Speed Queen Bar-B-Q

I wanted to get the Catfish Box that comes with 9 pieces of Catfish, coleslaw, and bread for 32.00. However, none of us like coleslaw and they won’t do any substitutes. Therefore, I Ordered the Catfish Dinner for 17.75 instead because it comes with 4 pieces of catfish , bread, and fries (which my kids like) and just ordered 4 extra pieces of Catfish for an additional 16.00. ( I got 1 less catfish but I’ve ordered the dinner before and figured the fries would be worth less catfish) I explained this to the women on the speaker , who suggested That I purchase the Catfish Box because it comes with more fish , but I insisted on the way I did it for the sake of my kids wanting fries. However, instead of getting the normal amount of fries I’m use to with the dinner, they gave me wayyy less than previously. Again, I order the catfish dinner all the time and this time I literally counted 13 fries. I’m just disappointed. I clearly, told her why I did it this way , and feel like they were mad that I didn’t want to spend MORE money for a Additional fry so gave me less. I was just trying to make the best decision for my family based on my budget. And if it wasn’t on purpose , then the people who have made my meal in the past put a lot more fries leaving me to believe that there would be a larger amount. I just wish it was more consistent.

It's been going downhill for some time, but with the lack of barbeque joints in the area, and its history we still patronize this place. Went today - i celebration plus I deserve a treat for myself only to be met with "fabulous- ness-nis" - i was the only one in the drive through- only one car out front but she just dropped me in the middle of the order. I kept saying things no answer so I pull around and she says "I" never finished my order. Let's get back to that, I was forced to order their RANCID sides- dunno if their fridge is working well big time so when I tried to order half pound of tips she says they don't do it anymore and force you to take less meat and two old yucky canned store bought sides that you only touch out of desperation

So disappointed with Speed Queen. This was my favorite BBQ restaurant in the city. But it seems like things are changing for the worse. The last few times I’ve been there I’ve received the wrong order, burnt/dry meat or poor customer service. This trip it was the wrong order again. I know nothing stays the same but I was truly hoping the quality of the food did.

This place has went downhill. I have a nasty after taste in my mouth. I usually order fries with my dinners and was disappointed to see the sizes of the sides. My beans and potatoe salad was in a small to-go condiment container. My finance’s meal was nothing but fat and the skin that’s on the ribs before you cook them you take it off when you clean them but the skin was left on the ribs. They went up on the prices and the food portion and quality went down. I’ve been going to this place for 20 something years and whatever changes they call themselves making made you loose 2 customers and is going to cost you a lot more.

Rip off. 27$ for what’s suppose to be a pound of tips, and we literally got a pound of sauce! Should’ve just went to Tony’s like we usually do, for that same price we could’ve got an entire tray of tips… first and last time here, DEFINITELY DONT RECOMMEND!

Beware: The portions are RIDICULOUSLY small! A "box" of tips, for $50, was a basic half filled to-go container of tips and 2 sample sized cups of beans. The savory collards are severely salty. Worst part: we ordered through Doordash, and our banana pudding was missing. I was told I would be contacted the next day for a refund. Nope! Nothing. It's sad because the ribs were actually really good, but the prices are a complete rip-off.

Milwaukee Natives that have always vouched for Speed Queen but after today never again! Drive thru employee rushed us the entire order placement. Then we sat at the window while she and another female employee continued conversing before we could finish our order. No cars behind us or in front of us. After waiting about 10 minutes our food was given to us. Terrible food! Meat was undercooked TOUGH, potato salad was warm and the bread slices were old and crumbling!!! Never returning; this place is going down hill fast!

