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The Full Slab
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 4 pm - 11 pm
Fri 4 pm - 1 am
Sat 11 am - 1 am
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Dive-y
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
24 reviews for The Full Slab
24 reviews in English
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Review from Andi D.
Waukegan, IL
5/24/2011
OH.MY.GOD. I mean if there is one place to be a carnivore, this is definitely it! I mean everything I've had here over time was soooo freaking delicious. Some of the things I've had here were the pulled pork, beef brisket, baby back ribs, and sides of mac n cheese and fries. All very good! The drinks I've tried were just the long island iced tea which wasn't too shabby.
I mean..it's possible I have some drool all over my keyboard as I'm typing this. In my opinion the price isn't too bad because its what I usually spend on food. The waitress we got didn't seem to really know about the food and her description of some of the stuff was uhhh not that great but she wasn't rude, just uninformed. They also have some Tuesday night thing, you get tickets for every drink you order and goes into a raffle for money. Of course I never came back now that they opened up a brand spanking new one in Waukegan ;) Whoohoo! How people can give this place anything below 5 stars is beyond me. -
Review from Michael D.
Crystal Lake, IL
11/8/2011
This place was great when it first opened but like many businesses it has forgone ingredient quality in order to save money. The last time I went in the ribs were so full of fat they were barely edible. They were also cut in half on the bone, which led me to believe they were cut rate low grade meat.
When I tried to get some recourse from management it fell on deaf ears. That was it for me. I will not patronize them again. -
Review from Edmond L.
Gurnee, IL
Updated - 6/16/2011
wow What happened to this place? Usually when a restaurant remodels, the place gets better. Not in this case. They brightened the place and turned it into a bad sports bar. The environment changed, and not for the better. I stopped in for a beer and they place was full of young smokers in the front, and the food was not up to par.
I feel like the ownership dropped the ball on this one.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/4/2011
Hi, The Full Slab is one of my fave neighborhood rib joints.
They recently added a few walls to add… Read more »
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Review from Kevin N.
Gurnee, IL
8/7/2011
I've been a fan of the Full Slab since the beginning when it opened. What set it apart from other smoked barbecue shacks was a little nicer atmosphere, delicious sides, and amazing brisket, ribs and pulled pork. It has lost two of these three. The barbecue is still absolutely delicious. What was once an alternative to the take out rib joints in Waukegan has become a takeout place with a boring sports bar. Gone is the family atmosphere. Gone are the 6 different regional barbecue sauces to choose from. They used to have a great loaded potato salad and coleslaw. If they do, it's not described on the menu anymore. It's too bad, because the barbecue is still the star here. I would recommend this as a take out shack only. It's also great for catering. Otherwise, it's not much of a restaurant. Too bad!
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Review from Richard R.
Barrington, IL
11/19/2010
I concur with a lot of the other reviews re the mediocre quality of the food and the service. However, I wanted to add something about my own experience at the Full Slab.
I went there to watch a Bears game with some friends. Full Slab was offering a special: $20 per person for all you can eat wings / all you can drink draft beers during the game. It sounded like a pretty good deal, so I said "I'm in."
You might wonder how any place could make money with this kind of an offer. At Full Slab, it's easy -- just have your server make him or herself scarce to ensure that the patrons don't have an opportunity to order too many wings or ask for too many refills for their beers.
Voila! -- problem solved! Our server came around so rarely that I thought she was an endangered species. And, if that wasn't bad enough, by the 3rd quarter, they were out of wings and draft beer. Our server grudgingly brought us each a bottle of domestic beer, but made no effort to provide a substitute for the lack of wings.
To top things off, our server charged us for seven people when there were only six of us there. When asked why, her response was "you told me you were expecting seven people". Wow -- it's a good thing we didn't tell her we were expecting 12 people -- she might have tried to double our bill! -
Review from Frank N.
11/11/2010
When I took my kids here, I thought this was a close to our home good BBQ joint, but I was disappointed when we went in. It's a sports bar first and foremost and there were some afterwork folks at the bar getting tipsy and being very inappropriate too close to our table.
