I’ve now made three attempts to try this place. First time it was on a Tuesday, and they are closed Tuesdays. Last week I drove past without seeing it, and decided to keep going to another place on my bucket list, The Ocean Bay Diner. Today I was careful not to pass it, but there was a sign saying that they were closed because of the extreme heat. I had my heart set on some BBQ so went to JSBBQ. Anybody a fan of Harlie’s?
You went from sayreville to belmar? If so, you’re a trooper!
Not quite. They have one in E. Brunswick now.
Ah I see. Thanks for the update
So I made attempt #4 to try Harlie’s. I arrived 45 minutes before closing time. Guy at the counter calls back to the kitchen “you got any more food back there?.” The answer is no. “Sorry, we’re closed.” The plus side: I didn’t have to spend any money to determine it’s not a place I’ll ever return to.
I’ve been meaning to check this place out, they have coupons on restaurant.com or localflavor, one of those places. I’ll get there at some point and report back!
We had lunch at Big Harlie’s way back in Feb. 2014. I found the food very disappointing. It was pretty much right after they first opened, so I suppose the food may have improved, but I’ve never been inclined to find out.
Big Harlie’s photo set on my Flickr here.
Re: JSBBQ East Brunswick. We’re huge fans and go there with some regularity as it’s a short drive from our house.
We went to JSBBQ once; service was slow, the fries were soggy, and on the whole I was unimpressed.
Big Harlie’s has unusual sides, but the meat sometimes seems dried out and (apparently) their hours are unreliable.
Big Ed’s now has ordinary portions in addition to AYCE, so we’ve started going there again.
We still hit The Whole Hog in Cherry Hill when we’re there.
We always go to JSBBQ for a late lunch and haven’t found the prep time/service to be particularly slow. Never had the fries. Haven’t been to Big Ed’s in ages.