't that great, nothing special, but it isn't bad if you want some chicken fingers. Their service is awful.
(2)Kelly S.
I had the Brisket Sandwich, Mac and Cheese and the Cole Slaw. Loved it all and want to try more off their menu!
(4)Michael S.
When it comes to restaurants. there is nothing I hate more than realizing I am a captive customer in an awful restaurant. I was in the hood because my daughter was performing in an hour across the street. I walked in here tonight with a positive attitude. I walked out with a bad taste in my mouth, literally. I saw the prices on the menu and gulped. Example: $6.95 for a hot dog. I looked around the dining room: empty. Bad sign. I looked at my watch: no time to leave, go elsewhere and make the performance on time. Shit, I'm stuck. My postage stamp size turkey burger looked like a defrosted mini-cowpie. It was served on a stale bun. The side of baked beans was runny and tasted like snot and looked like....worse. The best part of the meal was the water.
(1)Richie D.
The location of this hole-in-the-wall restaurant off Armitage is dumpy, especially for Lincoln Park. I had to fight the door open to find the place empty. I thought nothing of it because those places usually have the best food. I ordered their well-known ribs which are found at the Taste of Chicago and was extremely disappointed. The sauce was ok and left me with heartburn the rest of the night. The worst part was the rib meat that was EXTREMELY fatty. I had tiny pieces of meat amongst all the fat. I wouldn't go back, especially with the somewhat high-end prices. Perhaps this place used to be astounding and tasty, but it has gone downhill since then.
(1)Arlene A.
So can I tell ya that Robinson's has the goods! The ribs have a wonderful smokiness with the meat all beautiful and pink. When I saw the smoke ring, I knew this was the real deal. The BBQ link was spicy with a nice snap. The corn muffin (which was heated up later) was moist and yummy. The chicken was also good, and normally BBQ chicken does nothing for me, but it's apparent that Robinson's is committed to good traditional barbecue. I'll be ordering in again soon.
(4)Cody B.
Loved it. I was a little off-put by the negative yelp reviews but it seems like the majority were from the nextdoor high schoolers who may receive unfriendly service. We walked in 20 minutes before closing and had very pleasant service and great food. We were welcomed to stay after closing for however long we wanted, and did. BYOB is a plus. I'm glad its a block away from my girlfriend's apartment, cause I'll go back.
(4)Andrea M.
I've gotten carry-out here and liked it. Their pulled pork sandwich is very good. One piece of advice- stick with the fries as a side. I ordered onion rings as a replacement and was bummed. They're good, but you get like 5 onion rings as opposed to a decent amount of curly seasoned fries.
(3)Linz C.
my boyfriend and i called to order delivery from robinson's and the guy on the phone was such a jerk that after talking to him for a while we decided not to order from there. i called back to try to talk to a manager to let them know that whoever was taking their orders was losing them business and it was the same guy and he was even worse! don't order from them! i have never dealt with someone as rude as this at a restaurant.
(1)Kim P.
I was totally stoked to find an Entertainment coupon for Robinson's. I'd never been there before and supposedly the place boasted they were voted 1st place at the Taste of Chicago for 5 years running (or something like that). I'm wondering how that was possible. Truly. My BF and I got there at 8pm on a weeknight. There was no one else in the restaurant and we almost left thinking they were closed. But a disgruntled waitress with bad hair told us they were open and then grunted for us to pick a table. It's not a very big place, and we had it all to ourselves. So I was thinking, this should be good. We can get in an out quick. Boy I had no idea how quick we'd be getting out of there. Primarily because the waitress shoved her foot so far up our asses we had no choice. Apparently they close at 9 and despite the fact there was still an hour to go, we were treated like we must be assholes to expect to be served so close to closing. We ordered our food right away in an attempt to get the ball rolling. We both ordered ribs, I had a half slab and my BF had a whole. The food came out fairly quick. I think it was 8:20 when I glanced at the clock. I SHIT YOU NOT at 8:30 the waitress without saying a word to us turns off the tv, shuts off half the lights and begins putting the chairs up on the tables around us. I'm in no way a pokey eater, but duude cut me some slack. Ten minutes is not enough time to put down a slab of ribs, an ear of corn, a side of fries and slaw. We hastily tried to scarf down the mediocre food before they turned off all the lights. And it was mediocre. The ribs were tender enough, but lacking real depth of flavor. Instead they just tasted like they were drowned in sauce. And not even an ass kicking sauce. The fries were undercooked as if they pulled them out fast to assist in rushing us out the door. I think the best part of the meal was the cornbread biscuit. Seriously. I suppose the only satisfaction in this experience was when I presented the server with the coupon. And thank god we had one. Even with the coupon I still laid out almost $40. But rest assured it wasn't in the form of a tip. I gave the min (10%) and believe me that was being REALLY generous considering how crappy they treated us. We were gone by 8:45 so it wasn't like we kept them open past closing time. But we won't be venturing back there again. Too many other places in this wonderful city to get real BBQ where they welcome their patrons and not diss them.
(2)Kyle S.
Robinsons is ok. The Pulled pork sandwich was much better than the reheated small portion of ribs we got. If you can find a better BYOB BBQ place, I'd go there.
(2)Carrie S.
Thanks to some weird circumstances of not remembering the contents of my meatloaf recipe and a day of watching Veronica Mars on DVD, dinner came from Robinson's through Grubhub.com . Both of us got a half slab of ribs wet with different sides. As usual, the delivery was right on time and the food was nice and warm. My hickory baked beans were pretty good. Their version is slightly sweet and tangy. The corn muffin was average, but tasty in the moment. The ribs were also average, but kinda meh. The ribs were a little tough and fatty. It seemed that the delicious bbq sauce served to hide the flaws of the ill prepared meat. The sauce was truly the redeeming quality of the ribs, but overall I'd go somewhere else for my rib fix.
(2)mark b.
After ordering Robinson's tonight, I checked out the Yelp reviews...and almost panicked. But, the Baby Back Ribs w/ Seasoned fries arrived hot in about twenty minutes. The person who took my order was considerate and patient, especially considering I called three times in the span of ten minutes. The ribs were tasty and not fatty like I've seen some here say. The fries were good and complimented the Ribs. My only real gripe was the side of garlic bread; it was obvious someone spent about one second preparing it before tossing it into the toaster. Mostly toast with a small smear of garlic'ness in the middle. Would I order again? If I didn't feel like driving to Portillos, sure I would!
(4)Jenny N.
I like this Robinsons. I live near by so I go here occasionally. I've always had good food. I ordered a burger and fries a few weeks ago and it was fantastic. For the amount of food they give you, it's a reasonable price. The service is pretty fast and there is good food. What else is there to say? It's a rib joint people, it's not a Rick Bayless restaurant, give them a break.
(4)Bill J.
Had Robinson's rib sandwich at Toyota Park. Unreal, I'll only be getting the sandwich from Robinson's going forward.
(3)Ted C.
I remember this place being a good, cheap place for lunch when I was in high school-it was right across the street. The baskets were always a good value, never been there for dinner but I do agree that the service is pretty slack-but never in a mean way, they're just lackadaisical. The sauce is pretty good-again from what I remember, and I recall their rib sandwich being very good. I'll try to come by again and re-edit it.
(4)Erin S.
This place is good for ordering in. Never actually been in the restaurant. I just got chicken fingers - which were actually pretty good, and Keith S was with me and got the ribs and he enjoyed them. So perhaps because we were starving and it was right across the street. But this place isn't bad when it's really cold and you want some decent food.
(3)Mary L.
mmm. I don't understand all of the negative reviews for this place. I live very close and go quite often. Last night, I got the BBQ grilled salmon sandwich wiith fries- very tasty. My boyfriend got the pulled pork sandwich with fries and ate every last bite. Our waiter was super friendly and we never had to ask for anything. It is BYOB, they have a nice patio in the back, and carry out is efficient. In terms of BBQ spots in the city, Smoque is amazing but they have long lines and I feel rushed to get out of there. Robinson's is more laid back and almost as tasty.
(4)Bunny K.
home recipe for the bbq sauce. ribs and fries is the way to go. i get a bottle or two of the sauce to go every time :) finger licking good.
(4)Matt M.
It's just shitty. One time I ordered ribs, it came with a side of fries and a long ass hair that I pulled out of my mouth. At least it was from someone's head, unless they're not maintaining properly. Last Friday I got a brisket sandwich, fries and mac and cheese and it was generally crappy, but no hair. I'm not a BBQ connoisseur or anything, but I know what's gross. I was drunk at the time, but Smoke Shack on Halsted blew this place away when I ate there. I would have ordered from there last Friday too but they didn't have online ordering and I was too high to talk on the phone.
(2)Sydney K.
I'm in love with the rib sandwich here, and so I haven't tried much else. The corn bread is great, but the ribs are just mediocre. The rib tips are very fatty - yuck.
(3)Katrina F.
I ordered delivery this evening from Robinson's during a snow storm.....(Call me a completely mean woman for ordering delivery in the snow but I can assure you I tip accordingly for the weather). Just over an hour and fifteen minutes later my meal arrived. I was impressed with the bad weather that the hot food was still hot and the cold was cold. I always tend to over order when it comes to delivery and this time, I out did myself! I ordered the combo dinner, a 1/2 a rack of ribs, rib tips, 1/4 chicken and a hot link, so I could have a taste of every thing....The amount of meat I ordered could last me easily 3 days! It was all packed together doused in sauce (there was a wet or dry option when I ordered the food and I obviously chose the wet). The rib tips (always my favorite) were delicious! There were tons of them!! The chicken was fall off the bone tender and juicy. I am not a big hot link person...well not me, it's my stomach who doesn't care for them...but this one was perfectly charred and tasty...plus it actually agreed with my tummy. I was to overloaded on sauce to try the 1/2 slab so I will let you know later how they taste.....On to the sides. My combo came with coleslaw, corn bread and a choice side- I opted for the seasoned curly fries. I also ordered an extra side of mac and cheese for the low price of $1.75 (AWESOME price for an extra side) The mac and cheese was OK. It had the bread crumb topping which I don't care for but it was tasty. The fries were hot and crunchy which is such a rarity for delivery! They tasted really fresh and actually like a potato which is how i prefer my fries. I don't like coleslaw but I tried this one...It was decent better than most because it was more vinegar based than mayo based but I still don't care for coleslaw or mayo based salads.....The corn bread was a disappointment. I LOVE a good corn bread and this one was good and moist. It was shaped like a small muffin. That was the problem, it was so small!! With the amount of food I had I expected a big hunk of corn bread. Also the corn bread wasn't corn tasting enough for me. I did save room for dessert! The peach pie was semi frozen but after it thawed, it was delish!!! It wasn't overly sweet which I really appreciated. Over all I liked the food but I will continue to taste around until I find a place with more depth in the flavor of the BBQ. Heck I have enough food for a few days maybe Robinson's Ribs will grow on me!!
