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Mon-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
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Unassuming. Unusual(ly quiet). Underdeveloped.
Here at Big Nate's, a Memphis pulled pork sandwich equals:
a truckload of pulled pork slathered in bbq sauce and two supple, soft buns on a paper plate. Fork and knife required.
The meat is so smoky, real men will find themselves needing a glass of bourbon to wash it down. And while some pansies may have beef with the fat (pork pun, heh) I found that it added depth and did not overwhelm the sandwich.
Sandwich length: 3 lunches
There is nothing refined about this place. The interior is ramshackle, almost to the point of uninviting, the guy who works there clearly has had enough smoke, and even the bbq sauce tastes like KC with an added kick. However, if you're looking for a place where:
1. one sandwich will last you 3 lunches (if you're a small girl)
2. you can sit and read all about nate thurmond and other sports heroes
3. eat in solitude with only the humming of the smoker
Nate's is for you!
$$9-12 for bbq sandwiches or bbq plates (chicken, pork, brisket)
My quest for the best Bay Area BBQ continues....
I got the spare ribs with a side of "mean greens" and beans.
The ribs were terrible. SO tough. no more than 15% were actually tender and juicy enough to eat without a five minute chew. Seriously. It was so bad that my jaw started to hurt from chewing. it was like chewing on lemongrass or galangal root, only tougher.
And the prices were ridiculous, especially for what you get. 6 spare ribs for $16?? ARE YOU KIDDING? In case you don't know what that means, Spare ribs are the cheapest rib on the market. They wholesale for under $2.lb. This is totally unacceptable, especially when one considers the quality served. The "mean greens" were watery and bland. The beans were slightly better but not very good. I had to add their bbq sauce to them to make them palatable. At least they seemed to be made from dried beans rather than canned, though they're probably better off finding a can that at least tastes better than what they're serving.
The sauce was the only good thing about the place. And the staff was f riendly, though not knowledgeable at all. I should have known better when they couldn't tell me the difference between a St. Louis and a Spare rib (in case you don't know, it is the way it is cut) and saw their prices. Still, save your hard earned money for somewhere that respects it. And by that I mean a place that serves you what you pay for. This meal shouldn't have cost more than $8.
Either increase the quality, or lower the prices. Regardless, I won't be back.
I'll be reviewing all bbq restaurants I can find in the bay area. See my reviews for more details.
Congratulations Nate's...
You forced me to break my review boycott to let the whole world know you suck now. Not just suck, but, suck the big one.
Sundays are my special order Nate's when I don't know what I want except it has to have meat and be delivered. Your order taker tried to be honest and said it would be 45 minutes to an hour and fifteen minutes for delivery. OK, not a problem. I'm off and just want to stuff my face.
Three calls and two and a half hours later I finally got my dinner. Well, dinner isn't really accurate. I got overcooked ribs, cardboard based pig on a stick in tomatoey molasses juice with nary an explanation as to what the hell happened. Yes it was Fleet Week going on, but from your shop to my place was devoid of any and all traffic.
Horrible! I've had stellar meals from you. I've had mediocre meals from you. Never have any of your deliveries sucked until now. So bad, I'm breaking my boycott of reviews just to let you know...
Your delivery sucked! Your meat sucked... tasted like drywall and was inadequate in all respects. This is from a loyal fan. (Ok, the sauce was still ok, the slaw and potato salad was ok, but...)
... YOU SUCKED THE BIG ONE!!!!
Please don't let this happen again. I'm pissed!
Their bbq sandwiches are soooo good.
Yumm
as well as the bottles of bbq sauce that we bought.
My husband & I have gone in to the lil place to eat, which didnt take too long to get our food.
We've also ordered for delivery... which does take a while.. like 45min-1hr.. BUT it was soo worth it!
Ok, I'll preface this review by saying we had been moving into our house all weekend long. I had gone all day without eating anything but a bowl of cereal so by the time my in laws arrived with Nate's, I'm pretty sure a cardboard box would have been tasty to me but I rthought it was pretty good. It's not my favorite (Phil's BBQ in San Diego is by far the best in CA) but I'd go there again.
