The best ribs I have ever had in the Northeast. Not even close. Just the way I like them. Order the ribs "naked" (prepared only with dry rub, no sauce), and apply your choice of incredibly yummy sauces at the table. My favorite indulgence! The ribs are meaty and firm and delicious. If you like your ribs sopping with sauce and overcooked til they're falling off the bone, shame on you, and this isn't your place. If you like them dry-rubbed and firm, then let's go!
(5)
Sean S.
Not great, not bad. Good BBQ. 5 out of 10. Don't order the brisket.
(3)
Robert C.
In my experience, food from Famous Dave is the same no matter where you are, so I'm not reviewing that since I've enjoyed it everywhere I've been. The staff here is competent and I can't recall any glaring issues (which is good for a national chain, in my opinion). The place is huge and I've never had to wait for a table, even when I've had groups of 6 or more. Also, the parking lot is large and easily accessible from Route 22. I always make sure my meal has the fries and a some chicken tenders to dip in the melange of sauces. By far my favorite part!
(4)
j r.
Good food for a chain bbq place. Have eaten there and had take-out several times over the years. Normally OK in service department, but NOT this time. Had to wait over 1/2 hour to get take out after we had called in the order 3....yes you read it right....Three Hours ahead for a 5pm pickup. Probably a management issue with inadequate staffing during peak times. They offered a freebie on our next visit, but I'm thinking not. Our time is worth something and we'd rather go where it's not a gamble as much. This eating out is supposed to be enjoyable and there are a lot of good places to choose from.
(1)
Pasquale R.
It's so tough to find good BBQ in NJ. Although it's not authentic (the ribs need to have smoke rings and they don't have them here for the most part) it's not too bad. Their wings are actually very good. Get a combo of different styles. The meals are just o.k. I usually get a mix match of different items. The corn on the cob is salty so I stay away from it. Their corn bread is great, their pulled pork is so/so, ribs are eh, sausage is so/so but like I said, stick with the wings. The service is not good, especially at the bar during lunch (not that I am drinking during lunch during the workweek).
(3)
Colton B.
You name the BBQ joint in metro NY, and I've eaten there - and eaten there to excess. Fette Sau, Virgil's, Hill Country, Dinosaur, Blue Smoke... haven't gotten to Fatty Cue yet though, but I've digressed... Famous Dave's is right up there. What has compelled me to write a review though is their cloeslaw. Almost anyone can deliver top-notch 'cue (and Dave's does) but not everyone sweats the details like coleslaw. Dave's is just the right balance of crunchy, spicy, sweet, and smooth. Big props for that.
(4)
E M.
4 stars, definitely. I went once before and it was really good. I waited a little while before our water was brought out, and we ordered our meals. No problem with the service, our waitress was really nice. Then came my food-the steak with Texas Toast and mashed potatoes. I never honestly Overall, this restaurant is great for steak-lovers and rib-lovers, and I would definitely go back there again.
(4)
Dillon W.
Passable barbecue, but only because of the variety of options. Ribs are about average, brisket is disgusting, burgers are quite good even though over cooked (mid well is the rarest they come). Service is about the worst I've ever seen. Would have been 3 stars if the wait staff paid any attention to our table. Not a place to go with kids older than 5 - kids menu is for very young kids and almost everything else is too spicy (mac and cheese only comes with jalapenos? Seriously?) If you have a 9 or 10 year old they won't find much they'll like.
(1)
Tanisha A.
Awesome lunch date with my boyfriend here the other day. Our favorite thing on the menu has to be the mac and cheese. The service was courteous, timely, and professional. We had a great time.
(4)
Jordan B.
Pretty good service. That's why I'm giving it four stars. Would be five but food was just ok. Not the greatest. The soup was bland. Would come back tho, I wish they would put the taxidermic animals back on their walls though, it made the atmosphere more "country" and "cabin-like"
(4)
Gregory M.
Decent BBQ for New Jersey. The ribs are usually good and the rich and sassy sauce is acceptable and tastes good. The wings are actually awesome. I recommend the buffalo or the pineapple rage.
(4)
Abbey B.
We have gone many times and have always had a great meal. All the offerings are good. It can get busy on the weekends and the only negative can be the service can be slower and the servers won't come back to check on you. Even though the taste of the pulled pork, ribs, chicken and bbq beans is great. You can't find a better place in Jersey.
(4)
mei y.
I am here to write about their dessert. My family and I went last night for dinner. Their bread pudding really impressed me and my family. Moist, eggy, dripping with caramel sauce with sprinkle of walnuts and a side of whipped cream and vanilla ice cream big enough for a family of 4! delish! The second best thing we had there was the burnt tip appy which was hot, fatty, and good! The baby back rib was good. The chicken salad was ok. The brisket and chopped pork sandwich was dry and cold and so was the chili. The wait service was very good. I would definitely go back just for the bread pudding!
(4)
Stev F.
Food was good and serve eas good also. Went on a friday night and had a live band singing top 40 R&B. Was nice. Will enjoy.
(4)
Olive O.
We go here once in a while. Lately the quality has been declining. Today we got an order to go. Mine was the beef brisket sandwich. Meat was fatty and chewy. I threw most of it away. Major disappointment. The takeout orders seem to be composed of any old slop they want to get rid of. It annoys me that they charge extra for a baked potato. Why? They are easy to cook and a potato is cheap. They lost themselves a customer. Will not return.
(2)
David M.
A recent price hike of about 40% on lunch specials and 20% on dinner entrees changes this from reasonably priced to overpriced. Worse yet, on my last visit, service was slow, the chopped pork was served on stale bread and the fries were cold. What a shame.
(2)
Greg L.
Erik was my server and made my experience unforgettable. The food here is the best BBQ you will find in NJ, so if you are in the mood for ribs or pulled pork while in NJ this is the place to go. If you happen to see the Ukrainian server (I think his name is Naz) ask him about his life story cause its really interesting. The staff in general was very nice and helpful. At one point we needed refills and another server (Louis) came over and got them for us even though we weren't his table.
(4)
John M.
I have been many times, but only this locale twice. I ordered the big feast. Same amount of pulled pork as was on the feast for two. They have to be joking saying 4-6. Actually it wasn't enough for 1. Small serving on the slaw. The staff was very nice though, but the food sizes are shrinking.
(2)
Darren S.
This was place was delicious. I didn't think I would ever find a good BBQ place in New Jersey well, I'm SOOO HAPPY I WAS WRONG. This place was outstanding. I even took my ribs home and ate the remaining ones for breakfast. ALL the food came HOT to the table, the tea was sweet, the cornbread was delicious. OH YEAH!!!
(4)
Steven D.
The food is delicious and greatly portioned. Fantastic for a group outing and not hard on the wallet. Fast friendly service and a comfortable pleasant atmosphere.
(5)
ann f.
No no no no no. This place is awful. Uninspired BBQ, completely lackluster service (even when empty!) and just overall really overpriced food. Have tried it twice and will not be back. one important tip: do NOT order anything other than bbq; don't do the boneless wings, don't do a salad, even the macaroni & cheese is gross (it has corn in it for godssake).
(1)
Louis R.
A. I go since it is near work B. Waitress was huge (its a deterrent when the server is an example of who eats there) C. Cheap enough D. Its no North Carolina bbq E. The many bbq sauces (5) is the draw I will be forced to hit again by fat co-workers
(3)
Domenic F.
We went here a while back with the wife on a Sunday early afternoon. I remember it being open and not that busy. I have been to other Famous Dave's and i am a fan! What set this place differently was the Sunday brunch they had. I believe it was 15 per person you got a bunch of wings, rib-lets and all the fun breakfast food including sausage and bacon that you could enjoy. Not a bad deal at all. The service was good and the food decent. Try it on a Sunday morning/afternoon and try something different at a great place to eat!
(4)
Karwan D.
Excellent food, friendly wait staff, clean.
(4)
Matthew S.
This was a great place when It first opened but unfortunately it has gone downhill every year since. We went there Friday evening and found ourselves sticking to the floor the ribs had no meat on them, and some of the food was cold. Go somewhere else if you want barbecue
(1)
Parvinder H.
I love BBQ food and I have visited at least four different Famous Dave's across the country. Like all of the other chains this restaurant has a log cabin type feel to it. We went on a Thursday lunchtime and the place was pretty quiet, with just a few other customers, which was fine as we had a choice of seating. When visiting the other restaurants in this chain we have always been introduced to the 6/7 sauces by them being artfully squirted onto a plate by the waiter/waitress and then given chips to sample the sauces whilst perusing the menu. However this was not the case today. Between my partner and I, we decided upon the baby back ribs, brisket, rib tips, fries, corn muffin, corn on the cob, broccoli. The brisket was to die for, it was moist, slightly smokey and ram jam packed full of flavour. A must try if you come here. Equally the tips were good. I could give or take the ribs. The fries had good amount of flavour to them but they could have been hotter! I won't bother telling you about the veg, cause let's be honest that's not why you came here. The waitress we had really went up in my estimations but that's probably because, on leaving I asked if we could purchase one of the sauces, which she informed me we couldn't. However she did offer to give us a little tub of the sauce to take home, which we gratefully accepted. As I type this review my husband is reading me the calorie intake for our meals. Eek! 2000 calories for my portion alone and that's not counting the sides. I may forgo the whole eating thing tomorrow.
(4)
Blaine B.
I've been to a few diffrent Famous Dave's and this particular restaurant is below average for them. The food was poorly prepared and the portions were much smaller than I've had in the past. I ordered the catfish which seemed undercooked and my sides looked like they were put into the tiny sauce bowls with a small melon baller. Not sure how old this place is but they could due with replacing some of the furniture or at least keeping what they have clean. I love the chain and have given a 4 star review to another location but this location needs a refresh.
(2)
Telia B.
This Famous Daves dine-in Bar B Que place I only been there since about 12 years ago & to tell you the turth is that. The some of the food is kinda of ok but to me the some of the food I mean the ribs is alright?
(2)
Junior G.
Love this place, best BBQ in jersey ! chop pork amazing, ribs and dry rub untouchable, service in and out and best of all price is pretty damm good !!! nice cold mugs for your beer. over 700 awards for there amazing ribs
(5)
Peter G.
POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE I called to place a to go order, we reviewed the order and double checked it on the phone. I came in, picked it up, left a good tip, got home and the order was half missing. I called back and was put on hold only to then be hung up on. I called again, spoke to the manage "reggie," who put the blame on the call center and shrugged it off as their problem, not his. I typically order from there once a month and usually around holidays for big platters. I think i will find somewhere else. Reggie, you have to learn this is very much your problem.
