Walk down Fremont Street in Las Vegas and you’ll be greeted by the flashy lights of the hotels and casinos, the many gift shops and entertaining street performers, and countless food options to satisfy the hungry traveler. If you’ve worked up an appetite gambling at Golden Gate, the D, or Circa Resort in Downtown Las Vegas, try out some of the amazing food that this desert city has to offer. Nothing quite satisfies hunger like some good ol’ Carolina BBQ! Enter Project BBQ, a permanent food truck serving up Southern classics and gourmet smoked meats.
Conceptualized by Chef Rex Bernales, along with partners Rob Baker, Mo Pierce, and Steve Hamlin, this local Las Vegas food truck all started with a dream to build a better BBQ – and the favorite cuisine is a huge part of the founders’ culture. Chef Rex is leading the mission and his culinary experience spans from the Pacific Rim to the Carolinas. In his own unique way, he has taken everything he’s learned and developed new, modern ways to grill.
Situated on the exterior of Circa Las Vegas in the heart of Downtown Las Vegas, the Project BBQ Las Vegas food truck spills out onto the Fremont Street Experience with a built-in “backyard” for communal gathering to make you feel like you’re right in your buddy’s yard for a barbecue. Dine on picnic tables and sip on cocktails from Circa’s Fremont Street Experience bar as you enjoy spectacular light shows from Viva Vision overhead and live music from surrounding concert stages.
To Project BBQ, there are no boundaries when it comes to BBQ and its flavors (but don’t worry, the team still pays homage to traditional methods!). Using the highest quality of meat, including Certified Angus Beef, pulled brisket, pork, chicken, and more. Along with premium meat, the bold spices of Project BBQ boast some of the strongest flavors in the neighborhood. You definitely won’t want to miss their signature “Garbage Bowl” – the perfect meal after a night out in Vegas.
Making Fremont Street their home in March of 2017, Project BBQ has been nothing short of a success since this popular food truck began. How did this world of BBQ begin, you might ask? Brought to the desert by four guys with big dreams, barbecue is not just a cuisine, it’s a culture and defines a lifestyle for the Project BBQ founders and chefs – and you can really taste the TLC that goes into the food.
Chef Rex leads the BBQ team by also bringing with him years of culinary experience and a diverse expertise in the world of BBQ, from the Pacific Rim all the way to the Carolinas, and not forgetting about Las Vegas in the middle. Upon developing this Las Vegas food truck, Chef Rex incorporated new and modern ways to bring the BBQ flavor to Las Vegas, while also keeping the original BBQ style. When you stop by Project BBQ for a meal, you can expect the highest quality meat, unique spices that develop the best tasting flavors, and an extensive menu to choose from!
In true food truck form, Project BBQ offers a simple, but delicious menu for their guests to browse upon. First, you choose your meat, whether that be the brisket, pulled chicken, or pulled pork. All three meats available on the menu are smoked in true BBQ style and seasoned to perfection, making it hard for guests to pick just one! Once you decide what you’re craving, the chosen protein is added to a french roll sandwich bun and topped with “truck made” coleslaw. Don’t forget to top off your meal with some hot sauce and a side of homemade Project Chips for the perfect lunch or dinner meal.
If you’re not in the mood for a sandwich, but you’re still looking to get your Vegas BBQ fix, indulge in Chef Rex’s signature dish, the “Garbage Bowl.” The Garbage Bowl is a Frankenstein dish that Chef Rex created to satisfy all the taste buds at once. This BBQ creation consists of a handful of Project BBQ’s famous potato chips, covered with a portion of each meat available. All of this is then topped off with tangy Carolina BBQ sauce, beer and cheese sauce, and don’t forget about the coleslaw and applewood smoked bacon to finish it off! Is your mouth watering yet?
If the regular menu isn’t enough for you, Project BBQ knows how to go big and satisfy any appetite. If you’re feeling up to the challenge, order the Hundred Dollar Sandwich, which is a 2-foot-long sandwich piled high with brisket, pork, and chicken, smothered with BBQ sauce, beer and cheese sauce, bacon bits, and mounds of Project Chips. For larger parties up to 8 people, the party platters offer a great variety if you want to try a bit of everything. And finally, for those with really groups or really large appetites, the Hogstravaganza includes an entire roasted pig so big it will feed up to 10 to 25 people.
Now that you know where it’s located, who brought it to the city, and what to order, it’s time to make your way over to the Project BBQ food truck to find out for yourself just how delicious this Las Vegas food hub is. Make sure you grab a cold drink at OneBar, D Bar, and Circa Bar located on Fremont Street before enjoying one of the best meals you’ll have while staying in Las Vegas.