We got two slabs of pork ribs, some BBQ'd chicken, cole slaw and potato salad. I don't know, maybe we got a good batch but there was plenty of meat on the bone. It was a little tougher than I like though. I really liked the slaw because it was light. It's normally drenched, which I hate, but this was nice and light.
I can't think of anything else witty to say...It's worthy of 3 stars.
Why, oh why did I get myself talked into eating here?
Don't get me wrong, I like good, sloppy, juicy barbecue. But that's not what you get at Nate's.
What you do get are the ribs that have very little meat on them. Whatever meat is present is very tough and tasteless. On the other hand, there is lots, and lots of fat on the ribs. Bbq sauce covered fat, yam, yam. No, thanks!
And the sauce, the sauce! Where did they get this rotting mixture? You can get better quality on sale at Safeway.
Oh, and another thing, stay away from the chicken. It is so dry that I wonder if it really is chicken... For that matter, stay away from the beef... Hmmm, perhaps just stay away from Nate's?
Another staple when I worked in the city - pulled pork sandwich, hot links, 3- way combo! I've met the great NBA star Big Nate Thurman - nice man
Good old fashion BBQ place. Very reasonable prices with good quality of the food .I like it.
I always pass by this place whenever I go to Rainbows. I can sometimes see smoke coming out of its chimney? Or vent thing when I pass by on the freeway. This place smells better then the food tastes.
+: The ribs are big! The chicken was pretty good, it was very moist. I love the beans.
-: The ribs lacked a huge amount of flavor and there wasn't much meat on the bones. The mac salad seem like it contained way to much mayo.
Man I really really really really wanna love this place. Just not enough good bbq places. You get close and you can smell that smokey bbq smell and it just entices you. You walk in and it just kinda feels like a bbq joint. So for my bbq I love that taste of the smoke you get from slow bbqing over wood. That smoke flavor.
So I order the ribs and brisket plate with a side of cole slaw and potato salad. I liked both salads and you get the soft sliced bread. When you eat bbq you can't have no fancy bread just cheap soft soggy sliced bread.
I start with the brisket. I bit into it and its super tender but all I taste is the overwhelmingly sweet flavor of the bbq sauce. I don't taste any smoke, I don't taste the meat. The sauce is too overwhleming and the meat is just an afterthought.
Next I bite into the ribs. Thank goodness the pork ribs have a little more character. I can taste the smoke finally. Gotta scrap off some of the bbq sauce to really taste it but I can taste it. I would say if you go get the ribs and ask for the bbq sauce on the side.
Like I said I guess there was a reason why it was about 7 years since I've been to this place again. Sucks I really wanted to love this place since I love me some bbq.
This is the real deal for barbecue. I have not had better barbecue anywhere. This is among the best I have ever had, after years of searching. If I lived in the city I'd go more often.
Really good food and always good service. Can be a bit busy specially on game days, but I personally never a bad experience here.
Try their memphis pork, or the combination plate of a little bit of everything, a game on the tube, and you have a match made in heaven. That's what Sundays are all about!
Big NASTY Nates.
Let me start off by saying this place is Horrible. Its not even close to being decent BBQ. 3 stars? Nice try guy. Truthfully, I wouldnt even feed this stuff to my dog.
Overcooked, cold, dried, and real real rough chewy meat. Im talking about all the meats, not just the nasty chicken. From the ribs, links, chopped up brisket and pork that was not properly pulled. They must of cooked it a few days ago. My jaw was aching from all the chewing and chomping, No lie. There were chunks of meat stuck between my teeth. You'll definitely "stay flossin" like Mr. Mike Jones in this joint.
Their style of BBQ is keep the meat overcooked, cold and chewy. Then when the customers come in to order, they throw the boiling nasty bbq sauce on thinking it will warm the meat up.
The seats and tables were donated in 1994 I believe, from a local elementary school. Theres a whole bunch of 1960-1980 photos all over the walls. These photos are there for distraction, while they chop up and serve the nasty cold meat they call bbq.
Basically, please dont waste your time coming here.
Stay on the freeway and head to Gorilla BBQ in Pacifica CA. This is the place I recommend for REAL BBQ. They like to showcase their meats, not drown it in doo-doo sauce.