(1)
David B.
We had not been to Famous Daves in years. Although BBQ snobs would turn up their nose at the offerings here, we have always enjoyed it. The place looked a tad run down upon our arrival at 1pm. Not many people here either which surprised me. We were shown to a table and waited and waited. And we waited some more. Until the hostess saw my patented glare and sent our server right over. She sincerely apologized for the delay. From here on in things improved. Our server, Elizabeth was really sweet and personable. Our food and drinks came right out. My son and I split a rack of St Louis ribs with fries and beans. I concede that there is better BBQ to be had elsewhere. But what we were served was pretty damn good. My wife loved her to go order of baby backs, cole slaw and beans. Sauces here are flavorful. One critical comment in the event management reads these reviews. Our meal, once served, took twenty five minutes to complete. During that time, a nearby stunningly obnoxious patron, carried on a monologue with one of the servers who must not have had anything to do. This patron's speaking volume carried throughout the room. It was incredibly unpleasant. It may be me, but I think it is inappropriate for the staff to hang around chatting with customers or in this case listening to a customer for lengthy periods of time. But, at least my son and I are now up to speed on the state of gymnastics in the Roselle school system. Or something like that. My son and I could barely concentrate on what we were talking about. We did conclude, however, that we would chose take out over dine in the next time. Thanks Famous Daves. We like your ribs no matter how much the naysayers nay.
(4)
Lat L.
Ive been a loyal customer to this place for years! I love this place. When its not crowded, it provides the best bbq food u can have. When it is crowded the quality lacks. Anyway this time i came here on a late friday night, like around 10pm. It was quite dead and an hour before close. The staff was friendly. I ordered the bbq salmon with mac and cheese and fries, my friend ordered the bbq pulled pork with mash and potato salad, and we got 2 frozen lemonades. The drinks took a while, and so did the food. But everything was tastsy.
(4)
Bianca A.
Awsome BBQ ..always Fresh ..never wait to long for anything ..place is a great cozy experience and prices are great as well
(5)
Mallery A.
My first time and it was AMAZING! I had the 1/3 rib which was perfect for me because I'm little. The cornbread was very very good even smelled amazing. I would also recommend coleslaw as an appetizer, one if the best I've had. Everything tasted fresh which is pretty rare at places like this. Scenery was nice. Waiter was nice as well. I plan on coming back very soon!! Definitely recommend this place to others
(5)
Earl L.
Love this place... Food is always delicious. I always get the family meal. (With family of course.) Great Ribs...Mac n cheese and drinks!!! Must come for barbeque. Please come.. Quick service... Great food. Service is friendly
(5)
Shawn S.
Wings Wings Wings!!! Really that's all I come to Famous Dave's for and I usually order to go for Sunday football. So, I can't base this review on the service or much of the many other options on the menu but, the wings truly are review worthy. Hands down the best wings around in my opinion. Perfectly cooked, juicy and flavorful. The only downfall with Dave's wings are that they don't offer a wide variety of sauces. They basically have your run-of-the-mill mild, medium and hot. They do have a very tasty sauce called "Pineapple Rage" but it lacks the rage. If you are looking for seriously hot wings then I would stick with Buffalo Wild Wings. But, as for the quality of wings, hands down Dave's is the champ. When ordering I usually go with a platter of wings for about $15.00. It's weird now because wings are generally priced by the pound these days when ordering. So you may get 10 or you may get 13 wings in your platter depending on the size. Dave's offers two small side items when ordering a platter. Some choices are the creamy coleslaw, garlic redskin mash potatoes, mac&cheese, beans etc. (go with the slaw!). Take my word for it wing fans, hit Dave's up when you've got a wings crave!
(4)
Tom R.
Haven't been here in about 6 months but it's always a good experience. The bbq is not a chain flavor. More special than that. Good prices and worth it for sure
So the food here was not good at all. Dallas BBQs is so much better. We ordered the double winger and it was supposed to be so much and it barely feed the 10 people we came with. On top of that our utensils were dirty and I had to ask for hot water to dip them in. When we finally ordered our food I had ordered my daughter a cheese burger it looked like it was cooked before and then reheated. I guess that's supposed to be appealing I don't know. My 1/2 chicken was ok but it was too mushy for me as if it wasn't cooked. I'm not sure. It was just nasty over all and it is not worth a second trip . I will not be eating this again and just a reminder first impression is last impression.
(1)
Cheryl F.
Food was good BUT the table was wobbly and dirty. Menus were sticky. Server forgot my cup of soup and my sisters drink. When i reminded our server about it he gave me attitude before getting it. We accidentaly spilled iced tea and no servers offered to help. One gave us a bag to put the wet towels in and left it by our table. After we finished our drinks and were brought new ones the empty cups remained on the table. Are these servers not trained at all?? Horrible service.
(2)
Glo M.
Good food but poor customer service. The manager Oscar has no respect for customers. I love Famous Daves but I would never go back to this location.
(2)
Marlene G.
Decided to come here for a late lunch with my family and it was pretty empty. I've been here on a few occasions and they are never consistent with the food. Today's food was ok, but everything was a bit too peppery. Being that I hate black pepper I was disappointed, but since I was starving i ended up eating most of my meal. My husband had a combo dish if ribs and chicken that included two sides which were fries and corn, he was satisfied with his dish but also commented that the ribs had to much pepper. I had the catfish with potato salad and mac n cheese, the potatoes were undercooked and the mac was cold. If I wouldn't of been so hungry I probably would've complained and sent my food back, but I knew if I did that I would've been waiting longer to eat and that wasn't gonna happen! Just a note: they have a lunch special that us good til 4:30, but when you go there they don't offer it. I guess it's "if you don't ask we won't tell you" type of special?!
(3)
Daniel D.
I love Famous Dave's, this location is the location I grew up eating. An amazing menu with great inside decorations make me happy every time. The sauces are amazing, but you need to be a fan of spicy sauces to be a true fan. The to-go ordering is perfect. Now I would love to make this a perfect review but sadly Famous Dave's isn't as perfect as it used to be. Within the last year they got rid of a lot of popular menu options, and replaced them with cheap options. I was surprised the last time I ate there when I ordered some fried chicken and the spices were so different I barely recognized it. Still a great place to eat, but it's different than it used to be.
(4)
Nicole B.
Probably will not return. To this location anyway. First of all, it was soo dirty. I really wish I took a picture of the dust covered picture on the wall. And my knife had yucky food spots on it. Now the food..The salad that I ordered was basically just wilted iceberg lettuce. Not worth $5. The wings we ordered for an appetizer had the sauce on the side. Yes on the side. I thought that was very strange. The really big deal was that our chicken was not cooked. It was pink and bloody. So, we told our server that we wanted new chicken. She took the uncooked chicken back to the kitchen. She came back with more, I'm pretty sure it was the same chicken. It was soo burnt it was black. It smelled so badly. We didn't eat it. They ended up taking $15 off the bill. I usually have dessert when I go out to eat, but not here. I was scared they would spit in it. Normally I love Famous Daves, but they have gone way down hill. I guess you have to expect that from a chain. We will not be back.
(1)
Brian T.
Being from Texas I don't consider this awesome BBQ. However, it's a good place to have some "good" BBQ and a big cold drink with friends. Close to home. We come often. The kids love it.
(3)
Neil H.
Went there to use a Groupon voupon. Casual atmosphere, tasty food. Little far out but worth the drive. Would satisfy your cravings for pork.
(3)
Erin F.
Awesome! Food is great. They just catered a party for me and I couldn't be happier. They traveled a little over an hour to deliver the food and it was still steaming hot. It was a huge hit. Very reasonable. Very happy with the service.
(5)
Jenny V.
Where do I start? We usually enjoy eating at Famous Dave's BBQ but this past visit just turned me off!! We were a table of two and we just sat for 40 minutes watching the other tables who got seated AFTER us get their food BEFORE us. Finally, after 40 minutes of waiting, we spotted our waitress coming out of the kitchen....how disappointed were we to see that she was bringing out water and not our food! We waited for another 5 minutes and figured we waited long enough that we had to ask the other waitress (who was doing a great job with her tables - she turned over 2 tables while we sat there staring at them sit, order, eat, and leave) check on our food. After waiting after what felt like forever on an empty stomach, the food came out. We appreciate that the manager had come to our table to apologize for the delay and even comp'd one of our meals. But none the less the service was severely lacking. If the bbq wasn't good i'd give this place 1 star and never come back....but maybe this was a fluke experience! I'm willing to give it another chance before I completely strike Famous Dave's, Mountainside from my list.
(2)
Jeff W.
Well, it's definite BBQ. I went on a weekday, there were very few people in the joint. Took us five minutes to get seated because the host was floating around not doing his job. Finally seated and the server was really nice, I ordered a beer and the half rack of ribs. The ribs were really good, my first one was cold for some reason, but the others weren't. If they had been hotter I may have given four stars. I think I'll have to go back and give this place another try.
(3)
Dave C.
Always great service when I come to here. Food is always good and drinks are always good. People come for the great BBQ but try the sandwiches too!
(5)
Bella S.
I have been to Famous Dave's a few times and have always had a good experience. I never had to wait for a table, the staff are friendly, and the food has been consistently tasty. Most recently I ordered chopped pork, baked beans, and broccoli. You always get a side of cornbread and homemade BBQ chips. It's fun trying all the different BBQ sauces. They vary based on level of sweetness and spice. The lemonade is delicious as well. Yesterday, we had an AMAZING waiter. His name is "Justin E.". If you go to the Mountainside location, ask to sit at his table. I always have a ton of questions before I place an order. Justin was very patient, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu. He checked on my friend and I, very frequently, to see if we needed anything. He smiled and was happy to be working. I worked all day so having dinner with Justin as a waiter, made for a pleasant way to end my evening. If you want good BBQ and a full course meal for a reasonable price, Famous Dave's is the place. I can't comment on dessert because I am always full!
(4)
Aly Y.
A true test of how good service is is to show up as a group of 9, including 2 small children (active boys ages 7 and 9) visiting from Massachusetts. We are all seasoned restaurant diners and are well behaved but sometimes, servers see a family with kids and start praying. In fact, they placed us at a nearly deserted part of the large restaurant where the young boys could have wreaked havoc if they wanted to but they didn't. We were hungry so ordered apps first while we decided on our entrees. The boys loved the onion strings so much that we ordered 3 more after we finished the first 2 orders. We all ordered various BBQ combos so lots of food. There was a long wait between apps and entrees so timing could be improved. The server that we had, a young man, was very sweet and nice. I guess his prayers were answered.
