It wasn't my first visit to Famous Dave's, but last night my family stopped in for dinner. I will admit it had been a while, but I wasn't quite prepared for the new arrangements inside. They no longer have waiters, and instead you order at the counter and then receive a number and find a seat. It ended up being fine, but I was definitely taken aback, and I was not prepared to give my order right away. The staff was friendly and accommodating, and the food was pretty tasty! My husband is a big BBQ guy, and I'm not, so it was definitely his choice of restaurants. I did enjoy my crispy chicken sandwich though, it was the right amount of spice for what I was craving, and I really enjoyed the side of mac n cheese. The jalapenos and corn made it that much tastier, and the texture was the perfect creaminess. My kiddos enjoyed their meals, a cheeseburger and mac n cheese, and my husband for sure enjoyed his BBQ. read more

Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que - Iris' Comeback Chicken Sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I was there for dinner on a Friday evening. The place had plenty of space left. Pulled chicken sandwich was my favorite entree. Texas beef brisket barbecue was ok as well. Banana pudding was my favorite item here. Dave's cheesy mac and famous fries were good as well. read more

Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que - Texas beef brisket barbecue with banana pudding and famous fries - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Second time to Dave's bbq; ordered the ultimate burger via app and a drink. Received a text with confirmed pick up time. There was only one cashier working on a Friday at 1 pm, and my wait was about 5 minutes which was much better than the first time. The burger was loaded with all sorta of meats and I love those pickles. Wasn't too impressed with the mac and cheese (extra $0.5) as they weren't creamy for me. There were corn inside which was different. Overall, it's a quick bbq joint and I'll definitely return when in area. read more

Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Delish! Ribs, beans, cornbread! Awesome!!!! I ordered for delivery a week later it was so good! read more

Was there for lunch today. Used to come years ago. Not the same food at all. Ordered Georgia pork sandwich. No coleslaw. Could tell reheated. 8 fries!? No more wild rice soup?! Plate put in front of us quickly and walked away. Not rude but not friendly either. We used to love this place but won't hurry back! Sorry!! read more

I wanted something comforting to eat at Famous Daves, so I ordered their mashed potatoes and a side of their "Cheesy Mac and Cheese" with my pork. To my HORROR, what I had when I arrived home was elbow noodles SMOTHERED in under-cooked, tough and crisp CORN with more corn than cheese in the dish. It is INEDIBLE, impossible to chew, and absolutely awful. All I wanted was some comforting Mac and Cheese. What I got was a terrible waste of money for an expensive side dish that made NO MENTION that they had filled it with more corn than noodles. This isn't Mac and Cheese, it is CORN and cheese and they should have warned me. I never would have purchased it if I knew what it contained. For some ungodly reason Yelp says I'm in North Bend, WA. I assure you I've been a local resident for over 50 years and I will never eat at Famous Dave's again. read more

We have been craving this place so decided to go tonight. Super disappointed. We arrived about 4:30 to beat the dinner rush. We ordered and my husband went to use the restroom before we ate. Before he came back and sat down the food was already at the table...we thought this was odd. Well, it was! Most of the food was cold except for the chicken. The fries were barely lukewarm. Many of the tables were dirty and appeared like no one had cleaned any of them most of the day. I'm also a ketchup snob and I had to hunt down a bottle that was full and it was clearly not Heinz or Hunts, just runny generic crud. I don't know that we will be back in some time. We will go to Fat Jack's where we have rarely had a bad meal and it's always hot and fresh. read more

Terrible customer service. Had ordered through a 3rd party app. Upon receiving the food realized they had sent items other than what I ordered. After calling the restaurant I was placed on hold for nearly 40 minutes at which time the manager told me I would have to go through the app to correct their mistake. Was generally, apathetic, dismissive and smug. In the future if I am in the mood for bbq I will go elsewhere. read more

Everything here tasted good, I liked the cheddar sausage the most, it had a nice char

