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Big Ed's BBQ in Waukegan - New location mid Feb, 2025

Big Ed's BBQ in Waukegan - New location mid Feb, 2025
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  • Big Ed's BBQ in Waukegan - New location mid Feb, 2025

    Post #1 - May 2nd, 2014, 9:56 am
    Post #1 - May 2nd, 2014, 9:56 am Post #1 - May 2nd, 2014, 9:56 am
    I just posted on the old Big Ed's North Chicago thread only to find a short on-going discussion of his Waukegan and Libertyville locations in the Opening-Closing thread.

    I thought it would be helpful to have a dedicated thread for the new locations. I also think it's important because these locations are different than his former North Chicago location in terms of some menu differences and the type of smoker now being used.

    The Waukegan location will be moving from the downtown space to Fountain Square Plaza sometime soon.

    August 2024? Now February, 2025
    Eventually moving to:

    651 Lakehurst Blvd
    Waukegan, IL 60085
    Phone:(847) 473-5333
    http://bigedsllc.com/

    Big Ed's BBQ (Opened February, 2015)
    4030 Northpoint Blvd. (CLOSED December, 2024)
    Waukegan, IL 60085
    Phone:(847) 473-5333
    http://bigedsllc.com/

    Big Ed's Bar & Grill - (CLOSED location)
    30 N Genesee St
    Waukegan, IL 60085
    (847) 782-8772

    Big Ed's BBQ (CLOSED Location)
    536 N Milwaukee
    Libertyville, IL 60048
    (847) 281-7308
    "Call any vegetable...and the chances are good the vegetable will respond to you."
    --Frank Zappa
  • Post #2 - May 2nd, 2014, 3:32 pm
    Post #2 - May 2nd, 2014, 3:32 pm Post #2 - May 2nd, 2014, 3:32 pm
    Can't wait to try the new Big Ed's. Frequented the North Chicago location for awhile when I was in the vicinity, always a hello from Ed and his family was great. Good to see him in Libertyville. Besides the BBQ, the homemade pound cake is killer.
  • Post #3 - July 17th, 2014, 5:22 pm
    Post #3 - July 17th, 2014, 5:22 pm Post #3 - July 17th, 2014, 5:22 pm
    Well, I finally got over to Big Ed's in Libertyville. And it was absolutely at the wrong time, 4PM during the week, but I was hungry as heck. Had the Big Ed Combo Dinner to go ($16.99) of two meats--I picked burnt ends & beef brisket--cornbread & two sides, which were the 'Lawd Ham Mercy Beans' (whatthehell is this, a Levy Bros. restaurant?) & the 'red skinned sour cream mashed potatoes. Gotta talk about those first. These baked beans, on the menu as '...slow cooked with green peppers, onions, spices & chunks of smoked brisket & pork...' were incredible, I dare say better than what they served in North Chicago. They were almost gumbo-like with a kind of roux, not even a ton of beans in there, unless they disintegrated at some point--who cares, they were G-O-O-D. And the mashed potatoes were absolutely sinful, creamy soft and full of taste. In fact the two of them mixed together were phenomenal as well! Sadly, to probably cater to the Libertyville folk vs. the North Chicago 'southerners', green beans replace REAL greens, and that's a shame--I was looking forward to that bitter, vinegary goodness.

    I am still not a great judge of reputable BBQ, but all I can say is that the burnt ends were shard-like, glistening with fat locules, the smoke ring, the bark were there, not overly smoky, and very good. I suppose the brisket was good too, had fine flavor, but it just looks a little too processed in slices for me to go over the top with. Helluva portion though--six long slices of brisket and about 12 golfball-sized chunks of the burnt ends. Oh, and the corn muffin was crusty & heavy, like it weighed a lot--that's gone too, a perfect counterpoint to the rest of the meal.

    I do have a BBQ chicken dinner holding for my wife when she gets off work, but that looked fine as well. The default sauce--which I have ALWAYS on the side--is a chipotle maple, which is fair. Better choices for me were the other 3--the Kansas City sauce, the 'sweet heat' vinegary style, and the Alabama white, which may have been in my opinion the sauce that went the best with everything.

    Have to wait a couple hours to be able to reasonably tackle the slice of pound cake that awaits. From my past memory, it is similar to the South Side staple '7-up pound cake recipe', which includes not much more than cake mix, butter, eggs, flour & sugar. Yow!

