Rax By The Trax BBQ (Port St. John, FL)

Kyle's Order: Small Pork Sandwich on Garlic Bread, Mac & Cheese, Patty's Baked Beans and Sweet Tea. ($9.04)
Doop's Order: Small sliced Turkey Sandwich w/ potato salad, cole slaw, and Sweet Tea ($9.04)


Kyle's Take: I never even knew this little BBQ joint was there until I saw a billboard for it on US1 in Cocoa. It is definitely a small place, there are only 4 high tables in the inside, and a few picnic tables for outside dining. For such a small place, they had quite an a assortment of items to choose from. My pork sandwich was delicious and also a good sized sandwich for being the small version. The pork itself had tons of flavor even without sauce. After a few bites I smothered it in the hot sauce just to try it and it was actually pretty hot. The mac and cheese was really cheesy which im a big fan of, but it somewhat lacked in flavor. Patty's Baked Beans on the other hand were extremely flavorful. The beans included pork and onions, just amazing. The service was very friendly, you could tell it was a family run business. Maybe I was just really hungry but I'm sure I'll definitely be back to Rax By The Trax BBQ again soon, next time to try the fried pickles or sweet potato casserole!

Doop's Take: Who would go out in the middle of a tropical storm to each Barbecue? Kyle and I would. Surprisingly, Rax was open in Port St. John, so we got in Kyle's car and headed down there. On the outside, you might think this place is pretty big, but actually, it's not. They have a seating area outside, but BBQ in 40mph winds... not such a good idea. So we walk in and on your right there is this huge menu board. We ordered our food and waited. The staff is very friendly as locals came in and chatted with the owner. The portion of the food was pretty good for being a small sandwich. The turkey was pretty moist, but the downfall was that i was only able to get 1 out of 3 sauces they had. So, i ended up with the mild sauce, which was very good! The side items are kept in a cooler. The cole slaw is pretty good, I believe it is not home made though. The potato salad though, that was home made and very good. Probably could have used a bit more mayonnaise, but still anything homemade is good!!! If you are in a hurry or you fell like BBQ in a hurry, RAx by the Traxx is the perfect place for you!

Kyle's Beef: Not alot of sitting area. The mac and cheese, although very cheesy, needed a little something more to it.
Doop's Beef: Very small inside and the fact that you can only choose 1 kind of sauce.


Kyle's Rating: 8.5/10
Doop's Rating: 8/10

Slow & Low Bar-B-Que (Cocoa Beach, FL)

Kyle's Order: Joel's Crazy Pork Sandwich w/ Fried Okra & Sweet Tea ($10.38)
Doop's Order: Low down and Dirty w/ Baked Beans and Sweet Tea ($8.67)



Kyle's Take: Slow and Low BBQ is located right off A1A and just across the street from the beach. They have an awesome and spacious patio and bar area right in front to enjoy the ocean air. However, we sat inside to avoid the 90 degree heat. The family environment was easily shown when the hostess's little daughter wanted to seat us all by herself. It was pretty cute. On the menu there is a large and somewhat unusual variety to choose from, ranging from Fried Pickle Chips to BBQ Nachos to Mahi Mahi. I decided to go on the unusual side and order a sandwich I'd had never seen before. Joel's CRazy Pork Sandwich consisted of pork, coleslaw, pickles, onions, cheese and special sauce......all together on a bun. It was a pretty good sized sandwich. The first few bites were a little different, but after that it was absolutely delicious. When you think about it, if you like coleslaw and you like pork, why wouldn't you like them together? The sandwich along with the fried okra filled me up completely. They had 4 sauces even though I didn't need them, Hot, Mild, Sweet and a Mustard sauce. They all seemed a little vinigary to me. The service was great as well, my tea never ran out. I'm a big fan of traditional style BBQ, but it's nice when a small place can put their own unique twist to it. Therefore, I'm a big fan of Slow and Low Bar-B-Que.

Doop's Take: If you enjoy BBQ and the beach... this is the place for you. Slow and Low is right on A1A in world famous Cocoa Beach, FL. As you walk in there are beach memorabilia all around. From surf boards on the roof to signs that point out which way the beach is. Slow and Low is a very friendly place to eat. We had a little girl seat us which was probably the cutest thing i've seen in a while. Our waitress was very cute too. She had an answer for every question we asked and was very helpful. I ordered the Low Down and Dirty which is like a sloppy joe type of sandwich with pork. The sandwich was good, maybe had too much sauce, but it was sloppy, which is never a bad thing!! The beans that came along with it were not the best. Very dry and had no taste. The sweet tea also wasn't that great. You could tell that they brew their own tea and they must have just brewed a new batch when they gave us tea because it was not sweet at all. As for the sauces, just like Kyle said, it had a little too much vinegar. Also, the hot sauce was not hot at all, it had a mild kick to it. All in all, it was a good place, it is always good to go to place that is not your ordinary BBQ joint. If you enjoy a friendly environment, cute waitress', and the beach right across the street, Slow and Low is the place for you!

