Big Ern’s BBQ

It was just ok. I wouldn’t go back again. Pricing was decent although $ 2 bucks for a 8oz fountain drink and no refills was rediculous. The night we were there they we’re out of mac & cheese, bread pudding and potato salad, all BBQ place staples so how could one run out? My pulled pork sandwich was ok. Meat was tasty but dry. I had to drench it in the sauce they had out to use to get it down. Sweet potato fries were yummy and the piece of ribs I ate from my friends plate was well over cooked. Décor was cute but the tables were not clean and the lady at the counter definitely wasn’t friendly. 3 stars is probably an over rating but I don’t want to be an ass and who knows maybe they were just having a bad night. I’m not going back again to find out though.

We ordered the beef brisket bbq and it was awful! It was not sliced beef but left over mush and fats with sauce to cover! Never try again! This suck, what a waste of money, the beer was good

When I walked in I was going to order a pulled pork sandwich. Noticed an employee cutting fresh brisket. He cut a chunk of the burnt end off and disposed of it. I told him that was a sin. He asked me if I liked the ends. I said told him that’s one of the best parts. He then took three pieces off the ends other briskets and gave them to me.
The brisket was full of flavor and moist. I soon forgot about my pulled pork sandwich. I
Had the brisket sandwich with Mac and cheese. My friend had the brisket platter and baked beans. Her platter came with 5 nice thick slices of brisket. It was moist and delicious. The girl that took our order was smiling and friendly. It was a good experience.

We ate here for lunch after seeing another customer enjoying his rib combo meal out in the park. the smell of the ribs were mouth watering and he was happily digging in. I enoy a good BBQ at least 3xs a year. so this was our year end meal as it was new years eve, and a new place to try.
The meal was excellent. we got a 2 rib and brisket combo with collard greens and jambalaya, the second plate was pulled pork and hot link combo with Mac n cheese and sweet potato fries. At first my daughter noticed the pork was cold on the outside, but inside was hot, so it must’ve been sitting while the fries were being made. the ribs were tender and flavorful and so was the brisket, even though it wasn’t cut across the grain. The collards had a tad of spice and weren’t chopped up as small as the norm, but had good flavor. The pulled pork and hot link were also good. Sweet potatoes fries were the best I’ve had. nice and crispy. and the mac n cheese was smothered in cheese which makes it all the more delicious. The jambalaya was ok, with bits of hot link in it. All in all this meal was great. we almost cleaned the plate, but left bits n pieces.
I am holding back on the 5^th star though. We went at about 1215p on a Friday, New Years Eve. I’m not sure how crowded this place gets otherwise, but we didn’t have a line when we went in, there were a couple of diners in the establishment which seats maybe 15 max with outside tables as well. unfortunately there was one inconsiderate diner who took up the biggest table in one if the corners that could’ve sat at east 6. anyway, shortly after we got our order is when we noticed a line forming. The restaurant is small so it got pretty crowded in there as we were in the other corner dining. I think someone opened the doors so the line could queue outside. That’s when I noticed that it was taking some time before you placed your order until you actually got it. it seemed as though we were halfway through our meal before the lady who placed her order right after us finally got hers. I didn’t notice how big the kitchen was, or how many people were back there, but it’s BbQ. Most of everything on the menu should already be made, except for the fries and chips. maybe that’s what people were ordering? I couldn’t see justification for the long wait for your order. just for that fact, I may be hesitant to go back there, but if I find myself back at the Container park, I may dine there again.

This is the $ 65 review. Links tender. Spicy in its own way. Part of Brisket was Magnificient. Practically melts in your mough. Flavorful. Of the pound 3 slices was Horid. Tough. Tough. Tough. Dry. And even sliced with the meats grain lenght. Don’t get me wrong. Crossed sliced would’nt help this very much. Two different Cows. Guess one was young adult. The other Cow was 100 years old. So Sad. 60% of Rib Slab was Magnificent. The rest was leaning dry. Must have gotten this rib from TWO Pigs. One was Grandma. Pulled Pork was 3.75+ stars. Honestly the batch might have been cooked yesterday. And reHeated for this evening. With their two type Wonderful BBQ sauces… left overs next day should be OK for sandwhiches. That tough Brisket may need to be Double Chopped for Sandwhiche use. Links should be Yummy as Overnight Treat with some great toasted Bun. Part of the tougher Ribs overnight should be Chewable with some effort.
Some our Dinner was 4.5−5 stars. Some was 1 – 2 stars.
We ordered no Sides. Based on Unilocal Foodies warning.
Total rating. I hate to do this. 3 stars as conservative.
Largely because $ 10 of the Brisket should not have veen served to Us. Whether cut across the grain or not.
We can’t risk going back. $ 20 part of our $ 65 purchase was MEH. IF thats OK for Unilocalers… Go eat here. If not. Take wisdom from 3 stars Unilocal Reviews here.
But then again. On Fremont street one can Blow Multiple $ 20’s in hour or less. Actually so many Eateries here… why not Enjoy $ 65 on many their Other Offering under the streets Long Light Show. Sad. Are We. It could have been a 5 stars review. And Many Many Many return VISITS.
Damn it. Brisket is Beef. It could have been smoked medium rare and be served Ok. Even reHeated and served and won’t be Tough. Why cook it to near well done. Lots Unilocal’Rs here posted this. With words like Jerky. Dry.
Posted is picture of dry’ish Brisket not Craved against the meat strain Crain

