Green Street Smoked Meats Review

Natalie Antin

Chicago’s barbeque scene and culture has a rich history that permeates the city’s cultural scene. From the intersection of Eastern European and African American styles of cooking meat came a unique style of Chicago barbeque characterized by favorites like rib tips and hotlinks. Longtime restaurants that are institutions in Chicago-style barbeque have competed with each other for years - but the beauty of Green Street Smoked Meats is it doesn’t try to enter this divisive scene. Green Street offers unapologetically Texan barbeque, serving up a simple menu focusing on Texas staples like beef brisket, mesquite wood, and letting the meat speak for itself rather than the sauce.

A close-up of the operations at the counter

Green Street Smoked Meats is a fun counter service barbecue restaurant located in the West Loop. I visited the restaurant and sat inside, but in the warmer months of the year they have extensive outdoor seating.. The interior is both industrial and communal, with gritty exposed metal elements, and welcoming picnic tables for diners. Dining here is simple - patrons order at the main counter from a concise menu (just meat, sides, and drinks), and receive their food from a cafeteria-style assembly line. The menu at Green Street features all of the traditional barbecue offerings with meats listed either by the half pound or by the each, as they like to say, along with most of the traditional side dishes you’d expect at a barbecue joint.

I visited Green Street two weeks ago with some friends, on a Sunday evening at 6:30, and the restaurant was busy but not uncomfortably packed. The line to order took about ten minutes, and once I placed my order it was less than three minutes until I had my food and returned to my table. My friends and I ordered a variety of items; the brisket sandwich, beef ribs, the pulled pork sandwich, and sliced brisket along with sides of baked beans, cornbread, elote-style corn, and tater tot casserole. Canned sodas are available for order at the front, and all alcoholic drinks are available at the main bar in the center of the restaurant.

The smoked meats are certainly the star of the show at Green Street and I can safely say that they did not disappoint. My brisket sandwich featured an incredible amount of shredded brisket on a soft potato bun and topped with homemade pickled veggies. The brisket was phenomenal, it was tender and flavorful and the fat was well-balanced. The pulled pork was served the same way, though with the option for either coleslaw or pickled veggies, and was also great. I am not a huge pork eater, but my friends and I were all in agreement that it was excellent pulled pork. The sliced brisket and beef ribs were both incredibly tender and even met the standards of my Texan friend, which I consider the ultimate stamp of approval.

Classic Texas barbeque - the meat is the star

I have found that when it comes to barbecue, side dishes can be a bit hit or miss, some places do them extremely well and at others, it's clear that they’re an afterthought. The side dishes at Green Street are no afterthought, however. Of the four side dishes we ordered, the elote-style corn and tater tot casserole were the standouts. The elote-style corn comes served off the cob, more similar to esquites, and was my personal favorite side. The tater tot casserole was the favorite of the rest of the group and one I would also highly recommend. The cornbread and baked beans were also solid traditional sides, but I would definitely direct someone towards the corn or casserole if they were to pick just one side.

My overall experience at Green Street Smoked Meats was a great one, I thought all of the food was excellent and loved the ambiance. I would love to return to Green Street in the future when the weather is nicer and the outdoor seating area is open. If you are looking for a good Texas barbecue option in Chicago, I would definitely recommend Green Street.