Kyle's Beef: The Sauces had a little too much vinigar.
Doops' Beef: Tea wasn't that sweet and the beans did not have any flavor to them

Kyle's Rating: 8/10
Doop's Rating: 7.5/10 (. 5 cause the cute little girl who seated us!)

Dustin's Bar-B-Q (Edgewater, FL)

Doop's Order: Pork Lunch Special with Garlic bread, Sweet Potato, Beans, and Sweet Tea ($8.36)
Kyle's Order: The Super Jumbo Sandwich Beef, w/ Bar-b-q Beans and Sweet Tea ($8.36)


Kyle's Take: Dustins has been around for quite some time so they have to be doing something right. They have a couple locations in the Volusia County area. I was pretty hungry so I got the Super Jumbo Sandwich with beef. The sandwich was pretty good sized, but with a name like super jumbo I expected it to be a little bigger. The beef was tasty and they piled a decent amount on the bun. The beans were good, however, I was disappointed that the sandwich only came with one side. The hot sauce was also hot enough to give me the hiccups for a couple mins. Dustins reminded me of a steakhouse really, more than a BBQ place.

Doop's Take: If you have a big appetite, this is the place for you! Kyle and I just got done playing 18 holes of golf and had a huge appetite for... you guessed it, Barbecue. I had known about Dustin's BBQ before. When I would drive to Gainesville, FL, I would always see a huge sign for Dustin's in Ocala and had always wanted to try it. It is a pretty spacious place, wide open. You can seat yourself when you get in. The sweet tea is home made, so that right there is a plus. I ordered the lunch special, which does not come as a sandwich, but it does come with garlic bread so you can make a sandwich. I got the baked beans, which were homemade and also, for the first time, i got the sweet potato. Ok, the garlic bread disappointed me a bit. It was french bread, so i was not able to make a sandwich with my pork. The beans were good, and the sweet potato; which came with brown sugar and butter, was pretty good. Now for the sauces. The best was the brisket sauce. The hot sauce was a little disappointed. It was hot, but not throat burning hot! Probably the best thing was the portion size! I had a lot, and it was all good. So, if you have a huge appetite, Check into Dustin's BBQ, you wont be disappointed!

Kyles' Beef: I think the menu is a little overpriced. The Super Jumbo should be a little more jumbo too.
Doop's Beef: The restrooms did not have a/c.

Kyle's Rating: 6/10
Doop's Rating: 7.5/10

Woody's Bar-B-Q (Oviedo, FL)

Kyle's Order: The Sloppy Woody Sandwich w/Baked Beans, Cole Slaw & Sweet Tea. (9.29)
Doop's Order: The Carolina Pork Sandwich w/ coleslaw, Mashed Potato's, and Sweet Tea ($9.29)


I forgot to take the picture when the food got there, but this is how good the food was...


Kyle's Take: I had never heard of Woody's BBQ until I passed it one day, turns out there are around 30 Woody's locations throughout Florida. The inside reminded me of Bubbalou's BBQ with all of the southern style memorabilia hanging everywhere. I ordered Woody's signature sandwich The Sloppy Woody. It's almost like a sloppy joe sandwich, but is a lot thicker and not as greasy. They pile on a mound of their shredded pork mixed with their original BBQ sauce. It was definitely sloppy, I think about 1/4 of it fell off the bun, which is a good thing. At least they don't lie to you when they say it is sloppy. The sweet tea was delicious. It was extremely sweet, but not overbearingly sweet. The to-go cups are huge by the way. They also have 4 types of BBQ sauces available. Sweet, hot & spicy, tangy mustard, and Carolina style. The hot and spicy will catch you off guard if you aren't ready, just ask Doop, it has a pretty strong kick to it. Their signature baked beans were actually a little different tan most places. It was almost like you could taste the bean, it wasn't overly sweet, which I liked. The Cole slaw wasn't too mayonaisy, but also wasn't too flavorful. Overall, for being a small chain, Woody's BBQ is pretty good.

