Central Jersey · Middlesex County

Big Ed's BBQ

Old Bridge, NJ

Big Ed's BBQ has been serving non-buffet, all-you-can-eat ribs since 1992 — a concept the restaurant says is the only one of its kind in the United States. It's not a gimmick tacked onto a normal menu; it's the entire reason people drive from across Central Jersey to a converted barn on Route 34 in Old Bridge, full bar included. The ribs are the headline — baby back, St. Louis, and spare ribs all in rotation — but brisket sandwiches, pulled pork, and smoked chicken round out a menu built for people who came hungry. Big Ed's also throws its long-running annual "Ribtoberfest," a celebration that's become a fixture on the local BBQ calendar. The recognition has piled up over the decades: NJ Monthly's Readers' & Critics' Choice for Best Barbecue in Central New Jersey across multiple years (2008–2011), Home News Tribune's Best of the Best Readers' Choice in 2017 and 2018, Restaurant Guru's Best BBQ in 2019, a Nextdoor Neighborhood Favorites win in 2018, and Zagat ratings spanning 2009 through 2015. AOL named it among the City's Best Barbecue back in 2008, and it's picked up coverage from The New York Times, Asbury Park Press, Home News Tribune, The Star-Ledger, and Burlington County Times along the way. News 12 New Jersey featured it again in 2024 as part of its "Best of New Jersey" series. Catering is available too — pickup trays, bulk cash-and-carry orders, and full outdoor BBQ parties — and the restaurant holds a 4.0-star rating across more than 190 Tripadvisor reviews.