(4)
Madeline L.
My husband was in the mood for some BBQ ribs so we decided to try Dave's. Went on a Saturday evening and was surprised there was no wait. My husband had the ribs and thought they were really good. I had the BBQ chicken since I am not a big rib fan and it was OK nothing I would be running back for. The mac n cheese was really good and the entrees came with a corn muffin which was the best part of my meal. The service was alright. The waitress seemed like she was rushing even though the place was empty. All in all the place was OK for me... Like I said before I wouldn't be rushing back.
(3)
Steve K.
We have gone to this Famous Dave's many times over the years. In the past, I would have given this restaurant 4 stars. Their food used to be really good. The chicken and brisket were out of this world and the ribs were really good. For the past year or so, the food has been mixed and the service gone down hill. The last several times that we have been there, something was wrong: either one of the dishes was cold, too dry or just tasted bad. We have gone back here several times hoping that things returned to the way that they were but they have not. I don't think I'll go back here for a while. Too bad. It is a good value but not worth it with these issues.
(1)
Jaclyn G.
Tried Famous Dave's some time last month and was largely disappointed. Since it was our first time there, we went for the feast for two, which came with half a slab of St. Louis-style spareribs, half a chicklen and Texas beef brisket, coleslaw, famous beans, wilbur beans, corn-on-the-cob, and corn bread. The only thing I liked was the beef brisket, the rest were so-so. Maybe I'll give it another chance. But I will most likely not pick this place as the go to spot for barbeque.
(2)
John R.
The ribs are good. Both the Sweet & Zesty or Memphis-style have their appeal but I like the flavor of the latter better. I just wish the meat would fall off the bone for if it did that alone would be another star. We went for a late lunch on a Saturday and service was very slow to the point where people sitting not too far away from us started to complain. The bottom line the BBQ is good but I am still looking for the ultimate rib within a reasonable distance from home. I am getting closer, but unfortunately have still not found it.
(3)
Robert M.
Been to Dave's a few times, food is good and prices reasonable.
(4)
Dr. R.
Famous Dave's is my favorite chain bbq restaurant in the world. When we moved to the area, me and my wife were beyond excited to have a restaurant close by. At this point, we have visited the Mountainside restaurant about 10 times and have given up. Every single time something gets screwed up bigtime. Either we are seated and then ignored by the staff for 30 minutes until we walk up to a waitress and ask if someone is going to serve us, orders get delivered to the table entirely wrong, orders take over an hour to be served, one person of a party of 6 receives his food after everyone else is done eating, a waitress delivers the food and disappears so we never get a refill on sodas or another beer... I can go on. At one point I asked to talk to the managerwho offered us to eat free the next time as an apology. The next time we came in to use the gift card was even more catastrophic than before. It took 25 minutes before we were greeted and our drink order was taken. The food was cold and, even though instructed by the manager that we would only be paying for drinks, the waitress gave us the full bill. We walked out without paying anything. It's a huge shame because the food really is heavenly. The Mountainside staff just keeps dropping the ball spectacularly. We've been driving out to the Edison restaurant for the past few months and the experiences there have been nothing short of perfect. It's just silly that we have to travel 20 minutes to Edison when we have a restaurant a few miles from our house.
(1)
Kevin D.
DIRTY! DIRTY! DIRTY! At the entrance way there are two planters for cigarette disposal (that in itself is gross) that were completely over flowing with trash. This is what every guest first sees when they walk into the place! The bathrooms were nasty and I saw a waiter in there texting while standing in the corner obviously avoiding the manger which doesn't seem like a hard thing to do there. Everything about the place just seemed dirty and worn out. The food was totally mediocre and institutionalized. I will not come back! I'm going to open my own BBQ restaurant and steal all their business :)
(1)
Melissa L.
My husband and I were looking for a BBQ place that would be just as good, or better than the place we went to in Miami. We ordered the Southside Rip Tips for an appetizer, and the Feast for 2 for dinner. It was enough food for both of us, with a little extra to take home. We loved the spicier sauces. One was Devil's Pit, but I can't remember the other one. We were really disappointed that they had run out of bread pudding & another batch wouldn't be ready for about an hour.
(4)
Bill H.
A friendly BBQ chain. Close to our house. Goodly sized portions. Quality of the food? Well, there's the rub. It's on par with other midscale chain restaurants. It's 2 standard deviations south of Texas hill country BBQ. seems like we only go there now when friends really want to go.
(2)
Sara Z.
Wow.....as a native of Tennessee, I know my BBQ...and this place is absolutely fantastic. The dry rub (Memphis style) ribs were to die for and I can't wait to go back. The wait was relatively short; the server was quite friendly and the prices were ideal. In addition, unlike other ribs I have commented on, these had no noticeable fat.
(5)
Jonathan L.
For New Jersey and a chain establishment this is a decent BBQ place. Yes, that is a lot of qualifiers. Is this in any way authentic BBQ. Nope. Not even close. But they are not exactly selling themselves as anything but what they are. So, I have been to a few of Famous Dave's locations and I will say the experience is consistent. On this visit, a Monday night the place was dead. Three other tables in use. The wait staff was bored and unenthusiastic. That said, they had hours of dull work with minimal hope for heavy tips ahead of them. The meal- First off they had no pork. Its a BBQ place. No ribs?!? No Pork?!? Insane. Of course we don't get informed of this fact until well after we have drinks and an appetizer. The service was slow, and this is a big problem considering how empty and over staffed it was. The food avergae. It was generic but not horrible, hence the three stars. Their sauce assortment is diverse yet narrow. There is not a lot of flavor diversity in the sauces, although they have many catchy names. Over all it is a mediocre place, but if you want BBQ at a bigger establishment in NJ this is it.
(3)
Mr caveman C.
Whats up my Cavepeeps? Yesterday me and my fellow Caveman visited Famous Dave's BBQ which has a name for mouth watering ribs that are out of this world. The minute we stepped out of the car, you can smell the aroma of BBQ and burning wood. We both knew that we were in for a good meal. As we walked in the smell of roasting meat just filled the air. We went straight for the bar and ordered a couple of yuengling's and a couple of menus. But after discussing the menu on the ride down we kind knew we were going to get with the All American BBQ Feast for 2. So we chose a quick appetizer and we were all set. We got an order of Loaded BBQ chips. Surprisingly both dishes came out at the same time and it was real quick. The Loaded BBQ chips were just that. Homemade potato chips with jalapeno bacon and diced tomatoes with a tangy bleu cheese dressing and crumbles. And then there was the All American BBQ Feast. This is consisting of a half slab of St. Louis-Style Spare Ribs, half a Country Roasted Chicken, 1/2 lbs either Texas Beef Brisket or Georgia Chopped Pork, Creamy Coleslaw, Famous Dave's Fries(mini waffle style fries), Wilbur Beans, 2 corn on the cobs and 2 corn muffins. We were both a little disappointed with the Famous chips, but the main course was here already and we were ready to dig in! We chose to go with the Beef Brisket. WWOOOOWWWWWWW I have never tasted beef like this before!!! And the Caveman has been around plenty of kitchens and BBQ grills!!! Me and my fellow Caveman killed the Brisket first and were both mad when it was gone!. The ribs were seasoned and cooked perfectly. The corn muffins were soo good that we both ordered more of them. Now I don't know what Wilbur beans are, but let me tell you that these been did not survive the evening. They were so sweet that after you ate them you realized that they had a nice peppery hint that made you want more. The only thing left on the plates were dirty napkins(paper towels that are on the bar and tables by the roll!). During the massacre, we ordered a round of Cuervo which by far the biggest shots I have had in NJ!!! They were easily a double shot plus!!! UNGABUNGA on the shots!!! So all in all this has been the best place we have visited since our second review of the year at Christians Steak House in Garfield. So if you are ever close to Mountainside NJ you HAVE TO stop by. I drove 45 minutes just to eat here and we are already planning to go back. At the end of the night the total bill came out to $72 before the tip. This is by far the best BBQ I have ever eatin and we will be back soon!!! Check out the pictures of the plates!!!
(5)
Adam R.
I've tried barbecue in Carolina, in St. Louis and in Kansas City. Famous Dave's is not any of these places. But in the middle of central New Jersey, it's probably the best barbecue you're going to get. Throw in the great sides, the decent prices and the excellent waitstaff and it's a winner. First off, the waiters are always great. Usually, it's tough to have consistently great waiters at a chain restaurant, but I've never had a bad waiter. They love to answers questions, they'll help you substitute some things and they're always on top of the soda refills. And they're friendly and charming without being intrusive. The prices are good, especially for the portions. Most meat combos are around $11 or $12 with a two meat combo for around $15. My wife loves the catfish combo, which is around $10. The combo comes with two sides, plus corn bread and a small corn cob. The portions are large. I can finish a two meat combo, but I'm uncomfortably full. The ribs are good, but I'm not a rib man, so don't trust me. The beef brisket is mouth watering good. It is tender and falls apart in your mouth with a rich, slightly sweet sauce. The BBQ chicken is juicy and packed with chicken flavor. They don't go heavy on the sauce, which is nice because you get to choose one of their sauces to go with it. The catfish is very good and comes with two tangy sauces. The sides are great, adding a little more personality to an already great meal. The Wilbur Beans are good barbecue beans with extra meat and jalapeños thrown in. Just a little bit spicy. If you like coleslaw, you know it's hard to make good or bad. It's just coleslaw. Their coleslaw has a little bit of pineapple in it. You can't taste it, but it does make their slaw a cut above. The potato salad is not the sweet deli stuff you usually find in NY. It has egg and mustard and is rich, with a little zip. The Drunkin' Apples sound better than they are. They're cooked with cinnamon and amaretto and are good, but disappointing next to the other sides. The fries are good, the garlic mashed potatoes are better and the mashed sweet potatoes are very good, with a little brown sugar and cinnamon. Famous Dave's is great. It's a little more expensive than I usually spend ($45 for two with tax and tip), but it's a nice treat. And it's not the best barbecue in the country, but it's the best you'll find in this neck of the woods.
(4)
Larry Y.
If you want BBQ, their pit and kitsch is the best you're gonna get in this part of Jersey. BBQ style-wise, they're all over the map. Their grilled meats are indeed tasty, especially with one of their six sauces. Lunch is very cost effective.
(3)
Rudy B.
