Tanks Family Bar B Q

Very good ribs, the Big 5 sauce is great. Liked the corn and sweet potato fries a lot, but the cole slaw and corn bread none of liked much. Service was great.

Been to Tanks two times over the last couple years. Wasn’t good the first time, but went again trying to give the benefit of the doubt. Both times the meat was dry and tough (pork and brisket). Coleslaw tasted strange both times, not good. Had an open mind to try the mayo based sauce, but found it yucky and not to my liking. Really would love to support a local business, but it wasn’t good. Twice.

Tank’s is exactly what you want out of a BBQ joint. Family owned and operated, Great and Diverse Sauces and Meat cooked to perfection! If you live in the Mandarin and you’re not a regular, well shame on you for not supporting a local family owned business. But you live in the Jax or Nearby area and you are looking for great BBQ from people that clearly care whether or not you enjoyed you meal, Tank’s should be you next spot!

Went to Tanks for dinner with my family. Two adults and 1 child was $ 35. Was expecting a bit more food for the price. Good pulled pork but will not go out of my way to try again.

I was expecting a lot more since the reviews were so good. I meats were dry and tasted like they had been under a heat lamp too long. The best thing I had was the onion rings. Sorry Tanks, it should have been so much better.

I’m a native Texan and grew up on a ranch in the hill country, I have BBQ in my soul. I have been to Tanks a few times so as to not make a quick judgement. The place is fine and the couple who own it are very nice and helpful. All of the sides I have tried are good (great onion rings) except the cole slaw. I have never tasted slaw like there’s; it almost has a metallic taste. As far as the BBQ went I have had the ribs and brisket and my biggest problem with them is they have the feel of sitting in a warmer for a long time, both had lost good crust that good BBQ should have on it. The flavor is fine and neither was dry, just limp. Almost like it was rewarmed in a microwave. For me is BBQ does not have a great char then it’s only going to be just ok.

It’s ok but not great. Service was ok and food was cold. Not sure about the cole slaw it had a weird dressing.

Now we’re talking! Down home feel, not a very impressive place to see, but aces on the barbeque. Fried green tomatos on the menu too! Not a cheap place but hey, a man’s got to be able make some money to stay in business, right?
Not only were the ribs good, but they are just the nicest people.

Fresh, original, passionate.

Great food and great people! Their sauces are awesome too

Yummy brisket!

My wife and I have tried most of the the BBQ joints in J’ville and have been disappointed more times than I care to remember. Fortunately, this was not one of those times. Upon entering Tanks, you place your order at the counter, pay the tab, grab a seat at one of the several tables and wait while your food is prepared. Your food is delivered when ready. The wait was short.
I ordered the two meat combo, brisket and pulled pork, while my better half ordered smoked turkey. Two sides came with the meals — beans and mac’n cheese for me and onion rings and fried okra for my wife. Cornbread was also ordered. All sides were fresh and outstanding but must single out the mac’n cheese and onion rings and okra as they are among the best in town. It was explained all sides are made from fresh ingredients on site each day. The mac’n cheeses is made individually when ordered. The pasta is cooked ahead of time but the ‘secret’ cheese sauce is added when an order is received. All I know is it is really good. Likewise the okra and onions rings are prepared daily from fresh vegetables. Drinks are self serve from a dispenser.
The pulled pork and turkey were excellent while the brisket was a little tough and stringy but tasted quite good.
This is a family establishment and the staff makes you feel like part of the family. When delivering our food, the cook explained the three sauces on the table and offered to bring
a ‘hot sauce’ from the fridge if desired. Yes! He explained the hot sauce was actually one of the regular sauces with roasted jalapeño peppers added. It enhanced the flavor of the meat without overpowering and was excellent. It reminded me of Mojo’s chipotle hot bbq sauce… only maybe a little better. High praise from a lover of hot bbq sauce!
The portions were huge and we took home part of the pulled pork, brisket and cornbread.
Our total was $ 31 which may sound a little pricey for bbq but it is well worth the money.

Tanks is truly a family business and they do it right. We went in wanting some great bbq and left feeling full and satisfied. Since it is completely run by a family they make you feel as though you are eating over at their home kitchen. Constantly checking on you, asking you how your dinner was and offering suggestions for the next time.
The pulled pork is delicious as are the accompanying sauces. We ordered a side of mac and cheese to share. Tasted just like grandma’s! Everything is made to order so your meal is sure to be fresh.
They have local beer on draft and bottled. (It was Dukes when we were there. Not sure if they change it out from time to time)
The portions are large so bring someone to share or plan on lunch/​dinner the next day.

Tanks is sure to Tank. Went on a Saturday night and they were out of baby backs, fried okra, banana pudding and cole slaw. I order corn nuggets and I got fried corn bread in a ball. I also had little ants eating at the same table.