I decided to try Big Nate's after being on my radar for some time. Since I'm originally from the south, have lived in Birmingham and know that there's two types of teas (sweet and unsweet), I just had to put Big Nate's to the test. In summary, I've had much, much better before.
My order consisted of the special: Memphis Pork sandwich, coleslaw or potato salad and a beverage for $8.95. I added a small collard greens so I could (a) try it and (b) get something nutritious.
On the plus side, the decor has lots of photos from the 1970's when Big Nate Thurmond played with the Warriors. The potato salad was pretty tasty and the barbecue sauce was nicely assembled. Tangy with just a hint of sweetness. And I'll have to give credit for 2/3 of the Memphis pork. The other 3rd was all fat!
On the negative side, could you have a dingier location and interior? Outdated and besides the photos, it's lacking some serious charm. The collard greens were just so-so... not bad, but I wouldn't order them again. As indicated earlier, the Memphis Pork was very, very fatty. I don't think there was a chunk that didn't have a LOT of fat on it.
I'll give them 2 stars since the sauce is good and the non-fat portion of the pork was good. Not sure I would return though.
i know BBQ is hard to review be fair you have to really understand the differences between the difference type of BBQ. These types depend the regions in the US.
With regards to Nate's they are a dry rub BBQ, which some people enjoy as they can use sauce to taste. It is a dry flavor which is consistent and allows for good sandwiches as it is not too greesy.
As for me, i found the meat dry, stringy and not the kind of juicy which makes my mouth water. The meat felt dried out, but the spice rub did not get into the meat properly so only the first bite was flavorful and the rest was a bit wanting.
Don't get me wrong, it is not bad, it is just a style of BBQ which i am not looking for. For the money, it is a good choice as they have lunch specials and bucket full of pork ribs for under $10. that is a hard price to beat.
Too legit to Quit....
Decent Bar-B-Q. Service is good. Now and then you'll see Nate and his gigantic smile! They have seating and PARKING!. Typical, brisket, ribs, chicken, links with a sides and white bread for dipping the awesome sauce. My last visit they had a 100 Green Card score.
I have only eaten take out from here once, and I had the 1/2 slab of ribs and the memphis pork and it was super yummy. I liked the cole slaw a lot but my cornbread was like eating cold cardboard.
Ill try to eat there next time, and see if eating there is better than ordering take out.
I've been coming to Nate's for a long time now. Since the days I used to work around the corner at Cycle Gear on 11th and Harrison. They are solid, food is always good and consistent. Service was fast as usual. Granted I haven't been to places that are infamous for BBQ, or a BBQ cookoff or something, but I think I know good food when I eat it.
Walked up in there (they didn't have links that day BOOOO) and ordered a 1/2 order of ribs...$8.75. And these aren't the kind of ribs you get at Applebee's. These are some serious, do-some-damage ones. Asked if I wanted Mild, Med or Spicy bbq sauce and promptly ordered the Medium because I learned my lesson at Osha thai when I ordered EVERYTHING spicy, I couldn't even taste the food after the appetizer. And since this was my cheat meal, I wanted to be able to taste everything I ate. Got the tato salad as a side, some cornbread and was on my way. Man, I wanted to rip that bag apart before I got home. It was smellin' so darn good in the car - that ain't right!
Got home, just about ripped the bag to shreds, sat down, put the NBA finals on just in time to see the 4th with 5 minutes to go...
I don't think I even knew what was happening in the game. the ribs were so good...so tender and so marinated. The medium was spicy enough so that I could still enjoy my food until the very end. They give you two pieces of bread to go along with your meal as well as the side dish. Man, I blew through them ribs like the dickens.
The sauce was incredible - and there was a lot of it...I haven't had Nate's in a long while and had forgotten how good they were. My memory didn't do it justice. Who gives a load of crap about the service, as long as they don't spit in my food - I'm all good. I go to Nate's for the bbq, not the service.
Oh yeah, they got a private lot too...which in that area, is golden. 5 bbq stars from me.
Hey its BBQ, down home simple BBQ.
Its real , not fancy, its a reminder that many working class people have a taste of food that is not fancy.
