Wholly Smoke Bar-B Que

Wholly smokes. This place is a gem hidden in the Seminole heights area. While you would not go here for a first date. You certainly go before or after. In my endless search to find a good bbq. I came across this place. It’s been here for years and as the sign says inside. It was voted best bbq in Tampa in 1989. You walk in this dimly lit bbq joint to the aroma of wood smoke. You look left and you see where all the magic takes place. A smoker that looks like it has been smoking for 30 years. Now some would say it is unclean. I would say it’s well seasoned. We were greeted promptly by the waitress and seated us quickly. Orders were taken and food came out quickly. There were three choices for bbq sauce. Sweet, mild, and hot. All were good and tangy. We ordered sandwiches and the kids ordered ribs. Sandwiches were great. The right combination of smoke and meat flavors. The meat was on the dry side though and you definitely needed to lather in sauce. The kids ribs were good but I have one complaint. The ribes were most like the end cuts and not the usually cut ribs that you would get as a rack. The ribs were cut on a bias and there were jagged edges on the ends. This was not good for kids and we had to pick their entire piece part. They were good. But a reason why I would give 4 stars. Overall a good place to go. I wouldn’t make my way to go here in its own. But if I am in the area or going to the zoo again. I’ll stop by for a sandwhich. You won’t be disappointed either. And if you are. You should go to sonnys.

This is probably as close as you can get to authentic Texas BBQ. If you go here, you absolutely MUST try the ribs, they are to die for!

Very good. We got take-​out and tried two of their combo meals: Wholly Smoked Combo for him (ribs, chicken, sliced beef, sliced pork, & smoked sausage) and the Chicken and Ribs Combo for me. Each combo comes with garlic bread and two sides. My honey was pleased with his fried okra and cole slaw and I really liked the BBQ baked beans and potato salad. All of our meat was really good and dab of their sweet BBQ sauce nicely accentuated the smoky meat. They also offer Deviled Crabs (which is a Cuban staple food in Tampa), which I’m not used to BBQ places serving. We each tried one and they were delicious with Tobasco sauce, of course. It was more than enough food and we have delicious leftovers for tomorrow. We will be back here, for sure.

Not BBQ,
I ordered the beef plate for 9.80 which the cook said was brisket. What I received was not brisket, it was probably pot roast. The beans tasted like Busch’s from a can and my buddies chicken was bloody at the bone. The BBQ sauce was worse than MC D’s
Upon leaving we saw a guy throwing meat from a box to the grill, the meat looked like it was slimy and low cost and not prepared.
My buddy got a to-​go box in which he put 80% of our food in to take home to his dog. We think the dog will probably not eat it.

We had the chopped pork, the coleslaw, beans and potato salad. Everything was great. Years ago I stopped going to this place because they didn’t take cards but now they do so I will be frequenting this cool little gem in the future.

Wholly Smokes is right! This might just be my new favorite barbeque joint in Tampa.
It’s the definition of a hole-​in-​the-​wall. There’s no need for elaborate décor, but isn’t that the best kind of place to get barbeque?!
I can’t rave enough about the food at Wholly Smoke BBQ! Something you will smell before you see is that the meats are all slow smoked in-​house. I love turkey, but I hate how dry it typically is. I’d venture to guess that most people drown it with barbeque or ranch, but I’m not a fan of sauces. The chopped turkey here is so tender and juicy that I almost thought they gave me the wrong meat. I even sampled a bite of the ribs, which I typically don’t eat, and thought that the flavor was outstanding. I even liked the smoky barbecue sauce that was on it!
It’s hard to believe, but the sides even rival the main course. The corn nuggets are truly heavenly; they are super crispy and never soggy. The macaroni and cheese does not disappoint. The garlic bread actually has visible garlic on it. that’s unheard of at most bbq places! There are quite a few other side options, such as baked beans and waffle fries, but I’m not sure that I could give up the other two to try them! The best part is that on Mondays and Tuesdays you can BOGO half off on dine-​in dinner entrees. There’s also all-​you-​can-​eat chicken and ribs on Wednesdays.
Truth be told, we got takeout from Wholly Smoke twice last week. and writing this review has made me crave it again, so there’s a good chance that we will be getting it again very soon. I’m so glad to have found a great barbeque place so close to home!

