Reviews are about right. Stopped at Big Blue Smokehouse in Hazard on Memorial Day. The place has the feel of a longtime local institution with good bones, though the restaurant and bar show some wear. Overall the restaurant seems past their peak years. Staff mentioned they were short-handed, and service was understandably slow. The menu is very broad and might benefit from focusing more tightly on the items they execute best. The ribs were the strongest part of the BBQ plate with solid bark and decent smoke. Pulled pork was slightly dry and mild on smoke flavor. Brisket was inconsistent -- some slices dry, others much better and more moist. Mac and cheese was typical, and the broccoli casserole was an interesting side, think cream of broccoli soup meats pot pie. Not destination BBQ, but an authentic local spot with and hometown feel. read more

Big Blue Smokehouse - BBQ combo, upcharge to swap chicken for brisket. - Barbeque Near Me - Hazard, Kentucky

I've not been in a long time but it is a good place to host events in their back rooms.

Sadly, this place has been declining. Very slow service. We waited for about 30 to get our food. I ordered blackened grilled chicken and it was pink n the center. The plastic tumblers need to be replaced. read more

Was in Hazard to repair homes damaged in the flood and brought a group of 16 to Big Blue. They have a great back room for groups and provided an amazing group dinner. Pulled pork, ribs, brisket and chicken were all great and the sides made you fell like you were home with mamma!!! I'll tell you what, this place can rock the meats read more

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I went there to get a salad to go. The hostess asked for a tip for taking my money and handing me a to go box. She Asked! Mi mean she did nothing to earn a tip but show up to work. It was a to go order that I got from the salad bar myself!? read more

Big blue smokehouse is a bbq joint located in a shopping center in small town hazard Kentucky. Looking from the outside I wasn't sure what to expect but the inside is very modern, sleek and pretty nice. Features spacious seating and pretty nice bar too. My buddy and I stopped in here for lunch on a small road trip we took through the mountains of Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and West Virginia. Our service on our visit was very good and very fast. Waitress kept our cups Full and our food was fresh so We were happy. I personally ordered a Brisket melt with a side of baked beans and my buddy went with a Pulled pork with a baked potatoes. We both agreed that the food was solid. Nothing spectacular but not bad by any means. Very serviceable bbq joint and actually exceeded our expectations as we didn't not know what we would be walking into in a smaller town with a bbq joint in a shopping center. Overall a nice visit in a place that is very nice. If you ever find yourself in the hazard area and needing food this is a good choice and I would recommend giving it a visit. read more

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I always appreciate that "Big Blue" lives up to its name. And trust me - it has diverse "sauces" as it claims to. They don't lie.

Big Blue...we wanted to love you. From the adorable and amusing sayings on the front door and server t-shirts, to the extensive menu and comfortable interior decor...But the slow kitchen service and lack of interest in making things right were a turn off and the reason for the 3-star rating. On the night we visited, we were a large party and were seated at a high-top table in the bar area. Our server was bubbly and attentive and immediately took our drink order, answered questions and checked in frequently. When we all placed our orders, we were anticipating delectable hot food, but then when the food was served - one dish at a time over the course of an HOUR - all lukewarm or cold - we were really disappointed and we let the server know. The explanation we got was that the order had been split into two orders in the kitchen, there were other big parties whose orders got in between ours, and it was a chaotic mess. For my meal, I ordered a baked potato stuffed with pulled pork and the house BBQ sauce, plus a side of broccoli. It came with butter and sour cream on the side. It looked good but was lukewarm, and because I was one of the first served, I let it sit for 15 min, assuming the other dishes were on their way out, which meant by the time everyone else insisted I dig in and not wait, it was cold. Super bummer. Other dishes included burgers, meatballs, crab dip with shrimp chips, and fried banana peppers. In general, I would say, if the food had been served together/in a more timely fashion, and was hotter, it could have been great. read more

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I was a little afraid after reading some reviews, but decided to try it. Driving through on a road trip and there weren't a lot of choices. Very pleasantly surprised. I sat at the bar. Service was prompt and friendly. I had the pulled pork sandwich and sweet potato fries. Both were excellent. I would definitely recommend this place. read more

Was able to be seated quickly and that was the only good part. Terrible service don't want to name any names but compared to the rest of the servers we definitely had the worst one possible. No thank you come again just attitude especially when asking for refills. I ordered the boom boom shrimp appetizer, I'll be lucky if I don't get sick. Shrimp was cold wet and squishy, and the minimal breading fell off before you could even eat it. Also ordered the blue bbq burger whatever the house burger is called. Hamburger and pork were well over cooked and unseasoned. Small slice of cheese soggy bun and unseasoned crinkle fries. Both of my coworkers had lack luster food as well. I'm not typically one to leave a bad review but for someone passing through hazard or coming to visit a beautiful place like this county is don't visit this restaurant without understanding you are rolling the dice on a great visit or wishing you would have just got to Applebees. read more

