Big Easy Bar.B.Q & Crabshack - Covent Garden

I'm going to call it - I think the shine has come off this place. And as a former cheerleader for the Big Easy brand - it pains me to say. The menu prices are higher than before, but not hugely so, what has taken the hit is the quality. The Texas Spiced steak was sadly an over-done and unseasoned slab of low quality meat, which was served barely warm. The lobster mac n 'cheese turned into a fishing expedition for any lobster at all. It was also served not hot. The staff are still super friendly and the vibe has the same buzz.... but for a Friday night it was more empty than I remembered. Shame as I used to love this place, but I'll be choosing other places in the area next time

I had a whole lobster meal deal, very surprised to see how small the lobster is. I haven’t dined in here for many years, feel disappointed to find that the price has gone up high and the portion of the food is getting smaller.(smaller size of lobster, smaller portion of salad, there’s only one dipping sauce for lobster, chips are not included) I would not come here agin if I fancy to have lobster. My friends who order burgers and chicken wings also got similar impression to their dining experience here.

Was there on weekend upon a recommendation of a friend before our Lion King sure at the Lyceum theater, sadly it was fully booked so we had to make a reservation the next day. This place surely didn't disappoint. Food was great, atmosphere was awesome and kids ate free during this Xmas period. That was super nice gesture. Will I come back?? Surely but with a reservation, so that you don't leave hungry.

Have been here previously but was disappointed at this visit. Service was really slow even though it was a Thursday night and it was not that busy. Baked and beans and coleslaw were my favourite as always. Had a started which was the mussels which were delicious and had extra bread. Took maybe 25 mins before the mains came out and had to ask the server several times .Felt overwhelmed with the food when the main meal did finally came out which was the Bar.bq blowout for 2 people. Ended up taking it out to go as we had lost interest because of the length of time. The lighting was very dim and made it difficult to read the menu and see the food. It is also very loud and there was a guitarist and singer which added to the volume, although they were very good. Several people moved tables as the volume meant you could not have a conversation. Definitely not a first day restaurant. I don’t think I will be back.

I visited Big Easy for Friday set lunch and it was amazing! We were celebrating our anniversary and the staff surprised us with Prosecco — such a lovely touch.✨ For starters, we had the voodoo wings and calamari. The wings are similar to buffalo wings with a nice spicy kick — loveee the flavour! The lobster rolls were incredible as always: super fresh and so, so good. I also had the lemonade slushee and it was bomb. Service was excellent. The staff are genuinely friendly and attentive, and I love that they put a bill QR code on the table so you don’t have to wait for the cheque. Highly recommend — I’ll definitely be coming back! Loved it! 🧡

Kevin and his team did an excellent job in making my Dad's birthday feel so special. Thank you! Missed to mention the live musicians that played the Happy Birthday song, thanks again 😊

Nachos came out on a freezing cold skillet, they were cold. Toilets were not nice, it puts me off seeing how unclean they were. Wanted to pay cash but we didn't get change??? 20% service charge added already. The place was so dark, I had to put my torch on my phone. Pulled chicken wasn't that nice, I know we should have said something but when you know they are serving 700 people you understand why it wasnt that good. Staff were nice.

It was a loud atmosphere. Good fun for a large group. We had a lovely waiter. So polite and smiley. Shouldn't have ordered starters. Calamari was underwhelming. Seafood Boil was so filling. My son lived the lobster. It was done nicely. Will go again.

Delicious food and huge selection of drinks! The BBQ chicken was our favorite but it was all very yummy. The side of green beans was tasty as well. The washrooms are a hike from the main level but the cute little sink in each stall was rather charming. Definitely recommend a visit!

We couldn't eat our meals. Food was over processed. Mac and cheese was terrible. Poorly made alcoholic drinks. Nachos the worst we ever had. Salads very disappointing. We won't be returning to this restaurant.. Waiter was lovely though.

As an American staying in London, this place was a little slice of home. The food was delicious, service was fairly good and the ambiance made us feel like we were back in the US for a little bit. Places like these are so appreciated!

The food was nice but i wouldn't say it was good value for money as i ordered the barbecue o rama and brisket for an extra £5.50 total cost of about £35 and it came with a 1/4 chicken, 2 bone small rib, 2 mouthfuls of pulled pork, and a 5mm thick brisket and a cornbread the size of a medallion. With beans that wasn't pleasant. And partner had the £35 lobster, shrimp, mussel & prosecco meal barely any lobster meat in the half lobster only in the claw 2 mussels and 1 shrimp and bulked up with potatoes. Missing Prosecco. Customer service was ok but not great. Then on top of that was hit with a £15 service charge but left still feeling hungry.

