Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que

Critic's Review

I moved to Florida from Long Island in 2006; Famous Dave's opened on Long Island a few years later right next to a place I used to eat when I went back to visit. I never went to Dave's, but I thought about it. There are no Famous Dave's in SE Florida; too many other good BBQs for them to compete; This location is by the Galleria mall in Henderson; I was in the area and decided to grab some lunch.

I could have ordered online but I didn't; I wanted to see the wait for straight take out. You can get the lunch menu until 4pm, which is better than 2pm or 3pm like some other places. I hate having to pay dinner prices at 3:15pm.

I ordered the PIck 2; 2 meats and a side for $16. Of course you can't get brisket or ribs, which is ridiculous.

I had to pay $1 more for 2 ribs and $1 more for 3oz of brisket. Can you say "Rip-Off"?

"Love You Madly" was playing, which seemed to not fit the Country Western theme of the place.

The food was ready in about 10 minutes, not too bad.

I did stop off at Smith's and Trader Joe's on the way home, so maybe 25 minutes before I opened the food.

You know the place is commercial when the BBQ sauce comes in branded foil packets. At least I got cornbread for my $17.

Enough for lunch but there wouldn't be any leftovers. I tried the brisket first; pot roast. Dry, tasteless; I paid extra for this?

Without the sauce, which is very sweet, the brisket is inedible. Don't get the brisket. The ribs were passable; better than Applebee's but not what you'd hope to get from a good BBQ.

The beans, however, were quite good. Not smoky, but firm and a bit spicy with chunks of pork and beef.

Dave's beans are a winner. The cornbread was also good; firm and not soggy. I usually don't eat the cornbread but I ate half of this.

Conclusion

Famous Dave's is mediocre stuff; I've wanted to try it for a long time and now I have. Probably never again; not because it's terrible but because it's not good enough for the price they charge. You can say that about a lot of restaurants these days; if I'm spending $20 for lunch I want it to be better than this.