Doop's Take: As you walk in, you are consumed with all of the memorabilia all around the restaurant. Like Kyle said, it gives off a Bubbalou's and Cracker Barrel vibe. The service was really good. Very cute and sweet girl served us. She answered any questions we had with a smile and offered us to-go cups for our teas before we left. We ended up getting the special they had. There were 5 or 6 sandwiches to choose from and you got coleslaw plus one other side item to go with the meal. I ended up getting the Carolina Pork Sandwich. The sandwich was good. A little dry, but the BBQ sauce helped soak it up. The mashed potato's were actually pretty good. I thought it was going to be your normal side where they give you a little less than what you get, but there were a lot of potato's on my plate! The coleslaw was plain. It tasted like there was mayonnaise or ranch dressing; it was like eating straight up lettuce. As Kyle explained, the sauces were pretty good. The Hot surprised me a little bit. It wasn't that hot until after a couple of seconds, then it hits you. If you are a fan of hot BBQ sauce, then the hot is for you! The best part of the meal was of course the sweet tea. Man was it good!! Probably the second best, if not the best, sweet tea we have had!!! For good service and great sweet tea, stop by Woody's BBQ, the friendly service will have you coming back for more.

Kyle's Beef: Wasn't too fond of the cole slaw. Oh and this lady across the isle burped REALLY loud, gross.
Doop's Beef: The sandwich was a little too dry and the coleslaw could have been a little bit better, that too was dry!


Kyle's Rating: 7/10
Doop's Rating: 7/10

O'Boys Bar-B-Q (Orlando, FL)

Kyle's Order: Sliced Pork Lunch Special W/Baked Beans, Cole Slaw, Garlic Bread & Sweet Tea. ($7.49)

Doop's Order: Sliced Beef Lunch Special w/ Baked Beans, Cole Slaw, Garlic Bread, and Sweet Tea ($7.49)


Kyle's Take: If you are ever driving down Orange Ave in Orlando and not hungry for BBQ, you will be by the time you drive all the way down it. O'Boys Real Smoked Bar-B-Q is the third BBQ spot that Doop and I have eaten at on Orange Ave, along with Blackwater BBQ and Cecil's Texas Style BBQ. They also have 2 other locations in the Orlando area. Started in 1998, O'Boys Bar-B-Q offers a more modern restaurant style rather than a traditional BBQ joint. The atmosphere is adorned more like a sports grill, with a bar and many flat screen TVs. The menu is very broad and caters to a wide variety of items to choose from. As usual, I went with the sliced pork. It was served on a garlic bun so the option of making a sandwich was there. The meat was tender but not as flavorful as I had hoped. I felt it definitely needed some BBQ sauce. They has 3 kinds of BBQ sauce to choose from: Hot, Mild, a Mustard-like sauce which resembles carolina style. I chose the hot to flavor up my meat a little. The baked were very good, probably the best item I tasted there. O'boys Bar-B-Q is good but not great.However, A nice BBQ lunch joint and great spot to watch the game.


Doop's Take: It took us some time, but we went to the last authentic BBQ place in Orlando. O'Boys Bar-B-Q is not your regular Barbecue pit. It gives off a "Smokey Bones" vibe, but they have the food to back up that chain restaurant vibe. It was not too busy when we went a little after lunch time. The sweet tea was really good! You could tell it is homemade. Looking at the menu, the lunch specials catch your eye right off the bat. But don't be fooled, personally, you are probably better off getting the regular sandwich with 1 side. I think it is about 20 cents more, but you get a bigger side item. But, I got the lunch special. The sliced beef came with 2 slices of garlic bread. If you are like me, you can just go ahead and make a sandwich out of it. The bread was a little too garlicy for me, but it did the job. The beef was good! The beans were homemade baked beans and they were pretty good and the cole slaw was a little on the normal side. Now the sauces!!! They had a variety of 3 to choose from. In actuality, they only had 2 sauces because two of them tasted the same. The spicy had a kick but it was not like other places and i felt the regular did the job. The service was good and the food was good. Even though there are better BBQ places up the road, if you are looking for a sports bar to watch the big game and enjoy some "Cue", this is the place for you!

Kyle's Beef: The meat needed a little more flavor.