Group of black business women in for retreat. Oh let me add from America. A person from our party was already present. Coming in the hostess made it seem like they were packed, had no seating and wait would be well over an hour. We were flexible on our seating even asked if there was option to order to go. Literally no one around was waiting and neither was to go option. Noticing person in our party a few seats were open near her as two ladies on far right left. Let me point out by ask other young lady if seat was open next to her there were a good two not occupied. Moving on we made other hostess aware, sat down next to person in our party. Server appeared to have lots of humor and was accommodating. Cleaned table went through ordering process even patiently got lemon drop order which was superb. Food came out longer than expected but at the same time so that was good. I believe everyone was satisfied enough but food was nothing to rave. It was ok. Again, waiter was humorous. Did so with to go plate and commented on one lady in our party having same name as wife therefore wanted to name her something else. Ok funny guy. So after payment we are getting up to leave and things went left. Something was mentioned about us being Yankees, he was immediately corrected. Upon our exit, he was overheard by a member of our group saying lazy Americans to a group of white men. Whether they were Native to UK or not, I do not know neither was it our business. So 5 black diverse background women traveled to London for a business retreat for the weekend. Came to a restaurant and paid their hard earned money to this establishment while being waited on by this white old man. It would be wrong if we went back and called him a peasant correct? A term native to your country on how they labeled lower class and more. So let's be clear, it's about respect from one human being to another. I don't have time to give history and political lessons but I had reservations coming to the UK simply for what it stands for. Nonetheless I came with an open mind to appreciate what it offered. My conclusion is other people's stuff. Big Easy alone is Native to the U.S.A. in Louisiana. What you were blessed to see in the flesh and serve was our ancestors wildest dreams while they gave their blood sweat and tears building America and more. So keep your closed minded, uneducated, micro-aggression, and prejudgment comments to yourself. Wake up! The ground that you stand proud on ain't no better. A rustic tavern with basic food with Southern/Midwest American flare and drinks at best.

I saw some reviews by other Americans mentioning cultural appropriation and it being watered down. I would agree! I ordered the Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich and have to be honest - it was the blandest spicy chicken sandwich I've ever had. I am beginning to think somebody heard about it and made it in a British way because spicy chicken from Wendy's or a fast food restaurant in American had more flavor. Nashville Hot Chicken is SPICY and I had to request extra hot sauce but even that didn't help. The breading (prior to the additional sauce) was coming off the chicken completely which I've never encountered even when homemade. The sides were nothing to brag about either. Other dishes I tried were nothing to write about. This is simply not a real representation of American food or restaurants. The ambiance was that of a dive bar (so much clutter everywhere). The people I was with loved the food but they are from the UK. If you're an American, don't come here as you will be disappointed. But I would say make sure you find some Indian restaurants because their food is flavorful.

This place deserves NO stars. Worst customer service I have ever experienced. Baban was incredibly rude and should NOT be in the service industry. Unbelievable

Big Easy is big on taste! As an American, I am picky about my barbecue. So I was skeptical of how this would be. It was better than expected and I would return to try more of their large menu. My companion and I put back the big taster which was pulled pork, roasted chicken, bbq ribs plus beef brisket. This came with spicy slaw and baked beans. Everything was super tender except for the ribs. These were a bit tough. Loads of flavour with everything even the beans! We also had an order of fried pickles because you can't go wrong there nor with the giant voodoo prawns. It was a super size feast! I was disappointed in the service. Slow and unreliable. We waited a long time to place our order and receive our drinks. Then couldn't find our waiter when it was time to go. Otherwise a fun place with a big bar and lots of Southern food. Even the lobster rolls looked tasty.

We took our 15 year old for lunch on her birthday. We liked the atmosphere but chairs are so cramped in there, you literally have to squeeze through the tables to get anywhere but that is really not an issue. The food was glorious! So tasty! I could eat here everyday. Mac and cheese was so creamy and the BBQ was delicious. Giving 4 star because we got frustrated when ordering and being told they didn't have brisket, and they didn't have one of the drinks we wanted. Why be on the menu if not being served? also not impressed by the half filled cups of milkshake Anyway, I recommend this place. Food is excellent.

Stopped by on a Saturday evening, and wait time was around 1 hour. If you want to put your name on the reading list, you need a London number and luckily we had one (we were tourists). The service was really slow. It took us a relatively long time for the waitress to come to our table, but she was nice given that the place was packed. It also took about an hour for the food to come to the table. The pulled pork and ribs were ok, but I didn't like the chicken. The seafood however was wonderful.

Just round the corner from Covent Garden this is a great place for a meal with friends. The BBQ and Lobster is served large. In bin lids if you get a massive platter. The main reason to go is the Limitless BBQ (unlimited) Brunch with Unlimited wine, mojito or Prosecco. For £29.50 each in this part of London that's great value. You can stay for 2 hours so that's a lot of Prosecco. And we didn't have to ask for more drinks as we were topped up when we got most the way through a glass. The other opion is one 1lb Lobster with chips and unlimited drinks. Whole not unlimited lobster is still a great deal. You even get a plastic bib to stop you dribbling on yourself as clearly BBQ is messy!?!

The brisket was great. Being from Texas, I'm rarely impressed with brisket outside of my home state, so I was really surprised to find a great one in London. Good atmosphere with live blues playing downstairs, but not so loud you can't easily have a conversation. Needed a place that could seat a large group last minute with a menu that a diverse crowd would be happy with. This was it!

Had a great night here, but enjoyed the food too much to write the review. Great atmosphere. Started off with some cocktails at the bar with my partner. We were early so caught happy hour. Cocktails at 4 pound a hit! After seating we ordered the seafood. The brains a bit fuzzy now, but starters were a good plate of cold crab claws. Intense! Not to be outdone, I ordered the whole crab cooked in butter. Scrumptious! Two hours of solid eating, great food, great staff and service. Would I go back? In a heartbeat.

