Famous Dave’s

Decided to order some takeout on our way out of the mall after a day of shopping. We ordered a sampler platter and an order of burnt ends (a bbq must!). We explained we wanted it picked up at 530. Well we got there about 5 minutes late and the guy explained that they wanted to make some fresh for us. Okay, well 20 minutes later we finally got our food. The guy felt bad and threw in some corn muffins which are my absolute favorite. Other than the wait, the food was good and it was so easy to order than head back to our hotel and eat.

Had the sampler platter yesterday, I was surprise how bad it is. I had the sampler many times in uptown & Roseville location and I know this dish should not taste this bad. The beef brisket was really dry boarder ing leather texture & so is the pork ribs. I suspect these maybe left overs from yesterday. The waiter service was quite rush and at some point forgot about us, had to approach the cashier for our bill.

I consider myself a rib aficionado. I’ve been eating ribs all my life and have been all across america tasting ribs from every region. As far as rib franchises go Famous Dave’s is usually pretty good. However, I came on vacation and stayed at the hotel attached to the Mall of America. The Famous Dave’s there disappointed me on so many levels. Three days in a row I got ribs and three days in a row they came out dry. The third time so dry I couldn’t chew my last two bones on a ½ slab order. I won’t ever eat there again. But at least they are consistent. Consistently BAD!

I used to eat at Famous Dave’s a few years ago when we had them in Atlanta, but they have all closed down. When I saw there was one in the Mall of America while visiting there briefly, I decided to eat there since it had been a few years.
I ordered the Texas Brisket, which came with a corn muffin and two sides. I went with the Mac & Cheese and the Grilled Pineapple Steaks since there was no fried okra on the menu up here in Minnesota.
The brisket was ok. I’ve had better food at Famous Dave’s. It came out a little dry and looked like it had been sitting out for a few minutes before making it to my table, which is never good for brisket. The pineapple steaks were really delicious with a nice grilled sweetness and a little sugar caramelization. The Mac & Cheese was really unique because it had jalapeños in it, and I’ve never experienced that before. So the sides were good, but the bbq could use a little work.
The corn muffin was sweet with a nice, crispy top and a cakey inside, just like I prefer them to be. The sweet tea was delicious as well, and I wasn’t sure how that would be since we are so far north.
I’ll keep eating at Famous Dave’s when I see them, but I wish this one had been a little better. The wait staff was nice but could have been slightly more present.

I was born and raised in Texas, and I have had my share of amazing barbecue.
I’ve been in Minnesota for a year, and I never tried barbecue here. My friend convinced me to try Dave’s. I’m usually weary about franchise barbecue, but then again, Rudy’s barbecue is a franchise in Texas and I like Rudy’s.
I got the Southern Rib Tips and some other items not worth mentioning.
The rib tips were bad, really bad. The meat quality was bad, lacking flavor, and dry. The only flavor I noticed was salt. It was EXTREMELY salty. There was too much salt for the mediocre sauces to wash off. As I think back, I can taste how salty it was, it tasted like the ocean. God, I am sad again.
I think I am done with barbecue in Minnesota.
Also, there was a sign somewhere that said they played Dave’s handpicked blues (?) music, but I don’t remember Miley Cyrus being blues.
I am sad that I had to relive that experience for this review.
Lastly, salt.

Was in Minnesota for training with co-​workers. Went here located in Mall of America 3^rd floor near South side. Were seated promptly around dinner time. Tables were pretty small for 4 people. Barely had any elbow room. Our server was new and she did a great job keeping drinks filled. Food came out great, just like at other locations I have had it in San Jose, CA. However, I did see they had a new bbq sauce that I haven’t seen in California. Best part was the corn bread!
Must try? any Famous Dave’s will do.
Try again? Of course.

We had a great time. Nikki is the best server ever. Sweet Smiling pleasant lots of fun. Food was great definitely coming back next time I’m in Minnesota !!

Worth every penny you spend over here. Great food.:)

Its Famous Daves. If you eat BBQ and you live in MN you know what to expect. I have always been a fan… the one in Uptown does an amazing weekend brunch.
Hostesses were great, no problem accomodating my bros big wheelchair. Our server Doug was nice, a bit slow, but he looked busy. Food was the same, except my rib tips were a bit dry… but nothing a liberal amount of Devils Spit sauce could not cure. What the heck happened to the corn and bread that came with the rib tip meal though? Dang cost cutters.
On an unrelated note, a dinner party close to us ended up paying our entire bill. We did not know (and they didnt want us to know) until after they had left. What an amazing display of humanity. A big, heartfelt, THANK YOU!

