St. Pete has nine places smoking meat right now, and most of them are small, owner-run and on the south side. Florida never picked one BBQ style, so each pit here picked its own.
| BBQ spot | Where | What it says it cooks |
|---|---|---|
| Fatty's BBQ & Soul Food | Gulfport, 49th St S | Ribs, chicken and pork shoulder over oak, with mustard sauce |
| Hams "R" Us | MLK Street South | Spare ribs, brisket and chicken, hot and fast over oak and pecan |
| Treehouse BBQ | 62nd Ave N | Texas-style brisket, Carolina-style pulled pork and St. Louis-style ribs |
| Zee's Barbeque | The Deuces, at Foodie Labs | Brisket and pulled pork over wood, low and slow |
| Outside BBQ | St. Pete Beach, 6305 Gulf Blvd | Ribs and chopped brisket. The only BBQ restaurant we found on the beach |
| Big C's Chopped BBQ | MLK Street South | Chopped chicken, ribs and chopped beef |
| J-New's BBQ & Grill | St. Petersburg | Take-out BBQ and grill |
| House of Mama D's | 34th St S | BBQ and seafood, in the old Big Tim's building |
| Bayboro Brewing Co. | Warehouse Arts District | A brewery that added a BBQ kitchen |
The pit at Fatty's is more than 50 years old
Jesse Sapp cooks at Fatty's on a pit smoker more than 50 years old, at the site of the old Hogley Wogley BBQ. The name honors his late sister, Kimberley. He told the Tampa Bay Times, "We take pride in how we clean our ribs."
Black-owned BBQ in St. Pete
In March 2026 the Tampa Bay Times ran a feature on Black-owned barbecue in the area. Five places on this page were in it: Fatty's, Hams "R" Us, Big C's, J-New's and Outside BBQ.
Hams "R" Us is run by brothers Steven Johnson and William Delaine, who have been at it for 14 years, rain or shine.
St. Pete BBQ names that are gone
Smokin' J's closed in July 2022 when its owners retired. Dr. BBQ closed in December 2022. Urban Brew and BBQ closed on 6 September 2025 after 12 years. Big Tim's Bar-B-Q, which Timothy "Big Tim" Walters started in 1968, is closed too.
Two of those old web addresses now lead to gambling pages, so we do not link them.
For the full list, see St. Pete BBQ.