Tangy, sweet flavors shine at Big Hoffa’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que and Freezery, and so does the atmosphere. The 16,000 square-foot restaurant in Westfield gives off an airy, fun, pirate-themed vibe for tasty barbecue and ice cream under one roof. There’s low-key comfort in the tavern-style wooden tables, flickering antique-style lights, juxtaposed against vibrant paper lanterns and Caribbean-hued murals detailed with ocean waves, skeletons and pirate ships. Big Hoffa’s is locally owned and operated, and draws long crowds for both lunch and dinner. It’s so beloved by its regulars, in fact, that most of the pirate-themed decorations have been donated by customers.
Enjoy hefty portions of imaginative and classic creations, such as the Buccaneer, the restaurant’s flagship sandwich, which comes with over a half pound of pork topped with coleslaw, fries and ranch dressing on a garlic butter bun.
The top-selling “Hoffinator” consists of loaded fries topped with 29 different ingredients. There are also family-sized meals, and a “Little Hoffa” menu for youngsters that includes mini sandwiches, mac and cheese, ribs and applesauce.
Big Hoffa’s Freezery commissions Glover’s Ice Cream in Frankfort to private label ice cream for vintage shakes, hand-dipped cones and cups, and floats. But the real star of the menu includes their eight towering Insane Shakes. These sharable 20-ounce cups of ice cream include toppings like cotton candy, Ding-Dongs, Twinkies and sprinkles. Tears of a Mermaid comes with a base of kryptonite ice cream, topped with cotton candy and rainbow lollipops. Some of those extreme shakes measure up to two feet tall!
800 E. Main St., Westfield | bbqindianapolis.com