    Big Ed's is not only so much better than what was in this storefront on N. Milwaukee in Libertyville previously (can't even remember the name), but on those two sides alone described above it's miles yummier than Real Urban BBQ. Not even close.
  • Post #4 - November 11th, 2014, 5:14 pm
    Post #4 - November 11th, 2014, 5:14 pm Post #4 - November 11th, 2014, 5:14 pm
    Hi,

    If you plan on visiting Ed's Waukegan, you may want to call in advance.

    A customer who adores Big Ed's advised he is closing the downtown location, because the rent was increasing. He is opening (may be open now, not sure though there is no indication on his website) a new location where Lakehurst Mall once was located, just south of 120 and west of US-41.

    www.bigedsllc.com

    Regards,
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #5 - November 11th, 2014, 8:48 pm
    Post #5 - November 11th, 2014, 8:48 pm Post #5 - November 11th, 2014, 8:48 pm
    I just had a nice conversation with Big Ed at th recent IBBQA Autumn Smoke event. He is spending most of his time at the Libertyville location, if that's any indication.
    Steve Z.

    “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Post #6 - March 26th, 2015, 12:51 pm
    Post #6 - March 26th, 2015, 12:51 pm Post #6 - March 26th, 2015, 12:51 pm
    Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

    If you plan on visiting Ed's Waukegan, you may want to call in advance.

    A customer who adores Big Ed's advised he is closing the downtown location, because the rent was increasing. He is opening (may be open now, not sure though there is no indication on his website) a new location where Lakehurst Mall once was located, just south of 120 and west of US-41.

    It's Open
    4030 Northpoint
    Waukegan, IL 60085
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #7 - April 8th, 2015, 12:48 am
    Post #7 - April 8th, 2015, 12:48 am Post #7 - April 8th, 2015, 12:48 am
    Just got this email stating Big Eds Libertyville location is closing: To Our Valued Customers
    Due to increasingly slow sales we have decided to close this location. Please visit us at our other location at 4030 Northpoint Blvd in Waukegan’s Fountain Square. Thanks for the support.
    Big Ed
  • Post #8 - April 8th, 2015, 5:24 am
    Post #8 - April 8th, 2015, 5:24 am Post #8 - April 8th, 2015, 5:24 am
    A shame. No doubt Ed had a big nut rent-wise in that boutique-y area.

    My guess that the Libertyville folks didn't get Big Ed's, which served basically the same fare as his original shop in North Chicago. This was real urban BBQ, in its own way similar to Hecky's in Evanston, only I think better.
  • Post #9 - April 8th, 2015, 10:54 am
    Post #9 - April 8th, 2015, 10:54 am Post #9 - April 8th, 2015, 10:54 am
    i've been the the libertyville location once and enjoyed it, but don't find myself in that area enough. hopefully the current waukegan location can stay... all the shifting around is not good for me remembering what's in each area. i still think about the north chicago location.
  • Post #10 - April 8th, 2015, 11:12 am
    Post #10 - April 8th, 2015, 11:12 am Post #10 - April 8th, 2015, 11:12 am
    No answer to a phone call to the Libertyville location. I called the Waukegan location and they confirmed that the Libertyville location is closed.
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #11 - April 8th, 2015, 12:43 pm
    Post #11 - April 8th, 2015, 12:43 pm Post #11 - April 8th, 2015, 12:43 pm
    Has anyone been to the Waukegan restaurant? Is it any good? How much BBQ do they have? If I remember correctly they had a limited selection of BBQ on the menu.


    When I heard he was opening the restaurant/nightclub in Waukegan I knew it was bad news for the BBQ customers. He had such a good thing going that I didn't understand why he would expand and open a different type of restaurant. Why not just open another Big Eds BBQ? My theory, from meeting Ed on several occasions at Big Ed's, is that Ed loves the limelight more than he loves slaving over a smoker for 12 hours. IMO, he looked at the new place as a place where he could be "front of the house" and socialize in the bar/lounge area of his new place, gladhanding with customers and being everybody's buddy.

    I knew he would stop caring about the BBQ place once he had his new place and I wasn't surprised when he shut it down pretty quickly after opening the new place.

    I was actually surprised when I heard he was opening a new BBQ place in Libertyville. Was business down in Waukegan?

