We have a lot of BBQ options in the Carrollwood area. Our "go to" was Sonny's for a long time (Mom and Grandma's favorite) but all the local stores closed. Nearest one now is Palm Harbor. So, we switched to Willie Jewell's and enjoyed them until they went out of business. Another GREAT spot is Jazzy's but it tends to be quite pricey. Tried Mission BBQ, but it's just ok IMHO. So, last night we took a shot at 4Rivers Smokehouse. I'm not a big fan of counter ordering, but the employees were very pleasant. Food was served in an appropriate timeframe and we sat down at an empty booth. The dining room is quite large and can handle large parties as well. Whenever I try a new place I tend to over-order to try to taste as much as possible. I had the 3x2 which is three meats and 2 sides. I ordered the St.Louis ribs, pulled pork, and Texas sausage. Side were BBQ beans and Southern coleslaw. My wife had the Burnt ends sandwich and fries with the Southern corn as her second side. My ribs were excellent--meaty, the right amount of fat and not dry at all. The pulled pork was outstanding and was probably the best I've had in the area. The sausage meat was delicious but the casing was like plastic and nearly inedible. I peeled it off. The BBQ sauce choices on the table are regular and hot. I thought the regular sauce was too sweet and the hot was too savory, but combined...perfect! My wife tried the special blueberry BBQ sauce and really enjoyed it. The burnt ends were delicious and the bun was nice and soft and soaked up the sauce. The sides were good and complemented the meat but were nothing to write home about. Overall a great meal for BBQ fans. The separate hand washing station in the dining room was a nice touch. We will definitely be going back and could be the new "go to". read more

July 4th, hey! let's get some BBQ! Ordered online for takeout, 2 Pulled Pork sandwiches, side of baked beans and a side order of fries. Got home and ugh, just had the worst pulled pork sandwich of my lifetime. The buns were extremely soggy, the meat was soggy with very little flavor. Ordered cole slaw on one sandwich, clearly printed on the ticket, but no cole slaw. The beans and the fries were good. The service at pickup was quick and courteous. But my God, the sandwiches were terrible. If a BBQ restaurant can't deliver a decent pulled pork sandwich they probably can't deliver any good BBQ. Why would anyone go back? Terrible. read more

Fast service and lots of seating. Fairly priced for barbecue and the amount of food you get! Barbecue is very good, maybe not the best you'll ever have but it definitely more than meets the mark! Lots of options, even a vegan one, for everyone in your family. Laid back vibe inside the restaurant, not chaotic and didn't feel rushed. read more

4 Rivers Smokehouse - 2X2 with smoked turkey, brisket, corn, and fried okra 3X2 with smoked sausage, burnt ends, brisket, mac n cheese, and collards - Barbeque Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Disappointing visit. I dropped by around 4 on a Sunday afternoon to take out a cuban and a side of baked beans. Only two people were ahead of me in line, and I had to wait 15 minutes for my order, which can be made in 5 minutes. There were at least 7 employees in the restaurant, doing what, I have no idea. When I got home, the cuban was marginally 6", No provolone cheese or string onions. The baked beans were mostly sauce, not beans. To pay almost $14, this is not a good value. Also, my bag had almost 20 napkins in it, and 3 BBQ sauce packets. My sandwich was so small, 1 sauce would have been sufficient. The management needs to look at quality control and speed of orders. Over staffed and poor attention to detail. The visit before, my rib order was also disappointing - small ribs, with little meat. Not going back. read more

Awww man I had high hopes for this places :( attracted by its cool appearance unfortunately its food quality does not "meat" the mark. We got brisket / chicken / pulled pork / fries /potato All the meat was dry -the chicken was better than the BBQ. And the potato was undercooked. If you are thinking of coming here just go to Mission BBQ it's around the corner , sorta. read more

4 Rivers Smokehouse - Pulled pork potato - Barbeque Near Me - Tampa, Florida

In town for a business trip and waiting to check into our hotel we stopped by here. Coming from Texas(and raised in kansas) I was a little skeptical on bbq in a water state. Over all service waa quick, employees personable, and food was alright. I was not overly impressed but I have surely had worse. I personally got tge turkey and I am not a fan of the rub they out on it. If in the area again and eating there I would opt our for something other than the turkey. The bbq beans tasted burnt, so not too impressed with that but the coleslaw was not bad and the giant chocolate chip cookie was good. read more

