With a highly rated place in walking distance from my AirBnb, I decided to give this place a shot for dinner. The interior of the restaurant was definitely bigger than I thought it would be, with plenty of seating for you to enjoy your food in. The staff was friendly but not all too helpful with reccomendations on portion sizes. I ended up ordering 1/4 pound of brisket and a side of baked beans. It came 2 slices of texas toast. I did like the fact that you had a choice of how your food was prepared, be it sliced or chunks and fatty or lean. The brisket was cooked perfectly and the sauces definitely added to the overall flavor. I was definitely happy with the size of the baked beans side amd ended up finishing the leftover I had of this later that night! It was a nice place to eat at and quick ticket time is always appreciated! read more

The Smokin’ Ox Premium BBQ - The 4 different BBQ sauces - Food Trucks Near Me - Winter Haven, Florida

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The Smokin' Ox is a staple for local BBQ in Polk County. Clayton and his team are always offering specials like burnt ends and strawberry short cake. The dry rubbed ribs with their house seasoning pair well with all 3 sauces - sweet,spicy or mustard based sauce. Brisket can be ordered sliced or chopped & lean or fatty based on preference of wanting a cut from the flat or point end of the brisket. We enjoy the sliced, lean brisket but also really enjoy the chopped brisket paired on top of the fat fries w / ranch & jalapeños! The brisket is moist and fork tender, we always order a 1 lb. portion so we have extra for later. The sides are well seasoned & flavor packin', never lackin! From creamy 5 cheese mac to turnip greens & green beans...they don't disappoint! If you're in the area and looking for a local gem then look no further. Come in hungry and leave happy! Just tell Clayton and his family that Cam sent ya. read more

The Smokin’ Ox Premium BBQ - St. Louis Ribs Brisket(Sliced & Lean) Turnip Greens Green Beans - Food Trucks Near Me - Winter Haven, Florida

Lunch today at The Smokin' Ox in Winter Haven, Florida was amazing! Saturday at noon and it was definitely busy but rightly so because it was delicious! The service was friendly and a great menu with plenty of choices. Very casual atmosphere. I had the chopped pork, corn casserole and fried okra and everything was delicious. The small sized portions were huge! Great lunch and highly recommend! read more

The Smokin’ Ox Premium BBQ - Large Sized Okra - Food Trucks Near Me - Winter Haven, Florida

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Fantastic food. Great brisket sandwich. Sides are all homemade and several levels above most bbq places. All scratch made by mom! The banana pudding was simply amazing. The people inside were welcoming and friendly. Restaurant was clean and well lit. read more

We were late to this party, but oh my gosh, we'll be back sooner rather than later. We shared turkey breast and pulled pork, Mac and cheese, tallow fried potatoes and coke slaw. Everything was superb. The owner chatted with us and was gracious and knowledgeable. He knows food! read more

Wow! Go there! Most excellent food, they kindly serve everyone, chill ambiance, DELICIOUS food!!!

We visited this location for the first time ! Man was it good, the ribs were amazing I had so much food 1/2 went home for the next day! The Mac and cheese was amazing and ate it all while at the restaurant took the green beans and left over ribs home for the next day! (Wasn't a fan of the bbq sauce but the food was amazing ). Also met a sweet southern lady who stated she makes all the sides she is the mom of the owner !! Highly recommend read more

The Smokin’ Ox Premium BBQ - Left overs - Food Trucks Near Me - Winter Haven, Florida

Nice little bbq spot. I always like to get the brisket. The sides are delicious too and lots of sauce options. Staff is friendly and service is always quick. read more

The Smokin’ Ox Premium BBQ - Food Trucks Near Me - Winter Haven, Florida

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I've eaten their food numerous times at weddings because they also cater! Definitely recommend coming to the restaurant. The food is amazing! So glad that I came down here to try it at their restaurant!! I'll be back for sure!! read more

The Smokin’ Ox Premium BBQ - Half chicken, beans, Mac n cheese. - Food Trucks Near Me - Winter Haven, Florida

The food was amazing some of the best bbq I have have from a restaurant and the brisket on top of the fat fries was so good I can't til Wednesday so I can go back and enjoy read more

The Smokin’ Ox Premium BBQ - Fat Fries - Food Trucks Near Me - Winter Haven, Florida

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Yum!! The brisket is sooo good.. the baked beans were even better! We also enjoyed the corn casserole. I would definitely go back!