Nice, no cheap, but good servings for the cost. We got the appetizer sampler and the family sampler and had to take some food back with us to the hotel. Service was very nice and friendly and kept our drinking glasses full. Comfy dining area with a few tv’s sprinkled throughout so we could follow the game of the day. A little inconvenient having to go down the hall of the mall to clean our hands, especially since everything is finger food. But this was a nice dose of mainstream American BBQ with lots of great sauces to keep it interesting.

I have only been to FDs a couple times, but the food and service have been great. They have typical BBQ fair and a great assortment of sauces to try out. It was fun trying to find my favorite. Our party ordered some huge meal that came with various meats and sides. My favorite was the brisket. It is simply divine and wished I could have had a whole plate full of just that… and maybe the pulled pork. I may have to start going there a little more often even though I’m not a big fan of chain restaurants.

Oh how I love Famous Dave’s! I went to this one recently with a co-​worker for her 65^th birthday. She and I were both extremely pleased with the quality of food, service, and restaurant as a whole. We caught lunch here and I had the ribs and pulled pork combo platter. I mean, really, I’ve got nothing to say here other than phenomenal as usual. If my gut could survive it, I would eat here all the time!

«UNACCEPTABLE — Intolerant and exclusionary treatment of those with food allergies and their families!»
Reviewed onJanuary 27, 2013
After a fun day of shopping with my 3 daughters, two of them and I were excited to have Famous Dave’s for dinner at the Mall of America tonight. Since my youngest daughter has severe food allergies and can eat restaurant food in very few locations, I picked up a to-​go bowl of chicken, rice and corn from the Chipotle next door.
Imagine my surprise when we were refused entrance to the Famous Dave’s because we had «outside food» with us. I explained the nature of my daughter’s food allergies (severe with the potential of anaphylactic reactions) and asked to speak with a manager. Mark Lindsay, General Manager, came up to reaffirm that no, we could not possibly enter with the food for my daughter. He claimed it was his restaurant’s policy to not permit any outside food for the safety of the dining patrons. When pressed, I asked him what of babies or toddlers who have cereal, baby food or bottles brought in? How was providing food, outside food, for them any different than me providing food for my 9 year old who could not safely eat food prepared at this restaurant? He did not have an answer and continued to merely repeat his concerns for the safety of the diners in the restaurant.
I have NEVER experienced such intolerance and so-​called policy excuses to bar customers in this service based restaurant industry. Nor have I ever experienced such a lack of empathy and understanding. Clearly the restaurant didn’t need our $ because my daughter’s chicken, rice and corn were so disruptive and hazardous.
So my daughters and I kept on walking to Buffalo Wild Wings where they were clear in stating that of course we were welcome to dine in their facility and of course they would be more than willing to allow my daughter to eat her meal with her sisters and mother at the same time.
(They will be receiving a glowing review on TripAdvisor for their kindness and making our dismal Famous Dave’s experience have a happy ending with their trademark Buffalo Wild Wings excellent service!)
Furthermore, I WILL be writing to the corporate office of Famous Dave’s expressing our displeasure at the demonstrated intolerance and exclusionary treatment of those with food allergies at the MOA location. I will also be in contact with FAAN (The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network) and AFAA (Anaphylaxis and Food Allergy Association of Minnesota) to let them know of our experience.
I sincerely hope that this is not Famous Dave’s policy at their other locations — or we will be certain to refuse to patronize them as well.

I was actually surprised by how satisfied I was with this place. I hadn’t tried a Famous Dave’s in years, and my hubs loves BBQ so we decided to do dinner here. I got a spicy burger and fries, which I ordered medium-​rare. It seemed like they use frozen premade burger patties because when I cut open my burger to check if it was medium-​rare, the meat was just kind of grey — not at all pink. Aside from that, the toppings on the burger were good and the bun was nice and squishy. Our table had fun trying and comparing all the different types of BBQ sauce on the table, it definitely kept us entertained.
Our server was quite good, but it did feel very corporate — phrases like «can I help you with the menu?» seemed corporate/​forced and prompted my (corny) husband to respond with «no thank you, I’m mostly literate.» Not a big deal at all, but I felt bad the server had to put up with us…
The décor was sort of obnoxious. We sat in the «porch» area that faces into the mall hallway. It was a little corny, but several of the other sit down restaurants have the same set up. The décor was a little too fake-​country for me… there was a lot of kitsch on the walls, etc.