Warning: This restaurant has a Grade C as of December 2015!
We had family in town and none of us had ever been to the container park, so we decided to check it out. It was a bad idea altogether, we should have just stayed at the Fremont! But anyway, after walking around we decided to stay and eat dinner at one of the few restaurants at this place. From what we saw, our choices were BBQ, Mexican and Hot Dogs, so we decided to go with BBQ. The employees were just standing around and talking when we walked in. They did greet us, but didn’t seem very friendly. The menu wasn’t huge. They have the normal choices of Ribs, Pulled Pork, Brisket and Chicken. I decided to go with the Pulled Pork Dinner with Mac and Cheese and Sweet Potato Fries. Right when the cashier handed the receipt to my brother in law, that is when I noticed the sign showing the Grade C. Crap! Well, it was too late now. The food was already paid for and I doubt that the employees would be willing to give a refund. If we didn’t have family with us, I probably would have fought it lol.
The food was brought out by one of the cooks and it just went downhill from there. I took the first bite of the pulled pork and it was cold. Maybe it was just that side of the plate? So I took another bite from the other side and it was still cold. Ugh, really? It wasn’t fresh, but did they forget to warm up the pork or did they just not give a damn? I think they just poured BBQ sauce over it and called it a day. It was so bad that I can’t even remember if the BBQ sauce was good or not. The Mac and Cheese and the Sweet Potato Fries were actually hot, but there was nothing spectacular about them either. I didn’t even try the roll that came with the dinner, the bread was not edible at all.
The next day, I felt sick, even though I barely ate the food. Well, I did eat food from Panera as well, but I am 99.9% sure I got sick from this place! Don’t expect anything good from a BBQ restaurant in a container.
Never Again! Stay Away!

Giving this place 4 stars for the good food. I’d like to give it 5, but it’s a bit unorganized for me. I’m speaking from me and the boyfriend’s experience, as well as observing other patrons’ experience around us.
Don’t get me wrong ’cause all the people we talked to were nice. It’s just that we initially got half our order, then when we waited about 10 – 15 minutes for the other half, one of the guys said he accidentally threw out our ticket. The kitchen made up for it by giving us a substitution, but I honestly know they lost some profit in doing that. I appreciate the accommodation, but can’t help being worried if this constantly happens. So the food…
Definitely like the barbecue sauces. The meat was tender enough that it didn’t take much to tear apart. The Mac ‘n Cheese was gooey with cheese, and I like the peppered flavor to it so that it wasn’t bland. The Loaded Potato does not skimp on meat, beans, cheese or barbecue sauce. Oh man… I could’ve eaten that just by itself.
I’d definitely go back for barbecue cravings.

The bbq was pretty good. Ribs were great. Didn’t care for the side dishes though. The mac and cheese was a bit tasteless and the slaw was really different. More of an Italian dressing slaw.
They could get some more authentic recipes for the sides and they would do better.

The aroma of BBQ lured us in when we were trying to choose a lunch spot at Container Park. The girls behind the counter when we ordered were friendly and our food didn’t take too long. For a restaurant at Container Park they had quite a few tables for diners.
My husband and I split a meal since we were planning to try some other food spots in the area afterwards. We decided on the two rib and pulled pork combination with collard greens and potato salad. I liked the flavor of the ribs, but it wasn’t as tender as most BBQ. The pulled pork was also good with BBQ sauce. I guess the theme of the meat was good, but not mind blowing. The collard greens were tasty and had a kick to them. They were definitely a unique twist on the typical collard greens. The potato salad was great, my husband and I agreed that we really liked this side. The roll on the side was boring and being from the south my husband commented that he wished they had gone with cornbread.
The price was very reasonable for BBQ and the service was good. We liked our food, but wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s the best BBQ in Las Vegas.