The only barbeque restaurants I knew were the franchised ones with their frozen foods. Tanks actually has a real chef as part of the family and the food is cooked fresh every day! It makes sense that it might cost a little more for fresh food and the taste is proof that it’s worth it! They have a sandwich menu that gives me plenty to fill me up (and I’m a big guy) and I spend as much as I would at any sit down restaurant.
I’ve tried most of the meats on the menu and they’re all so freakin’ tender! However i keep coming back to the pulled pork which they hand pull and separate out the fat so you get the flavor without all the goo. I love their baked beans too which are generally made with the meats from the day before so you don’t just get bacon like most places — you get brisket and rib meat marinated in their own recipe that’s not the canned mush that most places serve. And I always get their homemade house potato chips that are awesome! And their homemade BBQ sauce is delicious!
They also offer beer on tap and more than just generic sodas so you can wash your meal down with an bottled orange soda or root beer (they have more but I can’t remember all the flavors).
They also work with local organizations to sponsor «team nights» where groups can use them as a fundraiser. And they offer catering (and their chef can do LOTS more than just barbeque!).
They’re family owned and run, and I much prefer to give a Mom & Pop operation like this my business over a chain restaurant. The quality is sooo worth it!

Family owned and operated, so it does not feel like a chain. You order at the counter and they will bring it to your table. They come by and check on you, chat with you if you like. I’ve been there twice and feel it’s very good BBQ with good variety. Give it a try, I think you’ll enjoy it.

My son and I went here and was quite surprised. I had the 2 Meat Combo. Pretty expensive for the 2 meat combo $ 15.99. It did include a drink though, not sure if it was worth it. Got the pulled pork and the beef brisket. Pulled Pork was fantastic… very good! The beef brisket was average, not so good. The sides really blew me away. Mac and Cheese was great and the beans were amazing. I think the beans were some of the best that I have had. My main issue with this places was the sauces. The sauces were just average. 3 sauces on the table… a sort of sweet… a vinegar based and an mayo based (white bbq sauce). I have never seen a white bbq sauce… but it was actually pretty good. I wouldn’t use it all the time… but still it was pretty good. They also had 2 sauces that you have to ask for… a hot bbq sauce and a mustard based. The only sauce I really liked was the vinegar based sauce. Sauces need some work… but I would go back for sure. I was some what disappointed that the lady that brought me my food didn’t explain the sauces. But chef came out and explained them to me near the end of my meal and then told me about the other two sauces.

Visit Date: 12.21.2010
Pretty good food, but rather pricey compared to your other local mom & pop barbecue joints. I had the pulled pork with mac & cheese and baked beans. The baked beans had an especially wonderful sweet and smoky flavor to it, but the downside for the entire meal was that the portion size was rather small. Wanted to sample the banana pudding but they were out the time I went.

After reading the good reviews and driving by several times we decided to try this for ourselves. And I must say we are very glad we did! This place is family run hence the name «Tanks Family BBQ» all members of the family seemed to be working and were all very friendly. My wife ordered the beef brisquit sandwich with side of mac cheese and I ordered the pulled pork with chips (which by the way are also homemade and delicious, not greasy and just right). Both everything was very good. Good quality meat and ingredients. And the sauces are also unique and very good. I was torn between the sweet and the white bama sauce I think I like em both just as much. They also do catering. If you like BBQ and are in the area you owe it to yourself to stop in.

Tanks call itself a family Bar B Q, not because they are ‘G’ rated, but because it seems that everyone who works there is family.
And they treat customers like family, too.
When I visited for lunch, the owner (Tank) was working the tiny dining room and making sure that things were being done correctly in the kitchen. His sister in law, Wanda, cheerfully took my order.
I had the pulled pork sandwich with chips.
Since it was a busy day for me, In skipped the beer and had a half sweet iced tea. Pepsi is the soft drink here, Too bad. They could do better.
According to Tank, the meat is cooked daily on electric smokers, rather than the traditional oak fire. While not as smoky as other Jacksonville ‘Qs, it’s still tasty and not the least bit dry. I liked the sandwich.
The chili (daily special) was made using yesterdays brisket. No hamburger meat here.
The chips that accompanied the sandwich in place of the more traditional fries were great. Not salty paper thin Frito-​Lay chips, these are fresh cut, fried in house, deliciously crispy and not the least bit greasy. Wow.
There are three sauces on each table; two red tomato based and an Alabama style white sauce. As far as I know, this is the only Jacksonville restaurant to offer a white BBQ sauce. Be sure to give it a try when you go. No mustard based sauce was offered on my visit.
According to the owner, each sauce is made from a different family members recipe.
The tiny dining room as well as the visible kitchen were spotless.
The restroom was clean.
WiFi is available.
Even though Tanks has only been open for a short time, there were already regulars dining there. I think that Tanks is probably going to need a bigger space soon.
Its located next to the Winn-​Dixie on SR 13 near Loretto road.
Next time, I’ll have to try the fried green tomatoes!
This is a very different take on BBQ compared to the traditional smoky, rustic places I usually visit, but I like this joint.
Mostly because of the friendly family vibe.
I think Ed L. would have liked it too, in spite of the lack of a wood fire in back.