Big Papa’s Pit

Stopped here for some lunch since I was in the mood for some BBQ and I have to say not to bad of a meal. I choose the two meat combo of ¼ slab of ribs and sausage. The ribs were great with a true smoke ring on the meat and lots of flavor, as for the sausage I have to say that’s were they need a little help. It’s seems not to many BBQ place in the Tampa get the sausage right… serving the sausage all cut up with pepper and onions just does not equal authentic smoked sausage BBQ. The potato salad and beans were tasty. Overall the potion size was on the large size and the BBQ was good but next time I will stay away from the sausage…

A coworker and I tried Big Papa’s for the first time today. Walked in right at the peak of lunch hour to find the place dead (should have been a warning). The staff was friendly, I got the «Brontosaurus Ribs» which were just meh. My coworker got the pulled pork platter and the portion size was rather pathetic (he had a larger portion of potato salad than he did pulled pork). The spicy sauce had good flavor and that was about the best part of the entire meal. Went in with big expectations and was let down.

My sister and I were in the mood for bbq, but I was on my lunch break near University mall and didn’t know of any bbq joints in the area. Unilocal to the rescue!!! We ended up at Big Papas. It was easy to find, in a shopping center off of Bruce b downs. We were worried that we might not get in and out in an hour., no worries easy peasey. We were there at an off hour. OUR waitress was super friendly, quick with our drinks and answered all of our questions. The menu had all the usual bbq fare, but also had quite a few appetizers and bbq by the pound. My sister had the pulled pork plate, with potato salad and collards, delish!!! I cannot remember the name of my sandwich, comes with one side, I had the homemade potato salad, one of the best I ever had. My sandwich was 3 – 4 ribs on a bun with Cole slaw on top. The ribs were out of this world. They really know what they are doing. I would skip the bun. I love bbq places but usually find either the meat is met or the sauce is subpar. Not here! There are three types of sauce, regular, sweet and spicy. I recommend mixing all three.

I had read reviews of this place and decided to try it. Absolutely THE worst brisket I have EVER eaten. Fries were cheap fries you could find in the freezer at Winn Dixie and the coleslaw was not good. I ate about half my dinner and was done. Have heard their pulled pork is good, but based on my brisket experience I doubt I’ll be back. I had to give them a one star to post my review. More likely a negative 3 star. Worst meal I’ve had in years.

I wasn’t very pleased with my meal. Maybe I should of dined in? My ribs were tough, and I didn’t find the sauce appealing. My husband got the pulled pork, and he had a very small portion and the meat just wasn’t flavorful. I would personally try eating in before I completely take them out of rotation.

So my jury is still out on this place. I don’t feel like j have had enough food from there as of yet to pass judgment. What I can say is the sausage and pork were really good. The sides I am still not 100% sold on. I will try them a few more times. Meat and Sauce as of now get 4 starts.

I have been to Big Papa’s several times… as it is right around the corner from my apartment. I usually get the pulled pork sandwich, or pulled pork to go… and it is pretty good. Beans are ok, nothing special. Cole Slaw is the same. Fried Okra is good, but probably from frozen pre-​breaded Okra… not that I expect hand breaded in a place like this.
One Sunday night… about 8:00pm, we got home from a day out. Hungry! Called Big Papa’s and placed an order for a half slab of ribs, and fried okra. I had not had the ribs here before… and even asked the guy if they were good. He said they were FANTASTIC!
Went and got the order, service was good as always. Arrived at home. and it smelled good, and looked tasty. Okra was ok as usual, but the ribs? NOT! They were tough… difficult to chew even (especially the end pieces). I am assuming they were smoked early Sunday (or Saturday) and then refrigerated. Then reheated before serving… maybe even nuked, they were that tough and dry. I am so glad I ordered only a half slab, since I would have had to throw it away.
So for pulled pork… this place is fine. The Ribs may even be good if you catch them at the right time (but I won’t ever order ribs here again!) so order at your own risk!
I have a smoker (in storage right now) and know it is possible to smoke ribs without turning them into shoe leather. I also know it is possible to reheat ribs and keep them tender. Very disappointed in this place.

