'Low and Slow' City Barbeque Opens Monday In Orland Park

ORLAND PARK, IL -- LaGrange Road has a veritable smorgasbord of restaurants suited to every taste, budget and craving so it’s hard to stand out from the pack, but a new star at 143rd Street and LaGrange is destined to have diners coming back for second helpings. Opening April 23, City Barbeque offers competition-quality barbeque smoked slow and low. The casual-dining eatery also offers hand crafted sides.

City Barbeque makes no pretense about being anything other than what it is -- a joint. During a recent pre-opening preview for the media and their plus-ones, convivial host, co-founder and director of training Frank Pizzo and his team brought out a four-course meat dinner, including crusty beef brisket, pulled pork, smoked turkey, Texas sausage in natural casings, whole chicken and slabs of smoked ribs. Complimenting the main courses were hand-crafted sides, including vinegar coleslaw, red skin potato salad, green beans and bacon, collard greens, baked beans and more. City Barbeque also boasts craft beers from Argus Brewery, locally brewed in the old Schlitz horse barns on the Chicago’s South Side.

Meats are slow-cooked 18 hours or more over shagbark hickory chips. No rib bone or chicken is taken out of the smoker before it’s time. Only a couple of crew members at the joint are allowed to make the call of when to pull the meat out of the smoker. Pizzo said it can take up to a year for a City Barbeque team associate to become a qualified smoker.

“Smoking meat is truly an art,” Pizzo added. “You have to take into account the humidity, the wood that you use, the cut of meat. You have to know when to check it or when to let it go longer. There are so many different factors in the product coming out great every time. I’ve been smoking meat for 20 years and I’m still truly learning something new.”

The company is based in Ohio, where the first City Barbeque opened in 1999. The Orland Park location is the company’s thirty-six joint, with four more slated to open later this year in Downers Grove, Deerfield, Park Ridge and Vernon Hills. To maintain control over quality and growth, all of the restaurants are company-owned.

Pizzo and four other friends, including the main founder Rick Malir, started feeding family and friends out of their backyards. City Barbeque has racked up accolades from Business Insider’s “Best Barbecue In The U.S.,” Grand Champion in the Ohio Smoked Meat and Barbecue Festival, Best Brisket from the Kansas City American Barbeque Society, and many, many more.

“The five of us got together and we all had our own little skills,” Pizzo said. “We saw there was an opportunity for smoked barbeque so we worked really hard to build a little restaurant in a Dunkin’ Donut building in Columbus, Ohio, which was our first restaurant. Pizzo said. “The restaurants aren’t franchises, but owned by the company because we like to have control and put the effort into growing the business.

City Barbecqe at 14301 S. LaGrange Road, Orland Park, throws open its doors at at 10:30 a.m. Monday, April 23. The first 50 guests through the door will receive a limited edition “First Fifty” City Barbeque t-shirt and a coupon for a free sandwich when they return for another visit. The joint has also partnered with some local charities each day, and each organization will receive 25 percent of that day’s sales when guests mention that organization when ordering:

Monday, April 23: Bridge Teen Center
Tuesday, April 24: AnnMarie Foundation
Wednesday: April 25: Orland School Dist. 135
Thursday, April 26: Sertoma Centre
Friday, April 27: Veterans Voices

The grand opening on Saturday, April 28, runs all day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. City Barbeque has a full day of wholesome family fun planned with giveaways, games, prizes and live music. Orland Park Mayor Keith Pakau will do the honorary cutting of of the rib bone, followed by a rib eating contest with local high schools, face painting, crafts for the kiddos and more. Plus, 10 percent of the days sales will benefit Orland Park Baseball 4 All.

City Barbeque is located at 14301 S. La Grange Road (143rd and La Grange, across the street from the University of Chicago Medical Building). Regular hours are 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The joint offers dining in, carryout and catering packages. Follow City Barbeque Orland Park happenings on Facebook.