Hahaha! Let me just start by saying that unless you have eaten IN the city of New Orleans, you can't possibly know what Nawlins-style creole food is supposed to taste like. This was one of those situations where I was so amazed at how tasteless my shrimp boil was, that I kept looking around to see if others were having the same reaction. I can only explain it by saying that English food doesn't carry the same spice and flavor of other cuisines, so they may be trying to appropriate an inherently spicy cuisine to a blander palette. My problem is when a restaurant appropriates a distinct type of cuisine, one that is meant to be swimming in spices, and puts absolutely ZERO flavor in it. None. I had a shrimp boil and I swear there was not even so much as a speck of garlic, butter, cayenne pepper...nothing. Just a bit of herb. Worst of all, my shrimp boil had FOUR shrimp and the rest was potatoes and a bit of corn. I know restaurants may try to save money by mixing in more of the cheaper ingredient, but this place didn't even try to hide the fact. That's hardly a shrimp boil. It's barely a shrimp cocktail. Have these chefs ever been to New Orleans or eaten proper creole food? If they have, then they are purposely making it bland for what they think the local palette would like. If they haven't, then they have no business attaching New Orleans to the food served here because it carries no flavor. The only reason I'm giving it 2 stars instead of 1 is because the bartender is amazing. He is a proper cocktail bartender, knows his stuff and is really passionate about it. I would come here for the bar alone.

If you like lobster, don't go any further. This is the best place to eat some without selling your kidney. The Big Easy is everything you can expect from a crab shack and the atmosphere is more layed back than his fancy cousin Burger and Lobster. For £20 you have a whole lobster, fries, salad and a beer or slushie (minus the rasberry blue syrup but with alcohol instead). Desserts are huge - I could never finish one so I would recommend to share. They also do ribs and steak but I didn't try them (yet. Lobster call is always stronger). Plastic bib provided. Don't hope to get a table without a booking though. The place is huge but it's impossible to just walk in and ask for a table in the evening (you might get lucky at lunch time).

This was my first time at The Big Easy and (honest bit now) I'm not a fan of BBQ or Seafood. However I thought I'd give it a go. It's always good to experience new things and you never know you may end up liking something different. We arrived at our allotted time but were told to stand at the bar for about 30 mins. I'm not sure why as our table had always been empty (I have a habit of looking at the space whenever I walk into somewhere). It took a while to order and most of us ordered the All-You-Can-Eat BBQ. Ribs, chopped pork, chicken with sides of BBQ beans, coleslaw & chips. It also comes with beer, but very hard to order something else if you don't drink beer. The food portions where humongous. And the food was good. I really enjoyed it and as a non fan that (hopefully) says more. They do provide take away containers for the food we couldn't eat which was also a plus. Lastly the decor and ambience is different. I really like the feel of the place. The toilets are hidden away on the basement floor and you do have to pass low lighting an go through a zigzag of tables.

The food is amazing!! We shared pop corn shrimp to start which were so delicious they were gone in an instant! Then we had the pit smoked ribs and taste o Rama (chicken ribs and pulled pork). The meat was all amazingly cooked with a gorgeous flavour. The BBQ beans were delicious and the coleslaw was a nice addition. The servers were all amazing. And the decor was appealing and set the atmosphere off perfectly. The only criticism is the price of the drinks

Once in awhile, it's great to treat yourself to a big classic surf and turf meal. My friends and I came here for a pre-Christmas meal thanks for a gift certificate from his mum. In all honesty, this place is a bit touristy, too pricy, and only for special occasions. The food was decent but nothing truly memorable. Lobsters, Ribs, Steak is tricky to get wrong if you know what you're doing. What I really enjoy is the selection of Whiskey they have. The servers were friendly and very patient with us. Love the western decor and music. A little note is that you may want to reserve a table to ensure that you get a seat. They're normally packed!

I came here during lunch hours and they had a lunch deal going on. The lobster was lacking abit and I believe it was less filling. But all in all, the food was good and the restaurant ambience was fab.

A small group of us meet infrequently for a catch up over beer and food - usually it's American style BBQ. We've been to Bodeans a few times and this time we wanted a change so chose Big Easy instead. Big Easy is a bit different from Bodeans. First off, it advertises itself as "Bar.B.Q and Lobstershack" whereas Bodeans is straight up BBQ. Personally, I'm inclined to believe that Big Easy is better. I find that the meat is a lot more juicy and smoky. They also have evening offers such as Limitless Wings on Wednesdays. We visited Big Easy's Covent Garden location (there's also one on Kings Road and another in Canary Wharf) as it was a nice central location. I'd been several times before so I was familiar with the set up. We arrived on time and were seated downstairs near the stage (did I mention that they have a live band?) Like a lot of central London locations they really cram the tables in so we squeezed our way into our seats and set about looking at the menu. None of us were in the mood for Limitless Wings and I'd been a little unwell so I opted for something a bit lighter. I went for the Pitmaster Sandwich which was brisket, hot link sausage and pickles in a brioche bun served with chips and coleslaw. It was delicious. The brisket was smoky and succulent and the hot link was spicy and juicy. There were just enough pickles to add an extra dimension of texture and sharpness. I also ordered some hush puppies. If you've never tried them they're sweet corn fritters and they're so light and fluffy it will make you want to die. One of my friends also ordered the Pitmaster Sandwich but with a portion of rib tips. Rib tips are the bits they cut off the end of the ribs to make the racks even in shape. They smoke them and soak them in bbq sauce. They were outstanding. The other two in our group went all in. They had one of the bbq platters; the Bar.B.Q Blow Out. This is a huge platter of food. On it there were pit smoked Bar.B.Q chicken, dry rubbed St Louis pork ribs, Carolina pulled pork, cornbread, fries and coleslaw. They even opted for the add-ons of Texas brisket and Texas Hot Links. You can tell that they enjoyed their meal as pretty much the only thing left on the plate at the end were the bones! From experience I know that the ribs are particularly good. I might even go so far as to say they're the best ribs I've had anywhere. For the food this came in at about £25 per head. We got there in time for Happy Hour so (it runs from 4-7 on Sunday to Friday) drinks were ordered directly at the bar. If you ordered the right thing you were paying no more than £3 a pint. Big Easy is a fantastic venue. We'll be going back again at some point. Perhaps for their bottomless brunch offer on a Sunday. Or for unlimited fried shrimp on a Tuesday. Either way, we'll be eating in some of the best "Bar.B.Q" in London.