Great spot near USF for BBQ! Better alternative to chains like Sonny’s. Came in for lunch because date wanted BBQ and I thought it’d be cool to find a new place to try. We got the fried mushroom appetizer and I ordered the BBQ ribs.
The fried mushrooms tasted great, better than Beef O’ Brady’s in my opinion. You can taste hints of garlic in the breading which I enjoyed. A white horseradish sauce came with it and complimented it very well, not too overpowering for horseradish.
The platter meals come with a choice of two sides and Texas toast. I got the ribs (¹⁄₃ rack I believe) and they were both huge and filling. I was only able to eat ¾ of them. There are three choices for BBQ sauce on the table– original, sweet, and hot. I went for sweet because that’s just what I like but all of them tasted fine for BBQ sauces. Nothing out of this world, but just what you need. The ribs were smokey and tender.
For my sides I chose the green beans and potato salad which were pretty standard. Simple yet satisfying. The Texas toast was some of the best I’ve ever had. Soft with a bit of crunchy outside and tasted of butter and butter.
The ambiance was quiet and not busy at all for lunch, which is probably all that I would come in for. Great service too. Would come back again for my BBQ fix!

The ribs and mac&cheese are a must have here! I love that the sauce is on the table and does not come on the ribs. The servers here are also super friendly.

Great smoky flavor! I get whole chickens and the Ribs to go once a week. Excellent flavor and reasonable prices. Under $ 10 for a whole chicken (At the time of this review). They have a small bar inside and plenty of TVs.

AMAZING BBQ Brisket Sandwich!
Ok so I took a trip down to the USF area today. Actually I had an appointment at the VA hospital across the street from the USF campus at 8 am so right away I knew it was going to be a long day. Had had to plan something for lunch.
BBQ has been on the top of my list since High School when I worked as a Pit Man at the famed Old Hickory House in Stone Mountain, Georgia. So finding a Good BBQ restaurant is always an exciting journey. Especially, if you can find one that serves good BBQ in Tampa.
Over the past 4 years I have probably eaten at 20 or so local Tampa BBQ joints with varying degrees of satisfaction. With one visit under my belt I am happy to report that Big Papa’s Pit BBQ is serving one of The Best Brisket Sandwiches in the Tampa Area. Now some of the other reviewers have said things like, hey it’s hard to mess up BBQ… Right away you can tell that they are not attuned to the nuances of what good and Great BBQ is supposed to taste and feel like in your mouth.
«Put a Little South in Your Mouth» was the slogan back at the Old Hickory House. Now back in those days, early 80s, brisket had not yet made the migration east of the Mississippi en mass and was considered to be a much inferior cut of beef most Georgia Pit men were accustomed to at the time; Eye of Round. The fact that very few BBQ establishments, Jimbo’s on Kennedy being one of them, around town still use Eye of Round is attributable more to price rather than flavor in my opinion. But, that is the subject of another review altogether.
So what makes a good and perhaps Great Brisket Sandwich you many ask. Well, the folks at Big Papa’s Pit BBQ start with a real pit. Yep, it’s sitting right outside their storefront in full plain view for any BBQ aficionado to see. Can’t begin to tell you how many local Tampa BBQ restaurants, such as big chains, try to «smoke» their meat in an indoor oven. As if liquid smoke was going to satisfy any primal need for meat. It’s quite offensive to pull up to a BBQ restaurant and not see the Pit going.
The next essential element is the Bun. The average consumer may be at a loss on this one but the Bun is absolutely essential in making a Great sandwich. The bread has to be strong enough to hold the meat inside while not taking any tough or chewy qualities. On the other hand you can’t serve a bun that is too soft and falls apart. My opinion is that most BBQ pit men fall short on the bun factor because they see the sandwich as a sidekick to the BBQ Plate. However, Big Papa’s bread was perfectly toasted, properly sized, and just strong enough to hold the meat in after I slathered on some sauce.
Speaking of sauce, you guessed it, that’s the third essential element that Big Papa’s Pit BBQ got right. They offer a selection of three sauces On the table for the customer to choose from. The most offensive thing I have ever experienced in a BBQ restaurant is when the cook sauces your meat for you. Big Papa’s offers three downhome sauces, Sweet, Original and Hot for You to choose from. I opted to try each sauce in turn before deciding to slather some Hot sauce on half of my sandwich. Warning… the Hot sauce has a little linger to it and was a bit hot for my taste. Or maybe I just put way too much on my sandwich. Either way I’d say the sauces were at least A rated.
So there you have it. Big Papa’s Pit BBQ makes essentially the best BBQ beef sandwich I’ve had in a long time in the Tampa market. Their pit smoked brisket was smoky, juicy, and cut properly. My sandwich was served on a bun that stood up to the meat, wasn’t chew and didn’t overpower the show. And their sauces were A quality. Looking forward to reviewing the Ribs and don’t get me started on the beans I ate today-that’s the subject for another review as well.
A few notes for the owner. I’m no superhero of food service but the restaurant can do better if you make some simple changes to the menu and provide further training for the staff. BTW my waitress was Very friendly and knew the menu well today. I’m just saying you can step things up in that arena to build the brand and drive your biz to a higher level of performance.
Perhaps try some interesting tea combinations served in a trendy glass-​but your wait staff has got to Sell it the moment they greet the table. The menu wasn’t a particular standout to me; it was comfortable like a throwback almost to when I was cooking BBQ 30 years ago in Atlanta. Most of the trendy BBQ joints have a much more «sophisticated» menu that MAY cater to your seemingly younger family and student clientele. Also, branding your sauces with a name is an Excellent sales technique when discussing the menu with your customers. «Pairing» sauces with plates and beer would increase your Rev if the wait staff can focus on sales.