(3)Dee W.
So disappointing - for only $40, my sister and I got the saddest half slab of ribs that just tasted kinda funny (not that fond of the sauce); the rib tips were only decent and the smallest side of corn on the cob - she ordered onion rings as her side and they gave her five small onioin rings. Definately felt gypped.
(2)Liliana S.
I'm giving 4 stars based on their boneless rib sandwich that has my mouth watering as I type this review. Yes, it is expensive and you can probably get more for you buck at another Rib restaurant but they have the best boneless rib sandwich in chicago!
(4)Mark P.
Can't taste anything but the sauce, which overwhelms any flavor the actual ribs may have.
(2)Melissa C.
This is the place to go if you want great barbecued ribs or chicken. Their barbecue sauce is stupendous!
(4)Justin B.
The mac-and-cheese and canned beans were tasty...everything else (rib tips, pulled pork sammich, corn bread, BBQ sauces) were not. The rib tips, in particular, were surprisingly bad, tough to chew, not that flavorful. I will give Robinson's this much--there were a lot of them, so I would have been full had I chosen to eat them all! The space is subpar but they give you the option to take it out, so I would exercise that option if I were you!
(2)Gina G.
So let's start with the food. It was average. For the price I'm happy with what I got I will most likely order again if I'm feeling lazy. The chicken skin was semi soggy though so I will probably try something else (which is most likely from being delivered) so not a huge deal. I was very happy that it arrived in a timely manor and that the delivery man made sure I got my food when my roommate got it for me.
(4)Hannah H.
About a 2-2.5: My friend and I came to Robinson's after shopping in the Lincoln Park area. We've always seen this place and it seems to be a popular spot among the DePaul students. The menu offers appetizers, jumbo wraps, salads, Cajun-focused dishes, ribs, and chicken. We shared a whole slab of baby back ribs, which was served as 'wet' (smothered by Robinson's BBQ sauce); the ribs themselves were slightly underwhelming, as they didn't necessarily fall off the bone and wasn't quite as tender; I did appreciate the amount of sauce, as I'm a total sauce person! However, the BBQ sauce itself was a little less thick as I would have liked. This platter came with a corn muffin (that was more on the drier side), cole slaw, and a choice of a side (we opted for baked beans as well as an extra order of onion rings). Service was efficient, and there is limited parking along Armitage. +offers 'wet' and 'dry' options for ribs +limited parking on Armitage
(3)Eva K.
Last week we had our company picnic/softball tournament catered by Robinson's No. 1 Ribs-Lincoln Park and they were absolutely amazing! They were able to help us out on reasonably short notice and were very reasonably priced. Food was great. We'll definitely be giving them a call again!
(5)Ignacio S.
I wouldn't give any stars if possible. I ordered here for the first time and #1. The Mac and cheese was bland, wasn't cheesy. It tasted like wet macaroni. #2. The pulled pork on my pulled pork sandwich was dry and had red pieces when I asked for well done. #3. The delivery man had an attitude when dropping it off because I had someone else sign for me since I was busy. #4. The coleslaw was sour and almost inedible. I threw it in the trash. I'm not exaggerating at all with these points. If you're going to be named Robs No. 1 Ribs, you need to actually serve quality food especially with those kind of prices. The only thing good out of my meal was the onion rings. You guys just lost a customer cus I'm never going back.
(1)Jason A.
Nice pricing for a sandwich and a side. I had the pulled chicken, and the chicken itself was actually really nice. It was super juicy and the seasoning with pepper standing out was a standout. The sauce was ok, but forgettable, a touch sweet. The bun was mass produced store bought. The real downside was the fries. You can tell they were bought frozen and re-heated. That's a joke. Ok spot, but too many better food truck options to have again.
(2)Marquise N.
I ordered from here on Tuesday for the first time. The sauce was horrible. My rib tips were not good. The Mac and cheese was bland. The pecan pie had more salt. The pork and beans were also flavorless. The coleslaw reminded me of the imitation crab salad at subway. For the amount of money I paid I was expecting much more. The only good thing was the curly fries. I will not be eating there again.
(1)Joseph J.
I got the shrimp and ribs combo for delivery. The ribs were OK but nothing special and a little tough. The shrimp were flavorless and tasted like something from a Long John Silvers that hasn't exchanged its cooking oil in a year. The cardboard and lumpy flour construction misnamed "corn muffin" was a fitting end to the atrocious meal as it disintegrated into powder in my hands. I also tasted my friend's order of rib tips which were literally pieces of inedible gristle. Don't think I'll be ordering from this place again.
(1)Mindy N.
Just ordered take out from here it took almost two hours, estimated delivery time was supposed to be 75 minutes or less. The delivery man was extremely rude! And my food was ice cold.. I live less than a mile away. Better service next time, but I doubt I'll order from.them again
(1)Natalie S.
I think I have a personal beef with this place because of what I started seeing as "profiling". When I was in high school across the street eons ago at good ol' LPHS, we used to eat lunch there a lot. Then they started this whole "NO STUDENTS" ban on the restaurant. Really? I was a good, paying customer twice a week and you're just going to ban me because I go to school across the street? I'm sure they had some issues with some students but to just ban us from entering your establishment sounds unlawful to me. Fast forward 16 years... and I'm still pissed about it and now I get to vent via Yelp. Their ribs kinda suck. They are overrated and expensive for what you get. The rib tips are a better deal but even those are just mediocre. Not the biggest fan of their sauce either. Suck it, Robinson's.
(2)Brendan C.
Pretty good place. Food it always delivered in the timeframe promised, always hot and the order is always right. A little pricey for the quality, but unless you go to the deep south or west sides of the city, you aren't going to find "gourmet" BBQ.
(4)Rebecca H.
Sure, it's ribs. Sure, they deliver. Sure, they deliver late night. But don't do it. It's never as good as you remember it - mostly because the last place you ate BBQ at wasn't Robinson's. Also, by the time your soggy, sad food arrives at your home, you will have passed out anyway. It generally takes 1-2 hours.
(1)Lisa T.
I am honestly pretty surprised by some of the negative reviews on here, but readers take note ----- many of the low star reviews are from 4-5 years ago. I don't know if Robinson's used to have problems, but let me assure you they have remedied them if they did. Great spot for a quick BBQ dinner. This is clearly not the best barbecue in the city, but it's definitely good. I've had a few thing on the menu.... 1/2 slab and chicken breast combo, the salmon, and the chicken tenders. Useful tip - their BBQ items come positively swimming in sauce. I particularly like this; their sauce is nice and tangy and good and I've always liked a ton of sauce on my grilled meats. However, if you prefer a thin swipe of sauce, you're not gonna be happy.... I'd advise ordering your selection "dry" or w/ sauce on the side. The hickory baked beans are "a-ok"..... they are far superior to baked beans out of a can (honestly though, what isn't?), but at a rib place like this I would be waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy more satisfied if they were some burnt ends in the beans. One small complaint - for the love of god install a fountain soda machine. I kind of can't believe that all this place has in the way of beverages is cans of pop/lemonade/tea. Their delivery is fairly reliable, and the inside of this place is kind of a little hidden gem. It looks like a bit of a hole in the wall from the outside but it's actually pretty cute. Totally not fancy, but give me a break it's a BBQ joint!
(4)Jayne K.
Came here on Friday night for dinner with a friend only to discover that the restaurant area had been closed for a private party. We were ok with carryout but still kinda janky since we had called earlier in the day and we just paid for parking. Foodwise I'd say I was definitely satisfied but not blown away. I got the rib tips and hot link combo with mac n cheese and cornbread. I'd say the carbs were definitely more memorable than the protein but not a bad spot overall. My search for good BBQ in Chicago continues!
(3)Van P.
I had ribs at Robinson's (here) and at Honky Tonk BBQ down in Pilsen BOTH ON THE SAME DAY BECAUSE I LOVE RIBS and I have to say Honky Tonk BBQ wins but these were by no means lousy ribs. These were pretty good ribs.
(3)Tera D.
Robinson's is basic barbecue. Nothing special, but satisfies your craving. Personally, I think it's overpriced for what you get, but I live near here and if I need need need bbq (which happens from time to time), I'm willing to suck it up and pay. For example, the other day we spent $30 on a half slab, 2 hot links, fries and beans for takeout. We had zero leftovers, which is pretty unusual for us, and I was by no means bursting at the seams. But it was ready in 15 minutes flat, and definitely hit the spot.
(3)Katherine E.
We ordered for delivery, and had a variety of things--a 1/2 slab of ribs, 1/2 chicken, a pulled pork sandwich and beer-battered cod. Everything was simply mediocre. Even the sides were just OK--mac and cheese, cole slaw, baked beans--nothing special about any of them. The seasoned fries were the only thing we all could say we enjoyed. Won't order again--worst $65 meal I can remember.
(2)Kelli B.