Doop's Beef: Bigger side items

Kyle's Rating: 5/10

Doop's Rating: 5/10

Sonny's Real Pit Bar-B-Q (Titusville, FL)

Kyle's Order: Sliced Beef Lunch w/ Fries, Sweet Potato, and Garlic Bread ($6.49)
Doop's Order: Sliced Pork lunch w/ Garlic Bread, Beans, Coleslaw, and Sweet Tea ($8.34)


Kyle's Take: The Sonny's franchise has been blowing up all across the southern states for a number of years now. If you're anything like me, you are not a big fan of "chain" restaurants but everyone deserves a shot right?. I've been to Sonny's so many times I could rate it strictly from memory. Which is exactly what I'll do. They do have it down to a science. The menu is constantly changing to draw in more and more customers, service is usually pretty quick, and they have perfected the drive-thru. The place is always packed. However, I'm going to credit Sonny's success to one thing......the sauce. Even though they are a chain, their sauce is some of the best I've tasted. Hot & Spicy, Mild, Sweet, and Sizzlin' Sweet. (That last one I think they created just for me.) I usually just soak my entire plate in their sauce. Perhaps there's something addictive in it.
Doop's Take: Well, we did it again. We went to another chain restaurant, but this was different, in my opinion. This was probably my fifth time going to Sonny's so it is still kind of new to me. Unlike most places we've been to, I didn't notice the BBQ smell outside. We went inside and it does not give off that BBQ homestyle vibe. It's a little spacious if you ask me. When we sat down, i noticed there wasn't that much leg room under the table. I ordered the sliced pork and thought it was going to come as a sandwich form, but it didn't. I managed to make a sandwich out of what i had, but it was alright. The garlic bread was a little too oily for me and it didn't really taste like garlic bread. The coleslaw was your regular coleslaw that you would get at Kentucky Fried Chicken, and the beans were good, i might add. The sweet tea was good, it was sweet, but not that really sweet that makes it disgusting. They had four kinds of sauces. Mild, Sweet, Sizzlin' Sweet, and Smokin'. The Sweet and Sizzlin' sweet tasted the same, actually, I believe if you were to do a blind taste test, you probably would not taste the difference. The smokin' had a little kick to it, but compared to other sauces i've had, it wasn't all that smokin' I would say the mild was the best. Nothing too extravagant, but it was good. Also, if you are from the area of Titusville, you are bound to run into someone at Sonny's, so if you are feeling some BBQ and can't find authentic BBQ place, Sonny's is the next best thing.

Kyle's Beef: My sweet potato was....wimpy at best.
Doop's Beef: I would say about the only thing i was disappointed about was the leg room under the table.

Kyle's Rating:7/10...all sauce
Doop's Rating:6/10

Keller's Real Smoked Bar B Q (Winter Park, FL)

Kyle's Order: Sloppy Pork Sandwich w/Baked Beans & Sweet Tea ($8.50)
Doop's Order: BBQ Chicken Sandwich w/Coleslaw and Sweet Tea ($9.56)


Kyle's Take: I noticed this little BBQ place one day as I was driving past it. I had to do a double take because from the outside it doesn't look like your typical BBQ Joint. However, from the cow skin printed table cloth, it certainly looks like one inside. For such a small place, They have a decent size menu to choose from. The sloppy pork sandwich was nothing more than a huge mound of pulled pork covered in their original BBQ sauce, overflowing between two buns. I liked the BBQ sauce, but it made it hard to taste the pork. The sandwich only came with one side, but was pretty filling so it was ok. They had original baked beans which I thought was the best part of the meal, they had a very original flavor thats hard to explain. You'll just have to try them to understand! The sweet tea was good, but nothing stood out about it to me, defintely quenches the thirst though. There are 3 Keller's locations around the orlando area so if you're ever in town there's bound to be one close. Definitely worth a quick stop.
Doop's Take: Keller's is pretty easy to get to if you are around the UCF area. It's a little less than a 10 minute drive down University Blvd. It is also in a good sized plaza. It's in the back near a Blockbuster and a Winn-Dixie. When you first to Keller's it appears to be a lot bigger than it actually is. It is a seat yourself place. When you sit down, there are paintings on the wall and it looks as if you are looking outside in the swamplands of the Everglades. The sides selection was a little sparse. I think there were only about 6 side dishes to choose from, which one of those was a salad, which i find a bit odd at a barbecue place. Oh, also... not all of the sandwiches come with sides, and for the ones that do, you only get 1 side. Anyways, the sandwich was pretty good. The chicken was chopped and was not dry at all. The bun did not get soggy at all. The side dishes come in a good sized portion. My coleslaw was good, but it reminded me of Beef 'O Brady's coleslaw, but without the pineapple. The sweet tea was homemade, which is the best. It was sweet and stayed cold the whole time. Keller's had 3 kinds of sauces, but we only had 2 because they did not have the Hot sauce on the table. The regular was good, but it was very similar to a South Carolina style sauce. The sweet tasted like BBQ sauce. My chicken already came with the original sauce on it so there was no need to add more. Also, you can purchase the their signature BBQ sauces for $3.75. If you enjoy a small crowd and an at home atmosphere, Keller's Real Smoked Bar-B-Q is the place for you.

