There’s a reason this place has been around for 36 years… because you can show up and get a damn good meal for not a ton of money. It should serve as what the standard of BBQ is.
Hungry Harrys BBQ in Land O’Lakes
As we do on the weekends, we saddled up in the honda and took off to try a new BBQ joint here in our city. Except, this time, it wasn’t a new one to us it has just been over a decade since we had been back.
It’s located on US 41, just north of where Dale Mabry and Nebraska come together. Probably 2-ish miles north of the intersection of State Road 54 and 41. You can’t miss the place, it’s a big red barn that is no more than 5 feet away from the street. When we rolled up I was pretty surprised to see that it looks like the place has been redone almost completely. They have new outdoor seating, another “overflow” building with more inside seating and the main building is freshly painted. It’s beautiful… or as beautiful as BBQ can get.
The main building dining room and food prep area are really one big room. It was full when we got there but not overly packed. It was clear though, that they were busy. They had people packing to-go orders non-stop while we were there and as you know, that’s always a good sign. Even with that from the time we ordered to the time we got our food was only a matter of minutes.
Per usual, we went full smorgasbord on this one because how can you write a review and not try everything?? exactly. The short of it is, there was not a foot placed wrong with the food we received. It was all done well and had great flavor. To me, this place should serve as the standard of what good barbeque is in this city because you can expect a solid meal every time. It’s not going to blow your mind but you’ll damn sure leave satisfied.
The Meat
I ordered a two meat combo with brisket and baby back ribs. The wife fears change and ordered pulled pork. All three were good. The brisket was tender and a good mix of meat to fat, the baby back ribs were meaty and the pulled pork had some good smoke on it and was juicy. Zero complaints. All was done well and delicious.
The Sides
Just like the meat, the sides were solid. They weren’t blow your mind good but they were good enough where the spoon didn’t stop hitting my mouth until they were gone good. The baked beans were smokey with just a touch of sweetness. The sauce was on the thinner side in the beans so not a lot of ketchup or molasses in them. The mac and cheese was good but one thing of note, they had a lot of pepper in them. I liked the flavor but something to remember if you’re getting it for the kids. The Potato salad was just my style with a mustard base and red-skinned potatoes. And the last star of the show was the “sweet corn casserole”. I have no idea what it was made of other than the corn, but it was actually pretty damn good.
I would have no problem ordering all of those sides again. All done well, all tasted good, and the portion size was spot on.
The Sweet Tea Factor
They get a good score here because the sweet tea was that ‘give you diabetic shock’ type sweet tea. Southern, full of sugar, and cold as could be. Does it get any better? no sir, it does not.
The Cost
It was a little more on the expensive because it was table service and because of the kid. Our bill came out to $45 and I felt that the value was there for the both the quality and amount of food we received.
BBQ Bay Rating: 4.1
As I’ve said early on, Hungy Harry’s should serve as measuring stick. They aren’t doing some modern take on BBQ, they are producing good food at a good price. It’s the type of place you could keep going back to knowing you’ll get a great meal each time.
Couple of things to know when you go…
- Not a ton of indoor seating
- Have platter options that can feed up to 8 people that are a good deal
- Big selection of meats and sides
- Limited Outdoor Seating
