Who's Your Smoke Daddy?

Nothing says barbecue like Memorial Day weekend so when the time came, the family and I went and got our bbq on! I've been lucky enough to try some pretty great bbq around Chicago and in the south, but there was one place I had not tried that has gotten some buzz lately, The Smoke Daddy, in Wicker Park.

The Smoke Daddy is filled with memorabilia on its walls, and checkerboard on its floors. Bar stools line the counter and cushy red booths fill out the rest of the small restaurant. The Smoke Daddy also offers live Blues 7 nights a week for free!

I usually judge a bbq place by its pulled pork, so I opted for the pulled meat platter with pork and brisket. I chose cornbread and mac 'n cheese for my sides, while my mom had the cripy sweet potato fries and cilantro coleslaw.

The pulled pork is some of the best I've had and was very moist and tender. The brisket was decent, but definitely not as great as the pulled pork. I really wanted to love the cornbread because it's pretty hard to screw that up, but unfortunately, it didn't cut it. The bread oozed out grease and oil and was hard to palate. Luckily, the mac 'n cheese tasted as good as it looked and was rich and creamy underneath a pile of seasoned bread crumbs.


I would definitely go back for the pork and to try one of The Smoke Daddy's extensive beer offerings. Their sauces were also quite tasty,though the meat didn't even need it! If you find yourself craving a sweet tea and barbecue, try The Smoke Daddy and you won't leave unsatisfied. Four stars (minus 1 for the cornbread).

The Smoke Daddy
1804 W. Division Street
Chicago, IL 60622
773-772-MOJO
www.thesmokedaddy.com