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Home / Businesses / Big Ed's BBQ

Big Ed's BBQ

Super GemWaukegan (suburb) · BBQ Community-sourced, unverified
📍 651 Lakehurst Rd, Waukegan, IL 60085

Eddie Nero spent twenty years in corporate America before a layoff pushed him toward the thing he actually loved doing — grilling outdoors, smoking meats that started drawing attention from his own neighborhood.

★★★★★ 4.7 (3,081 reviews) via Google
Super GemChicago Exclusive Gem$$
The Fat Boy sandwich — pulled pork and brisket in one — is not a light lunch. It's not supposed to be. Bring an appetite and don't apologize for it.
📈 Scores in the top 6% of Chicago Exclusive Gems on ChicagoSpecials.com

A charity catering gig for former Chicago Bears fullback Jason McKie led directly to another request from Devin Hester, and that momentum gave Nero the confidence to open Big Ed's in North Chicago in 2008. He kept the whole plan secret from his wife Kim until it was already in motion, worried she'd talk him out of it. The restaurant relocated to a larger Waukegan space — a converted Pizza Hut — in 2012, and moved again in February 2025 to its current Fountain Square location at 651 Lakehurst Rd, growing the whole way.

Nero's technique blends the aquarium-style smoker tradition he grew up with on Chicago's South Side with modern Southern Pride equipment, smoking everything over hickory that's been soaked and carefully managed by hand. The restaurant has since been featured on WGN and ABC7, voted best BBQ in Chicagoland by 670 The Score, and one Reddit regular called it "the only all-around good BBQ spot in northern Illinois." Cash and card both accepted now, though it started cash-only in the early years.

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Specials at Big Ed's BBQ

(2)

Big Ed's BBQ

Super Gem
The Fat Boy sandwich — pulled pork and brisket together, finished with chipotle maple sauce — is the order regulars specifically recommend, and it's substantial enough to be a full meal on its own.
Waukegan (suburb)Community
Website

Big Ed's BBQ

Super Gem
The Fat Boy Sandwich
Waukegan (suburb)Community

Hours

MonClosed
Tue-Thu 11AM-8PM
Fri-Sat 11AM-9PM
Sun 11AM-7PM
📅 Reservations 📅 Reservations not available 🥡 Takeout unconfirmed 📞 (847) 473-5333 📋 View Menu / Website

Amenities & accessibility

📅Reservations accepted
🥡Takeout available
♿Wheelchair accessible
☀️Outdoor seating available

Location

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