Carter’s Barbeque

Yo I’m back. OK let’s begin. For starters it behooves you to have your maps enable for directions or you might pass right by this place. It’s located right between a truck parking lot and a laundromat. My buddy got the barbecue beef and I got the half slab of ribs. He said the sandwich was fantastic and that he would definitely go back. My ribs were pretty tasty to began. I really didn’t even need any sauce as I believe good ribs really don’t require any. I’ve had barbecue all over the world now, so I feel like I know my que!!! Its far from the worst: yet its not the best but, definitely worth grabbing some when I do go to Polk county. The place has been there for a very long time; over 10yrs. If it was that bad as the other reviews say, I’m not sure they would still be there. The owner and staff would be working in that laundromat I told you about earlier by now… Ma… Ok wait so the only reason why I didn’t give them more stars is because number 1, they are not up the street from me so I’m upset about that and number two, their hours used to be weird. It will be closed on days listed they will be open. I would go there with my mouth ready for barbecue but get nothing but a closed sign. That was back in the days though so maybe they have gotten to a more structured schedule. AGAIN, MAYBE …

wow, wow. it’s a hidden gem in mulberry. this is a great place. the food is over the top. the ribs are to die for. the chicken smoked/​cook oh so good. the mac and cheese made/​cooked from scratch. you can’t ask for better food than this.

This place is awesome I will recommend everyone I know to this place. Please come eat here

Too much fat in ribs. When ordering a slab, I never got the thin end piece. Chicken was delicious. Sauce is the ‘bomb’. Would not go back for the ribs.

Worst BBQ joint I’ve ever ordered food from. I didn’t mind that it was a hole in the wall, or that there was nowhere to sit and eat.
What I did mind was that the pulled/​shredded port basket I ordered was 1) shredded to the size of ground beef, 2) over cooked and 3) swimming in so much BBQ sauce, it looked like soup when I went to eat it. Unfortunately I had driven away and didn’t find it worth it to go back and complain. But I wont be going there again. And Ramon was right. The mac and cheese was one big lump — even after being heated up.:-P

I have tired a few BBQ places here in Polk County but this has to be one of the worst ever I order two dinner plates came to 24.95 with two side please see Photo’s I uploaded. I have to say the Mac and cheese was so gross and the potato salad was so small again look at the photo’s plus when they put your food in microwave to heat it up you know it is not fresh and what did it do to my Ribs and Chicken dry them both out. I read some the reviews but I’m here update you to not go to this place at all I can see why no one was at this place.
Justin C. your post is from 2009 I do not know when the last time you been there but there food sucks bad see the pictures I post anytime you wanted post some new pictures of this wondeful BBQ you talk go for it has to be the worst ever!

Ordered a chopped pork sandwich. I was turned off when the meal was popped into the microwave (including bun). Col slaw looked old while Collards were pretty good.
Sadly — wouldn’t go back.

Wasn’t a fan. We both had upset stomachs after eating our meals. We got the BBQ chicken, pulled pork, collard greens, macaroni & cheese, and potato salad. I’m not sure what all the fuss is about. First Choice BBQ in Brandon and Jimbo’s are better. Also, they had some reward system point thing online and it applied the $ 5 discount to my online order. However, I still got charged the full amount on my card. Not even worth the $ 5 to call back and argue about it. :/​Won’t be coming back. Sorry Carter’s!

RIB TIPS !
best rib tips in town. its not listed on the menu. So you have to ask for it .
corn is great, Spanish rice is good to.
will be back for more items

Every 5 weeks I drive into Tampa and I ALWAYS take home Carter’s Barbeque. I’m an RV’r and I can say the best in the country!!! Kathy

Their Rib’s are the best i’ve ever had. Tender, juicy with amazing sauce. Their bar-​b-​que sauce is amazing. It has mustard in it. Their fried okra is also very good. I’m not a fried okra fan, but I enjoyed these. Not too heavily breaded nor over-​cooked. Two problems that many places seem to have with fried foods.

Good chicken and ribs from this funky hole-​in-​the-​wall BBQ joint. Its all take out style and they do have a few benches outside. The mustard sauce is a bit sweet for me so I ordered it on the side. The collard greens were really good but the lima beans seemed like they came right out of the can.

Well worth the 30 minute trip to Mulberry! The pork sandwich was great, I’m usually not a fan of mustard based bbq sauce but they got it right with theirs! The sweet tea is a must try!!!