    All in all I was and still am very disappointed that Big Ed's is gone. Its one thing to see a place close down because the food isn't good, but to have an owner have a good thing going and then shut it down anyway is perplexing.
  • Post #12 - April 8th, 2015, 12:48 pm
    Post #12 - April 8th, 2015, 12:48 pm Post #12 - April 8th, 2015, 12:48 pm
    shakes wrote:Has anyone been to the Waukegan restaurant? Is it any good? How much BBQ do they have? If I remember correctly they had a limited selection of BBQ on the menu.

    http://www.bigedsllc.com/fmenu.html

    You're more than welcome to join the LTH North Lunch Group on the 23rd to check it out for yourself.
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #13 - April 8th, 2015, 2:54 pm
    Post #13 - April 8th, 2015, 2:54 pm Post #13 - April 8th, 2015, 2:54 pm
    shakes wrote:All in all I was and still am very disappointed that Big Ed's is gone. Its one thing to see a place close down because the food isn't good, but to have an owner have a good thing going and then shut it down anyway is perplexing.


    I really miss Big Ed's, too. After talking to Ed at length at last fall's IBBQA Autumn Smoke event, he made it pretty clear that business wasn't that good at the old spot and that's why he closed. The road construction that took forever to complete did him in. He had high hopes for the new spot in Libertyville and I'm sorry to see it closed before I ever got a chance to try it. The BBQ I tried at Autumn Smoke was as good as ever, and his wife's desserts were great as well.
    Steve Z.

    “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Post #14 - April 24th, 2015, 5:24 pm
    Post #14 - April 24th, 2015, 5:24 pm Post #14 - April 24th, 2015, 5:24 pm
    I used to go to Big Ed's regularly in North Chicago and I went a few times a month in Libertyville. Always good food and I thought it was a solid value. Although I'd usually get ribs or rib tips, the half chicken with two sides was an amazing value and it was outstanding.

    Ed is personable and the staff was very friendly. I think it's way oversimplistic to say "Libertyville folks didn't get Big Ed's . . . This was real urban BBQ." I'm not sure what there is to "get" about "real" urban BBQ, whatever that means. The poster references Hecky's, which is really average food and is better known for the sauce than the actual food.

    That Libertyville storefront may not have been the best either. Rents are high downtown and Main Street Smokehouse didn't do well there, albeit with very average food. I think you'd have to sell a lot of BBQ to have a viable business in that location.

    It seems odd that Ed has closed three separate locations in the last three or so years. It might just be chance or a string of bad luck, but it appears the business model may not be that sustainable.
  • Post #15 - April 24th, 2015, 6:25 pm
    Post #15 - April 24th, 2015, 6:25 pm Post #15 - April 24th, 2015, 6:25 pm
    abevigoda wrote:It seems odd that Ed has closed three separate locations in the last three or so years. It might just be chance or a string of bad luck, but it appears the business model may not be that sustainable.

    HI,

    Until today, the only location I ever visited was the original in North Chicago. It was a pretty sleepy place.

    Last November, I was an election judge at a nursing home. I brought the ballots up to Waukegan, which brought me to non-public spaces of the clerk's office. There was a office divider riddled with take-out menus from a number of places in the area. I pointed to Ed's inquiring what they thought. They loved it, though they were disappointed he was closing and moving to Fountain Square. The main complaint was the location's cost, which had been an issue with other restaurants in this same space.

    LTH North met today at noon at Ed's new location in the vicinity of where Lakehurst Mall once stood and just west of Walmart. I could see there were a number of people standing by the door. I left my Mom in the car to investigate what was going on.

    This new location of Ed's is one happening place at lunchtime. A lot of Sheriff's police and county government workers were lined up to order their food. Dave148 had called earlier and was warned they had a crowd every lunch. He arrived 30 minutes early to grab our tables, which allowed Mom to ride out the wait in comfort.

    We were probably 10 minutes in line, when we reached Big Ed. You ordered your meats, I had the combo of burnt ends, tips and a third meat offering of ribs for $4 additional fee. He chopped your meat personally arranging it on a paper lined metal tray. The next guy in line took your side orders, so I went head to head macaroni and cheese plus Ed's Mac and cheese with BBQ sauce, chopped brisket and pork mixed in. Meat and Mac! Your tray was presented to you as you paid for your meal.

    While I was not too wild about my burnt ends, they were dry due to their origins from the brisket's flat and not the tip. The ribs were the chew off the bone type, which works for me. Their rib tips were fabulous. One of our table mates railed against rib tips, until I coaxed him into trying one. He was an honest enough to amend his opinion and learn why some people do like them. He may just be a convert.

    I think Big Ed has finally yanked off the training wheels and is really doing well. Fortunately, he now has a following.

