Christine Krambeer Klosinski
+5
Hands down the best BBQ in Northern Lake County. Hubs and I were on our way to Libertyville when I found Big Ed’s on Yelp. We detoured, and are happy we did! We ordered ribs and burnt ends. The smoke ring was beautiful. The rib meat fell off the bone. Do yourself the favor and eat them plain. Their dry rub is tasty. They have 6 homemade sauces. My favorite was Memphis followed by Kansas. We cannot wait to go back to try more of the menu. The staff is super friendly; Kim was a doll. They bring in live music on Friday nights. This could be a regular date night place for us.
Went for the first time and the ribs are about the best I've ever had - without sauce! The dry rub is outstanding and the meat is juicy and falls off the bone. Brisket was also delicious. Had the sides of mac & cheese and sweet potatoes and both were standouts. When I mentioned I had never had greens before, got a little sample and dang if they weren't delicious too!! Staff at Big Ed's were delightful as well. Definitely going back to work my way thru the menu!
If you have been down south and know bbq and what it should taste like..... this is by far, hands down the best bbq place in the chicagoland area!! I have been trying bbq joints all over for the past 45 years and this place tops all of them!! You got me hooked big Ed and it has nothing to do with that great name of yours. Ha ha
Hands down, my favorite BBQ around town. Big Ed is meticulous about quality from start to finish with his food. From the cuts of meat, to the wood he uses to smoke, and the processes and lengths he goes to to ensure the best-of-the best on your plate and in your belly; You won't be disappointed.
Added plus, it's 100% good people there. You feel like you you're at home and everyone is happy to see you.
Like his sign says, "get your ass in [there] and eat before you both starve!"....just save me some burnt ends! (Which are the best in town according to my unscientific taste taste of local BBQ joints�)
Juliet Paradowski Brady
+5
This is, by far, the best BBQ I have found in a long time!! I love this place and can’t recommend it enough!! What a gem in Lake County!
Good food, fast, friendly found myself a new eatery... Ribs fell off the bone, Catfish is amazing, and the sides... to die for.
Best BBQ in the Midwest (if not the world), hands down! The burnt ends are legendary - get there early because they sell out regularly. The ribs are meaty, and although the sauces are great, they are not even necessary. The side dishes are awesome, corn muffins to die for, and Ms. Kim's desserts are delicious! A family-owned joint that no fan of BBQ should miss - the treasure of Waukegan!
Some of the best BBQ I’ve had in a long time, I would definitely recommend this place to anyone.
Omg.... best bbq I've had in years. It's hard to choose which sauce. Rib tips and pulled pork are to die for.
My favorite barbecue place around. 6 excellent sauces to smother/dip your meat in. All the classic bbq meats available, as well as Catfish and Wangs.
The food was SO good. The people were even better! Great customer service. A must stop at place! We will be back for sure
This place is the bomb. The people are not only very friendly, but they truly care about their community, their customers and their food. Always had a great meal, a great time and the folks here make it a feel good each time we stop in. Go. You'll be glad you did.
Love the food and the atmosphere! Great workers, great place to enjoy a good meal.
I'm originally from the Westside of the city of Chicago which has the best Barbecue Joints I have ever visited....but now I live in North Chicago and "Big Ed's BBQ" is great and the staff is excellent...I will return on many future occasions.
I had the combo plate Ribs and Tips. They fell off the Home! I'm not a potato fan but the mashed potatoes were delicious!
Service great. People great. 3 lb burger great just could not finish the fries and bun in the 10 minutes. Great memory to have for my time in great lakes.
GO HERE!! This place is absolutely amazing and has the best BBQ I've ever had! I've traveled all over and had BBQ in many places and wow, Big Ed's just nails it!
Every thing I ate was delicious! Even the cornbread muffins were amazing! Usually they're just a filler but somehow these things tasted like the main show.
- the burnt ends ... 🤤 I couldn't stop eating them!!!
