Gril Craft BBQ Review: Restaurant’s Fast-Casual Approach Works
If you’re of a certain age, you may remember a time when there wasn’t a Subway restaurant in every neighborhood. There was a time when “creating your own restaurant” was a completely new concept for fast-casual dining in Northeast Ohio.
Since the sandwich franchise came into existence, there have been many attempts to replicate the fast food model using different types of cuisines. Burritos and pizza immediately come to mind. Gril Craft BBQ in Willoughby is the first place that comes to mind that came up with the idea of barbecue.
Gril Craft BBQ Owner Offers Custom BBQ Cooking in Willoughby
Gril is the brainchild of Willoughby Hills resident Zee Achkar, and opened in late winter 2023 in what was once a frozen yogurt shop on Euclid Avenue. The renovated space is on the small side, with seating for about 30, and an assembly-line counter serves as an anchor. It’s clean and modern with a takeout vibe and a few window-facing tables and bar seats for dining in.
Stainless steel, wood tones and a Western vibe with a contemporary twist are everywhere. The front door reads “Don’t be a coward, come on in,” and it’s impossible to miss the floor-to-ceiling mural of Daniel Day Lewis’s character Bill the Butcher in the movie “Gangs of New York.”
If you’re selling barbecue meat, you might as well pay homage to a famous fictional butcher, right?
My son and I came for lunch and were able to go right up to the counter and order from a lone employee who was friendly and helpful to us newbies. Our meals were served in to-go containers on plastic trays that looked like wood slabs with live edges, a fun touch. We were seated within minutes.
Barbecue bowls are the order of the day, and there are four steps to making a bowl. There’s a base, a protein (also a vegetarian option), toppings, and a sauce. It’s kind of like making a burrito bowl at Chipotle, but maybe with a few extra choices and customizations. Prices vary based on the ingredients, which include staples like pork, brisket, smoked sausage, and chicken. Traditional sides like potatoes, mac and cheese, and coleslaw are used as bases or toppings.
You can choose a relatively healthy dish, say with chicken or vegetables instead of fresh greens, or indulge in fattier meats and cheeses. I found myself somewhere in the middle, more indulgent than healthy. I mean, it’s a barbecue restaurant.
My rice-based bowl started at $10.50, and the pulled pork I added cost $1.25. Toppings like creamy or spicy coleslaw, pico de gallo, cheese and more are free, as is your choice of eight sauces. So I ended up with a bowl of fried rice, pulled pork, creamy coleslaw and Carolina Gold sauce.
At $11.75, it was a few dollars more than a make-your-own bowl you can get elsewhere, but it might be a better value. First of all, it’s a generous portion. It was more than lunch for me, and that was just eating a few tortilla chips with cheese sauce ($4.50) that I shared with my son.
Also, everything seemed very fresh and homemade. The pork was nicely smoked. The Carolina Gold sauce was awesome, a fantastic blend of heat, sweetness and mustard. I am very particular about the delicate balance of vinegar and sugar in coleslaw, and Gril passed the test.
Even the cheese sauce for the fries was better than I expected, offering good value for a side that otherwise seemed a bit pricey at $4.50.
My son had a larger bowl: a mac and cheese base with brisket topped with onions and peppers ($15). His choices made his meal more expensive than mine, and the heartier options meant he took home even more than I did. He was full but satisfied. I did, of course, try a few bites and found the brisket good—even without sauce—and the mac and cheese solid.
The bowls are the star, but in addition to the chips and cheese dip we tried, there are a few other sides, like wings, garlic parmesan potatoes, and street corn. Drinks are bottled sodas from a cooler ($2.50 each). There wasn’t a huge selection of drinks when we visited, which wasn’t a big deal for us but might be for those with young kids. Gril also offers a catering menu.
As with my meal, his was hot and fresh and seemed high quality for something you can get so quickly. It’s something that can be appreciated especially at lunchtime, as are the number of customizable options. This could be the newness of barbecue in the fast food niche – like Subway used to be the alternative to frozen hamburger patties – but this seems like a cut above the norm.
Is it Texas barbecue that wins the competition? Maybe not, but Gril Craft BBQ is a healthy marriage of good barbecue ingredients and the fast-casual approach that eaters everywhere seem to be craving.
Reviews are based on an anonymous restaurant visit.
Grill Craft BBQ
36295, Euclide Avenue
Willoughby
440-571-4000
grillcraftbbq.com
Location: North side of Euclid Avenue, just west of Robinhood Drive, across from Willo Plaza.
Restaurant type: Fast and casual.
Hours: Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Alcohol and wine: No alcohol.
Facilities for disabled people: Yes
Credit card: All adults.
Kitchen: Barbecue/Tex Mex.
Vegetarian: Multiple customizable options and combinations.
Special diets: Learn about your food preferences.
Suitable for children: No children’s menu but daily specials suitable for children; family atmosphere.
Outdoor dining: No.
Dress code: Casual.
Reservations: No.
Wireless: No.
Online order : Yes.
Delivery: Yes.
Prices: Affordable. BBQ bowls start at $10.50 and can go up to $15 depending on ingredients.
Value: GOOD.
Notes (out of five):
Food: 4.
Atmosphere: 4.
Service: 5.
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