Evie Maes Pit Barbecue — Restaurant in Miramar Beach

I had been eager to try Evie Mae's after reading about it coming to Miramar Beach. I got the opportunity to do so on a recent visit to the area that luckily landed within a few weeks of it opening.

First thing to note is it is only open for lunch Wednesday through Sunday. The posted hours on the door are 11 AM until it sells out which from what I saw probably happens with some regularity. I went on a Sunday right after it opened and the line was already to the door. By the time I left at about 12:20 PM, it was even longer. The only reason it never actually went out the door is because there was room for it to extend around the back side of the dining room.

I was really impressed by the generosity and positive demeanor of the employees. Everyone I interacted with was friendly, working hard, and the restaurant was not hesitating to offer free brisket samples to customers waiting in line. It created a very welcoming atmosphere that seemed contagious; I noticed customers appeared to be patient and friendly with each other also despite the crowded interior and long line.

Additionally, on the day I went, there was a large cooler by the front door with various kinds of free beer. I don't know if this is normally offered but I could see how the people waiting in line appreciated it on the hot day. It appeared it may have been sponsored by a local company because there was a business name listed on the free beer sign.

Evie Mae's is an order at the counter format, so you wait in line, order at a register and then pick up your order at the meat carving station to the left of the registers. I waited in line for about 20 minutes but it turned out to be well worth it.

There is not a separate line or register for take out that I saw, and people were carrying out orders in addition to dining in. The staff were preparing some large trays of meats that looked like they were being taken out to feed groups.

I dined in and had a plate with pork, green beans, green chile cheese grits and a slice of the peanut butter pie. All were excellent. I was afraid the grits might be hot and spicy but they were not; the chiles really didn't alter the taste. The green beans appeared to have been made from scratch; they have some diced bacon mixed into them for flavor. The only change I would have made is the pork had a bit of fat in it that wasn't removed when it was pulled. It was a lot of food so I carried about half of it out.

There is a self service drink station with soft drinks and fresh brewed iced tea, both sweet and unsweet. There was also a station for getting utensils, and rolls of paper towels are located on each table, a definite necessity for eating ribs.

There was also a self-serve condiment station with items such as onions, pickles, BBQ sauce and to-go boxes. I was hesitant to try too much of the BBQ sauce because it looked like it might have been too spicy for my taste but it was not; it was mild and had an excellent flavor, tangy with a mild tomato undertone and not too sweet.

In addition to the spacious interior dining room, the restaurant has an outside seating option on a covered back patio that overlooks a pond which makes for a comfortable spot to enjoy your meal. It had a nice breeze when I was there and also had ceiling fans to keep the air flowing.

I fondly remembered the patio from one of the previous tenants in the building 20+ years ago; I believe the restaurant that was there at the time was called Tibbs. I was glad to see the patio was still there.

Judging from the crowds flocking to eat here, Evie Mae's appears to have developed a winning combination of excellent BBQ and generous, hard...

First visit on 8/11/2024 and it was a little underwhelming. When we entered the establishment we didn’t immediately know where to go to order because the dining tables start at entrance. Once you walk past the table and up the ramp, you will see the registers and menu. We ordered a 2-meat plate (brisket & chicken, cornbread, collards & baked potato casserole) and a 3-meat plate ( 2 briskets & chili cheddar sausage, cornbread, collards), dessert (key lime pie & banana pudding) and 2 drinks. Our total with a tip was $109. This is typical for the area. We’ve been to Franklin’s BBQ in Austin, TX and have paid just a little less. Good BBQ is worth it!

The brisket was very tender and the smoke ring was impressive. Brisket was sliced properly. However, you could not taste the smoke. We use oak and you can taste the smoke with each bite. The chicken was cooked well, but was seasoned sparingly and lacked a distinctive smoke flavor. The sausage was fine.

As for the sides, we both didn’t like the collards at all. The greens were not very tender and had lots of stems (which makes the greens taste bitter). I think a less stems and a different smoked meat (ham-hock maybe?) would make them taste much better. The baked potato casserole was really good and I would try that again. The cheese, sour cream, and bits of bacon made the dish really good. We both had cornbread and it was okay. However, my husband’s cornbread was missing when his meal was plated. When he went to the counter with the receipt to let the servers know, I watched them hand him a piece of cornbread onto his bare hands. He didn’t make much of it in the moment but he should have been served it on a small tray or even butcher paper. On his bare hands is unacceptable, not sanitary and disappointing. I’ve never seen this happen ANY restaurant.

As for the desserts, they were not very good. I had banana pudding and there wasn’t much of a banana taste. The consistency was a little more runny than I’m used to. I’ve pretty much perfected banana pudding and was hoping this one would be good. The key lime pie was okay. I wish it had a thicker crust so it didn’t get soggy so quickly. It had a good flavor but the crust was too thin for us.

We’re locals in Walton County and have previously lived in south Texas where BBQ is a big deal. Over the years we’ve become “foodies” and we particularly like to visit locally-owned establishments. Evie’s was recommended to us by another local. While some dishes were a little disappointing, I would like to try other items...

First of all it was my first time here it was a Sunday afternoon. Me and my husband walked in the first thing we noticed was that there a no signs on the floors or walls. Nothing that says help yourself or wait to be seated so we asked the girls and they said order first and then seat yourself. We order the food and were given our glasses. For two people with a tip it was $70 my husband did leave a tip. Plates don’t include drinks those are extra. So we go get our own drinks and find a place to sit down. The girls getting the food had zero personality’s. You could tell they didn’t want to be there. We got two meats and two sides. I got chicken and pulled pork. My husband got chicken and ribs. My sides were baked beans and slaw. When I say my slaw was so dry is an understatement. I’m from the south where we put a little mayo and maybe a splash of milk in the Cole slaw. It tasted like cabbage. Pulled pork was dry and the bbq sauce was so much vinegar it burned my throat. The beans were ok. So I tasted the chicken and u do get half a chicken. The dry rub was good so I thought ok the chicken is where it’s at… NOPE. When I opened the chicken up it splashed out juice and I noticed it was not cooked all the way done. It wasn’t smoke rings it was not cooked. So my husband tried his and it was also not cooked all the way through. He did like the ribs I thought they were very bland. But they were cooked good and had a good smoke ring. My husband’s sides were baked beans and small piece of cornbread they were out of some of the sides. Overall I was not a good experience and way too expensive. if u know me I always say the truth no matter if it’s good or bad. Unfortunately it was bad so this was our first and last time here. Super disappointed. It’s hard to tell in the pictures but the chicken...