Welcome to another Family Food Adventure review!!! This time BBQ at the SMOKING OX in downtown Winter Haven. Do you Want great BBQ, without having to go far from our area, this is the place!!! In comparison to our favorite brisket/BBQ place Mission BBQ in Lakeland. We will say we don't need to make that 40 min trip any longer. Wow these meats are yum just the way they are OR if your a sauce nut like me they have 4 different sauces to choose from. Take your taste buds on a trip and try all 4, I did and I do not regret it. From the Original BBQ to the honey BBQ, then on to the Mustard BBQ and ending with the HOT BBQ, they were all tasty, I kept eating every one until each small pile were gone then finished off with the Sweet for the rest of my meal mixing in a swirl of Mustard BBQ here and there couldn't get enough what a great balance in the Mustard sauce!!! A great price for a family of 5, for 67$ we received 5 drinks, a 1/2 lb of lean brisket w/2pieces of Texas toast, 2 brisket sandwiches on buttery brioche toasted buns , 1 Chopped pork sandwich (same bun as brisket), 1 kids 2 rib meal, comes with side and drink, and a fully loaded FAT FRIES, WOW THOSE FRIES!!! Every meat was enjoyed by all 5 of us, from young to well us, the parents, lol!!! The meat was tender and the portions were perfect for the prices, not so small your like where's the meat for 9$, like some other places around. Each sandwich had a nice little pile where the buns were separated enough that you could see the meat piled nicely in between the buns. The brisket was fall apart tender on the lean portion I received, there were 6 slices about 1/4" thickness each one with a nice end piece. The brisket on the sandwiches for the teen and young adult was a great value @ 9$. For them it was a bit fatty, but they are use to lean meat, I tried it and it was not too fatty in my opinion for a non lean brisket. They will also change it to lean meat on the sand which with no up charge if you ask, I made sure to ask for the teen and young adult child in our family for next time as we are a lean brisket eating Family!!! The pork was juicy and piled high so much my wife had some droppings to eat besides the sandwich, lol. What a great value sandwich @ 7$, it's well worth it!!! The kids 2 Rib meal for 7$ was a great deal for our 9yr old, she loved it and got her full!!! The only constructive criticism she had to say is that the 5 cheese Mac & cheese was a bit watery and she didn't enjoy the texture. There could be a couple reasons for this in my opinion after 15yrs in the industry. The watery taste could be from the Mac n cheese sitting in the plastic to go container they are portioned out in, could kinda tell they are pre made for service times. As they sit more water can come out of the pasta overtime, a little heat up before serving would take care of it, but not in the microwave!!! For the texture it could be from the un-melted shredded cheese as when I tried it that's all I could really taste texture wise that's takes it away from a nicely melted Mac & cheese that we all adore!!! Maybe a one off we will try it again and update review, try it for yourself!!! The Fries WOW WOW WOW, everyone loved these fries so much two of the kids said they just wanted that next time for their meal. For 12$ you get a whole serving, again with a nice high pile of pork, diced jalapeños (on side or over the top) and melted cheese, (they should add this cheese to the Mac stir and serve, just a thought it would heat and meld the dish together more before serving without greatly increasing the food cost!!!) you can also get the cheese on the side and do it yourself!!! You can add whatever sauce or just eat the way it comes both ways we're a mouth full of tastiness!!! We will def be going back to try the Tacos and other sides if we can get past the Fries, YUM!!! If your near or far, I would give this place a try to see if it contends with your favorite BBQ PLACE IT WON US OVER FOR SURE!!! read more

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This place never lets us down. Brisket, Mac and cheese is always on point... Wings are amazing. read more

The Staff is amazing!!! And the food is some of the best brisket I've ever eaten!! Especially love the baked beans--- the okra is always fresh and delicious... and top it off with some banana pudding yum!!! read more

$$$ but good food- enjoy all foods and desserts -especially the banana pudding - chicken and greens are also good.

The best Brisket in all of Polk county! Excellent food , service and prices I highly recommend

Best BBQ in Florida! The wings, brisket, Mac& cheese, greens, fried okra with and homemade ranch! Drove here from Tampa to try and it was worth the trip. read more

Went to Smokin Ox in Winter Haven for lunch. Wife had brisket sandwich I had the Ribs. both were delicious. I ordered the half slab but they were so meaty I couldn't eat all of them and took some home. The home made bbq sauce was also very good. I have to say that this is the best bbq I have had in Florida. I have been to Blackburns, Sonny's, and a few others and none of them hold a candle to Smokin Ox!!!! read more

Delicious, clean, friendly. 4 different sauces wish they would sell beer too. Beer goes great with BBQ!