FAMOUS DAVES IS THE SHIT! FINGER LICKIN GOOD! The prices went up but the food was awesome! They remodeled the place so it's a bit different then I remember. We definitely over ordered! The meats were cooked perfectly, the smoked chicken was perfect all around. Get some smoked chicken! There's lot of parking! I wish they would put some outside seating in the parking lot, there's definitely enough space. Famous Dave's gives you a bbq place feel right when you come in. The decor hasn't changed much and I always liked it this way so it was nice coming back to eat here. Service was friendly and quick. I always appreciate them having extra bbq sauce at the tables with a variety. Thank you Famous Dave's! read more

Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que - All-American BBQ Feast - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

This place is under rated! We had the platter for two and each part was very good. The corn was tender and not over cooked The ribs were definitely a good smoky flavor without being overly done. The chicken was fall off the bone tender. The brisket had a nice Smokey flavor and yet tenderness. Accenting this was a small bowl of slaw that had a great balance of tart and sweet. The baked beans had meat in them which gave the beans a hearty but not overwhelming flavor. Last but not least were the corn muffins. OMG if I did not better I would swear they were moms made from scratch muffins. The setting is very nostalgic so enjoy the throw back ambiance while listening to recent music and sports TV. SOOOO FULL and SOOO content. read more

The sweet tea! Yum! The brisket and the beans and the corn bread and the rib tips were also good. I do have only 1 question, why is there corn in the Mac & Cheese? It tasted good but the corn threw me off texturally. The sauces on the table were great too! I would eat at this bbq chain again. I'll just try a different side. read more

Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que - Two meet platter yum! - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

This place was great I thought the pulled pork sausage Was great The corn bread and cobbler were awesome Great place read more

Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que - ows a tray of food - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

My wife and I went there 3 weeks ago.Found the menus and staff confusing.ordered their burger and fries and the brisket sandwich. Both just ok.fries were near cool.the place was dark and depressing. Hadn't been there in 15 years. read more

Ordered the Labor Day Feast. The restaurant was efficient. Generous portions for a small "get together". Will definitely subdue any drunk manly craving. :) Cornbread was good. Chicken skin was perfect. Brisket was a bit dry. Pork was good (smothered in bbq sauce). Coleslaw is the reason for the four stars. Step up that game!!! Also, make sure the lid is on securely! The juices will soak your car seat. :oops: read more

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I have eaten here multiple times in the past 10 years. My husband and I stopped here a month ago and they have changed so much. We walked into the restaurant and you have to now walk up to the counter to order. Then seat yourself in the restaurant. They no longer have wait staff. I'm not a fan. It was 6:00pm. Dinner time and we were the only people in the restaurant. We stood around for a bit and then decided to go elsewhere. It was freezing cold in the restaurant in December. The menus were dirty and sticky. A staff member was standing outside the entrance to the restaurant smoking. So we had to walk through a cloud of smoke to leave. There was also a shady deal happening in the empty parking lot. I will not return to this restaurant. read more

Famous Dave's is a decent BBQ option. My favorite meal there is their burger with brisket on it. Their BBQ isn't like your southern BBQ so if that's what you're hoping for, I would keep looking. I do recommend their burgers for sure. It is not a sit-down family restaurant vibe, but they have good service. read more

Famous Dave's used to be great. Now, to coin one of their own southern-fried, cornpone idioms: They're just fair to middlin'. They've changed from a waitress-served establishment to one where you order at a counter, get a cup, and serve your drink yourself. Someone still brings food to your table, but it's lost some of its charm that way. The food is hit or miss. If it's a good day, it's still pretty good. Not great. Just pretty good. If it's a bad day, it can be dry, or flavorless, and sometimes it feels like they really skimp on the portions. Twenty-five years ago, my wife and I hit up Famous Dave's almost weekly. Now, I still go, but not often. It's become a once or twice a year destination. read more

Ahh Dave's what happened? I ordered the Georgia pork and Texas brisket. Wilber beans and slaw. $25.00 The brisket was passable the pork dry the bread was uneatable. The sides were from a can. Had warm Pepsi served Small tiny portions. The service was fast food level. The restaurant was clean and sections closed off. Ppl thought COVID was still a thing enforced masks and distancing. Stay clear read more

