05/25/08

Food is delicious!

by sunnysideup5

Take it from someone who knows her BBQ when I say that Big John's hits the mark! Most of all, I found the staff to be nice and for me, customer service is more important than anything. There are lots of places with good food but fewer with good service! Way to go and please keep the smiles coming!

10/19/07

Down Home - True to Alabama - BBQ

by poetsguild

This was my first time at Big John's, but it won't be my last. This is Bar-B-Q Pork like I remember it growing up, cooked over a hickory wood fire to tender-juicy perfection, chopped into bite sized pieces, and doused with a vinegary sauce laced with a generous splash of tabasco. I ordered the sandwich, but found the bun was completely overwhelmed by the pile of succulent meat heaped on it. Forget about eating out of hand, this is knife and fork food, and that's fine by me. I had a nice size serving of potato salad on the side, smooth and mustardy and full of chopped pickles. I followed up with a slice of homemade sweet potato pie; tasty and not too sweet, but I would have preferred if it had been a little browner on top. Overall, a very satisfying experience, one I will be repeating on a regular basis.

• Pros: Authentic Bar-B-Q, Generous Servings, Polite Staff

09/01/07

I HAVE DREAMS ABOUT THIS BBQ :)

by br3305

I have been eating Big John's for 11 years now, and it is my all time favorite BBQ restaurant. I remember going in as a small child and watching them cut the ribs up, it amzed me how fast they could go. I havn't got a chance to eat Big John's in over a year and I swear I have dreams about going back lol. DEFINETLY EAT THERE

• Pros: it's good duh
• Cons: none

07/01/06

Not what I expected

by nashvegas_vols

From Memphis to Lexington to Tuscaloosa and everywhere in between, I've tried them all, and Big John's is good. The meat is properly prepared in the smoker, the ribs cooked to perfection, but the sauce was more like Buffalo Chicken sauce than any vinegar base NC style or molasses tomato base associated with Memphis that I've ever encountered. Baked beans are awesome and coleslaw was OK.

Big complaint....how can you not have homemade ice tea?? Sorry Snapple does not cut it.

• Pros: Authentic, slow cooked meat preparation
• Cons: No homeade ice tea

06/13/06

Barbecue's Boss Hog

by bigbaldy55

The best there is. From NC to Tenn. KC or Texas none better. Melts in you mouth . Sausage, Ribs, Beef or the best Pork anywhere. The Greatest. To die for beans, cole slaw I'm hungry now

• Pros: Quality
• Cons: None

12/20/05

User review by shurshot

by shurshot

This is the epitome of the genre. Best ever Makes Sonny's taste like crap

sonny's

• Pros: best 'que in FL !

06/03/05

I had to move to Florida to find good BarBQue

by dalmation

It doesn't get better than this! The food is great! The service is wonderful and friendly! The atmosphere is down home! I've never been there that people aren't courteous, helpful and nice. The ribs are fall off the bone good, the chicken is mouth watering and they also have some of the best beef this side of the northern South! It's like goin' home to eat without the long travel! Thanks, Big John's for bein here!

(they didn't pay me to say this! I love this place!-A Georgia Peach)

• Pros: Friendly Atmosphere, Great Food, Eat in/Take out
• Cons: It's not next door, It's not open 24hrs.

03/17/05

User review by mrsgerald

by mrsgerald

This is definitely the best barbecue I have ever had in my life. It tastes like real barbecue. And the prices are good.

Soul food at a barbecue joint with some history.

by Contributor

The Scene
One of the Bay Area's oldest barbecue joints, Big John's was founded by a preacher named John Andrew Stephens, who ran it successfully for nearly 25 years. When he died a couple of years ago, he was so well-known that the Tampa Tribune put his obituary on the front page. Now, his family continues to run his restaurants, one called Mrs. Campbell's Alabama BBQ on Gandy Boulevard and the original Big John's Alabama BBQ on 40th Street near Busch Gardens. And the food continues to be among the best barbecue served anywhere.

The Food
The chopped pork sandwiches and rack of ribs are too heavenly, the baked beans are rich with a heavy sauce, thick with molasses and just sweet enough. Corn on the cob and coleslaw round out the side orders. The decor is simple, unadorned tables and chairs, nothing fancy. Eat in or take out.