- the brisket was also SOO good!!! Great bark and flavor, the meat was so tender and NOT chewy or fatty
- Their sides are amazing!! Mac and cheese and sweet potatoes were so so good.
- Lastly, they make their own BBQ sauces and all of them were just delicious.
Price is also reasonable, we fed 9 people for $120 and had leftovers.
This place is really really good. I had the burnt ends dinner and oh my GOODNESS!!! I'm only eating burnt ends from now on 🥰🥰🥰. This is now my monthly BBQ fix when I visit my daughter. The place was packed but the service was fast considering the long line. I do recommend going early the stuff will sell out. I missed the burnt ends in my last visit but the rib tips were great too.
Great bbq food. Lovely staff. They even gave me the wifi code as i wasnt from US.
I got the trio sammich. S
Brisket excellent
Smoked chicken excellent an juicy.
Pulled pork not bad.
David “Do-chelin guide”
+4
Honestly the ribs and ribs tips have a class of their own. I don't know how they make this smokey crusty texture on the ribs because it is really something special. Still mind blown.
Brisket and the sides were all above average. Chicken was ok. People here are all super nice. Excellent service all around.
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Finally made it out to Big Eds in Waukegan. Quite a hike from The Loop but well worth the trip.
Ordered the burnt end dinner which comes with 2 sides. The burnt ends was generous amount and it was “reseasoned” which was unique experience. But it gave the meat a nice additional spice, not really needed as this was like meat candy. The bark was flavorful and sweet. I tried all the sauces, my personal favorite was the Memphis sauce but i also liked the hot/spicy sauce too. This is arguably some of the best burnt ends in all of the Chicagoland area.
The 2 sides I chose was the baked beans and the collard greens. The baked beans was classically sweet with hearty additions of brisket and pork. Was very satisfying and complemented the meat. The greens was smoky and earthy with tons of flavor. Be careful as there may be bones in the greens, I believe they may have used neck bones for added flavor profile.
Finished meal with a great key lime pie, which was tart but not overly sweet, with a hefty graham cracker crust. Again, one of the best key lime pies Ive ever had.
I will need to revisit to try their other bbq (ribs looked amazing) and try that loaded mac n cheese. Outstanding ‘que!!
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This is hands down the best bbq in Lake County. I have been coming here for many years, ever since they moved from downtown Waukegan, which must have been around 2014. My buddy and I meet here somewhere between once a month and once a quarter; it is our go to.
Everything is amazing. The best value is the mini sandwich trio which comes with fries and a drink for $13.99 as of the time of this writing. It is a sampling of 3 different types of meat sandwiches.
All the of the sides are really good. The fries are awesome. I often don’t even get bbq, but get wings or fried shrimp instead, both of which are fantastic.
With multiple (half a dozen?) bbq sauces to choose from; I go with sweet the heat every time.
The desserts are an easy thing to miss. Don’t. The key lime pie is to die for, but not available all the time. The pound cake is really good too, which seems to be most consistently available.
With consistent staff and fantastic food, this should be in your regular rotation. Just not right at noon when the lunch rush comes or on Monday when they close.
Awesome place to visit if you want real BBQ, the food was so delicious we took some home.
You can tell that the food is amazing based on the line of people waiting for the restaurant to open up. Great food. Tons of selections and the sauces were all great. Thanks Big Ed!
I'm a BBQ snob, I find it hard to find something I enjoy more than what I can do at home. That being said, the Fat Boy Sammich, loaded fries and burnt ends were some of the best I've had. Chatted with one of the owners, great story behind the place. In town from Idaho for a few days, I will be back before leaving. Not inexpensive, but you get what you pay for here.