I want to start with praising how helpful, friendly, efficient the host and cashier and waitress were. The restaurant was very clean, including the bathroom, with the fun antique garage/farm house/road trip vibe. It was a weekday lunch, but the place was qui busy with tables, and we noticed many customers coming in just to grab their take out. The A/C was blaring right above the table, we were frozen stiff and the napkins kept flying away, but we wanted to stay near the window because the rest of the dining room was very dark. The corn muffins were delicious. However... The mac'n'cheese was stiff and cold, and it had more corn than noodles. The toast was delicious, buttery and grilled to perfection, but the meats were quite bad. The pulled pork was chewy, very uneven cut, and the brisket was dry and chewy. Even doused in a pint of sauce, the meats remained hard to chew and tasting only stale. Same thing with the steak fries. We're not picky, and we've had our fair share of side-of-the-road, sketchy barbecue places... this was much, much worse. I am devastated to write such a bad review, because again, the service was excellent, and the place itself was very cool and super clean. But it was absolutely terrible, and still quite on the pricey side. read more

I enjoy the food at Famous Dave's. The Dave burger, the wings the rib tips are all great. Kyle was a pleasure when he visited our table to make sure our meal was as we expected! read more

This is decent BBQ. Basically, if you really want some BBQ, and you're in Madison, WI, this will be fine. I've just had a whole lot better. The BBQ is average. The flavor is pretty good, the meat is iffy, and the food seems sloppily prepared. It's almost like they could earn another star if they only took the 3 extra minutes to properly prepare the food before it comes to the table - pick out some good slices of pickles, arrange the meat neatly on the bun so it isn't falling off onto the plate, etc. It feels lazy - and they can afford to be because there is little competition in town. Other bad things - their pop is gross. I don't know if I just caught them on a bad day, but I hate flavorless pop like this. The service was okay. A whole 10 min passed between the time I was finished and the time I got the check, and it was not because they were busy. I did get my food pretty quick though. Overall - average at best, and certainly unimpressive today. read more

Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que - BBQ pulled chicken sandwich and baked beans. - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Friendly service. Brisket horrible. Sausage good. Ribs indifferent. Been there 3-4 times. Same thing. read more

Tried calling for over 40 minutes, no matter which option i pushed from their menu including curb side pick up, it would ring several times and then just disconnect. I just drove there to place a to go order. I ordered the Feast for two, the cost is over $50 dollars which is supposed to come with a full pound of chopped pork, (i weighed it on my kitchen scale when i got home) i didn't even have a half pound and couldn't even make 2 full sandwiches. Don't say a pound and then send me home with your badly eyed guesstimate, weigh it MF! They basically kept a half pound of chopped pork that i paid for. I bet the cook had it for dinner later. The ribs were fatty, gamey, and cold. The cook doesn't speak English so communicating that, or anything else is impossible. This used to be a good place for BBQ at a decent price. Those days are long gone. This has been one of several bad experiences my family and I have had over the last couple years at Infamous Daves. I will give a restaurant several separate opportunities before i write and submit a bad review, just in case i caught them on a bad day, it happens. I write these reviews when I know the place it used to be, is gone and never coming back. View all the 1 & 2 star reviews, and trust me, that's only because all of us couldn't give it a zero-star review and a middle finger. Save your money and go elsewhere, it no longer has any claim to quality. I will never eat here again after today. Why chance it for that price point? Your far better off at a steak house for ribs. read more

I used Uber Eats to deliver. That was fine. The food was awful. I ordered a burger and fries and onion strings. The onion strings were so salty -I only took two bites and then threw it away. The sauce for the onion strings was good but the strings were sooooooo salty. I just couldn't eat them The fries were excellent but the burger was raw. I just ate around the burger and threw the rest away. I'm still hungry and I will never eat there again. read more

Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que - Raw hamburger. - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Famous Dave's has been on the decline for awhile now, and my last visit was the final nail in the coffin. First and foremost, the food that was formerly decent is now nearly inedible. A few years ago I could rely on FD's to give me a nice lean, thick-cut portion of brisket that wasn't mind-blowing, but had a good flavor and texture and a nice dark color from the smoke and bark. On a recent Saturday afternoon, I was served a couple thin slices of wet, gray meat. It was so fatty and limp that it was ridiculous; the meat fibers were literally individually popping out of a web of fat. Barf. I don't have trypophobia, but picturing this still gives me the chills. The Wilbur beans were okay, but the mashed potatoes had very little flavor - definitely none of the butter or garlic promised in the description. The flavor of the cornbread was fine, but it was so dry that half the muffin was left stuck to the wrapper in chunks of crumb. If a server had ever bothered to return to our table after dropping off food, I would have sent it back. After sitting alone with my family in the dining room with no server in sight I gave in and finished the sides and cornbread. My boyfriend isn't picky about food, so I got a box and gave him my leftover brisket. Even though he is generally a human garbage disposal (said with love, he just isn't a picky dude), even my boyfriend couldn't bring himself to eat it. I do like their sauces, and we did have great service from one young man earlier this year. However, aside from that one guy who was actually engaged, the other couple of visits we've made over the last year or so have left a lot to be desired. On one visit I was served the wrong side and when I told the server he picked it up off my plate and walked away instead of just bringing the correct thing. In general, servers have come to take orders, drop off food, and then drop off a check - no drop-ins for drink refills or to make sure everything is okay unless you can find them and flag them down. The three-strike combo of low-quality food, inattentive service, and high prices has me saying bye-bye to Famous Dave's and hello to exploring better BBQ places around town. read more

Taya is a wonderful ambassador for Famous Dave's. She was courteous and helpful while I ignorantly placed my to go order. Thank you the great service Taya! read more

This Famous Dave's location is one of the best I've visited. The staff is always friendly and efficient. They do their best to get to know their loyal customers. I've actually visited this location on two of their worst days in the last 10 years. On one of these days, we wanted to beat the intense heat. Since they usually overdo the air conditioning (like most restaurants), we decided to visit partially to cool off. It turned out that their AC was broken. Despite the place being warm, our experience was positive because of how attentive our server was. She made sure cold drinks stayed full and that our stay didn't have to be longer than necessary. On another bad day for them, they were replacing wood and shingles on their roof, with big holes in it. It turned out we had a biblical downpour right over lunch that day. They were banging away trying to cover the openings with plywood while it poured. Lightning struck a tree at the opposite side of their parking lot, which caused power to go out for 5 seconds. When it came back up, we were welcomed by leaks springing up all over. We got reseated twice (big rivulets poured right into my Mountain Dew!) before they figured out where we could sit to avoid leaks. Despite the chaos, our service was still courteous and quick. They got us out of there so we could pick our way through the flooding back to work. The food is very consistent - I usually get a two meat special, which is rarely subpar. Occasionally the brisket is a little dry. Another great item on the menu is the chili and baked potato combo. read more

Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que - Baked potato and chili combo. Yum! - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Jacob is my new favorite server - not just here but anywhere. He took such good care of us, including my elderly parents and kept us all laughing with his wit. Our food was really good too. Parents both had the 4 bone rib dinners, which they predictably had to share with me as the ribs were super meaty and flavored just right. I had the brisket sandwich, which was on special for Wednesday. Very good too. I removed morsels of meat to sample the different BBQ sauces before settling on the Rich & Sassy. I loved that they had Leinenkugels Vanilla Porter beer on draft, which is really good and not that easy to find. All in all an excellent choice. read more

Ok, just had the chicken strips special, and the strips were very good, cooked nicely and not dry. also had the french fries (or whatever they are referred to as) that were great! I did however also include the FAMOUS DAVES mac and cheese. To be honest, it really SUCKED. IF I WANTED BOXED DRY MAC AND CHEESE I could have just made it at home. Wont be making any recommendations to any one . read more

Great Friday fish fry. All u can eat !!! Fried catfish tasted very good, mild, tender and with Cajun seasoning. Southern flavor is just around the corner. Service is mediocre through read more

Corporate bbq with no true soul. Interior is a tacky imitation of a joint. Food is mediocre at best.