Being the baby back rib lover that I am, I love Famous Daves. Perfect every time. Fingerlickin good I say :) The chicken wild rice soup is great too. Besides the food, the outdoorsy ambiance of the place makes me feel all tingly inside. If your an outdoorsman, you will surely appreciate what they have done with the place. Amazing memorabilia and trophy mounts. Very rustic, especially for a chain. This is one place every rib lover should visit.
(5)
Brad N.
I went to FD in mountainside knowing exactly what I was going to get. It was my favorite chain and I have been going to various locations for years. We arrived around 6:30 and walked in. The place was empty. We waited at the host stand for 5 minutes for someone to come up and seat us. The kid came up grabbed menus and said follow me, dropped the menus on the table and walked away disappearing into the back room. The server came to our table after what seemed like forever and took our order. Ok, so far so good. It took ten minutes for our drinks to arrive and 30 for our wings. We had barely taken our forks out (boneless wings) when the server came out and said our food was ready. She said she would just keep it warm for us until we were ready. Not five minutes later she brought everything out and mind you at this point we weren't done with our wings. The food as great as always and I can and will not complain about it. But this is where things got really bad. I spent along time working as a waiter and a bartender and I know exactly how a waiter or waitress acts when they have been cut and are ready to go home. That's what our waitress was doing. Every couple of minutes she would walk by and every other time or so she would ask how we were doing. At some point I asked for another drink that again took 10 minutes to get. When it arrived at the table there was food in it. I brought it to the attention of our waitress and she said something along the lines of oh the bartender must not have cleaned the glasses well. She dropped off the check and left. After the third time again walking by she asked if there was anything else and I asked for a replacement drink. Only then did a manager come by and offer me our drinks on the house. We paid and ran out the door. I remember not too long ago when that franchise had the best service out there. So sad to see it slipping. If it keeps having nights like when I was there I can't imagine they are going to be able to keep the doors open for long.
(2)
Steve G.
The way I roll is that a restaurant has to top what I can do before it sees a 3-star review from me. That said, I pride myself on my BBQ. Famous Dave's is good, portions are large on their platters and the price value is a strong positive. It is immediately apparent that this is the type of chain which likes to put their own spin on even the most ordinary items. Six different flavors of BBQ sauce is just silly, particularly when one is labeled as "Texas style." That said, the Georgia Chopped Pork was actually tasty and well cooked, but not as advertised. If a pork shoulder were actually smoked for the amount of time they claim, there would be a thick ring of pink tinged meat below the crusty outer bark. The smokiness of great pulled pork just wasn't there, nor was the juiciness of the real deal. Most likely, this pork was roasted at high heat, probably in a smoker and over hardwood. Actual smoking is a slow, gradual process over moderate heat. The BBQ chicken and St. Louis ribs taste very good. To its credit, Famous Dave's comes much closer to actual BBQ than many of the flavor-of-the-month Manhattan pits do, at a fraction of the price. The service was good, and the sides were a mixed bag. A freshly made sweet slaw wasn't bad, and the mashed red potatoes were very good. The cornbread cupcake was more of a prop than a dinner addition. BTW, Georgia-style cornbread has plenty of sugar; nothing inauthentic about that. The cornmeal-to-wheat flour ratio was far too low, thus no cornbread flavor. While Famous Dave's won't be mistaken for great barbeque by anyone who has traveled the South, it is a good meal at a reasonable price. A 2-star review from me.
(2)
Lou P.
If you like Bar-B-Que and haven't tried Famous Dave's, what are you waiting for? This is probably the best BBQ joint around. Okay, so I used to work there and may be SLIGHTLY biased, but the food there is still unbelievably great. Personal favorites include the Crispy Chicken Salad, the Cajun Chicken Sandwich, Crawfish Appetizer, and of course the BBQ Spare Ribs. Wash it all down with a nice, cold beer or one of their specialty drinks (which actually can get a little pricy for a low-key restaurant). All the BBQ sauces are on the table for you to try, and include: Georgia Mustard, Rich-n-Sassy (the same stuff that's on the spare ribs), Sweet-n-Zesty, Texas Pit, and Devil's Spit (the hottest one of the bunch, but not over the top). The paper towels and their holders add a nice rustic touch. If there's ever a question, the management staff is excellent. Ask for Jason, the GM. He is, by far, one of the funniest people you could ever meet.
(5)
Can I Speak T.
Had a good lunch here! Great service and great food. Drinks should be a little stronger, felt a little watered down but maybe my day was just that rough. The waiter was very polite, knew all of the specials and basically finished my sentence when I couldn't get the name of appetizer that I wanted so he was very knowledgable about what was on the menu. Overall good experience!
(4)
Jenal J.
The atmosphere is dull/ the BBQ is mediocre and the drinks are fruity...my food came out cold but flavorful. The portions were not southern size but sufficient.
(2)
Brian C.
The service was very good courteous and efficient and we had a new server in training. Nonetheless the server training the new server was very good as well. The food was tasty but could have come out a bit hotter. The portions were on the small side for the price they were charging so I only give three stars. Overall a good experience and I would eat here again.
(3)
Debbie W.
Pretty good for a chain, and about the best you'll do for BBQ in these parts. Its decor is charming for a corporate created place. More importantly, the food is good. If you're used to 'real bbq' you wont be overwhelmed, but for those of us who have gone years w/o real bbq, its a pretty good substitute.
(3)
Rich P.
Best ribs anywhere, hands down!
(5)
Sean H.
Lip smacking bbq goodness and BEER. What more do you need? Oh yes...great service and family friendly to boot. We always enjoy dining here.
(4)
E. C.
I've gone there on three different occasions with my parents for ribs sometime in 2008 and in March and April 2009. Their dining area consists of wooden booths and tables with memorabilia on their walls and country music playing in the background. They're kept fairly clean with a roll of paper towel at each table. Their ladies room is fairly clean as well. We've ordered regular ribs with barbeque sauce and baby back ribs with dry rub. Ribs are juicy and tender and their barbeque sauce isn't too sweet. Though we loved their dry rub at our first visit, we found it to be too salty on our last visit. Their manager explained that their district manager ordered them to add more seasoning a few months back even though they didn't receive many complaints about it. I believe that district manager made a wrong judgment. Other than that, their corn-on-the-cob was sweet and my mother loves their corn bread. I'm very picky with coleslaw and I think theirs is very tasty.
(4)
Joseph K.
Excellent food!
(5)
Michael L.
Really like the place. Not the greatest BBQ of all times, buts always good considering this is a chain operation. Service varies, but is generally OK. When we go as a family we get the "Garbage Can Special" (our name for the family combo which is served on a garbage cad lid) which has a little of everything (ribs, chicken, pulled pork or brisket, slaw, corn and corn muffins and fries).
(4)
Miriam R.
Came here with a group for a birthday celebration mid week. The food was tasty and the feast provided plenty of food. Though for a group of 5, 3 cornbread was stupid. Brought in a birthday coupon, the waiter had no clue what to do with it. Manager came and said ok curtly and left. Neither manager or server EVER wished my son Happy Birthday. The waiter had to return 3 times to complete our order. Ordered an 2nd tea which was never served. The atmosphere was too quiet and almost stale. After the appetizer, server did not clear those plates. For the price, lack of good service and ok food, I would not recommend.
(2)
Lou P.
If you like Bar-B-Que and haven't tried Famous Dave's, what are you waiting for? This is probably the best BBQ joint around. Okay, so I used to work there and may be SLIGHTLY biased, but the food there is still unbelievably great. Personal favorites include the Crispy Chicken Salad, the Cajun Chicken Sandwich, Crawfish Appetizer, and of course the BBQ Spare Ribs. Wash it all down with a nice, cold beer or one of their specialty drinks (which actually can get a little pricy for a low-key restaurant). All the BBQ sauces are on the table for you to try, and include: Georgia Mustard, Rich-n-Sassy (the same stuff that's on the spare ribs), Sweet-n-Zesty, Texas Pit, and Devil's Spit (the hottest one of the bunch, but not over the top). The paper towels and their holders add a nice rustic touch. If there's ever a question, the management staff is excellent. Ask for Jason, the GM. He is, by far, one of the funniest people you could ever meet.
(5)
Lisa S.
Pretty good ribs! And everything that comes with the ribs is yummy also. The corn on the cob was good, the corn muffin was delicious, and the sides were also pretty tasty. I really liked the garlic mashed potatoes. The brownie dessert was only okay - the brownie was a little bit dry and there wasn't enough chocolate sauce on top.
(4)
YJ H.
One of the best BBQ places I have visited, and it's in freaking NJ... go figure. I used to drive by here all the time, but didn't stop by for about a year. During that time, I did notice their parking lot getting full during weekends and on dinner times, so on a whim I decided to stop by with my wife. Boy... were we glad we stopped by! This place has every thing you look for in a good bbq joints, including 4-5 different bbq sauces and paper towels on steel pipes attached to each table! We usually end up getting the All American Feast, which has a full slab of baby back ribs, smoked chicken, beef brisket, corn on the cobb, fries, beans and cole slaw....what more do you want! By the time we are done with all the meat there's only a pile of carcass left behind. Ever since our discovery, we have been here numerous times and brought all our friends along, and they all love this place as well. We still kick ourselves silly for not coming here sooner.... Most importantly, it's pretty cheap! Great food, great price, and excellent service. Highly Recommended.... Bon Appetit!
(4)
Lovet O.
I am a fan of Famous Dave's BBQ. They are consistent and the ribs are finger-licking good. They over eat in and carry out service. They're side orders, IMO, are not the best but the ribs more than make up for them. I haven't had their fish and trip but am planning on to. I also enjoy their burgers. They taste great and are juicy. Definitely recommend Famous Daves. Will be going back soon.
(4)
Suzanne M.
In two words Not Good. Way overpriced. The ribs were good but everything else was really not. The place wasn't clean at all the condiments were sticky and dirty. The menus were sticky. The bathroom was dirty. I eat in chain restaurants quite a bit this by far was the worst I've been to. Frozen corn on the cob why bother including that with the meal if it's clearly frozen. Decent ribs are not enough to get me to ever come back. Look up Texas Roadhouse. There's no comparison.
(1)
jane d.
This place is much better than the one in NYC. The service took longer but the food was good and cooked well. We went yesterday and just found out they took the catfish off the menu. Bring it back!
(4)
Kayla Z.
I think the only thing I miss about NJ is Famous Daves. I long for a pulled pork salad.
(5)
Ginny C.
One of the best Bar-b-que spots in NJ! You can't beat their ribs, pulled pork, or brisket!
