Big Ed’s BBQ in Waukegan gets listed among best in Midwest

Big Ed’s BBQ owner Eddie Nero, of Waukegan, developed a passion for cooking as he was growing up on the South Side of Chicago. He was seeking an opportunity in 2006 when a friend asked him to provide the food for a charity event.

“He said he couldn’t pay me but I would get a chance to meet a lot of the people there,” Nero said.

Nero’s friend was former Chicago Bears fullback Jason McKie. Nero met and fed McKie’s teammates, and not long after the event Nero got another call. It was from superstar kick returner Devin Hester.

“He called and asked me to cater his birthday party. I got some other catering jobs after that,” Nero said. “It gave me the courage to say let’s just do it.”

That was his impetus to open Big Ed’s BBQ in 2008, and his star has continued to rise in the years since.

Nero, his wife, Kim Nero, and their partners Katie Sullivan and Rhonda Gage are getting ready to break ground on a new location about four miles north on Green Bay Road that will be nearly four times the size of the current restaurant.

“We’ll have a private room for parties and a bigger kitchen,” Nero said. “At the end of the day, we feed people. That’s what we do.”

The restaurant was recently named the 67th best restaurant in the Midwest states on Yelp. Nero said he learned about it from a customer, then checked it out himself and was thankful to his customers who wrote numerous good reviews about his eatery.

“I’m both humbled and honored,” Nero said. “It’s a good feeling especially as hard as we work.”

According to Yelp, Nero’s restaurant measured up well against its counterparts throughout the Midwest states of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. The ranking includes total volume and diner ratings between Jan. 1, 2021, and May 1 this year.

By noon Wednesday the dining room was nearly full, with people ordering lunch, including Kevin Smith, who works for AbbVie nearby. He was sharing lunch with two colleagues.

“I lived in Texas for 10 years and this is up and away the best barbecue I’ve ever had,” Smith said.

“The brisket and burnt ends are the best,” added Jake Pedersen, who was having lunch there with Smith and Luis Cantu. “I’ve been coming here for five years at least once a week.”

Longtime customer Rupal O’Reilley greeted Nero with a hug as she stopped in for lunch with co-worker Michael Lund. They rave about the food but also like the atmosphere. O’Reilley said Nero and the rest of the people working there are very friendly.

“It’s like ‘Cheers’ here,” O’Reilley said referring to the old television show set in a neighborhood bar.

Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor said in an email Big Ed’s is one of her favorite restaurants in the city. She was “delighted” when she learned about his Yelp ranking. A Waukegan resident since she was a young child, she has visited many times.

“It is one of our community’s top culinary destinations for both locals and visitors,” Taylor said. “I have watched them grow over the past many years and I am always impressed by their excellent customer service, community support, great quality menu items and the loyalty of their customers.”

When Nero started Big Ed’s, his sons, Isiah Nero and Eddie “Paco” Nero, were not yet teenagers. Now they work together daily. It’s a way to show them how to cook, how to run a business and how to be good people as well.

As Big Ed’s became more and more successful, Nero said he wanted to give back to the community. He offers a free Thanksgiving dinner each year and one year paid the layaway costs for Christmas gifts for Walmart shoppers from the community.

“This was how I was raised,” Nero said. “The community stuck by us and we want to help the community.”

As Nero gets ready to break ground on his hew restaurant with his sons and wife, he is looking forward to the future for his family.

“It will be for them, it’s theirs,” he said.