Robinson's is a hidden gem. You'd seriously walk right by the place if you didn't know it was there. Their restaurant is surprisingly small, mainly because most of their business is catering and carry out. They have a patio, which I have yet to see, but the waiter told me it has about 10 tables. One of the huge benefits to eating at Robinson's is..it's BYOB!! Noting like cold Belgian beer and Barbecue! My running club has catered Robinson's four times now and we have yet to be disappointed. They always show up right on time, almost to the minute! Their prices are very reasonable and the food is delicious. Everyone always raves about how great the food is, that's why we keep going back! The pulled pork, turkey and brisket is fantastic, the sauce is delicious and it's never dry. The baked mac and cheese is to die for and the corn bread is so good it's almost like cake! We ordered veggie burgers for a few of the vegetarians at our last event and even those were good! When we ate in we had the ribs which are great, and they come pre-cut which is unusual but kind of cool! That's probably how they come when you get them catered so maybe that's why they serve them cut when you eat in. We also had the onion rings which were wonderful as was the coleslaw. If you like barbecue and you love BYOB places, this is probably one of the best places in the city. Robinson's is very casual / no frills; think - the cashier with the baseball hat is also the waiter. But don't let the the size and casualness of the place fool you. This is some top notch barbecue baby!!
(5)Randy N.
Rib sandwiches are worse than a McRib, ketchup tasted fermented, place reeks of mold. Pulled pork sandwich is ok, curly fries were good. Will not be going back.
(1)Jordan R.
This review is for delivery. I'm always hesitant to order in ribs cause I feel like sometimes they don't travel well, but on Saturday after plans to go out for some BBQ got cancelled abruptly I had to have some. I figured instead of ordering from a local place that does a lot of things (I live on Addison), I'd take a chance and order from a dedicated rib spot, even though it was kind of far away. Got a rack of ribs dinner and the chicken tenders dinner. They said they'd be there in an hour and they made it in just under that. All the food was well packaged in tin foil and was still very hot. The ribs were delicious and tasted like they had just come out of the smoker. Bottom line, whenever I'm craving any type of bbq delivered on short notice, this is now my go-to.
(5)Nick M.
2 and a half stars. After living in Richmond for 4 years I learned a good amount about BBQ. Specifically that the greatness in good BBQ comes from the actual meat and not the sauce that covers or masks it. The two elements must work together in a way that I can't quite describe, but you know it when you experience it. The ribs here were swimming in BBQ sauce. The sauce was nothing to write home about. They did not have much meat on them and were served in picnic-style plates. My buddy's pulled pork sandwich did not look like traditional "bbq". It was heavy on the sauce and looked more like slices of pork than pulled pork. He said it was not very good. The cole-slaw was not slaw, but chopped very fine. The mac and cheese, baked beans and the cornbread were by far the best part of the meal. And the fact that we could BYOB and were sipping on some nice beers....that was nice. I probably won't hurry to go back to Robinsons and when I do (my friends live next to it so it will happen inevitably) I'll ask for sauce on the side.
(2)John E.
Where to start. I love BBQ I make my own every weekend. The pulled pork was more mush then anything. The chicken wings are very over cooked and scrawny. The BBQ sauce is just there it is like Ketchup with vinegar added in. The hamburger tasted like a pre-made frozen overcooked patty. The ribs, boiled to death then dipped in nasty BBQ sauce and thrown on a hot grill to try to heat up the BBQ sauce. No signs of char or caramelization and not even a hint of smoke flavor you expect from good ribs. i have been to a lot of BBQ joints in the city and around it. This is the worst place for BBQ I have ever been to.
(1)Burton D.
I would not recommend that anyone go out of his way to eat here. There are too many other good BBQ places in the city to spend your money on this place. If I lived a block away, I'd probably stop in now & then - it's not actually "bad" BBQ. The place is clean, and the service friendly. The baby back ribs are quite tender, but the sauce (there's only one) is merely serviceable. I'd avoid the buffalo cheese sticks - they really don't taste of blue cheese & red sauce. I dunked mine in the BBQ sauce. Count on noise - brick walls do nothing to absorb sound. BYO beer or wine. No corkage or glass fee.
(2)Timothy C.
The customer service was the worst. I had a Groupon and went there w/ friends for lunch. We were the only ones in the place and it took 4 mins for anyone to greet us not to mention 2 employess came to the counter and said nothing to us. When they finally came to take our order the guy said he doesn't know how to redeem Groupon's and we have to wait for another guy to get there and he was really busy and told me good luck! We walked out!!! This guy was really rude and after reading other reviews I don't think we missed out on anything special. I also called Groupon and told them they should not support this business because of there lack of customer service.
(1)Ricardo E.
I brought a Groupon and thought it was going to be a good experience. I ordered the full slab of ribs and the were really bad. Way too much of their bad sauce and the ribs were cold. The cole slaw taste like plastic and the beans tasted like they came from a can. Don't do it, stay away.
(1)Diane R.
This was by far the worst BBQ I have ever had. My husband was really craving ribs and we were in the area so we gave it a try. (Normally we go to Carson's in Deerfield.). Robinson's claims to slow smoke their meats for hours on wood fires, but it actually looked and tasted as if the meat had been boiled. The sauce was bad, too. I even tried masking the taste with store bought sauce we had on hand- even that didn't help. I hate wasting food but this was so bad, that we ended up throwing a barely touched bucket of ribs and sandwich in the trash.
(1)Dean K.
i'm boring. i almost always get the same thing - ribs, dry with sauce on the side, slaw, onion rings, mac n cheese and the muffin. it's always good, but not great. i'd prefer Lem's but the drive down to 75th can be a bit much. i have had the chicken her too and it is quite good.
(3)j w.
Arguably, the worst food I've ever tasted in the 18 years I've lived in Chicago. What sort of fool, would actually go back to this place twice???
(1)Lunch E.
Got the groupon expected more from this place. Sauce was ok. There was a visible smoke ring on the ribs but didn't taste much of the smoky flavor. Wouldn't come back here, even with another deal.
(2)Ng s.
The ribs were terrible. They were freezer burned and as dry as a desert. I would never go back and if anyone is planning on going there... DONT! No one should ever eat here, the food is simply terrible. The side dishes were all terrible, and again the ribs were unbelievably dry. It was like I was eating jerky.
(1)Anna P.
The baby back ribs are really good, but I am not a huge fan of the sauce. I had the baby back ribs "wet" (with sauce) and had to use my bbq sauce (store bought) I had in the fridge to cover the ribs with it instead. The garlic mashed potatoes were perfect, as was the corn bread muffin. The food arrived super fast -- nice and hot (I ordered through Grubhub). I also had a slice of the red velvet cake, which was so delicious. I have to give this place just an ok rating and that is for its disappointing bbq sauce. Its watery or something is just not quite right. I would order from them again, but douse the ribs in my store bought sauce, again.
(3)M M.
This place serves the most disgusting ribs I have ever eaten at a "restaurant" in my life. I came here for my birthday- my family ordered a fairly large amount of food. I don't even want to describe the setting, just straight to the food. I ordered grilled salmon and we ordered several buckets of ribs. I hate how great manners I have- when the lady asked us if everything was okay, the answer should have been "NO!" We waited close to an hour and alas, the ribs came. I kid you not, the ribs were tender but in a bad way- you can tell that the ribs were pre-cooked, frozen and microwaved. Seems like NOTHING that was served ever touched the grill. The grilled salmon itself tasted microwaved! it was soooooo dry and no evidence of charring what-so-ever. That was the most disappointing birthday dinner IN MY LIFE. I advise you to choose elsewhere.
(1)Rebecca H.
Sure, it's ribs. Sure, they deliver. Sure, they deliver late night. But don't do it. It's never as good as you remember it - mostly because the last place you ate BBQ at wasn't Robinson's. Also, by the time your soggy, sad food arrives at your home, you will have passed out anyway. It generally takes 1-2 hours.
(1)Duke K.
Fairly disappointed with Robinson's. I was anxious to try a couple of things, so I spread out my order and got the Jumbo Style Hot Dog, their Fried Chicken Salad and lastly a Pecan Pie to top everything off. My Hot Dog bun was soggy. The hot dog itself was shriveled and very OVER cooked and the curly fries that it had been delivered with were freezing cold. The salad was served with Mexican Taco Lettuce. The yolk in the boiled eggs were brown in color; and the chicken smelt AWFUL! Almost like cleaning solution. I brought a piece and had given it to my dog. Instantly he threw up (no lie). Lastly the Pecan Pie was wrapped in a Sara Lee container; and purchased from Jewel Grocery Store. It was beyond disgusting! Truthfully I had hoped for at least a "good meal". It didn't have to blow me away; but instead what I got was something repulsive. I took 1 bite of each thing and it ended up in the trash. It was a waste of food, and it was a waste of my money. I'd never; ever, recommend Robinson's to anyone. Not even a homeless person. I'm sorry. By far the worst meal I've ever had; and the worst food I've ever tasted in Chicago.
(1)John E.
Where to start. I love BBQ I make my own every weekend. The pulled pork was more mush then anything. The chicken wings are very over cooked and scrawny. The BBQ sauce is just there it is like Ketchup with vinegar added in. The hamburger tasted like a pre-made frozen overcooked patty. The ribs, boiled to death then dipped in nasty BBQ sauce and thrown on a hot grill to try to heat up the BBQ sauce. No signs of char or caramelization and not even a hint of smoke flavor you expect from good ribs. i have been to a lot of BBQ joints in the city and around it. This is the worst place for BBQ I have ever been to.
(1)Morris F.
If it had been hot on arrival, the food would have rated two stars. However, after nearly a two-hour wait, the food would have had to be spectacular, and it wasn't. It was also cold, which had to take some work considering the restaurant is a quarter of a mile from my home. A big serving of beef ribs (I have some left for lunch) with lots of sauce (pretty much like you'd get out of a bottle from the grocery store). The side of onion rings would have tasted great hot. Cold, not so much. I should have known better when I saw they predicted a wait of 45-75 minutes (it turned out to be 115 minutes). Now I do.
(1)Kaitlin M.
I love Robinson's pulled pork sandwich!!! They give you a great portion of meat for the price and serve on a crusted sandwich roll that is not too tough to each but still holds the sandwich together so you can eat it with your hands! (I hate floppy rolls that make you eat a sandwich with a fork and knife.) They also have crazy fast deliver or a quite little restaurant that is BYOB. I have had a bunch of BBQ in the city and this is the place I go to most consistently! Ps... ask for a side of their spicy BBQ sauce... so good!
