The Florida Foodie
The Best BBQ in Florida: 4 Rivers Smokehouse Orlando & Tampa
Story and Photos by Saucy Sarah
My quest for great BBQ has been a life-long pursuit. My childhood was spoiled by Tom’s BBQ, located in Boca Raton, where you could expect an hour or more wait, in line, at the no reservations eatery. I still dream of the lacquered ribs that would arrive to your table on a blistering hot metal platter. I could take down a whole rack at the ripe age of ten. Since the original restaurant closed, I have half-heartedly hoped to find another place that could meet the bar Tom’s set so high. The only place to come close is the world-famous Sonny Bryan’s Smokehouse in Dallas, Texas, but who wants to drive that far when the urge for some great barbeque hits?
Fear not, for I have found BBQ Mecca and it is only a few hours’ drive from Palm Beach County. With locations in the Orlando, Tampa, and North Florida, 4 Rivers Smokehouse is worth the pilgrimage. This is BBQ that haunts my dreams. I crave it and that craving makes me drive to great lengths to get it. I have tried nearly everything on the menu at the sprawling Longwood location and I can tell you, nothing disappoints. Even the endless list of sides are worthy of a trip alone.
It all started in a garage and from there, legendary BBQ was born. Founder, John Rivers, spent 20 years in the healthcare industry before retiring and focusing on the fine art of brisket. After hosting a fundraiser cookout for a local girl suffering from cancer, his BBQ business took off. From opening in 2009 to present day, 4 Rivers has been invited to the prestigious James Beard House in NYC, participated in the South Beach Wine & Food Fest and has been featured in USA Today, Food & Wine magazine, and many more.
The cafeteria-style restaurant is open and airy with communal tables and a sweet shop showing off jaw-droppingly high-layer cakes and unique cupcakes, such as chicken and waffles (with fried chicken baked into the cupcake) and a cupcake of urban legend proportions, the Mountain Dew Dorito cupcake (yes, you heard me right).
But back to the BBQ. It is a meat Mecca, and the buffet of meat you pass by in the line will beckon you to try them all. The ribs are the main highlight for me. I am still trying to decipher how they get them so delicious. They melt in your mouth and hit you with a powerful punch of sweet and smoky. Pure heaven. Brisket is next on my list. Probably the best in Florida if not farther reaching. 4 Rivers also boasts a “brontosaurus rib” a huge beef rib perfectly smoked. It’s way too much for one mere mortal to eat, but I am happy to polish it off in two days’ time. Burnt Ends, the cult classic, reign supreme here. Come early or you will find they are sold out. All your food is lovingly piled high on butcher paper and handed to you before you pay at the end of the line. Just the way it should be.
The sides at 4 Rivers deserve their own paragraph. I am in love with several of them. First of all, the beans are chocked full of brisket bits. Need I say more? I can eat them for breakfast…or lunch…or dinner on their own. The cheese grits leave me speechless. I absolutely hate grits, but I do love these. They bake them like polenta, so you end up getting a square of grits that is a cross between a cake and a cheesy pudding. The Mac & Cheese is my kids’ favorite. Don’t forget the biscuits either. They come with each meal and are the size of a softball.
If you love BBQ as much as I do, then a two and a half hour drive to Orlando is no big deal to get the real thing. The next time you are visiting Mickey Mouse, make sure to stop by 4 Rivers Smokehouse and tank up on some of the best barbeque I’ve ever had. Be sure to take some home with you or you will regret it the next day. With John Rivers’ plans to expand the brand all across Florida, we can only hope we will get our own 4 River soon in Palm Beach County too.
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In her previous life, Sarah, a Palm Beach County Native, spent ten years working in various high-end eating establishments around South Florida. She is currently a fiction thesis candidate in the MFA program at Florida International University where she also teaches creative writing and rhetoric. If that is not enough, Sarah is also the owner of Cakes by Sarah, a local custom cake shop. Sarah lives in Lake Worth with her husband and two beautiful boys. “Food, fiction, and family are my life.”