This Illinois BBQ Shack Is So Good, People Say It’s Worth Planning A Trip Around
Some restaurants justify a detour, and South Moon BBQ in Hinckley is one of those rare places that earns the extra miles without trying too hard.
Set along East Lincoln Avenue in a small Illinois town where traffic usually keeps moving, this barbecue joint has built a loyal following through word of mouth and repeat visits rather than flashy promotion.
The first impression is modest, but the experience quickly reveals a place with real personality and serious attention to the food. Smokehouse aromas hang in the air, trays arrive heavy with meat, and the dining room doubles as a collection of decades’ worth of pop culture.
Regulars talk about the pulled pork and brisket like old favorites, and newcomers tend to leave already planning another visit. Anyone still searching for honest barbecue in Illinois may find the answer here.
Why Is Everyone Talking About It?
A small town is not usually where you expect to find a barbecue spot that stops people mid-road-trip and makes them pull over. But that is exactly what South Moon BBQ has managed to do in Hinckley, Illinois, a small town of around 2,000 people.
The restaurant sits at 100 E Lincoln Ave, right on the main drag, and its unassuming exterior gives very little away about what is happening inside. The building is compact from the outside, but once you step through the door, the space opens up in a way that genuinely surprises first-time visitors.
What makes this place a topic of conversation is the combination of seriously good smoked meats, generous portions, and a setting that feels more like a pop culture museum than a restaurant. Vintage toys, old posters, classic arcade games, and pinball machines cover nearly every surface.
South Moon BBQ is open Wednesday through Sunday, starting at 11 AM, which means a midweek lunch or a weekend road trip both work perfectly. The address is easy to find, and parking is available nearby, making the whole experience straightforward from the moment you arrive.
Quick Snapshot
Before planning your visit, here is everything you need to know about South Moon BBQ at a glance so there are no surprises when you arrive.
Name: South Moon BBQ
Type: Barbecue restaurant with a full menu of smoked meats, sandwiches, and homestyle sides
Setting: A lively, retro-decorated dining room filled with vintage toys, arcade machines, and nostalgic collectibles covering every wall
Location: 100 E Lincoln Ave, Hinckley, IL 60520, right on the main street in the heart of town
Arrival: Open Wednesday and Thursday 11 AM to 8 PM, Friday and Saturday 11 AM to 9 PM, Sunday 11 AM to 8 PM, closed Monday and Tuesday
Portions: Generous and filling, built for people who come hungry and leave satisfied
The Story Behind This Small-Town Hinckley Smokehouse
Hinckley is the kind of small Illinois town that most GPS systems treat as a pass-through point. South Moon BBQ changed that narrative by planting itself right on East Lincoln Avenue and building something that feels genuinely original.
The restaurant has developed a distinct personality that goes beyond just the food. The interior is packed with decades worth of collectibles, including toys from the 1970s and 1980s, vintage game posters, and working arcade machines tucked into a back room.
Walking through the dining area feels like exploring someone’s very enthusiastic personal collection. The food side of the operation is equally thoughtful.
The menu centers on smoked meats prepared with care, served in sandwiches, platters, and creative combinations that reflect real barbecue tradition. The homestyle sides round out every meal with familiar comfort food energy.
South Moon has carved out a clear identity as Hinckley’s anchor dining destination. Families, road-trippers, and barbecue enthusiasts from surrounding towns like DeKalb, Sandwich, and Somonauk have all made it a regular stop.
The restaurant’s character feels earned rather than manufactured, which is exactly why it sticks in your memory long after the meal is finished.
What to Order at South Moon BBQ
The menu at South Moon BBQ rewards people who come with an appetite and a sense of adventure. There are sandwiches named after cultural icons, platters built for serious eaters, and appetizers that double as full experiences on their own.
The Chuck Norris sandwich is one of the most talked-about items on the menu for good reason. It loads multiple smoked meats onto a single bun, functioning essentially as a sampler platter in sandwich form.
It is a bold, filling choice that gives first-timers a broad introduction to what the kitchen does well.
The BBQ Sundae is another standout worth ordering. Layered with baked beans, coleslaw, and pulled pork, it is a creative presentation that delivers genuinely well-balanced flavors.
The pork belly bites have also earned a strong reputation as an appetizer that sets the tone for a great meal.
Best Strategy: Order the Chuck Norris on your first visit to sample the range of smoked meats, then add the BBQ Sundae as a starter to round out the experience. If burnt ends are on the board when you arrive, consider ordering them early since popular items can sell out during the day.
Here’s What South Moon Does Best
Every barbecue spot has a specialty, and at South Moon BBQ, the pulled pork is where the kitchen truly shines. The meat is tender, well-seasoned, and holds up beautifully whether it is served in a sandwich, layered into the BBQ Sundae, or piled on nachos with homemade chips.
The nachos deserve their own moment of recognition. Served on sturdy flour chips and piled high with toppings, they stand out in both texture and flavor.
Topped with pork, sauce, and fresh ingredients, the nachos are a full meal disguised as an appetizer.
The pork belly bites are another high point, arriving with a satisfying crust and a tender interior that makes them hard to stop eating. Ribs are offered as a full rack option and represent solid value for the price.
Best Choices: Pulled pork in any form, pork belly bites, BBQ Sundae, Chuck Norris sandwich, homemade nachos, and fried pickles when available. The potato salad and baked beans are strong supporting sides. Save room for the fried cheesecake if dessert is on your radar, as flavors can vary.