(5)Mikie B.
We walked up to Robinsons after getting to Twin Anchors too late in the night and the estimated wait time too long. Robinsons offers dry-rubbed ribs by request. Based off of what we were served, there is a good reason they are by request - the meat was dry and there were no spices to be found. Definitely not the same kind of dry-rubbed you would find in a place like Texas... or even down the street at the BBQ counter in Whole Foods.
(2)Joseph J.
I got the shrimp and ribs combo for delivery. The ribs were OK but nothing special and a little tough. The shrimp were flavorless and tasted like something from a Long John Silvers that hasn't exchanged its cooking oil in a year. The cardboard and lumpy flour construction misnamed "corn muffin" was a fitting end to the atrocious meal as it disintegrated into powder in my hands. I also tasted my friend's order of rib tips which were literally pieces of inedible gristle. Don't think I'll be ordering from this place again.
(1)Mindy N.
Just ordered take out from here it took almost two hours, estimated delivery time was supposed to be 75 minutes or less. The delivery man was extremely rude! And my food was ice cold.. I live less than a mile away. Better service next time, but I doubt I'll order from.them again
(1)Brock L.
Please Note: This review is based on the fact that I used a Groupon! The BBQ wasnt that bad, but considering I bought a Groupon, and also had a promo code for the Groupon, this was a great deal considering the quality. For $34 (Price of Groupon: $44 - $10 promo) + $8 goof tax, I was able to get 2 full slabs of ribs, 2 orders of the BBQ platter (more ribs and rib tips), 2 corn breads, 2 mac & cheese, 2 cole slaw. All for ~$42 I was able to stuff 3 people. Not bad! I picked up the food right on the dot of when i placed my pickup order. Food was still warm/hot when i got it home to eat. For quality, I don't think it was amazing, but considering I paid $42, and was able to stuff 3 people, I am very satisfied. If I did not have a Groupon, I would have given it a lower rating.
(3)Lorena C.
Took our family for Valentines Day we love the ribs and the best part was the BYOB... The staff was great the place was so nice and warm... I luv to go places where I could take my jackets off and not be cold. Definitely going back!!!
(5)Hannah H.
About a 2-2.5: My friend and I came to Robinson's after shopping in the Lincoln Park area. We've always seen this place and it seems to be a popular spot among the DePaul students. The menu offers appetizers, jumbo wraps, salads, Cajun-focused dishes, ribs, and chicken. We shared a whole slab of baby back ribs, which was served as 'wet' (smothered by Robinson's BBQ sauce); the ribs themselves were slightly underwhelming, as they didn't necessarily fall off the bone and wasn't quite as tender; I did appreciate the amount of sauce, as I'm a total sauce person! However, the BBQ sauce itself was a little less thick as I would have liked. This platter came with a corn muffin (that was more on the drier side), cole slaw, and a choice of a side (we opted for baked beans as well as an extra order of onion rings). Service was efficient, and there is limited parking along Armitage. +offers 'wet' and 'dry' options for ribs +limited parking on Armitage
(3)Eva K.
Last week we had our company picnic/softball tournament catered by Robinson's No. 1 Ribs-Lincoln Park and they were absolutely amazing! They were able to help us out on reasonably short notice and were very reasonably priced. Food was great. We'll definitely be giving them a call again!
(5)Ignacio S.
I wouldn't give any stars if possible. I ordered here for the first time and #1. The Mac and cheese was bland, wasn't cheesy. It tasted like wet macaroni. #2. The pulled pork on my pulled pork sandwich was dry and had red pieces when I asked for well done. #3. The delivery man had an attitude when dropping it off because I had someone else sign for me since I was busy. #4. The coleslaw was sour and almost inedible. I threw it in the trash. I'm not exaggerating at all with these points. If you're going to be named Robs No. 1 Ribs, you need to actually serve quality food especially with those kind of prices. The only thing good out of my meal was the onion rings. You guys just lost a customer cus I'm never going back.
(1)Jason A.
Nice pricing for a sandwich and a side. I had the pulled chicken, and the chicken itself was actually really nice. It was super juicy and the seasoning with pepper standing out was a standout. The sauce was ok, but forgettable, a touch sweet. The bun was mass produced store bought. The real downside was the fries. You can tell they were bought frozen and re-heated. That's a joke. Ok spot, but too many better food truck options to have again.
(2)Marquise N.
I ordered from here on Tuesday for the first time. The sauce was horrible. My rib tips were not good. The Mac and cheese was bland. The pecan pie had more salt. The pork and beans were also flavorless. The coleslaw reminded me of the imitation crab salad at subway. For the amount of money I paid I was expecting much more. The only good thing was the curly fries. I will not be eating there again.
(1)Justin B.
The mac-and-cheese and canned beans were tasty...everything else (rib tips, pulled pork sammich, corn bread, BBQ sauces) were not. The rib tips, in particular, were surprisingly bad, tough to chew, not that flavorful. I will give Robinson's this much--there were a lot of them, so I would have been full had I chosen to eat them all! The space is subpar but they give you the option to take it out, so I would exercise that option if I were you!
(2)Gina G.
So let's start with the food. It was average. For the price I'm happy with what I got I will most likely order again if I'm feeling lazy. The chicken skin was semi soggy though so I will probably try something else (which is most likely from being delivered) so not a huge deal. I was very happy that it arrived in a timely manor and that the delivery man made sure I got my food when my roommate got it for me.
(4)Erin S.
This place is good for ordering in. Never actually been in the restaurant. I just got chicken fingers - which were actually pretty good, and Keith S was with me and got the ribs and he enjoyed them. So perhaps because we were starving and it was right across the street. But this place isn't bad when it's really cold and you want some decent food.
(3)Mary L.
mmm. I don't understand all of the negative reviews for this place. I live very close and go quite often. Last night, I got the BBQ grilled salmon sandwich wiith fries- very tasty. My boyfriend got the pulled pork sandwich with fries and ate every last bite. Our waiter was super friendly and we never had to ask for anything. It is BYOB, they have a nice patio in the back, and carry out is efficient. In terms of BBQ spots in the city, Smoque is amazing but they have long lines and I feel rushed to get out of there. Robinson's is more laid back and almost as tasty.
(4)Bunny K.
home recipe for the bbq sauce. ribs and fries is the way to go. i get a bottle or two of the sauce to go every time :) finger licking good.
(4)Matt M.
It's just shitty. One time I ordered ribs, it came with a side of fries and a long ass hair that I pulled out of my mouth. At least it was from someone's head, unless they're not maintaining properly. Last Friday I got a brisket sandwich, fries and mac and cheese and it was generally crappy, but no hair. I'm not a BBQ connoisseur or anything, but I know what's gross. I was drunk at the time, but Smoke Shack on Halsted blew this place away when I ate there. I would have ordered from there last Friday too but they didn't have online ordering and I was too high to talk on the phone.
(2)Sydney K.
I'm in love with the rib sandwich here, and so I haven't tried much else. The corn bread is great, but the ribs are just mediocre. The rib tips are very fatty - yuck.
(3)Karl P.
I had a groupon to try here. My boyfriend and I went on a Tuesday night at 6:30pm. We walked in and the lady at the counter barely said even HI to us. I took out my groupon and asked her what do we get with this. So she pretty much shoves a Groupon Menu in my face.my bf and I order two sandwichs he had da pulled pork and I had da bbq beef. We had bbq wings as our side. As far as the food goes the wings were nice and hot and I would say they were good. We both loved our sandwich's. However as we were waiting the lady was texting on her phone. Very unprofessional btw.... It was dead we were da only two customers in the dining room. So the cook brings our food out while the lady behind the counter keeps texting. SMH...... Overall da food was decent but very unprofessional and unfriendly staff that lady at the counter need to goto Customer Service school. As we left my boyfriend said thanks and have a good night. The cook was siting in the dining room with the lady from behind the counter as she was still texting (go figure). The cook said thanks and have a good night . The lady said nothing to us at all didn't even look up and smile it was as if her texting was more important then customers. As far as if we might go back maybe. But the owner needs to re train her and show her how to do her job better.....
(2)Matthew D.
I got the beef link sandwich here the other day. I wasn't really that hungry and it was the cheapest thing on the menu, so I figured it would be a fairly small meal. Boy, was I wrong. You get a side and coleslaw with the sandwich. All for $6.50 + tax. I got the onion rings just because I like dipping them in bbq sauce. Good call. The sandwich was what I expected- a tasty, spicy link smothered in sauce on a roll. Can't go wrong there. And the coleslaw was just right. Creamy and cool. I put it on my sandwich for that southern style thing. Overall, a pretty good value and the food was good.
(3)Duke K.
Fairly disappointed with Robinson's. I was anxious to try a couple of things, so I spread out my order and got the Jumbo Style Hot Dog, their Fried Chicken Salad and lastly a Pecan Pie to top everything off. My Hot Dog bun was soggy. The hot dog itself was shriveled and very OVER cooked and the curly fries that it had been delivered with were freezing cold. The salad was served with Mexican Taco Lettuce. The yolk in the boiled eggs were brown in color; and the chicken smelt AWFUL! Almost like cleaning solution. I brought a piece and had given it to my dog. Instantly he threw up (no lie). Lastly the Pecan Pie was wrapped in a Sara Lee container; and purchased from Jewel Grocery Store. It was beyond disgusting! Truthfully I had hoped for at least a "good meal". It didn't have to blow me away; but instead what I got was something repulsive. I took 1 bite of each thing and it ended up in the trash. It was a waste of food, and it was a waste of my money. I'd never; ever, recommend Robinson's to anyone. Not even a homeless person. I'm sorry. By far the worst meal I've ever had; and the worst food I've ever tasted in Chicago.
(1)Morris F.
If it had been hot on arrival, the food would have rated two stars. However, after nearly a two-hour wait, the food would have had to be spectacular, and it wasn't. It was also cold, which had to take some work considering the restaurant is a quarter of a mile from my home. A big serving of beef ribs (I have some left for lunch) with lots of sauce (pretty much like you'd get out of a bottle from the grocery store). The side of onion rings would have tasted great hot. Cold, not so much. I should have known better when I saw they predicted a wait of 45-75 minutes (it turned out to be 115 minutes). Now I do.