4 Rivers Smokehouse - 1 meat plate 2 sides. Turkey with bbq beans and coleslaw. - Barbeque Near Me - Tampa, Florida

I love 4 Rivers! It is consistently good quality of food and the food always comes out quickly! Delicious bbq. I highly recommend and this is one of my go to places. The burnt ends are the best! read more

4 Rivers Smokehouse - Burnt Ends 1x2 - Barbeque Near Me - Tampa, Florida

I worked on Thanksgiving Day because Healthcare Worker life. So I decided to ordering catering for 4 even though it was going to be an intimate dinner for 2 (our families live either out of state or in another country). What was on the menu: - Smoked turkey (9/10) - Collard Greens (5/10) - Green Beans (8/10) - Mashed Potatoes (8/10) - Gravy (8/10) - Stuffing (8/10) - Mac and Cheese (2/10) I enjoyed the turkey, green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, and stuffing. The mac and cheese was a bit too soupy for my liking and hubby felt the same way. Think a runny Kraft mac and cheese. Hubby really liked the collard greens, but I wasn't a fan of the overpowering vinegar flavor. Everything was a bit heavy on the salt IMO and left us very thirsty after eating it for Thanksgiving and during the days after. There was so much food, we were eating a plate every day for around 5 days. If you're craving Southern food, I'd recommend 4 Rivers Smokehouse. Maybe you won't find it on the salty side as I did. I plan to try more of their other dishes, but in smaller quantities. Will I order catering again? I would need to try out the other meats before I do. I wish I took more pictures, but I was tired from work and hungry. read more

4 Rivers Smokehouse - Barbeque Near Me - Tampa, Florida

We stopped in for dinner and ordered the smokehouse 2 x 2 (burnt ends and sausage) and the brisket melt sandwich. Unfortunately, they were out of the jalapeño poppers and sweet potato mash, so we went with green beans and mac & cheese instead. The burnt ends and sausage were flavorful and definitely something I'd order again. For dessert, we tried the sugar-free carrot cake -- decent but a little on the dry side. The restaurant itself was clean and well-staffed, though I couldn't help but notice the ceiling damage -- looks like one of the tiles might come down any day, which was a little distracting. Overall, solid BBQ with good service, but a few misses both in food availability and upkeep. read more

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I dont come here often, but whenever I do I say to myself "I should come here more often". I had 2x2 with brisket and pulled pork, okra, and cheese grits, my wife had the six shooter sandwich with okra. Everything was delicious but the brisket was the star of the show! It was melt in your mouth soft and perfect! I would not get the cheese grits again, it was served as a cold cake, it would be better served hot. This place may look kinda trendy or even corporate (like Mission or Sonnys) but the que is more in line with country smokehouse ol timey style. Ive never been disappointed here and I eat BBQ all over the South. I would rank 4 Rivers number 2 in town behind Pit Boss. Final word, this is a modern BBQ place with innovative sandwiches and some unique ingredients that knows what theyre doing in the pit. read more

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! No more jalapeño poppers???? The world has ended. Bring them back! read more

On 6/5/2026 I went to the restaurant to place a take-out order only to have the server tell me there was a 30-minute wait on mac and cheese as they were having a problem getting it up to tempature; so i waited and as i waited I witnessed several delivery drivers also waiting for orders but the dine in customers were being served with no problem. I asked the server again after the 30 minutes if the order was ready and he again stated that there was a problem with the order, I again waited only to hear the same server say to another customer that they were backed up. So after over an hour I told them to cancel the order. Appropriate staffing or clarity to customers is expected from any business. read more

Would 100% ruin my diet here again. Pro tip: Wear dark clothes. You will leave wearing sauce. read more

We took our neighbors there for their first time. Our meat was dry and they throw your food order directly on the paper they use to cover the tray. Needless to say we will not return. Ugh read more

