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Bill Johnson's Big Apple

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3757 E. Van Buren St. Phoenix AZ 85008

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  • American, Barbecue, Brunch, Steak House, Steakhouse
  • Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Takeout, Delivery
  • Accepted
Description

With only a century of history as a state, Arizona isn’t exactly home to very many legendary restaurants. When you want a taste of Phoenix’s past, one name always comes to mind: Bill Johnson’s Big Apple. The restaurant has locations in North Phoenix, Goodyear, Mesa, and on West Indian School Road – and its sauces are sold in grocery stores throughout the country – but the best of the Old West can be found just east of downtown on Van Buren Street. There lies the original restaurant, opened in 1956 by Bill Johnson and his wife Gene, still serving T-bone steak, Grandma’s meatloaf, barbeque pork ribs, and deep-dish apple pies. If you listen closely, you can still hear the echoes of Bill Johnson’s voice booming over the radio as he broadcasts his rebel show right there from the original restaurant, creating the legend not only of great cowboy-style chow but of one of the country’s original shock jocks.








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  • 2006 | BEST PLACE TO WAX NOSTALGIC ABOUT PHOENIX

    Fifty years ago, former circus trapeze artist Bill Johnson threw open the doors on what would become one of the best-known and longest-running restaurants in the Valley, and the place that bears his name has been dishing out chops and barbecue ever since. The rustic interior of Bill Johnson's Big Apple is still hung with Western memorabilia, its servers still dress in cowboy drag, and it's still run by the Johnson family (Bill died in 1966, after which his kids took over). All these things... More »

  • 2004 | BEST DEEP DISH APPLE PIE

    Bill Johnson's Big Apple harks back to a simpler time in American culinary history, an era where the men were men, the sheep were scared, and the women were in the kitchen -- chained to the stove, cookin' up some apple pie. We're not sure who's chained to the stove at BJ's, but whoever that poor schlub is, he's baking up the best durn deep dish apple pies in the Valley. You've heard of individual pizzas, right? At BJ's, they serve individual apple pies, with a golden brown crust, filled to... More »

  • 2000 | Best Place for a Grease-Soaked Hangover Breakfast

    Your head feels like it's going to wrench itself violently from your body. Your stomach's threatening to eject its contents all over your shoes. You shouldn't have had that last drink.Now, you need grease. The kind of good, old-fashioned, fatty, dripping grease served at Bill Johnson's to coat your stomach.The Big Apple means big breakfasts, served country style in a setting so casual it doesn't matter that you look like you've been dragged behind a truck all the way to the restaurant.... More »