(1)Natalie S.
I think I have a personal beef with this place because of what I started seeing as "profiling". When I was in high school across the street eons ago at good ol' LPHS, we used to eat lunch there a lot. Then they started this whole "NO STUDENTS" ban on the restaurant. Really? I was a good, paying customer twice a week and you're just going to ban me because I go to school across the street? I'm sure they had some issues with some students but to just ban us from entering your establishment sounds unlawful to me. Fast forward 16 years... and I'm still pissed about it and now I get to vent via Yelp. Their ribs kinda suck. They are overrated and expensive for what you get. The rib tips are a better deal but even those are just mediocre. Not the biggest fan of their sauce either. Suck it, Robinson's.
(2)Brendan C.
Pretty good place. Food it always delivered in the timeframe promised, always hot and the order is always right. A little pricey for the quality, but unless you go to the deep south or west sides of the city, you aren't going to find "gourmet" BBQ.
(4)Kelli B.
Robinson's is a hidden gem. You'd seriously walk right by the place if you didn't know it was there. Their restaurant is surprisingly small, mainly because most of their business is catering and carry out. They have a patio, which I have yet to see, but the waiter told me it has about 10 tables. One of the huge benefits to eating at Robinson's is..it's BYOB!! Noting like cold Belgian beer and Barbecue! My running club has catered Robinson's four times now and we have yet to be disappointed. They always show up right on time, almost to the minute! Their prices are very reasonable and the food is delicious. Everyone always raves about how great the food is, that's why we keep going back! The pulled pork, turkey and brisket is fantastic, the sauce is delicious and it's never dry. The baked mac and cheese is to die for and the corn bread is so good it's almost like cake! We ordered veggie burgers for a few of the vegetarians at our last event and even those were good! When we ate in we had the ribs which are great, and they come pre-cut which is unusual but kind of cool! That's probably how they come when you get them catered so maybe that's why they serve them cut when you eat in. We also had the onion rings which were wonderful as was the coleslaw. If you like barbecue and you love BYOB places, this is probably one of the best places in the city. Robinson's is very casual / no frills; think - the cashier with the baseball hat is also the waiter. But don't let the the size and casualness of the place fool you. This is some top notch barbecue baby!!
(5)Nick M.
2 and a half stars. After living in Richmond for 4 years I learned a good amount about BBQ. Specifically that the greatness in good BBQ comes from the actual meat and not the sauce that covers or masks it. The two elements must work together in a way that I can't quite describe, but you know it when you experience it. The ribs here were swimming in BBQ sauce. The sauce was nothing to write home about. They did not have much meat on them and were served in picnic-style plates. My buddy's pulled pork sandwich did not look like traditional "bbq". It was heavy on the sauce and looked more like slices of pork than pulled pork. He said it was not very good. The cole-slaw was not slaw, but chopped very fine. The mac and cheese, baked beans and the cornbread were by far the best part of the meal. And the fact that we could BYOB and were sipping on some nice beers....that was nice. I probably won't hurry to go back to Robinsons and when I do (my friends live next to it so it will happen inevitably) I'll ask for sauce on the side.
(2)Tera D.
Robinson's is basic barbecue. Nothing special, but satisfies your craving. Personally, I think it's overpriced for what you get, but I live near here and if I need need need bbq (which happens from time to time), I'm willing to suck it up and pay. For example, the other day we spent $30 on a half slab, 2 hot links, fries and beans for takeout. We had zero leftovers, which is pretty unusual for us, and I was by no means bursting at the seams. But it was ready in 15 minutes flat, and definitely hit the spot.
(3)Katherine E.
We ordered for delivery, and had a variety of things--a 1/2 slab of ribs, 1/2 chicken, a pulled pork sandwich and beer-battered cod. Everything was simply mediocre. Even the sides were just OK--mac and cheese, cole slaw, baked beans--nothing special about any of them. The seasoned fries were the only thing we all could say we enjoyed. Won't order again--worst $65 meal I can remember.
(2)Lisa T.
I am honestly pretty surprised by some of the negative reviews on here, but readers take note ----- many of the low star reviews are from 4-5 years ago. I don't know if Robinson's used to have problems, but let me assure you they have remedied them if they did. Great spot for a quick BBQ dinner. This is clearly not the best barbecue in the city, but it's definitely good. I've had a few thing on the menu.... 1/2 slab and chicken breast combo, the salmon, and the chicken tenders. Useful tip - their BBQ items come positively swimming in sauce. I particularly like this; their sauce is nice and tangy and good and I've always liked a ton of sauce on my grilled meats. However, if you prefer a thin swipe of sauce, you're not gonna be happy.... I'd advise ordering your selection "dry" or w/ sauce on the side. The hickory baked beans are "a-ok"..... they are far superior to baked beans out of a can (honestly though, what isn't?), but at a rib place like this I would be waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy more satisfied if they were some burnt ends in the beans. One small complaint - for the love of god install a fountain soda machine. I kind of can't believe that all this place has in the way of beverages is cans of pop/lemonade/tea. Their delivery is fairly reliable, and the inside of this place is kind of a little hidden gem. It looks like a bit of a hole in the wall from the outside but it's actually pretty cute. Totally not fancy, but give me a break it's a BBQ joint!
(4)Jayne K.
Came here on Friday night for dinner with a friend only to discover that the restaurant area had been closed for a private party. We were ok with carryout but still kinda janky since we had called earlier in the day and we just paid for parking. Foodwise I'd say I was definitely satisfied but not blown away. I got the rib tips and hot link combo with mac n cheese and cornbread. I'd say the carbs were definitely more memorable than the protein but not a bad spot overall. My search for good BBQ in Chicago continues!
(3)Van P.
I had ribs at Robinson's (here) and at Honky Tonk BBQ down in Pilsen BOTH ON THE SAME DAY BECAUSE I LOVE RIBS and I have to say Honky Tonk BBQ wins but these were by no means lousy ribs. These were pretty good ribs.
(3)Richie D.
The location of this hole-in-the-wall restaurant off Armitage is dumpy, especially for Lincoln Park. I had to fight the door open to find the place empty. I thought nothing of it because those places usually have the best food. I ordered their well-known ribs which are found at the Taste of Chicago and was extremely disappointed. The sauce was ok and left me with heartburn the rest of the night. The worst part was the rib meat that was EXTREMELY fatty. I had tiny pieces of meat amongst all the fat. I wouldn't go back, especially with the somewhat high-end prices. Perhaps this place used to be astounding and tasty, but it has gone downhill since then.
(1)Michael S.
When it comes to restaurants. there is nothing I hate more than realizing I am a captive customer in an awful restaurant. I was in the hood because my daughter was performing in an hour across the street. I walked in here tonight with a positive attitude. I walked out with a bad taste in my mouth, literally. I saw the prices on the menu and gulped. Example: $6.95 for a hot dog. I looked around the dining room: empty. Bad sign. I looked at my watch: no time to leave, go elsewhere and make the performance on time. Shit, I'm stuck. My postage stamp size turkey burger looked like a defrosted mini-cowpie. It was served on a stale bun. The side of baked beans was runny and tasted like snot and looked like....worse. The best part of the meal was the water.
(1)Arlene A.
So can I tell ya that Robinson's has the goods! The ribs have a wonderful smokiness with the meat all beautiful and pink. When I saw the smoke ring, I knew this was the real deal. The BBQ link was spicy with a nice snap. The corn muffin (which was heated up later) was moist and yummy. The chicken was also good, and normally BBQ chicken does nothing for me, but it's apparent that Robinson's is committed to good traditional barbecue. I'll be ordering in again soon.
(4)Cody B.
Loved it. I was a little off-put by the negative yelp reviews but it seems like the majority were from the nextdoor high schoolers who may receive unfriendly service. We walked in 20 minutes before closing and had very pleasant service and great food. We were welcomed to stay after closing for however long we wanted, and did. BYOB is a plus. I'm glad its a block away from my girlfriend's apartment, cause I'll go back.
(4)Kim P.
I was totally stoked to find an Entertainment coupon for Robinson's. I'd never been there before and supposedly the place boasted they were voted 1st place at the Taste of Chicago for 5 years running (or something like that). I'm wondering how that was possible. Truly. My BF and I got there at 8pm on a weeknight. There was no one else in the restaurant and we almost left thinking they were closed. But a disgruntled waitress with bad hair told us they were open and then grunted for us to pick a table. It's not a very big place, and we had it all to ourselves. So I was thinking, this should be good. We can get in an out quick. Boy I had no idea how quick we'd be getting out of there. Primarily because the waitress shoved her foot so far up our asses we had no choice. Apparently they close at 9 and despite the fact there was still an hour to go, we were treated like we must be assholes to expect to be served so close to closing. We ordered our food right away in an attempt to get the ball rolling. We both ordered ribs, I had a half slab and my BF had a whole. The food came out fairly quick. I think it was 8:20 when I glanced at the clock. I SHIT YOU NOT at 8:30 the waitress without saying a word to us turns off the tv, shuts off half the lights and begins putting the chairs up on the tables around us. I'm in no way a pokey eater, but duude cut me some slack. Ten minutes is not enough time to put down a slab of ribs, an ear of corn, a side of fries and slaw. We hastily tried to scarf down the mediocre food before they turned off all the lights. And it was mediocre. The ribs were tender enough, but lacking real depth of flavor. Instead they just tasted like they were drowned in sauce. And not even an ass kicking sauce. The fries were undercooked as if they pulled them out fast to assist in rushing us out the door. I think the best part of the meal was the cornbread biscuit. Seriously. I suppose the only satisfaction in this experience was when I presented the server with the coupon. And thank god we had one. Even with the coupon I still laid out almost $40. But rest assured it wasn't in the form of a tip. I gave the min (10%) and believe me that was being REALLY generous considering how crappy they treated us. We were gone by 8:45 so it wasn't like we kept them open past closing time. But we won't be venturing back there again. Too many other places in this wonderful city to get real BBQ where they welcome their patrons and not diss them.