Only thing good at speed Queen is they coleslaw and a barbecue sauce I just recently bought some and when I say that meat was so hard today I ain't never in my life would never shop with this company again I don't understand how people buy have a restaurant and they serve people rib tips that taste like charcoal and then I tried to take it back they wouldn't give me a new order or a refund I just don't understand that never again this s*** was hard as a rock and I paid $20 for this

I was so disappointed with what used to be my all time favorite BBQ Spot! What happened?!? Me and my family always look forward to coming to Milwaukee from Los Angeles and eating our favorite BBQ. This trip, they have changed everything! I should've known when i didn't see cars in the parking lot and the drive-thru area was OPENED! I was shocked! Because there used to be long lines. Not anymore.... I ordered 3 BBQ SHOULDER dinners that usually come in a big square styrofoam carry out plate, with 2pieces of bread soaked underneath the bbq shoulder..(omgoodness it's delicious) This time we received small rectangular styrofoam plates, half of what we usually get for more money! $21 !!! And with little BBQ sauce. I was SOOOO DISAPPOINTED! And they did not soak the bread!!! Geez! WHAT HAPPENED! This IS NOT OUT REGULAR SPEED QUEEN BBQ! It actually tasted different as well. It was missing something. The same thing goes for the banana pudding, it was missing something. ‍. I really hope they go back to whatever they were doing and get back what they had. I think we need to find another BBQ joint. I'm so sad by this. Come Speed Queen, don't try to fix what wasn't broken.

I don't t want to give them any stars!they are scamming people out of their money and giving us scarps in return! They're not giving us a full 1Lb let alone giving us what we pay for!!! They will never get my services again!

Best ribs in town the neighborhood is a little bit shady but the barbecue is really good I have been going here for many years

Horrible wanted to eat it in my truck in the parking lot but it went into the garage nothing to brag about I would even dare give my enemies this crab they should be ashamed of them selves I'd be better if picking up a turd and putting some open pit bbq sauce on it

Stop taking people hard earn money by serving small portions this place needs upgrades very outdated waits are long . Only to be dissatisfied food was horrible never will I go back

I must say that the quality of the food has taken a drastic nose dive. Recently purchased slab of ribs and tips, and was disappointed on both. The ribs and tips were very fatty. All that fat is not healthy for your patrons. Buy better quality lean ribs. Portions are also smaller. Nothing like the past years under the old ownership. Needless to say that was my last visit. Over the years this establishment has not expanded or really improve the atmosphere. It's a that will do attitude. The new owners just want to make money at the expense of poor quality product. Sad. To compare I bought ribs at another local restaurant- the ribs were smaller bones, very very lean and I ate all the way down to the bone. Hope you make changes based on your reviews.

As promised, I picked up another catering order from SQ. This time it was sliced beef, pulled chicken, rice and beans, coleslaw and potato salad. The food was exceptional, and I was a hero for picking it up. Thank you to all the Speed Queen employees who helped with this order.

I went to Speed Queen for a rib tip and shoulder dinner. No bread or coleslaw in dinner. Customer service was terrible. I ask for extra sauce I was told " we don't do that anymore." I will not be returning to Speed Queen again. Why pay for terrible food and terrible service.

Speed queens dinners have been good since I was a child. I can say that their service has improved; at lots of positive attitudes as of late.

menu has changed with the size of the portions. The price is outrageous and you can't get it the way that you used to used to be the best barbecue place in Milwaukee now it's not.

Wow! Speed Queen should be called: "Slow/Terrible/Pricey"!! Very expensive! The food was horrible, and your beef portions and the new menu and mix are (child-portions); my 10-13-year-old grandkids would still be hungry after eating this slop! After paying $18.00 for beef-ribs-Fatty/Dry and a finger-full of coleslaw/beans/White-Bread-not Corn-Bread!! This place is embarrassing to me and my culture. Ripping us off and feeling good about it. The previous owners, my childhood friends-would be mortified!! Your drive-through is the most pathetic scene, I could ever witness. It looks like they take no pride in beautifying the surroundings and looks like something out of a war-movie and something exploded around it. The many years of fleecing the community/outsiders; Speed Queen, should have expanded and created more locations and rebuild something attractive; the 80,s are gone!! I keep giving this place a chance and I can't anymore. My question is why a household name, like Speed Queen, not make it to the (Malls), other shopping areas and establish a presence in the European community?? We may be small potato's in Milwaukee and many of us travel and have seen Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, LA, Detroit, Minneapolis-just to name a few; these cities they would laugh at a place like Speed Queen. For Speed Queen Management, please read the reviews and take notice of what all these bad, mediocre and terrible reviews are saying. You may have some incredible hard-working staff and I know it's not easy, I blame management and they should be ashamed of the product that is being forced on the community.