The food wasn't bad, but the fries were cold and the ribs were cold. The brisket was well cooked and great sauce on it! -
Review from Debbie F.
Lindenhurst, IL
1/25/2011
I was very dissapointed when I went here. the food was not very good and pricey! The table was dirty, the BBQ sauces were filthy-no one at our table would use them. The service was mediocre.
I will not be back. -
Review from Bob Z.
Grayslake, IL
6/26/2010
We've been to the full slab several times and each time it was missing something.
The food isn't great. It typically isn't served hot making it taste like left overs.
The service didn't handle the problem any of the times. I would love to have this place live up to our hopes. Maybe we'll give it one more try tonight and I'll update this.
We always have high hopes but leave disappointed. -
Review from Jim E.
1/9/2011
Good sports bar atmosphere for the big game. Ribs, pulled pork, and cornbread pancakes are awesome!! Don't listen to these people ordering salads this is a BBQ joint people!!
Also just opened a take-out location at 120 and green bay in Waukegan. -
Review from Joe S.
Grayslake, IL
4/17/2007
Honestly, from first walking in the door - this place wants to be more a sports bar than a southern down-home barbecue joint.
I ordered a full slab of baby back ribs - meat was bland, mushy & overcooked. Barely a faint hint of hickory smoke. Sauce was ok.
Truthfully, a McRib would have satisfied me for a lot less $$$ (and for alot more flavor)
Ordered a second time (figuring, maybe a few weeks later, they'd improve a little) - beef brisket was lil dry, tough and tasteless.
I tried their half-chicken meal, which was good, bit too much sauce - a lil bit pricey (could also get a good rotisserie chicken from Jewel for less)
Both times, the staff there I guess take turns at the register - each time, the folks who rung me up had problems. (maybe its me?)
my recommendation - goto either Hillery's or Brothers BBQ.
Latest Update - went over and picked up 2 pulled pork sandwiches (after reading such a glowing review here)
They were huge and messy, loaded with sliced onions (odd?)
Really didn't care for it - sauce kinda funky, I had big slimy chunks of sliced fat in my meat. Did have some spice to it. For the sandwich and one side - it's certainly not worth the $9 bucks they sell them for.
They offer to "Carolina" style your pulled pork sammie - their idea is just to top it off with a scoop of cole slaw. If it was going to be truly carolina style, they'd leave the pork dry and offer a vinegar based BBQ sauce to spice up your meat. Just kind of disappointing all around. Sorry. -
Review from Greg G.
Chicago, IL
7/21/2008
Went here looking for something different, and wish I had stayed away. Although I did not have the BBQ, I went across the lot to Yuri of Japan instead, the wife and child purchased salads from here.
10 bucks each, and the salads were mostly iceberg lettuce. They forgot the chicken on my wife's salad (didn't check till we got home/takeout), and my daughter had 3 small shrimp on her shrimp salad.
From what a person whose culinary opinion I value, the portions are crazy small, and the ribs are nothing to even write about. -
Review from Jill L.
Lake Zurich, IL
1/19/2010
I think this place is having a bit of an identity crisis... is it a restaurant or a club?
The food isn't horrible... it's OK. Actually there aren't many good BBQ places in Lake County so I was hopeful that this was the one. We've eaten here a few times and each time it feels as if it's missing a little something.
I do think this wannabe club like atmosphere may be distracting to delivering a true down home BBQ experience and patrons. -
Review from Mick B.
4/14/2010 3 photos
I have been to The Full Slab a couple of times for after work nosh and cocktails and have been pleased.
Let me make one thing clear that other reviewers have apparently missed; this is not a "family" restaurant. It would seem that they are targeting affluent singles and empty nesters.
On their web page they caption The Full Slab as "Smokehouse and Sports Lounge".
