First time coming here. We got the Bbq combo platter with 6 baby back style ribs, 1/2 bird, coleslaw, cornbread, curly fries and a drink. The chicken was a little dry, but there were sauces to add to this. The corn bread tasted a little stale. Like it was put back in the refrigerator after being left out. Their fountain soda was out of order, and they only had grape soda, orange soda, ginger ale foxon park sodas and water to choose from.. There's a lot to choose from food wise at this place, maybe too much. A lot of different food and combo platter options read more

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Unfortunately it really has gone downhill food wise. I went today and ordered a philly steak wrap it was terrible. It was definitely steakums or something like that. It had an overall greasy and wet texture. My five year old got the grilled cheese which the cheese wasnt melted. He didnt mind. Fries were ok. I just remember when this place was a notch above and had decent food. I have had their pulled pork and brisket in the past which also had gone downhill. Its not BBQ. read more

We use to like this place, we arrived at 12:30 and it was very empty, my wife ordered pastrami sandwich, it was un edible, pastrami shouldn't be hard? My steak sandwich was pretty good but it was more like a Philly than a steak sandwich that they use to serve? What kind of lettuce is that? Then the food gets cold on the counter before they call you? Plus it was $45 dollars for lunch, we should have gone to Texas Roadhouse! We won't be back! read more

I Visited this restaurant again for the first time in about 15 years and the food is still great. I ordered the 1/4 bird and 4 ribs combo with cornbread and coleslaw. I enjoyed all the food except the coleslaw. Staff was friendly and helpful when ordering. Establishment was clean. Definitely would stop here again if in the area. read more

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The environment itself was fine, just was disappointed in what I ordered. First ordering over the phone was a bit of a drag. They were talking off to the side, kept repeating what we said and getting it wrong, distracted. I ordered the brisket grilled cheese because of a photo I saw where it looked amazing. Mine, looked nothing like that photo sadly. It was thicker cut, barely cheese, just a let down. Not a bad price point but nothing blew us away. read more

Big Frank's Barbeque & Grill - Brisket grilled cheese - Barbeque Near Me - Waterbury, Connecticut

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They used to be a good spot-- completely gone downhill. This is their "brisket grinder", it's advertised as having onion peppers and cheese. There are two strips of meat and no toppings. We came on time to pick up the order and still waited an extra 15 minutes, just to get this? Absolute garbage. They used to be a local staple, now they're clearly on their way to getting closed. Don't bother anymore. read more

i am writing this review as I finish my absolutely delicious ribs and jalopemo poppers. I am so impressed! I've gone to many bbq places disappointed. young and friendly owners, apparently brothers. ***** read more

since the place was sold it went down hill. hot dogs are still good but NO fixins bar or condiments any more. no coffee.. mustard & katsup are in squeeze packets. fish & chips is no longer any good not large flakey pieses like before. only advantage is sit down indoors otherwise its FRANKIES up the street. read more

What happened to this place. 1st, the cashier gets the whole order wrong. What did come was barely edible. The pulled pork cheese fries weren't cooked and the pulled pork looked like it was scraped off yesterday's dish pan, all burnt and stuck together in a string. The bun for the sandwich was burnt. This place used to be so good, now they just suck. Never again. I brought it to their attention, told them I wanted nothing else and they did nothing to compensate me. Just a wast of $22.00 on food I wouldn't give away to homeless people. read more

Big Franks use to be the best Barbecue restaurant in the Waterbury/Litchfield area. The so called Baby back ribs I got the last two times seemed more like ST style Louis Ribs, very fatty. In addition, when Big Frank owned it, the ribs had a beautiful smoked look to them and the taste was way better. This disappoints me because the ribs they once made at Big Franks was the very best I ever had in my life and ribs are one of my favorite foods. The ribs once looked just like the ones shown on the Barbecue contest shows. It is time for me to find a new barbecue joint. read more

Vast selection of food items on the menu. Cozy family style atmosphere. Quick and efficient service.