    One of the dining room monitors, there is a slide show of the construction phase of Big Ed's. Dave148 advised it had recently housed an architectual firm. It certainly was a fastfood venue prior to that.

    Regards,
    Cathy2

    "You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
    Facebook, Twitter, Greater Midwest Foodways,
  • Post #16 - April 27th, 2015, 10:58 am
    Post #16 - April 27th, 2015, 10:58 am Post #16 - April 27th, 2015, 10:58 am
    Nice to see the new location is close to the highway! That means I can put it back on the agenda for our weekend trips up to Wisconsin.

    Quick question for those of you who have been there. Is there outdoor seating? Is the new place in a strip mall? I ask because when we are driving up to Wisconsin we have our dog with us and in the past we would either eat outdoors by the car or we would sit inside with a view of the car. That way we could keep an eye on the car which is sitting in the lot with all the windows wide open for the dog.

    I tried using street view on google but I couldn't locate the restaurant.
  • Post #17 - April 27th, 2015, 12:17 pm
    Post #17 - April 27th, 2015, 12:17 pm Post #17 - April 27th, 2015, 12:17 pm
    No outdoor seating. It's not in a strip mall - it's a standalone building. The photo in Google street view is a bit dated. It's opposite the Walmart. Easy to find.

    Unless you like standing in line, try to avoid the lunch and dinner rush, even on the weekends.
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #18 - April 27th, 2015, 1:08 pm
    Post #18 - April 27th, 2015, 1:08 pm Post #18 - April 27th, 2015, 1:08 pm
    Thanks for the info Dave!
  • Post #19 - April 27th, 2015, 4:06 pm
    Post #19 - April 27th, 2015, 4:06 pm Post #19 - April 27th, 2015, 4:06 pm
    Dave148 wrote:

    Unless you like standing in line, try to avoid the lunch and dinner rush, even on the weekends.



    The rush hours are unfortunately also the best bet for the freshest food.
  • Post #20 - April 29th, 2015, 3:38 pm
    Post #20 - April 29th, 2015, 3:38 pm Post #20 - April 29th, 2015, 3:38 pm
    How well does this Big Ed's food do in a take out situation? Say 30 minutes- anyone do that? Or would that be a mistake vs scarfing it down hot?
  • Post #21 - May 13th, 2015, 11:23 am
    Post #21 - May 13th, 2015, 11:23 am Post #21 - May 13th, 2015, 11:23 am
    So after 2 years I finally got to have Big Ed's again. Unfortunately, the experience was not as good as I remember. Got there yesterday at 2, place was pretty much empty. Ordered the pulled pork platter. Took a look at the sides and the mac n cheese looked like it had been sitting out for days, completely dried out like kraft dinner that had been sitting out for hours. Looked very different from the creamy mac n cheese I used to get at the North Chicago location. So went with the tony's mac instead and the baked beans.

    Pulled pork was very odd, it actually looked more like turkey than pulled pork. I had to ask the counter if they gave me the wrong thing cause it didn't look at all like pulled pork. Tried it and it was completely dried out and there were maybe 2 pieces of bark in the entire order.

    Tony's mac n cheese was unimpressive to say the least, but at least the bbq sauce in it slightly hid how dried out it was.

    The beans were great just like I remembered them.


    I figure people will say that I got there too late as it was 2 pm, but I used to go to the North Chicago location at around 7 pm on a friday well after the dinner rush and the food was always fresh and great.

    I'll go back in a couple weeks for dinner on my way up to Wisconsin to give it another run..hopefully it gets better cause I was shocked at how bad it was compared to the past.
  • Post #22 - May 14th, 2015, 5:15 am
    Post #22 - May 14th, 2015, 5:15 am Post #22 - May 14th, 2015, 5:15 am
    I'm hoping too, shakes.

