I almost made the grave mistake of going to a chain restaurant near the outlets off the Centralia exit from I5, but fortunately I Yelped to see what other options were around. Only about a mile away, through the heart of the city, I found Big T's listed with a number of good reviews. Always on the lookout for good BBQ, I decided to give it a shot. It's been years since I've had ribs that were so meaty and flavorful. Tom, the owner, runs a small establishment, but really knows customer service and more importantly, top notch BBQ. With a single visit, I've found a new go-to every time I'm heading south to Portland. For anyone who appreciates quality BBQ, I implore you to take the detour. You won't regret it! read more

The building is unassuming but Toms BBQ is awesome, I often use them for catering large groups and lunch. Best BBQ in the area, beef ribs, pork ribs, chicken and all the fixings. Tom and his staff are terrific. read more

The brisket here is something special. It is not recognizable to someone formed by the brisket traditions of Kansas City or Texas -- it isn't crispy on the edges, it isn't dripping with glistening fat, it isn't heavy on the smoke flavour. It is something finer and more elusive than that. In American barbecue culture, it comes closest to tasting like North Carolina vinegar barbecue pork. It is pulled and trimmed in the same way as that, shredded and devoid of big gobs of fat. Now, fat is a lovely thing, but I've got to respect the owner's insistence that people are paying for the meat, not the fat. You also aren't being charged for a bunch of moisture added at the last minute; the brisket is tossed on a hot griddle to moisten and loosen it before it hits your plate, but it's weighed before that. Now, I say that the closest American analogue is in North Carolina, but truth be told I don't think that American barbecue is the place to look to understand what you're getting from the brisket here. Yes, it's cooked low and slow over a mix of hardwoods, and so you'd think it would be a very American thing, indeed. But there is something off about it, something gloriously, wonderfully off. To my palate it tastes more like Vietnamese Bo Kho, which is brisket braised or stewed in a sauce whose primary component is carrot. I really must suggest you get the brisket here without the sauce on offer; it tastes wonderfully of molasses, but hides the real magic. The brisket, in all seriousness, tastes like it's flavoured with chile peppers of a deep flavour (like the Manzano variety, for those familiar with that staple of area Latin American markets), and a very Vietnamese mix of spices: star anise, carrot, and fish sauce. It is so much like Bo Kho it's uncanny. Now, is that what it's really flavoured with? I've got no clue. I asked too many questions of the owner as it is, enough to know that he knows what he's doing and isn't going to give up his secrets :) He uses a dry rub, he smokes for over 20 hours, he trims and shreds. You can glean a little more from how it's treated prior to serving, and from the orange flecks all through it. But there is a distinct, earthy, carroty flavour. Is that really what's going on? I think it probably is, either that or some orange variety of chile pepper which produces a similar taste. The fish sauce flavour is more elusive. Is it just a side effect of the mix of woods, including maple, which can be strange and resinous? Is it a hint of vinegar or something in the dry rub? Maybe it's Maggi or some other seasoning sauce, I don't know. The stack of wood next to the outdoor pit told me all I needed to know; this is real barbecue made lovingly, and it is well worth eating, and boasts lovely complexity. What the nature of that complexity is, I can't say precisely, but I can say that it is wonderful and unexpected, and that there is surely nothing precisely like it anywhere else. And that is a very special thing, and a great gift to anyone passing through Lewis County. Very special food, indeed. read more

I'm still dreaming of the onion rings... I stopped here on my way back from Seattle and I probably never would have found this place if not for yelp. It's so far away from the outlet malls that I almost thought my GPS had snapped and was taking me out to the boonies to be killed. But then we ended up back in civilization and I knew I was fine. This place is small, but that's a good thing. It's literally a little burger stop. You can either drive up to the window or walk in to order. There's 3 tables inside to sit down at, or there's picnic tables outside to sit at. I ordered a Deluxe Burger with onion rings and a strawberry shake in place of soda. The girl behind the counter was so nice and super sweet, and very patient with a tired me placing an order. The shake was thick and amazing, the burger was simple and flavorful, and the onion rings...oh man. I almost thought they were too done, but when I bit into them, I actually got to taste the breading and the onion at the same time! No big greasy ring of onion came slipping out!. Heaven. I wish I lived closer to Centralia so I could go back anytime I wanted. read more

Great locals joint offering drive thru only and some of the best barbecue around! Not easy to find so don't give up!!!! We strongly recommend everything on the menu!!! read more

Best Ribs I've had! The prices can't be beat for such great food whether it be the burgers, BBQ, or fair style fries, YUM, highly recommend.

