Hot Spot Barbecue — Restaurant in Pensacola

It was only recently in Pensacola's history that Hot Spot Barbecue came around and started taking people's attention away from drab chain restaurants and locals that just should not have opened a restaurant.

With a great location near downtown and near the mall and near the point of no return out towards the beach, this place is super accessible to everyone in town, and the pit masters can be seen working those pits at like 8AM, getting read to serve the masses delicious meat.

I had some family in town, and I had to feed like eight people, so I ordered a Family Meal (1 Pound of Ribs; 1 Pound Pork, Chicken, or Sausage; 1 Pint Coleslaw; 1 Pint Smoked Pork-n-Beans; 1/2 Loaf Texas Bread; 1 Gallon Tea, Lemonade or Two Liter Drink), a double order, so I also got a pint of mac 'n' cheese and a pint of potato salad.

Ribs, banging. Pork, banging. They hooked me up with two bottles of sauce to sauce that pork up. Something AMAZING was that their smoked chicken was actually good. I normally hate smoked chicken, because it's so dry, but this was different. And I literally only say that once every five years or go. And the sausage, banging.

As for the sides, the coleslaw was fine. It's very coarsely chopped and not very liquidly, so it goes very well on the homemade sandwiches you make with it. The pork and beans were probably the best I've ever had; shredded of pulled pork running throughout it delivering amazing flavor. Mac was good, super cheesy. And the potato salad was the same as the slaw, extra chunky and not too liquid. So nice.

Needless to say, this is the best barbecue in Pensacola. I know that I've said a lot of stuff in this review, so if you only take two things from it, try the chicken and definitely get the beans.

Thanks, Hot Spot. I'll come back, every time...

*Update: I got takeout with a rib plate and a quarter pound of sliced brisket for $36. The brisket is no longer an option for the combo plate due a price increase. The brisket plate increased by $2 since I was there last. The brisket was juicy and flavorful. The ribs were well seasoned and tasty, but there was quite a bit of fat and the meat did not fall off the bone like the last two times I had the ribs. That being said, I still believe this place is good value for good barbecue.

*Update: I got the sausage with the ribs this time. The ribs are still fantastic, and the sausage has a good snap to it! Someone in my party got the brisket and thought it had good flavor, so I might have gotten an end piece last visit. I also finally tried their pie. I was unable to try the Key Lime Pie. Their best flavors that I tried were the Lemon Cream and the Chocolate Brownie Pies. The lemon pie is not a strong lemon flavor, but still present. They may use a sweetener other than sugar. The Pumpkin Pie was good. I was not particularly fond of the Pecan Praline Pie. These are thick slices of pie, so you will want to save room.

Don't be fooled by the exterior. This is a good barbecue spot with warm, friendly service. I got the freshly brewed lemonade along with the 3 Meat Combo with no sides. I chose sliced brisket, ribs, and pork. The brisket was a little plain and tasted more like charcoal. The pork wasn't bad. The ribs were absolutely fantastic; so tender the neat fell right off the bone! For about $30, I also received a healthy portion, so you definitely receive your money's worth. I would recommend the ribs, and try their pies, because those pies (key lime, lemon cream, chocolate brown, and praline pecan)...

To start out with if I could give this place 6 stars I would. It is hands down the best place for BBQ in Pensacola. The building itself is small with only two rooms for dining. The walls are decorated with randome signs and pictures about Pensacola. Me and my wife ordered and received our food in about 10 mins. Our server was very good and attentive despite having several other tables to wait on. Now onto the food. The food is served on a plastic plate with the sides in plastic to-go containers. This serves two purposes: one it is cheep and fast to replace and serve, the second is that all you have to do is just put a lid on it and voila instant to-go containers. As you can see I got the ribs with Mac and cheese and baked beans. The beans were some of the best I have ever tasted. The ribs really were as big as my hand! I have never had ribs that good. No one can match them for taste. The rub is cooked so long the meat actually absorbed the flavor. It was tender and sweet. My wife got the brisket and it was so tender that you can't actually use a fork on it. She also had Brunswick stew and it was also excellent. Finally no BBQ place is complete without It's sauce. The sauce is both sweet and has a kick to it. They keep it in a warmer so it comes out nice and warm. Overall they are amazing and we will be back many...