Famous Dave’s

Had the BBQ Nachos and the burnt ends with fries. Even had bread pudding for dessert. It was amazing start to finish. Our server Natasha even gave us a color change cup that you can refill for $ 1 on your next visits! Will definitely be going back.

I go to this place often and am always impressed. The service has always been spot on and the waitresses are always friendly. I cannot say enough about the food. The Georgia Chopped Pork always has the perfect amount of salt and smoke flavor and comes in generous amounts. The meal comes with a few sides and one of their cornbread muffins. Their version of cheesy Mac is one of the best I have found around. It has corn and jalapeños in it, which sounds a bit weird but the flavor is all there.
The restaurant is always rather clean. Sure there are always a few spots but it is a BBQ restaurant so it is not a big deal. My only complaint is the food might be a little more expensive than some other places but for the quality I am always willing to pay a few dollars more. I highly recommend this place to anyone looking for good BBQ in Lawrence

This is the 3^rd time I eat there and always had good experience, service is v friendly, food is very good, my fav is the burned ends and their burger.

It’s tough being a BBQ place in the KC area that constantly stands in the shadow of OK Joe’s and Arthur Bryant’s. But c’est la vie: folks around here know their good BBQ and unfortunately, Famous Dave’s isn’t that. In fact I had a hard time even considering it BBQ at all…
I tried the beef brisket sandiwch, which was $ 9.99 and came with 1 side. At this cost you can do much better at many BBQ joints around here. But all that aside, there’s no doubt the brisket is weird here — it’s cut into cubes rather than slices and has the texture of a slow cooked corned beef. So yes, it’s tender and slightly smokey, but I had trouble identifying it as true BBQ. The side of mac ‘n cheese was a flop — the tiny, less than half a cup serving came out dried on top, an unappealing dirt-​looking yellow. It lacked creaminess, seasoning, and the bits of corn in it created a really displeasing texture of mushiness with random solid bits floating around (sorry for the imagery). I had the nachos for 2 to try more of the menu items here in hopes of redeeming Famous Daves, but it seems that did more harm than good: the pork was dry and also strangely cut into chunks, and it completely lacked flavor and smokiness — this again did not feel like BBQ. The «world class beans» tasted like they were straight from a can, almost artificially sweet. The employees here are great but sorry, Famous Daves — I’ll make the trip over to KC for my future BBQ fixes.
Interestingly, want to know what pleased me most here? The pickles. Sweet and mustardy in flavor, they were the perfect end to my very un-​BBQ meal.

Had lunch here today and it was my first experience with Famous Dave’s. Had the pulled pork sandwich and it was really good. The meat was flavorful and moist. They do some sort of butter toasting of the bun, which made it the best bun I’ve ever eaten and sauce was applied sparingly to the sandwich, which I appreciated. Service was great. The host, waiter and even the manager came out several times to make sure everything was OK. This is definitely the best place to go in Lawrence if you want BBQ.

Need to work on waitress ‘s customer service! If i tell you something is tough, then you should make it better not say that’s just the way they are sometimes! Boo.
Mgr. did ask us on way out how things were, we told him and hr offered a to-​go platter of ribs and apologized for service.

I’ve just been here once, and my experience was fairly good. I had to two meat plate, and the chicken was delicious. Pulled pork was just okay. I did enjoy their sauces, they have 6, so hopefully one suits your palate! I tried the mashed potatoes and mac and cheese. Both were good, but wish I had gotten a little more of each. The potatoes looked a little translucent, perhaps not mashed in house? Overall, it was pretty tasty and the portions are such that your could actually eat everything is you wanted (and I did). I think Bigg’s is still by far my favorite BBQ in town, and for a two meat plate is a bit cheaper and you get a lot more. The desserts looked pretty tasty — will have to come and try the bread pudding sometime.

I like this place and go here often, but there is one thing that keeps rubbing me the wrong way. As soon as you sit down at a table, you will be subjected to a commercial for «Pepsi products» by the server. I suggest asking for compensation. The restaurant is obviously being paid by Pepsi to impose on its customers with that unwelcome commercial, so I think it is reasonable to expect a percentage of what they are being paid by Pepsi. In fact if enough customers keep bugging them about that, perhaps they will get the clue and stop imposing on their customers with that annoying commercial.
The more often you go there, the more irritating it becomes. It is exactly the same commercial every time you sit down at that restaurant.

Before I get into the place, I must tell you that I really, really love my husband. Enough that I would go here for him for his birthday, against my better judgment, but … it was his birthday. I could ignore the ruination of a nicely done restaurant for his desire for his choice of dinner places.
That said, I simply cannot recommend this BBQ chain. They claimed to be doing Memphis Dry Rub, and then smothered it all in sauce, really sickly sweet sauce.
And no sweet potatoes, or greens to be seen. What is BBQ without sweet potatos and greens, ya’ll?
To add insult to injury, the server told me she could not give me my next cocktail until I had finished the first and/​or she had removed it from the table… what?! I’m a grown adult, and if I want a glass of wine with my meal, and haven’t finished my pre-​dinner martini, you’re going to tell me I can’t have it?
I’d give up a half star more, only for our server, who was an absolute doll, and despite not being able to give me a reason for the drink rule, did see to it that she tried to get any/​everything we needed.
But yes, salty salty rub, and sickly sweet sauces, already on the meats… if you like that sort of thing, you’ll enjoy this food.
Oh well. I really, really love my husband.
And it’s too bad that they took down all the old West artwork for that crappy chain place «décor».

Living in Kansas City, giving a place like Famous Dave’s even 3 stars is practically like giving up my man card… or my BBQ card. However, this is Lawrence… and Lawrence has a serious allergy to good BBQ. Like, if a good BBQ joint actually came to Lawrence, the town would implode.
The food is passable. The prices are fine. The service was actually extremely good on my visit (not long after it opened). Was able to get in and out in an hour with no problem whatsoever.
Sadly, this is about the best BBQ in Lawrence… so it gets 3 stars instead of 2 it would in the KC Metro. I do find it ironic that the best BBQ in a town that hates national chains is, in fact, a national chain.

I was sorry to see that the Lawrence location did not have ham on the menu; I’ m not sure if the location at the Legend’s still has it or not. I know that ham isn’t what you typically think of when you think bbq, but frankly, if you’re going to enjoy Famous Dave’s, the first step is to lose the preconception that it’s a great barbeque joint. It’s not. Their brisket (basing this on the Legends location) is flavorful, but has a weird texture, almost like its processed meat. The pulled (actually «chopped») pork is ok as well, unless you get some of the outer surface where the rub is applied. I think the rub consists of salt, salt and more salt (this was at Lawrence; I’ve never had that experience at the Legends). I don’t understand the concept of «rib tips». Perhaps they feel folks will think they’re ordering burnt ends, but they’re something more like you’d find on an Applebee’s menu.
So, enough of the bad. A two meat combo with corn on the cob (soggy, probably straight from the freezer to the boiler), a corn bread muffin, two sides of your choice for under $ 15 will easily take care of two. They must get their fries from the same place as Free State Brewery. Sandwiches and burgers are quite adequate, but you start to lose the price advantage by going this route.
Simply put, if Buffalo Bob’s can stay in business, Famous Dave’s should do fine in Lawrence. On the other hand, if Arthur Bryant’s put together a more friendly menu with similar combos and more diverse sides to appeal to folks who are less interested in serious bbq, the Legends location would be history.