I love the brisquet. My friends like the ribbs. The food is all cooked well, and thats the tradition for many with BBQ.
The sauce rocks period. The white bread and simple serving of corn bread is a nod to old times when food was simple, and money was scarce. Some things should not be tampered with. You get authentic food and Big Nates meets that for me .
The eating areas is no frills. But as they say when you eat it should be all about the company you keep.
Love me some Nates.
My friend ordered the beef ribs and I order the all beef brisket.
Damn yummy this…
Read more »
Haven't eaten there, won't eat there, doubt I ever will.
Why? Their delivery driver cut me off yesterday (I ride a motorcycle) and at the next light when I was next to him he mouthed "fuck you" at me. If you're going to hire idiots to pilot your delivery vehicles, don't put your name & phone number on the car.
Are the waitresses just as classy?
Every barbecue's gotta have an owner, be it Johnson, Lilly, Uncle Frank...in this case it's Big Nate, who, it turns out, is not only real, but an NBA hall-of-famer from the Wilt Chamberlain era--you know, when the Warriors were the San Francisco Warriors? Those were the days. (Ok, to be honest, I'm just talking out of Wikipedia here).
Big Nate's doesn't come very highly recommended on Yelp, but BBQ options are few in this town, and it happens to be located on my commute home. So I can just stop in, fill up my Chrome bag with 'cue for a cool 50 bucks (be sure to wrap it in an extra plastic bag if you do this!), and I'm on my way. But is it good? Therein lies the (dry) rub. It's pretty average on the tasty scale--satisfactory but not stellar. Sauce portions are nice and generous, and the memphis pork is a must. But the side portions are puny, and generally lackluster (avoid the corn muffins especially).
As the rules of BBQ dictate that "there can be only one", that one is still Johnson's, out-of-the-way location notwithstanding.
I've been wanting to try this place for a while, seeing as how I ride by it nearly every day, and work within blocks. Finally the stars aligned today (BBQ craving after staring through the window at Baby Blues last night + a reason to be going down Folsom St at dinner time) so I decided to drop in for a quick bite.
I tried a combo plate w/ brisket, pork ribs, coleslaw, potato salad and an extra cornbread for good measure, along with their 'hot' sauce.
The platter came out literally swimming in the sweet, not too spicy sauce. The best thing was definitely the brisket. as some other folks noted it was cut into cubes which I thought was a bit strange, but it was incredibly tender and fatty (in a good sort of way). The pork ribs were good but not spectacular. The sides pretty much sucked: bland potato salad, coleslaw that needed more vinegar and stale cornbread.
I don't think these guys are coming close to Memphis Minnies, where the meat's better, the sauces are varied and delicious, and the sides rock.
Holy cow - or should I say, pig - these ribs are amazing!
Big Nates is a pretty depressing little establishment that is probably best to get take-out from. It's so quiet! No music. No talking. Only the sound of meat being chopped!!! But by gum the RIBSSSSSS are succulent. Also the bbq sauce is delicious. The potato salad that comes with is is average, the bread is, well, Wonderbread (nuff said) but the ribs are undeniably meaty and yum. I tucked right in like some sort of bbq sauce covered caveman and only stopped once I had chewed every last bit of meat from those bones. Yes, I am an animal when it comes to ribs.
You can get a half order or full order. I chose the half. I have no idea how anyone could eat the full order as the half order was so much food.
The menu is pretty short. You can get ribs, brisket or chicken. Coleslaw, potato salad, corn muffins, sweet potato pie. To be honest I can't see past the ribs.
You can also buy huge tubs of the bbq sauce.
RIBS. Mmm.
I have been wanting to go to Big Nate's for a while now. I am a very big Warriors fan and Nate Thurmond seems like a very good guy. I walk into the place and I saw someone taking orders that looks exactly like Nate Thurmond. Turns out it was his son. He seemed like a down to earth nice guy. Unfortunately, I did not like the food much there. The BBQ Pork Ribs are awesome. They had a great taste to it. Unfortunately, that's the only thing I liked at this place. The Brisket I thought was awful and the Corn Muffin Side dish was very dry. The Potatoe salad and cole slaw were not great either and the chicken was dry. They were out of links when I went too. I feel bad because I really like Nate and I love the posters he had of himself in his restaurant.