My neighbor raved about this place so I decided to give them a try this evening. The interior of this location is quite nice. It feels very homey, clean, and it's spacious. I ordered the St. Louis Ribs with the Fat Fries for myself. Chopped Brisket Sandwich with banana pudding for my husband. The 2pc Rib kids meal for my son. Here's where the problem began. I want to preface this by saying that I do NOT like to police attitudes as workers are humans who sometimes have bad days. I fully understand that. I lost my voice after a celebration and also had on a mask so I couldn't speak very loudly. The person who was taking my order (Ashley, I believe. double nose piercing with lavender hair patch) wasn't the most patient because of how low I was speaking. I was trying to ask questions but I didn't like the energy I was being presented with so I got the basics. I ordered my food to go and got my food within about 10-15 minutes. I've ate a lot of BBQ. And I truly do mean A LOT. This was subpar at best. The brisket, the pork on the fries, and the ribs were bland. The BBQ sauce brought it somewhat to life but the meat was bland and the ribs were not tender. The turnip greens were by the far the worst I've had but my son who is thankfully not a picky eater ate it all. Here's what I liked: - the brioche bun. Top tier and toasted perfectly. - the fries and the cheese sauce. - the banana was delicious. - the variety of sauces is great. Unfortunately, the star of the show was very disappointing and I was very sad by that. I will probably come back just for the pudding and the fries (without the meat) but I wouldn't recommend this place. read more

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Good food, good service, friendly staff. Pricey for BBQ. The smoked sausage is delicious and the spicy bbq sauce is wonderful. The slaw is meh, in my opinion, and the smoked turkey salad is just alright. It's overpriced. It needs a sweet element to balance the flavors - dried cranberries, grapes, etc. (I ended up adding my own). Overall I love the smoked sausage and spicy sauce, and will keep going back just for that. read more

Tried out the pork sandwich and taco, brisket taco, Mac and cheese, ribs and beans. All not bad at all. Service was good. I'd consider coming back if in the neighborhood. read more

I've lived in Florida for about 6 years now, and have been trying different BBQ places, looking for a really good one. I've found some okay ones that I occasionally go back to. I was in Winter Haven running some errands and noticed a bunch of BBQ places as I drove around, so decided to pick one for lunch. Smokin' OX was nearby and I decided to go there. The interior was nice and clean, nice views out the windows, good layout, order at the counter and have a seat. The menu was pretty simple, which I like, too many items and then nothing is your specialty. And pretty simple pricing too, sides and drinks all the same price. The food came out and looked good. I had a 1/2 rack of ribs, green beans and potato wedges. The meal came with 2 pieces of garlic bread. Very reasonable portions. There were 4 sauces on the table to choose from. My favorite was the Sweet, the Original a close 2nd. The Hot was good, but a little too hot for me. Too much heat to me can cover up the flavor of the meat itself. This is one of the first places where I could have eaten the ribs by themselves with no sauce, they were that good, and tender. I could just scrape the meat off the bones. The green beans were very flavorful and excellent. The garlic bread was even good, some places you barely taste the garlic flavor, but this was just right. Even the potato wedges were excellent, they were sliced a little thinner than most places, and they started to curl and were crispy, somewhere between the thick wedges most places serve and chips. Very, very good. And to repeat myself, the ribs were awesome. Later someone came out, either the chef, manager, owner, not sure, but she walked around checking on how people were doing, knew some customers. Overall, great service, from ordering, checking up on things, etc. So, this is the place for BBQ for me. I will be back. I'd highly recommend it also. Only one thing, I'd recommend providing a couple wet-naps when you bring out an order. read more

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We have been looking for some really good BBQ that we have been missing since we moved to the area. Have tried a few places, but nowhere really hit the marks, that is until we came here. The meat was all delicious, the sides were some of the best, and the price was pretty fair for all the food we walked away with. This is our new go-to after our first experience here. read more

Hmmmm, slight nausea and the shits. Dirty hands or dirty food, not sure which one but something definitely not exactly clean here. Probably the chopped pork sandwich if I had to blame something I ate here, probably not the turnip greens or corn casserole. Thats assuming it wasn't dirty hands, id course. All of this by the way, perfectly fine going down, but later that night and most of the next day was low level Florida Man Revenge on my GI. Nothing debilitating, but certainly felt like ass and little appetite for 24 hours. An extra star for not having vomiting and fever. read more