    And I agree with you too. I had visited the original North Chicago location, many times, and then Libertyville once. L'ville was good, but in all my times dining or getting carry-out at that North Chicago venue, it was never anything other than stellar. Ed seemed to be always happy, his wife was very nice & the daughters were lovely & gracious. For as crappily-situated as that place was, for whatever reason it had magic.
  • Post #23 - May 14th, 2015, 10:55 am
    Post #23 - May 14th, 2015, 10:55 am Post #23 - May 14th, 2015, 10:55 am
    I think the magic in North Chicago had a lot to do with the aquarium smoker Ed was using back then. To me it provided a far superior product than the Southern Pride he started using when he moved. Also he always had spare ribs back then and only had back ribs on the weekends. Now it's only back ribs. I do miss his North Chicago menu.
    "Call any vegetable...and the chances are good the vegetable will respond to you."
    --Frank Zappa
  • Post #24 - June 1st, 2015, 9:26 am
    Post #24 - June 1st, 2015, 9:26 am Post #24 - June 1st, 2015, 9:26 am
    As a point of reference - no line on a Sunday at 4:30pm. By 5:00 - there were 10 folks in line to the door. Mr. & Mrs Ed were in the house. My burnt ends along with my wife's ribs were on target. My first time trying his version of collard greens. Only available on weekends. Quite good.
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #25 - July 2nd, 2015, 11:06 am
    Post #25 - July 2nd, 2015, 11:06 am Post #25 - July 2nd, 2015, 11:06 am
    So I made a return to trip to Big Ed's the other day. Decided to give the pulled pork another try. At the last minute I added burnt ends to my meal. Never had them before and wanted to try them. As for the pulled pork, its real bad. Like stay the hell away bad. Just like the first time I got it, not a single trace of bark in my order.

    But, the burnt ends were out of this world! Up there with Smoque's brisket as one of the best BBQ dishes I've ever had. Next time that will be my only order, good riddance to the pulled pork and hello to burnt ends.

    Sides continue to unimpress. mac n cheese was dried out yet again. Beans were good though.

    Love all the sauce options.

    Going back with teh wife tonight for more burnt ends!
  • Post #26 - September 8th, 2022, 12:36 pm
    Post #26 - September 8th, 2022, 12:36 pm Post #26 - September 8th, 2022, 12:36 pm
    We were driving past over the Labor Day weekend and stopped by for lunch. Looks like they were doing steady business on a Sunday over the long weekend, but no line. We got Rib Tips, Pulled Pork sandwich and a Link with many sides. Wow, was the food good. The meats and sides were excellent. I really liked the collards and beans, but all the sides were good (our mac and cheese was good, not dried out). Still hitting on all cylinders and would highly recommend.
  • Post #27 - August 10th, 2023, 12:34 pm
    Post #27 - August 10th, 2023, 12:34 pm Post #27 - August 10th, 2023, 12:34 pm
    Big Ed’s BBQ owner Eddie Nero, of Waukegan, developed a passion for cooking as he was growing up on the South Side of Chicago. He was seeking an opportunity in 2006 when a friend asked him to provide the food for a charity event.
“He said he couldn’t pay me but I would get a chance to meet a lot of the people there,” Nero said.
Nero’s friend was former Chicago Bears fullback Jason McKie. Nero met and fed McKie’s teammates, and not long after the event Nero got another call. It was from superstar kick returner Devin Hester.
“He called and asked me to cater his birthday party. I got some other catering jobs after that,” Nero said. “It gave me the courage to say let’s just do it.” 
That was his impetus to open Big Ed’s BBQ in 2008, and his star has continued to rise in the years since. 
Nero and partners Katie Sullivan and Rhonda Gage are getting ready to break ground on a new location about four miles north on Green Bay Road that will be nearly four times the size of the current restaurant.

    https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/ ... story.html
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #28 - August 11th, 2023, 12:29 pm
    Post #28 - August 11th, 2023, 12:29 pm Post #28 - August 11th, 2023, 12:29 pm
    As noted in the above link, Big Ed's is doing such a great business - recently named (by Yelp :roll: ) one of the 100 best restaurants in the Midwest (!) - that they will soon be moving yet again, to a new location four miles north on Green Bay Road, that is four times bigger!
  • Post #29 - August 11th, 2023, 1:39 pm
    Post #29 - August 11th, 2023, 1:39 pm Post #29 - August 11th, 2023, 1:39 pm
    Interesting - 4 miles north would be somewhere between Grand and Sunset on Green Bay. I wonder where exactly it's going?

    Also interesting that he's leaving the Fountain Square area just as the casino and weed shops are going in there. Supposedly that was going to generate a lot of business for locals.
  • Post #30 - November 20th, 2023, 6:43 am
    Post #30 - November 20th, 2023, 6:43 am Post #30 - November 20th, 2023, 6:43 am
    Took Merle and two other friends to Big Ed's for lunch yesterday. Merle insisted that she's never been there. I beg to differ.

    Burnt End dinner for me. 1/2 slab dinner for her. 1/2 chicken and 1/2 slab for our friends. Everyone was happy.

    Steady stream of folks bringing in turkeys to be smoked. Life is good.
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard

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