Willie Jewell’s Old School Bar-B-Q almost got me. At first glance, the Tampa newcomer looked like a mom-and-pop stop for Southern barbecue, occupying an unassuming strip-center end cap. However, upon further inspection, I learned it’s the product of a growing Jacksonville franchise with snazzy branding and restaurants in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and New Hampshire.
Featuring a drive-thru for convenience, the region’s first Willie Jewell’s — a fast-casual spinoff founded in 2009 of Jacksonville’s decades-old Bono’s Pit Bar-B-Q — opened in the Carrollwood/Citrus Park area at 12004 Anderson Road on March 14. It’s named for Willie Jewell Daniels, the woman who taught Bono’s CEO Joe Adeeb lots about both cooking and life.
The down-home menu is composed of slow-smoked favorites (think platters, sandwiches and proteins by the pound) and classic sides such as hush puppies and collard greens, alongside cold beer. And don’t worry — there’s an entire bar of signature barbecue sauces for patrons to use when slathering their meat.
A fourth Willie Jewell’s location for the Sunshine State, aka the second in Tampa Bay, is coming to Seminole City Center at 7724 113th St. N.
This article appears in May 17-24, 2018.