Smoked meatloaf and the Friday ribs are fantastic! Pulled pork is also really tasty (especially on the southern sliders!) Brisket is not served in thick slices as I would prefer. Instead, it's served "shredded" like the pulled pork. That is my only critique, and would otherwise give this spot 5stars. Either way, this is one of my go-to lunch places, and the staff is super friendly. Definitely worth a visit. read more

The smoked meatloaf sandwich that *Kim* makes is to die for. For some reason, her recipe is the best. Highly recommend this place. I am always very happy with the staff and the food that is made here. Thank you. read more

The kids had the ribs and the hubby had a Hawaiian burger with pulled pork. I ended up getting a mushroom jalapeño burger... And all I did was pick off their food. Their food was way better than mine. The ribs fell off the bone and the burgers we're all finger lickin' good! They have awesome service and genuine great workers! Most popular plate is the smoked meatloaf sandwich. We didn't find out until the cook mentioned it while we were eating. He gave a sampler for us to try out... Man was it good! You can taste the smoked applewood. This is a great local joint! read more

After reading previous reviews, I decided to try big ts. I have a strong culinary background I can certainly appreciate the great customer service and very friendly staff. This place is a gem in our small town. Our group of 4 each ate different meals along with an order of ribs to share. Great job. The onion rings are without a doubt the best I've had hands down. Great job guys read more

Be more giving next time you phonies. C dry, and not worth going to

Generous portion sizes, friendly staff, and pretty decent grub! Wish they had cornbread and macaroni, but still good.

Everything is so good here! The best BBQ I have ever had! The burgers and fries are the best too! My favorite is the French dip! It's like 2 meals for me but it's the best! read more

Found this spot randomly while driving through town with a friend. We could smell the pit from the road and thought we'd give it a shot. On the menu my friend sees the "Manwich" and says to me, "what is a Manwich"? with no description to accompany the name, I took a shot in the dark and guessed it was like some sloppy joe-type thing...I could not have been more wrong. This burger is MASSIVE. Four burger patties, pulled pork, smoked meat loaf, brisket, bacon, eggs, cheese, and some other stuff I'm probably forgetting. Tasted as satisfying as it looked. Now, clearly this is not the thing you eat often, but if it starts to replace my birthday cake I won't be disappointed. read more

Seriously, so good. Best pulled pork I've ever had. My guy had the meatloaf and loved it. It's the kind of place you think of and go....I've got to go there tonite! read more

Fantastic dinner! With a family of five it is hard to find a spot where everyone gets their favorites. We loved it all especially the fries! See you soon I am sure! read more

Everything here is awesome. The burgers are amazing. The BBQ is so good. Friday nights are rib night and if your lucky they might have loaded smoked potatoes. The smoked meatloaf is awesome as well. Highly recommend this place read more

Wanted to try little spots during our road trip and stumbled on to this place. Has a nice home feel and the brisket was amazing! The sauce was not overpowering and the meat was smoked to perfection. read more

Visited Big T's for dinner because we were staying at the Great Wolf Lodge. The good reviews on here are certainly warranted. We were a group of eight - three adults and five kids - who dropped by within an hour of closing. The two nice ladies working did not seem to mind, although they could have easily been ready to head home for the night. They were very cordial and accommodating. We ordered a burger, some pork sandwiches, brisket sandwiches, hot link, fries, tots, and fried mushrooms. Everything was really great. One in our party previously lived in Kansas City, widely know as the home of some of the best bbq to be had. She was adamant this was right up there. I agree. The place was very clean. You grab your own drinks from a fridge, which also house the choice of bbq sauce, ranch, fry sauce, ketchup, and hot sauce. We drive past this town every year in November on the way to relatives. If we happen by when the time is right, we will be sure to visit again. Really, really, really tasty. read more

Had a full rack of ribs, and wasn't expecting the high quality or the high quantity. Just excellent, but tough to finish even when super-hungry to start. Not a big place, but they do a really good job here! Only issue is that they randomly run out of stuff, but that's part of the BBQ game. read more

I have never had a bad meal there. The BBQ is on point. The burgers are great and the staff is always friendly. When I have a craving for a good burger or just something delicious this is my go to. Love the food and the staff great place. read more

We were driving back from Tacoma and had a hankering for a barbecue. We fired up yelp and found big t barbecue. This place is a hidden gem. We will always stop off and enjoy this barbecue pit on our travels back-and-forth from Tacoma in Portland. Hollie is in exceptional employee that greeted us with a huge smile and welcoming demeanor. We highly recommend this place. read more

We were heading back to Seattle and found this hole in the wall. It's a little off the beaten path but well worth it!! We had the sampler: brisket, pulled pork and smoked meatloaf. It was dinner for two plus leftovers. We highly recommend! read more

Really good bbq, we consider ourselves pretty particular when it comes to bbq, having lived near K.C. and Memphis, it's not K.C. good, but for this far West it's pretty excellent. Smoky, tender, and big portions. read more

Not impressed. Took forever, cold, order mixed up. I was embarrassed I suggested it to my friends

Delicious food; great service! We'll definitely return for more! Brisket was flavorful and tender. Generous portions. Burger was so big it looked like a double patty. read more

I usually don't like meatloaf but the smoked meatloaf didn't last long. The brisket and pulled pork were good too. I ordered the big sampler and it was all meat! Delicious. I wish I would have ordered some sides. Next time! read more