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Specialities
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Andrew O.
The best ribs I have ever had in the Northeast. Not even close. Just the way I like them. Order the ribs "naked" (prepared only with dry rub, no sauce), and apply your choice of incredibly yummy sauces at the table. My favorite indulgence! The ribs are meaty and firm and delicious. If you like your ribs sopping with sauce and overcooked til they're falling off the bone, shame on you, and this isn't your place. If you like them dry-rubbed and firm, then let's go!
(5)Sean S.
Not great, not bad. Good BBQ. 5 out of 10. Don't order the brisket.
(3)Robert C.
In my experience, food from Famous Dave is the same no matter where you are, so I'm not reviewing that since I've enjoyed it everywhere I've been. The staff here is competent and I can't recall any glaring issues (which is good for a national chain, in my opinion). The place is huge and I've never had to wait for a table, even when I've had groups of 6 or more. Also, the parking lot is large and easily accessible from Route 22. I always make sure my meal has the fries and a some chicken tenders to dip in the melange of sauces. By far my favorite part!
(4)j r.
Good food for a chain bbq place. Have eaten there and had take-out several times over the years. Normally OK in service department, but NOT this time. Had to wait over 1/2 hour to get take out after we had called in the order 3....yes you read it right....Three Hours ahead for a 5pm pickup. Probably a management issue with inadequate staffing during peak times. They offered a freebie on our next visit, but I'm thinking not. Our time is worth something and we'd rather go where it's not a gamble as much. This eating out is supposed to be enjoyable and there are a lot of good places to choose from.
(1)Pasquale R.
It's so tough to find good BBQ in NJ. Although it's not authentic (the ribs need to have smoke rings and they don't have them here for the most part) it's not too bad. Their wings are actually very good. Get a combo of different styles. The meals are just o.k. I usually get a mix match of different items. The corn on the cob is salty so I stay away from it. Their corn bread is great, their pulled pork is so/so, ribs are eh, sausage is so/so but like I said, stick with the wings. The service is not good, especially at the bar during lunch (not that I am drinking during lunch during the workweek).
(3)Colton B.
You name the BBQ joint in metro NY, and I've eaten there - and eaten there to excess. Fette Sau, Virgil's, Hill Country, Dinosaur, Blue Smoke... haven't gotten to Fatty Cue yet though, but I've digressed... Famous Dave's is right up there. What has compelled me to write a review though is their cloeslaw. Almost anyone can deliver top-notch 'cue (and Dave's does) but not everyone sweats the details like coleslaw. Dave's is just the right balance of crunchy, spicy, sweet, and smooth. Big props for that.
(4)E M.
4 stars, definitely. I went once before and it was really good. I waited a little while before our water was brought out, and we ordered our meals. No problem with the service, our waitress was really nice. Then came my food-the steak with Texas Toast and mashed potatoes. I never honestly Overall, this restaurant is great for steak-lovers and rib-lovers, and I would definitely go back there again.
(4)Dillon W.
Passable barbecue, but only because of the variety of options. Ribs are about average, brisket is disgusting, burgers are quite good even though over cooked (mid well is the rarest they come). Service is about the worst I've ever seen. Would have been 3 stars if the wait staff paid any attention to our table. Not a place to go with kids older than 5 - kids menu is for very young kids and almost everything else is too spicy (mac and cheese only comes with jalapenos? Seriously?) If you have a 9 or 10 year old they won't find much they'll like.
(1)Tanisha A.
Awesome lunch date with my boyfriend here the other day. Our favorite thing on the menu has to be the mac and cheese. The service was courteous, timely, and professional. We had a great time.
(4)Jordan B.
Pretty good service. That's why I'm giving it four stars. Would be five but food was just ok. Not the greatest. The soup was bland. Would come back tho, I wish they would put the taxidermic animals back on their walls though, it made the atmosphere more "country" and "cabin-like"
(4)Gregory M.
Decent BBQ for New Jersey. The ribs are usually good and the rich and sassy sauce is acceptable and tastes good. The wings are actually awesome. I recommend the buffalo or the pineapple rage.
(4)Abbey B.
We have gone many times and have always had a great meal. All the offerings are good. It can get busy on the weekends and the only negative can be the service can be slower and the servers won't come back to check on you. Even though the taste of the pulled pork, ribs, chicken and bbq beans is great. You can't find a better place in Jersey.
(4)mei y.
I am here to write about their dessert. My family and I went last night for dinner. Their bread pudding really impressed me and my family. Moist, eggy, dripping with caramel sauce with sprinkle of walnuts and a side of whipped cream and vanilla ice cream big enough for a family of 4! delish! The second best thing we had there was the burnt tip appy which was hot, fatty, and good! The baby back rib was good. The chicken salad was ok. The brisket and chopped pork sandwich was dry and cold and so was the chili. The wait service was very good. I would definitely go back just for the bread pudding!
(4)Stev F.
Food was good and serve eas good also. Went on a friday night and had a live band singing top 40 R&B. Was nice. Will enjoy.
(4)Olive O.
We go here once in a while. Lately the quality has been declining. Today we got an order to go. Mine was the beef brisket sandwich. Meat was fatty and chewy. I threw most of it away. Major disappointment. The takeout orders seem to be composed of any old slop they want to get rid of. It annoys me that they charge extra for a baked potato. Why? They are easy to cook and a potato is cheap. They lost themselves a customer. Will not return.
(2)David M.
A recent price hike of about 40% on lunch specials and 20% on dinner entrees changes this from reasonably priced to overpriced. Worse yet, on my last visit, service was slow, the chopped pork was served on stale bread and the fries were cold. What a shame.
(2)Greg L.
Erik was my server and made my experience unforgettable. The food here is the best BBQ you will find in NJ, so if you are in the mood for ribs or pulled pork while in NJ this is the place to go. If you happen to see the Ukrainian server (I think his name is Naz) ask him about his life story cause its really interesting. The staff in general was very nice and helpful. At one point we needed refills and another server (Louis) came over and got them for us even though we weren't his table.
(4)John M.
I have been many times, but only this locale twice. I ordered the big feast. Same amount of pulled pork as was on the feast for two. They have to be joking saying 4-6. Actually it wasn't enough for 1. Small serving on the slaw. The staff was very nice though, but the food sizes are shrinking.
(2)Darren S.
This was place was delicious. I didn't think I would ever find a good BBQ place in New Jersey well, I'm SOOO HAPPY I WAS WRONG. This place was outstanding. I even took my ribs home and ate the remaining ones for breakfast. ALL the food came HOT to the table, the tea was sweet, the cornbread was delicious. OH YEAH!!!
(4)Steven D.
The food is delicious and greatly portioned. Fantastic for a group outing and not hard on the wallet. Fast friendly service and a comfortable pleasant atmosphere.
(5)ann f.
No no no no no. This place is awful. Uninspired BBQ, completely lackluster service (even when empty!) and just overall really overpriced food. Have tried it twice and will not be back. one important tip: do NOT order anything other than bbq; don't do the boneless wings, don't do a salad, even the macaroni & cheese is gross (it has corn in it for godssake).
(1)Louis R.
A. I go since it is near work B. Waitress was huge (its a deterrent when the server is an example of who eats there) C. Cheap enough D. Its no North Carolina bbq E. The many bbq sauces (5) is the draw I will be forced to hit again by fat co-workers
(3)Domenic F.
We went here a while back with the wife on a Sunday early afternoon. I remember it being open and not that busy. I have been to other Famous Dave's and i am a fan! What set this place differently was the Sunday brunch they had. I believe it was 15 per person you got a bunch of wings, rib-lets and all the fun breakfast food including sausage and bacon that you could enjoy. Not a bad deal at all. The service was good and the food decent. Try it on a Sunday morning/afternoon and try something different at a great place to eat!
(4)Karwan D.
Excellent food, friendly wait staff, clean.
(4)Matthew S.
This was a great place when It first opened but unfortunately it has gone downhill every year since. We went there Friday evening and found ourselves sticking to the floor the ribs had no meat on them, and some of the food was cold. Go somewhere else if you want barbecue
(1)Parvinder H.
I love BBQ food and I have visited at least four different Famous Dave's across the country. Like all of the other chains this restaurant has a log cabin type feel to it. We went on a Thursday lunchtime and the place was pretty quiet, with just a few other customers, which was fine as we had a choice of seating. When visiting the other restaurants in this chain we have always been introduced to the 6/7 sauces by them being artfully squirted onto a plate by the waiter/waitress and then given chips to sample the sauces whilst perusing the menu. However this was not the case today. Between my partner and I, we decided upon the baby back ribs, brisket, rib tips, fries, corn muffin, corn on the cob, broccoli. The brisket was to die for, it was moist, slightly smokey and ram jam packed full of flavour. A must try if you come here. Equally the tips were good. I could give or take the ribs. The fries had good amount of flavour to them but they could have been hotter! I won't bother telling you about the veg, cause let's be honest that's not why you came here. The waitress we had really went up in my estimations but that's probably because, on leaving I asked if we could purchase one of the sauces, which she informed me we couldn't. However she did offer to give us a little tub of the sauce to take home, which we gratefully accepted. As I type this review my husband is reading me the calorie intake for our meals. Eek! 2000 calories for my portion alone and that's not counting the sides. I may forgo the whole eating thing tomorrow.
(4)Blaine B.
I've been to a few diffrent Famous Dave's and this particular restaurant is below average for them. The food was poorly prepared and the portions were much smaller than I've had in the past. I ordered the catfish which seemed undercooked and my sides looked like they were put into the tiny sauce bowls with a small melon baller. Not sure how old this place is but they could due with replacing some of the furniture or at least keeping what they have clean. I love the chain and have given a 4 star review to another location but this location needs a refresh.
(2)Telia B.
This Famous Daves dine-in Bar B Que place I only been there since about 12 years ago & to tell you the turth is that. The some of the food is kinda of ok but to me the some of the food I mean the ribs is alright?
(2)Junior G.
Love this place, best BBQ in jersey ! chop pork amazing, ribs and dry rub untouchable, service in and out and best of all price is pretty damm good !!! nice cold mugs for your beer. over 700 awards for there amazing ribs
(5)Peter G.
POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE I called to place a to go order, we reviewed the order and double checked it on the phone. I came in, picked it up, left a good tip, got home and the order was half missing. I called back and was put on hold only to then be hung up on. I called again, spoke to the manage "reggie," who put the blame on the call center and shrugged it off as their problem, not his. I typically order from there once a month and usually around holidays for big platters. I think i will find somewhere else. Reggie, you have to learn this is very much your problem.
