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Wilma's Famous BBQ & Tavern, Chicago, IL

Wilma's Famous BBQ & Tavern

4.3
4.3
224 Reviews
$30 and under
Barbecue

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 p.m.
Booked 19 times today
  • Great for happy hour
  • Good for groups
  • Lively
Wilma’s Famous BBQ & Tavern is here for Chicago’s BBQ needs. Located on the second floor of 17th n. Wabash, you can feast on traditional bbq made from scratch while enjoying one of our signature drinks served to you by our friendly staff members.

Order delivery or takeout

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Neighbourhood
    River North (Chicago)
  • Cross Street
    We are just south of the intersection of Washington and wabash
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Public transit
    We are on the second floor of 17 n. Wabash, right off the Washington and Wabash transit platform.
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Delivery, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Indoor Fireplace, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 224 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.3
4.3 based on recent ratings
  • 4.4Food
  • 4.4Service
  • 4.4Ambience
  • 4.3Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Wilma's Famous BBQ & Tavern offers a mixed experience with "amazing food" and a "great atmosphere." Despite some service delays, standout dishes include the rib and turkey tips, "soul rolls," and "delicious BBQ." The location is ideal with validated parking. Patrons enjoy its vibrant ambiance and friendly staff, making it worth a visit.

224 Reviews
  1. Ebony

    Chicago

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Nice experience, drinks and food were both delicious! I will surely be back.

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  2. Angelina

    Chicago

    9 reviews

    2.0

    9 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 2
    The service was slow. The food was tasty. However, it could have been a little bit warmer. When they brought it to the table it was lukewarm and not hot. They made a mistake and left some plastic around a part of a slab of rib it was very underneath my barbecue sauce so I set my food back. Also, the escalator was not working but the elevator was. I'm okay if I never go back there again. There are much better places to spend that kind of money.

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  3. Keva

    Chicago

    7 reviews

    1.0

    7 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 2
    We returned for a second time thinking things would be better. When arrived we had to sit for 10min. Waiter informed us that it was an hour wait for food because the kitchen was behind. That turned into two hours. We saw lots of people waiting on food, some even started to leave. We asked the server how much longer he said another 30 minutes that would’ve been 10:00pm and our reservation was at 7:30. I don’t care how much people say the food is good this was strike 5 for me and I’ll never go back because it’s poorly managed. I didn’t even drink the water that was given to me. They don’t offer you a piece of bread let along a drink for the long wait. A customer behind us left and while leaving said he had been waiting for two hours for his food. I recommend somebody to call Gordon Ramsey because that place needs help. Oh, the first time we went I never got my food, a hour had passed before I was told they had ran out of what I ordered. Never Again!!

    1 person found this helpful

  4. James

    Unspecified

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    Kitchen was extremely slow. We waited to hours for our food it was terrible. Our server was nice and tried her best but the kitchen needs to do better.

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  5. Nika

    VIP

    Caribbean

    15 reviews

    2.0

    15 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    Extremely slow service….. It was 1 hour and 15 minutes before we received our food and the order was incorrect. I ordered turkey links and received turkey tips. 😡

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  6. Tequella

    Chicago

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    The lemon drops were a 10/10 hands down our waitress was perfect the bbq was good the food wasn’t hot it was warm my total was 192 dollars it was worth it I would’ve sent it back but I was very groovy and I decided to take it home bbq had a nice taste

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  7. Maurice

    Chicago

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 17, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    This was the worst experience I've gotten in a while. Starting with not being waiting on for over an hour... once the waiter finally got to us, he started with telling us about the gratuity. After ordering our food, that also took over an hour to receive. Not to mention, some of the food was missing, and when they finally brought the rest of the food, it was in cups instead of dishes. The waiter brought the bill before even bringing all our food only to say 30 minutes later they ran out and did we want to order something else. This was most definitely a one and done.

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  8. Kina

    Chicago

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on February 16, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Had a good time here food was good. Ambience was beautiful as well as the customer service. Toya was attentive.

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  9. Brittany

    Detroit

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 16, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Food took way to long to come out. The restaurant ran out of food.

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  10. leandre

    Chicago

    6 reviews

    1.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on February 16, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 2
    The food took a very long time to come and was still very cold. Had to send my food back twice. Horrible experience

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FAQs

Wilma's Famous BBQ & Tavern offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (312) 269-5580.

Wilma's Famous BBQ & Tavern is rated 4.3 stars by 224 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 p.m.
Booked 19 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Wilma's Famous BBQ & Tavern

17 N Wabash Ave fl 2, Chicago, IL 60602-4704

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross Street
    We are just south of the intersection of Washington and wabash
  • Neighbourhood
    River North (Chicago)
  • Hours of Operation
    Daily 11:00 am–11:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Barbecue, Soul food, American
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Public transit
    We are on the second floor of 17 n. Wabash, right off the Washington and Wabash transit platform.
  • Payment Options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Delivery, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Indoor Fireplace, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Takeout, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine
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