My family and I went to a new restaurant this past weekend – a delightful, decadent, god-tier barbecue place, aptly named South Moon Barbecue. This almighty gem is located 45 minutes away in Hinckley. Sure, a bit of a drive but I assure you the trip is worth it.

According to the restaurant’s own website, they make traditional southern style barbecue (I can attest to the validity of this bold claim). In 2009 they started selling their menu at a roadside shack in Genoa, Illinois. After two years of success (could you expect anything else?) they moved into a bigger venue, but still one too small to contain the culinary excellence that is South Moon Barbecue. In 2014, they moved into their ninety-nine seat location, and it is now where they reside, a stalwart beacon in an otherwise dead little town.  

If you enjoy barbecue, you should definitely give this place a shot just off of principle alone. The atmosphere is interesting, a lot of vintage albums, old school arcade games, and a bunch of old collective action figures. Your parents will geek out, trust me. The owner also has all this memorabilia from the seventies and eighties. The food is always cooked to perfection, but once they sell out, that is it, they are done for the day. This sense of urgency keeps you on your toes, and is not something most people see in suburbia. 

One thing about the place that makes it stands out, and a reason there is such a broad variety of people that go here, is the fact that they offer vegetarian and gluten-free options to those who choose. For example, the menu includes various salads, vegetarian sandwiches, and various kinds of mac & cheese. How one offers so many alternatives with something like barbecue, which is so meat-focused, really goes to show that this place is truly unique and worth the time and a little gasoline.

The second reason you should tell your parents “no, absolutely not” to whatever they are making next for dinner, is the fact that the menu is huge. From various appetizers, to salads, to soups on certain days, from brisket to huge slabs of ribs (way too much for human consumption – it is great) to cakes and the oh-so-amazing, fried cheesecake.

A third and final reason this place should be franchised across the nation is the people who work here. Customers have knocked over expensive collective items the owner has, and the staff is understanding, and I know I would not be. South Moon Barbecue employs some genuinely funny and actually interesting people to talk to. It is a breath of fresh air from what you can encounter around here, and while it is only 45 minutes away, there is a noticeable difference in how people treat you.

South Moon Barbecue is a palace. It is amazing, and the fact they offer an expansive menu, with options anyone can enjoy, as well as a great staff and people that you just do not encounter in DuPage County, leads me to rate this restaurant a solid five stars.

There is nothing more that can be said: South Moon is over the moon.

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