Lem's Bar-B-Q

Lem's Bar-B-Q sits in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood. The restaurant is famous for its rib tips, which Eater has called the most famous in the city. In 2025, the James Beard Foundation named it one of America's Classics.

Myles Lemons started the business in 1954 in the Greater Grand Crossing area. He ran it with his brothers Bruce and James. The Lemons brothers were born in Indianola, Mississippi, and moved to Chicago in 1948 to work in barbecue. In 1968, they opened a second location in a former ice cream shop in Chatham. That spot was where they first served rib tips. The original Greater Grand Crossing location later shut down.

The Lem's brand was trademarked in 2006. In 2018, the restaurant sent a cease and desist letter to Chicago Brewhouse after the brewhouse listed "Lem's BBQ Sauce" as the sauce with its rib tips.

James Lemons became the owner and the last brother still working there. He died at age 87 in 2015. In his memory, the menu includes the JBL combo. His daughters Carmen Lemons and Lynn Walker took over after his death. William D. Lemons, Jr. is the chef.

The rib tips, introduced in 1968, are the restaurant's most famous item. Eater has called them iconic and described them as smoky, finger-licking tips with a tangy, vinegary sauce. They are smoked in a smoker inside an aquarium and finished over a hot hickory fire. As of 2016, the restaurant sells about 360 rib slabs each week. The barbecue sauce recipe comes from the Lemons' mother and is made fresh daily. The menu also offers fried chicken, barbecue chicken, and hot links.

Eater has called Lem's a barbecue icon in the United States, and the Chicago Reader has called it a civic treasure. It was named one of Eater's essential barbecue restaurants in Chicago in 2019. Time Out and Zagat have also listed it among the top barbecue spots in the country. Aretha Franklin used to have her assistant bring her Lem's food when she was in Chicago. The Delfonics, The Whispers, The Dells, and Scottie Pippen have also visited.