Came in here while on the road for work. Staff is super friendly and service was quick. I didn't order BBQ, I ordered fried clams, but they have a great variety to order from and good prices! read more

Big Frank's Barbeque & Grill - Welcome! - Barbeque Near Me - Waterbury, Connecticut

We have been coming here for years, my husband especially. We love the location and the restaurant ambiance and seating. I love the free popcorn, I think that's a nice touch. I'm not sure what happened but since we've been there last the service has gone extremely down hill as well as the service. I ordered a special from the board, the Rueben. I was shocked when I received my order. There was hardly anything on the sandwich and the meat was rubbery and tough. When my husband brought it back to the front to show the staff the woman from the register was argumentative saying that's how it comes. She never once offered to fix it or offer to make us something else after she knew we were displeased. The food quality has gone downhill. It's such a shame. I won't recommend this place anymore and sadly, we probably won't be back after this experience. What a sad loss, to lose long term customers. read more

Big Frank's Barbeque & Grill - Reuben. Just awful. Barely any quantity on the sandwich, meat was rubbery and tough. - Barbeque Near Me - Waterbury, Connecticut

Food has gone way downhill since the place was sold. The place was overpriced for what you got from day one but at least the barbecue was pretty good. Now it's terrible. Will never go back there again. read more

Lots of dining room to spread your legs. Friendly staff. Prices really haven't changed much in 5 years. I got a flounder filet platter with 2 pieces of fish, french fries, coleslaw, and a drink, and my guest and I shared. Plenty of food. Both of us were satisfied. $14.34 before taxes. Good value. read more

Big Frank's Barbeque & Grill - In front of cashier area. - Barbeque Near Me - Waterbury, Connecticut

Pretty average food and service. Brisket grinder was ok. Fried mushrooms did not taste right. Guy cooking the food gave me weird vibes. Seems like everyone is just going through the motions there. Probably won't be back again read more

Big Frank's Barbeque & Grill - Brisket grinder and fried mushrooms - Barbeque Near Me - Waterbury, Connecticut

I definitely had a love/dislike experience at Big Frank's today and hopefully I can deliver my thoughts with ease. First and foremost, the customer service here is very welcoming. The young Woman behind the counter was able to assist with how things worked for you need to place your order before being seated and then they will bring your order out to your table. Being this was my first time here, I decided to get a little bit of everything on the menu and they have plenty to offer. I went with a 1/2 Chicken, Brisket and Rib Combo, Cajun Fries, Mac & Cheese, BBQ Wings and a Pulled Pork Sandwich to the tune of a little over $83.00 Though your Pulled Pork sandwich had a good bun to pork ratio, where there wasn't a whole lot of bread to destroy the bite, I must say that the "pork round" itself left much to be desired in way of its consistency. The flavor was there with whatever sauce it carried but it was dried out as if it had been under a heat lamp in its ball form. I love when pulled pork is resting within its own juices and you can see the strips attempting to dance together but they can't due to how moist and tender they are but unfortunately this was not the case with my dried out round of despair. I did enjoy the nice kick coming from the well seasoned Cajun Steak Fries. Fresh potato bite and thick, which held the seasoning really well and carried that great flavor throughout my tastebuds and so I was pleased. However, my happiness ship quickly sank when I took my first bite of the Mac & Cheese. Creamy yet bitter? I was confused as to the cheese option here as I continued to chew within your wonderland of creamy stank and I couldn't do it to myself any longer. This adventure lead me on over to the cornbread, which was very soft and had a nice cake like flare to it. A great bite with the only gripe of it being a bit on the cold side but that is ok for it was really good all the same and quite buttery too. While continuing this roller coaster ride of disappointment over to happiness, we head back on over to sadness with your 1/2 chicken. While the skin carried a decent glazed flavor, the chicken itself was fresh off tanning on the beach for far too long and dried out. The difficult part of the chicken not being tender nor moist within its own juices, was all of the chewing that I had to do through some tough chicken and that set my mood back a little but I continued onwards in hopes for a brighter day. Your Ribs had the audacity to fight my entire mouth, they were tough and my pull back on the bite almost gave me whiplash! A whole snapped neck over a rib with hints of meat on it, ouch........Even the fatty part had some toughness to it and so I quickly moved on to the brisket..... While I finally found something that broke apart with ease, the flavor wasn't kind. Very earthy and it didn't have any savory notes nor sweet, just something found in way of a flavored experiment gone wrong and I couldn't put my finger on it. Honestly, I want to give you a 2.5 stars but Yelp does not have that option but at this time, I can't deliver a 3. read more

