The wife and I took a little road trip down to Ocala. It was an 1 1/2 hours just to eat at Big Lee's. I had warned her that if the line was out the door, I wasn't going to wait and be prepared to eat somewhere else. We arrived a little after 12 on a Saturday and was surprised to see that while busy, the line was moving at a pretty good pace. Several of the employees spoke to us and were friendly as we waited. The cashier was exceptional and helped us order. My wife order the pulled pork sandwich with corn nuggets and I got the brisket and burnt ends with beans and fried okra. We found a seat outside and waited for a few minutes. I didn't get the ladies name, but she brought us our food and was so helpful. From the first bite I could tell that this was quality bbq! Although to sauces were excellent, it didn't even need them. This was some of the best bbq I've ever eaten and I'm not exaggerating! I was so good we decided to get a rack of ribs, Big Lee's tea, peach cobbler and Biscoff cheesecake to take home! The food was so good and the services was just as good. I hope that in the future they expand and open more locations closer to us. We will definitely make another trip in the future!
Robert Valentine-Miller
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March 04, 2026
We expected more Flavor. Let me preface this by saying the bar & my expectations were very very high. I have lots of family & my wife are from Texas. I have had unforgettable BBQ & especially Brisket from Texas during our visits there. My wife had the Ribs platter & I ordered Brisket and Burnt ends. I will say the meat was all very tender and well cooked; it was just lacking any kind of smoky flavor- I even remarked to my wife that this could have been cooked in an oven vs a Pit. We loved the desert Banana pudding cheesecake & their SweetTea was also good.
The service was great & everyone that was there Staff & Customers all seemed to be enjoying themselves. I will also say that the inside was smaller and the Tables, seating fills up fast; we arrived right before Noon & it the restaurant got busier as time passed.
If, when we are back in Ocala (we drove up from Tampa), I would give this place another chance to see if there's any change. I do hope this place success & open another location down here
Casey Brinn
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February 25, 2026
We ordered takeout from Big Lee’s – Serious About Barbecue and overall had a good experience. Kevontrae was very helpful and kind — a real pleasure to deal with. The food tasted great, but the portions were pretty small for the price, (It fed 2 ppl) and we didn’t receive much barbecue sauce with our family meal. I’d recommend dining in so you can see what you’re getting. Great flavor, just a bit pricey for the amount of food.
Stacy Williams
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January 19, 2026
If someone is serious about dining with friends or solo, the food here is soooo good. The videos are real. We met a lady who drove from SC to Ocala, FL for this meal. We drove 2 hours (Jacksonville, FL). We almost bought everything. Unfortunately, they sold out of the sausage before we could get there. It just means I must go back, and hopefully I will remember to ask for my military discount (lol). I even ordered food to go. We did not finish the family meal, but we did talk about how juicy the meat was and how we looked forward to eating the to go order later in the day or the next day as leftovers.
David Stargel
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January 21, 2026
I'm going to attempt to give a straightforward review without getting my feelings involved… Doc and I were looking forward to visiting this place after seeing so many posts and ads, so we decided to do a day date and make a road trip to Ocala (1.5 hrs).
The food was lukewarm (we prefer our food hot). The brisket was tender but slightly underseasoned.
The Mac and cheese was very loose. The baked beans had a decent taste however, they were barely warm.
I’m going to leave it at that.
The people were friendly and nice.
The more you know
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2611 SW 19th Avenue Rd, Ocala, FL 34471, USA
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The wife and I took a little road trip down to Ocala. It was an 1 1/2 hours just to eat at Big Lee's. I had warned her that if the line was out the door, I wasn't going to wait and be prepared to eat somewhere else. We arrived a little after 12 on a Saturday and was surprised to see that while busy, the line was moving at a pretty good pace. Several of the employees spoke to us and were friendly as we waited. The cashier was exceptional and helped us order. My wife order the pulled pork sandwich with corn nuggets and I got the brisket and burnt ends with beans and fried okra. We found a seat outside and waited for a few minutes. I didn't get the ladies name, but she brought us our food and was so helpful. From the first bite I could tell that this was quality bbq! Although to sauces were excellent, it didn't even need them. This was some of the best bbq I've ever eaten and I'm not exaggerating! I was so good we decided to get a rack of ribs, Big Lee's tea, peach cobbler and Biscoff cheesecake to take home! The food was so good and the services was just as good. I hope that in the future they expand and open more locations closer to us. We will definitely make another trip in the future!
We expected more Flavor. Let me preface this by saying the bar & my expectations were very very high. I have lots of family & my wife are from Texas. I have had unforgettable BBQ & especially Brisket from Texas during our visits there. My wife had the Ribs platter & I ordered Brisket and Burnt ends. I will say the meat was all very tender and well cooked; it was just lacking any kind of smoky flavor- I even remarked to my wife that this could have been cooked in an oven vs a Pit. We loved the desert Banana pudding cheesecake & their SweetTea was also good. The service was great & everyone that was there Staff & Customers all seemed to be enjoying themselves. I will also say that the inside was smaller and the Tables, seating fills up fast; we arrived right before Noon & it the restaurant got busier as time passed. If, when we are back in Ocala (we drove up from Tampa), I would give this place another chance to see if there's any change. I do hope this place success & open another location down here
We ordered takeout from Big Lee’s – Serious About Barbecue and overall had a good experience. Kevontrae was very helpful and kind — a real pleasure to deal with. The food tasted great, but the portions were pretty small for the price, (It fed 2 ppl) and we didn’t receive much barbecue sauce with our family meal. I’d recommend dining in so you can see what you’re getting. Great flavor, just a bit pricey for the amount of food.
If someone is serious about dining with friends or solo, the food here is soooo good. The videos are real. We met a lady who drove from SC to Ocala, FL for this meal. We drove 2 hours (Jacksonville, FL). We almost bought everything. Unfortunately, they sold out of the sausage before we could get there. It just means I must go back, and hopefully I will remember to ask for my military discount (lol). I even ordered food to go. We did not finish the family meal, but we did talk about how juicy the meat was and how we looked forward to eating the to go order later in the day or the next day as leftovers.
I'm going to attempt to give a straightforward review without getting my feelings involved… Doc and I were looking forward to visiting this place after seeing so many posts and ads, so we decided to do a day date and make a road trip to Ocala (1.5 hrs). The food was lukewarm (we prefer our food hot). The brisket was tender but slightly underseasoned. The Mac and cheese was very loose. The baked beans had a decent taste however, they were barely warm. I’m going to leave it at that. The people were friendly and nice. The more you know