On the "about" page they state:
"The Full Slab combines culinary excellence with the entertainment value of sports and music to create the ultimate restaurant experience. The Full Slab is not a BBQ Restaurant--it's Lake County's only nice sitdown Smokehouse that combines delicious food and cocktails guaranteed to excite your taste buds with the excitement and entertainment of having a private box at your favorite games. "
Are they what they say that they are? I say a resounding YES.
There are many "family friendly" non-sports bar places to take your brood- please feel free to patronize these establishments in the future!
If you are visiting for the first time- The Full Slab is in an odd shaped strip mall slash shopping plaza. So watch for the sign rather than trying to spot the building.
The Full Slab's fries are fresh cut thin style with skin on- slightly "soft" but very tasty. They give you a huge pile- easily enough for two people with a sandwich order.
Worth noting is that even during busy times I have been served drinks and appetizers promptly at the bar; I feel that the cocktails are top notch too. Try a carmel apple martini if you are in the mood for something sweet. -
Review from Mark F.
10/15/2009
Oh Full Slab, it's sad to see how far you've fallen.
When this establishment first opened I was ecstatic. For months I told everyone I knew to come experience the Full Slab and their fantastic BBQ and especially their loaded baked potato salad and cornbread (I can still taste the original stuff in my mouth just thinking about it).
But, as time went on (a few short years) the restaurant has lost its swagger. Perhaps not by the owner or her waitstaff but in terms of the quality of the restaurant, the food taste and portions as well as price.
People in Grayslake thrive on finding a new place to eat since we don't have a whole lot. People want a place that's a quick drive so they don't have to trek to downtown Libertyville or through Gurnee. The Full Slab had the initial potential to be a place everyone went to (like Pat's Pizza, not great pizza but a great environment).
As they became a more popular spot, it's as if they changed how they made things and how they treated their customers. I'm happy for a business when they're booming and chalked full of patrons, but I liked those days where it was my group and maybe someone else at the bar.
All in all, if you like BBQ and don't mind getting messy come check out the Full Slab at least once. The loaded baked potato salad is still good but as you taste it realize that it was once so much better. The portions used to be larger as well, but in this day in age maybe it's for the better. They could be aiding us from becoming the BBQ balloons we all want to be. :)
It's a good place to check out once and then from there - BBQ at will. -
Review from laura E.
Hanover Park, IL
10/9/2007
OMG! This was the BEST BEST BEST-EST pulled pork I have EVER eaten!!!
My mom took me an my three (small) kids there for dinner last night. We both got the pulled pork sandwich, I got the pulled pork sandwich- Carolina style ,with the slaw on the top (drool)....
The Pork was so, so so good. I also got the green beans - YUM!
I believed they were steamed, the waitress said they are tossed with sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil and garlic-- VERY Good combo!
The kids got the chicken tenders off the kids menu. My kids were into the fries so much they did not really eat the chicken until today and they wanted more than we had left over. I took a bite too and they are VERY tasty, neither bland, nor too spicy...just right.
If I did not live so far away (1 hour) I would be dragging my hubby back tonight!
Thank you for giving us another reason to go visit grandma!! :D -
Review from Adam R.
Round Lake, IL
4/9/2011
I will begin by saying that my visit occurred at 7:30 PM on a Sunday evening. That has an effect on my rating because we were not there during a peak period.
I see a lot of mediocre or worse reviews recently for The Full Slab which indicates to me that there must have been some changes. My visit shows me that either I had anomalous positive experience or that the management recognized the challenges ahead of them and tackled them. I am hoping for the latter.
I am a grilling, smoking, barbecuing aficionado. I am very hard to impress. My wife is equally hard to impress because she has been eating my barbecue for 11 years. We went for the barbecue and we were both very pleased.
We began with an appetizer of BBQ chicken nachos. It was the only low point of the meal. The only thing I disliked about it was that the cheese tasted like the canned variety you get at a convenience store or ballgame. It was a little over-sauced for my tastes as well. On the bright side there was a lot of chicken on the nachos. They definitely do not skimp on the ingredients.