(2)Bill J.
Had Robinson's rib sandwich at Toyota Park. Unreal, I'll only be getting the sandwich from Robinson's going forward.
(3)Ted C.
I remember this place being a good, cheap place for lunch when I was in high school-it was right across the street. The baskets were always a good value, never been there for dinner but I do agree that the service is pretty slack-but never in a mean way, they're just lackadaisical. The sauce is pretty good-again from what I remember, and I recall their rib sandwich being very good. I'll try to come by again and re-edit it.
(4)Jordan R.
This review is for delivery. I'm always hesitant to order in ribs cause I feel like sometimes they don't travel well, but on Saturday after plans to go out for some BBQ got cancelled abruptly I had to have some. I figured instead of ordering from a local place that does a lot of things (I live on Addison), I'd take a chance and order from a dedicated rib spot, even though it was kind of far away. Got a rack of ribs dinner and the chicken tenders dinner. They said they'd be there in an hour and they made it in just under that. All the food was well packaged in tin foil and was still very hot. The ribs were delicious and tasted like they had just come out of the smoker. Bottom line, whenever I'm craving any type of bbq delivered on short notice, this is now my go-to.
(5)Tuyen T.
This place is not friendly to students in the area. It is unfair to kick someone out when they are with 5 other people who are paying to eat there. Their food isn't that great, nothing special, but it isn't bad if you want some chicken fingers. Their service is awful.
(2)Kelly S.
I had the Brisket Sandwich, Mac and Cheese and the Cole Slaw. Loved it all and want to try more off their menu!
(4)Kyle S.
Robinsons is ok. The Pulled pork sandwich was much better than the reheated small portion of ribs we got. If you can find a better BYOB BBQ place, I'd go there.
(2)Carrie S.
Thanks to some weird circumstances of not remembering the contents of my meatloaf recipe and a day of watching Veronica Mars on DVD, dinner came from Robinson's through Grubhub.com . Both of us got a half slab of ribs wet with different sides. As usual, the delivery was right on time and the food was nice and warm. My hickory baked beans were pretty good. Their version is slightly sweet and tangy. The corn muffin was average, but tasty in the moment. The ribs were also average, but kinda meh. The ribs were a little tough and fatty. It seemed that the delicious bbq sauce served to hide the flaws of the ill prepared meat. The sauce was truly the redeeming quality of the ribs, but overall I'd go somewhere else for my rib fix.
(2)Andrea M.
I've gotten carry-out here and liked it. Their pulled pork sandwich is very good. One piece of advice- stick with the fries as a side. I ordered onion rings as a replacement and was bummed. They're good, but you get like 5 onion rings as opposed to a decent amount of curly seasoned fries.
(3)Linz C.
my boyfriend and i called to order delivery from robinson's and the guy on the phone was such a jerk that after talking to him for a while we decided not to order from there. i called back to try to talk to a manager to let them know that whoever was taking their orders was losing them business and it was the same guy and he was even worse! don't order from them! i have never dealt with someone as rude as this at a restaurant.
(1)mark b.
After ordering Robinson's tonight, I checked out the Yelp reviews...and almost panicked. But, the Baby Back Ribs w/ Seasoned fries arrived hot in about twenty minutes. The person who took my order was considerate and patient, especially considering I called three times in the span of ten minutes. The ribs were tasty and not fatty like I've seen some here say. The fries were good and complimented the Ribs. My only real gripe was the side of garlic bread; it was obvious someone spent about one second preparing it before tossing it into the toaster. Mostly toast with a small smear of garlic'ness in the middle. Would I order again? If I didn't feel like driving to Portillos, sure I would!
(4)Jenny N.
I like this Robinsons. I live near by so I go here occasionally. I've always had good food. I ordered a burger and fries a few weeks ago and it was fantastic. For the amount of food they give you, it's a reasonable price. The service is pretty fast and there is good food. What else is there to say? It's a rib joint people, it's not a Rick Bayless restaurant, give them a break.
(4)Randy N.
Rib sandwiches are worse than a McRib, ketchup tasted fermented, place reeks of mold. Pulled pork sandwich is ok, curly fries were good. Will not be going back.
(1)Katrina F.
I ordered delivery this evening from Robinson's during a snow storm.....(Call me a completely mean woman for ordering delivery in the snow but I can assure you I tip accordingly for the weather). Just over an hour and fifteen minutes later my meal arrived. I was impressed with the bad weather that the hot food was still hot and the cold was cold. I always tend to over order when it comes to delivery and this time, I out did myself! I ordered the combo dinner, a 1/2 a rack of ribs, rib tips, 1/4 chicken and a hot link, so I could have a taste of every thing....The amount of meat I ordered could last me easily 3 days! It was all packed together doused in sauce (there was a wet or dry option when I ordered the food and I obviously chose the wet). The rib tips (always my favorite) were delicious! There were tons of them!! The chicken was fall off the bone tender and juicy. I am not a big hot link person...well not me, it's my stomach who doesn't care for them...but this one was perfectly charred and tasty...plus it actually agreed with my tummy. I was to overloaded on sauce to try the 1/2 slab so I will let you know later how they taste.....On to the sides. My combo came with coleslaw, corn bread and a choice side- I opted for the seasoned curly fries. I also ordered an extra side of mac and cheese for the low price of $1.75 (AWESOME price for an extra side) The mac and cheese was OK. It had the bread crumb topping which I don't care for but it was tasty. The fries were hot and crunchy which is such a rarity for delivery! They tasted really fresh and actually like a potato which is how i prefer my fries. I don't like coleslaw but I tried this one...It was decent better than most because it was more vinegar based than mayo based but I still don't care for coleslaw or mayo based salads.....The corn bread was a disappointment. I LOVE a good corn bread and this one was good and moist. It was shaped like a small muffin. That was the problem, it was so small!! With the amount of food I had I expected a big hunk of corn bread. Also the corn bread wasn't corn tasting enough for me. I did save room for dessert! The peach pie was semi frozen but after it thawed, it was delish!!! It wasn't overly sweet which I really appreciated. Over all I liked the food but I will continue to taste around until I find a place with more depth in the flavor of the BBQ. Heck I have enough food for a few days maybe Robinson's Ribs will grow on me!!
(3)Dee W.
So disappointing - for only $40, my sister and I got the saddest half slab of ribs that just tasted kinda funny (not that fond of the sauce); the rib tips were only decent and the smallest side of corn on the cob - she ordered onion rings as her side and they gave her five small onioin rings. Definately felt gypped.
(2)Liliana S.
I'm giving 4 stars based on their boneless rib sandwich that has my mouth watering as I type this review. Yes, it is expensive and you can probably get more for you buck at another Rib restaurant but they have the best boneless rib sandwich in chicago!
(4)Mark P.
Can't taste anything but the sauce, which overwhelms any flavor the actual ribs may have.
(2)Melissa C.
This is the place to go if you want great barbecued ribs or chicken. Their barbecue sauce is stupendous!
(4)Tuyen T.
This place is not friendly to students in the area. It is unfair to kick someone out when they are with 5 other people who are paying to eat there. Their food isn't that great, nothing special, but it isn't bad if you want some chicken fingers. Their service is awful.
(2)Kelly S.
I had the Brisket Sandwich, Mac and Cheese and the Cole Slaw. Loved it all and want to try more off their menu!
(4)Michael S.
When it comes to restaurants. there is nothing I hate more than realizing I am a captive customer in an awful restaurant. I was in the hood because my daughter was performing in an hour across the street. I walked in here tonight with a positive attitude. I walked out with a bad taste in my mouth, literally. I saw the prices on the menu and gulped. Example: $6.95 for a hot dog. I looked around the dining room: empty. Bad sign. I looked at my watch: no time to leave, go elsewhere and make the performance on time. Shit, I'm stuck. My postage stamp size turkey burger looked like a defrosted mini-cowpie. It was served on a stale bun. The side of baked beans was runny and tasted like snot and looked like....worse. The best part of the meal was the water.
(1)Richie D.
The location of this hole-in-the-wall restaurant off Armitage is dumpy, especially for Lincoln Park. I had to fight the door open to find the place empty. I thought nothing of it because those places usually have the best food. I ordered their well-known ribs which are found at the Taste of Chicago and was extremely disappointed. The sauce was ok and left me with heartburn the rest of the night. The worst part was the rib meat that was EXTREMELY fatty. I had tiny pieces of meat amongst all the fat. I wouldn't go back, especially with the somewhat high-end prices. Perhaps this place used to be astounding and tasty, but it has gone downhill since then.
(1)Arlene A.
So can I tell ya that Robinson's has the goods! The ribs have a wonderful smokiness with the meat all beautiful and pink. When I saw the smoke ring, I knew this was the real deal. The BBQ link was spicy with a nice snap. The corn muffin (which was heated up later) was moist and yummy. The chicken was also good, and normally BBQ chicken does nothing for me, but it's apparent that Robinson's is committed to good traditional barbecue. I'll be ordering in again soon.
(4)Cody B.
Loved it. I was a little off-put by the negative yelp reviews but it seems like the majority were from the nextdoor high schoolers who may receive unfriendly service. We walked in 20 minutes before closing and had very pleasant service and great food. We were welcomed to stay after closing for however long we wanted, and did. BYOB is a plus. I'm glad its a block away from my girlfriend's apartment, cause I'll go back.
(4)Andrea M.
I've gotten carry-out here and liked it. Their pulled pork sandwich is very good. One piece of advice- stick with the fries as a side. I ordered onion rings as a replacement and was bummed. They're good, but you get like 5 onion rings as opposed to a decent amount of curly seasoned fries.
(3)Kim P.