Great place for lunch, I have been going here for years and always leave satisfied! Love their New England clam chowder and chicken tenders & steak fries! They have a popcorn machine in the middle of the restaurant with free popcorn- my daughter loves it! Fast service and always a good meal. Clean sitting area and friendly staff. read more

Big Frank's Barbeque & Grill - Chicken tenders with fries & hot sauce - Barbeque Near Me - Waterbury, Connecticut

What a disappointment. My husband and I were in the area and we both remembered years ago what great bbq we always had at Big Frank's. So we ordered our food ($55 worth). We got 2 rib and chicken dinners, a chili dog, sweet potato fries and sodas. We threw most all of it in the trash. The ribs and chicken were so dry and over cooked, that our impression was that it was pre cooked a week ago and then were heated up leftovers. We felt that by the looks and taste that it was not at all cooked fresh. The meat was tough, dry, and not juicy or fall off the bone like it was back when the former owners had the restaurant. We tried to call the owner to tell him of our disappointment and could not find his name or number online. So I called the restaurant and asked for his number and the girl who answered the phone said she could not give out that information. She flat out refused to give me his name, number or any info to help find him. So here we are. Worst bbq ever in our opinion and we will never ever go there again. read more

Great for a quick meal but, clean and nice staff. Not a fan of the BQ but calamari roll or clam roll are great price.

We've been going to Big Franks forever, usually for a brisket sandwich, ribs, or anything BBQ. FINALLY we decided to give their wings a shot. All their sauces are made in house, the wings are smoked, and fall right off the bone. We can't imagine anyone not enjoying the BBQ at Franks. read more

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I came here before COVID. For was good, just regular nice bbq meat. The brisket was so freaking juicy. Came in a few days ago, it was so dry, I thought I was going to choke eating it even with the bbq sauce. Bread was stale also.It looked like days old brisket. If, customers are coming out to support your business at least have good food. They upped the price also, I wouldnt mind if the food was good but I paid more for worst food...SMH. I should have went to G's Burger in Naugatuck. read more

Big Frank's Barbeque & Grill - Dry brisket sandwich. - Barbeque Near Me - Waterbury, Connecticut

I called in to order a cheeseburger for pick up. I asked for cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup and pepper medium. She asked me about four times and each time she got it wrong. I picked it up and it had lettuce, tomato, mayo and sautéed red bell peppers and it was well done. I ate it but it's not even close to what I wanted. read more

This place is awful. I was driving through Waterbury, BBQ sounded good so I stopped in. I ordered a brisket grinder and got a fat grinder. There was literally no meat on this sandwich. It was some slices of BBQ'd fat with grilled onions and peppers. read more

Since it was Morcey's ( Big Top), Now Big Frank's~ just called them to let them know I sat down to eat my take out ribs at home, and was disappointed. The employee that answered was polite and responsive, offering to make me a new set of ribs. I declined since I don't live nearby. I said, " Just tell your boss!" I am disturbed by the snarky answers management consistently provides on the reviews that aren't so nice. We all know people are hard to please, that they also expect to get value met. NUMBER ONE RULE: The CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT! so compromise is needed and sometimes necessary to bite your tongue. My meal tasted/ looked different than it has for the last 50 years. Small business is tough. It doesn't help that everyone is grouchy either! Let's see what the owners are going to put into it to bring it back up to expectations. read more

It's been years since I've eaten at Big Franks, we were in the area and hungry for lunch, so we stopped in. I ordered the BBQ Beef Brisket sandwich, my wife went with a cheeseburger. We shared a nacho chili fries. Everything was decent. I'll admit I've had better beef brisket, but I've also had worse too. There was a good amount of sauce on the meat, it did mask the taste a bit. After living in the Deep South during 2014, I'm used to putting on the BBQ sauce myself, I would have preferred the opportunity to do that. Chili on fries had a bit of spice, but the amount of chili was sparse, I wish there was more. Overall though, we left satisfied, we would come back to Big Franks again in the future. read more