We wanted BBQ and accidentally came across this place. Food was good! Tore up the ribs! We loved the different BBQ sauces on the table. Service was ok. Place was clean. Went on a Saturday afternoon and wasn’t packed at all.

Pit is the only word that is accurate in this place’s name. This place is a dump. I wouldn’t feed the «food» they serve to my neighbor’s annoying dog (or kid). I was shocked that the few times I drove by there it seemed to be busy. Finally decided to give it a whirl and it was time and money that I will never recover. Just nothing decent to say about it, and that was with several things from the menu being ordered during my group’s visit.

I have tried to give this place five tries after having great ribs there a year ago. The food gets more and more disgusting, last time my take out was inedible. I went back to let them know and they told me that the meat was from another store and was not fresh.
I just walked out and was polite. Who serves customers bad meat and continues to do so after multiple complaints? Just drug addicted alcoholics who smoke a pack of cigs a day and hate their jobs. Ps your sign is extremely disturbing and shows your lack of insight and attention to detail and of marketing. Wish the guys at snooties were here year round. Sigh, don’t waste your time going here, unless you just want a beer.

The pulled pork was tender and the sauces were fine. However, how do you mess up Mac and cheese? If I wanted a cubic ton of pepper in it, there’s pepper on the table. Don’t mess with my Mac and cheese unless you’re putting more cheese in it. Even the garlic bread was hinky, tasting like maybe it had been frozen. It’s a shame, too, because the place looks really nice and the service was good.