(1)David B.
We had not been to Famous Daves in years. Although BBQ snobs would turn up their nose at the offerings here, we have always enjoyed it. The place looked a tad run down upon our arrival at 1pm. Not many people here either which surprised me. We were shown to a table and waited and waited. And we waited some more. Until the hostess saw my patented glare and sent our server right over. She sincerely apologized for the delay. From here on in things improved. Our server, Elizabeth was really sweet and personable. Our food and drinks came right out. My son and I split a rack of St Louis ribs with fries and beans. I concede that there is better BBQ to be had elsewhere. But what we were served was pretty damn good. My wife loved her to go order of baby backs, cole slaw and beans. Sauces here are flavorful. One critical comment in the event management reads these reviews. Our meal, once served, took twenty five minutes to complete. During that time, a nearby stunningly obnoxious patron, carried on a monologue with one of the servers who must not have had anything to do. This patron's speaking volume carried throughout the room. It was incredibly unpleasant. It may be me, but I think it is inappropriate for the staff to hang around chatting with customers or in this case listening to a customer for lengthy periods of time. But, at least my son and I are now up to speed on the state of gymnastics in the Roselle school system. Or something like that. My son and I could barely concentrate on what we were talking about. We did conclude, however, that we would chose take out over dine in the next time. Thanks Famous Daves. We like your ribs no matter how much the naysayers nay.
(4)Lat L.
Ive been a loyal customer to this place for years! I love this place. When its not crowded, it provides the best bbq food u can have. When it is crowded the quality lacks. Anyway this time i came here on a late friday night, like around 10pm. It was quite dead and an hour before close. The staff was friendly. I ordered the bbq salmon with mac and cheese and fries, my friend ordered the bbq pulled pork with mash and potato salad, and we got 2 frozen lemonades. The drinks took a while, and so did the food. But everything was tastsy.
(4)Bianca A.
Awsome BBQ ..always Fresh ..never wait to long for anything ..place is a great cozy experience and prices are great as well
(5)Mallery A.
My first time and it was AMAZING! I had the 1/3 rib which was perfect for me because I'm little. The cornbread was very very good even smelled amazing. I would also recommend coleslaw as an appetizer, one if the best I've had. Everything tasted fresh which is pretty rare at places like this. Scenery was nice. Waiter was nice as well. I plan on coming back very soon!! Definitely recommend this place to others
(5)Earl L.
Love this place... Food is always delicious. I always get the family meal. (With family of course.) Great Ribs...Mac n cheese and drinks!!! Must come for barbeque. Please come.. Quick service... Great food. Service is friendly
(5)Shawn S.
Wings Wings Wings!!! Really that's all I come to Famous Dave's for and I usually order to go for Sunday football. So, I can't base this review on the service or much of the many other options on the menu but, the wings truly are review worthy. Hands down the best wings around in my opinion. Perfectly cooked, juicy and flavorful. The only downfall with Dave's wings are that they don't offer a wide variety of sauces. They basically have your run-of-the-mill mild, medium and hot. They do have a very tasty sauce called "Pineapple Rage" but it lacks the rage. If you are looking for seriously hot wings then I would stick with Buffalo Wild Wings. But, as for the quality of wings, hands down Dave's is the champ. When ordering I usually go with a platter of wings for about $15.00. It's weird now because wings are generally priced by the pound these days when ordering. So you may get 10 or you may get 13 wings in your platter depending on the size. Dave's offers two small side items when ordering a platter. Some choices are the creamy coleslaw, garlic redskin mash potatoes, mac&cheese, beans etc. (go with the slaw!). Take my word for it wing fans, hit Dave's up when you've got a wings crave!
(4)Tom R.
Haven't been here in about 6 months but it's always a good experience. The bbq is not a chain flavor. More special than that. Good prices and worth it for sure
(5)Geff Y.
On West 22, close to Kenilworth, definitely worth it ++ - to-go orders - décor - staff - the barbecue chicken -- -could have a bigger choice of beers and beverages
(4)Lashanna R.
So the food here was not good at all. Dallas BBQs is so much better. We ordered the double winger and it was supposed to be so much and it barely feed the 10 people we came with. On top of that our utensils were dirty and I had to ask for hot water to dip them in. When we finally ordered our food I had ordered my daughter a cheese burger it looked like it was cooked before and then reheated. I guess that's supposed to be appealing I don't know. My 1/2 chicken was ok but it was too mushy for me as if it wasn't cooked. I'm not sure. It was just nasty over all and it is not worth a second trip . I will not be eating this again and just a reminder first impression is last impression.
(1)Cheryl F.
Food was good BUT the table was wobbly and dirty. Menus were sticky. Server forgot my cup of soup and my sisters drink. When i reminded our server about it he gave me attitude before getting it. We accidentaly spilled iced tea and no servers offered to help. One gave us a bag to put the wet towels in and left it by our table. After we finished our drinks and were brought new ones the empty cups remained on the table. Are these servers not trained at all?? Horrible service.
(2)Glo M.
Good food but poor customer service. The manager Oscar has no respect for customers. I love Famous Daves but I would never go back to this location.
(2)Marlene G.
Decided to come here for a late lunch with my family and it was pretty empty. I've been here on a few occasions and they are never consistent with the food. Today's food was ok, but everything was a bit too peppery. Being that I hate black pepper I was disappointed, but since I was starving i ended up eating most of my meal. My husband had a combo dish if ribs and chicken that included two sides which were fries and corn, he was satisfied with his dish but also commented that the ribs had to much pepper. I had the catfish with potato salad and mac n cheese, the potatoes were undercooked and the mac was cold. If I wouldn't of been so hungry I probably would've complained and sent my food back, but I knew if I did that I would've been waiting longer to eat and that wasn't gonna happen! Just a note: they have a lunch special that us good til 4:30, but when you go there they don't offer it. I guess it's "if you don't ask we won't tell you" type of special?!
(3)Daniel D.
I love Famous Dave's, this location is the location I grew up eating. An amazing menu with great inside decorations make me happy every time. The sauces are amazing, but you need to be a fan of spicy sauces to be a true fan. The to-go ordering is perfect. Now I would love to make this a perfect review but sadly Famous Dave's isn't as perfect as it used to be. Within the last year they got rid of a lot of popular menu options, and replaced them with cheap options. I was surprised the last time I ate there when I ordered some fried chicken and the spices were so different I barely recognized it. Still a great place to eat, but it's different than it used to be.
(4)Nicole B.
Probably will not return. To this location anyway. First of all, it was soo dirty. I really wish I took a picture of the dust covered picture on the wall. And my knife had yucky food spots on it. Now the food..The salad that I ordered was basically just wilted iceberg lettuce. Not worth $5. The wings we ordered for an appetizer had the sauce on the side. Yes on the side. I thought that was very strange. The really big deal was that our chicken was not cooked. It was pink and bloody. So, we told our server that we wanted new chicken. She took the uncooked chicken back to the kitchen. She came back with more, I'm pretty sure it was the same chicken. It was soo burnt it was black. It smelled so badly. We didn't eat it. They ended up taking $15 off the bill. I usually have dessert when I go out to eat, but not here. I was scared they would spit in it. Normally I love Famous Daves, but they have gone way down hill. I guess you have to expect that from a chain. We will not be back.
(1)Brian T.
Being from Texas I don't consider this awesome BBQ. However, it's a good place to have some "good" BBQ and a big cold drink with friends. Close to home. We come often. The kids love it.
(3)Neil H.
Went there to use a Groupon voupon. Casual atmosphere, tasty food. Little far out but worth the drive. Would satisfy your cravings for pork.
(3)Erin F.
Awesome! Food is great. They just catered a party for me and I couldn't be happier. They traveled a little over an hour to deliver the food and it was still steaming hot. It was a huge hit. Very reasonable. Very happy with the service.
(5)Jenny V.
Where do I start? We usually enjoy eating at Famous Dave's BBQ but this past visit just turned me off!! We were a table of two and we just sat for 40 minutes watching the other tables who got seated AFTER us get their food BEFORE us. Finally, after 40 minutes of waiting, we spotted our waitress coming out of the kitchen....how disappointed were we to see that she was bringing out water and not our food! We waited for another 5 minutes and figured we waited long enough that we had to ask the other waitress (who was doing a great job with her tables - she turned over 2 tables while we sat there staring at them sit, order, eat, and leave) check on our food. After waiting after what felt like forever on an empty stomach, the food came out. We appreciate that the manager had come to our table to apologize for the delay and even comp'd one of our meals. But none the less the service was severely lacking. If the bbq wasn't good i'd give this place 1 star and never come back....but maybe this was a fluke experience! I'm willing to give it another chance before I completely strike Famous Dave's, Mountainside from my list.
(2)Jeff W.
Well, it's definite BBQ. I went on a weekday, there were very few people in the joint. Took us five minutes to get seated because the host was floating around not doing his job. Finally seated and the server was really nice, I ordered a beer and the half rack of ribs. The ribs were really good, my first one was cold for some reason, but the others weren't. If they had been hotter I may have given four stars. I think I'll have to go back and give this place another try.
(3)Dave C.
Always great service when I come to here. Food is always good and drinks are always good. People come for the great BBQ but try the sandwiches too!
(5)Bella S.
I have been to Famous Dave's a few times and have always had a good experience. I never had to wait for a table, the staff are friendly, and the food has been consistently tasty. Most recently I ordered chopped pork, baked beans, and broccoli. You always get a side of cornbread and homemade BBQ chips. It's fun trying all the different BBQ sauces. They vary based on level of sweetness and spice. The lemonade is delicious as well. Yesterday, we had an AMAZING waiter. His name is "Justin E.". If you go to the Mountainside location, ask to sit at his table. I always have a ton of questions before I place an order. Justin was very patient, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu. He checked on my friend and I, very frequently, to see if we needed anything. He smiled and was happy to be working. I worked all day so having dinner with Justin as a waiter, made for a pleasant way to end my evening. If you want good BBQ and a full course meal for a reasonable price, Famous Dave's is the place. I can't comment on dessert because I am always full!
(4)Aly Y.
A true test of how good service is is to show up as a group of 9, including 2 small children (active boys ages 7 and 9) visiting from Massachusetts. We are all seasoned restaurant diners and are well behaved but sometimes, servers see a family with kids and start praying. In fact, they placed us at a nearly deserted part of the large restaurant where the young boys could have wreaked havoc if they wanted to but they didn't. We were hungry so ordered apps first while we decided on our entrees. The boys loved the onion strings so much that we ordered 3 more after we finished the first 2 orders. We all ordered various BBQ combos so lots of food. There was a long wait between apps and entrees so timing could be improved. The server that we had, a young man, was very sweet and nice. I guess his prayers were answered.
