Big Daddy J's 5 Great Things — Restaurant in Cocoa Beach

Big Daddy J's 5 Great Things Watering Station & Restaurant 3850 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach, FL 32931

4.5 Stars

When I learned from oral lore the owner of this establishment is also a franchisee of a Beef O'Brady's, I hoped against hope they would close before it ever popped up in the random name generator. Needless to say, I was apoplectic when it did appear. Sucking it up, I headed north to take one for the team (or so I surmised).

Thankfully, Thania (pronounced Tanya) soothed the savage beast within as she was our extremely charming server, sharp as a tack and on point. Thania is officially on the 4th Q best server list. She should offer server classes along with the rest of the 2023 Top 5 List. I asked Thania for one Brined Turkey Grilled Cheese, a Mom's Brisket sandwich and an order of Smoked Crack Mac. Is it just me, or are these names great? Items I missed are Porky Goodness and Frito Pie. Kudos to the creative genius behind the menu!

Thania was soon seen approaching, laden with my order. The aromas preceding her were enticing, to say the least. First up on the Big Boy's palate was the Brined Turkey Grilled Cheese sammich. The star in this dish was, by far, the protein. The flavors of the peppercorn, fruit and brown sugar evident in the brine added succulent notes to the perfectly cooked Turkey and melted cheese. The lettuce and tomato were farm fresh, while the bread was toasted to order. The aftertaste from the brine was such that I found it extremely difficult to remove the sandwich from my mitts to continue the job at hand.

To that end, I reluctantly placed the Brined Fowl down and moved on to Mom's Brisket sandwich mode as well. It is important to note that the items are available in various ways, from the traditional sandwich to a Chimichanga. Again, the menu is quite adventurous. The Brisket was just as tasty as the Turkey. However, while the Turkey was Brined (soaked in a liquid), it was dry marinaded and hickory smoked to a sumptuous tenderness that caused the meat to almost melt in the mouth. Avoid places that advertise "fall off the bone," as that can only mean the meat is terribly overcooked. What you want is meat so tender. As I said, it practically melts on your tongue. This is the stuff of which legends are born.

This brings us to the final two items, the Smoked Crack Mac and the side of Big Daddy's Biscuit Bread. I know mac & cheese is a bit desuetude, but trust me, this is so modern and tasty not to eat it would be a crime. This delightful concoction of the old stand-by consists of five, count them, five different kinds of cheeses blended and then cold smoked. I didn't even know that was possible.

Take a gander at the picture of the biscuit bread. That piece was bigger than my hand! Big Daddy J's is giving TLR a damn good run for their money in the category of best biscuit in Brevard and you can take that to the bank.

The Big Boy says, "If you're up this way or a local, in the words of Cherry Poppin' Daddies, '...you gotta try,...

I got Good news and bad news. Bad news first is driving from palm bay to get here. Good news it was worth the gas and the ride because the food was awesome. Pickles our server was great and helped us with ordering what was fan favorites because there was so much goodness to choose from and I wanted to eat everything on the menu lol luckily pickles helped narrow our order down to smash burger and brisket sandwich. They were delicious and we had deviled egg potato salad and pot roast fries as an appetizer. I even tried the Mac n cheese cause it just had to be tried. For dessert pickles recommended the carrot cake. She said she wasn't a normal fan of carrot cake but big daddy Js carrot cake made her a believer and it made us new believers because this carrot cake made all other carrot cakes feel less than what we thought they once were on a scale of 1-10. Every other carrot cake had nothing on this one. Even the cream cheese frosting was da 💣 and I don't even like cream cheese frosting but I liked this one! It was not over powering. Just the right amount to make us not wipe off the frosting. Over all I'm so glad I chose this place for me and hubby to have flavor explosions in our mouths. Definitely will come back for something different 💯 want to try so much more and we will. Thanks pickles for making our first time great. It's maxine and shawn who you served and you were a great server and so was your coworker. Compliments to the...

Awesome new addition to the Space Coast! Awesome restaurant concept and awesome people (shout out to Thania at the bar and to my spirit animal Walter in the kitchen)! Did I mention awesome?! Owners Jesse and Sean are bringing years of experience from Colorado and the FLA Keys to Cocoa Beach, and I am definitely (and selfishly) rooting for them! The awesome, build-a-meal, comfort food menu is based on BDJ's 5 great things, and I can't wait to try each one! The delicious 48-hour marinated pork on top of creamy homemade mac and cheese was a great first-dish, and the (frickin' huge) biscuit was amazing! And don't forget a giant slab of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting for dessert! Indoor and outdoor seating, a full bar, something going almost every night (live music, trivia, Karaoke, etc), a great HH every day of the week (even weekends), and a fits-right-in Cocoa Beach vibe! Do yourself a favor and head to Big Daddy J's 5 Great Things to see (and taste) for yourself!

UPDATE: BDJs has streamlined/simplified the menu (and included a few awesome lunch combos), but his 5 Great Things still reign supreme!

UPDATE 2: Thur night trivia with Robert is a blast, and you can win some BDJ's gift certificates for your next visit!

UPDATE 3: BDJ's now has $5 (or under) drink and food deal HH twice a day! And $3 Reef Donkey drafts all day!

UPDATE 4: So glad that Kaitlyn has arrived at BDJ's! One of the best has arrived at one...