I really didn't like the vibe the unfriendly staff the unwelcoming tense environment food is decent but i really do not like to see small businesses that aren't really community supporting i worked here and i can say that i had to quit because mentally the tension disrespect smugness of people over it and the lack of just teamwork or helping each other lack of communication set guidelines and everyday the rules are different because someone else is running it for the day and will let u know how they want it to be and there are so many cheifs not enough indians. my first experience with a toxic workplace enviroment and I really hate that some of the employees they have to just take it and stay cuz they have no other choice. read more

I brought my wife and 2 kids here after a little league game last Saturday. Food was ok and service was good. What I cannot stand is for them to bring me my bill for a certain amount and after I pay I look at the receipt and it's $5 higher. I asked why and they said it was because there's a charge for using debit cards. What??? I just spent $78.xx and you mean to tell me you need to charge me for not paying with cash? They ran my card for $84 and change without telling me there was any kind of charge. I will never step foot back in that place again. read more

I had the bourbon chicken and my husband the sirloin they were both good. Service was slow but good, we eat there quit often. Will be back.

We came in here for lunch on in the afternoon one day. It was pretty empty so we were seated immediately. The ambience was very nice. It looks good bar the TVs classy looking place so that was good. Service was fine. She did a good job food I got the pulled pork sandwich with a big potato and it was pretty good. I would give it a 30 my buddy also got a sandwich with baked beans. He said that was pretty good as well so it's a pretty solid place. read more

i really liked there chicken tenders but then they got lazy with em and i got Alfredo but it was still good

We had great service and the food was really good but after giving the waitress a $10 cash tip she added it to my card when she took my payment. I called them and they knew about the mistake and said they would send me my $10 back . That was a month ago and I still haven't seen my money so I have to think they are dishonest and liars. read more

I wasn't aware you could buy smoked pigeon wings. It's not humanly possible to turn a brisket into stringy shoeleather

My husband visited here with a friend and enjoyed his meal. He loves a good burger with bbq sauce, so he ordered the Jack Daniels Burger with fries (comes with your choice of side). He was even able to order it Medium Raw! He said he would come here again. read more

Big Blue Smokehouse - Jack Daniels Burger - Barbeque Near Me - Hazard, Kentucky

You must try the pineapple casserole! It's amazing. Been there 4 times now. Always good service and good food. I did really enjoy my pineapple casserole. I also their brisket sandwich and their burger. Will go back. read more

Started off great but went downhill. They were not busy when we went, were seated quickly and our drinks came fast. That was the only good part. Our table had not been wiped good and was sticky, we asked several times to several different employees if we could get a towel to wipe the table to no avail. I ordered a loaded bake potato with pork and asked the waiter if it came with a side since he didn't ask and the menu showed it did. He said he was new and would go ask, came back and said yes it does. (Remember this for later) when he brought my meal, without the salad, I had to ask twice for it, the potato was small and had a small amount of meat, like a teaspoonful. The potato was11.99! I shrugged it off thinking that since it came with a side, that must be why it was 11.99. When we got our check, I was charged 1.99 more for the salad. When I asked about this, the waitress (different from who first took our order) said our waiter misspoke and she would see if the manager would take it off our bill. Our waitress said she took it off but would have to pay for that out of her pocket. SERIOUSLY!!! In order to make this right, she would have to pay $1.99 ?? shame on the management. The food tasted good BUT way overpriced For what I received. If you choose to go there do not get the loaded potato read more

Big Blue Smokehouse - Barbeque Near Me - Hazard, Kentucky

My brothers and I had a delightful little early bird dinner here. The waitress, Patience was an absolute delight 10/10 do recommend.

I've eaten from here a couple of times (never inside) and the food has been consistently decent! Wait times range from lightening fast to average. Good pulled pork and brisket- their buffalo wings have a unique taste that remind me of chili, spicy! Their signature tangy sauce is quite good. All in all, Hazard is lucky to have this place! read more

Our food was cold. We ask our waitress to heat up one plate of our food, she took the plate and never came back with the plate. She never apologized. Also, waitresses were agreeing in the bathroom. Overall experience was poor. It was our first time and last time. read more

Brisket Sandwich, was very good. Ordered by phone for pickup which was reasonable on speed. They put pork in the Brussels sprouts which would be fine but since I'm not a pork eater I wasn't able to eat them. Overall very nice meal. read more

Big Blue Smokehouse - Brisket and friend chips - Barbeque Near Me - Hazard, Kentucky

This is one of our favorite go-to places for a great meal at a reasonable price as a family of four. They offer a large, variety menu!!! Their salad bar is the best in town; the in-house ranch is top-notch! read more