(4)Madeline L.
My husband was in the mood for some BBQ ribs so we decided to try Dave's. Went on a Saturday evening and was surprised there was no wait. My husband had the ribs and thought they were really good. I had the BBQ chicken since I am not a big rib fan and it was OK nothing I would be running back for. The mac n cheese was really good and the entrees came with a corn muffin which was the best part of my meal. The service was alright. The waitress seemed like she was rushing even though the place was empty. All in all the place was OK for me... Like I said before I wouldn't be rushing back.
(3)Steve K.
We have gone to this Famous Dave's many times over the years. In the past, I would have given this restaurant 4 stars. Their food used to be really good. The chicken and brisket were out of this world and the ribs were really good. For the past year or so, the food has been mixed and the service gone down hill. The last several times that we have been there, something was wrong: either one of the dishes was cold, too dry or just tasted bad. We have gone back here several times hoping that things returned to the way that they were but they have not. I don't think I'll go back here for a while. Too bad. It is a good value but not worth it with these issues.
(1)Jaclyn G.
Tried Famous Dave's some time last month and was largely disappointed. Since it was our first time there, we went for the feast for two, which came with half a slab of St. Louis-style spareribs, half a chicklen and Texas beef brisket, coleslaw, famous beans, wilbur beans, corn-on-the-cob, and corn bread. The only thing I liked was the beef brisket, the rest were so-so. Maybe I'll give it another chance. But I will most likely not pick this place as the go to spot for barbeque.
(2)John R.
The ribs are good. Both the Sweet & Zesty or Memphis-style have their appeal but I like the flavor of the latter better. I just wish the meat would fall off the bone for if it did that alone would be another star. We went for a late lunch on a Saturday and service was very slow to the point where people sitting not too far away from us started to complain. The bottom line the BBQ is good but I am still looking for the ultimate rib within a reasonable distance from home. I am getting closer, but unfortunately have still not found it.
(3)Robert M.
Been to Dave's a few times, food is good and prices reasonable.
(4)Dr. R.
Famous Dave's is my favorite chain bbq restaurant in the world. When we moved to the area, me and my wife were beyond excited to have a restaurant close by. At this point, we have visited the Mountainside restaurant about 10 times and have given up. Every single time something gets screwed up bigtime. Either we are seated and then ignored by the staff for 30 minutes until we walk up to a waitress and ask if someone is going to serve us, orders get delivered to the table entirely wrong, orders take over an hour to be served, one person of a party of 6 receives his food after everyone else is done eating, a waitress delivers the food and disappears so we never get a refill on sodas or another beer... I can go on. At one point I asked to talk to the managerwho offered us to eat free the next time as an apology. The next time we came in to use the gift card was even more catastrophic than before. It took 25 minutes before we were greeted and our drink order was taken. The food was cold and, even though instructed by the manager that we would only be paying for drinks, the waitress gave us the full bill. We walked out without paying anything. It's a huge shame because the food really is heavenly. The Mountainside staff just keeps dropping the ball spectacularly. We've been driving out to the Edison restaurant for the past few months and the experiences there have been nothing short of perfect. It's just silly that we have to travel 20 minutes to Edison when we have a restaurant a few miles from our house.
(1)Kevin D.
DIRTY! DIRTY! DIRTY! At the entrance way there are two planters for cigarette disposal (that in itself is gross) that were completely over flowing with trash. This is what every guest first sees when they walk into the place! The bathrooms were nasty and I saw a waiter in there texting while standing in the corner obviously avoiding the manger which doesn't seem like a hard thing to do there. Everything about the place just seemed dirty and worn out. The food was totally mediocre and institutionalized. I will not come back! I'm going to open my own BBQ restaurant and steal all their business :)
(1)Melissa L.
My husband and I were looking for a BBQ place that would be just as good, or better than the place we went to in Miami. We ordered the Southside Rip Tips for an appetizer, and the Feast for 2 for dinner. It was enough food for both of us, with a little extra to take home. We loved the spicier sauces. One was Devil's Pit, but I can't remember the other one. We were really disappointed that they had run out of bread pudding & another batch wouldn't be ready for about an hour.
(4)Bill H.
A friendly BBQ chain. Close to our house. Goodly sized portions. Quality of the food? Well, there's the rub. It's on par with other midscale chain restaurants. It's 2 standard deviations south of Texas hill country BBQ. seems like we only go there now when friends really want to go.
(2)Sara Z.
Wow.....as a native of Tennessee, I know my BBQ...and this place is absolutely fantastic. The dry rub (Memphis style) ribs were to die for and I can't wait to go back. The wait was relatively short; the server was quite friendly and the prices were ideal. In addition, unlike other ribs I have commented on, these had no noticeable fat.
(5)Jonathan L.
For New Jersey and a chain establishment this is a decent BBQ place. Yes, that is a lot of qualifiers. Is this in any way authentic BBQ. Nope. Not even close. But they are not exactly selling themselves as anything but what they are. So, I have been to a few of Famous Dave's locations and I will say the experience is consistent. On this visit, a Monday night the place was dead. Three other tables in use. The wait staff was bored and unenthusiastic. That said, they had hours of dull work with minimal hope for heavy tips ahead of them. The meal- First off they had no pork. Its a BBQ place. No ribs?!? No Pork?!? Insane. Of course we don't get informed of this fact until well after we have drinks and an appetizer. The service was slow, and this is a big problem considering how empty and over staffed it was. The food avergae. It was generic but not horrible, hence the three stars. Their sauce assortment is diverse yet narrow. There is not a lot of flavor diversity in the sauces, although they have many catchy names. Over all it is a mediocre place, but if you want BBQ at a bigger establishment in NJ this is it.
(3)Mr caveman C.
Whats up my Cavepeeps? Yesterday me and my fellow Caveman visited Famous Dave's BBQ which has a name for mouth watering ribs that are out of this world. The minute we stepped out of the car, you can smell the aroma of BBQ and burning wood. We both knew that we were in for a good meal. As we walked in the smell of roasting meat just filled the air. We went straight for the bar and ordered a couple of yuengling's and a couple of menus. But after discussing the menu on the ride down we kind knew we were going to get with the All American BBQ Feast for 2. So we chose a quick appetizer and we were all set. We got an order of Loaded BBQ chips. Surprisingly both dishes came out at the same time and it was real quick. The Loaded BBQ chips were just that. Homemade potato chips with jalapeno bacon and diced tomatoes with a tangy bleu cheese dressing and crumbles. And then there was the All American BBQ Feast. This is consisting of a half slab of St. Louis-Style Spare Ribs, half a Country Roasted Chicken, 1/2 lbs either Texas Beef Brisket or Georgia Chopped Pork, Creamy Coleslaw, Famous Dave's Fries(mini waffle style fries), Wilbur Beans, 2 corn on the cobs and 2 corn muffins. We were both a little disappointed with the Famous chips, but the main course was here already and we were ready to dig in! We chose to go with the Beef Brisket. WWOOOOWWWWWWW I have never tasted beef like this before!!! And the Caveman has been around plenty of kitchens and BBQ grills!!! Me and my fellow Caveman killed the Brisket first and were both mad when it was gone!. The ribs were seasoned and cooked perfectly. The corn muffins were soo good that we both ordered more of them. Now I don't know what Wilbur beans are, but let me tell you that these been did not survive the evening. They were so sweet that after you ate them you realized that they had a nice peppery hint that made you want more. The only thing left on the plates were dirty napkins(paper towels that are on the bar and tables by the roll!). During the massacre, we ordered a round of Cuervo which by far the biggest shots I have had in NJ!!! They were easily a double shot plus!!! UNGABUNGA on the shots!!! So all in all this has been the best place we have visited since our second review of the year at Christians Steak House in Garfield. So if you are ever close to Mountainside NJ you HAVE TO stop by. I drove 45 minutes just to eat here and we are already planning to go back. At the end of the night the total bill came out to $72 before the tip. This is by far the best BBQ I have ever eatin and we will be back soon!!! Check out the pictures of the plates!!!
(5)Adam R.
I've tried barbecue in Carolina, in St. Louis and in Kansas City. Famous Dave's is not any of these places. But in the middle of central New Jersey, it's probably the best barbecue you're going to get. Throw in the great sides, the decent prices and the excellent waitstaff and it's a winner. First off, the waiters are always great. Usually, it's tough to have consistently great waiters at a chain restaurant, but I've never had a bad waiter. They love to answers questions, they'll help you substitute some things and they're always on top of the soda refills. And they're friendly and charming without being intrusive. The prices are good, especially for the portions. Most meat combos are around $11 or $12 with a two meat combo for around $15. My wife loves the catfish combo, which is around $10. The combo comes with two sides, plus corn bread and a small corn cob. The portions are large. I can finish a two meat combo, but I'm uncomfortably full. The ribs are good, but I'm not a rib man, so don't trust me. The beef brisket is mouth watering good. It is tender and falls apart in your mouth with a rich, slightly sweet sauce. The BBQ chicken is juicy and packed with chicken flavor. They don't go heavy on the sauce, which is nice because you get to choose one of their sauces to go with it. The catfish is very good and comes with two tangy sauces. The sides are great, adding a little more personality to an already great meal. The Wilbur Beans are good barbecue beans with extra meat and jalapeños thrown in. Just a little bit spicy. If you like coleslaw, you know it's hard to make good or bad. It's just coleslaw. Their coleslaw has a little bit of pineapple in it. You can't taste it, but it does make their slaw a cut above. The potato salad is not the sweet deli stuff you usually find in NY. It has egg and mustard and is rich, with a little zip. The Drunkin' Apples sound better than they are. They're cooked with cinnamon and amaretto and are good, but disappointing next to the other sides. The fries are good, the garlic mashed potatoes are better and the mashed sweet potatoes are very good, with a little brown sugar and cinnamon. Famous Dave's is great. It's a little more expensive than I usually spend ($45 for two with tax and tip), but it's a nice treat. And it's not the best barbecue in the country, but it's the best you'll find in this neck of the woods.
(4)Larry Y.
If you want BBQ, their pit and kitsch is the best you're gonna get in this part of Jersey. BBQ style-wise, they're all over the map. Their grilled meats are indeed tasty, especially with one of their six sauces. Lunch is very cost effective.
(3)Rudy B.