Friendly Staff, Good Music and Great Food
I had the Brisket with 2 Ribs, the meat was perfect. I had Coleslaw and Collard Greens, everything had good flavor, I will definitely visit again.

Big Ern’s is a great dining option in the Downtown Container Park. They serve up delicious BBQ and drinks. There is limited seating area both inside and out so make sure you go with a group to save a seat. The line does get pretty long to order but is well worth the wait. I ordered the pulled pork platter with a side of collared greens and pork and beans. My wife and friend ordered the brisket which was also an excellent choice… It was so moist!
Their biscuits are perfectly soft and melt in your mouth but also work well to pick up the extra BBQ sauce from your plate lol! My mouth is watering as I write this review!
I can’t wait to get back for sure when in the area…
Just wasn’t able to get a refill on our drinks because there was only one person working the register and soda machine… Damn.
Next time I’ll try something new. I’m sure it will be good.
Give this a place a try when you’re in the area.

Deep sigh… I’ve been here two maybe three time (once was for free courtesy of my job) and the only thing that has stood out in my mind was the fact that they were out of everything.
Tonight was no different. After waiting in line for about 5minutes someone yells from the back «we’re out of: insert majority of the menu items here:» I have been craving bbq for weeks so I decided to stay in line and hope for the best. Funny thing the couple behind me made a comment about how dirty the kitchen looked. I thought to myself «it’s a bbq place, what do you expect…» In hindsight I feel like that was the Universe trying to tell me something.
After what seemed like an eternity’s wait I finally made it to the cashier, who made no effort to hide her readiness to be off he clock already. I intended to order a hot link plate, baked beans, and potato salad. But, you guessed it, they were out of potato salad, so I ordered the greens instead. I waited for my food, a girl, looking even more miserable that the first, brought it to me on a «for here» plate. I asked her if I could get it to go & sh begrudgingly obliged, after asking me again «are you sure you don’t want to just eat here.»
Fast forward.
Get home, ready to dive into the meal that I’ve been craving. I break open the dinner roll and low and behold there’s MOLD. Needless to say I had to trash the whole damn meal and I’m certainly pissed mostly be I was so close to feeding the craving –_​_​– Definitely won’t be eating here again and I will strongly advise my company to not cater from here either
I never write these things looking for anything in return but this time I definitely want my money back.

Quick trip to Big Ern’s. Loved the décor and inspiring messages. The space was cute but a little cramped. Thank god we happened to visit when it was not quite busy. Although I felt rushed to order even though no one else was on line however the service was pretty quick.
I ordered the kids a pulled pork sandwich meal and myself just a beer. The kid’s meal cost $ 5.95 each and the portions were miniscule. I usually have to beg them to finish their meal but after eating at Big Ern’s, the kids kept asking for more. They said the sandwich was good but I think they were just starving. Honestly, I was going broke trying to fill them up at this place. I’ll come back for a casual beer but not to eat.

We stopped by here for a quickie so we just had a beer and a pulled pork sandwich to share. The sandwich was hands down one of the best pork sandwiches we had ever tried.
Service was quick and promt and they also have the cheapest beer in the container park area wich is a big plus.
Kind service add to the experience.

I don’t know why Big Ern’s isn’t feeling as much love as I had for him last night. I ordered a plate of brisket and pork with cole slaw, roll and a bag of chips. They have PBR and Fat Tire on tap. I was more than happy to see Fat Tire. PBR must be for the lost hipsters that stumbled out of the Fremont Experience. Someone please put a barricade up.
Now onto the food! The brisket was fork tender because I wasn’t given a knife but it was tender enough I really didn’t need a knife. Saving the environment one tender brisket piece at a time.
The pulled pork was tender but the star was really the brisket. It had a nice smoke ring and plenty of smokiness. I also liked that they didn’t kill it with sauce and let the meat speak for itself.
The hubs finished off the cole slaw. My five year old stole my chips. The roll was meh, but I was happy with the quantity and quality of the brisket.
Immediately after I ordered I noticed they have rib tips, this is on my to do list for next time.