Very expensive! The food was awful, the meat tasted spoiled and they have changed their recipes. The macaroni and cheese, hardly had a cheese taste. The new menu is not good. They should stick to the old recipes and reduce cost. It was a waste of $60.

The food quality is ok on a good day. The service is slow and very unwelcoming. The portions are laughable.

I have been going to Speed Queen sporadically since I was in college nearby in the 80's. I always got outside shoulder which was absolutely the best. I still occasionally drive 100 miles to pick up a pan of shoulder. This last trip, the price of a pan had gone from $48 to $90, and the precious outsider shoulder is no longer available. This time, the meat was a bit more fatty and tough than I remember. I'll pay the $90, but not for what appears to be a decline in the BBQ. I will always remember this place fondly. The staff is always friendly and helpful. Other customers too. But this last trip for shoulder was my last trip to Speed Queen. I'm sad.

I ordered a beef shoulder dinner and they gave me a beef and pork shoulder mix. Check your plates before pulling out the parking lot

Not enough food, quality is not good and it is way overpriced. You get more sauce than meat and the meat is not even meaty enough.

they don't do half-and-half menus anymore. they don't give bread anymore as well. cUSTOMER SERVICE is horrible. They are really really going down.

Spaghetti was pretty good mac & cheese taste OK but it was dry needed more cheese ,shoulder was dry with a lot of bbq sauce.would I order again probably not it was just mediocre was excellent during my childhood.corn bread was horrible dry and course almost choked .ordered a side of Black Eyed Peas, taste it OK I have better Black Eyed Peas in a A can of glory Black Eyed Peas. Will not be returning here again

I visited Speed Queen tonight for dinner and for as much money as I spent for three dinners it was absolutely terrible it was more barbecue sauce over it our macaroni and cheese and spaghetti then on the ribs all three dinners were slobbingly slapped full of barbecue sauce it's a shame that they don't take their time to give good service not even a spoon or a fork to eat it with... I swear if I didn't live so far I would take all of it back and request my money back

BBQ Chicken, Burnt Ends, Great clean Friendly Service, Best Bbq in Milwaukee, wi you will ever eat

No longer the barbecue place it used to be. I brought me and my mom the rib tip dinner and it was terrible. The meat was old and hard, we couldn't even chew it. I'm never eating there again!

Prices have increased drastically and portions reduced drastically. I ordered a rib dinner with 2 sides it was nearly $15 and a pulled pork sandwich that was $15 and a small side of Mac & cheese was $5!!!! This food is mediocre and not to mention I only got 2 bones with a rib dinner. Sad. Will not ever dine here again. #ripoff

Good deal for great food. Very friendly service when we called in our order, and again when we picked it up. Everyone really enjoyed the rib tips and pork shoulder. The sides were also really good.

Yumm. Yumm. Yumm. I'm not big into BBQ but honey I love their perch and sides. If you're looking for a a good Friday fish option go to Speed Queen. You can choose between perch or catfish. Fish dinners come with fish, coleslaw, french fries and white bread. You don't need butter for the bread because it serves as a bed for your fish and just enough fish grease seeps into the bread. It's delish! The perch is cornmeal breaded and is perfectly cooked. This is not greasy or heavy but rather very fresh and light with just a hint of crisp from the breading. Fries and coleslaw are fine. I'd give 'em a C on the fries and coleslaw part of the report card. They have room to be even more delicious. There is handy drive through that stays open until about 2 am. This restaurant is cash only. Definitely head to Speed Queen for your next Friday fish dinner. Yumm.