Being the baby back rib lover that I am, I love Famous Daves. Perfect every time. Fingerlickin good I say :) The chicken wild rice soup is great too. Besides the food, the outdoorsy ambiance of the place makes me feel all tingly inside. If your an outdoorsman, you will surely appreciate what they have done with the place. Amazing memorabilia and trophy mounts. Very rustic, especially for a chain. This is one place every rib lover should visit.
(5)Brad N.
I went to FD in mountainside knowing exactly what I was going to get. It was my favorite chain and I have been going to various locations for years. We arrived around 6:30 and walked in. The place was empty. We waited at the host stand for 5 minutes for someone to come up and seat us. The kid came up grabbed menus and said follow me, dropped the menus on the table and walked away disappearing into the back room. The server came to our table after what seemed like forever and took our order. Ok, so far so good. It took ten minutes for our drinks to arrive and 30 for our wings. We had barely taken our forks out (boneless wings) when the server came out and said our food was ready. She said she would just keep it warm for us until we were ready. Not five minutes later she brought everything out and mind you at this point we weren't done with our wings. The food as great as always and I can and will not complain about it. But this is where things got really bad. I spent along time working as a waiter and a bartender and I know exactly how a waiter or waitress acts when they have been cut and are ready to go home. That's what our waitress was doing. Every couple of minutes she would walk by and every other time or so she would ask how we were doing. At some point I asked for another drink that again took 10 minutes to get. When it arrived at the table there was food in it. I brought it to the attention of our waitress and she said something along the lines of oh the bartender must not have cleaned the glasses well. She dropped off the check and left. After the third time again walking by she asked if there was anything else and I asked for a replacement drink. Only then did a manager come by and offer me our drinks on the house. We paid and ran out the door. I remember not too long ago when that franchise had the best service out there. So sad to see it slipping. If it keeps having nights like when I was there I can't imagine they are going to be able to keep the doors open for long.
(2)Steve G.
The way I roll is that a restaurant has to top what I can do before it sees a 3-star review from me. That said, I pride myself on my BBQ. Famous Dave's is good, portions are large on their platters and the price value is a strong positive. It is immediately apparent that this is the type of chain which likes to put their own spin on even the most ordinary items. Six different flavors of BBQ sauce is just silly, particularly when one is labeled as "Texas style." That said, the Georgia Chopped Pork was actually tasty and well cooked, but not as advertised. If a pork shoulder were actually smoked for the amount of time they claim, there would be a thick ring of pink tinged meat below the crusty outer bark. The smokiness of great pulled pork just wasn't there, nor was the juiciness of the real deal. Most likely, this pork was roasted at high heat, probably in a smoker and over hardwood. Actual smoking is a slow, gradual process over moderate heat. The BBQ chicken and St. Louis ribs taste very good. To its credit, Famous Dave's comes much closer to actual BBQ than many of the flavor-of-the-month Manhattan pits do, at a fraction of the price. The service was good, and the sides were a mixed bag. A freshly made sweet slaw wasn't bad, and the mashed red potatoes were very good. The cornbread cupcake was more of a prop than a dinner addition. BTW, Georgia-style cornbread has plenty of sugar; nothing inauthentic about that. The cornmeal-to-wheat flour ratio was far too low, thus no cornbread flavor. While Famous Dave's won't be mistaken for great barbeque by anyone who has traveled the South, it is a good meal at a reasonable price. A 2-star review from me.
(2)Lou P.
If you like Bar-B-Que and haven't tried Famous Dave's, what are you waiting for? This is probably the best BBQ joint around. Okay, so I used to work there and may be SLIGHTLY biased, but the food there is still unbelievably great. Personal favorites include the Crispy Chicken Salad, the Cajun Chicken Sandwich, Crawfish Appetizer, and of course the BBQ Spare Ribs. Wash it all down with a nice, cold beer or one of their specialty drinks (which actually can get a little pricy for a low-key restaurant). All the BBQ sauces are on the table for you to try, and include: Georgia Mustard, Rich-n-Sassy (the same stuff that's on the spare ribs), Sweet-n-Zesty, Texas Pit, and Devil's Spit (the hottest one of the bunch, but not over the top). The paper towels and their holders add a nice rustic touch. If there's ever a question, the management staff is excellent. Ask for Jason, the GM. He is, by far, one of the funniest people you could ever meet.
(5)Can I Speak T.
Had a good lunch here! Great service and great food. Drinks should be a little stronger, felt a little watered down but maybe my day was just that rough. The waiter was very polite, knew all of the specials and basically finished my sentence when I couldn't get the name of appetizer that I wanted so he was very knowledgable about what was on the menu. Overall good experience!
(4)Jenal J.
The atmosphere is dull/ the BBQ is mediocre and the drinks are fruity...my food came out cold but flavorful. The portions were not southern size but sufficient.
(2)Brian C.
The service was very good courteous and efficient and we had a new server in training. Nonetheless the server training the new server was very good as well. The food was tasty but could have come out a bit hotter. The portions were on the small side for the price they were charging so I only give three stars. Overall a good experience and I would eat here again.
(3)Debbie W.
Pretty good for a chain, and about the best you'll do for BBQ in these parts. Its decor is charming for a corporate created place. More importantly, the food is good. If you're used to 'real bbq' you wont be overwhelmed, but for those of us who have gone years w/o real bbq, its a pretty good substitute.
(3)Rich P.
Best ribs anywhere, hands down!
(5)Sean H.
Lip smacking bbq goodness and BEER. What more do you need? Oh yes...great service and family friendly to boot. We always enjoy dining here.
(4)E. C.
I've gone there on three different occasions with my parents for ribs sometime in 2008 and in March and April 2009. Their dining area consists of wooden booths and tables with memorabilia on their walls and country music playing in the background. They're kept fairly clean with a roll of paper towel at each table. Their ladies room is fairly clean as well. We've ordered regular ribs with barbeque sauce and baby back ribs with dry rub. Ribs are juicy and tender and their barbeque sauce isn't too sweet. Though we loved their dry rub at our first visit, we found it to be too salty on our last visit. Their manager explained that their district manager ordered them to add more seasoning a few months back even though they didn't receive many complaints about it. I believe that district manager made a wrong judgment. Other than that, their corn-on-the-cob was sweet and my mother loves their corn bread. I'm very picky with coleslaw and I think theirs is very tasty.
(4)Joseph K.
Excellent food!
(5)Michael L.
Really like the place. Not the greatest BBQ of all times, buts always good considering this is a chain operation. Service varies, but is generally OK. When we go as a family we get the "Garbage Can Special" (our name for the family combo which is served on a garbage cad lid) which has a little of everything (ribs, chicken, pulled pork or brisket, slaw, corn and corn muffins and fries).
(4)Miriam R.
Came here with a group for a birthday celebration mid week. The food was tasty and the feast provided plenty of food. Though for a group of 5, 3 cornbread was stupid. Brought in a birthday coupon, the waiter had no clue what to do with it. Manager came and said ok curtly and left. Neither manager or server EVER wished my son Happy Birthday. The waiter had to return 3 times to complete our order. Ordered an 2nd tea which was never served. The atmosphere was too quiet and almost stale. After the appetizer, server did not clear those plates. For the price, lack of good service and ok food, I would not recommend.
(2)Lou P.
If you like Bar-B-Que and haven't tried Famous Dave's, what are you waiting for? This is probably the best BBQ joint around. Okay, so I used to work there and may be SLIGHTLY biased, but the food there is still unbelievably great. Personal favorites include the Crispy Chicken Salad, the Cajun Chicken Sandwich, Crawfish Appetizer, and of course the BBQ Spare Ribs. Wash it all down with a nice, cold beer or one of their specialty drinks (which actually can get a little pricy for a low-key restaurant). All the BBQ sauces are on the table for you to try, and include: Georgia Mustard, Rich-n-Sassy (the same stuff that's on the spare ribs), Sweet-n-Zesty, Texas Pit, and Devil's Spit (the hottest one of the bunch, but not over the top). The paper towels and their holders add a nice rustic touch. If there's ever a question, the management staff is excellent. Ask for Jason, the GM. He is, by far, one of the funniest people you could ever meet.
(5)Lisa S.
Pretty good ribs! And everything that comes with the ribs is yummy also. The corn on the cob was good, the corn muffin was delicious, and the sides were also pretty tasty. I really liked the garlic mashed potatoes. The brownie dessert was only okay - the brownie was a little bit dry and there wasn't enough chocolate sauce on top.
(4)YJ H.
One of the best BBQ places I have visited, and it's in freaking NJ... go figure. I used to drive by here all the time, but didn't stop by for about a year. During that time, I did notice their parking lot getting full during weekends and on dinner times, so on a whim I decided to stop by with my wife. Boy... were we glad we stopped by! This place has every thing you look for in a good bbq joints, including 4-5 different bbq sauces and paper towels on steel pipes attached to each table! We usually end up getting the All American Feast, which has a full slab of baby back ribs, smoked chicken, beef brisket, corn on the cobb, fries, beans and cole slaw....what more do you want! By the time we are done with all the meat there's only a pile of carcass left behind. Ever since our discovery, we have been here numerous times and brought all our friends along, and they all love this place as well. We still kick ourselves silly for not coming here sooner.... Most importantly, it's pretty cheap! Great food, great price, and excellent service. Highly Recommended.... Bon Appetit!
(4)Lovet O.
I am a fan of Famous Dave's BBQ. They are consistent and the ribs are finger-licking good. They over eat in and carry out service. They're side orders, IMO, are not the best but the ribs more than make up for them. I haven't had their fish and trip but am planning on to. I also enjoy their burgers. They taste great and are juicy. Definitely recommend Famous Daves. Will be going back soon.
(4)Suzanne M.
In two words Not Good. Way overpriced. The ribs were good but everything else was really not. The place wasn't clean at all the condiments were sticky and dirty. The menus were sticky. The bathroom was dirty. I eat in chain restaurants quite a bit this by far was the worst I've been to. Frozen corn on the cob why bother including that with the meal if it's clearly frozen. Decent ribs are not enough to get me to ever come back. Look up Texas Roadhouse. There's no comparison.
(1)jane d.
This place is much better than the one in NYC. The service took longer but the food was good and cooked well. We went yesterday and just found out they took the catfish off the menu. Bring it back!
(4)Kayla Z.
I think the only thing I miss about NJ is Famous Daves. I long for a pulled pork salad.
(5)Ginny C.
One of the best Bar-b-que spots in NJ! You can't beat their ribs, pulled pork, or brisket!
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