Austin Ave · Jefferson Park

Drive-thru BBQ.
Donuts to order.

Family-owned Jefferson Park barbecue — brisket, ribs, pulled pork and wings smoked fresh every day, and warm donuts tossed to order in our own cinnamon-cocoa sugar. Roll through the drive-thru or pull up a seat.

What We Make Order Online
Stack of pecan-smoked baby back rib slabs at Earl's BBQ, Jefferson Park Chicago
Smoked daily◆ Drive-thru◆ Donuts made to order◆ Catering & half pans◆ Family owned

Out of the smoker

The lineup.

Smoked every morning, sold till it's gone — the Jefferson Park classics.

Glazed baby back ribs half slab at Earl's BBQ Jefferson Park

Ribs · The signature

Baby Back Ribs $20 / $33

Half or full slab, smoked low and glazed — fall-off tender with our house BBQ sauce.

Sliced smoked brisket with pepper bark on white bread at Earl's BBQ

Beef · Low and slow

Smoked Brisket $17+

Deep bark, pink smoke ring — on a sandwich, on a platter, or by the pound.

Smoked platter with ribs, brisket, pulled pork and baked beans at Earl's BBQ

Platters · Pick your meats

Smoked Platters $20–42

One to four meats with sides — ribs, rib tips, brisket, pulled pork, chicken, sausage.

Smoked chicken wings with mac and cheese and pickle at Earl's BBQ

Chicken · Off the smoker

Smoked Wings $13.95

Smoked then crisped — with that mac & cheese on the side.

Pulled pork sandwich piled high on a brioche bun with fries at Earl's BBQ

Sandwiches · Most loved

Pulled Pork Sandwich $15 / $18

Piled past reason on a brioche bun — small or large, with fries.

Nashville hot fried chicken sandwich with hand-cut fries at Earl's BBQ

Neighborhood favorite

Nashville Fried Chicken $15

Craggy, hot, and honest — the sandwich the neighborhood keeps ordering.

BBQ Sandwiches

Smoked daily, piled on brioche

Pulled Pork Sandwich15 / 18

Small / large

Brisket Sandwich17 / 21

Small / large

Smoked Salmon Sandwich16 / 20

Small / large

Pulled Chicken Sandwich15 / 18

Small / large

Ribs

Rib Tips17 / 25

Small / large

Half Slab Baby Back Ribs20
Full Slab Baby Back Ribs33

Smoked Platters

Pick your meats: ribs, rib tips, brisket, pulled pork, smoked chicken, sausage, with sides

1 item20
2 items27
3 items34
4 items42

Chicken

Smoked Half Chicken18.95
Smoked Wings13.95

Smoked Sausages

Polish Sausage12

Pecan smoked, made in the family smokehouse

Spicy Polish Sausage12

Cayenne kick

Neighborhood Favorites

Prime Cheeseburger15
Nashville Fried Chicken15
Shrimp Po' Boy15
Grilled Rib Eye Steak Sandwich16
Chicken Tenders14
Beyond Burger15
BLT14
Pulled Pork Tacos14
Brisket Tacos16
Smoked Salmon Tacos16
Pork Burrito14
Brisket Burrito16
Pork Nachos14
Hot Dog7.95

Meat by the Pound

Brisket by the Pound33.95

Half pound 18.95

Pulled Pork by the Pound19.95

Half pound 10.95

Sides & Salads

Sides 4.95

Baked Beans4.95
Mac & Cheese4.95
Fries4.95
Coleslaw4.95
Charred Corn4.95
Collard Greens4.95
Side Salad4.95

Salads

Caesar Salad12
Power Greens Salad14

Kids Menu

Jr Pulled Pork9.95
Kids Hot Dog9.95
Kids Burger9.95
Kids Tenders9.95

Donuts & Shakes

Fresh Donuts

Warm and crispy, tossed in our own cinnamon & cocoa sugar: 1 for 1.49, 3 for 3.75, 6 for 7.50

Hand-Spun Shakes 5.25

Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, cherry, raspberry, banana, coconut, cookies n' cream

Sodas 3.25

Cola, root beer, orange, lemonade, raspberry iced tea, Sprite, Cheerwine

Catering: Half Pans

Half pans that feed the whole party. Call 773-628-7870 to order.