My meal was half baby-back and half St. Louis ribs, coleslaw, and a baked sweet potato. All around the ribs had a beautiful smoke ring and a great overall flavor. They were served hot. I ordered the sauce on the side because I am a Memphis style kind of guy. I like a dry rub and, quite frankly, at home I find no need to add a sauce because my dry rub recipe is that good. But I digress. In absence of a dry rub ribs at The Full Slab were quite flavorful. They make their own sauces so I felt obligated to try a couple. The house favorite was a good traditional style sauce with a nice balance. I also tried a vinegar based sauce that had a nice tangy finish.
The sweet potato was served with butter and brown sugar. I missed that on the menu somehow but it was delicious. I tend to prefer sweet potato's au-naturale but that's me.
The cole slaw was a little different then the norm. It had a flavor that tasted a little like star anise. It was just a hint but it took a bite or two to get used to. I would definitely choose it again though. Variety is truly the spice of life.
My wife chose the baby-backs as well as the brisket. She also chose the sauce on the side, The brisket also had a great smoke ring and excellent natural flavor. She chose a side salad and french fries for her sides. There isn't much to say about the salad. The french fries appeared to be cut in house with the skin left on. They were not at all greasy and served piping hot.
All of the meats, while fork tender, did not have that mushy consistency of meat parboiled prior to smoking like you would get at one of the big chain restaurants.
Now for the service. Our waiter was friendly, courteous, and attentive. The bartender who appeared to be the manager on duty was also very friendly and brought our drinks while our waiter was taking another tables order.
There were only two very minor hiccups in the evening. First, as I was coming close to the half way point on my soft drink there was a small (dime sized) piece of paper in my cup. It was quickly replaced with a fresh glass. I have worked in kitchens and this can occasionally happen in the dish washing hood but since the hoods are NSF certified at least it was sanitary.
Second, an error was made on my wife's order. They cook neglected to take her baby-backs out of the smoker at the same time as mine. We said we wanted everything to come out a the same time. They took all new food from the smoker and fired it all at the same time. It was only a difference of about 10 minutes so it was not a major problem.
The bartender/manager paid us a visit while we were waiting and offered to take 20% off the check. We were happy without it and weren't going to ask for any remedies to begin with. The gesture was nice and very appreciated. We had pre-purchased a gift certificate on http://restaurants.com but decided to hold on to it for a later date. We will definitely be back. -
Review from Ed W.
Grayslake, IL
6/17/2009
I took our family of 7 there for my daughter's 8th grade graduation dinner. We were on a tight schedule so I let our server know right up front. This seemed to make a difference as things moved quickly from orders to drinks to food. The food is a little hit and miss. The rib combo plate was good but the sides were disappointing. Be wary of the bean sides and the fries were cold.
I think they may be trying to be all things to all people with the sports theme, live music some nights and carryout business too. But for a local suburban BBQ place - I think they try pretty hard. The beer selection and the BBQ sauce selction is impressive. I think everyone should give it a shot. -
Review from Deena R.
Grayslake, IL
1/17/2010
Famous Dave's is better food, but not as local. This is a place with good ribs and pulled pork, but I'm disappointed they took the numerous sauces off the tables. You'd think this is more of a bar than a restaurant, but I've never seen anyone really capitalize on the enormous bar.
The temp of the food is hit or miss. -
Review from K H.
Round Lake, IL
6/10/2011
Loved the place...as soon as you walk in the smell and the atmosphere is great! The baby back ribs are yummy and I love the Kansas City BBQ sauce. We have ate twice at this place. Great both times! Love the blues playing in the back ground. Will recommend to everyone. Seems like a hidden location. We would have never found it if we did not receive the online deal. Thumbs up!!!
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Review from Renato P.