The food was really good! Went on a Wednesday, all you can eat chicken or ribs with two sides for $ 9.99 and yes the corn nuggets are really good but, I definitely don’t suggest eating inside service was terrible and waiter was rude. Overall it was a good experience.

Great BBQ vibe, great oak smoked meat, awesome sides and tasty sauce!
I really want to give this place a 5 star rating because it hits all the beats of a great cue place, but my meat came out cold… What a bummer!
Still, the flavor is there and we’ll back!!!
If you’re looking for REAL smoked BBQ, come here!!!

The absolute best ribs in the Tampa Bay Area. You really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, each meat is smoked into a juicy, fall of the bone perfection. Highly recommend the corn nuggets too! :D

It’s not often that I can walk into a restaurant and be remembered.
Every time I visit, the guys know me well. All you can eat Ribs and Chicken on Wednesdays, unsweetened tea, and check on the sides because I rotate them frequently.
The décor is definitely hole in the wall style, newspaper articles lacquered to the walls, dark, warm lighting instead of the cold glare of high powered fluorescent/​halogen bulbs, and it’s always warm in there. Logical, considering there’s a big ol’ pit in the kitchen area that they’ve got meat a-​cookin’ on.
The food has been great each time I’ve been there. Corn nuggets were delicious and crisp. Fried okra, which is amazingly easy to screw up, is always fried just right to be tasty — it retains the okra taste, but also has the crispiness that it needs. The waffle fries, though they are not my favorite cut, are also good, and go well with some of the sweet and hot barbecue sauce mixed together. The macaroni and cheese is somewhat questionable — I prefer my noodles to be a bit firmer than these were.
One of the things I’m really picky about is my unsweetened tea. The unsweetened tea here is juuuust fine, and seems to be regularly changed — unchanged unsweetened tea is noticeable, with a metallic flavor borne of the container storing it. This is not the case, making it my go-​to drink for nearly every visit.
I visit when I can, and always leave when I’m too full (one plate later).

My God. This has to be some of the most disgusting BBQ I’ve ever put into my mouth. The only reason for the 2 stars is bc the manager was so nice.
I ate here bc of a Groupon I purchased, and learned through THIS experience to check reviews b4 buying anymore Groupons for restaurants.
The worst, next to Jazzy’s BBQ. Yuck

Simply put do not I repeat do not waste your money here!!! Theres no pit master here. Brontasous size ribs. Chicken dry. Sausage was so hard you needed to saw it. The only thing we enjoyed on our plate was the waffle fries. Please save you money go to the Mexican joint a block down on the right. Service was wonderful but it didn’t help the taste of that food btw we went a 5pm dinner time. These ppl are not telling the wholly truth.

I love hole-​in-​the-​wall BBQ places and had heard good things about Wholly Smokes. We visited on a weekday evening and opted to dine-​in. Being honest, the dining area was a little too rustic for me — dusty, a little dingy, and I was a little put off by the gnawed chicken bone on the floor under the first table we went to sit at. I went with the sliced beef sandwich and the mac n cheese and waffle fries. The waffle fries were some of the best I’ve ever had, but the mac n’cheese and the sandwich were only ho-​hum. I used a lot of their sweet BBQ sauce as the beef was a little dry. Hubby did a mix of chicken, pork and ribs and thought they were all good. The service was pretty good as far as drink refills but we did have to remind our server that my husband’s meal was supposed to come with garlic bread (he likes making sammies out of the meats). He also got corn nuggets and while these are not my favorites, the one I tried was really good. Overall — the BBQ was just okay and the dining area made me count the seconds until we could leave. I wouldn’t want to dine here again and they are too far from our home for takeout to be a good option. Sadly, there are too many good and great BBQ places in Tampa to go out of our way to eat here.