Kyle's Beef: If crowded it could seem a bit claustrophobic.
Doop's Beef: It's a little too small for me. You only get to choose one side dish with your meal, and not all of the sandwiches come with a side dish.

Kyle's Rating: 6/10
Doop's Rating: 6/10

Cecil's Texas Style Bar-B-Q (Orlando, FL)

Kyle's Order: Large Pulled Pork Sandwich Lunch special w/ Jalapeno Baked Beans and a Sweet Tea. $8.44
Doop's Order: Large Sliced Beef Sandwich Lunch special w/ BBQ Beans, Potato Salad, and Sweet Tea. $10.50

Kyle's Take: Cecil's Texas Style Bar-B-Q may look small from the outside, but that certainly does not coincide with the food on the inside. The atmosphere inside is nothing short of the "Mr. way to proud of Texas" guy, with Texas memorabilia covering the walls, and the firewood by the front door proves that fresh cooked flavor. Upon ordering at the front counter, you can watch the cooks prepare your meat right in front of you. They offer genourous portions. The Large Sandwich lunch special, comes with one meat, one side and a drink. They put the meat between 2 slices of Texas Toast, which I am a huge fan of. They offer a great variety of side dishes ranging from collard greens, to jalapeño beans...which I decided to try because I had never heard of them before. They have a separate bar for their 3 sauces instead of having them on the table. You fill little cups with either mild, hot or sweet sauce to bring back to your table. They also sell their their sauce if you're interested. The mild and hot tasted like they had a hint of A1 sauce in them. The pork was some of the best I have tasted in the Orlando area, very tender and flavorful, with almost a smoky taste. The jalapeño beans were...original to say the least. They were very spicy so I wouldn't recommend them for the weak. I personally liked them once I acquired the flavor for a few bites. Last but not least....THEY HAVE FREE ICE CREAM CONES!!! This definitely hits the spot after a nice big BBQ meal. All in All Cecils = Very satisfying.

Doop's Take:This is what i had, any questions...
As soon as you walk in, you see this little buffet line. You get in the line and up on the wall is a huge menu. You had your normal sandwiches, but there were a lot of sides and best of all... cheap prices. When you get up to where you order, there is someone there cutting up the meat and waiting for your order. They have texas toast for you, and it's already toasted for you. After getting the sandwich, you move down the line and you see a huge assortment of side dishes. They had the normal sides, beans, coleslaw, and whatnot, but they also had different sides; such as, sweet potatoes, jalapeño mashed potatoes, and whatnot. You go and pay and then you sit wherever there is an open table. They had 3 sauces to choose from, mild, sweet, and hot. The mild had a kick, it's a little spicy and the sweet tasted a lot like honey. The beef was really good. It was chewable. There were 2 things that really put this place over the top of every other barbecue place we've been to. #1... they had free ice-cream with any lunch order... i mean FREE!!!!! I don't care what it is, you cannot turn down free ice-cream... and the best thing about Cecil's... You get to fill up your own sides. I think that is the best thing ever. Cause I'm disappointed if you do not get enough for your side, but here, you get to choose how much you want. Speaking of side dishes, i got the BBQ beans and Potato Salad. The beans were good, they were mixed in with the mild sauce, but as i said before, the sauce was pretty spicy, so the beans were as enjoyable, but still eatable. The Potato Salas was home made. You can never go wrong with anything homemade. It had a sweet taste to it, and a nice hint of basil on the top of it. Cecil's Texas Style Bar-B-Q is located on S.Orange street. It's about a 10minute drive from Downtown Orlando. So if you are ever in Downtown Orlando, take the time and drive down to Cecil's, it is well worth the trip.

Kyle's Beef:Small parking lot.
Doop's Beef: The sweet tea was not homemade. The mild sauce would be considered hot at other Bar-B-Que places and if you are one of those who likes to save half your meal for later, I did not see any to-go boxes or cups.

