Sparky’s Roadside Barbecue

If you’re looking for any kind of hamburger cheeseburger any kind of chicken wings this is the place to go all their sauces are great they have alcohol they have great french fries the coleslaw is awesome

Great place! A friend and I were looking for something local and not too expensive. We gave Sparky’s a try and had a great time! The happy hour is great and features good quality beers for a great price. Also, we had jerked wings and smoked wings for half off! Needless to say, they were awesome!
The owner is very friendly and the staff is cool! Every beer came with a cold glass!
Would highly recommend. I’m not always the type to leave reviews. But when the atmosphere is good, when you have a good time, and the food and drink is delicious, it’s hard not to write about it when everything is going your way.

Great bbq, wow had lunch here with a work mate, and damage it was awesome… home made sauce… wow…

This was a pleasant surprise! We spent the night in Miami after a cruise and after uncooperative weather, we were itching to get out for awhile. After extensive arguing, I mean, discussion, everyone managed to agree on Sparky’s, especially with the Happy Hour.
We were a group of 4 and there was only 1 other table eating when we got there. Shortly after they left, another couple came in. I can imagine they get much more business during lunch with all the businesses around downtown, but hey, we got pretty great service this way. They charge $ 0.25 for water, which is just silly to me. Just absorb the cost. But it should’ve been a sign of the menu to follow.
The people that ordered entrees enjoyed them. However, no one really liked the sides. I ate sides only for my meal and at $ 3.50 a pop, I would expect more than a tiny ice cream scoop of mac and cheese. Cole slaw was pretty good that came with the entrees and sandwiches, but it’s apparently more Southern as the Northerners in our group were not fans. They just make theirs with straight vinegar apparently! Gross. Get some mayo in there.
For our party of 4, 3 entrees for the rest of the party and 2 sides and banana pudding (which was good, but very sweet!) for me, plus 2 Happy Hour beers, the total was almost $ 80. Seems very, very excessive for the quality and quantity.

Perfect ribs and delicious bbq sauce.
Sides are good but not perfect.
The service was good and welcoming.
All and all a very nice experience so would definitely go there again another time.

Stopped by tonight and decided to give this place another chance. Bad idea! After ordering food my date went to use the restroom only to find them both out of order.
I can understand not having a restroom for customers when you have outside seating or there’s only inside dinning for less than 20 or you’ve been grandfathered in. However this isn’t the case.
When I went to complain the manager got snappy with me and it was because of the rain. At least put a sign on the front door to alert patrons.
I give up on this place.

I love BBQ Food… but was sadly disappointed when I ate here. I had gotten half rack of rubs — dry rub style and well the ribs were severely overcooked. It was sad since I ended up not being able to eat half the rack I had to pay for. Cole slaw was subpar, and Mac and cheese was flavorless… only one guy can put your order in and it can cause a wait for the bill or service.
Maybe it was a fluke and they were having a bad day but nonetheless I was disappointed… I’ll try it again before I write it off completely.

ive been back twice after my initial visit and twice the service has been awful. So bad that I’ve actually had to go order my food and ask for my check at the counter because no one ever came to me. Mind you, the place has been empty both times. Second, despite my love for their food, Jesus is it expensive! I spent $ 64 on Saturday on two sandwiches and four beers. Way too much for sandwiches and beer topped with crappy service.

In LOVE with this place. The atmosphere, the cute, quaint décor, the people, the food, the drinks… I mean Sparky’s has it all. The one downside is the area its in, but everything else outweighs that one downfall.
I ordered the Tyler’s pressed sandwich. It has beef brisket, pulled pork, sauteed onions, cheese and BBQ sauce. I have to say that each time I go there, I order the same thing. I cant help it because its so delicious!
The beer there is local beer, which I love. I could not rave about this place more. Its just so good. It is definitely a must try, for I guarantee you will make Sparky’s your go to spot.

Whenever I’m in the mood for BBQ, I head straight to Sparky’s! It’s located in the «sketchy» part of Downtown, but the restaurant has a warm feeling to it. Nicely decorated.
The food, the food! I’d say the portions are on the heavy side (which I appreciate!) I’m pretty hooked on their beef brisket. They have 3 homemade sauces and I prefer the Hoisin. Their baked beans are also delicious. Their mac and cheese is okay (this is where Pride & Joy takes a win) and I’ve been satisfied with just about everything else I’ve tried on the menu.
I usually have a good experience with the staff, with one exception. It was obvious the employee was very upset and having a bad day, it made the experience pretty awkward. She actually stormed off in the middle of our dinner, which as odd as it was — we were glad because the gentleman who took over was great. Otherwise, always a friendly staff.
All in all, one of the better BBQ spots in Miami and definitely your best option in Downtown. Don’t forget to try the brisket!

