Reviews & Ratings for Kojak's House Of Ribs

08/31/10

A Little Southern Cooking Just Off Bayshore

by mcbobleonard at Citysearch

If the country-style house with the large front porch was located at the crossroads of a small Southern town it would easily fit in. Fortunately for us BBQ lovers in South Tampa, Kojaks arrived just a block from the mansions of Bayshore Blvd.

The food is straight Southern - pulled chichen, pork, and beef, green beans (not my favorite), parsley potatoes (great), and more. The sampler plate is a good deal for the undecideds.

In the hot weather I choose to sit inside, but when the weather is mild the big porch patio is a great spot to look at the tall trees with the Spanish moss hanging down. It's easy to forget you're a block from Bayshore and the condos..

06/08/10

Decent service, poor food

by Shula1984 at Citysearch

We had passed by Kojak's on Gandy Blvd in Tampa a few times and stopped in one evening wanting to try a "Local restaurant" versus a "chain restaurant" we've tried before. The service staff were friendly and we got a table quickly. The waiter was polite and told us Kojak's was "known for their ribs. We placed our order for 2 Rib dinners with sides. The waiter returned with our orders less than 2 minutes later (first bad sign). The ribs were okay, not remarkable. The side of greenbeans tasted like they were out of a can and had been sitting in a warming pot for a couple of hours. I'd expect fresh sides, not canned. The rolls were like the Supermarket bagged rolls and were stale/ very dried out. The plates used were reminiscient of the plastic plates used in cafeterias. Overall, a very disappointing experience. We had a better meal the week before at Boston Market for about half the price.

For a place "known for their ribs," we expected a LOT more. Maybe next time we'll stick with a chain like Texas Roadhouse. They're a "chain" for a reason. Consistently good fresh food and good service..

• Pros: Food delivered almost instantaneously
• Cons: Sides were poor, rolls were stale

12/15/09

decent service at least

by Jonathan Graff at Citysearch

I think it was probably the worst BBQ I've ever eaten. The ribs were "Okay" but the chopped pork sandwhich tasted like they took the meat from a can of dinty moore beef stew and put BBQ sauce on it, damn shame.

The service, however, was decent and the place was clean.

If you're looking to take an outside table and have a pitcher of beer with some quiet i would come here, but if you're looking for BBQ, look elsewhere.......

• Pros: Music, atmosphere, service
• Cons: Food

07/26/09

Just ok

by kathee672 at Citysearch

The place is cute. It was 96 degrees, but the fans overhead made it nice to sit outside. The service was fine. My husband had the combo plate with ribs, chopped pork and hot links. Everything was ok, nothing spectacular. The ribs were pretty dry and fatty. The beans were like Campbell's from a can. I had the chopped pork sandwich. It tasted like Lloyd's in the grocery store. I don't need to go back, but it wasn't terrible. I've had much better elsewhere

• Pros: Cute porch
• Cons: Food wasn't the best

05/31/09

OMG!!! Definitely the Best!!!

by MrandMrsKinzey at Citysearch

My husband and I just came back from Kojak's in Tampa where we had dinner to celebrate our first year marriage anniversary. We went in there expecting that the quality of the food had been exaggerated, but not the case. They truly have THE BEST RIBS!!!! The ribs were so awesome that we both ate half our ribs without BBQ sauce. My husband chose baked beans and applesauce for his sides and he said they were good. I chose parsley potatoes and green beans and they were good. We quickly decided that Kojak's was our new fav rib place. We also are grateful that we don't live within minutes of it!!! We'd be in so much trouble!!! AND, the chocolate cake!!!!!!! Haven't had chocolate cake like that since I was a child and my grandmother made everything from scratch!!!! It's a tiny, but cozy family style restaurant with a quaint veranda for dining out on the porch if you choose. Neither of us have EVER been that impressed with any restaurant's food. Neither of us care for fancy places. Neither of us like dressing up to the hilt. Neither of us care which fork should be used first. All that said, we feel we picked the perfect place to celebrate and mark our first year of marriage together! You can't beat the pricing for the quality of food and the speed at which is was served! It seemed that the server was back with our food within five minutes of taking our order! The food is top-notch! Don't go looking for french fries there. Real southern BBQ serves up your meat dish with veggies, not fries. You will NOT be disappointed! We will be returning!

• Pros: Real, Good Southern Food, Great Family Place
• Cons: Tiny - But Cozy

09/08/07

I'M PUZZLED

by peteydarla at Citysearch

I HAVE ONLY BEEN TO KOJAKS ONE TIME AND THE FOOD WAS AVERAGE TO ME. NOT BAD, JUST AVERAGE. BUT THE THING THAT REALLY SET ME BACK WAS WHEN I ASKED THE WAITRESS IF I COULD HAVE AN ORDER OF FRIES. SHE SAID "NO, WE DONT HAVE A DEEP FRIER". I DIDNT KNOW WHAT TO SAY. I THOUGHT SHE WAS JOKING. HOW CAN YOU HAVE A SOUTHERN BBQ JOINT AND NOT HAVE SOMETHING AS BASIC AS FRIES FOR A SIDE DISH?

10/20/06

Great ambience

by psmith1540 at Citysearch

Great old house for restaurant. In nice ,not muggy weather, it's quite nice to sit out on the front porch. The lighting is nice. As far as the food is concerned, every time that I have ordered their ribs, they've been beyond tender to the point where they're down right mushy. Not the right texture for your bbq rib palette! Ribs should be tender without being overly cooked and warmed and should have a slight char. if you don't mind over cooked mushy ribs, go to kojak's have a beer and chill. With nice weather it can be nice. In other words the house has been carring the ribs. If the ribs had to stand alone, there would be no Kojak's.

• Pros: Great Old house
• Cons: Bad BBQ ribs

09/10/06

Best ribs and pork sandwiches you've ever had

by iknowgoodfood2 at Citysearch

Kojak's is simply the best value in town. The ribs require no sauce to make them suculant and tasty. The pork sandwich is simply not going to be better anywhere. Add the great food to service which is superfast and courteous (i've never waited longer than ten minutes for my food!) and you can't get a better meal of this type. Say goodbye to Sonny's and all the others. And don't forget to try Kojak's simple, one layer chocolate cake or apple pie. They're both made from the founder's wife's original recipe on the premises.

10/19/05

User review by vinnygatch

by vinnygatch at Citysearch

Everything tasty. Beer cold. The waiter and other staff were extremely friendly and competent. Can't wait to return to try another one of their made from scratch foods.

It's picnic time.

by Contributor at Citysearch

The Scene
Kojak's real picnic-table atmosphere finds its patrons ordering racks of ribs, barbeque roast beef, pork, country sausage and chicken. Kojak's combination dinner lets you build a custom barbeque platter of any three meats.

The Food
Popular picnic fare sides, pretty close to homemade, feature cole slaw, potato salad, baked beans, macaroni salad and—what would a barbeque be without it—corn on the cob. If there's room left, try one of the freshly prepared desserts, such as the apple cake with vanilla ice cream, chocolate cake or pecan pie. Just don't forget to wipe the sauce off your chin on the way out.