Cooter's Smokehouse — Restaurant in Davenport

My wife and I visited Cooter’s Smokehouse whilst on vacation from the U.K. Located in the Davenport area, this truly authentic family run business is a welcome change from the abundance of franchised restaurants in and around the tourist areas of Orlando. Upon arriving the welcome was genuine, friendly and relaxed, and straight way we noticed that this was somewhere that local residents eat, something that my wife and I prefer. The dining area was cool and practical, these guys don’t need bright lights and fancy tv’s everywhere, they impress you with their service and their food. One thing to note is that the variety of drinks on offer is limited, no alcohol, which was fine for us, but I personally would have preferred the addition of some different soda options to compliment the drinks on the menu. We made our order and sat back in anticipation of some good hearty homestyle BBQ fare and wow did we get it in abundance. I ordered a 3-meat platter of ribs, pulled pork and brisket. They also offer pork chops, but unfortunately, they had sold out prior to us arriving. The first thing that my wife and I both noticed was the lack of sauce smothering our food. At last somewhere that doesn’t rely on a sauce to provide flavour. It was obvious that there was a lot of pride and effort put into cooking these meats, so much so that each and every one of them had a very different taste. Succulent and in no way dry even without sauce, the meat simply fell apart and melted in the mouth. There were two different homemade sauces available on our table, both of which offered something different in terms of a slightly spicey fruity flavour or a less spicey more rounded BBQ flavour. The portions are extremely generous, so much so that my 3-meat platter could easily feed two or more people, yes they are that big. So what about value for money. Well as regular visitors to the Orlando area, my wife and I have been fortunate to eat in a variety of places but nowhere has come close to providing the value for money that Cooter’s Smokehouse did. The value for money here is exceptional. So would we return to Cooter’s Smokehouse? Most definitely, this family-run business in the heart of Davenport is only a 20-minute drive from the popular area of ChampionsGate, but what it provides in terms of authentic BBQ food is in our opinion a different world in terms of the quality of food on offer here. Thank you for the amazing meal and excellent...

I have been meaning to make this review for awhile now, but time has slipped away from me. In my personal opinion, Cooter’s Smokehouse is the absolute BEST BBQ on this side of the Mississippi! Every other BBQ place should aspire to be as good as Cooter’s Smokehouse. A few weeks ago my Mom and I were driving around Davenport looking for a good place to have lunch. Being a historian I saw the old house that said “Cooter’s Smokehouse” and living in Tennessee I know these old houses have some of the best BBQ. We went ahead and parked and went on in. We were greeted with immediate southern hospitality and friendly service. I ordered the smoked BBQ brisket and so did Mom and 2 sweet teas. Our sweet teas came out in 2 big mason jar jugs poured over cold ice. You could tell it was homemade and delicious! (Which it was,) then came time for the food. The portions were good, you could tell all the sides were homemade, and the smoked brisket with their signature sassy apple bbq sauce was the best I had EVER had! EVER! During our meal Mom had to go to the bathroom. Mom was in a car accident a month or so ago and still needed a wheelchair when we went out. The owner (at least I think she was the owner,) offered to wheel Mom to the bathroom and make sure she got in okay, so I could continue eating. She also wheeled her back to the table as well when Mom was finished. You really don’t find food and caring service/people like this anymore. The whole experience was a 5 star down home southern hospitality experience. As far as I am concerned, you should run NOT walk to Cooter’s Smokehouse! This is truly the best smoked bbq made by some of the most caring folk ever! If there was a 6 star to give I would give it and Siskel and Ebert don’t have...

Went to Cooter's Smokehouse with a group of about 15. Called ahead to make a reservation and the staff was very accommodating.

Parking is out back and on the side street. The entrance looks like you are going to an older but very welcoming Southern home. Rocking chairs on the porch overlooking the stone steps.

Entering you are transported to a dining room from a more refined era. Feels like the afternoon tea was just put away. Very charming.

The menu is BBQ focused - pulled pork, pork chops, ribs, and brisket. Sides are traditional Southern BBQ - mac n cheese, baked beans, cole slaw, and fries. Salads are also available.

I ordered a 4 meat platter - pulled chicken was available but the brisket had sold out. Plus platters come with choice of 2 sides so I had the cole slaw and fries.

Everything was juicy, tender, and delicious. 2 sauces I tried were Sweet BBQ and a Saucy Apple sauce with a little heat. Both were very good with the smoked meats.

Peach cobbler for dessert and time for a nap!

Will be...