Despite its shady location, this low-​key BBQ spot is excellent! The food is great – especially Tyler’s pressed and fried catfish sandwiches. Good selection of beer, and they have beer and food specials on happy hour Monday-​Friday 4 – 7. The food is reasonably priced and portioned well, if not on the generous side (the meat plates offer a lot).
We will definitely be recommending this place to our friends!

So I’m also a big fan of BBQ. Working in Downtown Miami there aren’t a lot of options. Sparky’s Roadside BBQ provides a meaty vacation from the hustle and bustle of the area. It’s a little oasis, filled with great food, beer selection and music.
Even though I’ve tried a couple of the other options, like the smoked duck, smoked chicken and the ribs, I generally stick to the sandwiches, because the portions of the meals will definitely make you pass out when you get back to work. My go to is the Tyler Pressed, which is the delicious brisket, the incredible pulled pork and yummy smoked chicken pressed with cheese all into squishy goodness. My second place finisher is the huge fried catfish sandwich. Perfectly crispy and flaky, the sandwich exceeds expectations. Add some of their signature Magma or Lava hot sauces to kick up your spice level.
A hidden treasure in Downtown Miami you should definitely check out. Ohhhh… And if you’re thirsty, be sure to check out the specialized craft beer menu. It’s sure to hit the spot. Be sure to get there early, because it gets pretty packed.

This is not good BBQ. Average at best. I grew up in North Carolina so I’ve been to the Lexington BBQ festival every year for 20 years running. Not to say you can’t find BBQ in Florida just as good. There’s a place in homestead called ‘Shrivers’ or ‘Shivers’ with some of the best BBQ I’ve ever had. The service here was great and the staff was very friendly. They gave me my drink in the most POS paper cup and it was nearly dissipated by the time I got home lol.
Also, ROADSIDE BBQ (contrary to this particular location) doesn’t mean it’s on the side of the road. Roadside means they offer curb service in which they don’t… So, figuratively speaking, «Sparkys BBQ» would have been just fine.

Oh my God! we ordered The fried pickles and a half rack combo with sides of Mac and cheese and corn on cob! As an app we ordered fried pickles. If I could give this place one star I would! For the price you might as well go to Polo tropical!
The food was almost un-​edible!
I needed teeth of a pig to actually bit into the pork ribs. The Mac and cheese my 2 month old son could have made better, the picked had so much bad breading that’s all you can taste didn’t even know pickle was in there
I would never ever recommend this place as you can see on Unilocal it’s have some bad reviews however they should all be bad!
Sparkys Roadside was like roadkill! BOOM!

Nach 3.5 Wochen USA und wirklich viel zu vielen Burgern war der Sparky Burger eine Offenbarung! Unglaublich lecker
Der Laden ist zwar berühmt für sein Barbecue aber wir hatten den Burger– wie gesagt richtig richtig lecker!!!
Und das Personal war klasse

A solid 3 stars, just average. I had high hopes for this place, but really, how good is the BBQ going to be in Miami?
Came here on a Saturday, in part because their check in offer advertised Happy Hour specials (½ off appetizers and discounted drink prices).
We ordered the hush puppies (since some Unilocalers raved about them), a dozen jerk chicken wings, Tyler’s pressed sandwiches with subbed sides mac & cheese and sweet potato fries. Everything is homemade except for the fries.
— The hush puppies were ok; nice corn dog like crust, but really nothing exceptional.
— We both agreed that the jerk wings were not very good.
— The sandwich was tasty and I would recommend that; server said that’s their most popular menu item.
— Sweet potato fries were good, regular seasoned fries not so much.
— Mac and cheese was average.
There were 3 BBQ sauces on the table. One of them was very watery. No sweet bbq sauces. Had to ask them to bring over their hot sauces.
I am somewhat jilted because when we got our bill, we didn’t get to use the check in offer because it wasn’t happy hour. The Unilocal offer does not specify it can only be used Mon-​Fri, so it was a little bit shocking when the bill was higher than expected. ** Unilocalers be warned. ** Had I known this I would not have ordered as many appetizers. Lesson to be learned it never hurts to ask: P

Do yourself a favor, put down whatever you’re doing, and come here to order the pulled pork sandwich and St. Louis ribs. The food here is amazing! The ribs have this smokey dry rub that makes it so flavorful that you barely need to add any BBQ sauce. But I ended up slathering on the BBQ sauce since it was homemade. How often do you get to try three different kinds of homemade BBQ sauce?
Be warned, the restaurant does have an old-​building smell, but it adds to the charm. Delicious food and friendly service — I left a happy camper!

