MISSION BBQ — Restaurant in Citrus Park

Delicious! The ribs were quite divine. The Smoke Ribeye was promising but was a bit too dry and chewy for me. Too bad because there were plenty of underlying tastes dying to get out.

Cheers!

Update on 21 March 2019: consistently good, friendly staff. Black plate specials can be hit or miss but regular menu items are usually consistently delicious.

Update on 16 November 2019: asked for moist brisket this evening but received mostly dried out pieces :-( Ribs were good. So so experience this trip. Hope the brisket gets better.

Update on 30 April 2022: not impressive today. Ribs were dried out. No one seems to care. Mission BBQ can do so much better, I have seen it. Today was another low point. Very sad and disappointed. 😞😞😞

Update on 20 April 2023: Why are there so many tiny pieces of bone fragments in the rib meat? Small enough to miss, big enough to shatter your teeth. The ribs tasted good otherwise. Portions of fries shrank. Size of the corn bread grew. No one seemed to care. Cashier lacked basic customer service skills today.

Update on 3 May 2024: Teeth-shattering shards of bone fragments continue to be in the racks of ribs (see photos). Watch for them. Not safe for childen. No one cared. Brisket is the better choice. Ask for moist cuts, the lean cuts are a waste of time and money.

Update 3 June 2024: Fewer teeth-shattering shards of bone fragments today but they are still noticeably there.

Brisket was appropriately moist but ribs were dry and underwhelming.

Friendly staff albeit a bit distracted.

Update 20 May 2025: the brisket today was the best I have ever had here. Awesome. The ribs continued to be mediocre. Fries were...

Ahoy, me hearties! It be I, ol' Blackbeard, back from the depths of Davy Jones' locker to spin a yarn 'bout a fine establishment that'll make yer mouth water like a salty seadog. Feast yer eyes (and bellies) upon Mission BBQ, a patriotic pirate's paradise in the heart of Tampa!

Ye landlubbers may not know the meaning of true freedom, but this crew understands the importance of raisin' the colors and singin' the national anthem every day. 'Tis a sight to make even the most hardened scallywag well up with pride.

But let's weigh anchor and set sail for the real treasure - the grub! By Poseidon's peg leg, these scurvy dogs know how to smoke a rack o' ribs! Tender as a mermaid's kiss and fallin' off the bone like a clumsy cabin boy. The brisket melts in yer mouth like a Spanish doubloon in a pot o' simmerin' gold.

And shiver me timbers, the sides be a bounty fit for a pirate king! The coleslaw be as crisp as the ocean breeze, and the 'tater salad be a treasure trove of flavor. Even ol' Calico Jack himself would raise a tankard to these culinary delights.

But what really sets this crew apart be the service. Aye, the lads and lassies workin' the deck be as friendly as a school of dolphins, with smiles as bright as a sunny day on the Spanish Main. They'll make ye feel more welcome than a pirate with a fresh cache of plunder!

So avast, ye scoundrels! If ye be seekin' a place to fill yer bellies and yer hearts with the finest BBQ this side of the Atlantic, set course for Mission BBQ. This salty dog gives it two...

Mission BBQ has a strong atmosphere of appreciating the troops and those who keep our community safe. While some places can have questionable things on display in restaurants such as these, I think they did a very good job of making it look nice and somewhere I want to be. No graphic images and everything was displayed nicely.

We got the three meat platter to split. The burnt ends were good, a bit too much sauce was added but it still has a nice flavor. Id say request lighter on the sauce as they have six kinds of BBQ sauce at the table anyways. You don't often find places that give you pulled pork without the sauce already applied, but in their case it's a win because of all the variety of sauces they provide at the table. I wish they didn't cut the brisket into tiny pieces, strips would've been much more preferred as it creates a texture you cant recreate when its cut so small. If the customer wants it cut down smaller they can do that themselves Id think.

Some of the drinks in the fountain were completely flat, but that's to be expected with smaller places like this. However the drink area in general is top tier with wet naps, toothpicks, sauce containers and so much more where they take the extra mile.

All in all was good BBQ. If you're visiting Tampa I'm not sure if its worth going to over some other BBQ spots. If you're local however the prices are fair and the staff was very friendly. If I lived closer I could definitely see this being my spot. Also the mac n cheese is...