Beef Brisket100
Smoked Salmon100
Pulled Pork75
Rib Tips75
BBQ Chicken75
Baby Back Ribs65
Baked Beans45
Mac & Cheese45
Fries40
Coleslaw40
Salad35

BBQ catering in Chicago: the full guide →

* Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness.
A 3% fee is added to all credit card transactions.

"We smoke our meats daily to ensure the absolute best quality — each and every time."

The family promise, since day one

EARLS

Jefferson Park's smokehouse

BBQ and donuts, from one family.

Earl's is a family-owned drive-thru barbecue joint on Austin Avenue — the kind of place Chicago's Northwest Side used to be full of and mostly isn't anymore. The smoker runs every morning: brisket with a deep pepper bark, baby backs glazed till they shine, rib tips, pulled pork, wings, and pecan-smoked Polish sausage from the family smokehouse. When it's gone, it's gone.

And then there are the donuts — made to order, never sitting in a case, tossed warm in our own cinnamon and cocoa sugar. BBQ and fresh donuts under one roof, with a drive-thru lane: that's Earl's. It comes from the same husband-and-wife team behind Pierogi Kitchen in Wicker Park, Wurst Behavior in Irving Park, and Spoko in Lincoln Park (which grew out of their original Ella's BBQ) — Chef Artur Wnorowski and Gosia Pieniążek, who learned smoking the old way and never stopped.

Daily
Smoked fresh
Drive
Thru lane
Warm
Donuts to order
Inside Earl's BBQ — wood-clad counter, corrugated steel and hand-drawn menu boards, Jefferson Park Chicago

Drive-thru BBQ in Chicago

The only line worth sitting in, explained.

Real barbecue takes hours; getting it shouldn't. Earl's BBQ & Donuts is Jefferson Park's family-owned smokehouse with something almost no barbecue restaurant in Chicago has: a drive-thru. The smoker is loaded every morning — whole briskets developing that black pepper bark, baby back ribs, rib tips the way the South and West sides taught this city to eat them, pulled pork, half chickens, wings, and pecan-smoked Polish sausage made in the family smokehouse. You can roll through the drive-thru lane on Austin Avenue and have a two-meat platter in your passenger seat in minutes, or order pickup and delivery straight from our own kitchen.

Then there's the other half of the name. Our donuts are never made ahead — each order is dropped fresh, tossed warm in our own cinnamon and cocoa sugar, and boxed while they're still crackling. BBQ joint by trade, donut shop by conviction. Add hand-spun shakes, Cheerwine on the soda line, and a kids menu, and Earl's is what a neighborhood drive-in was always supposed to be.

Earl's is part of Na Zdrowie Hospitality, the family of restaurants from Chef Artur Wnorowski and Gosia Pieniążek — alongside Pierogi Kitchen in Wicker Park (Chicago Reader's Best Polish Restaurant 2024, First Runner-Up), Wurst Behavior in Irving Park, and Spoko in Lincoln Park. If you're searching for BBQ in Jefferson Park, drive-thru food near the Kennedy, smoked brisket by the pound on the Northwest Side, or barbecue catering in Chicago — half pans of brisket, ribs, pulled pork and sides that feed a whole party — Earl's has the smoker already running.

Good to know

Frequently asked.

Everything you need before your visit.

Yes — Earl's is one of the only BBQ drive-thrus in Chicago. Roll through at 4835 N Austin Ave in Jefferson Park, or order ahead for pickup and delivery.

Every single order — dropped fresh, never from a case, tossed warm in our own cinnamon & cocoa sugar. One for $1.49, three for $3.75, six for $7.50.

Yes — half pans of brisket, baby back ribs, rib tips, pulled pork, BBQ chicken, smoked salmon and all the sides, built to feed a party. Call 773-628-7870 to place a large order.

4835 N Austin Ave in Jefferson Park, Chicago — open Mon–Thu 11am–9pm, Fri–Sat 11am–10pm, Sun 11am–8pm. Call us at 773-628-7870.

Same family — Earl's is one of four restaurants from Chef Artur Wnorowski and Gosia Pieniążek, alongside Pierogi Kitchen, Wurst Behavior, and Spoko. Ella's BBQ, our original Lincoln Park spot, became Spoko in 2025 — same family, same smoker, new chapter.

Come hungry

Find us.

Location

4835 N Austin Ave
Chicago, IL 60630
Jefferson Park

Hours

Mon–Thu · 11am–9pm
Fri–Sat · 11am–10pm
Sunday · 11am–8pm

Contact

773-628-7870
Order online