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Reviewed by Mark
No First Dates!
 We've
been driving by Kojak's House of Ribs on trips to Tampa
for years. The bungalow turned restaurant is nearly completely
hidden under one hundred year old live oaks with Spanish moss
draped from the branches that sway in the wind. The yard turned
parking lot is always full of cars and the porch turned outdoor
cafe looks like the perfect place to enjoy the cool breeze
blowing off of Tampa Bay on a hot summer night.
The Kojak's menu is fairly
basic barbecue, heavy with pork, but also includes roast beef
and chicken and made from scratch smoked sausages. Four of us
sat down and agreed to try as much of the menu as we could.
Here's what we liked; everything! Download a
.pdf
menu .
The ribs were tender and
rubbed with a seasoning that was raved about endlessly. The
chicken was marinated and smoked in the oven without drying it
out. The BBQ pork and roast beef were very lean sandwiches that
were served on oversized buns.
 Saying
that everything 'fell of the bone' is a cliché when dining in a
restaurant that knows how to get BBQ right, but guess what,
everything fell off the bone!
We also tried a bevy of sides
including the baked beans, cole slaw, potato salad, parsley
potatoes and macaroni salad. We liked the parsley potatoes, and
macaroni salad the best, but we all agreed that everything was
above average.
The restaurant also serves a
few home-made desserts including key lime pie, pecan pie and ice
cream. We were way too full to partake in any of that, but
judging from the over the top BBQ, it is unlikely that any of
the desserts would not be excellent.
If you're looking for a quick
way to put together a picnic lunch everything is available a la
carte in quarts, half-quarts and pints. They also bottle the BBQ
sauce that makes everything so tasty. We highly recommend
Kojak's House of Ribs, but don't come here on first date, you're
going to want to dive in and get real dirty! |
