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Wilma's Famous BBQ & Tavern, Chicago, IL

Wilma's Famous BBQ & Tavern

4.3
4.3
234 Reviews
$30 and under
Barbecue

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Find next available

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Booked 35 times today
  • Great for happy hour
  • Hot spot
  • 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.

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Dining areas

Additional information

What 234 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
  • 4.3Service
  • 4.4Ambience
  • 4.2Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Wilma's Famous BBQ & Tavern delivers "amazing food" and "wonderful service," making it a standout choice for BBQ lovers. Diners appreciate the "friendly staff," "great ambiance," and "delicious" catfish and turkey tips. While some mention slow service, the overall experience is "definitely worth it," with many planning to return.
234 Reviews
  1. OpenTable Diner

    Chicago

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 1 day ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    My significant other and I was not sure about this place due to the reviews but I will say it wasn’t bad but everyone experience is different remember that. First I made reservations so when we walked in we got a table right away but it wasn’t what I reserved . I made reservations for lounge we ended up at a table I guess. Next, our waiter was cool. Anthony served us and was straight forward with us about everything which is something I love. Then food took 35 mins for the entrée. We got ribs and hot link large. We decided to share because we are not big foodies but if you like to eat then get separate meals. The appetizer was decent. I wasn’t a big fan of the soul rolls. It was too much going on for me. I wish we was able to substitute the turkey in the rolls for chicken because I think turkey was too much. But if you like turkey then you will like the rolls. For drink we got Wilma famous punch bowl. It was good. Now the only problems I had with the place was one the sauce of the food was to tangy. I was not expecting that taste. Next, once we got our food out of no where manager and ppl coming to our table asking if everything was good and if we needed anything. Mind you we had just got the food. I feel like they over do it with customer service. I feel like only the waiter should come to the table not the manager unless something was wrong. I 100% because it take away from the waiter . Lastly they do have a gratuity tips added to your bill. For some reason a lot of black owned restaurants do that which is fine but I wanted to tip on my own not by force but it was cool. If you do decide to go to this place just pick a decent time. Not rush hour and go in with an open mind. I know the review are everywhere but give them a try you might like it.

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  2. Lori

    Chicago

    7 reviews

    5.0

    7 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    I was shocked at how fast my food came, the waiters were very pleasant, my macaroni was cool but they corrected it with no problem. The food was delicious, the Hennessy Sidecar was delicious and I liked the ambience

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  3. Fatima

    VIP

    Washington DC

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 2
    I had high hopes, but my experience was a bit uneven. The catfish seemed to have been sitting and reheated. The chicken wings were very small, and one wasn’t even a full wing, which was disappointing. However, the turkey tips were absolutely amazing and perfectly cooked and full of flavor. While there were some letdowns, the highlights were definitely worth mentioning. I’d consider giving it another try, hoping for more consistency.

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  4. OpenTable Diner

    VIP

    Cincinnati

    5 reviews

    2.0

    5 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    The food had good flavor, however I spent way more than I would have anticipated for the food. Our waiter was very nice and knowledgeable, however he was spread wayyyyy too thin.

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  5. Robin

    Chicago

    1 review

    2.0

    1 review

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 4
    The wait staff were very nice and friendly but the food and drinks are overpriced. We waited over an hour for our food and several tables just ended up leaving because they couldn’t wait any longer. There was no compensation for the almost hour and a half wait. They need to do better to be prepared for full service.

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  6. OpenTable Diner

    Chicago

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 1, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    Had to wait over an hour for my food. Presentation of food was not what I had been seeing on social media. I really wanted to try this restaurant and could’ve just went to my regular bbq spot. Wasn’t worth the time or day

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  7. OpenTable Diner

    Chicago

    2 reviews

    1.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on March 1, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    We had reservations and was sat immediately. We placed our orders and drinks came out. It was a birthday celebration so we all were in conversation until we noticed the time. We were told the kitchen was backed up. Then 1 hour and a half later they started passing out free shouts. The restaurant wasn’t packed. The manager walked around asking were we OK. NO! We’ve been here almost 2 hours. The manager said it was because we ordered ribs and they ran out and had to go buy more. WTF! you’re a barbecue restaurant on a Saturday night! We were never told an hour after waiting otherwise we would’ve charged our order. POOR SERVICE, TASTELESS FOOD and to only give 15%off with mandatory gratuity. I will never go back or recommend Wilma’s in the heart of downtown Chicago to anyone!

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  8. OpenTable Diner

    Chicago

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 1, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Loved it workers are amazing people was very pleasant and nice and respectful the food was amazingly good

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  9. Ashton

    Chicago

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 1, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5
    The food was delicious. Atmosphere was great. The house bbq was perfect. The only downside is that it took almost an hour to get our food

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  10. OpenTable Diner

    Chicago

    1 review

    1.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 28, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 1
    Only one severe one clearer veryyyyyyy long wait after seated still was not waited on so me and my party left

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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 234 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 PM
Find next available

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Booked 35 times today
Google Map for Wilma's Famous BBQ & Tavern

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

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Phone number
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Barbecue, Soul food, American
  • Hours of operation
    Daily 11:00 am–11:00 pm
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street Parking
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
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