Black Dog Smoke & Ale House

Surprised with the solid no meat options! Catfish sandwich and green mixed salad with jackfruit were so good. We also had a a cup of chili and frito pie (fritos with chili and cheese). Texas chili is one if their signature items, for good reason.
I was a bit disappointed that they were sold out of gumbo. I’ll try again.

Rated number 2 restaraunt in Champaign on Trip Advisor as of October 2023, and I'd say it deserves it. Very good food, very reasonably priced barbecue joint in a repurposed train station. Portion sizes were a bit smaller, but perfectly priced. Servers were very attentive and friendly. I didn't order any drinks when I went, but there was a pretty nice selection.

Great BBQ and brew. Had the pulled pork sandwich and several local brews. Great service, clean and friendly atmosphere. Thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

Fantastic place. Service was great and the Gumbo on Mon and Tues is a must. Get the bowl. We had 1/2 lb of briskets and burnt ends for meats. Our sides were mac, pit beans, slaw and fries. Go for the pit beans. Can't miss on any sauces. Overall I would come back.

Hadn't eaten here in years. Was just as good as I remember! Love the bigger place, the bar area in Urbana was small. Service was quick & friendly. The brisket cheese dip was AMAZING. Highly recommend!

Yummy!!! What a nice place and great food with affordable pricing! My partner and I are what’s in the pictures and enjoyed the outseating weather.

I must say I’m happy they sat us where they did. It wasn’t in the main restaurant. It was outside in an enclosed area. Fresh plants were growing. The ambiance was perfect. Service was outstanding. We asked for recommendations on what sauces to try. They have quite a few to choose from. The suggestions were spot on. All three of us choose the combo platter. Different meats. Everything was cooked to perfection. Not too thrilled with the green beans. That did not take away from the entire experience. 6 stars. Darn good food.

First time. Solo diner. Brisket was excellent. Loved the smoked sweet potato. This place will stay on my list for whenever I am in town.

Always great BBQ at Black Dog. Excellent tasting food with good service. Often busy.

After a long day at an event, we went in search of a local barbecue place and we hit the JACKPOT here!!! This may even be my new favorite barbecue restaurant! The building is an historical building and looks warm and inviting both inside and outside. The first thing we saw upon walking up was a lot of people seemingly waiting for seating. That's nothing unusual for a great BBQ restaurant and usually indicates the food will be worth the wait. To our surprise, we were seated right away. The weather was great and there was an outdoor seating area, so perhaps those waiting had requested outdoor dining. Every single employee from the host to the servers were great! Despite how busy they were, the service was fast and friendly and anytime we MIGHT need something, the servers were checking on us. The food was excellent, it was fork-tender and full of smoky goodness. Turkey was the daily special, and a good smoked turkey is my weakness. Unfortunately, the turkey was sold out so we will have to come back another day for turkey. I did buy a people size shirt on this trip, but on the way out I saw a stuffed black dog wearing a shirt. I will have to look into a dog-sized shirt along with turkey next time I'm in town.

The BEST BBQ I have ever had!! The smoked pulled chicken is amazing, and I would definitely eat it without any sauce. I've been dying to try Alabama White Sauce, but could never find a restaurant that had it... It's SO good!!! I will definitely be back. ♡

Great food and service. Nice environment for getting a meal and drink. Taking a guess that it was cherry wood for smoking fire.

Super fast service! They have a couple of great systems here - texting for when your table is ready (you can see your place in line), easily grab a drink at the bar with a self order kiosk while you wait, nice waiting area, and the wait is not long at all typically. They are turning tables very quickly. Your waitress is ordering from your table with an ipad so the kitchen is immediately working on your food. We ordered an appetizer and it was to us within minutes. Then food came quickly after that. We paid at our table and it was super easy as well. Overall a great experience. And takeout is always packed super well if you prefer that.

Burnt ends, pit beans, cornbread, brisket chili all excellent. Great variety of beers including local microbrews.

Service was outstanding! The waiter greeted us with a smile, friendly and very attentive. Our waiter explains the menu in addition to explaining the base of the sauce from savory, sweet, vinegar, or mustard base, mild and hot. The food arrived expeditiously fast...within 10 mins for a table of 7. The mango rum drink not pictured was very sweet but tastes really good. The ranch is a must as it's made in-house. The decor was nice, relaxing, clean, and appealing for family, friends, or date night. Coming from Memphis, one of the best cities for barbeque, we were very impressed! They don't have a dessert menu but do provide free chocolate Mints. When you receive great service plus great food and great drinks, this is definitely a place to revisit! Sorry we were hungry I didn't get pictures of everyone else food. The rib tips and beef brisket were a hit as well. The pit beans and Georgia Peach sauce was delicious.

Delicious!!! Served family style. Free range chicken so juicy and flavor full. Beef brisket with hot and smoke sauce or even habanero bbq sauce, best. Elote here are so good. Don't forget try the sausage. Alcohol here are so inexpensive. Love this place already.

Food was excellent, servers are up to the minute with items as they sell out, and prices are fair. Don't sleep on the smoked sweet potatoe for a side, they are delicious
Only slight change I could ask for, is a few kid friendly items. Overall our family loved it, and will be back again.

I have recently been unable to eat meat so eating out has been somewhat more challenging. I ordered their Jackfruit Plate - it's smoked and, while it doesn't have a meat texture, the flavor was great and there were several vegetarian sides to choose from. The BBQ sauces were wonderful as well. Highly recommend the Alabama White sauce. I think the only reason we didn't have consistent check ins from the server was because they were busy, but everyone was friendly and helpful. Will return soon!

My wife has never been here before and she loved every bite. I tried the gumbo for the first time and I was impressed. Growing up in Louisiana there’s not many places around here that do it the same but Black Dog didn’t disappoint. The catfish, the chicken, green beans, vinegar slaw, fries, and the sauces👌🏽 I will say, in my opinion, I usually go for the pulled chicken over bone-in and the bone-in is far better. Overall a great atmosphere and really good eats.

Very good bbq! I had the brisket sandwich and tried two mild sauces. Both sauces were excellent. Portions are medium to small, especially considering typical bbq places. The coleslaw is not cream based and the corn bread is savory - both were good. The mac and cheese was disappointing - overcooked, bland, and not enough cheese. Great beer selection and interesting, historic ambiance.