New Barbecue Restaurant Arrives In Skokie

SKOKIE, IL — With 11 smokers capable of smoking 12,000 pounds of meat a day, Skokie just got a new source of significant quantities of burnt ends, briskets and baby back ribs, as the suburban restaurant chain Real Urban Barbecue opened its fourth location Friday at 5328 W. Touhy Ave. on the west side of Skokie.

"Since opening our first location in 2010, we have slow-smoked and served more than 156,000 slabs of ribs and over 391 tons of brisket," said Real Urban Barbecue owner Jeff Shapiro.

"The numbers don’t lie, and the demand is higher than ever," Shapiro said. "We’ve heard our fans pleas, and we are so excited to bring our newest and biggest Real Urban Barbecue location to-date to Skokie." (Sign up for our free daily newsletters and breaking news alerts for the Skokie Patch.)

What's different about the Skokie site from Real Urban BBQ's Highland Park, Vernon Hills and in Oak Brook locations? A few things.

For one, it will have beers on tap. Plus, it will offer weekend breakfasts with made-to-order breakfast tacos, fresh fruit, yogurt parfaits, fresh-brewed coffee, tea and more.

The Skokie location has high, loft-style exposed wood barrel ceilings above wood tables and booths that fit about 100 patrons, with outdoor patio seating for another 30 people coming soon.

Skokie Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Howard Meyer told the Skokie Review that the village has issued more building permits over the past three years than before the recession. He credits development over recent years on the east end of Touhy, like the Walmart and Mariano's, with economically invigorating the entire street all the way to Niles.

Real Urban Barbecue is open Monday through Thursday between 10:30 a.m. and 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday until 10:30 pm., and Sunday until 9 p.m. Weekend breakfast served 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. More information is available at the restaurant's website.

Images via Real Urban Barbecue