Some of the best BBQ in Winter Haven, Fl! The ribs are out of this world. Super tend, seasoned well, the sauces just put it over the top but you can definitely eat them without it. Not a huge fan of the chopped brisket I tried last time however this place has a lot to offer that makes up for it. I often get upset when the meat at a BBQ establishment is stellar but the sides leave so much to be desired but that's not the case here. The macaroni and cheese is chef's kiss for a restaurant. The baked beans are great as well. Fried green tomatoes soooooo good! I'm a hard critic when it comes to banana pudding, I like a good ratio of bananas to cookies. Their recipe for their banana pudding is a winner. Stop by and grab some when they're open, won't be disappointed. read more

Can't stress enough how much I love this place!!! Food is absolutely amazing, never had a bad order! And I order quite a bit! Banana pudding that will rock your socks off! Pork, ribs, fries.. everything is always hot and top notch! read more

The Smokin’ Ox Premium BBQ - Banana pudding - Food Trucks Near Me - Winter Haven, Florida

Just wow! First time here of many visits to come!! The food was amazing; all of the flavors, the rubs and seasonings, the sauces, the variety of menu items, the excellent service, the super clean and ample dining area, and the more than reasonable prices. We left stuffed and very happy! Hope this restaurant stays for a very long time with the same quality that was displayed for us today! read more

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Some of the best green beans and collards I ever had. The pulled pork was moist and great. Lots of smiling faces behind the counter. I can't wait to go back. read more

Been there three times, gotten sick three times. So three strikes and they are out. It's a shame because although the meats and sauces aren't that great, but the sides are actually really good. All three times the wife and I have had the ribs, chopped pork, potato salad and the mac & cheese. Some of our friends too have gotten sick, but not to the extent we have. My wife will not go back again ever. I may in six months and will update here if I believe the issue is gone. read more

The place used to be great. Don't know what happened but it's awful now. The brisket looked like it was from last week. The other meats were horrible as well. Ordered loaded potato salad which is usually fantastic and the bacon in it was barely cooked. Go back to being a food truck. read more

My son said he wanted mac & cheese after visiting Legoland and that is how we ended up here! Oh, was it a good choice!!! Best brisket I've ever had!!! It was juicy, tender and cooked to perfection! I was also blown away by their baked beans!! Scratch made desserts were on the menu, we tried the buttermilk pound cake and it was out of this world! This place is a must visit!! read more

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The meats are top notch. Especially enjoyed the brisket. More enthusiasm and care from the clerk at the register would've sold more food and made me feel more welcome. Person was more interested in their phone, didn't offer info to a newcomer. The place is large and clean inside. Wasn't fond of the corn casserole. Parking is crowded and must be very watchful of speeders jerking thru the parking lot. The wait was longer than expected. When ordering to go, the sauce is in a very small container. The meat will bring me back--hoping to find continual smoothing around the edges on service. read more

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I tried the Ox last week, I'm from out of town went on a coworker suggestion. I had the 1/2 Chicken and smoke sausage fried pickles and potato salad loaded. Everything I had to eat was great. I heard the Ribs were good from my coworker. read more

Clean, casual, quick and friendly service, perfect lunch spot for families. Brisket and pork were great. Mac n cheese and fries were some of the best I've had! Can be served family style so everyone can share. read more

The Smokin’ Ox Premium BBQ - Brisket and pork - Food Trucks Near Me - Winter Haven, Florida

Asked for lean brisket and received very fatty brisket almost not edible. But the green beans and Mac and Cheese were good.

What a great find, my husband & I have been waiting for this place to open up; definitely worth the wait!!! OMG...best BBQ we have had by far in a l-o-n-g time (AND hands down in the area!). The ribs were fall-off the bone amazing & didn't need any sauce! You could get the brisket sliced or chopped, I asked for sliced...lots of flavor & moist. My husband also had the chopped pork, which he said was very good. Now the sides...they were amazing!!! AMAZING!!! Best fried okra I have had in years! We tried all 4 of their sauces, each were delicious. All the staff we came in contact with was so friendly and helpful..."need a refill on your drinks?", "how was everything"? Can't say enough good things about this gem! read more

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Really good bbq where I didn't expect it. Super family running the place. A true gem

I loved this place! The smoked turkey and the chopped brisket were both outstanding, the fried okra was crispy and the Mac and cheese was delicious! I'll be back next time I'm in WH. read more

Meat separated from ribs with ease. Brisket so tender it was to die for. Baked beans complex and caramelized. Chicken breast tender and moist. Smokin' Ox is REALLY good BBQ! read more