I want to share a quick story about Carter’s. Recently, my family suffered an unexpected death. The services were arranged and in motion when it was discovered that no one had finalized the arrangements for the scheduled repast. It was a sunday and options were limited. I thought of Carters and with no expectation, gave them a call. I spoke directly with Mr. Carter, explained our predicament and asked if he could help us on extremely short notice. WIthout a moments hesitation, he assessed the situation, discussed our needs and provided us with the help we needed. The time frame from the initial conversation to the delivery of a fully catered buffet was 2 hours. The pain we were already suffering with the loss of our loved one would have been even more unbearable with the added burden of the looming repast debacle. We were blessed and comforted by the immediate understanding, willing to work with us attitude and ultimately food that was deliciously prepared and enjoyed by those who fellowshipped afterwards. I can not say enough about Carter’s
barbeque, its’ owner and the employees who helped us through this. I was a fan before and I am a lifelong fan of both the food and the service. A most distressing situation was made bearable thanks to the understanding and compassion of this business.

I must respectfully disagree with previous reviewer M.Y. about Carter’s being a hole in the wall. Set on an awkward corner lot directly on SR60 just east of the crossroads that defines Mulberry, this diner-​car-​like longhouse with a residential trailer hidden behind doesn’t even have a wall in which to be a hole.
But that’s all right — in fact, it’s awesome. It’s everything it’s supposed to be. Just set your expectations accordingly, and you’ll be in for a homestyle barbecue treat.
Don’t go to Carter’s if you plan to sit down, unless you don’t mind sitting in your car. Sure, there’s at least one weatherbeaten picnic bench beside the building that might hold your weight — forget about indoor seating — but as it’s an outdoor fixture, and the fauna have claimed it for their own. Unless you bring your meal home, you’re either going to be standing around holding the styrofoam in one hand and eating with the other, or sitting in your car and fighting the valiant fight to keep any of that mustard-​based sauce from reaching the upholstery. Mind you, keep the main drag clear — cars drive in through the porte cochere to pick up to-​go orders, and on busy nights, there’s sometimes a bit of a line. Step on the drive-​through cable — really stomp on it! — if no one’s at the window, to let ‘em know you’re there.
If this is your idea of a date restaurant, as Jeff Foxworthy would say, you might be a redneck.
Don’t let that put you off, though. A quick look through the tiny walk-​up window’s aging glass will reveal many framed and signed pictures of the Harlem Globetrotters, and last I checked, Mulberry wasn’t what you’d call a «basketball town.» I don’t know if the team comes through Tampa or Orlando, but either way, Carter’s is an easy hour’s drive for them, and any barbecue a major basketball razzle-​dazzle troupe drives an hour to enjoy is worth putting on your culinary map.
It’s clean, honest barbecue, unencumbered and without pretense. Look elsewhere for fancy; this is just good old-​fashioned pork, beef and chicken, as well as battered fish, served family-​style. The sweet tea and lemonade are both things of beauty — forget about a soda, you can get those anywhere — and if you’re fortunate enough to be there when they’re selling pound cakes, get one — they’re individual-​sized and delicious. The oxtail’s another specialty; ask ahead, as it doesn’t always last.
The «toast» is garlic-​buttered white bread from the bag. The fries surely came from the nearby Publix supermarket. But this simply makes the experience all the more authentic, doesn’t it? Your pulled pork will be dripping with brown, not red, sauce, rich and honey-​mustard-​heavy for a sticky, complex flavor you’re not going to find from molasses-​tomato-​and-​pepper-​based sauces.
You’ll pay less than ten dollars a person, and chances are good you’ll chat with Mr. Carter himself, as he makes his rounds to make sure you’re enjoying his family’s recipes. And if you don’t feel like dodging mosquitoes and drinking in the humid Florida air, call ahead, pick it up at the drive-​through window, and take it home with you.
Where Carter’s shines is that it’s the real deal, through and through — unpretentious, uncomplicated homestyle family barbecue in generous portions that doesn’t try to rope in tourists with gimmicks, with a family recipe that really is delightfully different from the competition. Family-​owned and operated, the recipes haven’t changed for decades because they don’t need to, and the facilities haven’t expanded because they haven’t needed to. The food’ll keep you coming back, on its own.
UPDATE: Apparently, there was some confusion that I was disappointed with the service… heavens no. This review is meant to set expectations that this is a down-​home barbecue shack, an American lolo — it is an excellent specimen of what it is, and doesn’t need to change a thing.

Nothing like fresh brewed ice tea from a stainless steel brewing pot and the smell and taste of a over stuffed chopped pork sandwich with just the right amount of mustard base sauce wrapped in parchment butcher paper. it’s a complete hole in the wall. An excellent motorcycle stop on the way to Tampa from SO FLA. As one of the indigenious patrons stated:
«True Q, Polk county style– you hear»