How many times have I bemoaned the lack of good barbeque in Las Vegas?
Why is it so hard to find good barbeque here? Oh, that’s right — most barbeque places are JUST PLAIN LAZY!
I understand barbecue takes time, hours and hours in fact. But as long as there are places in this world like Franklin Barbecue in Austin, TX, where Mr. Franklin smokes his brisket for 16 hours before serving, not one single place in this town is going to get a break with their «how do I get this done quickly?» methods.
Now listen, I really like Big Ern. I have met the man and he is a genuinely nice man. I will honestly say that I think he does put a lot of heart into his cooking. His barbeque is pretty good, and I have stopped in on several occasions.
I will say that when it comes to barbeque, Big Ern is kicking everybody’s but here in Vegas. I love you for that Big Ern — I really do, but your just not there yet.
As for the rest of you barbeque wannabees in Vegas — pack up and go home, before I step it up and show you all what real barbeque tastes like.

The only things this place has going for it is the location, open kitchen, and cute bandana-​print table cloths. Oh, and they provide WetNaps at the condiment station.
–1 Basic, unappealing menu. Sides have been pared down, the mac and mashed potatoes others mention in reviews are nowhere to be found. Don’t take away side choices, improve them! Choices are now just baked beans (tasted canned), coleslaw (too much mayo), a bag of chips, or a baked potato. $ 2 each with the purchase of a sandwich, 2 included in the cost of most plates. No thanks.
–1 So. Much. Grease. I know barbecue isn’t health food, but my order shouldn’t be sitting in a puddle of grease. I literally dropped my chopped brisket sandwich because the bun was so slick. Gross!
–1 The barbecue sauce pump is empty at 1PM. Now I know y’all ain’t had so much business that it all got eaten in a few hours. This should be checked daily before you even open.
–1 No flavor, aside from grease and sauce. The brisket had great fall-​apart texture and (more than) enough fat, but if you tried a bite without sauce it was bland.
–1 It’s 105 degrees outside and the cashier makes no mention of beverages? At the very least, a cup of water should be standard.
The $ 9 sandwiches are a good portion size, but the price is irrelevant if the product isn’t appealing enough to finish. Also, this is the first place I’ve ever been that doesn’t offer sliced pickles and onions to garnish your brisket sandwich.

Granted I came here on a busy day but no need to be rude or have a snappy attitude. I was at container park for my race packet pick up and ordered a brisket & pork and 6 rib bones with a beer and wine. Hefty price but it was good eating. Really good rib bones might I add!
But when I went up to ask about our missing rolls I got the biggest attitude in the world and they were sure it was on our plates and can’t do anything about it. I was like wow, okay. Not the biggest loss and I wasn’t going to hold up a line stretched out the door. Good food, but horrible under business pressure. I’d come again

This is my first check in at Big Ern’s. I ordered the 6 ribs with a side of bbq pork and beans, a bag of chips, and a dinner roll for $ 18.95 (drink not included). When I got my order, I was worried that my ribs looked dry and was just covered with sauce. I was amazed the meat was tender and absolutely not dry at all.
However, the ribs were too smoky for my taste buds. I realize this may be a preference to some people. I got helpings of both their spicy BBQ sauce and their original BBQ sauce. I personally wasn’t crazy about the taste of the sauces. They do have a good number choices on their menu and I do plan to return and order the other meats they offer. Last but not least, the staff was friendly and very helpful with the menu choices.

After walking by this place for well over a year today was the day I decided indulge. I went on a mid afternoon stroll through the container park and none of the other places got me salivating like Big Ern’s BBQ. It was a quiet day at the Container Park and the rare desert rain just stopped falling. After looking over the menu and asking a few questions It looked like the pulled pork sandwich and side of pork and beans was the winning choice.
The food came out quickly and there was a very decent portion of meat on the bun. The roll was very soft and fresh and the pork was very juicy and tender. Big chunks of pork smothered in sauce with just the right amount of fat and bark to make a vegetarians mouth water. I prefer my BBQ sauce to have a little more heat to it because this was made to cater to all tastes of BBQ lovers. I did not even ask if other sauces were available because I was sooo hungry. the pork and beans were very good and had come out scolding hot not like the pork sandwich which was luke warm. My beans had big chunks of meat and a little bit of spice. I would go back for these for sure, after working my way around the menu.
The one down fall of this experience was the service. I understand that this is a lazy rainy day at the CP. All the more reason the operators have to go for it, this is the time to give that WOW! service everyone is looking for. When I arrived both team members were in the dining room one on phone the other doing who knows what. While trying to make conversation about the business the response most given was «I don’t know I am not the owner». A little turned off by this. Then I had to ask about the rain several times and it was like no one was listening and then the answers were directed at me like I was a tourist. Yeah turned off by this also.
I decided to sit outside and enjoy my meal in solitude while watching the rain fall. Very relaxing and boy I needed that after the weekend I had. I am giving the 4 stars for the food and 3 stars for the mediocre service. I will be back to try the Ribs and the Brisket.