I've been to the Big Easy in Covent Garden about twice now. First for the pre-theatre special and most recently for the Thanksgiving dinner. For the pre-theatre menu, you need to put your order in before 6 and you'll get 2 course for 10 pounds. I ordered the mac and cheese with the basket of deep fried shrimp. Portions are huge! Really good value and would even consider coming here for lunch. Food was okay - but for a tenner can't expect any more. For the Thanksgiving dinner, I've been disappointed a number of times at restaurants in London. On thanksgiving, they only offer 1 menu which gives you the option of a few different starters or a veggie main (instead of turkey). I had the spinach salad to start - pretty much like everything else at this restaurant it was a huge portion and good. My bf and I of course had the turkey and it was delicious! Wasn't dry at all like most places and it came with an array of sides. The pumpkin pie was amazing as well. I will definitely need to go back again next year for Thanksgiving. (Big Easy - can you do the turkey all year round??)

Why is it called the big easy? I think it's because it's a big place. And it's easy to like. After an epic Monday of watching Guardians of the Galaxy at the BFI IMAX Waterloo, Big Easy was sent in to keep things on a high and it did. Mondays is unlimited ribs, chicken, chopped pork and hush puppies, a king of cornball. A Ma-hoo-sive platter is initialy delivered to your table, along with your choice of some tasty Big Easy ales or a cocktail. After that you just munch. If you finish your platter or get close to it, you just ordered more of what you want. It's that simple. You can only eat so much though and Big Easy are clever in this regard, I didn't get past the giant platter that was shared between 4 persons. But it was still good value for money. Service is great. Each person responsible for their own zone, and whilst generally service is good, if your attendee is busy no-one else can really help you. Toilets. Are. Far. It's like a maze where you go through 6- doors, up and down stairs to get here. It's quite an experience. In all, superb food, great value for money, pleasant atmosphere and what a range of food. I probably will try the lobster next time I'm here as it looked quite good.

Big Easy is a place for having a range of seafood as they serves lobster, crab, clams, mussels and prawn. All at a resonable price! We ordered the lobster bake which consisted of two jumbo prawns, half lobster, mussels, crab claws and some baby potatoes. You get to choose to be serve in spicy sauce or garlic sauce. For me it is definitely garlic sauce. However I would had like to been offered a bib as all other table around me was offered one. Then I might had less likely to get lobster staining my top. Also it would had been nice to have the seafood appliance to go through my lobsters and crabs shells. But I had to ask for it, which took ages to get a staff attention to bring me a pair. As well as seafood there are range of meat dishes included the sharing platter (Bar.N.Q Blow Out). We ordered the meat sharing platter but the meat was dry. I feel meat should be cooked but still retain it moist. The corn bread was odd as it tasted of sweet corn but had the texture of a cake. I would had rather got a proper corn on the cob. The service on the night that we took a friend from abroad to try was just slow. We didnt get much service and spent most of our time trying to get attention from a staff. Even when we had been asked if we finished our meal and we said yes, the staff serving us cleaned up less then half of our table and never returned. We had to tell them twice we have finished and would like to see the dessert menu. Overall the food is good for the seafood. But not convinced about the meat. In terms of service I feel it needs to improve if it intends to turn around their table in time. Also I preferred if the lighting was slightly brighter. Our light seem to have dim around half seven. I felt like sleeping! Zzzzzzzz!

Lots of deals but only available Mondays to Fridays. On Sundays, only the Lobster Fest is available, which is either a whole lobster or a lobster roll with salad and chips, and an alcoholic slushie, for double the price you would pay during the week, at £20. Therefore, considering you get the same at a lower price during the week, it is not good value. Very disappointing too, as the lobster roll was actually a soggy cold toasted sandwich, a few leaves of rocket for the salad and a small tin bucket of overdone chips. I always feel let down by lobsters cooked by Westerners, when you can get a nourishing meal of lobsters and noodles, cooked the Chinese way, with so much taste and just so much more yummy and meatier. The only other lobster meal that matched it is Bob's Lobsters. There were six of us in our party, three had the lobster roll and two had the whole lobster, which was not that fresh, and we were all left feeling still hungry, whereas one who actually checked what the Lobster Fest includes made a different choice as it did not sound filling and ordered the BBQ meats, which was extremely filling, but unfortunately, they were all burnt and overdone and very dry. We then had some waffles with ice cream for dessert, which was nice, but nothing special. It is not as busy as the Chelsea branch, which is always heaving, and the bar is positively empty. Perhaps, because it is Sunday, and also no happy hour! A disappointing experience here, especially compared to the Chelsea branch the portions there are positively huge and everything is much fresher, the atmosphere is heaving, but service is still quick, friendly.

