Merle's Barbecue & Southern Kitchen

I wnet there for a Christmas Eve dinner with my wife, my son and a couple of friends. I'd wanted to try them out and one of my students gave me a gift card. I was unimpressed. My wife and I had the barnyard platter with beef ribs, St Louis Ribs, Baby back ribs, a slice of beef brisket and chicken. I found the meat on the ribs to be dry and not all that flavorful. For what they charge for the sides, those are overpriced, too. One of our guests had a small filet and enjoyed it. My son enjoyed his full slab of baby back ribs. While I could describe it as adequate, the barbeque is not in the same league as Hecky's, less than a mile away. more

You might walk right on by Merle's Smokehouse on any normal day, so keep an eye out for the pig sign, and you'll make your way to some decent barbecue fare. Merle's is a comfortable, down-home place to have ribs, pulled pork, or any of the traditional dishes you think of when someone says barbecue. There are a few things to steer clear of when dining here (at least to my taste) and those are the coleslaw (and I am usually a big coleslaw fan) and the sampler entrée. You're better off sticking with ribs, chicken, or even fish, which they make very well. Other than the coleslaw, the side dishes are pretty good, particularly the corn bread. They serve alcohol and you can usually find a congregation of men watching sports. I like this place and have gone many times with friends. It's never been too busy, so I've gotten pretty good service here, too. more

Merles is a really good BBQ place in Evanston. Great for big groups. Not only are the ribs terrific (St. Louis) but also the sides are pretty darn good. It's a little on the spendy side for what it is but that shouldn't preclude you from giving it a shot if you're in the mood for some good BBQ. more

Merle's is a great place to go every once in awhile. Good American food, great ribs. Last time I went it was a little too smoky for my tastes, but in general it's a comfortable atmosphere. The service is quick and friendly, and they genuinely know enough about the food to make good recommendations. more

I really wanted to like this place. I had walked by it almost every day for months because it's right near the Evanston Athletic Club. When I finally convinced a friend to go there with me, I was quite disappointed. Everything seemed to be a little off. My pork sandwich was very strange - the pork had been formed into a patty. The menu didn't indicate that would be the case. Even the applesauce offered as a side dish tasted funny. I'm not sure how a restaurant can mess up applesauce but somehow they did. I wouldn't go back. more

This is one restaraunt that everyone is satisfied with every time we go. There is a lot to choose from, the prices are reasonable, and they give you a choice of many sides. I wouldn't say the food is stellar, but everyone is happy at the end of the meal, and thats whats important. The servers are very attentive... my water glass is never empty. more

Merle’s is about one thing – ribs. They not only have great pork ribs, but an amazing dish of beef ribs as well. The beef ribs are my personal favorite, and are really huge in size – I’ve never been able to finish a serving, always taking home a doggie bag. Drinks are served in huge jars, so you’ll never need a refill, and the side dishes available are terrific. They also give you flatbread w/a great horseradish dipping sauce to start off with. So the food is great, although sometimes the service can be subpar depending on who your waiter is that night. more