Loved having Angie as my server. She's so sweet and very attentive to our needs. We love coming here, and are looking forward to our next visit. -Deb read more

0.5 stars. "Famous" brisket is very dry. The pulled chicken is better than the brisket for sure. Ate in and by the time they were done with the order my protein on my plate was already cold. I wouldn't recommend this. First and last time coming here. read more

Personally love the food here. It's the best barbecue you're going to find around Tampa. Don't sleep on the menu items like the bbq tacos and quesadillas... they are surprisingly good with large portions. Nice way to mix it up from the standard platters. read more

Great food, good portions, and still affordable. Staff was nice too. Will definitely be back when craving BBQ.

We ordered a pulled pork sandwich and it looked NOTHING...and I mean NOTHING like what was pictured. The pork was dry as hell and had NO SEASONING. It just tasted like baked pork and bread. Gross! We also ordered a BBQ Melt. I don't have a pic of it but that was edible but nothing I'd come back for and we got a Caramel Dolly. We weren't fans and we don't care to ever go back...seriously! read more

4 Rivers Smokehouse - What it's "supposed" to look like - Barbeque Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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Brisket was dry, pulled pork dry, baked beans too sweet. Coleslaw was good, wings good and the fries were reheated back in the oil. All in all I expected higher quality for the price. This was our first dining experience here read more

They have amazing BBQ! They have flavorful sides and even scrumptious desserts! We ordered a 2 meat platter with 2 sides and even sharing we were full. We had the greens, sweet potato, Texas sausage (my favorite) and burnt ends. They have community type tables, individual ones, bar type seating, and outdoor seating. The restaurant is clean and you can easily find extra napkins, lids for cups and even to go boxes. We were helped by Terri and she was super sweet! We will definitely be back! read more

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3 things about this place: 1. The place had a very clean atmosphere and employees were very friendly with fast service. Everyone had a smile on their face and they kept cleaning to make this place a great place for customers. 2. Smokehouse 2 x 2 was ordered with brisket and burnt ends. I don't know if I had high expectations for this place with good reviews but was pretty disappointed with the result that I had. 3. Brisket was way too dry and could hardly chew. Brisket is one of the meats that is supposed to be tender but this meat was too dry and extremely salty. Maybe I received leftovers since this was a to go order but this was non-edible. Burnt ends was okay, but not the greatest. Overall, I would give this place a second try but most likely eat there. Having a to go order did not meet my expectations but willing to see if the food is any different from having dine in. read more

At Dale Malbrey: At 5:30 they were out of beef brisket, so had to substitute with ribs which were okay but had to go back to the ordering station in 5 minutes to see if they were ready. BBQ sandwiches were not available when ordered so we had to wait. First pork sandwich that was delivered contained a large amount of fatty meatless skin which wasn't edible, some pork. Macaroni was edible and coleslaw was almost tasteless as was the ice tea. Chili fries took about 10 min after the order was placed and after my husband went to the counter to check on it. We and our guests were very disappointed with our meal. Was certainly not worth the $50 we paid. read more

First time ordering , never have I been inside to eat. Desserts were great! Ordered the bite size sampler $36.99 for a last minute party. I was able to place on a beautiful tray and the presentation looked fantastic! The only thing I was super confused about was the curbside pickup? I put what parking space # my car was in , but I ended up walking to the window counter myself anyways which defeats the purpose. Other than that I will be back for the BBQ! read more

4 Rivers Smokehouse - Barbeque Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Pulled Chicken sandwich tasty as well as baked beans but the hash browns and cheese no flavor. The female bathroom is in dire need of renovations and/or fixing broken items etc read more

4 Rivers Smokehouse - Bathroom sink backboard detached. - Barbeque Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Amazing as always! The pulled chicken was fresh and flavorful. The corn and mac were also great. Their bakery section is AMAZING! Their cookies are so fresh and the cake is quite moist and flavorful (especially the toffee cake). Their customer service was phenomenal today as well. They were so friendly. We love this location! read more

