4 Rivers Smokehouse — Restaurant in Kissimmee

We came for lunch. We ordered, but they only gave us or sides, and a number to go sit down and wait for our entree(BBQ meat). Their ordering process can be very confusing. You order your meat then ask what side you want, but they do not tell you that they are an additional cost. So 2 adults and 2 teens, cost over $60 for lunch. After I paid, I looked at the menu, and saw that they have(meals) 1 entree 1 side and a drink, and it is cheaper. I ask about the mean price, but she said we didn't order that way. Not sure how, when we ordered 2 entrees 2 sides and 2 drinks. We were hungry, and I did not want to sit there and argue with someone who did not seem to know how to run the register, and clearly did not want to be there.

The sides were barely warm when we received them, and It took so long to bring out our entree(the meat), that all of our sides were cold by the time we ate them . (and we were the only people in the place at this point.) They did not even bring out the kids meal, they had to go back and make that again. Almost all of the food was terrible. The only decent food was a taco. Kinda sad when the best thing at a BBQ joint is the taco. I ordered a try-tip sandwich(which has no price on the menu) , fries and a drink and mine was almost $20. The beef was so under cooked, and very tough to eat, and it had so much blood coming out, it just soaked the whole bun. Wife ordered brisket, and a side of Mac and cheese, and hers was $18. The brisket(what little bit here was) was dry, too much fat and hardly any flavor, Mac and cheese was almost cold, crusty, but had a good flavor. Kids meal was dark meat chicken and fried okra, The dark meat chicken was so small, and very dry, the fried okra was edible, but barely warm. Like mentioned before, the taco was the best thing we ordered, but $12 for a taco is outrageous. On top of most of it being almost inedible, the meats were barely warm also. So we had cold sides and barely warm meat, and we were still hungry when we left

We were going to complain, but what good would that due, it is mostly a bunch of young people working there now, and they were all in the back talking, with no one out on the floor checking on customers.l

And not sure if they changed owners or what, but the decor has changed and the music has changed also. It seems very plain now, and the music did not set a good atmosphere for eating BBQ

We have been here quite a few times over the last few years. It has been going downhill for the last few visits, and this was kinda the last time we will wast money here. There are so many other options in the area, that are better and...

Stopped in to the Lakeland location today after the gym for a cheat day meal with lots of protein. It’s so nice to have a location so convenient and close to me. I usually go to the Orlando UCF area location when I visit my parents and was always been jealous.

The Lakeland location is super clean inside and I love the decor/style of the restaurant. All the black metal and dark wood along with the raw firewood for the smoker really feeds in to that manly, meat and fire esthetic.

Today I ordered a full rack of baby backs (because Facebook reminded me) and 2 sides. The ribs were awesome! Big and meaty, smoked perfectly, and literally fall off the bone. They had great flavor right out of the smoker even before adding some of their signature sauce. The sauce was tasty with a little kick and complimented the smoky flavor nicely.

The Mac and cheese was good but unremarkable. Could have used maybe a crispy cheese crust or something to add a little zing. Maybe some jalapeños or bacon or both because why not?

The Bananas Foster Bread Pudding was knee buckling good! One of the managers (Brittney) was in the dining room and asked me how everything was and I commented on how good the bread pudding was. She told me that it was as fresh as it comes and said that the General Manager made it herself.

The GM (Tami) then came out and told me how it’s made, how popular it is, and that they rotate between the Bananas Foster version and a Krispy Kreme version. (Are you trying to kill me?? 😉)

Britney made sure I had everything I could possibly need. She was super personable and friendly and made me feel like a guest in her home rather than a customer.

I was very impressed with the operation and how the entire staff worked together to get orders out. I don’t know much about the restaurant business, but as a casual observer, this all seems to be a reflection of Tami, the GM. In the short time I was there, I saw her interact with every one of her associates, jump in and run a register, and I already mentioned that she made the bread pudding personally. She did it all with a huge smile on her face and a welcoming demeanor that obviously rubs off on her staff.

There are lots of options to eat out these days and it feels good to give business to a spot that appreciates you and makes your experience feel like a family barbecue…only with much...

I've been a fan of 4 Rivers for a long time, so I am thrilled to see that they've finally opened a shop near me. The food is always first-rate, as is the service, but tonight they out did themselves.

It is my father's 80th birthday, and I wanted to take him somewhere different. I hesitated to have his birthday at 4 Rivers only because it is cafeteria style serve yourself, but the food is so great I figured we'd do it. So nine of us showed up with balloons and a cake and gifts and took over half of one of their tables.

We all figured out what we wanted and were about to get in line to order, when one of the people there offered to take our orders. So we all put in our orders and in no time they all came out to us, perfect with no mistakes.

The food was great, as always. Excellent pulled chicken, tasty burnt ends, delicious tacos, etc. My favorite is the brisket, which is the best I've ever had anywhere, and I always look for great barbecue wherever I travel. I have never come across anyone who makes better brisket.

The sides are always amazing, with yummy complex baked beans, crisp and crunchy French fries, and my favorite - the smoked jalapeño poppers. Others tried the sweet potatoes, bread pudding, etc. and all was great.

Then they brought our cake out, but they had put candles on it, and sang happy birthday, and even gave my dad a card that they had all signed.

None of this exceptional customer service was expected, we just wanted great barbecue, but they went the extra mile - no, 10 miles - to make it extra special. Like I said, 4 Rivers has always been my favorite barbecue place in Orlando, but today they became a special part of our family. Your corporate HQ should be very...