The food here is really great! Okay I had no intention of eating at Sparky’s. Truth be told, I was on my way to a favorite downtown restaurant. I have walked past Sparky’s so many times getting on or off the metro mover and the nondescript storefront didn’t get me to go in. This time I figured, let’s try something new. I’m glad I did.
When you first walk in the door you are greeted by a very friendly staff. This is a BBQ joint so it’s not fancy but they make you feel at home with a smile, attentive service and comfort food.
I had the ribs and they were cooked perfectly. They serve a big meaty St Louis Style rib. The seasoning was so amazing that I wanted to eat them without sauce. But I do love BBQ sauce and they make some amazing ones. I chose the corn on the cob and baked beans as my sides and the baked beans stood out for the flavor and the chunks of perfectly cooked pork. We also had some fries which were good standard fare.
When we got up to leave the owner said thank you from the kitchen and asked us to come back. Don’t worry we will see you again soon. Nom Nom Nom

My first real «dive» experience in downtown. The location is not much to look at not does it immediately strike you as a bbq joint — but the food is pretty legit!
Drinks — they have homemade sweet and unsweet tea, raising their southern «legit» factor. They also have a wide selection of microbew beers.
We started our meal with some corn nuggets and they may have just stolen the show! Little balls of fried cornmeal and creamed corn. The outside is super crispy while the center of the nugget stays creamy and sweet. Comes with a refreshing ranch dip. Will order it every time!
The bbq closely resembles Carolina bbq with a touch of memphis style. They do commit the Texas brisket sacrilege because it looks as if it is braised, not smoked. Flavors are great and the meat is tender and juicy — just not smoked.
The pulled pork had great flavor (might also be braised?) and in the plate I ordered, it came without sauce. The pork was very juicy and tender. The chicken thighs had a thick bark from the rub. Very tasty.
The joint has three sauce options for you to doctor your meal. A vinegar based Carolina bbq sauce, the traditional memphis style sauce and a hoisin bbq sauce. All are pretty good and the hoisin bbq sauce is particularly tasty on the thighs.
They also have jerk chicken on the menu and it looks legit! Table next to me ordered it. Good smell and appearance. My neighbors appeared to really enjoy it.
For sides — the French fries are seasoned with bbq rub and are very crispy. Baked beans are homemade. Great balance of sweet and savory. They are not overly saucy. The mac ‘n cheese is awesome! super gooey and creamy.
We rounded out or meal with the homemade Pecan pie. Good crust and the filling was not toothache sweet. I really enjoyed it. Overall, very nice bbq spot in downtown!

My boyfriend first took me here in February and we’ve ordered takeout a few times since. I will say, my first impression based on the atmosphere didn’t make me want to dine here. But, there is decent barbecue and the service makes you feel like you’re right at home.
I was recommended the Pulled Pork Sandwich (which comes with a side of fries & cole slaw) and it was good. Sparky’s offers a few different types of sauces to go with your meal, so it’s definitely worth giving each a try to see what best suits your taste buds. Portion sizes are fair for the price you’re paying. My boyfriend goes for the Pulled Pork platter and it includes two side dishes of your choice. He’s always pretty satisfied with this meal.
Overall, I’ve had better barbecue, but it still hits the spot when I’m in the mood for a quick fix and I’m in the area.

Authentic BBQ food! I have to say that I am picky when it comes to this category of food since this is one of my favorites. It’s a perfect downtown hole in the way that serves ‘down and dirty’ BBQ cuisine.
Very casual and relaxed restaurant. We ordered the corn nuggets to start, which were a ball of fried goodness. Nothing special, just like any other BBQ joint.
As my main meal I had Tyler’s pressed sandwich. Definitely comfort food and was everything I expected it to be. I got it with the side of fries, which I have to say I’m impressed. They season their fries well, which give it a nice unique flavor. I also got a side of Mac and cheese, which you can’t really go wrong with. Creamy and cheesy all the way!
They also have a wonderful selection of different BBQ sauces to accompany your meal. I’ll definitely be back to try the pork sandwich. Looking forward to it!