I had the Combo which consisted of pulled pork, meatloaf and brisket. All was wonderfully tender and juicy with just a light smoky flavor. Sometimes BBQ is dried out, but not here. I plan to go back for Friday ribs! Also, the two ladies working were very polite, friendly and helpful in helping select what I might enjoy the most. Too, the place was very clean inside something I think we all appreciate. Keep up the great work! read more

this is honestly the best bbq joint around! the pulled pork and ribs...amazing!!!!! my daughter had wrangler burger...wow!!!!!! she was impressed! the staff was hilarious and so welcoming!!!!! well done ya'll!!!!! we will be back!!!!! read more

We were in town to visit the King Ag Museum. Afterwards, we wanted something reasonably/priced and different. We had already been to the Irish joint, Mac's, and several others. Unfortunately, it seems half the restaurants are closed on Sundays, tourist trade be damned. This place is small, hot, delicious, and opened. The ladies working there were friendly, fast, and easy to talk with. If you want to try everything, make sure you go early in the weekend. Not complaining, but by Sunday they had run out of the smoked meatloaf and a number of other items. Which, if they cook it themselves, is to be expected. This was one of the highlights of our weekend. read more

This little burger stop has been operating in Centralia for years. After frequently driving by this location and realizing there had been a change (awesome smelling bbq pits outside where there had been none before), I made a mental note to check it out. After thinking about it for a couple of months I finally made a point of heading out that way on a recent Sunday with a few of the kids. Upon arriving we discovered the neighborhood was experiencing a scheduled power outage. Luckily bbq pits don't run on power and they were operating with a limited menu YAY! That day it was a choice of a cheese burger or pulled pork sandwich. We ordered some of both. The cheese burgers were average but good, after all they came out of the pit so the taste was good by default. The pulled pork sandwich was great. Obviously cooked low and slow the way it should be. Both were served on a great Kaiser roll which I really enjoyed. The bbq sauce, although a little sweet for my taste (I prefer a sauce with a little more bite) was still quite tasty. The following Sunday a friend and I had just pulled our Kayaks out of the Skookumchuck river and our return route to town brought us past Mr J's...YAY again! This time I was overjoyed to find brisket on the menu (which they only do on a random basis). Again I ordered the pulled pork in addition to trying the brisket. I was a little disappointed to see the absence of the Kaiser roll that was so good on my previous visit....but after one bite of the delicious melt in my mouth brisket sandwich I soon forgot all about it. Again, the pulled pork was excellent. The service here both times was friendly and efficient. I'm a big fan of having a little slaw to top off my pit bbq sandwich but that was missing here. I guess it's probably just not the style for them. I'm looking forward to trying the smoked beans and the smoked meatloaf...they both sound great. Great prices, good food and friendly service. Keep up the good work Mr J's! read more

Stopped here for lunch on our way home based on the yelp reviews. It's about 10 minutes off of I-5, but the BBQ pulled pork, brisket & smoked meatloaf were all excellent. My favorite was the pork as it was the most tender & juicy. The potato salad also had very good flavor, a little heavy on the mustard, which I liked. We didn't get to try the onion rings as they were out. The fries & tater tots were good, but of your average variety. The dining room was empty with two drive-up customers ahead of us, so there was a little bit of a wait for the food, but it wasn't too bad, and service was friendly. They have a drive thru order window & also a small dine-in area for up to maybe 16-18 people max. There is no bathroom though, only a Porta- potty outside that was not so clean and no handwashing option, so be warned! read more

I couldn't even wait to get home to do this review. This place does just the right amount of smoke. We had the sampler the ribs were fall of the bone, meat loaf was a pleasant surprise with it being smoked, and the pulled pork was juicy and tasted amazing. The home cut fries were also perfect. The only negative thing I can say about this place is that it's too far away from home. We will stop by when we are on the area. read more

If you staying at the Great Wolf Lodge take the ride it's worth it. My daughter and I had the brisket sandwiches tots and fries, we will come again. read more

You can smell it when you drive by. We had to stop and so glad we did. Loved the pulled pork. My son just had to have a vanilla milkshake. It was really big so I had to share with him (wink wink). Onion rings were so good and love a good tartar sauce with it. read more

I drive 20 minutes just to go here. They have such amazing food and the women who takes/makes the food is so nice.

Great BBQ!! Onions rings and fries were perfect too! Are family is typically a chain restaurant only kind of family, but we found Big T BBQ agreeable with the whole family! read more

I wish there were "minus" numbers to select from. The place was filthy. Your hand would stick to the soda machine. The main cook was filled with tattoos and wore sweat pants that looked like he crawled out from under his car. The place was 90 degrees inside and the cook was sweating all over the food. All of the fish, shrimp, clams were purchased from a wholesale food place and thrown into their rancid cooking oil. The fries were inedible. To get an idea of how filthy the place is....look up at their smoke exhaust and watch the grease drip off. STAY AWAY!!!! read more

Superb. Very nice staff. A bit of a jog off the interstate but worth the extra 5 minutes.

Really, really good food, not too many people so it's rarely overcrowded, and the onion rings specifically are very good