Message from Big City BBQ

BBQ with Soul Voted Best Lunch Spot and Best Barbecue on Citysearch
  • Nikki Buchanan - Oh. My. God.
  • Good Morning Arizona- Best BBQ
  • Phx Mag - Best new restaurant

NOW two Locations where you can bet the Best BBQ in the Valley. - Tempe:NW Rural & Baseline - Mesa: NE Alma School & Hwy 60 Big City BBQ has received more than a dozen awards for our gourmet BBQ foods, including more than a dozen soulful side dishes, and such Southern Favorites as Catfish, Pulled Pork, Brisket, SpareRibs and many other smoked meats. All of our smoked meats were prepared with our own special rubs for 48 hours, and then smoked for more than 12 hours prior to serving. ALSO, Try our Mesa restaurant at 1425 S Alma School Rd, next to FedEx Kinkos and Red Lobster.

MarkerBig City Bbq Barbeque Catering

(480) 756-5702

5118 S Rural Rd
Tempe, AZ 85282

Editorial Description by Citysearch
Casual barbecue joint serves smoked ribs, pulled pork, hot links and beef brisket with corn bread, beans and fried okra.
Rated 9.0 out of 10 by Citysearch.

2 Reviews of Big City Bbq Barbeque Catering in Tempe

...Write yours here!

Love their BBQ!  5 Star Rating - World class

I think this was the original, and in my opinion, the best. The Mesa location came later. The BBQ sandwiches are great, and the sweet potatoe pie is pretty good. The staff is friendly and the prices aren't too high. They might be close cuz of construction right now.

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Cheap good BBQ  4 Star Rating - Very good

This is the smaller version of the mesa restaurtant with a limited menu. The menu is pretty simple ribs, brisket, catfish and chicken and the food is awsome is locally run and is always crowded. The sanwiches are a great deal for lunch.

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5 Reviews by Citysearch: (read all 18 reviews on Citysearch)

Over-Rated for sure 3 Star Rating - Satisfactory

BCBBQ has consistently been a favorite among the community at CitySearch. However, each time that I have tried this spot, I have been disappointed. BBQ is usually a little expensive, and here was no exception. There was nothing out-of-the-ordinary when it came to the flavor of the food. Having moved here from TX, not native though, I have been looking for a good BBQ joint that doesn't taste like it is out of the frozen food section and Big City didn't deliver. Go to Famous Dave's, at least the food is less expensive, better flavor on the meat, and there is a great variety of BBQ sauces.

Pros: Convenient
Cons: Price
Posted 03/23/07 at 4:43am

amazing bbq 5 Star Rating - World class

i have yet to try something on the menu that i have not liked- the pulled pork sandwich is perfect, catfish is great, ribs are great, and everyside is wonderful, particularly the okra and greens. small and laid-back atmosphere at the rural location and a nice big restaurant with a bar at the alma school location. great food.

Pros: best pulled pork sandwich
Cons: none
Posted 03/17/07 at 7:57pm

YUMMY Smothered Anything!!! 5 Star Rating - World class

My daughter turned me on to this place because she knew I'd love the greens and catfish. I ended up being in love with the smothered chicken - pork chops too! The greens are great, she was right! The man behind the counter was exceptionally friendly. The only bummer is no alcohol. (we like BEER with our southern food!!) We went to the one on Rural, which is small and you can go in whatever you're wearing, so that spur of the moment is aok.I'm going to go try the bigger resturant accross the street from Fiesta Mall and try the fried okra and maybe the brisket because of the other reviews!! MAYBE THEY'LL HAVE THEIR LIQUOR LICENSE BY THEN!!!

Posted 02/20/07 at 2:36pm

great barbeque, bad manners! 4 Star Rating - Very good

I stopped in a couple months ago. the bbq was great. what I didn't care for was the fact the man who took my order told me "you forgot something" when I signed the receipt for credit card payment. I asked what, and he replied " the tip." Since I was a first time customer, I was shocked he would ask me to tip for food I had never tried. What was worse is the fact he said this in front of other customers embarassing me. if the personnel from Big City read this, I hope they will let their employees know that hitting up a customer for a tip is very tacky.

Posted 01/12/07 at 3:10am

There are better BBQ places out there 4 Star Rating - Very good

Stopped by two times. Both times the cornbread was dry and tasteless. Pulled pork was good, and so was the candied yams/sweet potato casserole. If I were to visit again, it would only be for the candied yams.

Pros: Good candied yams/sweet potato
Cons: Terrible cornbread
Posted 11/03/06 at 12:00am