Big Blue Smokehouse - a plate of fried food - Barbeque Near Me - Hazard, Kentucky

If you're traveling through Hazard or are a local, the Big Blue is a good place to eat. The servers are friendly, the environment clean and the food delicious. It is slightly overpriced compared to others in the area but well worth the cost. Managers will buy from farmers in the area who have extra vegetables in the summer which is always responsible management and good for the local economy read more

They have moved to 420 Village Lane in Hazard. Nice restaurant and location. The food looks amazing with a great selection to choose from. Food not that good and the prime rib sandwich was dry, glad it came with aus jus. read more

Big Blue is hit or miss. Depending on what night it is and who is working. One bartender makes awesome drinks, great taste and fast service. The others suck. I ordered a round of Smokey old fashions (4) for our table. All made by the same drink pourer (not a bartender), all tasted like crap, none tasted the same. Too much of one thing in one not enough in the other. It was as if they were drunk themselves. A complete waste of Woodford. The servers on the dining room side are the same way, hit or miss. We were in on a not too busy night. It took way too long to get served. The drinks took a long time, and we know why. The steaks were not cooked to order but had good flavour. I don't think the manager really critics the staff's performance and most likely has no clue that they are turning a gem of a restaurant into a dive. If you go, sit on the bar side the service is better and look for the bartender with glasses that's a lot more trained than the kids pouring liquids. I hate sounding negative about this place because it has potential but the owners need to reorganise the staff from the top down. My star rating is reflective of the disappointment I felt my last visit. read more

I loved the brisket and my wife loved the chicken tenders. I liked her housemade chips and queso better than my fries and mac and cheese. The fries were okay I didn't like the mac and cheese. The cheese bites and bang bang shrimp was good. read more

Big Blue Smokehouse - Appetizers were good - Barbeque Near Me - Hazard, Kentucky

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I love the Boom Boom shrimp!! They have great catfish bites and deep fried peppers! Oh yeah and the bbq is good as well. I'll have to get a pic next time I go lol. The only complaint I have is the salad bar is one trip only. We love salad and would love to just get that but oh well. I'll just eat my Boom Boom!! read more

Food was good but not anything special. The onion rings and potato salad were both very good. Service was good. However: they charge extra for credit cards. Never a good experience. read more

what has happened to this place? The food was so dry and scorched. the pineapple casserole was great, and so was the broccoli casserole but the pork, chicken, and ribs were dry and ribs were so tough. asked for thousand island and got french, she tried again and brought Italian. I just took it because she didn't know what thousand island was. she didn't know what was in the pineapple casserole besides pineapples. need better training for management and servers. They should have never let the plate of food come out looking like that. read more

Dirty silverware, manager stated that it was because of the wash cycle, gave me an attitude, and walked away. It looked like someone had eaten a ranch salad, wrapped it back up and that was what we got. It took 4 tries to get clean silverware. Took 2 tables to get a clean one. The waitress was friendly, I would have to give her 5 stars. For 2 salads, one Philly cheese steak, fries with chicken plater, 2 drinks it was $50. The food was average, no better than any other restaurant. It was a nicely designed restaurant, a lot of wood integrated into the design. the overall ambiance was pleasant. The overall experience is a dirty over prices restaurant. read more

God awful from the set down to the leaving, got the wrong drinks salad bar was empty, appetizers was cold , portion size was small for the price , had to go after my own refill twice , got a pizza with the wrong toppings, just horrible, I wouldn't recommend this place to Hindus coming out of fasting, read more

Excellent service & great food! Ambiance is very relaxing & location is very clean. Restaurant recently got updated menus & the Dougie sauce is one of a kind! read more

Bbq pork pizza was delicious and the service for my takeout order was warm, friendly and efficient. I hope to be in town again with my sweetie to try some more typical bbq. read more

This resturaunt is delicious every bite is savory. Little pricy though....LOWER THE PRICES!!!!!!!!

I don't know if it's only this location or not, but our wait time for anything has been upward to an hour. First time I went we just thought it was because it was late and near closing, but our second time going was the same story. read more

My husband and I went Monday March 20,2023.We had a waitress named Jai (she was really Great) We got banana peppers, salad bar they both were awesome. I got pulled pork and got a large potion. My husband got the BBQ combo, and he also got a lot. We had enough for Tuesday too. It was our first time. We will definitely go back. WE LOVED IT! read more

If only I could give you a zero star I would. Waitress was brain dead. Ordered chips and queso which was disgusting that showed up 20 minutes after ordering along with our other food. Then 10 min after our food came they came and told us that the spaghetti our 4 year old daughter ordered was suddenly out of stock. 10 min after our entrees. Food was cold and disgusting. Will never be back here. read more