Been here twice now and I will go back soon. It is a really popular place so you should book because if you don't you might be asked to wait 1hr or more. The ribs are really good here. Ribs are fall of the bone, pulled pork is rich and lobster is Canadian, what more do you want. The taste o rama is a lot of food so come hungry or share the tasting platter with a friend. Decent selection of whiskey helps to end the night on a good note.

Visited here back in January Friend and I were seated straight away at 7pm even though we didn't book however there was only room at the bar - which was fine for us (not actually bar but bar area with bar stools) Pretty quick service, friendly staff and good wine Good choice of food on the menu Main menu quite pricey for what it is but very tasty food Would definitely go back with a group of people

I'm a big fan of The Big Easy. The Big Easy first opened its doors on the Kings Road before launching this 'bigger little sibling' in Covent Garden. I've never been to the King's Road location, but the Covent Garden restaurant is an incredible building. It is built into an old electrical power station, the space dates back to 1883 when it was the HQ for the Charing Cross & Strand Electricity Supply Company. While it's not a perfect replication of true American BBQ, the smokiness is really what sets Big Easy apart from other London wannabe bbq joints - especially when it comes to their burger. It's the most flavourful beef patty that I've had in London, full stop. It's as if the grill tops have been infused with months and months of wood smoke and various other cuts of beef, pork, and chicken - and then when they cook a burger, the grill imparts that melting-pot of flavours into the beef. The "Smokehouse Burger" comes served atop of some crispy veg and fried onions and topped with melted and smoked cheese, BBQ sauce, and THICK cut bacon. They also offer BBQ pulled chicken, pulled pork or chopped brisket sandwiches. All of these plus the beef Smokehouse burger sit on one of my "best value in London" lunch/pre-theatre deals. For £10 (between noon-6pm or from 10pm-close) Monday through Friday, you can pair one of these sandwiches with a good-sized starter or desert cupcake for just ten quid! A REALLY good deal for London prices. If you are a hardcore BBQ fan, I highly recommend the huge meat feasts from the Big Easy Pit. The BBQ Blow Out Platter is the most American of the over-eating you can do, and for just under £20 per person you get a massive deal for that. They serve pit-smoked chicken, St Louis pork ribs, and Carolina pulled pork with cornbread and fries in massive amounts on an upside-down trash bin lid. It's a meat lover's dream... AND you can add brisket to that mix for another £3.I talk more in-depth about my experience on beeffanatic.com, my review site, but I'd say this is definitely worth dropping in for a bite and a drink!

To be fair, judging a place like this based on chicken bbq is not good. This review is mostly about service. It was a bit confusing with the seating and billing but we made it through. What i was impressed by was the enviornment which takes you away from covent garden streets to texas and food on other tables :). £10 for chicken bbq sandwitch+ beer was not too bad but definitely not the best in the area.

I have been to Big Easy every time I've visited London and I must say it is one of my favorite places to visit for seafood. Coming from Maryland in the US this is saying a lot since we're all about seafood there. I usually get the Lobster Bake which is kind of pricey but well worth the money. Also has a great selection of beers. The cider is a must try!

Wonderful wonderful place for the best seafood meal. A not a to miss restaurant if you are travelling to London. Advise to make a advance booking if you want to try this place. Order their seafood Platter, mac & cheese, loaded potato skin, and steak. Fully recommended for family and friends with big group

A group of us enjoyed a meal here on a Tuesday night recently. They had plently of options on the menu any of which would hold mustard in the US. Very tasty. We were lucky enough to order the all you can eat shrimp meal. There is a friend option and a peel-n-eat option. Tasty each. The only downer is, even though the special is all you can eat, the service is very very slow and we werent able to take advantage (or eat as much as we would have err...hoped to). All in all, it was a good experience and the massive beers make this place worthy of a trip back.

Stopped in here for lunch around 12:30 on a Wednesday. Both my friend and I did the £10 lunch deal. The meal started off very well with a tasty Mai Tai! Then, I got a huge skillet of white wine mussels, served with a huge hunk of bread. For the entree course, I had the lobster and shrimp Mac and cheese. Not the best Mac and cheese I've ever had, but it was still pretty tasty. It also came with a mixed greens salad. Overall, the food was excellent. In addition to the stellar food and good prices, the service was definitely a highlight of this meal! Our server checked on us periodically to make sure everything was alright, and even gave us a handshake on the way out. Would highly recommend this place. I will be back!

Rude hostess. Don't waste your time here. The hostess in front is horrific. Open tables and open reservations online but told that the wait was over an hour. Don't recommend at all

Poor service. Food was average but a bit sickening. My roll was just full of mayo. Rowdy and cramped place.