I was totally stoked to find an Entertainment coupon for Robinson's. I'd never been there before and supposedly the place boasted they were voted 1st place at the Taste of Chicago for 5 years running (or something like that). I'm wondering how that was possible. Truly. My BF and I got there at 8pm on a weeknight. There was no one else in the restaurant and we almost left thinking they were closed. But a disgruntled waitress with bad hair told us they were open and then grunted for us to pick a table. It's not a very big place, and we had it all to ourselves. So I was thinking, this should be good. We can get in an out quick. Boy I had no idea how quick we'd be getting out of there. Primarily because the waitress shoved her foot so far up our asses we had no choice. Apparently they close at 9 and despite the fact there was still an hour to go, we were treated like we must be assholes to expect to be served so close to closing. We ordered our food right away in an attempt to get the ball rolling. We both ordered ribs, I had a half slab and my BF had a whole. The food came out fairly quick. I think it was 8:20 when I glanced at the clock. I SHIT YOU NOT at 8:30 the waitress without saying a word to us turns off the tv, shuts off half the lights and begins putting the chairs up on the tables around us. I'm in no way a pokey eater, but duude cut me some slack. Ten minutes is not enough time to put down a slab of ribs, an ear of corn, a side of fries and slaw. We hastily tried to scarf down the mediocre food before they turned off all the lights. And it was mediocre. The ribs were tender enough, but lacking real depth of flavor. Instead they just tasted like they were drowned in sauce. And not even an ass kicking sauce. The fries were undercooked as if they pulled them out fast to assist in rushing us out the door. I think the best part of the meal was the cornbread biscuit. Seriously. I suppose the only satisfaction in this experience was when I presented the server with the coupon. And thank god we had one. Even with the coupon I still laid out almost $40. But rest assured it wasn't in the form of a tip. I gave the min (10%) and believe me that was being REALLY generous considering how crappy they treated us. We were gone by 8:45 so it wasn't like we kept them open past closing time. But we won't be venturing back there again. Too many other places in this wonderful city to get real BBQ where they welcome their patrons and not diss them.
(2)Kyle S.
Robinsons is ok. The Pulled pork sandwich was much better than the reheated small portion of ribs we got. If you can find a better BYOB BBQ place, I'd go there.
(2)Carrie S.
Thanks to some weird circumstances of not remembering the contents of my meatloaf recipe and a day of watching Veronica Mars on DVD, dinner came from Robinson's through Grubhub.com . Both of us got a half slab of ribs wet with different sides. As usual, the delivery was right on time and the food was nice and warm. My hickory baked beans were pretty good. Their version is slightly sweet and tangy. The corn muffin was average, but tasty in the moment. The ribs were also average, but kinda meh. The ribs were a little tough and fatty. It seemed that the delicious bbq sauce served to hide the flaws of the ill prepared meat. The sauce was truly the redeeming quality of the ribs, but overall I'd go somewhere else for my rib fix.
(2)Linz C.
my boyfriend and i called to order delivery from robinson's and the guy on the phone was such a jerk that after talking to him for a while we decided not to order from there. i called back to try to talk to a manager to let them know that whoever was taking their orders was losing them business and it was the same guy and he was even worse! don't order from them! i have never dealt with someone as rude as this at a restaurant.
(1)mark b.
After ordering Robinson's tonight, I checked out the Yelp reviews...and almost panicked. But, the Baby Back Ribs w/ Seasoned fries arrived hot in about twenty minutes. The person who took my order was considerate and patient, especially considering I called three times in the span of ten minutes. The ribs were tasty and not fatty like I've seen some here say. The fries were good and complimented the Ribs. My only real gripe was the side of garlic bread; it was obvious someone spent about one second preparing it before tossing it into the toaster. Mostly toast with a small smear of garlic'ness in the middle. Would I order again? If I didn't feel like driving to Portillos, sure I would!
(4)Jenny N.
I like this Robinsons. I live near by so I go here occasionally. I've always had good food. I ordered a burger and fries a few weeks ago and it was fantastic. For the amount of food they give you, it's a reasonable price. The service is pretty fast and there is good food. What else is there to say? It's a rib joint people, it's not a Rick Bayless restaurant, give them a break.
(4)Bill J.
Had Robinson's rib sandwich at Toyota Park. Unreal, I'll only be getting the sandwich from Robinson's going forward.
(3)Ted C.
I remember this place being a good, cheap place for lunch when I was in high school-it was right across the street. The baskets were always a good value, never been there for dinner but I do agree that the service is pretty slack-but never in a mean way, they're just lackadaisical. The sauce is pretty good-again from what I remember, and I recall their rib sandwich being very good. I'll try to come by again and re-edit it.
(4)Erin S.
This place is good for ordering in. Never actually been in the restaurant. I just got chicken fingers - which were actually pretty good, and Keith S was with me and got the ribs and he enjoyed them. So perhaps because we were starving and it was right across the street. But this place isn't bad when it's really cold and you want some decent food.
(3)Mary L.
mmm. I don't understand all of the negative reviews for this place. I live very close and go quite often. Last night, I got the BBQ grilled salmon sandwich wiith fries- very tasty. My boyfriend got the pulled pork sandwich with fries and ate every last bite. Our waiter was super friendly and we never had to ask for anything. It is BYOB, they have a nice patio in the back, and carry out is efficient. In terms of BBQ spots in the city, Smoque is amazing but they have long lines and I feel rushed to get out of there. Robinson's is more laid back and almost as tasty.
(4)Bunny K.
home recipe for the bbq sauce. ribs and fries is the way to go. i get a bottle or two of the sauce to go every time :) finger licking good.
(4)Matt M.
It's just shitty. One time I ordered ribs, it came with a side of fries and a long ass hair that I pulled out of my mouth. At least it was from someone's head, unless they're not maintaining properly. Last Friday I got a brisket sandwich, fries and mac and cheese and it was generally crappy, but no hair. I'm not a BBQ connoisseur or anything, but I know what's gross. I was drunk at the time, but Smoke Shack on Halsted blew this place away when I ate there. I would have ordered from there last Friday too but they didn't have online ordering and I was too high to talk on the phone.
(2)Sydney K.
I'm in love with the rib sandwich here, and so I haven't tried much else. The corn bread is great, but the ribs are just mediocre. The rib tips are very fatty - yuck.
(3)Katrina F.
I ordered delivery this evening from Robinson's during a snow storm.....(Call me a completely mean woman for ordering delivery in the snow but I can assure you I tip accordingly for the weather). Just over an hour and fifteen minutes later my meal arrived. I was impressed with the bad weather that the hot food was still hot and the cold was cold. I always tend to over order when it comes to delivery and this time, I out did myself! I ordered the combo dinner, a 1/2 a rack of ribs, rib tips, 1/4 chicken and a hot link, so I could have a taste of every thing....The amount of meat I ordered could last me easily 3 days! It was all packed together doused in sauce (there was a wet or dry option when I ordered the food and I obviously chose the wet). The rib tips (always my favorite) were delicious! There were tons of them!! The chicken was fall off the bone tender and juicy. I am not a big hot link person...well not me, it's my stomach who doesn't care for them...but this one was perfectly charred and tasty...plus it actually agreed with my tummy. I was to overloaded on sauce to try the 1/2 slab so I will let you know later how they taste.....On to the sides. My combo came with coleslaw, corn bread and a choice side- I opted for the seasoned curly fries. I also ordered an extra side of mac and cheese for the low price of $1.75 (AWESOME price for an extra side) The mac and cheese was OK. It had the bread crumb topping which I don't care for but it was tasty. The fries were hot and crunchy which is such a rarity for delivery! They tasted really fresh and actually like a potato which is how i prefer my fries. I don't like coleslaw but I tried this one...It was decent better than most because it was more vinegar based than mayo based but I still don't care for coleslaw or mayo based salads.....The corn bread was a disappointment. I LOVE a good corn bread and this one was good and moist. It was shaped like a small muffin. That was the problem, it was so small!! With the amount of food I had I expected a big hunk of corn bread. Also the corn bread wasn't corn tasting enough for me. I did save room for dessert! The peach pie was semi frozen but after it thawed, it was delish!!! It wasn't overly sweet which I really appreciated. Over all I liked the food but I will continue to taste around until I find a place with more depth in the flavor of the BBQ. Heck I have enough food for a few days maybe Robinson's Ribs will grow on me!!
(3)Dee W.
So disappointing - for only $40, my sister and I got the saddest half slab of ribs that just tasted kinda funny (not that fond of the sauce); the rib tips were only decent and the smallest side of corn on the cob - she ordered onion rings as her side and they gave her five small onioin rings. Definately felt gypped.
(2)Liliana S.
I'm giving 4 stars based on their boneless rib sandwich that has my mouth watering as I type this review. Yes, it is expensive and you can probably get more for you buck at another Rib restaurant but they have the best boneless rib sandwich in chicago!
(4)Mark P.
Can't taste anything but the sauce, which overwhelms any flavor the actual ribs may have.
(2)Melissa C.
This is the place to go if you want great barbecued ribs or chicken. Their barbecue sauce is stupendous!
(4)Hannah H.
About a 2-2.5: My friend and I came to Robinson's after shopping in the Lincoln Park area. We've always seen this place and it seems to be a popular spot among the DePaul students. The menu offers appetizers, jumbo wraps, salads, Cajun-focused dishes, ribs, and chicken. We shared a whole slab of baby back ribs, which was served as 'wet' (smothered by Robinson's BBQ sauce); the ribs themselves were slightly underwhelming, as they didn't necessarily fall off the bone and wasn't quite as tender; I did appreciate the amount of sauce, as I'm a total sauce person! However, the BBQ sauce itself was a little less thick as I would have liked. This platter came with a corn muffin (that was more on the drier side), cole slaw, and a choice of a side (we opted for baked beans as well as an extra order of onion rings). Service was efficient, and there is limited parking along Armitage. +offers 'wet' and 'dry' options for ribs +limited parking on Armitage
(3)Eva K.
Last week we had our company picnic/softball tournament catered by Robinson's No. 1 Ribs-Lincoln Park and they were absolutely amazing! They were able to help us out on reasonably short notice and were very reasonably priced. Food was great. We'll definitely be giving them a call again!
(5)Ignacio S.
