Big Apple Inn

Pig ear slider was great and fried bologna

Totally over rated. Food was a total train wreck and sloppy mess. I don’t mind sloppy and messy if the flavor is there but in this case — it was not. The Bologna was barely placed on the grill and I couldn’t even find the slaw. Smooshed and smashed together this gets a one star. The famous smokes had no flavor other than the hot sauce. Tasted like partially cooked bacon bits that were soggy. Again couldn’t find the slaw and smooshed together. Same for the ear. The menu needs updated — is it really that much trouble to keep it up to date? No drinks but for machine. The only positive was the lady who served me was courteous –not very friendly — but at least not ugly with me. Not sure where all the hype comes from unless cheap and greasy is the criterion. These TV shows always over rate these dives. Been to 50+ of them all over america that are highlighted on famous tv shows and about 10% meet the expectations. About 70% are not even close. This one fits in the not even close category. Wouldn’t bother to go back even if they were free. My suggestion– go to Krystal’s — cheaper and way better– don’t bother to make this trip unless you really are hard up and want to verify this review.

I had a wonderful time with my sisters at The Big Apple Inn. The tamales, pig ear and smoke sandwiches were excellent. The staff was friendly and met our every need. If you haven’t been to The Big Apple Inn, you’re missing some great history.

I mean, what else can be said? Place is small, homey and fantastic. If you want excellent sandwiches with great grease, you’ve come to the right place.
Place your order to the very friendly lady behind the counter (I went with a smoke sausage, pig ear and bologna), and everything is cooked on a verrrry seasoned griddle.
They are famous for the pig ear (which is very tender and quite good) but my favorite was the bologna; I forgot how great fried bologna can be (and the lady said it was her favorite too).
As authentic as it gets.

Service was horrible. No Southern hospitality, no eye contact. No love. It was as if zombies were serving me. That being said, the price is pretty good: $ 1.50 for a Pig’s Ear Sandwich slider. The mustard dabbed on it with good grease and grilled onions was not bad. But when I opened it, the sammich looked like a train wreck. Just a big greasy mess. It filled me up and I’d eat it again if I were starving to death, but because of the negativity of the service, I doubt I’d ever step foot in here, and I get the sense that the people working here would be happier if that were the case.
I learned about the Big Apple Inn when I saw Anthony Bourdain stop by here on his Mississippi show. The staff treated Bourdain like a god. But I guess the staff only act nice when television cameras are around.
The place inside is dingy and doesn’t even have a bathroom. No love, no smiles, no happy times here.
Well, at least there wasn’t spit in my Pig’s Ear Sandwich, so I’ll give ‘em an extra star.

I’ve been to the one one North State St but never the original. Love this place. What a dive.
Gotta try a pig ear sammich. If that’s too much a hot little smokie sammich.
$ 1.50 each. Drinks $ 85
Eat in. Take out. Made right in front of you.
Classic Jackson.
Step out and see this place.

OMG !!! How did I live in Jackson born and raise and not know that this place existed??? Where have the smoke sandwiches been all of my life? I am seriously craving one now. Thanks to my friend Carlyn for posting up a photo of her delicious looking smoke sandwich, I had to go try one and they are SOOOOOOOO GOOOD!!! I will be back often to eat here again. Lovely and friendly staff and great food.

Brilliant. They do what they do, and they do it well. Want something different? Go somewhere else. This is in the middle of the rundown but historical Farish District in Jackson. Just above it was the former office of NAACP leader Medger Evers, so this is an incredibly historic place! It is rundown on the inside, but you don’t need to eat the tables so don’t worry about it. The pigs ear sandwich is delicious despite what you might of heard. The smoke sandwiches are also really good. You purchase your sodas from the machine separately, which is different. Go here eat a piece of history.

The original Big Apple Inn. After meeting the owner of the Atlanta location, I wanted to stop by to see where it began. I came here after visiting the other location in Jackson.
I was familiar with the menu and wanted to try the tamales. They had turkey tamales when I visited. They are served wrapped in foil and very hot; they were good, but I think I will stick to the «smokes» (smoked sausage sandwiches) next time.
At this location and the other on N. State St., the tamales must be ordered by the half-​dozen or dozen. (I was used to ordering one or two from the Atlanta location).
Great place to stop by for good and inexpensive sandwiches.

This one of my two favorite restaurants in Jackson. The red rose sausage sandwiches are nothing short of amazing. They also have pig ear sandwiches that many live. If you live out of town, order several as they are small sandwiches. They are ordered in spice levels of no hot, medium, hot & extra hot. I now live in California, but I often think about this place. You must treat yourself to either the Farish or State St location. Their State St location is in a better side of town, but neither location has the upper hand on the other in taste. Gino is one of the owners & he is a super nice guy. You won’t be disappointed with their sausage sandwiches!!!

Had to stop in after watching the Anthony Bourdain delta show. Made the correct call in going to the original location as it has a lot of character. Stopped in on the way to New Orleans from Memphis and found the ladies working to be very nice and they made the sandwiches hot and fresh to order. The smokes were good and really spicy. One in our group actually got a cheeseburger and it was pretty good also. The pig ear had good flavor but as some have mentioned the texture/​consistency was a little different. Two layers of fat with a chewy cartiledge in the middle. We did get hit up for money which being from Memphis wasn’t anything new to me. I got a couple extra ear sandwiches for the guy and he was appreciative. Really glad we stopped as it is a mission in life for me to eat at family run places and especially ones with a long history. Big Apple Inn lived up to expectations!

