9 minute read
LOCAL BBQ JOINTS
LOCAL BBQ JOINTS
By Mia Stinemetz and Nicole Willis
There are few things more American than a loaded, messy pulled pork sandwich that falls right out of the bun, or a tender, melt-in-your-mouth saucy slab of ribs.
What better way to commemorate the upcoming Independence Day than by chowing down on some good ole’ American barbecue. If you’re spending the day setting up your fireworks display and don’t have the time to play pitmaster, consider grabbing some barbecue to-go from one of Pensacola’s many barbecue restaurants. From traditional and Southern-style barbecue, to New Orleans and Korean barbecue, we’ve rounded up a list of some of Pensacola’s top barbecue joints.
BUH’S BBQ
1981 Hwy. 87, Navarre buhsbbq.com Open daily from 10:30 am to 6 pm
John “Buh” Scott fuses together “Texas Heat’’ and “Tennessee Sweet” to create the mouth-watering Buh’s BBQ—Dry Memphis Style Rub and barbecue sauces. Buh’s BBQ also caters to events with their food truck that can cook up to 500 lbs of meat at a time. Traveling to Navarre for this slow-cooked chicken, pork and beef is a must!
THE RIB SHACK
9532 Navarre Pkwy., Navarre ribshacknavarre.com Open Monday through Saturday from 11 am to 8 pm
Since 2002, The Rib Shack has been serving delicious smoked meats and homemade desserts that are sure to cure your growling stomach. Be certain to try their signature Saint Louis style dry rub, Cincinnati chili or chocolate “damn” cake.
GROVER T’S BBQ
Grover T’s prides itself on providing “A true Southern experience.” Although this joint is most known for its scrumptious Southern-style barbecue, their menu also features a number of other signature favorites like their smoked brisket queso and chips and barbecue egg rolls. Each of their recipes are handcrafted and their meats are slow-cooked over hardwood for up to 18 hours. Grover T’s also offer delicious homestyle desserts, a full bar and a variety of craft beers to choose from.
photo by Ellie Scott
HOT SPOT BARBECUE
901 E La Rua St., Pensacola hotspotbarbecue.com Monday through Thursday from 10:30 am to 8 pm, Friday & Saturday from 10:30 am to 9 pm
When Pensacola-native Cheri Hlubek stepped away from her career in the beauty industry after working alongside her mother at their family-owned day spa for 35 years, she and her husband, Jim never dreamed that they would one day become the owners of one of the top barbecue joints in Pensacola.
Voted Best of the Coast for six years running, Hot Spot is known for its scrumptious Southern-style barbecue. The Hlubek’s humble journey to barbecue bliss began ten years ago when they, along with Jim’s father, purchased an old rundown building about the size of a house just off Ninth Avenue in Pensacola, where it still remains today.
Meat takes center stage at Hot Spot BBQ, where the sauce is served on the side allowing the tender, flavorful meat to make a lasting impression on its own. Of course, if you’re the type of eater who loves brisket, chicken or ribs slathered in sauce, you’ll also enjoy dousing your plate in Hot Spot’s signature homemade barbecue sauce. Hot Spot’s dry-rubbed meats are cooked in an outdoor smoker and seasoned to absolute perfection using their homemade dry rub, with locals going particularly hog wild over the tender ribs.
Hot Spot also offers a hearty selection of traditional southern sides, including potato salad, coleslaw and Brunswick stew. Make sure to leave room for a slice of their famous homemade lemon pie (aptly named after Jim’s father). The restaurant offers an impressive wine list as well as a solid selection of beers. Hot Spot also bottles and sells its homemade sauce and signature rub at the restaurant, so be sure not to miss it on your way out!