Kyle's Rateing: 9/10
Doop's Rateing: 9/10

Smokey Bones BBQ & Grill (Orlando, FL)

Kyle's Order: BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich w/ Beans & Sweet Tea. $10.10
Doop's Order: Smoke Turkey Sandwich w/ Beans and Sweet Tea. $10.65


Kyle's Take: Just for the record, if we decide to review a chain restaurant, it will be a one time only for that chain. We are not huge fans of resaurant chains, however, BBQ is BBQ and it needs to be reviewed. Smokey Bones is probably the most recognized BBQ restaurant nationawide. I personally would say it relates closer to an Applebbes or TGI Fridays, more than a BBQ restaurant. We ate at around 1 in the afternoon, so we missed the major lunch rush. The menu was far from your ordinary BBQ menu, having everything from BBQ nachos to honey glazed salmon. I'm not going to lie, the first thing you notice is the prices, which are also a little more than most BBQ menus. On the table they offer 2 BBQ sauces, original and a tangy type of BBQ sauce, and also a bottle of their own Howling Hot Sauce that was more of a wing type sauce. The pulled pork came on a slightly toasted bun and lacked in taste. It was also a very tiny portion of pork. I ended up soaking it in the original sauce and adding a few drops of hot sauce. The beans came a in a little plastic cup and were nothing more than average. The tea was not bad, very sweet, however, no to-go cups were given. There are Tv's all around usually playing sports, which is a nice amenity. Smokey Bones is a nice place to take a family for a decent dinner perhaps, but I would not recommend it for BBQ lovers.

Doop's Take First of all... not a big fan of the chain restaurants. So going in to eat I already had my speculations on how it was going to be. From the outside, you get a feel of being up north, in like Washington(state) cause the restaurant looks like it's made out of wooden logs, but when you step inside, you get a feel of a seafood place. We sat down and the service was good. TV's were placed all around and if you couldn't hear the TV, on the table they had a radio type thing if you could select what TV you can listen to. That's kind of a cool thing if you go during a big game, you can hear the action, instead of everyone talking. It was a nice atmosphere, but it didn't give off that authentic BBQ vibe. The sweet tea was very good, probably second best, compared to Louis's tea. The location is not the best, as it is located in waterford lakes in the back, towards Target. Like i said, it does not give off that authentic BBQ vibe. The food was good though. I got a good amount of turkey, the only thing though is that they put lettuce, tomato, and pickles on my sandwich. I like to eat my BBQ without those things... the beans were good. They already put the BBQ sauce in the beans, which i am a huge fan of!!!! also, the beans didn't have a lot of shredded pork in it, which is always great in my opinion. Now... as for the sauce. 2 kinds of sauce, regular and tangy (i'm guessing). They didn't have any labels, so you had to guess, but i mean they kind of tasted the same. All in all, it was an alright experience and i'm glad we knocked it out and do not have to go there again.

Kyle's Beef: My main beef is the lack of food for the price. Most BBQ joints offer a meat portion w/ 2 sides and bread, and it's usually around $6. AND still give you to-go cups with tea. Smokey bones offers one side with the lunch and no bread, for almost $8...and no to-go cup.
Doop's Beef: It lacked an authentic feel for BBQ, no to-go cups, you only get 1 side and that's not even big enough, and most importantly... Way too expensive!!!!!!

Kyle's Rating: 4/10
Doop's Rating: 4/10

Map: www.smokeybones.com

Conway's BBQ (Orlando, FL)

WHAAAA HAPPENNNNN!!!!!!!

Blackwater Bar-B-Q (Orlando, FL)

Kyle's Order: Sliced Beef Lunch Sandwich w/ Baked Beans, Fried Okra, & a Sweet Tea. $8.63
Doop's Order: Sliced Beef Lunch Sandwich w/ Baked Beans, Cornbread, and Sweet Tea. ($8.63)

Kyle's Take: This little BBQ joint sits only a few miles from downtown Orlando. There's only one giant room with several picnic-like benches, so don't expect any privacy when chowing down on your BBQ. I'd have to call this more of a lunch place than anything else, because you have the ability to get in, order, and leave quickly if you choose. The atmosphere inside makes it hard to believe you're only a few miles from the city. The sliced beef sandwich came with thickly-sliced beef on 2 pieces of bread. The beef tasted freshly cooked, however the bread was nothing more than 2 slices of wonder bread. I'd suggest maybe toasting it, or perhaps adding some garlic to it. The beans were great. They were served in a generous cup with thick chunks of onion and shredded pork. The fried okra was right off the pan and has a nice crunch to it. There's was only one size cup for sweet tea....BIG, served sweet and unsweetened. 2 types of BBQ sauce adorned the table: original, and spicy. At least thats what they tasted like to me, being that they weren't labeled. The original had a sweet taste to it and never the less, so did the spicy. Which I thought tasted very original. So original that my sandwiched was completely bathed in it. Touche'