I am starting to think that there are no good BBQ joints in SF Unfortunately :(
After reading some good reviews about Nate's i had to check it out for myself. I really regret coming here to Nate's. Everything about this place was no good. Let me start out with the BBQ. If im paying almost 20 dollars a plate of food i expect it to be at least warm, but no it was cold. Cold like it was old BBQ they kept from the day before and didn't even bother to warm up for me. The place opens at 11am and i got here at 11:15 and the food was cold. WTF is up with that. I seen the slow meat cutter guy opening up the pits and pulling meat out and cutting it. But how could smoke be coming out and the meat was cold? I don't know whats going on.
I tried a little of everything, here is a break down of the food.
Ribs are so tough it made my jaw tired from chewing it. It did have some smoke flavor but that was about it, no other flavor.
Links were OK but having them cold made them taste kind of nasty. They looked homemade but even the sauce couldn't save them.
Brisket was the worst i have ever tasted. It was kind of on the raw side, it was very cold so it was very chewy. Nothing was tender it tasted like rubber.
The Memphis pork was all bad, it was hard like dried pork chops. Nothing more to really say, there was no real taste to them.
Chicken was hard as a rock, no flavor what so ever. Usually BBQ chicken would have at least some flavor on the skin but this chicken was just terrible.
The sauce was pretty good, nothing like E&J in Oakland but it was good. The only two things that were good that i liked about this place was the coleslaw and potato salad. And that's pretty sad if your sides is the only thing that taste good when your supposed to be known for your BBQ.
The service here was OK, but the staff is very unwelcoming. Especially the slow guy that chops the meats. He looks like he just woke up and hates the world. The feel you get when you eat inside is depressing. Hopefully the owner of this nasty place wakes up and see how the people here are running it. If not all your going to get is one time visit customers like myself.
Overall this place is a sad sorry excuse for a BBQ joint. I'm not sure how this place stays alive or i just went on a off day, but everything was just all bad. I paid $52 bucks for three two-way combos, which was way over priced for some nasty BBQ. I would gladly pay good money for good BBQ, like at Gorilla BBQ in Pacifica. So i say if you don't want to waste your money and have your jaw tired from chewing chewy meat then eat elsewhere.
1 Star for Big Nasty Nate's in SF
Ordered this via Waiters on Wheels, but the delivery came in an Asqew Grill bag?!?
Cole slaw was good.
Potato salad was OK.
Memphis pork (cubes of pork) was decent.
"Spicy" BBQ sauce was mild, but still passably tasty.
Unfortunately, it's all downhill from there.
They were out of beef links.
Beef brisket was dry cubes, and was dry.
Chicken was dry.
Ribs were dry.
Collard greens were watery.
Nate's has solid BBQ... but SF is admittedly under-served in the areas of BBQ. I do like the brisket here very much. Unlike in Texas, the brisket is cubed, not sliced. The morsels are very juicy, rich, and tender. There is a little more fat than you would expect from other places.
The ribs (not baby back) are really great too. Plenty of bark on these babies and not too much smoke. The Memphis pork is great as well.
The sauces here have a distinct whiskey or bourbon flavor. The heat is peppery in nature and fairly mild in scale. I do like that that sauces are not as vinegary as other places because it often ruins the bbq (IMO) but you may miss it if that's you're looking for.
Good portions, fair prices.
I don't know why it took me so long to write this review, but I've been lovin' on some Nate's for about a year now.
Sauce is great (a little smoky, not too sweet), meat is great (never dry or undercooked or overcooked or any of that jazz), cornbread is great (mmmmm), and they deliver. I haven't done much experimentation with their non-cornbread (mmm) sides, so I can't vouch for those. Chicken, ribs, and brisket though? Mmmm.
The actual location is modest, but you're there for the BBQ, not the decor - and besides, when was the last time you ate at a good BBQ restaurant that actually had good decor? Uh, never. That's how you know you're in a real BBQ joint - the food is so good that people keep coming back and supporting it even though the inside is janky.