This was some of the best barbeque I have ever eaten in my life. the service was spectacular. the staff was friendly and very helpful and accommodating. The ribs to me were very tender and flavorful and they obviously used the right kind of wood in the smoker because it was more sweet than bitter. The beans were good but could have been better. The mac and cheese was exceptional. the sliced barbeque pork was also tender, juicy and delicious.
This is going to be my at-​least-​once-​a-​month barbeque place from now on and that’s saying something because i will be going out of my way and i live next to a barbeque restaurant ;)

Some of the worst barbecue I have ever eaten. Everything was overcooked. The ribs were full of fat and tough. So chewy I couldn’t eat it. The sausage had Italian seasoning in it. Yuck. A lot of the food had Italian seasoning on it. Not the kind of thing you should expect from a BBQ place. Very disappointed. The corn nuggets were good. I will give them that. I won’t be back, though.

Such a late review but I actually forgot I ate here. I was on a hunt for some really good bbq and decided to try Wholly Smokes because it had great reviews (this was about a year ago). I was really disappointed. While the staff gets an A for their friendly outgoing customer service, their ribs I’d give a C. They were really fatty and tough to eat. Now that I see a year later, their rating had dropped, I don’t think I will give it another try. BBQ is to expensive to waste $$ on bad food.

Be prepared for a lot of food!!!
Ended up at Wholly Smoke based on the Unilocal reviews last week– and we were not disappointed! Delicious BBQ, large portions, and a huge variety of sides. The waffle fries and corn nuggets were my favorite!
They just recently added wings to the menu and I would definitely recommend those.
On Mondays it’s buy one get one ½ off dinner meal– great deal!
Only downside is it’s kind of small– so, my family of 8 had to improvise and move some tables around to get situated.
Will definitely be back!

As others have said, this place is nothing fancy. But I will say this much… they have some rather tasty chopped bbq beef. I look forward to coming back and trying the smoked sausage next.
My only gripe is they don’t have either a «two meat» or «three meat» special. I wanted to try a couple different meats, but didn’t necessarily want everything included in their sampler.

Wholly Smoke Bar-​B-​Que is traditional low-​country pit-​smoked meats prepared with homemade dry rubs and sauces, and delicious sides. You’ll find the restaurant just south of Sligh along Armenia Avenue, and quite honestly you’ll be able to smell the smoker long before you find the parking lot. As they say on the backs of the staff’s t-​shirts «You can smell our butts for miles!» (It’s a BBQ joke… just work with me…)
Wholly Smoke is a small, locals-​favorite place, with rustic seating for about ten tables in one of their dining rooms, and an equal number on their enclosed porch. A lot of folks are picking up carryout orders to take over to the stadium for their football tailgating parties, or to take out for picnics and other outdoor events.
You should know that the meats are smoked, low and slow (low heat — slow cooking time) versus being grilled. As a result you’ll be able to taste the smoky flavor in addition to which ever sauce you choose to use.
You’ll find the usual grilled meats — ribs, pulled pork, chicken, beef brisket, turkey, and sausage. The sausage is homemade using a 20 year-​old recipe, and it has a great bite to it. Wholly Smoke also has some super delicious chicken wings which are smoked, and then dressed with your favorite strength of hot sauce. I ordered some medium garlic wings, and the smoky flavor plus the sauce was just amazing!
You can buy sandwiches, platters, or meats by the pound — with that they have about a dozen sides, along with wings and devil crab. Sides are the very traditional choices, and I found them to be quite tasty and not at all soggy for fried foods. The Mac & Cheese and the Fried Okra are my two favorites.
These guys do a heck of a job of catering parties around town, so don’t be surprised if you see them at your next company picnic or other summertime get-​together.
By the way, they sell their homemade sauces and rubs at The Fresh Market stores around town which should give you some idea of the quality of their food.
I’ve eaten here many times, both dine in as well as carryout, and always enjoy the flavor of their foods.

Ready to get down and dirty with your BBQ? Check Wholly Smokes out! They serve up a great deal of BBQ meats and they do it fast. Sides from your regular slaw or corn nuggets. No one here is judging you so dig in!
Doesn’t that sound like I’m trying to sell you something? Well I’m not! I had a good time here and the guys serving me was friendly even though we were the last ones dining in. I loved all the meat served in our platter and the different sauces to smother it in.
It’s a fun and relaxed place for some meat!