I had the pleasure of visiting Big Ed’s barbecue while on a work trip. I was asking everybody wants to go to place around to eat since I live 2 1/2 hours away. Everybody I asked told me this was the place and they did not steer me wrong! The catfish was breaded and seasoned to perfection. Something that only you could get from a grandmothers hands lol. The fries were crispy and the corn bread was nice and soft. I ended up coming back today to get my friend to try their food. The Wangz did not disappoint! We both enjoyed the flavorful crispy fried chicken wings. With some of the best greens and mashed potatoes, I’ve had in a long time from a restaurant. Anytime I’m in the area I’ll be coming back.
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Wow. This place is incredible. I'm sad we didn't discover Big Ed's sooner, but so happy it's on our list of faves now.
We ate in a bit later on a Sunday of the 4th of July holiday weekend, so they were understandably out of some items. One of the owners apologized about this to us and urged us to come back, but no apology needed! If you are selling out, that means you're doing it right!
And they are indeed doing it RIGHT. We both got a half slab of ribs. When you order, they prepare the food right in front of you and I could tell the ribs were going to be amazing when he cut each rib like it was a slab of butter. The ribs were tender, meaty, smoky, and had a great slight, but perfect crisp char on the outside. We also ordered a fried catfish fillet and even as a person who doesn't love catfish, I loved their version! The batter was very tasty and cut down the gaminess that catfish is known for (without completely taking away that taste if you are a person that likes that flavor).
For sides we got mac n cheese (best mac n cheese I've ever had), beans (sweet and smokey, so good), and mashed potatoes (flavorful even without any gravy or topping). Each meal comes with a cornbread muffin and omg... I'm a cornbread lover and was blown away by this muffin. It had a crispy top that I've never seen before and the muffin was a sweet, moist cornbread just how I like it.
Customer service is incredible and several of the owners were working while we were there. I was sitting at our table waiting for my boyfriend to get his drink when one of the owners walked up and asked what I'd like. She then went and filled my cup for me. She didn't have to, but it's little stuff like that that shows customers that the owners truly value their customers and respect their business.
They have a great assortment of sauces on the table. My favorite was the Original, but you truly can't go wrong with any of them. Looking forward to our next visit to try some others items such as the brisket, burnt ends, rib tips, and greens! Bottom line, this place is a must try!
Easily my favorite bbq spot, and I’ve been to a lot of them. I’ve tried most of the menu but the ribs and catfish are my top choices. Family owned and the nicest people. Pro tip use the Kansas City sauce as your gravy for the mash potatoes, you won’t eat them without it after you try.
This bbq place is in what looks like an old Pizza Hut, but it is delicious, and the people are amazing. The Memphis sauce is delicious.
The atmosphere and the service made the food taste better. You could tell that the food is made with love and it's your homestyle BBQ that makes a huge difference. I definitely recommend coming to this place because of the food. The flavors and reasonable pricing, all amazing and awesome.
Took Mom's for lunch for some good BBQ , the ribs and nachos was delicious Thank You all at Big Ed's keep up the good work.
Had a great experience all the way around so many choices of food. The combo was an excellent choice for being a first-timer. The potatoes are amazing, and the BBQ mac & cheese melted my mouth. Very filling. The meat is a little dry, but they have plenty of sauces to make up for it. Good people, great food, amazing experience, my taste buds couldn't be bouncing more with joy
I am from Kansas City so I judge BBQ restaurants hard. Big Ed's passes the test. Great beef, rib tips were delicious but the best item I had was the catfish. Maybe the best catfish I have ever had. I will be back!
Stopped By Today To Pick Up Lunch For My Dad. Never Been To Big Ed's Before Until Today...I Heard How Good The Food Was Here So I Decided To Give It A Try. And Man They Was Right! I'm Mad It Took Me 3 Years To Come Here! The Food Here Is Nothing Short Of Amazing! Big Ed And The Gang Know Exactly How To Throw Down In The Kitchen....
All food was delicious! We had the ribs, burnt ends, greens and Mac n cheese. Burnt ends were so good I considered getting another order to take home!
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