Johnson Barbeque — Restaurant in Plant City

Arriving just prior to noon - literally 11:55 - on a post-Covid Friday we were able to be seated immediately (a few minutes later and we would have had to join the waiting line for good ‘Que!) The wafting smokey aroma before even entering lets you know you are probably in the Right Place for good eats. Unlike many BBQ houses, dining patrons are seated with full, efficient table service. Just about the only discernable nod to recent Covid restaurant concerns is the use of disposable paper menus for dining guests and possibly a couple of tables missing from the middle of the dining room. The lack of contrived social distancing antics really isn’t an issue since the service is quick and when your slow-smoked goodness arrives at the table it is difficult to look anywhere else. Since this was my first Johnson Barbeque visit, I went with traditional, good BBQ “judging” selections – Sliced brisket, St. Louis trimmed ribs, potato salad & coleslaw (Rib Combo Plate - $15.94, w/ ribs, one other meat and two sides.) Both of the protein selections are top-notch offerings of slow-smoked, quality perfection. Each bite providing tender tastiness with a sufficient bark/smoke ring but without the steamed mushiness often found in less authentic barbeque restaurants. The meats are smoked with a dry-rub and served up without any further unnecessary flavoring adornment (that’s a good thing.) A trio of house-made sauces are available on the table – regular/sweet/hot – for complementing as the patron desires (the hot style is my fav, a peppery touch without overpowering the tasty purpose of your visit.) The classic BBQ sides are spot-on as well: Coleslaw is fresh with a light cream-style dressing and the potato salad is true Southern mustard-style with plenty of tender, ‘tator chunks to keep it toothsome. When you’re in the Lakeland area or even traveling I-4 (restaurant is 1.5 mi. south of Exit 21) and feel a hankerin’ for top-quality, REAL barbeque do yourself the fantastic flavor-favor of visiting...

First and last visit for us. A friend had recommended Johnson’s BBQ if we were in the Plant City area. Upon arrival our party of four were quickly sat by the hostess. We then waited a solid ten minutes before our waitress noticed us and took our drink orders and another five minutes before we got them. She then asked if we wanted an appetizer. One of our guest ordered the onion rings. It literally took another fifteen minutes before they came out. Not only were they cold and undercooked, but the batter fell off them leaving you to dip the uncoated cold onion in their awful onion dip that tasted like ranch dressing mixed with blue cheese. After our drinks ran dry and a good amount of time had past, we waived the waitress down and asked if we could place our dinner orders and get drink refills. Another ten minutes later our dinner came, but we did not get our drink refills as requested. As to my dinner: I got the Rib Combo, ribs and brisket, fries and bbq beans. Where do I start? For $18.02 (drink not included) I got three cold, dry and greasy tasting low quality ribs, about two ounces of “cold” brisket that was full chunks of fat that should have been trimmed off before cooking, a hand full of fries that were “cold and mealy”, a piece of bread that was “crumpled and soggy” and a “small paper boat” of bbq baked beans all served on a metal tray that reminded me of a prison cafeteria scene fresh out of an old Paul Newman movie. The waitress was not very friendly and the rest of staff that were walking around seemed tense. The food was awful, their sauces are too thin and don’t stick to the meat and just run off the meat onto you plate and hands,. Overall the portions are small, low quality meat and the service was terrible. First and last visit. I do not recommend...

It may not look like much on the outside, but inside it looks like a new restaurant. Service was outstanding, with my waitress suggesting the Stuffed Bsked Potato, which was huge. In fact, the service and people there were showing extreme Southern hospitality

But you really wanna know about the food? Sweet barbecue sauce – my favorite of the sauces. Savory barbecue sauce - it was good, but I didn’t think it had the complexity of flavors sweet sauce had, but still a solid option. Grilling sauce - this was brought out as a sample and is more like what they used to baste meat in the smoker. It was all right, but I think I already mentioned my favorite was the sweet sauce. Stuffed baked potato - it was huge, more than plenty to fill you up for lunch. It’s top with your meat of choice, and you can get it loaded or plane. I gotta tell you I was disappointed in the baked potato itself, seemed like it was overcooked and had a little gummy texture to it, that I was not thrilled with. But the dish itself is nice. Brisket - I requested the lean brisket to top my baked potato, and it was absolutely fabulous. I probably could’ve used a little more, but really tasty.

I don’t have a lot of business in this area, so I doubt I’ll be back in the near future. But if I was, I would load up on the brisket and maybe try some peach cobbler, and with Service as friendly and kind as they showed, that in itself as a reason...