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A couple years ago, I ordered BBQ for me and my friends, who lived in Texas just as I did years ago. Now I'm no conneseur, but I know BBQ and I can do a mean brisket my own self. I was excited to order from Big Frank's. What a let down. First that had trouble getting my order right. Next, they were snotty, and I'ma nice guy, I've very friendly. Then, when we ate the food I though, Oh good Lord, what is wrong with Connecticut, why can't we do BBQ like back in Texas? It's not rocket science! You need good qualiity meat (and veggies for grilling), the right woods, and a lot of proper TLC and Prep. Now, I can make a really fabulous brisket, but I don't have the gear like I used to have and I live in an apartment. At least 3 times a year I yearn for proper, modestly decent BBQ, and I just can't get it anywhere near Waterbury, CT If a company wants to prosper, they need to have proper pride in what they do. I've worked in food service and gotten cook's tips, because I always put in as much effort as possible. I had pride in what I did. C'mon Frank's, get proper equipment, better wood, and better ingredients and teach your staff some. And make the workers happy to be there. If a restaurant worker has an attitude, it's generally the operator's fault for making them miserable. This place is a disappointment, I'm sorry, I hate giving bad reviews, I really do, I pride myself in complementing cooks, I did so today with another place, I made a call and talked to the cook and thanked him for great food. But with Frank's I probably won't go back unless they change owners and learn from how it's done properly. Also, the servings were small and chintsy. read more

5 stars for those St. Louis Ribs tho!!! We come here almost once a week for some of those ribs. The baby back ribs were aiight, but the St Louis here are finger lickin' good. I have never had anything else here. Just ribs. It's worth it just for that alone. Good stuff. read more

Big Frank's Barbeque & Grill - Those St Louis ribs!!! - Barbeque Near Me - Waterbury, Connecticut

Tried this place with hubby today, I will never go there again! Ribs were so dry and hard to btw I go. Took one bite and threw the rest in the garbage. Corn muffin was bland and the sweet potatoes fries were burnt and tasted like cardboard! What a waste of money! Beef brisket and cole slaw not bad but the checkout girl's snotty attitude overshadowed that. Save your money for that's actually worth it! I wouldn't go here again even if it was free! read more

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So if you're in the middle of Waterbury Ct and your stomach suddenly says to you "FEED ME BARBECUE YOU MARGINALLY OVERWEIGHT MIDDLE-AGED MAN!", you're going to have a few options here. For me, the primary target would be House of Bones in Shelton, about 30 minutes away depending on what side of town I'm on. Options 2 and 3 would lay due east across i84 in the form of Smoking with Chris or Mission BBQ, both in Southington and both about the same 25-30 minute ride. So here's the thing, I'm REALLY lazy and I REALLY hate driving on i84, so more often than not I go with Big Franks, option 4. Here's the thing, this isn't' like award-winning, competition level BBQ, so just get that expectation tempered right away. Does that mean it's not good? Not at all, it's very good in my opinion and guess what, FIVE MINUTES AWAY! We've been coming here for years and have never been let down. The food is consistently good and reasonably priced. Again, we go in knowing what to expect and we almost always get it. We've had a few speed bumps here and there but nothing major and nothing that kept us from coming back. We usually go with the pulled pork or brisket sandwich and almost ALWAYS for the onion rings, but we've toured the menu enough to think it's safe to say that it's all good. Service has always been good and again for me, the pricing is on point though others may disagree. If you're looking for a convenient BBQ quick fix, this place is a worthy destination. IT's BBQ "Fast Food" kinda, but more than respectable and more than worthy of a regular stop for us. read more

Good food. Although the ribs aren't as good as House of Bones BBQ in Derby. I enjoyed the chicken too. I did find the coleslaw a little dry. It's worth asking for butter for the corn bread too. Busy at lunch time as well. I will be back again. I may try a hot dog or burger or other sandwich next time. Pretty good and close to my temp job. read more

Much more than barbecue! Had wings and had eggplant fries- Wings were amazing, the eggplant fries were so flavorful, marinara paired perfectly with them, I couldn't believe I was at a barbecue joint! Cashier was sweet and patient, service was prompt. You have a new regular, see you soon! read more

Good good but too pricey for me. $8 for a grilled chicken sandwich with no side or drink. That is definitely a bit steep for me. If it was a couple dollars cheaper I would go here much more often. I remember getting really good ribs from this establishment a very long time ago. I'm glad they are still in business but they need to lower their prices on some items! read more