LOVE the atmosphere. My friends told me a lot of good stuff about the big easy, so I was expecting a very good time. Starting with the good, the atmosphere in the restaurant is amazing, the food is pretty good and the table service was second to none when I was there! I had a BBQ blow-out, which had 4 different meats on there such as pulled pork, ribs, brisket and roast chick. All of them were very nice apart from the roast chicken which was very dry. I regret not trying some of the seafood such as the lobster as it looked so good. The food was pretty good. The venue was very nicely themed and had a decent amount of space up and down stairs. Apart from the bar that didn't have much space at all! The lady that seated us was very friendly and chatty and helped us quickly and efficiently. Some issues I had was while we waited to be seated at the bar it was a major struggle to get a drink as it was so busy, also it was pretty expensive 3 cocktails for just over £30. This is expected as we are in central london. I had a really good time in the big easy, I will be going back. Not gonna miss out on that lobster again! + also had a live band there that played nice chilled music while you eat! Which was very good!! + AMAZING selection of cocktails and drinks

First time going on a recent trip to London. We went on shrimp Tuesdays (limitless deep fried shrimp) and were not disappointed. I ordered the taste-o-rama. My wife ordered the limitless shrimp. We also had deep fried pickles to share between us as we were both curious and never had them before. I couldn't fault a single bit of food but our waitress/server was terrible unfortunately. She simply had very bad English and on several ocassions took drinks orders but clearly didn't understand and they didn't arrive. I actually went to the bar myself to ask had they been ordered and they hadn't. On another ocassion we asked for more shrimp and again they were never ordered. I had to ask another server before we received them. Overall it was a good experience and we both thoroughly enjoyed our meals.

The Big Easy deserves my only five star rating yet. This was the second time that I had visited their Covent Garden venue and it did not disappoint. This time round I ordered the Pit-Smoked Bar.B.Q Chicken Wings to start and The Texas Sliced Slow-Smoked Brisket sandwich for mains. The wings were tasty although a bit too expensive for what you get. The Texas Sliced Slow-Smoked Brisket sandwich was the stuff dreams are made of - perfection. The meat is so tender and flavoursome you don't want it to end. It comes with chips and 'slaw also which are fantastic. However make sure to order some bbq beans and cornbread on the side which are two of my favourites! Forget about Burger and Lobster this place is far superior.

For what it is, I think it's quite pricey. This could be forgiven if the service and ambience was top notch, however, we didn't experience this. This place was busy, loud and difficult to hear others on your table. Downstairs the tables are packed so tightly together that walking around when trekking to the bathroom is a challenge, I would go as far to say that it could even be a fire hazard. Also, I'm not joking when I say the bathroom is a trek as it's a really long journey to get there. The service for us wasn't great. Maybe because they were extremely busy, but this shouldn't be an excuse. Firstly I ordered a glass of lager and it didn't come, after 20 minutes I reordered, it still didn't come, reminded the waitress, who then brought it about 10 minutes later. Also, there were not enough napkins and splash bibs on our table and I had to source these myself. All the steak orders were wrong and no apology given and the mac & cheese was very light on sauce. Also, the chips do not stay hot either, so you end up leaving then because they've gone cold. The seafood was good and I can't fault them on this. Nice big crab claws and massive prawns looked impressive on the plater and were tasty to eat. Also the spicy chicken wings are nice too. I probably won't return as there are far better BBQ places with a more competitive price.

I don't gamble, I don't drink and I don't smoke. I am saving all my hard earned money for foods. This is a place that I have been dream on. I started to notice this restaurant on social media and it is perfect place for a seafood lover. Here you go, I came to experience it all. I ordered the seafoods combination meal with lobster, crab claws, mussels. It taste so great and it took a while to down it. My friends had ordered pork ribs and pork meat feast..it was huge portion and saw them eat like a hungry ghost...i cannot believe it that they managed to finish it at last. Good attempt. I will definitely come soon to try it Atlantic crab.