Our family loved when my father would stop by Speed Queen BBQ and bring home the shoulder and ribs) dinner with all the fixin's. I know the business has changed hands, but the food is still delicious (and I'm a self-proclaimed epicurean)! It's the only time I ever eat "Wonder bread" and relish it to sop up the delicious bbq sauce. I've eaten shoulder all over the country, and it still a favorite of mine. It's "cash only" drive through, and be prepared to wait, but to me, the food is worth it.

So I've been on the hunt for some good BBQ because I've had some so-so BBQ in the Milwaukee area I've heard of Speed Queen over the years but just never went. One day, I took the plunge and went. Boy am I glad I did I got the ribs....and OMG....it was sooo good. The sauce on it was delicious. I don't know which was better, the actual meat or the sauce.... I also got the side of yams and they were the best yams I have ever had...ever...in my life. I have gone back so many times, it's a joke amongst my coworkers that I'm addicted. What can I say, when you make amazing ribs and the sauce is da bomb, of course I'm hooked. But it is cash only so make sure you have plenty ready when you plan on eating a lot

I was deeply disappointed ,one would hope when spend almost $45 bucks your food is good at best . No it was not!

when I first moved here 8 yrs ago speed queen was one of the best there ... but now it's like their pinching to stay alive ....The young lady got upset with me because I didn't want sides with my tips .....I guess it made her so mad that she shortened me on that part ...it's says 1 1/2 llbs but what she gave me is nowhere near... this the 2bd time I've had a bad experience with them and it won't be a 3rd... which I'm sure they don't care

I've been coming to speed queen since the 1970's. Best bbq in Milwaukee. With that said, by now they should have earned enough to upgrade the business.

I started going to Speed Queen in the 70s while working at Pabst Brewing. Everything I've had over the years has been excellent. This place is the Godfather of BBQ in Milwaukee. My normal order has always been the half & half with outside shoulder and ribs with mixed sauce and extra sauce. You can't loose with this selection. I'm proud to announce our daughter is following in my footsteps with her love of this BBQ. She's an outside shoulder girl all the way, so our new order is a pan of outside shoulder with mixed sauce. I also have to include an 8 ounce side of the coleslaw because it keeps things old school for me. The other ingredient to this magical dinning experience is some plain white bread to sop up the sauce. The drive thru is pretty seamless, but be aware this is a CASH ONLY establishment. The car that was in line ahead of me yesterday left and I'm sure it's because he was going to use a credit card. They do however have an ATM machine available. I love this BBQ!!!!

Buying lunch for my team and they decided on Speed Queen, which up until that point I only knew as a washer and dryer brand. Cash only. Old-school but I can do that. When I get there you can't go into the place - drive thru only. Alright I can make that work. So I pull into the drive thru lane and I wait...and wait...get to the speaker where I order and I could only tell the dude one thing and he'd ask me to hang on a minute before he'd ask my next item. No biggie, kind of annoying but I know they're busy. So then I wait...and wait...until I get to the pickup window which is one of those rotating security windows (did I mention this isn't in the best part of Milwaukee?) where my food is pushed out to me and I somehow managed to get into my car without dropping it. Food is decent but damn is it pricey. I bought 3 of the "Family Feast" trays (9x13 pans) for at about $55 each which doesn't include any sides, those are extra. With the 3 trays and 3 sides it cost right at $200 to get food for 8 people. There are other BBQ joints in the area that are, in my opinion, better and include a selection of sides in the price. Don't get me wrong, the food is good and the people are nice - I'd eat there again if it was just me - but I wouldn't recommend them for an event. As an aside, what self-respecting BBQ place doesn't have cornbread? Jeez.