If you are a true foodie and you appreciate REAL culinary experiences — you have already had a PIG EAR SANDWICH. Well, compare your last one to Big Apple Inn’s and Big Apple will win every time! Try one hot and one mild. Also try the SMOKE sandwich. I am not qualified to explain what a SMOKE sandwich is… ask when you get there. The staff is very friendly and the food is great.

Big Apple Inn. Man! So let me start by saying that I’m in Mississippi because the navy has sent me to meridian, Mississippi to learn my trade. That said, I’m only in the Jackson, Mississippi area because of this place (Big Apple Inn). I’m not going to lie, I saw it on the Anthony Bourdain show and pretty much, if he can eat it, I damn sure know I can eat too. Not just because he ate it but because I love food!
So I convinced my buddy to drive us down to try this place and he obliged and man was I glad he did.
We navigated to Jackson and never been here before so seeing such an empty town was shocking. I mean downtown is like a ghost town. This particular location is the original place and everything around it is either demolished, broken down, and there are no signs of life for miles. It’s creepy. The Big Apple Inn itself is attached to a building that should really be condemned by all structure standards. The upstairs is windowless and nature has started to overtake it. Ever seen an episode of Forgotten Planet? I have a feeling they’re going to add Jackson to that series.
Luckily for me, my buddy is a foody and a Bourdain fan as well. We stuck it out and dined! So upon pulling up to the half demolished location you naturally become aware. You don’t feel comfortable. Yet the outside appearance seems inviting, mainly due to the clean exterior entrance banner and «OPEN» neon sign. But when you enter… God so, I just re-​read what I’ve wrote up to this point and I feel like I’m bashing this place. I’m sorry, I’m really not trying to.
So truthfully, the interior is very off putting, yet you get a whiff of what’s cooking and it makes it all worth the shock. You get a look at the menu, which is very minimal and first thing you see is «Pig Ear Sandwich.» Immediately I order 2. One hot, one mild. I also order the tamales. Wait «Tamales» in Jackson! I didn’t see any Mexicans around except me!!!
I get my Pig ears and BOOM. Mind is blown! The texture, the taste. It’s all worth it. Pig Ears were delicious! Hamburger delicious! Tamales were little to my standards, but the taste is amazing. The price is surprising. I got 2 of each item available and I paid $ 16!!! That’s it!
It greatly saddens me to think that this place will fall apart at any minute (but it’s a real possibility). To what I’ve heard just by asking this section of town is historical not only to music history but to civil rights history, yet the city has failed to maintain it. Tragic.
Note: On this visit, I experienced an ignorant, very rude, and very unnecessary moment. Two guys (white) drove up to Big Apple Inn: one was extremely excited about being in the same place as Anthony Bourdain, while the other, just as I explained, demonstrated awareness of the surrounding area, stepped into the restaurant, looked around, got a whiff and immediately, with no regard to the employees or waiting customers says, «I can’t eat here, I can’t even sit in here.» What a rude dick!!! Some people are just ignorant and can’t be fixed, but your mom hopefully taught you manners. I hope that person reads this and knows taking about them. Yes this location is old, beaten down and if a California health inspector stopped by they would shut it down on the spot, but this is a gem. Hopefully the management figures something out and they can keep this establishment up and running. A little restoration and this place is a Jackson attraction for sure.

The food is very GOOD at this place. My dad introduced me to this place years ago and I’ve food from here several times and it’s still as GOOD as the 1^st time I had the little spicy burgers with the onions & mustard… matter of fact. I will be there today to order some… thank ya’ll and keep up the GOOD work

This is a hole in the wall and in a bit of a dodgy area but the folks are friendly and I did enjoy my Red Rose and Pig Ear sandwiches. Sort of like soul food Krystal, if you will. not for everybody unless you are a foodie adventurer. I am.

It isn’t often that I’m faced with a food situation like the one that I had at Big Apple. I’ve tried just about every food known to man, and some known only to dogs… BUT…I’ve never even heard of anyone eating Pig Ear Sandwiches. Only in Mississippi! (And I mean this with respect)
I ordered a Smoke (Smoked Sausage out of the casing), and an Ear (Pig Ear –actually two per sandwich). I ordered mild on both and they were prepped the same way. They come on a bun the size of a White Castle, with a little slaw, a bit of mustard, and hot sauce. The mild was pretty spicy. The Smoke was really very good. Let’s move on to the Ear, shall we?
I’m sure this was the best Pig-​Ear Sandwich ever created, but I couldn’t eat it! I ate one good-​size bite, finished it, and couldn’t eat the rest. The flavor was OK, but the texture of it put my stomach in knots. There’s no meat in a pig ear, just ear. I wanted to like it, and the family that runs this place are nice, so I say support them if Pig Ear Sandwiches are your calling!
I felt bad throwing it away— i just hope there’s not a deaf pig wandering around the Delta at my expense.

Smokes and ears. That’s Red Rose Sausage out of its casing and slow boiled pig ears. That’s it. They do two things and they do them well. Both come on a small bun with mustard, slaw and hot sauce. You can order no hot, mild or hot. Everything is $ 1.05, with tax. There’s a soda machine for drinks.
Southern Foodways Alliance documentarian Joe York made a short film about The Big Apple Inn available here:
This isn’t polished or fancy. It’s in a part of town that’s increasingly popular for live music and nightlife, but is obviously still run down. The attraction is the food and the fact that you’re not likely to find either item on a menu anywhere else in the state. It’s a chance to eat something simple and hearty that tastes good in a place with historical significance.

You have two locations, one on Farish Street and then you have the location on N. State Street (Hwy. 51) — however this is the original location.
Food is good! This is the kind of stuff you get while you are on the go, it is truly an original Jackson, Mississippi staple — make sure you check out both locations. I did my full review of the business at the N. State Street location, pictures and all.