Stopped in here after seven months or so and it has declined a little again. New server who asked me if I needed anything while waiting for a late friend and then never came back. I finally waved at someone at the cash register to get their attention and another server showed up. Another long wait for the food. They changed the bun again since I was last there and it fell apart from the juice (BBQ chicken sandwich) before I was done eating it. It seemed overly salty as well. The cole slaw was good as usual and my friends mini pig out assortment was ok, he said. My soft drink was never replenished as was my buddies water. When we got the bill the server didn't include a pen for the credit card receipt and I again had to flag someone down. This restaurant used to be so good and it's dissapointing to see this poor service. It was not that busy. I will not be returning soon. read more

I used to have fond memories of dining at Famous Dave's, perhaps it was before I got on the BBQ bandwagon, back to when I believed this was BBQ. But over the years, the meat has gotten more fatty and portions have been significantly reduced. So today, to avoid having a side of meat with my bun, I went for the order of a pound of Georgia Chopped Pork $11.99, with a side of Wilbur Beans $2.29. This is the way to go if you're a meat lover and want a filling lunch. The heaping pile of pork was drizzled with tangy BBQ sauce, and for the price, I can do without the choice of two sides and a corn bread if I would've ordered the classic meal (and cheaper than the $12.99 they charge for the entree) - trust me this is a wayyyy better deal. I still had more than 1/2 lb of meat left, enough portions to probably make two of their prepared sandwiches at $9.49 each. The meat wasn't perfect, I did have to pick through the fat and skin. The staff are very nice and helpful, all of our to go orders were accurate and correctly labeled. They even included extra packets of sauce, wet naps, ketchup packets, and utensils. read more

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I've been going to famous daves for years. I think their food is decent and the price is right. The ribs and chicken leg fall off the bone. The brisket is tender but could have had a better bark. Their cole slaw is creamy and good. Beans have chunks of ham. Home made fries are good. Corn is soggy but good. Corn muffins are pretty good. They have several sauces to choose from but the meat has enough flavor you don't need it. The server was very nice and accommodating. read more

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I was really amazed by the BBQ here. I'm from the South Chicago. Therefore, I know what good BBQ is. Haha... I got to say this place is not bad at all. Sure you may second think it by being a chained restaurant-ish, but looks can sure be deceiving. Sadly, this place was very dead, but the service was well awake. For me, BBQ is really hard to describe in words. It's a type of food you just have try for your self. Even though most of the items on the menu are sort of pricey, you have to get, I guess the sampler, "the feast for 2. It'll change your mind about overrated BBQ joints. read more

Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que - "The Feast for 2" - Barbeque Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Where else in Madison can I get good old southern American barbecue meat? Famous Dave's is the answer. I'm a huge fan of the rib tips here. I never fail to get them as they are juicy, mouthwatering, and delicious. If I get anything else, I usually do the half and half combo, where I can try something else for one half of my plate and still get my beloved rib tips. I'm also a fan of having the cornbread and a side dish come free with each order. It never hurts to eat more food at a very affordable price. The best thing about this Famous Dave's location is their service. I feel like every time I've been here, I've come with a group of 10-15 people and the staff is so quick to put together tables and take our orders. read more

Was there today 05/01/23 and the food was barley warm. Not a very friendly welcome. The mens bathroom was gross. that floor has not seen a mop in a long time, my shoes were sticking to the floor and i can only wonder if the kitchen is the same ????? The place needs a good cledaning before i come back read more

I took my friend to Famous Dave's for lunch. I was disappointed in the food. The brisket (which costs extra) was sparse and all in little chunks (not slices). The beans were not hot (just Luke warm). The ribs were good. I hope next time the food will be better. I'm not giving up on the restaurant. read more

My order was suddenly canceled after I just paid for delivery service online! Simply said "They do not deliver today!" (although they are open) Then I do suggest, not to be on online delivery order services, if you do not do delivery! Great Let down!* read more