Loved the consistent theming in the decor.
Exterior: 4/5
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| I went on a cold, windy day, but I bet that outside seating is nice in the summertime. |
Irion's is off the main drag in Elwood, but they do a nice job of using signage to point you toward it until the smell of delicious meat pulls you the rest of the way. Is this a pretty building? No. But look: 1) It's a small-town barbecue joint, so it's not supposed to look like a palace. In fact I wouldn't trust it if it looked super-posh, not after eating at great little hole-in-the-wall barbecue places when I lived in the South. And 2) It fit well in its surroundings and meshed with the vibe of its neighborhood.
Ambience: 4/5
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| A view of the fun table decoration looking toward the order/pickup counter. |
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| Bathroom kitsch. |
There has been a lot of thoughtful theming in here and although the dining space is quite small it feels comfortable. There are only three tables to choose from, but each table was decorated with meaty-meat graphics that kept your eyes on the barbecue prize. My only hangup here was that once the other parties left the restaurant and I was just catching up with my friend I was like "wow the staff behind the counter can probably hear everything we're saying." But I guess a reminder to mind p's and q's isn't the worst thing in the world.
Variety: 4/5
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| My friend and I both ordered the same thing. |
It's a small menu, I'm not gonna lie. But they do interesting things with the standard barbecue fare. You can get chicken, brisket, pork, sometimes turkey, sometimes sausage. You can get a platter, but there's also cool mac n cheese entrees as well as the barbecue bowl that ended up attracting both me and my dining companion. I think that quality is more important than variety in a place this small, but the creative dishes were appreciated.
Quality: 5/5
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| THE MEATS |
The barbecue bowl, pictured here, is a generous hunk of cornbread topped with baked beans, mac n cheese, and the meat of your choice. (Brisket was the meat of our choice.) Every single layer in the bowl was good, but the whole was definitely even better than the sum of its parts. They really know their way around meat, if the brisket was any indication. It was moist and delicious on its own; even more so with their house-made barbecue sauce on top!
Kid-Friendly: 4/5
I didn't bring my kids on this trip, but the family at the table next to us had three littles and they all seemed to be having a great time. I wouldn't hesitate to bring my kids here if we were all in town.
Would Eat Again?: Green Light
Yes yes yes, this is a good place and was worth the 40-minute drive it took me to get there. In fact I want to go back to try other options since the bowl I had was so tasty. I hope this place gets a nice little cult following that helps it flourish.
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