4 Rivers Smokehouse

Reviews 8

SC

Scott Conceicao

The food is stupid good! You walk in and see a cafeteria line with cafeteria style serving and think to yourself (WTH!) The menu is pretty clear and there are a good amount of choices with options. I ordered the Pulled Pork with (3) sides [mac&cheese, southern style green beans and the cole slaw]. They place the pulled pork directly on your placemat (which they use to write your sides onto) and you think to yourself, Okay. You cash out and then find a seat, family style. Then thats when the magic happens! The pulled pork was so friggin good!!! Like you think to yourself, "they mustve sprinkled something illegal in it" for it to be this good but; nope. Just plain, old excellent. The sides were just as supportive in their role. The cole slaw took me back to New England on a perfect summer day, the mac and cheese to when i was a kid trying if for the first time and the green beans to Thanksgiving at my moms house. The owner and staff should be very proud of themselves for they have nailed it! Thank you and I will be back on my next trip down here.

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CH

Chris Lee

We went to place orders of food and this is where the experience started. While placing order, staff says no ribs, so we ordered chicken. The response was the same.. no chicken. Sorry we are closing. It was 730pm Monday night. So we continued. We got our food. Food was cold, on all three orders. The fried okra was hard, the biscuit was cold and hard as well. They also forgot the sides with the meals, which were supposed to be brought out. The person who came to finally bring out remaining food was great. She actually did try hard to please us. Dinner was about $50.00. So she asked for receipt to see what she can do. Well at register we did not ask for a copy so we did not have. So" best we can do is give you all 4 free sandwiches" we were not happy with that. The staff member then went back and says without receipt manager can not do anything. Which she was correct because the manager would not even come to table!!! We will not return. Food was awful, dry and cold.

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GU

Guy Friederichsen

As far as BBQ goes, I am not going to try and tell you Im from Texas, or that I know the science to the perfect smoker. I will tell you that I know what I like, and I did not like 4Rivers. The staff were rude and couldnt be bothered. It wasnt busy, maybe 3pm on a Saturday. Herded like cattle through a gate, picking product like a school cafeteria, and never spoken to aside from "what do you want", and "$45.27 please". The "signature" brisket was fatty as I am (a lot). We were never asked if we want any sauce, but it was liberally applied regardless. The bread for our sandwiches was nearly frozen. Our sides were clearly thawed straight from a SYSCO truck. The baked beans tasted like they were made with coffee grounds, the macn cheese was chalky and over cooked, and the fried okra was clearly factory breaded. The decor was nice, if a bit cheesier than the macaroni. Try MISSION BBQ if youd prefer a restaurant with pride in what they do.

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RI

Ric Rini

This place has some of the best tasting meats I have had. Very good quality, quantity and taste. I ordered the dinner plater for lunch (pulled pork). It comes with three sides and a biscuit. I got the mac & cheese, coleslaw and baked cheese grits. I did not care too much for the mac & cheese tasted too much like velveta and I do not care for that style but it was cheesy. The coleslaw and baked cheese grits was great! The pulled pork was really good, tasted very moist and juicy. Portion size was adequate, definitely enough food. The interior of the restaurant is open with family style seating (very long tables). if you are trying to have a private business lunch this may not be the place for you or if you do not like being too close to strangers the seating could intimidate you. however, there are enough tables that I really cannot see that ever being a problem.

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IS

Isabel Baez

First visit the service and food was great. Friendly staff and welcoming to us first timers trying to get in the know of the hype around Tampa. I recommended that my family try it out. ordered take out (disaster). Not sure if there is a hold button that needs to be pressed when placing a customer on "hold" but it needs to be adressesed that you dont talk bad about a customer to an employee before checking if that person is on hold or not. Talking trash to your friend working with you because your upset is normal when busy and flustered but be sure to be off the phone. I do not appreciate it happening when my mother is a first timer ordering food for our family. If you dont feel like attending work that day because your having an off day please do us all the favor of calling out. The experience for her was not worth the time or drive.

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FR

Frank McMahon

Took the family out for a first time visit to the new BBQ place on Dale Mabry with high hopes it would be good. The sides dishes are OK at best but the big let down was the Black Angus Brisket that I had. It should be called the Fat Angus Brisket due to the fact as thats all it was, maybe 20 percent was meat. Once the family and I found a place to sit and eat my wife had to wipe down the table as the teen staff never got around to clean it. The atmosphere was nice but the food and service left me wanting more for what it cost me. I would also recommend asking for paper plate as they just plop the meat on a sheet of paper on a plastic serving tray... come on guys even my dog eats out of a bowl at home. This place has the potential to be so much better, hope they work on it.

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PY

Pyra-Danny V

Whether the Burnt Tips, Brisket, or Chicken—it DOESN’T QUITE GET that mouth-watering, SMOKY RESPONSE when cooked over a huge smoker. A bit of DEPENDENCE ON THE SPICES. Not my favorite, but I know lots of people who’ll love it. . THE SIDES PROVIDE GREAT DIMENSIONS such as extra crunch or sourness to the soft Meat (such as the Fried Pickles or Fried Okra) or rounding out a southern feel (like the Collard Greens or Green Beans). My table RAVED ABOUT THE MAC N CHEESE. In terms of atmosphere alone – this place has all else beat. The Cafeteria-style way of ordering, then long communal tables past a mouth-watering display of desserts somehow CREATE A WELCOMING AND FUN SCENE. Naturally SERVICE WAS EXCELLENT.

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VA

Vanessa Skibiel Durand

I have been going here since it opened. It has been by far the best BBQ smokehouse I have ever had. My company has ordered lunches multiple times from the Carrollwood location as well. Much to my dismay, the last 3 times Ive gone, either some of my staff has gotten sick or the food was not cook to the normal standards. One such example was today. The half chicken was burnt on the outside and dry on the inside. If anyone has had their chicken they can attest to the juicy flavorful finish this usually has. I am hoping this is not indicative of a one hit wonder as I used to come here 2-3 days a week.

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