I wouldn't give any stars if possible. I ordered here for the first time and #1. The Mac and cheese was bland, wasn't cheesy. It tasted like wet macaroni. #2. The pulled pork on my pulled pork sandwich was dry and had red pieces when I asked for well done. #3. The delivery man had an attitude when dropping it off because I had someone else sign for me since I was busy. #4. The coleslaw was sour and almost inedible. I threw it in the trash. I'm not exaggerating at all with these points. If you're going to be named Robs No. 1 Ribs, you need to actually serve quality food especially with those kind of prices. The only thing good out of my meal was the onion rings. You guys just lost a customer cus I'm never going back.
(1)Jason A.
Nice pricing for a sandwich and a side. I had the pulled chicken, and the chicken itself was actually really nice. It was super juicy and the seasoning with pepper standing out was a standout. The sauce was ok, but forgettable, a touch sweet. The bun was mass produced store bought. The real downside was the fries. You can tell they were bought frozen and re-heated. That's a joke. Ok spot, but too many better food truck options to have again.
(2)Marquise N.
I ordered from here on Tuesday for the first time. The sauce was horrible. My rib tips were not good. The Mac and cheese was bland. The pecan pie had more salt. The pork and beans were also flavorless. The coleslaw reminded me of the imitation crab salad at subway. For the amount of money I paid I was expecting much more. The only good thing was the curly fries. I will not be eating there again.
(1)Justin B.
The mac-and-cheese and canned beans were tasty...everything else (rib tips, pulled pork sammich, corn bread, BBQ sauces) were not. The rib tips, in particular, were surprisingly bad, tough to chew, not that flavorful. I will give Robinson's this much--there were a lot of them, so I would have been full had I chosen to eat them all! The space is subpar but they give you the option to take it out, so I would exercise that option if I were you!
(2)Gina G.
So let's start with the food. It was average. For the price I'm happy with what I got I will most likely order again if I'm feeling lazy. The chicken skin was semi soggy though so I will probably try something else (which is most likely from being delivered) so not a huge deal. I was very happy that it arrived in a timely manor and that the delivery man made sure I got my food when my roommate got it for me.
(4)Joseph J.
I got the shrimp and ribs combo for delivery. The ribs were OK but nothing special and a little tough. The shrimp were flavorless and tasted like something from a Long John Silvers that hasn't exchanged its cooking oil in a year. The cardboard and lumpy flour construction misnamed "corn muffin" was a fitting end to the atrocious meal as it disintegrated into powder in my hands. I also tasted my friend's order of rib tips which were literally pieces of inedible gristle. Don't think I'll be ordering from this place again.
(1)Mindy N.
Just ordered take out from here it took almost two hours, estimated delivery time was supposed to be 75 minutes or less. The delivery man was extremely rude! And my food was ice cold.. I live less than a mile away. Better service next time, but I doubt I'll order from.them again
(1)Brock L.
Please Note: This review is based on the fact that I used a Groupon! The BBQ wasnt that bad, but considering I bought a Groupon, and also had a promo code for the Groupon, this was a great deal considering the quality. For $34 (Price of Groupon: $44 - $10 promo) + $8 goof tax, I was able to get 2 full slabs of ribs, 2 orders of the BBQ platter (more ribs and rib tips), 2 corn breads, 2 mac & cheese, 2 cole slaw. All for ~$42 I was able to stuff 3 people. Not bad! I picked up the food right on the dot of when i placed my pickup order. Food was still warm/hot when i got it home to eat. For quality, I don't think it was amazing, but considering I paid $42, and was able to stuff 3 people, I am very satisfied. If I did not have a Groupon, I would have given it a lower rating.
(3)Lorena C.
Took our family for Valentines Day we love the ribs and the best part was the BYOB... The staff was great the place was so nice and warm... I luv to go places where I could take my jackets off and not be cold. Definitely going back!!!
(5)Burton D.
I would not recommend that anyone go out of his way to eat here. There are too many other good BBQ places in the city to spend your money on this place. If I lived a block away, I'd probably stop in now & then - it's not actually "bad" BBQ. The place is clean, and the service friendly. The baby back ribs are quite tender, but the sauce (there's only one) is merely serviceable. I'd avoid the buffalo cheese sticks - they really don't taste of blue cheese & red sauce. I dunked mine in the BBQ sauce. Count on noise - brick walls do nothing to absorb sound. BYO beer or wine. No corkage or glass fee.
(2)Timothy C.
The customer service was the worst. I had a Groupon and went there w/ friends for lunch. We were the only ones in the place and it took 4 mins for anyone to greet us not to mention 2 employess came to the counter and said nothing to us. When they finally came to take our order the guy said he doesn't know how to redeem Groupon's and we have to wait for another guy to get there and he was really busy and told me good luck! We walked out!!! This guy was really rude and after reading other reviews I don't think we missed out on anything special. I also called Groupon and told them they should not support this business because of there lack of customer service.
(1)Ricardo E.
I brought a Groupon and thought it was going to be a good experience. I ordered the full slab of ribs and the were really bad. Way too much of their bad sauce and the ribs were cold. The cole slaw taste like plastic and the beans tasted like they came from a can. Don't do it, stay away.
(1)Diane R.
This was by far the worst BBQ I have ever had. My husband was really craving ribs and we were in the area so we gave it a try. (Normally we go to Carson's in Deerfield.). Robinson's claims to slow smoke their meats for hours on wood fires, but it actually looked and tasted as if the meat had been boiled. The sauce was bad, too. I even tried masking the taste with store bought sauce we had on hand- even that didn't help. I hate wasting food but this was so bad, that we ended up throwing a barely touched bucket of ribs and sandwich in the trash.
(1)Dean K.
i'm boring. i almost always get the same thing - ribs, dry with sauce on the side, slaw, onion rings, mac n cheese and the muffin. it's always good, but not great. i'd prefer Lem's but the drive down to 75th can be a bit much. i have had the chicken her too and it is quite good.
(3)j w.
Arguably, the worst food I've ever tasted in the 18 years I've lived in Chicago. What sort of fool, would actually go back to this place twice???
(1)Lunch E.
Got the groupon expected more from this place. Sauce was ok. There was a visible smoke ring on the ribs but didn't taste much of the smoky flavor. Wouldn't come back here, even with another deal.
(2)Ng s.
The ribs were terrible. They were freezer burned and as dry as a desert. I would never go back and if anyone is planning on going there... DONT! No one should ever eat here, the food is simply terrible. The side dishes were all terrible, and again the ribs were unbelievably dry. It was like I was eating jerky.
(1)Anna P.
The baby back ribs are really good, but I am not a huge fan of the sauce. I had the baby back ribs "wet" (with sauce) and had to use my bbq sauce (store bought) I had in the fridge to cover the ribs with it instead. The garlic mashed potatoes were perfect, as was the corn bread muffin. The food arrived super fast -- nice and hot (I ordered through Grubhub). I also had a slice of the red velvet cake, which was so delicious. I have to give this place just an ok rating and that is for its disappointing bbq sauce. Its watery or something is just not quite right. I would order from them again, but douse the ribs in my store bought sauce, again.
(3)M M.
This place serves the most disgusting ribs I have ever eaten at a "restaurant" in my life. I came here for my birthday- my family ordered a fairly large amount of food. I don't even want to describe the setting, just straight to the food. I ordered grilled salmon and we ordered several buckets of ribs. I hate how great manners I have- when the lady asked us if everything was okay, the answer should have been "NO!" We waited close to an hour and alas, the ribs came. I kid you not, the ribs were tender but in a bad way- you can tell that the ribs were pre-cooked, frozen and microwaved. Seems like NOTHING that was served ever touched the grill. The grilled salmon itself tasted microwaved! it was soooooo dry and no evidence of charring what-so-ever. That was the most disappointing birthday dinner IN MY LIFE. I advise you to choose elsewhere.
(1)Kaitlin M.
I love Robinson's pulled pork sandwich!!! They give you a great portion of meat for the price and serve on a crusted sandwich roll that is not too tough to each but still holds the sandwich together so you can eat it with your hands! (I hate floppy rolls that make you eat a sandwich with a fork and knife.) They also have crazy fast deliver or a quite little restaurant that is BYOB. I have had a bunch of BBQ in the city and this is the place I go to most consistently! Ps... ask for a side of their spicy BBQ sauce... so good!
(5)Mikie B.
We walked up to Robinsons after getting to Twin Anchors too late in the night and the estimated wait time too long. Robinsons offers dry-rubbed ribs by request. Based off of what we were served, there is a good reason they are by request - the meat was dry and there were no spices to be found. Definitely not the same kind of dry-rubbed you would find in a place like Texas... or even down the street at the BBQ counter in Whole Foods.
(2)Karl P.
I had a groupon to try here. My boyfriend and I went on a Tuesday night at 6:30pm. We walked in and the lady at the counter barely said even HI to us. I took out my groupon and asked her what do we get with this. So she pretty much shoves a Groupon Menu in my face.my bf and I order two sandwichs he had da pulled pork and I had da bbq beef. We had bbq wings as our side. As far as the food goes the wings were nice and hot and I would say they were good. We both loved our sandwich's. However as we were waiting the lady was texting on her phone. Very unprofessional btw.... It was dead we were da only two customers in the dining room. So the cook brings our food out while the lady behind the counter keeps texting. SMH...... Overall da food was decent but very unprofessional and unfriendly staff that lady at the counter need to goto Customer Service school. As we left my boyfriend said thanks and have a good night. The cook was siting in the dining room with the lady from behind the counter as she was still texting (go figure). The cook said thanks and have a good night . The lady said nothing to us at all didn't even look up and smile it was as if her texting was more important then customers. As far as if we might go back maybe. But the owner needs to re train her and show her how to do her job better.....
(2)Matthew D.
I got the beef link sandwich here the other day. I wasn't really that hungry and it was the cheapest thing on the menu, so I figured it would be a fairly small meal. Boy, was I wrong. You get a side and coleslaw with the sandwich. All for $6.50 + tax. I got the onion rings just because I like dipping them in bbq sauce. Good call. The sandwich was what I expected- a tasty, spicy link smothered in sauce on a roll. Can't go wrong there. And the coleslaw was just right. Creamy and cool. I put it on my sandwich for that southern style thing. Overall, a pretty good value and the food was good.
(3)