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One of my ALL TIME FAVORITE BARBECUE PIG OUT SPOTS in the East Coast! Family friendly, price is just right---ALL THE FREAKIN' RIBS YOU CAN INHALE!
Not too crazy about their pulled bbq pork sandwich but the RIBS---OH MY GOD---THE RIBS!! I still think that St. Louis is the rib Mecca---but if you're in the East Coast---what's not to LOVE?
From the seductive scent that invites you to come in from the parking lot to the NEON PIG sign right outside---this place is a winner
This place is not really a "BBQ" place - you will not find a juicy pulled bbq pork sandwich here, however....
All. the. Ribs. You can Inhale.
I got the baby back combo with the fried shrimp. The shrimp was impeccably done - perfectly breaded and fried. Almost tasted like soft shell crab. Very fresh.
They have 3 variations of ribs - Spare, Baby Back, and St. Louis. The Spare are big but not as tender. For St. Louis ribs, go to St. Louis. The Baby Backs are your best option out of the 3.
The staff has fantastic timing as well. As soon as I was done devouring the last piece, my plate was instantly pulled away from me, and before my primal instincts tell me to roar and groan at the fool that touches my food, I get a full plate of more ribs.
Max hungry. Max eat pig meat. Max happy. Max no need hunt. Max go draw on cave wall now.
This is my first review on Yelp. Hope it's good!
Food (8/10)
The menu is a meat-lover's paradise, filled with any sort of combination you can think of. The main draw is the all you can eat ribs, which are thick and tasty. The sauce that Big Ed's serves is my favorite part about this place - sweet and tangy, setting their ribs apart from everyone else.
The meal is served with a side (beans, corn, cole slaw, etc), salad, and garlic bread. I know this sounds strange, but their salad is worth mentioning. Always big, chilled, and topped with one of my favorite balsamic vinaigrette. The garlic bread tends to be too oily for my taste.
In short - excellent ribs and sauce that come with a complete meal.
Staff/Atmosphe (3/5)
Staff is extremely friendly. The servers are on top of things and are not stingy with the all you can eat.
Fun, pig-out atmosphere. Plenty of TVs to watch the game on. Dim lighting and stiff wooden booths on the inside. Human-like animal cut outs on the outside. There is lots of memorabilia on the walls, but not in a TGI Fridays/Applebees kind of way. All their decorations aren't random as so much carefully chosen to reflect Ed's personality. Whether Ed is a real or imaginary person, I don't know.
Price/Value (4/5)
If you go their for lunch, you'll get the same all you can eat meal for a few dollars cheaper making this restaurant an amazing deal. Dinner is about $18 w/o tax and tip. If you start adding combinations of meats, it obviously is more. You should also check their web page for coupons.
All things considered, this is a very good value.
Other Factors (5/5)
Unique experience, delicious food, all you can eat option, and that awesome sauce which they sell by the bottle.
Definatly will come back
(20/25)
We all know how I feel about traveling to NJ to go out to eat... OK when I am actually in NJ and go out to eat that's fine but for me to leave NY to come to Old Bridge you know it's down right something special...
I been to this rib mecca a gazillion times, so let's discuss the last...
Pulling into the parking lot is the exciting part... all these cut out billboards of Pigs Cows People... I am sure i can dig up a few pics from me posing in the parking lot many o'tipsy times...
Usually dress pretty preppy? Khakis? Polo's? Well don't... wear what you would to a rodeo show or something... nothing special, loose clothing is key when ANYTHING on the menu says ALL YOU CAN EAT.
You walk into this place and immediately think - You gotta be SH*TT*N me? Yup, you begin talking like them... It looks gross, but keep walking straight and opening doors and you will find the MAIN area... Also by this main area is the fully stocked bar and the bathrooms which are not the cleanest... or remotely close
Now onto why the generous 5 stars
1. Staff is friendly as can be... Weird NJ skipped this town the people are perfectly normal here...
2.The bread that comes out as soon as you sit down is good enough to eat the basket and lick the paper it came on... feel free to keep em coming too - they don't mind at all, and they are used to it...
3. I am not even going to begin to list all the types of ribs, pork, beef, etc...
4. Go for one of Big Ed's Specials - they are to die for, 3 diff combos of the kind of meat you order and some sides - 20 bucks.. unlimited food!!
5. The quality and taste of the meat exceeds phenomenal...
6. They don't care if you get 100 refills of ribs, guess what i have been there with some LARGEEEE steroidy hungry men lol...
7. Birch beer is offered, and i don't order it, but my friends always get excited any place has it which makes me like it =)
8 And finally TVs everywhere for game watching!
Till me meet again... i want my baby back baby back baby back ribs... MmmmMmmmMmm
We went here because of the great reviews. I wasn't exactly thrilled though. The ribs were alright. But, personally, I would prefer really great food over TONS of it. Our server was nice, but I won't return. If there was an option for 2 1/2 stars thats what I would give it. This place is nothing special.
Despite all the Swine flu going around, eating at this place was definitely worth the risk. The smell from the parking lot is enough to get your stomach prepared for an All-You-Can-Eat experience...so toss that medical mask and inhale some pork!
Skip the butter soaked bread, empty calorie salad and veggie side dish and go straight towards the RIBS! Oh the ribs are good, not completely falling of the bone, but enough that a simple tug from your mouth will pull that goodness straight to your eager stomach. After about 3 orders of ribs, I was done....I felt like I needed a soda to wash away all that fat stuck to the walls of my stomach. The beers were a great compliment as they came out as a double pint instead of 1 pint. Afterwards our table looked like a crime scene with BBQ tipped fingers, distended bellys and wet naps peppered throughout the table. Service was fast and friendly.