Doop's Take: Well, as you can see from the post above, our first choice turned out to be closed down. So Kyle had a backup plan, and what a plan it was! As soon as you walk in the door you see picnic benches and a huge menu to order from. Now their sandwiches aren't measured by large or medium, they determine the size of your meal by weight. I got the 4oz. sliced beef sandwich, you know to save some money. What I got was fresh beef. Also, to help you out, they have the sides menu right in front of you while you tell them your order. I really like this, because I always seem to change my mind at the last minute and this is a huge help. We sat down and there were only 2 sauces. Original and Spicy. The original was a little sweet, but it was great. The spicy had a little kick to it, but at the same time it had a sweet taste to it, which you cannot go wrong with. They had two flat screen HDTV's on each side of the restaurant. The tea was alright, not the best, but it got the job done. Now the sides. I got the baked beans. Now, this is the 2nd place to have shredded pork in the beans. It's slowly growing on me, but at the same time, I'm not a huge fan of it. Anyways, I don't know if it was me, but the beans were really good. It could be the fact that I drenched my beans in BBQ sauce, as i do on a regular occasion. All in all, this was a great place, it gave Louis's a run for its money!


Kyle's Beef: Other than the fact that they were playing a soap opera on one of the TV's, there aren't too many. Just maybe throw your buns in the toaster.
Doop's Beef: This is their cornbread; it was also hard as a rock


Kyle's Rating: 8/10
Doop's Rating: 8/10

Bubbalou's Bodacious Bar-B-Que (Orlando, FL)

Kyle's Order: The Big Pig Pork Sandwich basket w/baked beans, coleslaw and sweet tea.
Doop's Order: Pulled Chicken Sandwich basket w/ baked beans, coleslaw, and sweet tea

Kyle's Take: There's 5 Bubbalou's Bodacious Bar-B-Que locations throughout central Fl. We ate at the Alafaya Tr. location near UCF. When you walk through the front door, it appears as though a memorabilia bomb exploded and left the place covered in random BBQ and vintage memorabilia. Which I personally like... it gives you something to look at while you're waiting for your food. Your food is ordered at the front counter and then you sit where you'd like. At the table you are greeted with an assortment of BBQ sauces: Mild (which I'm guessing is original), Sweet, Hot, Memphis and Killer. I am a sauce enthusiast so it was nice to have a selection. the Hot sauce became my sauce of choice because the Memphis sauce was a runny and almost tangy sauce, which I'm not sure how it became labled BBQ sauce, and the Killer sauce gave me the hiccups....therefore passing the spicy test. The Big Pig Pork sandwich was a pile of sliced pork on a slightly toasted bun. The pork was extremely tender and juicy and fell apart very easily. It had a very tasty smokiness to it. The beans came in a little bowl with shredded pork and onions. It tasted great but was a small portion. The sweet tea is served warm and then put on ice. I've had better sweet tea, but it does quench none the less.

Doop's Take: The first thing the cuaght my eye was that it had an outside area where you could eat. I thought that was pretty neat, but while waiting for Kyle, i noticed that there were a lot of knick-knacks on the wall and around the restaurant. It felt like i was eating at a Cracker Barrell. As soon as you walk in, there is a huge menu board to order from. I initially was going to get the cornbread, but at the last second I changed my mind and got the coleslaw instead. After we ordered they gave us a stick with out reciept on it. The sweet tea was not very good. It had a hint of unsweeteness to it. It was warm and like Kyle said, it melted the ice. We just missed the lunch rush hour so it was not that busy in there and we were able to get our food in reasonable time. The pulled chicken came on a lightly toasted hoogie roll, which i must say was great!!!!!!! The sandwich stayed together and was not really messy. The side orders were a little too small. I guess they ran out of dished cause mine came in to-go bowls. The coleslaw was a little too manaisey and runny. As for the beans... I was impressed that they put pulled pork in them, instead of whole pork. I'm not a fan of pork in my beans, but this was a good idea, the only problem... it seemed and though i had a lot of pork and not enough beans. Now for the best part... the BBQ sauces! They have 5 varieties: Original, Sweet, Memphis style, Hot, and Killer. I thought the Original and Hot were the best, Killer was a little too hot for me... I knew this cause Kyle started to hickup. The memphis style sauce tasted like hot buffalo wing sauce, it was runny and i did not really like it. Bubbalou's was good, but maybe once is enough for me... at least for right now.