I went here on May 8^th, 2013 and got take out for dinner. I live near by and drive by a lot so I thought I would give it a try.
#1. This place is pretty dead! When we went there were only 2 or 3 people eating at the bar and NO ONE seated at tables! Every time I drive by it looks pretty dead too.
#2. We ordered a rib and brisket plate with collards, green beans, garlic toast and mac and cheese. My sister got the rib dinner.
We really only went here because we had always wanted to try it out, we’re craving BBQ and we couldnt go to our favorite place, Davids BBQ in Gainesville, so we went here. This review is based on comparing Big Papa’s Pit to David’s BBQ in Gainesville.
#3. The ribs were fine, not great, but edible. They were a bit dry. Meat fell off the bone, but was dry. Brisket was dry. Their BBQ sauce was sweet and thick and I didnt like it. Collard greens and green beans tasted weird. Kind of sour, like with vinegar or something and I did not enjoy eating them. I thought the mac and cheese was fine and the garlic toast was fine. We still ate everything but I think David’s BBQ is WAY better.
I doubt I would go here again. Mainly just because I know I can get better and I would rather just go to David’s BBQ than spend my money on a mediocre meal. Sorry Big Papa’s Pit. I wanted to like you. The guy behind the bar was really nice and helpful and our order was processed quickly. Its just that the food wasn’t as good as I would have hoped.

When i walked in the place was empty at 7pm and it was a Wednesday. Was a little worried by this but new being that this is considered part of the south the food must be good.
I ordered the ribs which i was hoping would be juicy and just fall of the bone it was dry and tasted like it had been sitting under a head lamp,
really wasn’t that impressed

If Unilocal had half stars, I’d give them 2 ½.
It wasn’t bad. But I don’t think you can make bad BBQ. It’s impossible. However, it was the most unsatisfying BBQ I think I’ve ever eaten. The garlic bread just looked like plain toasted sandwich bread that had a little garlic powder mixed into the butter. The ribs and the chicken (my husband’s order) were flavorful, but a little on the dry side. The pulled pork was just okay, but at least it wasn’t dry! The BBQ sauce tasted exactly like KC Masterpiece, which I was super disappointed about.
I had mac n cheese and baked beans as my sides. The sides are TINY! I’m used to BBQ joints that serve pretty big portions, and you definitely don’t get that here! The beans were good, not great, with a nice smoky flavor. The mac n cheese was practically inedible. It might literally be the first time in my life I didn’t finish my mac n cheese! I took two bites and couldn’t eat any more. The noodles were super mushy and the cheese tasted very bland and almost floury.
I was sad to see that we were the only patrons there on a Sunday evening, but after we ate our food I see why. The food was incredibly mediocre and not worth the money. I would have been happier with chain bbq like Sonny’s or Smokey Bones if that tells you anything. I’m rounding up to 3 instead of down to 2 because the service was friendly, but sadly we won’t be back.

Just stopped in at 8:30 on a Tuesday night for dinner. I have driven by this place many times & never stopped to try it. I now know why that is…
Strike 1 — only one other person in the entire place
Strike 2 — cold macaroni and cheese
Strike 3 — baked beans with enough brown sugar that they should have been a dessert item
I ordered the brisket platter which came with 2 sides (note my enthusiasm for them above). The brisket was decent, but by no means great. The sweet and original sauces were both alright, but better when mixed together. It is sad when the greatest part of my meal was the garlic toast. A simple piece of white bread with butter and garlic.
While I was in there 2 other people came in to have a beer and one to order takeout. The atmosphere really leaves something to be desired, but what did I expect from an old Beef O’Brady’s? The only reason it gets 2 stars instead of one was the server/​bartender Kevin. He was friendly and provided good service.

This place used to be a beef O’ Bradys. I went there once but it’s not really my scene. I checked out the new place 1) because I was interested to see what it was about 2) because I do like barbecue and 3) because I was eating a lot of meat for a while when I was on the Paleo diet and was looking for some new options.
So here’s the rundown: the staff is nice but not amazing. The food is pretty darn good. The meat is tasty and that is what I was there for. I am not as big a fan of their sauces but they are served separately so you can do what you want with that.
What I like most is actually the way they do the sides. Green beans, collard greens, slaw, that kind of stuff. Those were really great and I would go so far as to say memorable. They are through and through southern!
It seems like Big Pappa’s is trying to retain a little bit of the sportsbar feel — with some of the sports paraphernalia around and the screens near the bar. I don’t know if that’s really going to work, but I wish them the best.
This is the kind of place that I really hope succeeds in this terrible economy.