FYI, the CPR kit is behind the counter. :D
One of my guilty pleasures!
Great all-you can eat ribs! The pulled pork is good, as is the beer selection. The salad is nothing much. The garlic bread is ok- really melted butter, and garlic salt on undistinguished dinner rolls. Most Italian restaurants put it to shame. But, then again, that's not really why you're here, and I wouldn't dwell on those items, just as the corn on the cob is nothing special and neither are the french fries. Hot apple fritters are fine. It's really all about the pork, though. Chow down, savor it, ask for more until you are satiated.
Service is friendly. They won't give you dirty looks if you are a glutton. They've seen worse.
Nothing fancy about Big Ed's. And there doesn't need to be. They are there to serve you all you can eat ribs. Forget everything else except for the ribs and the warm garlic bread. That's it! That's all you need. The ribs are, as JJ would say, DY-NO-MITE!! Stuff your face till you cant eat anymore.
It's worth the trip to Big Ed's
Big Ed's BBQ is one of the few reasons why I venture into the depths of the Garden State.
Why is Big Ed's BBQ on my Jersey Must-Go? All-U-Can Eat ribs!
A red building on the side of Route 34 that has a neon sign that simply reads "RIBS" - you cannot miss this place one bit. Inside the lighting brings out a dim, but homely feel to it - and the smell of charred meat hangs in the air.
You get your seat, look at the menu, and choose the ribs. Please, if you come here for anything besides ribs - you may be a fool. Spare Ribs of course are tough while the meat just falls off the Baby Back. All the ribs are heavily sauced. They do have a St. Louie style, but it isn't on the All-U-Can Eat portion. I usually get the Baby Back Ribs w/ some other BBQ piece of meat for roughly $20. The price is fine considering you get a salad and a side with that meal and a bowl of the best garlic bread on the planet. Do not get tricked, the garlic bread is so good that you will not eat as much ribs as you should.
As your party or yourself eat your ribs, the server will ask you if you want more ribs. If you say yes, then you will get another plate with a few half racks on there. Sometimes I can knock back 3 or 5 of them, sometimes the server only needs to make one trip back to my table. It all depends on garlic bread intake.
Big Ed's BBQ is fine NJ eats if you don't want to go to the plethora of chain restaurants in New Jersey as there are many in the area. Please eat much days before because your stomach shrinks if you are starving! You won't be able to pack all that garlic bread and ribs!
If you like Birch Beer, please try Big Ed's Birch Beer, it goes so good with ribs!
Unrelated, but makes things cool for me, is that Big Ed's is a huge Mets fan.
Best Ribs north of the Mason Dixon Line!
FOTB Good! (That's fall-off-the-bone good)
Worth the drive from NYC, even with high gas prices & tolls.
This place was a fun venture into new jersey. The decor is fun, the place is fun. All you can eat ribs for $20. I ordered the baby back and chicken breast with a side of fries. It also included a salad before the entree.
For $20, i'm not sure if it was worth it. I was stuffed from 1 rack of ribs + 1/4 of my chicken. I didn't take advantage of the all-you-can-eat part. Others i was with scarfed down 3-5+ racks each. If you're going to be able to eat more than one rack, by all means. Every 5 minutes when the waiter asks "does anyone need more ribs?" say YES...get your money's worth, go starving!
They don't let you take doggie bags. And if you want to take a rack home, it cost $10.
Minus the fact that i couldn't over stuff myself, the food was good. The meat was falling off the bone. I thought it had just the right amount of sauce, you could still taste the meat. Good place.
This is an addendum to my previous glowing review: the fries are awesome! (But it's a catch 22 because the more fries you eat, the less room there is for ribs...!)
Big Ed's BBQ is a dimly lit, no-frills kind of place that draws in patrons with its all-you-can-eat,… Read more »
Big Ed's draw is all you can eat ribs. If you truly want to eat pass on the sub par salad and delicious garlic bread designed to make you eat less and eat! As for the ribs they are just ok. This isn't real bbq. For real bbq you have to go down south. They taste like oven baked ribs to me but they're passable.
The best ribs in NJ. I love the ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT ribs in the menu. Apart from the ribs, the steak, chicken, shrimp and burgers are all good.
Unlike most of my other reviews, I go to Big Ed's for one reason and one reason only, RIBTOBERFEST! To know this fest is to love it. I venture to Old Bridge, throw down a 20 spot and eat until I am so full that breathing is problematic. To me, it's a classic recipe for a good night.
The rib, succulent. The sauce - sweet, spicy, tangy, and everywhere. The food - plentiful! I do suggest the baby back over the spare ribs but that's my personal preference.
The pre-meal garlic bread is amazing but don't get too bogged down w/that after all you're there for RIBtoberfest. Just a note, the Fest lasts October 1- November 30 and it's actually only $2 cheaper for the all you can eat at that time - though the commemorative t-shirts make it all worth the fun.
Great ribs for NJ, just come hungry for the all you can eat! I prefer the baby backs over the spare ribs. The garlic bread they give you is buttery and delicious. Staff were friendly and attentive. Ambience is very fun. I've driven here from Hudson County many times and its definitely worth the trip.
RIBTOBERFEST All you can eat, get them by the rack or pulled
