Fans Of Sweet Baby Ray's Sauce Need To Know About This Chicago BBQ Restaurant

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What's good barbecue without some Sweet Baby Ray's on the condiments table? For decades, the brand has been popular with anyone who loves BBQ because it's delicious and inexpensive. It's a great sauce to use whether you're making mouthwatering ribs or you just want a little extra flavor with the pineapple on your Hawaiian-style hamburger. And with 28 different kinds of Sweet Baby Ray's sauce to try (nine of them are barbecue sauces!), there's a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's for everyone. That's just part of the experience with this sauce company, though. Did you know there's a restaurant connected to Sweet Baby Ray's, too?

Sweet Baby Ray's Wood Dale is located just outside of Chicago, Illinois. Those who already know the lore of Sweet Baby Ray's know the city is also the birthplace of the brand, and the restaurant being there is no coincidence. Brothers Dave and Larry Raymond, who started the company, grew up on the west side of Chicago and debuted Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce at a 1982 Chicago rib festival. The brothers sold the business to Ken's Foods in 2003 and Dave kept the rights to the name, still maintaining a strong connection to the brand he started by operating the Wood Dale restaurant, which opened in 2005, and two catering companies. 

Sweet Baby Ray's in Wood Dale, Illinois, is a simple Midwest BBQ joint. With little more than 30 seats and a meat counter that will make your stomach growl, the cozy deli-style restaurant smells like smoked meat and features walls lined with trophies and awards. They're the winnings of barbecue master Duce Raymond, part-owner of the restaurant and the Raymond brothers' nephew. He brings home trophies from barbecue competitions all over the nation, constantly fine-tuning his skills in the pit.

As you might have guessed, the restaurant serves an abundance of smoked meat — heaping piles of smoked Angus brisket, Sweet Baby Ray's-soaked pulled pork, award-winning ribs, and Alabama chicken. It's all waiting, fresh and hot, ready to hit your plate once you order (or to be packed in take-out containers to feed the family at home). You'll also find baked beans smothered in Sweet Baby Ray's Original barbecue sauce and green chili mac with poblano peppers, cavatappi pasta, and pepper jack cheese.

There are salads on the menu at Sweet Baby Ray's as well as a couple of appetizers and desserts, but this isn't the best place for vegetarians or vegans to grab a meal. Everything on the menu comes with some kind of animal product, save for a few of the restaurant's sides like coleslaw and french fries. It's a classic Chicago barbecue spot, serving hungry locals, foodie tourists, and, of course, the ride-or-die Sweet Baby Ray's fans.