I like Big Frank's, I really do. Do I absolutely love it? No, but it's your average easy go-to when you don't feel like cookin'. I probably come here once every six months or so... must be the cool pig themed decor and neon lights that get me back in the door. It's decent priced, and a fast, easy meal that's not McDonald's or the BK lounge. They have burgers, dogs, BBQ, and many varieties of fries. I always end up getting a BBQ pulled pork sandwich and sweet potato fries because I'm a creature of habit. This time my pulled pork was kinda blah...it needed more BBQ sauce. The cole slaw is so-so, but the cornbread that came with my meal was pretty delish. My stepdad got fried clam strips which he said were frozen and not very good. I'd stay away from those and stick with a burger or BBQ. read more

Big Frank's Barbeque & Grill - Barbeque Near Me - Waterbury, Connecticut

Delicious food! They seem pretty organized here. Small menu but great food. A bit pricey but really well worth it. I have encountered a time or 2 that the food was served old and hard. But that was takeout so I didn't come back to rectify that. When I have sat all the food seemed fresh. I have seen a few microwaves here. Makes you wonder??? But the cornbread is a tiny piece they give with the platter that I always like to order xtra for the family. The 6 rib 1/2 bird platter is enough to feed 3. They also serve soup burgers and hot dogs here! 4 stars minus one only bc it's pricey. Also here's a big Tip... If they close at 8 come by 7:30 it seems like if they aren't busy they will close early I've seen it done twice already! read more

I have been going to franks for more than 10 years. They changed their food recently and the cheese cubes which were a huge hit before are now disgusting. Will not be going back, and when I let the rest of my family know they also were disappointed and said they wont be returning. Franks is headed downhill fast unfortunately. Big sad. read more

I was pleasantly surprised!!!! Wandered in after coming from the car wash. Wasn't sure what to get since I have been a pescatarian for years. Randomly craving meat. So I ordered a few thing to taste. I went with a combo, 6 baby back ribs with 1/2 a bird, a pulled pork sandwich, and some curly fries. OMG Everything was nice and tender. The baby back ribs were NOT skimpy either. Nice & meaty!! Just the right amount of BBQ sauce. And as many to go condiment cups as you want. My puppy enjoyed a few ribs as well!!! He has hidden those bones around the house for later. Wish I would've taken pics; but, Hunter & I tore thru it!!! Would def bring my family back here. read more

They actually served me a cold burger with a stale cold roll. From grill to counter , cold , stale roll! I walked out!

Stopped in town for a bite, but wish we kept driving. I thought ordering BBQ at a BBQ place would be safe but the joke was on me, it was the worst BBQ I've ever had. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich, which are pretty standard in most places: chunks of fall apart pork, lightly sauced or sauce your own, served on a bun. What I received was the driest pre-formed pork puck that in no way resembled any BBQ I've ever encountered. It was flossy, cottony dehydrated meat harshly shaped into a preformed patty. The hard crust around it led me to believe these patties are preformed at prep and left to sit and dry out further in a hopper until ready to serve. No amount of sauce could undo the dryness. If this is the BBQ, I fear for what the rest of the menu has in store, which was extensive but impossible to read because it was split among three different locations, so good luck trying to choose or even figure out where to look while people are waiting behind you. If you're ever in Waterbury, you can do better. Keep driving. read more

This went downhill fast. The Caiazzo family sold Big Frank's recently (no story in the newspaper, just an ad from the Caiazzos wishing the new owners good luck). My family has been going to Big Frank's since we moved here in 2000. It was always consistent, rarely transcendent, but reliable and quick. That appears to have changed. I ordered a St. Louis rib platter and an order of boneless ribs to go last night. While I waited, several other customers appeared to be pointing out inaccuracies in their orders, and one said to me on his way out, "Check your order." Would that I even got that far. At some point I could hear the (I believe) manager telling a befuddled cook something about what I had ordered, and I was not filled with confidence. Alas, 20 to 25 minutes later that order had not yet appeared. I asked one of the counter clerks if she could tell me what had happened to it. She fumbled through the slips but couldn't seem to find mine. So I asked for my money back. The manager said she would check on the order but after that length of time, and within the context of other dissatisfied customers, I politely declined and went to McDonald's drive thru. How sad that it has come to this. I'd give it zero if I could. read more