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Flavor was excellent. Temp cold. Mostly likely from cold toppings. I hate cold food that is supposed to be hot. Meet cooked appropriately for most, I prefer med rare and this was medium well. Still tender. Majorly disappointed with portion. I can buy a 1lb steak for $8.99-$25 depending on cut. I eat a 1pound steak every day for breakfast but had to skip today was running late. Thought I'd try this but was starving after as the weight was maybe 8oz? Unsure but I felt ripped off. Service was fast and friendly to car. Food was ready from order time to car in less than 5 min read more

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I DO I DO I DOOOOOOOOO! Perfect dinner to cater our wedding! Heidi was PHENOMENAL to work with and I can't imagine going with anyone Else for our big day! Only thin that sucked..... the broccoli! So mushy... read more

4 Rivers Smokehouse - Barbeque Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Amazing food, great selection, high quality service. I had the texas destroyer and messy pig -

Brisket looked dry so we steered clear of it. The Burnt ends weren't burnt ends but were pulled brisket. The ribs doneness was good but they were bland and negligible Smokey taste could be detected. The pulled pork was bland and had negligible smoky taste. One of us liked the corn bread the other thought there wasn't enough jalopeno or cheddar cheese. The beans were insanely sweet. Barbecued corn was interesting: it was extremely smoky and the sweetness was muted by the spice. read more

I order often from 4Rivers through UberEats. Great location for north Dale Mabry area. The Cowboy 3x2 is the best option for high protein diets. All meats I've ordered are cooked to perfection with just enough smokiness to it. My favorite thus far has been the Angus Brisket sandwich. The bread is so amazingly soft, I think that's what makes it taste so good. Most recently the Burnt Ends was what hit it out of the park. I probably would not recommend the Bayou Bar. It was so incredibly rich, I couldn't eat more than 2 bites, just stick to the chocolate chip cookie if you're craving something sweet. If you haven't tried it, be sure to try the Mustard BBQ sauce next time. read more

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The smoke house is absolutely outstanding . If you desire a Florida taste - try 4 Rivers ! We eat there once a week. Pork and beef are fresh and always tender and moist . Great great cornbread too read more

Great location, quick service, clean location. There was constantly someone cleaning/wiping down tables. Food was all delicious, banana pudding was pretty dry. Small stall in women's bathroom did not lock. read more

I have a great experience delicious food and amazing stuff clean place good service and great people great price. I recommend you visit. read more

4 Rivers Smokehouse - Barbeque Near Me - Tampa, Florida

For a chain restaurant, the BBQ was better than expected. The smokehouse wings have that "mom/pop" BBQ restaurant taste. Staff was super friendly and supportive! read more

Chicken was rubbery...Mac and cheese was not good. Greens were ok........ Probably won't be going back. The food sitting in the windows looks old and dry. read more

Why do employees let their long hair hang down in front of their face, below their chin, while leaning over scooping your beans and veggies right in front of you? Why do they wear headbands to keep their hair OUT OF THE FOOD but still expose their hair to everything they touch? Why does the manager not train them better, and maintain that standard, knowing that it's unsanitary and unacceptable. Why does one employee braid his pony tail so it STAYS BEHIND HIS BACK, but a female team member lets her loose hair hang down the front? Why does 4 Rivers not understand this basic principle of foodservice? read more

4 Rivers is the best BBQ in Tampa ! We love the Brisket tacos and the cornbread is AMAZING !!

I have to shout out the incredible team at 4 Rivers BBQ who took care of us Amy, Jeff, Jaila, and John P. were a the dream team ! They went above and beyond to make sure I had everything I needed, all while keeping the energy high and the conversation fun. My only complaint is that the fried okra taste old And the corn bread was mushy. Their teamwork was top-notch, but truly memorable. Kudos to them! read more

Smells so good in here!! My husband enjoyed his BBQ meal and it had been some time since he had been able to enjoy it after Chemo treatments. Needless to say, he was super picky about his dining options. I will say this location was lively but just right, the food was delicious and did not make any one sick. The service friendly, you order and pick up your food and find your table. The cashiers were friendly and they kept on the tables making sure it remained cleaned. It was a casual - easy going place with wonderful savory smells and food. read more