Barbecue Restaurant Opens on Appleton Avenue
Counter-service Charlie's BBQ sells smoked and grilled meats, plus sandwiches and sides.
Jeffrey McCloud at his restaurant, Charlie’s Barbecue. Photo taken May26, 2026 by Sophie Bolich.
After a stint in the trucking business led Jeffrey McCloud to Texas, he returned to Wisconsin with a smoker and a deeper passion for barbecue. The experience led him back to his cooking roots — and eventually to the Northwest Side for the launch of his new restaurant, Charlie’s Barbecue.
Slow-smoked ribs, chicken wings and rib tips star at the counter-service eatery, 7870 W. Appleton Ave., though McCloud is also quick to appease the Midwestern preference for grilled meats.
“Up here we grill our food,” he said, noting that customers often prefer charcoal-grilled to smoked meats. At Charlie’s Barbecue, they’ll be able to choose. “I want to service everybody.”
The menu also features catfish and sandwiches including hamburgers, turkey burgers, Philly cheesesteaks and fried Polish sausages, along with sides such as macaroni and cheese, baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad, fries, onion rings and okra.
McCloud brings previous experience to the new venture, having spent six years leading Grill N Cafe at 2611 W. State St., now home to Jizzles Sandwich Shop, before moving south.
“The restaurant business is really where my passion is,” McCloud said. “I left the food to go off to trucking, but my heart wasn’t with that.”
McCloud plans minimal changes to the building, which features a walk-up ordering counter and a fenced-in patio. Former tenant Fully Loaded Eatery left the space in 2025 and is now facing an eviction lawsuit over alleged late rent payments and other damages, according to online court records. But some customers may remember another soul food restaurant, Pass Da Peas, that once operated at this location.
Fully Loaded Eatery, meanwhile, plans to reopen in a new location, according to online comments from owner Yumi Lockridge. The restaurant’s new address is not publicly confirmed; however, the business has applied for occupancy at 4941 W. Fond du Lac Ave.
Thromenta Anderson owns the Appleton Avenue building.
Charlie’s Barbecue is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 10 a.m. to midnight Thursday through Saturday. (It is not to be confused with Charlie P’s BBQ, which previously operated at 8628 N. 107th St.)
McCloud said he’s still working on a dedicated website for the restaurant. In the meantime, updates are posted to his personal Facebook page.
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