Support Us


    Forgot Password?

    Or sign in with a social account:

    GOOGLE + YAHOO!

    Don't have an account yet? Sign Up ›

    Connect. Discover. Share.

    Get the most out of your experience with a personalized all-access pass to everything local on events, music, restaurants, news and more.

    GOOGLE+ YAHOO!

    Already registered?

  • Sign Up
    Log In
  •  
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

South Florida's independent source of local news and culture

Now Reading: Locations

 

Our Critics' Picks

Join Insiders today!
  • Slideshows
  • Videos
 
MORE

Blue Willy's Barbecue

1190 E. Commercial Blvd.
Oakland Park, FL
Oakland Park
954-224-6120
Critics' Pick
Best Of
Blue Willy's Barbecue +

Sara Ventiera

  • Blue Willy's Barbecue

Details

  • Sun 11:30am-8pm, Tue-Sat 11:30am-9pm
  • $
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Lunch, Dinner
  • Beer/Wine
  • Parking Lot Available
  • Reservations Not Accepted
Barbecue Restaurants
Directions
There's barbecue, and then there's good barbecue. At Blue Willy's BBQ in Oakland Park, you'll get some of the best Texas-style barbecue around, meats such as beef brisket and pork spare ribs prepared the same way chef-owner Will Banks' grandfather cooked them at the family's butcher shop-turned-restaurant. It all starts with the meat, delivered by the same purveyor for over six years, one reason his 'cue remains consistent and some of the best in the tri-county area, from the meaty spare ribs to the juice-dribbling brisket. Aquick drive from I-95 and just a stone's throw from Dixie Highway, the restaurant attracts hundreds of patrons that visit each day. A towering Blue Willy's sign marks the spot, impossible to miss. The menu is the same one Banks has been serving for close to a decade, ten items in all, including five well-constructed staples and five sides, the meat smoked in Banks' hickory-fueled monster, a well-seasoned piece of equipment that's been running almost 24 hours a day for nearly 24 years. In Texas, beef is king, and beef brisket is what Banks does best. His comes out moist and smoky, blanketed in a dense blanket of spices charred black from the smoker, and rendered tender enough to cut with a fork. But make no mistake, though: Banks knows what to do with the hog too. His spare ribs, often considered the Holy Grail of good barbecue, remain this food critic's favorite in these parts. They boast a mélange of flavors, from the pasty spice rub that stains the meat (and your fingers) a rust-colored red to the delicate kiss of hardwood smoke and the distinct flavor of perfectly cooked pork. The juicy, fatty meat is so tender it tugs cleanly off the bone, no scraping or sucking needed. If you so choose, you can end it with Banks' grandfather's tangy, vinegary-sweet barbecue sauce. So what's the secret to all that meaty goodness? Lots of smoke and love.

Read our full review.

Related Stories (7)

  • Florida Might Not Have Its Own Style of Barbecue, But We Do Have Options
    Monday, February 29, 2016 at 8:30 a.m. by Nicole Danna

    Here's a quick lesson for you: According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the world "barbecue" derives from the Spanish word "barbacoa," which in turn is said to have derived from "barbracot," a word from the Haitian-Carib dialect ...

  • Ten Best Barbecue Spots in Broward and Palm Beach Counties
    Thursday, November 5, 2015 at 8:31 a.m. by Nicole Danna

    Trying to determine a list of the best barbecue is kind of like trying to find the best pair of jeans. There are so many different cuts, styles, and fabrics, the idea of picking just one that represents them all perfectly is near im...

  • Ten Best Lunch Spots in Broward County
    Thursday, August 7, 2014 at 7:59 a.m. by Sara Ventiera

    Breakfast is supposedly the most important meal of the day. Dinner -- and the accompanying wine -- is for relieving workplace agitation. Lunch, on the other hand, is pretty much forgotten. With most of us inhaling who-knows-what gar...

  • Ten Best Ribs in Broward and Palm Beach
    Thursday, July 3, 2014 at 9 a.m. by Sara Ventiera

    As each wave of immigrants from different regions of the world landed on these shores, they brought with them their culture and cuisine. Many of the foods we consider to be American did not, in fact, originate in the Western Hemisph...

Load More Articles
View All

More Barbecue Restaurants in Oakland Park

View All

More Barbecue Restaurants in South Florida

Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our terms of use, our cookies policy, and our privacy policy

The New Times Broward-Palm Beach may earn a portion of sales from products & services purchased through links on our site from our affiliate partners.

©2020 New Times BPB, LLC. All rights reserved.

CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS: California Privacy Policy | California Collection Notice | Do Not Sell My Info

We use cookies to collect and analyze information on site performance and usage, and to enhance and customize content and advertisements. By clicking 'X' or continuing to use the site, you agree to allow cookies to be placed. To find out more, visit our cookies policy and our privacy policy.

 

Join the New Times community and help support independent local journalism in South Florida.

 

Join the New Times community and help support independent local journalism in South Florida.