So lobster is the new fried chicken it seems. The walk-up queues and the inability to book has always been a big turn-off, but as my date and I were skulking around Soho, cruising for some crustacean we happened upon the Big E on a blatantly busy night and thought, heck why not? Every other joint around here's usually booked, let's take a chance! Then happenstance happened and we made it in (as they happened to have had a cancellation). An optimistic waitress offered us to be seated for drink at the bar whilst we waited a surprisingly short time of 20 minutes for our table, but as I sidled up; before I'd chance to grow barnacles, the seat was brusquely whipped from under me; taken for another table. Usually, I can't stand standing, but was happy to standby back in the line for a chance to get a table here as I'd never come this close: practically within lobster licking distance! Again, booking isn't the finest thing about The Big Easy. If anything, for one irate punter in front of us, it was more of a big deal and not very easy. Whilst he was flapping like cock at a chicken ranch, cussing and spitting feathers at the long wait: (Tip!) I cooly suggested my date and I sit downstairs at the empty bar I spotted below. This trick worked a treat and we ordered ourselves a slap up supper and drinks at the bar. It was from this point though, that The Big Easy felt more like the big freeze when the bar tender who'd taken our order, gave us a very frosty reception. About to tuck into our tipples, a cheery waitress appeared and suggested our table was ready upstairs. Despite the salty service, we said we were happy to stay seated, now that we were finally anchored we reassured her, but she was having none of it and ushered us upstairs telling us we could no longer eat or drink at the bar below. Never-the-less we were "upgraded" to a cramped corner with an artic sea breeze blowing a gale from the air-con above me like the wind on a high sea. My chilly position in the dining room and the less than ship-shape operation of the service, wasn't cool. Being shown to our table was like navigating through a squall, waiters crashed around us, knocking our drinks into us and we had to sit as wet as sea dogs. Despite the seafood focus The Big Easy is strangely themed with servers sporting lumberjack shirts like Urban Outfitter's changing room assistants circa 2006. This was a high price to pay for a trip down memory lane. I simply had simple 'Dollar Wings' with tangy hot sauce to start: American Pub food. This is essentially what the Big Easy does, terrible southern comfort pub food. WHICH I LOVE! (Usually). Especially when it's a dollar. But there's noting on the menu for anywhere near a dollar, in fact it's a just a very overpriced Disnification of someones translation of a Texan roadside pub on the border of a college town. But worse. Also, you know how awkward it is when our Americans friends do impressions of us British people? Well it was really awkward seeing these hapless waiters running this joint [in England], trying to attempt an impersonation of an American style establishment, without the flair and cool casual charisma that most American servers and bartenders have. Truly there was something rather Pythonesque about the buffoonery of The Big Easy's staff 'computer says no' style of care in looking after us and our orders. What was worse, was having to go back downstairs into the bowels of this ship to visit the bathrooms. One thing that was spot-on about this place was the seaside theme of the toilets; stinky Southend-like public toilets. Anyway I enjoyed the likes of Belle & Sebastian lilting over the line up of over cooked lobster, clipped chicken-wings all sadly with very broken bones and also whilst on my date at the table; deveining some of my own prawns, veiny-er than my muscly mates arms.

This place is huge inside! I wasn't expecting as much room in here and for it to be as busy! With a completely wooden interior they have nailed the western USA look they were aiming for! The place was absolutely packed with a mix of table full of beers and others full of food. People had come here at the same time for both. The beers weren't cheap but what do you expect just off Covent Garden?! Very loud, buzzing atmosphere and plenty of happy faces. I didn't order food as I was on one of the tables full of beers. I will definitely be back at some point for food though. There aren't many thing I wouldn't do for a full rack of ribs and a nice rare steak so this place has me covered for my return. The only issue I can think of is finding a table! If you are a fan of meats, beers and loud spaces check out this place!

OK, first of all, I mostly come here for the bar. Nathan Merriman, the bar manager has done an absolutely stellar job with the bar here... From the stunning display of craft spirits, small batch concoctions, slushies, and cocktails on tap this place has everything you could think of. I've never seen classics such as an old Fashioned or a Vieux Carré served on tap. And taste that good. It's almost criminal. It also helps that the bar staff are super fun and jovial. The slushies are definitely worth trying. My favourite is the sazerac slushy, a variation on a New Orleans classic. A nice change from the classic sazerac you can get at Nola or Happiness Forgets. This one is slightly on the sweeter side, stronger on the liquorice, but just as amazing as a drink on its own. The Miami Vice is also worth trying, which is a pina colada topped with a strawberry daiquiri. So refreshing on a summer day. Wish they had take away cups! Their craft spirit selection is pretty cool, and they serve bourbon from Smooth Ambler and Few Spirits rye whisky, which are some of my favourite brown drinks at the moment. Their house bourbon, which they use for their Old Fashioned on tap is from Bulleit. Food wise, I've had their crab claws which are pretty damn good. But honestly, I come here to drink. And boy will I keep coming back. #gobig

The pre theatre menu was great value and the speed of service meant we didn't miss the beginning of our show. One thing to note, we ordered the same drinks order again (the first round was included in the deal) and this almost doubled our bill. The food and cocktails were delicious though so I'd definitely go back.