What Makes South Moon BBQ Different
A lot of barbecue restaurants serve good food in plain rooms. South Moon BBQ serves good food inside what feels like a time capsule of American pop culture, and that combination is genuinely rare.
The walls are covered floor to ceiling with vintage toys, action figures, game cartridges, old posters, and memorabilia spanning several decades.
The back room houses actual working arcade games and pinball machines, which makes the restaurant equally entertaining for kids and adults who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s.
The space is also much larger than the exterior suggests. First-time visitors consistently comment on how the interior opens up beyond what the street-facing facade implies, with seating for families, couples, and larger groups spread across multiple areas.
Who This Is For: Families with kids, barbecue enthusiasts doing regional road trips, nostalgic adults who grew up on arcade culture, and anyone who wants a full experience rather than just a meal.
Who This Is Not For: Anyone expecting a quiet, minimalist dining environment or a formal sit-down setting. South Moon is lively, casual, and sensory-rich, which is part of the appeal but not everyone’s preference for every occasion.
The Best Time to Go
Timing your visit to South Moon BBQ can make a noticeable difference in your overall experience. The restaurant opens at 11 AM on all operating days, and arriving close to opening time gives you the best shot at a full menu before popular items sell out.
Certain smoked meats are known to disappear quickly. Arriving earlier in the day gives you the best chance of finding the full selection available.
The kitchen cooks in batches, and once a cut is gone for the day, that is simply the end of it.
Friday and Saturday evenings, when the restaurant stays open until 9 PM, bring a livelier crowd and a more social atmosphere. Families tend to fill the dining room on weekend afternoons, especially when kids are drawn toward the arcade in the back.
Wednesday and Thursday lunch visits offer a quieter, more relaxed pace for people who prefer unhurried meals. The food quality remains consistent across all operating days.
Sunday afternoons work well for a casual end-of-weekend outing before the restaurant closes at 8 PM. Whichever day you choose, arriving early gives you the widest selection and the shortest wait.
How Much It Costs
South Moon BBQ sits comfortably in the moderate price range, which means the food quality far outpaces what you might expect given the bill at the end of the meal. For a barbecue restaurant of this caliber, the pricing feels genuinely fair.
Sandwich options have historically ranged from around seven to ten dollars depending on the build and protein.
A full slab of ribs is typically priced under twenty-five dollars, with sides available separately, making it a strong value compared to what similar portions cost at chain restaurants or urban barbecue spots.
Sharing a couple of items between two people, including an appetizer, two mains, and a side or two, typically lands in the fifty to sixty dollar range before any extras. That kind of tab for the quantity and quality of food South Moon delivers makes it an easy recommendation for value-conscious diners.
The sides are priced individually and add only a few dollars to the total. Dessert options like the fried banana foster cheesecake round out the meal without dramatically inflating the check.
Overall, South Moon BBQ delivers a dining experience that feels like it should cost more than it actually does, which is always a satisfying discovery.
Tips for First-Timers
Walking into South Moon BBQ for the first time can feel a little overwhelming in the best possible way. There is a lot to look at, a menu full of tempting options, and a buzzing atmosphere that makes it easy to lose track of your priorities.
A little preparation goes a long way.
Arrive hungry. The portions at South Moon are generous, and ordering your usual amount at a regular restaurant will likely leave you with a very satisfying takeout box for the drive home.
Plan to eat more than you normally would, and consider splitting a large item with a dining companion.
Insider Tip: Ask your server what has sold well that day and what is still available. The kitchen staff and servers are consistently described as friendly and helpful, and they will steer you toward the freshest options on the board.
If the pork belly bites and burnt ends are both available, order both without hesitation. That combination alone justifies the trip.
Make a Day of It
Hinckley is a small town, but it sits in a part of northern Illinois that rewards slow, curious driving. Planning a full day around a meal at South Moon BBQ turns a lunch stop into a proper road trip experience worth repeating.
The town itself is easy to explore on foot before or after your meal. East Lincoln Avenue has a classic small-town main street feel that is worth a short walk.
The surrounding DeKalb County area offers open farmland, quiet county roads, and a handful of small communities that make for pleasant driving between stops.
Sandwich, Illinois, is a short drive away and offers additional local character worth exploring. The town of Somonauk is similarly close.
Building a loose itinerary around these neighboring communities with South Moon BBQ as the centerpiece meal gives the whole day a satisfying structure.
For families, the arcade room at South Moon means kids are already entertained during and after the meal, which reduces the pressure to plan additional activities immediately following lunch.
The restaurant functions as an anchor experience rather than just a quick stop, making the drive feel purposeful and the day feel well spent from start to finish.
Is It Really Worth The Drive?
That is the real question, and the honest answer is yes, with full confidence. South Moon BBQ is not just a decent local restaurant.
It is the kind of place that changes how you think about small-town dining in Illinois.
The food is consistent, the portions are substantial, the atmosphere is genuinely entertaining, and the pricing makes the whole experience feel like a discovery rather than an obligation. Driving forty-five minutes or even an hour to get here is a reasonable trade for what you receive in return.
The restaurant is open five days a week with hours that accommodate both lunch and dinner visits. The menu has enough variety to satisfy groups with different tastes, and the retro decor gives the experience a layer of fun that most barbecue spots simply cannot replicate.
Key Takeaways:
Pulled pork, pork belly bites, and the Chuck Norris sandwich are must-try items. Burnt ends sell out early, so arrive before early afternoon. Pricing is moderate and represents outstanding value and the arcade room and vintage decor make it a full experience for all ages.