Nacho review # 42:
Being around 3:00 when we stopped in, we weren’t too hungry. We opted for the nachos, but to get the nachos for two or the nachos grande? We went with the nachos grande and I’m glad we did. This was a good amount for two people. Who knows how much smaller the nachos for two would’ve been.
Our nachos had pulled chicken, beans, chips, cheese, tomatoes, and the usual toppings sour cream, lettuce and jalapenos on the side as the other half doesn’t like spicy like I do.
The Breakdown:
Big plate of chips — more like a medium plate
Real cheese — yes, but sparse it seemed
Fresh toppings — yes
Salsa — couldn’t tell, it might have been incorporated into the sauce they used
Fresh chips — Chips were soggy from the beans, abandon all hope of using your
hands. I was cutting the chips with my fork.
Pulled chicken — Delicious
Baked beans — I don’t think it did much for the taste, other then make it mushy and
messy.
Overall, I would have to say pass on the nachos here. Perhaps if they got rid of the beans and added a little more pulled chicken, it might be better. There’s no excuse for soggy chips in nachos. The whole point of nachos is that you can eat them with your hands.

Being from the greater Boston area, I had never heard of the chain Famous Dave’s before. Maybe they are only located in the Midwest and other parts of the country, but I certainly have never seen them in New England. Too bad too, because they were a decent bbq place, and I wouldn’t mind getting some of those quick cheap eats closer to home.
If you haven’t been to one of their locations, they have a southern hunter’s lodge feel. They also have a varied menu for all of the bbq meat and fixings you could ever want. I ordered the beef brisket which came with texas toast, corn bread, mashed potatoes, broccoli, and mac’n cheese. While it may not compare to a true Southern bbq place, it was tasty enough, and I definitely enjoyed my meal.

Spent a few hours at the Mall of America while I waited for a flight! Decided to stop into Famous Dave’s for lunch. Wasn’t sure if it was going to be good but they proved me wrong. The service was great and totally great at making suggestions.
We had the Tri Tip and all the fixings. OMG their cornbread is so freaking good and addicting. We could have just ate that. The coleslaw was good. Mac & Cheese was okay but lacking a little something. Meat was really great and they had lots of BBQ sauces to try out.
Not to shabby and although I shy away from chains, this one wasn’t bad.

Originally aiming to eat at a café that was next to this spot, my girlfriend and I spotted Famous Dave’s out of the corner of our eyes. We decided to walk over and glance at the patrons’ dinner plates as well as the menu. Our stomaches made the decision for us to eat here. Also, I recognized the guy from one of those Travel Channel shows about BBQ cookout competitions and whatnot, so why not give it a try right?
We split some dinner combo that included a ½ chicken, ½ rack of ribs and some BBQ pork on an open faced sandwich. This included multiple sides as well as their RIDICULOUSLY good cornbread. Seriously, it was crack.
Well we left with full bellies and complimentary cornbread muffins from our nice server. The food wasn’t astonishing but it wasn’t terrible either. The dinner combo was also decently priced for the amount of food we received, so they avoided a huge pitfall of overpriced so-​so food.
The point is, we were famished after starving all afternoon ad traversing the ludicrously large Mall of America. Famous Dave’s did the job and did it well enough to be A-​OK in my book.

I have been here twice. Once when my brother told me he was engaged to his current wife and now with some friends.
We sat down and the lunch specials are pretty good. I ordered the $ 6.99 pulled chicken sandwich with a side of beans. I love their beans, they put little chunks of bacon in there. Delectable!
Our server was nice and refilled my Diet Coke a couple of times. They brought out our lunch pretty quick, and everyone seemed happy. This was by far the best pulled chicken sandwich I have had. It was super moist and almost like a ground beef texture. I added some Devil Spit sauce to it. Just amazing.
Someone else got the brisket platter which they said was good, and another friend got the brisket sandwich.
For $ 12, which included tip, it was an awesome lunch with lots of laughs. Good times.

I was walking around the Mall of America trying to find what tasty food I should taste. A few places perked my interest. This place was one of them. So, I decided to try it out here.
I wanted to try something, but not kill myself. So, I ordered a Brisket Burger. The name is much longer but I can’t remember. I also had a side of mac and cheese.
The Mac and cheese was pretty good. The only thing I wish, was that they had bread crumbs on top or something. I like crunchy mac and cheese. But, they didn’t do it that way. Nice combination of cheese.
The brisket burger wasn’t too bad. It was extremely super. However, what I really enjoyed was the bbq sauces that they have in every table. They have about 5 or 6 kinds of bbq sauce. But, only two I enjoyed. Sweet and Tasty, and Devil’s Spit. Sweet and tasty had a nice sweet flavor. Not extremely sweet, but a good kind of sweet. The Devil’s split was spicy and I like spicy. I found out that if you combine both of them, it gives you a nice combination of both the sweet and the spicy.
I gave this a 4 star mainly because of the sauces. Next time, I should try the ribs.