Kyle's Beef: The side portions were in very tiny bowls. Which would be ok....just lower the price a little if that's what you have to do....and the tea melted all my ice....twice. The coleslaw was a little mayonaisy, if that's a word.
Doop's Beef: The beans were runny and had too much pork. The tea was warm. The location is not the best, it does not give off that authentic Bar-B-Que vibe.

Kyle's Rating: 6.5/10... Doop is going to be mad I'm doing .5's now. The .5 is for memorabilia though.
Doop's Rating: 5/10

Map: http://bubbalous.com/Locations.htm

Louis's BBQ Shack (Mims, FL)

Kyle's Order: Sliced Beef lunch basket w/ baked beans and fried okra.
Doop's Order: Sliced beef sandwich w/ baked beans and coleslaw.

Kyle's Take: Louis's BBQ Shack is almost a dialy ritual for locals in the Mims/Scottsmoor Area. Thus, it's usually crowded around lunch time......and dinner time.....and breakfast. The prices are reasonable, most being under $10. They used crushed ice in the sweet tea, which I must say.....CRUSHED ICE IS THE BEST ICE EVER! The beef was light and very tender, and the portion was generous as well. There are 4 BBQ sauces to choose from: Original, Hot & Spicy. Sweet and Bold, and Gold (Carolina style sauce). Service was nice and quick and to top it off they have free mints by the cash register. Can't beat that!

Doop's Take: I've been going to Louis' since they were called Porky's. Now that is a long time, and personally, it's one of my favorite restuarants in town. The friendly atmostphere inside makes the meal that much better. It is a little small so around lunch and dinner time it is impossible to find a seat, but if you get there at the right time, you could be the only person in the place. You can choose from a ton of side-orders. Personally, i'm a huge fan of their baked beans. Add some BBQ sauce to the beans and you have a party in your mouth. The drinks are served in huge to-go cups and you get free refills. Make sure you get the sweet tea. They brew it themselves so you know it is authentic and probably the best item on the menu. If you are the type that enjoys collecting souvenirs, they sell Louis' t-shirts for about $10 and they sell their brewed ice-tea. Louis's is a must stop if you are ever in the town of Mims, FL.

Kyle's Beef: The side portions aren't very big, and my okra was a little toasted. Maybe it was just me, but I swear the Original BBQ sauce resembled cocktail sauce.
Doop's Beef: The price is a little too high. My meal ended up being $9.65

Kyle's Rating: 7/10
Doop's Rating: 8/10



Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=l&view=text&hl=en&q=louis%27s+BBQ+shack&near=mims,+fl&ie=UTF8&latlng=28656881,-80841636,1290272028449551955&ei=YjWdR4atKpD-rALGmZGZDg&cd=1#

The Pig Bar-B-Que (Callahan, FL)

Kyle's Order: Beef Brisket w/ baked beans and fries.
Doop's Order: Beef Brisket w/ baked beans and coleslaw

Kyle's Take: The Pig Bar-B-Que is where it all began. The Pig will always hold a special place in my heart because it ended a 6 hour BBQ craving that started in Augusta, GA. and was not relinquished until we entered a small town in north Florida called Callahan. The huge red fluorescent sign gleamed in the night like a heavenly BBQ oasis. You really had to be there to experience it in all its majesty. Anyway, the food was kind of a blur because I scarfed it down so quickly, however the portions were pretty generous for the price. The also have a TV playing which was nice.

Doop's Take: We almost did not find this place. Kyle and I were about to give up after 6 hours of searching and head to The Huddle House, but alast, with some help we were able to find The Pig Bar-B-Que. It's located in a tiny strip mall so it's a little hard to spot, especially at night, but the large neon sign will guide you into the resturant. Once inside, the smell of barbeque greets you. Service was good, but from what i remembered, a little slow. The food was good, and the sweet tea was very good. All in all, the 6 hours voyage for barbeque could not have ended at a better place.

Kyle's Beef's: The beef on the brisket was a little too juicy so it made the bun all soggy.
Doop's Beef's: The bun was really soggy, the coleslaw tasted a little plain and the service was a little slow
Kyle's Rating: 7/10
Doop's Rating: 7/10

Map: http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=the+pig+bbq&near=Callahan,+FL&fb=1&view=text&latlng=30570937,-81823516,18017518847629443436#