Jacksonville's oldest local barbecue restaurants

[thelakelander]

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.

Read More: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/jacksonvilles-oldest-local-barbecue-restaurants/

[Adam White]

Not crazy about the rims, but that paintjob is gorgeous.

[JPalmer]

I'm sorry, but Fred Cotten's is only a couple of years and was resold as licensed IP.  It's backstory might make your list more interesting, but this repurposed namesake is a travesty.

[Bill Hoff]

I'm sorry, but Fred Cotten's is only a couple of years and was resold as licensed IP.  It's backstory might make your list more interesting, but this repurposed namesake is a travesty.

Jake endorsed it. Good enough for me.

[Tacachale]

I'm sorry, but Fred Cotten's is only a couple of years and was resold as licensed IP.  It's backstory might make your list more interesting, but this repurposed namesake is a travesty.

Jake endorsed it. Good enough for me.

This.

[JPalmer]

Sometimes audiences want opinion based articles from authors who can provide a conduit for engagement in your websites message boards.  There has been several articles over the years that have cited Fred Cotten's as name that has long been associated with BBQ in this town.  But maybe if an author wanted to actually go out on a limb and tell me where they think I can find the best pulled pork sandwich that would be a more engaging article. 

As someone who lives in St Nicholas I feel like takeout the Original Bonos is my best option.  If dining in I prefer the backyard space of The Bearded Pig to let my kids play around and not be out of line for the crowd.

[thelakelander]

As the author, I'm sharing a local history story that highlights a type of dish and cooking method that originated in this region, along with listing the oldest places in town. I don't need to tell you where to find the best pulled pork sandwich. That wasn't the intention for the story. You've got to take that initiative to explore on your own. Personally, I like the old school Northside joints and will be heading to Holley's in Moncrief just as soon as my Whole30 month is complete. However, feel free to continue takeout at the original Bono's. There's nothing wrong with that and nothing wrong with The Bearded Pig either. They need and others need love too.

[howfam]

Good article on one of my favorite cuisines. I didn't know Holley's was the oldest, as I've been there many times to get those good curly cues. I'm sure there are other's that could be added like Jerome Brown's BBQ on Edgewood, been out a while. Food for thought: It'd nice to show the BBQ joints that no longer exist, such as Johnson's BBQ on Brentwood Av., Singleton's BBQ, Eastside BBQ etc., all of which left a lasting legacy as inspirations for future generations of Grill Masters./howfam

[thelakelander]

^That is a good article topic. We have information of quite a few of the closed ones already. Jerome's opened in the mid 1990s. With some of our research access limited due to the pandemic, we ended up limiting the list only to places in operations before the 1990s.

[JPalmer]

Are you kidding me? After this website's tactless effort to write a story about Fred Cotten's BBQ in regards to Mayor Godbold's passing. 

It's safe to say that articles referencing Fred Cotten's are coming off like paid content.

[thelakelander]

Lol what Fred Cotten do to you? We ran that because the writer asked if we'd share it. If you'd like to contribute content, we'd be happy to share it as well.

[billy]

What bbq was on east side of San Jose/ Hendricks south of Emerson intersection around the 1970's?

[Snaketoz]

I must add to this discussion on BBQ.  None of the best places for BBQ in Jacksonville still exist.  Some of my favorites were Tally-Ho at 45th and Main, Taylor's west of downtown, and the ORIGINAL Cotton's at 17th and Main.  After trying this latest incarnation, I was disappointed.  Sure, it resembles Cotton's, but just doesn't make it.  I was raised on Cotton's and Taylor's and Tally-Ho.  The best ribs I ever ate was once home on leave from the army we got a large slab at Tally-Ho.  Might have been $5.  My parents and siblings talked about those ribs for the rest of their lives.  I've had good from Holley's, and once in awhile from Bono's, but most of the current places aren't worth my time.

[thelakelander]

Anyone here ever try Singleton's or Papa Gat's in the Eastside? Papa Gat was a hole-in-the-wall known for its chicken and pork sandwiches, slabs of pork ribs and sweet potato pies from the 1940s until 1978.

[blizz01]

The Red Barn on Wesconnett.  Man I miss that place.