Jacksonville's oldest local barbecue restaurants
The South is known for great barbecue and Jacksonville's restaurants are no exception. In honor of National Barbecue Month, here are nine Jacksonville BBQ joints that have been serving up the cuisine longer than the average person may expect.
An open pit barbecue for the 1953 opening of the Mathews Bridge. (Courtesy of the State Archives of Florida)
While regional styles have evolved over time, barbecue is a local cooking method and style of food that predates the City of Jacksonville by centuries. The origins of American barbecue can be traced to the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, which stretches along the Eastern coastline from North Florida to North Carolina.
Its roots are a combination of Native American, Spanish and African culinary heritage. The word “barbecue” comes from “barbakoa”, a term for open fire grilling used by the Taino people of the Caribbean, adopted into Spanish as “barbacoa”. The indigenous peoples of Florida, such as the Timucua, also slow cooked their meat and fish on grills over open fire. Learning how to barbecue hogs from Caribbean natives, the Spanish are said to have introduced the hog to Florida and the South around 1521.
Mocama Timucua smoking meat and fish over an open flame in the 1560s. Image by Theodor de Bry in 1591; claimed to be based on a lost painting by Fort Caroline colonist Jacques le Moyne. (Courtesy of the State Archives of Florida)
Prior to their arrival in the Americas, West and Central Africans had already mastered cooking wild game over open pits, and eating the smoked meat with sauces made from limes, lemons and hot peppers. According to Zora Neale Hurston, the enslaved then adapted and combined these techniques, leading to the various styles of American barbecue and sauces that we know and love today.
9. Toby’s Barbecue - 1989 8483 New Kings Road Jacksonville, FL
(Courtesy of Toby’s Barbecue Facebook page)
Located on New Kings Road, Toby’s Barbecue is a North Jacksonville tradition. Serving up slow cooked barbecue, the family owned and operated restaurant was established in 1989. In addition to barbecue, Toby’s is known for its daily southern specials, signature loaded barbecue potatoes and country breakfasts.
(Courtesy of Toby’s Barbecue Facebook page)
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Editor’s Note: As a result of COVID-19, Toby’s Barbecue announced on April 30, 2020 that it will not be reopening.
TOBY’S BARBECUE: 1989 – 2020. It all started in the 1950s when our parents, Walter and Norma Holland, became the proud owners of Jax 76 Truck Stop in North Jacksonville. Their legacy of serving up quality food with the finest southern hospitality has lived on for the past 30 years at Toby’s. Since the beginning, our family has always taken great pride in providing more than just a restaurant. We’ve made it our mission to provide a place for the community to call home. A place where our team is more than just our employees – they are our family.
Toby’s Barbecue opened in 1989 in the heart of Oceanway and later expanded to Panama Park, Riverside, Orange Park, and Dinsmore. We’ve hosted massive catering events for over a thousand people at a time and so many of you have given us the honor to be part of your intimate weddings and celebrations. We even helped pioneer the food truck industry in the ‘90s before food trucks were popular (some of you may remember our big pink bus!).
As we approached the height of COVID-19 in early April, we closed our doors out of concern for the health of our Toby’s family and customers. The past several weeks provided an opportunity to reflect and realize how important life, love, and health are. It was during this break we realized the time has come to close this chapter of our lives.
It is with bittersweet sentiments that we announce the closing of Toby’s Barbecue. We’ve loved being part of your lives and we thank you for being a special part of our story. Your continued support of our family for so many years will always be cherished. Thank you, Jacksonville – you are our family, our team, and our customers who have stood beside us for decades. We are forever thankful.
We hope you will remember us for our signature loaded barbecue potatoes, our southern specials, the best iced tea this side of the Mason-Dixon Line, and most of all – our hospitality.
Please remember to support local small businesses whenever you can.
With heartfelt gratitude and blessings to you all, Your Toby’s Family
8. Cotten’s Bar-B-Q - 1986 2048 Rogero Road Jacksonville, FL
(Courtesy of Cotten’s Facebook page)
Cotten’s Bar-B-Q in Arlington has been serving faithful diners since 1986. However, don’t confuse this Rogero Road joint with the Fred Cotten’s on Main Street. It’s a completely separate entity founded by Fred Cotten Jr., son of Fred Cotten, Sr., that has carved out its own outstanding reputation among longtime Jaxsons.
(Courtesy of Cotten’s Facebook page)
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7. Woody’s Bar-B-Q - 1980 1638 University Blvd South Jacksonville, FL 32217
(Courtesy of Woody’s Bar-B-Q Facebook page)
Four decades ago, Woody and Yolanda Mills-Mawman decided they wanted to open up a restaurant. With a passion for Bar-B-Q and a handful of homemade recipes, they created a dining experience rooted in the South’s tradition of a Bar-B-Q shack. What started as a single restaurant in Jacksonville has now extended to one location in Pennsylvania and fifteen with three more on the way in Florida.
(Courtesy of Woody’s Bar-B-Q Facebook page)
No matter the location, each Woody’s is built to suit its own hometown atmosphere. Every Woody’s serves the finest cuts of meats and the freshest ingredients. Everything on the menu is a Woody’s original, from the secret-recipe homemade BBQ sauce, to their freshly prepared sides, and slow-smoked meats. The original location (pictured above), at University and Atlantic boulevards, was initially a Bono’s Pit Bar-B-Q before becoming Woody’s in 1980.
(Courtesy of Woody’s Bar-B-Q Facebook page)