By far the worst service and food I have ever had. The Rib Tips were so beat up and chopped, that we needed a strainer just to see if there was anything there. Greasy, sloppy, worthless. How in the world are they staying in business. May as well just make a bologna sandwich.

Food was ok nothing special like all the reviews mentioned. The cashier was very nice but she gave me the wrong order . I ordered shoulder and ribs i got shoulder and ribs tip.

Been going here since 1980 Whenever I go to Milwaukee this is on top of my list It's worth the wait When I bring some on the plane everyone gets so jealous lol Same family all these years!!! Love their motto

I didn't realize the speaker to order is on the menu.... So I had to awkwardly do a unturn to order. The food was pretty good at the price they give it to us for!

Delicious ribs and shoulder perhaps one of the best I have tried. Need to try other meats if they are as good as the ose above

It's solid bbq (for Milwaukee). I love good bbq and have tried everything in the area and nothing compares to my down south favorites. The pulled pork was delicious and tender with just the right amount of fat. The bbq sauce was too sweet for my liking and it comes covering the pork. I added some spicy sauce which helped counter the sweet taste. I'm a slaw guy on pork and their coleslaw compares to the deli at the grocery store - in other words, not that good. I won't go back.

Still a very good spot for bbq . 10 times better than famous Dave's imo. This place has been around for years. Be aware though of their cash only policy for all you card only customers. Aside from that just take your CCW at night time and enjoy the delicious halfn half dinners lol Shoulder on point by the way.

I have fond, yet curious memories from my high school days when my family would drive up to the Milwaukee area for events and then stop by Speed Queen on the way back to Chicago. My suburban ignorance didn't understand the bulletproof turn-styles in the drive thru, but I do remember the area being slightly questionable. As an adult, however, my recent trip back to Speed Queen erased most of my childhood mystique. The building looks roughly the same, but the neighborhood looks less shady and I never felt uncomfortable when I was in or around the restaurant. It was the memory of food, however, that brought me back. For that, unfortunately, I was underwhelmed. My three meat selection (as recommended by other Yelper) was generous in portion, but tame in flavor. Neither the sauce or the lack of smoke flavor was particularly "wowing". I saved 1/2 the meal for the next day hoping it would get better...but it didn't. Sadly, I don't think I'll be returning to Speed Queen anytime soon. I know a lot of this stems from my memories, so this review shouldn't be noted for first time visitors. I still felt it relevant to share my experience and mention my palate's disinterest.

I've been treating myself for years. Stuck on the outside shoulder dinner with a mix of both sauces. Plus, the baked beans are soooo good.

I been here a few times. Pretty decent spot. I've had ribs, rib tips, and chicken. All good. They got multiple sauces. Only thing bad in my opinion is the wait on fried chicken.

I stopped by Speed Queen BBQ this afternoon for lunch after reading several publications and other Yelp reviews rave about this place. The building and decor is about what I expected --- nothing too spectacular. They let their own food speak for itself. Having said that, the interior was essentially a run-down subway seating area, absolutely no frills or attention to decor. They are cash-only...which isn't my favorite this day in age, even for a home-grown mom & pop shop. It wasn't too busy when I went, around 12:45 pm, but the food did take a good 10-15 minutes. I'm from Texas so I like to say that I know bbq pretty well. The guy that checked me out helped steer me to the pork shoulder and ribs combo. I will say that the pork shoulder was pretty tender, not overcooked at all. What really stood out, when I opened the to-go box, was the spice of the bbq sauce. It literally burned my nostrils a bit. While I'm sure many people love the sauce, it wasn't my favorite...it was really overpowering and salty, in my opinion. The bbq itself relied quite a bit on it being doused with the bbq sauce. Overall it was a solid "okay" from me. Maybe I have too high of expectations having world-renowned bbq in Texas.