BLUE DOT
310 N DeVilliers St., Pensacola facebook.com/Blue-Dot-barbecue Open Tuesday through Friday from 11:30 am to 3 pm and Saturday from 12:30 pm to 3 pm
Established in the late 1940s, Blue Dot is named after Blue Robinson and Dorothy Robinson. While they have a limited menu, the items they do serve are cooked to perfection! Try their famous burgers or rib sandwiches with their mouth-watering barbecue sauce.
DICKEY’S BBQ PIT
7175 N Davis Hwy., Pensacola 1480 Tiger Park Lane, Gulf Breeze dickeys.com Open daily from 11 am to 9 pm
Dickey’s BBQ Pit is a staple to the Pensacola barbecue scene. The first Dickey’s opened in Dallas, Texas and serves some delicious St. Louis style ribs, polish sausage, spicy cheddar sausage, smoked turkey and marinated chicken. Although Dickey’s is now a franchise, they still pride themselves on their barbecue recipes handed down from generation to generation.
SMOKEY’S REAL PIT BAR-B-QUE
6475 Pensacola Blvd. facebook.com/smokeys29 Monday through Wednesday from 10:30 am to 8:30 pm; Thursday & Friday from 10:30 am to 9 pm & Saturdays from 10:30 am to 3 pm
Family owned and operated, Smokey’s Real Pit Bar-B-Que has been serving up slow-smoked barbecue for over 40 years. Smokey’s specializes in smoked meats, and their small menu consists of various types of meat, classic sides like beans and potato salad, and Southern desserts. Smokey’s smokes their meats in pecan, mesquite or hickory woods for a delectable smokey flavor.
BROTHER’S BBQ
3309 Gulf Beach Hwy., Pensacola facebook.com/BrothersSmokinHotQ Monday through Saturday from 11 am to 8 pm; Closed Sunday
Brother’s BBQ prides themselves on their old-school style barbecue practices. The meat is smoked at low temperatures for a long time to ensure smokey, melting off the bone, pieces of meat. At Brother’s BBQ you can get meat in any form–on a sandwich, as a platter, a slab of ribs and even a whole chicken.
VOODOO BBQ
1741 E 9 Mile Rd voodoobbq.com/stores/voodoo-bbq-pensacola Open daily, 11 am to 9 pm
VooDoo BBQ serves New Orleans-style barbeque dishes that feed the soul. Born in the heart of New Orleans, VooDoo BBQ quickly expanded with several locations across the south, including a location in Pensacola. VooDoo BBQ boasts many signature sides, sandwiches and meat platters. Craving a warm and juicy sandwich? Check out the Brisket Sandwich or the Shrimp Po-Boy. If you still have some room left, try a side of Corn Pudding, Gris-Gris Greens or BBQ Jambalaya. Not feeling the extra carbs? Ditch the bread and go for a meat platter instead. To prepare their meats, VooDoo BBQ uses a dry rub made with Caribbean, Cajun, and Creole spices. The meat is then slow-smoked with oak and pecan wood. Once cooked, the meat is slathered in signature barbecue sauces. VooDoo BBQ offers four signature meat platters: the Pulled Pork Platter, the Brisket Platter, the Ribs Platter and the Carnival Platter. The Carnival Platter is a meat-lover’s dream—it is loaded with barbecue pork, chicken, sausage, and brisket, all coated in signature barbecue sauce. To finish off your meal, order the classic New Orleans dessert: beignets.
VooDoo BBQ brings you the New Orleans spirit not only with the food, but also with the atmosphere. The dine-in experience includes Jazz and Zydeco music and French Quarter-inspired decor and architecture.
WATER PIG BBQ
5 Via De Luna Dr., Pensacola Beach waterpigbbq.com Open Sunday through Thursday from 11 am to 9 pm & Friday & Saturday from 11 am to 10 pm
Award winning Pitmaster Steve Seige has more than 11 years of experience cooking regional barbecue styles including Texas, Memphis, Carolina, California and Kansas City. Water Pig does not accept reservations and is a walk-in only dining establishment, so make sure you stop by for this delectable, water-facing barbecue experience.
