Realizing that the suburbs didn't have a lock on good barbecue, I returned to the north side of the city. Smokin' Woody's is one of those new places filled with old Pepsi ads and pictures of Elvis, generally a very bad sign. The pork dinner ($8.95) consisted of 4 or 5 thick slices of good quality (loin?) roast, a few steamed whole red potatoes, a tub of cole slaw, and a chunk of French bread. The pork compared favorably with my grandma's roast and she would have approved of the potatoes also (they were quite good and a nice change from fries). Really not bad at all but not exactly what I'd call barbecue. Very little, if any, smoke flavor and the sauce was passable at best (forgot to inquire about alternative sauces). The slaw was lousy (below supermarket quality) while the bread was above average. Though I generally despise Wonder bread, I am coming to believe that bread quality is often inversely correlated with barbecue quality. The hot link sandwich (a bit pricey at $5.95, but with taters 'n slaw and on a decent roll) was adequate. I've been to many worse places but Smokin' Woody's just didn't quite do it for me. Smokin' Woody's 4160 N Lincoln Ave (used to be on Southport) 773-880-1100
Chicago, IL