After many failed attempts at walking into The Big Easy's Covent Garden location, I had the foresight to make a reservation in advance to take the carnivore in my life to indulge in a protein-fueled feast for his Birthday. We were time constrained because we were eating before a show on the West End and this caused some confusion- I made the reservation for 18:15 after seeing that they had a pre-theatre menu available on their website; however, when they rang to confirm the booking that afternoon, I was advised that items from the pre-theatre menu must be ordered before 17:45. As it seemed too risky to reconfigure our plans, I explained that we had exactly one hour to order, eat and settle our bill. The woman who sat us enthusiastically noted this would be possible- I also advised her that it was my boyfriend's Birthday and she indicated that a cupcake would be arranged and sent over to us- sadly, this surprise never came into fruition in the haste of us paying and leaving! The Big Easy boasts a lively, moody atmosphere and typifies everything you expect from an American barbeque joint- it's a guaranteed good night out and will satisfy any meat eater or seafood lover's cravings. The food is bombastic and messy, slathered in the house barbecue sauce or swimming in creamy or spicy stock. The meats come delivered on wooden blocks or, in my case, the seafood arrived in a bulky cast-iron skillet. The portion sizes also exemplify what you would expect from America: bordering on greedy, but you definitely feel like you are getting good value. The food isn't exactly cheap, especially for some of the steak options and the Nova Scotian lobster, but that is typical for London. I can't neglect to mention the bottomless specials on offer throughout the week, as I imagine that these are extremely popular. We were there on a Tuesday, which was deemed unlimited jumbo shrimp night (or unlimited portions of a Southern shrimp broil) for a seemingly reasonable price of £19 per person. This included a selection of sides and a slushie cocktail or beer. They offer an unlimited hog roast on Wednesdays and other specials throughout the week. My boyfriend ordered a Taste-O-Rama platter, a professed cornucopia of meats consisting of pit-smoked barbecued chicken, dry-rubbed St Louis pork ribs, Carolina pulled pork and smoked beans and coleslaw on the side. He opted to add the Texas brisket as well because- damn it- it was his Birthday. Everything arrived smothered and glazed and he happily tucked in, affirming that each item in turn was smoked to perfection. He even thoroughly enjoyed the barbecue beans on the side even if they were humble compared to his primary concerns. There were no carbs here to act as filler, so he managed to put away every last morsel without complaining of the type of sweats that often accompany such rich foods. As a seafood eater, I opted for the Crabshack Combo in a spicy soup, which arrived as a sample of giant shrimp (singular), several crab claws, mussels, calms and a handful of new potatoes bobbing in a spicy broth. This was a monster of a dish, requiring untold effort to tuck into- as a warning, do not order this if you are: A) In a rush; or B) Going to the theatre. I was left frantically cracking away at my crab claws and fishing out the meat with various instruments right up to the wire- it was both ugly and messy. The food was delicious, but I had lingering remnants of the meal underneath my fingernails for at least a day afterwards. It was naïve on my part to be allured by this selection, but everything emerged from a wood burning oven in perfect condition; the mussels were plump, the crab was succulent and the shrimp was rich and meaty. I was not offered any wet wipes, however, which would have been appreciated. The atmosphere is relaxed, the waiters were helpful and there was notes of the blues wafting across the restaurant. I hear that the live jazz band plays every evening and they are worth the trip alone. The cocktails are also supposed to be out of this world. Our service was a bit staggered, but this is a very busy and buzzy restaurant that makes attentive service an impossibility- we could have used a bit more attention to clear the plates provided for discarded crab shells and the promise of a Birthday cupcake was never fulfilled (and that would have been a nice touch). We will certainly return to this location of The Big Easy again, but I will order more prudently and we will pace ourselves and make sure to catch the live music. This is a great spot in central London for a boisterous night out in a group. Beware that you will be offered a plastic bib- it's just that kind of joint.

Lunch special was a good price for what they offered. Service was a bit slow that might have been more cultural than anything else so I don't quite hold that against them. The food was nice & hot coming out.

Very disappointed! For a restaurant that is so popular I was expecting much more! Firstly, the food was lovely but there was no cutlery on our table. I had to ask for someone to get us cutlery, the first waiter did not do this so I had to ask again. Secondly, when our food arrived we were not asked if we wanted any sauces or if everything was okay with our meals and we ended up sitting on a dirty table without our empty drinks being taken. Service was not good.

I have to say eating at Big Easy is probably one of the weirdest dining experiences I've had. After ruminating for a week about what I might order (do I go for the fried shrimp special? do I go for something else? What about the shrimp boil? Well the reviews say the shrimp boil has no seasoning. Well my friend said the fried shrimp wasn't that good...), I showed up without a clue. The server (while adorable and Spanish) warned us in advance that it was his second day. It definitely showed as the number of mistakes he made were insane. To be fair it wasn't just him, it was everyone. It seemed that they had recently replaced the entire waitstaff with new people. We were told our fried pickles were calamari (they were definitely fried pickles). Drinks were forgotten. Drinks were delivered to the wrong people. I ended up ordering the shrimp boil, and we got brought the fried shrimp. Not just the once. And not twice. But three times they tried to tell us someone at our table had ordered fried shrimp. They hadn't. Foodwise, it seems like things can be hit or miss. The hot wings were fairly mild for me. But they were okay. The fried pickles actually were pretty good. The person who ordered the burger thought it was pretty terrible. The lobster was apparently nice, but not as good as other places you get lobster for a similar price. The steak and prawn combo was underseasoned. Turns out those of us who ordered the shrimp boil won the dinner lottery for the night. The shrimp boil was delicious. Really thick, spicy sauce with prawns, sausage, corn and potatoes. And it was all REALLY GOOD. Everything was cooked well and tasty. Because it was unlimited, I did order another plate, but I was already full. I didn't care. I was putting more of that deliciousness in my face if it killed me. I may have only eaten the shrimp and sausage out of the second one. But I was going to have more. I left feeling euphoric. I was ready to go nuts and give them the extra star that I thought they deserved for the shrimp boil. This morning, the euphoria is gone. They definitely need to up the service game if it's going to be anything better than average for me. To be fair, I'd definitely come back. But probably only on a Tuesday for the shrimp boil.

As an American who's eaten BBQ everywhere, I had low expectations. I will say Big Easy is good, not great. The Brisket was dry, like shoe leather. The pulled pork was not pulled. The only way that happens is the heat being too high when cooking. The creamy mashed potatoes were not creamy. But, the ribs were fantastic. Maybe, some of the best we've had. The chicken was more than solid. And, the chips / fries and baked beans were very good.

Proper BBQ. Ribs are great, chicken and brisket as well. Pulled pork could be better. Ambience is a bit forced, too dark for a restaurant, too overdone for a jazz bar.