Grayslake, IL
12/22/2007
I came across the Full Slab purely by circumstance , I was actually looking for a Sushi place but who knew they weren't open for lunch on Saturdays round those parts? I literally said to myself I was going to the next restaurant I saw because I was so hungry. I passed the Full Slab , a place on my radar , but I never before made it inside the place. I have a nice stable of BBQ joints , some really good , considering this place was in the middle of nowhere , I didn't expect much. It is a nice enough place inside , big projection screen tv's good sized bar space , comfortable enough , a little class for a rib joint. Got to the menu , good selection of bbq related dishes , good side variety. The prices seemed a high for the boonies , but not exorbitant. They have 5 variety's of sauces ; Chicago style,KC style,Texas , Memphis,and Carolina, my personal favorite was the KC style. The fries were coated and really good , the ribs ... Outstanding! Definitely in my top 5 ribs anywhere , the beef brisket ,I'm not a huge connoisseur of brisket but this was best brisket I've ever had, ever. The slaw was great , the potato salad was really good ,the green beans were pretty good and I don't really like green beans, the corn cakes were really good , the pulled pork really good as well. I did get a little taste of my son's bacon cheese burger , keyword "little" and it was really good. I WILL be back here again , often I'm sure , and I might even go purely for the brisket , which was before now not a favorite of mine in the BBQ world.
...
Got my Super Bowl ribs here , 2 slabs of baby backs , best game ever. I find myself liking the Chicago style a little more than the KC style this time around. Just an update to say they reheat well and this place still rules. -
Review from jonathan r.
Pensacola, FL
4/5/2009
So went there today and got the Sunday special which was a pick of a meat and two sides with a dessert. Not a bad price if it wasn't that the ribs really weren't that great, I will have to say that I am a little biased only for the fact that the last three rib places didn't have that much meat on the bone. The sauces they have are amazing and I would recommend the memphis sauce!!! Also had the greens and they were ok. The peach cobbler was very good. All in all I probably won't recommend them to anyone but it was ok to give it a try once. Give it a try on the weekend, they look to have a great selection of beers on tap.
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Review from will w.
Richardson, TX
7/16/2009
This was a fantastic rib place I found completely by accident. I had the rib sampler and the two kinds of ribs included were cooked just right and full or real smoke flavor. The garlic bread slice they served with it was addictive (I could have had a whole meal of just that!) The person who took my order at the bar was a little spacey, but who care - its the food that counts! Nice blues playing over the PA. All in all a wonderful place!
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Review from Kristen P.
Grayslake, IL
6/14/2009
So, I had a jones for barbecue today, and this is close by. It was my first time coming here, and it was definitely hit or miss on the food and service. I ordered a mojito from the bar that was delicious, but it was unfortunately the high point of my meal. I ordered the Sunday rib tip dinner with Mac and cheese and green beans. The rib tips were very tasty and tender, the mac and cheese was okay (nothing to write home about), but the green beans were inedible. WAY TOO SALTY! Our waitress then disappeared for quite a while after we put in our dessert order. Meanwhile I overheard the server at the next table explaining that she would just leave their take home peach cobbler frozen so it wouldn't get too hard being reheated twice. Wait, it's frozen? I wish I would have known that before I ordered it (to go, no less!) I might go back, but I think I will stick with more meat and beverages, less everything else.
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Review from Rob F.
Santa Ana, CA
2/12/2010
I've heard hit or miss reviews about Full Slab, and after encountering 45 minute delays at the corporate haven along Grand, I suggested to our group that we give The Full Slab a try before giving up and ordering pizza. We only waited 2-3 minutes for a table, we were dining with a small child who was generally well behaved, got a little fussy by the end of the meal, but it wasn't distracting. I went there with the intention of getting the brisket/pulled pork combo, but I just had to try their rattlesnake pasta, which had the surprise of andouille sausage in addition to the chicken. This dish was phenomenal, the alfredo sauce was creamy, and the pepper blend and the sausage provided a good amount of heat. I convinced some rib ordering friends to upgrade to the combo so we all could sample the pulled pork and brisket. Both were prepared well and seasoned with terrific sauces. What keeps this from a four star rating were two minor annoyances. There were only two servers for a very large room, and they ran out of the St Louis ribs. I'll be back and will be willing to change my review.