I mean, come on, people. It's BBQ. It's really, REALLY good. They deliver. COME ON. Oh, plus Tevin. At least I think that's his name. There is a pretty old framed picture that someone named Tevin (it's signed) drew as a child (crayons etc), and the guy who works the counter is about the right age to be Nate's son and looks like him and people usually only frame crappy artwork from their own kids so my Powers Of Deductive Reasoning (TM) lead me to believe that the guy I usually talk to is Tevin. I think. If it is Tevin, thank you, Tevin, for making the experience of ordering over the phone so easy. You're brisk-ish and fast and efficient, and I never have to repeat anything (probably due largely to the only noise in the restaurant being the chopping of meat as mentioned by another reviewer). You never, EVER fuck my order up, and the delivery guys you send are awesome and nice.
I've gotten myself all hungry now. I think I'll order some Nate's! I hope Tevin answers the phone.
BURP! The sign of a good first date... when both you and your date look at each other's faces smeared with BBQ sauce and grin ear to ear!
Big Nate's for a first date you say?! What can I say? We like our meat.
I finally moved outside my "health food" comfort zone and decided to order the Pork Rib Dinner and oye vo voy! say buh bye to diet, healthy eating and eating like a gentleman. 5 minutes into the meal and our faces were covered in sauce, fingers dripping in sauce and the most satisfied look on our faces.
6 thick and juicy ribs, cole slaw, potato salad and 2 beers and we were walking like umpaloompas! The meat literally melted off the bone, the sauce was spicy and thick and the cole slaw - yummy as always! It's definitely straight forward BBQ and a very basic menu. But good all the same.
Word of advice - don't wear white!
Goody! Goody! Goodness! I got my first taste of Big Nate's BBQ in 2005 when they catered our company… Read more »
Bored and hungry? Perfect. Park your car at Sports Authority across the street (always empty) and shop around a few minutes. Walk out with an appetite and jaywalk over to Nate's. Careful, the cars move fast here.
Get yourself Half order of brisket, medium hot, with potato salad. To go. Service is fast.
Once in a while, I get an overcooked batch of brisket, but hey, smother more sauce on it and it becomes non issue. The pork ribs are good too -- tears right off the bone.
It's definitely a straight forward backyard BBQ atmosphere with paper plates, plastic spoons and lots of napkins. I mean really......if you're going to go for a BBQ lunch would you expect the meat to be served to you on china and their best silver.....it's a BBQ place.....it's not fancy.
Until I started working on this side of SOMA I never heard of Big Nate's, but I do appreciate a BBQ place when I see one. I've probably had BBQ here every week for 4 months or so now. I guess it's about time I Yelped about it. Here goes:
The Food:
I suppose it would be called a mash up of Southern Soul Food and California because CA must seep into the bones of the meat in the cooking process causing the meat to come out all tender and succulent that it could probably walk off the bone and into your mouth.
Whatever method they use on their beef brisket I know they smoke it for a long time because around 7am when pass the shop on my way to work I smell the sexy, spicy and tangy smokiness of the beef working away in the Big Nate's ovens. The smokey flavor soars through the air and takes hold of my nostrils like Pepe Le pew falling in love. It just smells like heaven.
Ambiance:
If I would have to classify this place in any particular category I would check the box that reads "Hole in the Wall". However, I mean that as a compliment, because I have always thought of "Hole in the Walls" as a place someone knows about and then turns you on to it as a neighborhood gem. You know, like In-N-Outs secret menu.
Your coworker says: "Hey, wanna get Nate's for lunch?"
You say: What's that?
Coworker says: Smokey BBQ down the street
You think to yourself (do I want BBQ???? what about that Thai place down the street, or I could just eat that Garden Salad I brought to work for my lunch instead...hmmm??)
-- couple seconds of internal struggle...then you realise that there are no mental defenses strong enough to resist BBQ --- you must surrender because you know that they're going to go without you, bring it back to the office and then you'll smell the BBQ around you, but you won't have any.....you'll be trapped smelling the sweet smell of smokey sauce and meat, but you'll have a salad instead, a salad akin to grass, not BBQ............