I loved everything about Mr. And Mrs. Gillespie's Speed Queen. It was the after football after church after concert after things. Half and Half, ribs all of the above. Automatically. When I moved away, when I would drive through MkE it was automatic. 43 to Fond du Lac. Almost every picnic had boxes of speed queen catering. It has been awhile and I assume there is new ownership. I don't know for sure. The quality of the meat seemed cheaper and they were out of shoulder the day I went which is like Summerfest being out of beer. I loved it too much to give it 2 stars but ownership needs to act like they give a f***... or sell it to some of us that care, because it was not the Speed Queen it needs to be. Step.It.Up. Speed Queen is an icon. Act like it.

This is Milwaukee Staple, it's been around since I was a kid, the quality of the food has been up and down over the years. I was Very Surprised when I pulled up to the window in the drive through to hear the lady say "welcome to Speed Queen, we're cash only" my thoughts were wait what??!!! Who carries cash these days??!! So I had to get out of the drive through line in search for cash back from the nearby gas station that's simply enough right? My first stop the first gas station I seen, but I as told we don't do cash back, I left scratching my head, my second stop I was told the same thing at this point I wasn't going to stop at another gas station so I called a friend asked if they had cash got cash and just Cashapp them the money back on the spot and headed back to place my order I order half & half, that's half rib tips & half shoulder you have the choice of inside or outside cuts of the shoulder I chose to order outside cuts of the shoulder, I asked for a mixture of both(inside and outside) but that was not a option. The dinner comes with the meat on top of bread, sauce on the meat and 2 slices of bread and a small coleslaw on the side, I prefer no sauce on my meat and sauce on the side I choose the hot and mild mixture of the sauce on the side. To shorten my story the food was delicious!!! Coleslaw just as I remembered so good I went back the next day, with cash of course when my son Chris arrived in town and we both ordered dinners...........,

Speed Queen has been here since I was a baby and I'm half a century old! When ownership changed it was a noticeable change in the food at the time, however, the original owner worked it out and bottled the sauce and now it's all good!! Speed Queen has the best BBQ in Milwaukee! 414 Radio Network

I love BBQ and speed queen used to be my favorite place to go on the weekends as a child with my family. It's been over 15 years since I've been there and I decided to give it a shot. I've heard mixed reviews on how 'quality has gone down' etc. I got the half rib/half shoulder dinner and the bbq chicken dinner. I felt the portion size for the rib/shoulder was very small. It was misleading as there was a large piece of bread on the bottom making it seem like it was more meat than it was. There were only 3 rib bones as well. Despite that, the ribs were tender, meaty, and flavorful. I was SATISFIED AF with the taste of the food. I wish it came with a side though beside coleslaw, I needed a little greens or something or maybe a side sampler to add on. Nevertheless, it was good and I'd eat it again thus my 5 stars.

I think the food is delicious. It is always hot and fresh. I wish they would allow customers to call and prepay. Sometimes the lines can be really long.

Ordered the Brisket Meal with Ribs. The meat was heavily sauced with their sweet house variety. I found it too much, and it over-powered the meat. A small, wet, side of slaw was provided. Also too wet for my likening. White bread... The drive thru was fast and efficient, a welcomed feature during these COVID times.

Last night my CNW Family came to our home for our first family dinner. We treated the "kids" (young teachers) to a Speed Queen family-style spread: pan of bbq chicken, pan of bbq ribs, SQ slaw, our own purple cabbage slaw, local organic corn and our tomatoes. The meal was complete outside at our picnic table with SQ mild and hot sauces and the loaf of white bread - a Speed Queen signature. None of these new and old teachers had ever had Speed Queen BBQ. Our W family has been picking up and dining at the restaurant for over 20 years. It is fun to serve up this delicious food to MKE residents who have never tried it. All 11 of us at the picnic dinner ate all of the different foods and we have left-overs for the week. :-) Speed Queen keep up the fine work. The BBQ chicken was the best we have had in a long time. Kudos all and thank you. M&N W