COLE’S WINGS AND THINGS
2301 N Pace Blvd., Pensacola facebook.com/Coles-Wings-and-Things Monday through Friday from 11 am to 6 pm
If you want a good rack of ribs, head over to Cole’s Wings and Things. Cole’s is known for their BBQ ribs and their chicken wings. Cole’s is a great restaurant to go to with a family, especially with picky eaters. As the name implies, Cole’s, of course, has wings and other things. You can find everything from BBQ and wings to fish sandwiches and chicken tenders.
BIG TONY’S SMOKED BBQ
4913 Patterson Town Rd., Milton big-tonys-smoked-bbq.business.site Thursday through Saturday from 11 am to 6 pm
At Big Tony’s, everything is on a bun. Big Tony’s is known and loved for their burgers, but they also have pork chop sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, sausage dogs and hot dogs. Don’t let the street view of a church confuse you, Big Tony’s is located outside Living God’s Standard Community Outreach Church.
PHIL’S JAZZY BBQ
A quaint mother and son owned shop off of Davis Highway, Phil’s Jazzy BBQ serves some of the best country style ribs, wings and pig’s feet in town. They also cater events and offer delivery for a reasonable price.
SEOUL FOODS BBQ
1713 Woodlawn Way, Gulf Breeze seoulfoodsbbq.com Tuesday through Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm
Seoul Food BBQ offers both American and Korean barbecue, as well as many American-Korean fusion barbecue dishes. Guests can try American and Korean variations of the same dish, such as the Kalbi and the Hot Honey Ribs. They offer several sauces ranging from as mild as Honey Barbecue to as spicy as Ghost Reaper. Head over to Seoul Food for a twist on your favorite American barbecue dish.
SONNY’S BBQ
6702 N 9th Ave. 630 N Navy Blvd. 8313 Chellie Rd. 5129 US-90, Pace sonnysbbq.com Sunday through Thursday from 11 am to 9:30 pm; Friday & Saturday from 11 am to 10 pm
Sonny’s BBQ is a Southeastern restaurant chain that specializes in Southern-style BBQ. Sonny’s most popular items are their pulled pork and chicken. Founded in Gainesville in 1968, Sonny’s BBQ now has 113 restaurants across eight states. You’ll find all of your favorite southern barbecue favorites on their large menu of options.
KALBI ICHIBAN KOREAN BBQ
600 W Garden St., Pensacola, FL 32502 ichiban2kalbi.com/kalbi-ichiban Monday through Thursday from 11 am to 9 pm; Friday & Saturday from 11 am to 11 pm & Sunday from 12 pm to 9 pm
Kalbi Ichiban Korean BBQ, sister restaurant to Ichiban on North Davis Highway, is Downtown Pensacola’s first Korean barbecue restaurant. While Kalbi Ichiban Korean BBQ specializes in Korean barbecue, they boast an expansive menu that includes sushi, ramen, poke and more.
ARLENE’S BBQ FOOD TRUCK
This family-owned and operated barbecue food truck has been dishing up soulful Southern barbecue in Pensacola since 2007. With traditional Southern-style favorites like pulled pork and chicken, you’re sure to get your barbecue fix at Arlene’s. Be sure to try the Jerk Chicken with a side of her famous sweet potato casserole. The food serves up its delicious barbecue in various locations throughout the week, so be sure to check out @ArlenesBBQFoodTruck on Facebook and Instagram to find out when and where the food truck will be parked next!
TEXAN B’S BBQ
Food Truck / Location varies facebook.com/TexanBsBBQ Hours vary by location
The brisket is king at this family-owned food truck offering up authentic Texas- style barbecue. Fan favorites include the brisket and pulled pork sandwiches and homemade blueberry chipotle barbecue sauce. Texan B’s also offers classic sides like coleslaw, baked beans and southwestern corn. Check out @TexanBsBBQ on Facebook for daily locations.