You: OK, they do beef right?
--
History:
The BBQ joint gets its name from Big Nate Thurmond, a retired All-Star NBA player for the San Francisco Warriors (before the team moved to Oakland). He also played for The Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers. He still resides in SF and a coworker of mine spotted him at the BBQ shop. I hear he's tall too....:-)
Pictures line the walls of the establishment of Nate shaking hands or posing with other NBA stars and other sports figures like Michael Jordan and Mohamed Ali. These pictures are the only decoration in the shop.
OK! this is the worst BBQ join I have been to... I think the reason this place is open is because it is the one of the only BBQ joint in SOMA
I went there for lunch today and got the brisket. It was cut into cubes (not sliced like it should be) and soaked in their sauce
The meat was not smoked long. It was really fatty and didn't have that smoky taste that makes BBQ so great. The sauce was just lame, I got the spicy and it was not spicy or even good. It tasted like pepper with a hint of Chile powder. I think I tasted a bit of dry rub on it but that was bland as well
I got the side of coleslaw and it was just bad. It was chopped to finely and just tasted like vinegar and pepper
I wanted this place to be good because it is somewhat close to my work but it's not....it's just bad, bad, bad
I was just here on Sunday afternoon with my girl. And we grubbed. Two very hungry ladies enjoyed the BBQ. I had the half order of beef and Lillith had the half order of chicken. I have to say the sauce on both order was REALLY good. It came with coleslaw and bread.
Yummy!
I don't want to be to harsh because i used to love watching Nate Thurmond dunking on people but maybe he should of stuck to basketball because that was one of the worst briskets I've ever had the displeasure of putting in my mouth. Sorry Nate
Why isn't there any good BBQ joints in the Bay Area. I mean we have excellent Taquerías but why no excellent BBQ spots?
My friend and I wanted BBQ so we decided to check out Nate's. We work in the financial district so I was really happy to hear that they deliver since I was in no mood to go all the way over there. I ordered a 1/2 order of brisket and my friend ordered a 1/2 order of ribs for lunch. The food came on time but we were both pretty disappointed. My brisket was flavorless and there wasnt to much in there. Definitely over priced for what you get. My friends ribs tasted alright but nothing too special.
Would probably never go back unless someone else is paying
I'm not a huge BBQ fan, meaning that I don't seem to have a craving for it the way some people do (such as my fiancee), but I do appreciate good BBQ when I have it, and I rather enjoyed Big Nate's. I had the beef brisket, and I was very satisfied by the portion size, the quality of the meat and the taste of the BBQ sauce. My fiancee (a southerner who is very picky about her BBQ) had BBQ chicken, which she loved, and which I agreed was delicious. We also really liked our sides.
I wish we lived closer to Nate's so we could get it delivered!
Love the food - honest BBQ! As of late the meat portions have been smaller but that's the current economy.... Would also be great if they provided later delivery times.
BBQ not very memorable. And it's super expensive! But best part is NBA Hall of Famer/Owner Nate Thurmond is often there taking orders!
It's been about 3 years since I've been there, so I'll try this place again and update my review.
Fooled Again! Perhaps it's my laziness for not wanting to leave SOMA and make it to the Lower Haight for Memphis Minnies but I guess that's neigher here nor there.
For all of you bbq lovers in SF, there really aren't many options. For those of you in SOMA, there is only Big Nates. The BBQ is average, and is unique in that it's completely smothered in sauce.
My biggest complaint is that the brisket is almost always over cooked. The pork sandwich isn't great either. On the plus side, they do have $1 orange sodas.
Big Nates gets 3 stars for just showing up and serving meat and for being the only option in the 'hood.
N-A-S-T-Y....dry meat smothered in nate's nasty bbq sauce. The dry corn muffin makes you appreciate jiffy box mix. The only thing I liked about this place are the old photos of Thurman's bball days.
Neighborhood: Western Addition/NOPA
Category: Barbeque
Neighborhood: Mission
Category: Barbeque
Neighborhood: Outer Richmond
Category: Barbeque
Neighborhood: Portola
Category: Barbeque
Neighborhood: Lower Haight
Category: Barbeque
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