Dinner Menu
Starters
$9.99
Pork Wings
pigs really do fly and you'll be glad they did! two giant juicy bbq pork wings.
$6.99
Silver Dollar Zucchini
garden-fresh slices, golden-fried, saved with our homemade ranch dressing.
$6.99
Onion Rings
a pound of so of our traditional battered favorites, saved in a large basket for sharing.
$14.99
Big Bill's Platter
piles of pork wings, smoked andouille sausage, chicken wings, golden zucchini, onion rings, and candied bacon strips. all on a giant-sized platter!
$6.99
Bbq Pork Sliders
good things come in threes! our towering sliders! the perfect bbq teaser.
$9.99
Wild West Wings
a heapin' helpin'! a full pound of our meaty home-smoked wings, dripping with bill johnson’s special sauce.
$7.49
Smoked Hot Sausage
hot and spicy andouille sausage, tossed in our famous bbq sauce.
Salads & Soups
$9.99
Belle Starr Chicken Salad
romaine lettuce, chicken strips, apples, candied bacon, bleu cheese, walnuts, craisins and tomatoes, tossed in our special creamy apple dressing.
$7.99
Western Wedge
an iceberg wedge with bleu cheese crumbles, candied bacon, tomato, and dressing.
$6.99
$4.99
Snake Bite Green Chili
succulent shredded pork, chilis, roasted corn, and our special seasonings, simmered to perfection.
$5.99
Topped With Chicken $7.99
Topped With Salmon $12.49
Johnson's Signature Caesar
romaine lettuce, parmesan and croutons.
$3.49
House Salad
$4.99
Cup $3.49
Soup Of The Day
made fresh daily
BURGERS
$8.99
Bill's Original Smokehouse Favorite
cheddar cheese, smoked bacon, all the fixin's, and our famous bill johnson's bbq sauce.
$8.99
Southwest Burger
snake bite chili, white cheddar, fried egg, and avocado.
$8.99
Gene's Apple Burger
carmelized onions, apple, and white cheddar cheese.
$8.99
Patty Melt
swiss and cheddar, thousand island, and grilled onions on marble rye.
$8.99
Saloon Burger
jack daniel's sauce, cheddar cheese, and all the fixin's, topped with onion straws.
$7.49
Naked Burger
dress it up with cheese and our special sauce for a buck more!
Home Cookin
$10.99
Grandma's Meatloaf
one of our favorite family recipes. with mashed potatoes, this is comfort food at its best!
$14.99
Smoked Bone-in Pork Chop
a thick half-pound hunk of smoked pork loin, still on the bone. with campfire grits.
$17.99
Grilled Salmon
atlantic salmon grilled over an open flame and topped with garlic butter. served with roasted corn.
$12.99
Fish & Chips
four large pieces of crisp icelandic cod, served with bill's special tartar sauce and fries.
$14.99
Fried Shrimp
six jumbo fried shrimp, golden and crispy, served with our tasty sauce and fries.
$14.99
Chicken-fried Steak
a cowhand favorite! smothered in our homemade country-style gravy, with heaps of mashed potatoes.
$10.99
Southern Fried Chicken
three golden-fried pieces country-style: crispy outside, juicy inside! comes with mashed potatoes.
Bbq Cookin' - Done Right
$8.99
Sliced Bbq Brisket Sandwich
hand-carved beef brisket piled high on a potato bun.
$8.49
Pulled Pork Sandwich
we really don't have to pull it 'cause it falls off the bone! tender pulled pork slathered in bbq sauce and served on a potato bun.
$14.99
Full Rack $21.99
St. Louis Pork Ribs
we've got nice racks! we've been doing this recipe for more than 55 years.
$18.99
Cowboy Combo
pick three and we’ll plate ‘em up! pork ribs, beef rib bbq smoked chicken pulled pork, beef brisket andouille sausage
$15.99
Beefy Cowboy Ribs
our premium beef ribs! if five of these big boys don't fill you up, add more for a buck a bone! (no doggie bags, please.)
 
Mesquite Bbq Chicken
half a bird! slow smoked to perfection.
$39.99
The Chuck Wagon
we feed ya we don't fool ya! this is everything we've got! pork ribs, beef ribs, bbq chicken, andouille sausage, and piles of pulled pork and sliced beef brisket—all drowned in our famous bbq sauce.
Steaks
12 Oz $19.49
Ribeye
$17.99
Cowboy Surf & Turf
a 7 oz. sirloin steak and three giant crispy shrimp. extra shrimp are a buck each!
16 Oz $21.99
T-bone
7 Oz $14.49
Sirlion
Dessert
$4.49
Bill Johnson's Deep-dish Pies
a true arizona tradition for over 55 years! you can’t visit the big apple without tasting our individual homemade deep-dish apple or cherry pie, served piping hot right out of the oven. topped with vanilla ice cream, cheddar cheese, or whipped cream—or just plain!
$5.99
Mud Pie
a blend of vanilla and coffee ice cream drenched in our homemade chocolate sauce and nestled in an oreo cookie-crumb crust. topped with whipped cream.
$5.99
Chocolate Rodeo
we rounded up as much chocolate as we could for this cowboy classic.
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