The food tasted very good! There was outdoor dining, indoor dining, and drive thru- very convenient. Also, the staff was friendly. We enjoyed the bar b que wing plate with potato salad, greens and sweet tea. Peach Cobbler for dessert. Highly recommend! read more

Once again, Carter's does not disappoint. I had the beef stew, okra and tomatoes and collards. It was all delicious, but the beef stew is fantastic. And such portions! I can get 3 meals from this dinner, at a cost of about $5 per meal. No burger place can beat that. Their tea is great, too, but i get half sweet/half unsweetened to watch my sugar intake. Great food, great price, can't be beaten. The people are really friendly, too. read more

Nice place for some yummy BBQ! service was friendly, dining room and patio were spotless (so was the bathroom!) We enjoyed the pork plate with collards and mac and cheese. Loved the mustard sauce! read more

Great little roadside place to grab a bite. I had the chicken sandwich ( great taste) with onion rings ( Perfect) . Sit outside , Nice little place to grab a bite & relax read more

The best pork that I have had in years! I live 2-1/2 hours away and will be back...and will miss taste of that delicious BBQ. Was very impressed with the cleanliness of the restaurant. read more

Food was excellent, fresh and hot when delivered to the event. Great customer service. Honest and punctual.

My favorite bbq place in Polk County! I buy my BBQ Sauces here. There's a drive thru window and a walk up window. Online ordering available. Worth the trip read more

Placed an order Aug 14 2024 @ 11:58 am, got home to eat the slab of ribs (had a brownish color to the meat an indication to me it wasn't all the way grill, smoke or whatever you choose call it. I very dissatisfied with the order, call back with my complaint to Mr. Carter, he was not to pleasant. He stated he would refund my full order, i suggested a refund for the ribs only. He stated he would make it right and refund the full order The following day he only refunded a partial amount. I guess his word does not carry much weight? The food is not as good as expected, something has changed since my last time I have purchased from them. Will not returned. I eaten better ribs at Johnson, Plant City read more

The food is absolutely great. The only reason I gave the rating of 4 stars is because they didn't have smoked items prepared when I arrived. I came an hour after opening and was told smoked items would be available later on in the day. I ordered the meatloaf with mac and cheese and greens. I also had the red velvet cake for dessert. As a consolation, I was given peach cobbler on the house, which was a nice gesture. It was good, but cold, which let me know it was made a day or two prior to given. But I will give this place another go and hope to try their bbq. read more

Carter's Barbeque - Carter restaurant sign - Barbeque Near Me - Mulberry, Florida

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I've offered here 3x via grub hub when I have had a hankering for BBq and it did not disappoint. The smoked chicken wings are excellent!

This place great if you like lousy, unfriendly service, and overpriced crap food with no flavor that is NOT bar-B-que. I ordered the special with a full slab of ribs, pork, and 4 sides. The ribs were not good quality and tough and the only flavor was the sauce(no smoky, bbq taste), the pork was dry and flavorless, the sides were ridiculous. Soggy fries, a tiny bag of hush puppies, Luke-warm collards from a can and mac and cheese that may as well have been Kraft mac-n-cheese from a box. All for the incredible price of $72. I feel like I was robbed but OK, lesson learned. Never again. For $72! read more

Got me fucked up. Nasty ass food. Don't ever and I mean ever sell no rib that cut up the roof of someone's mouth. Junk cut me up like Publix bread. First and last time... read more

Carter's Barbeque - BBQ Ribs Tips Dinner - Barbeque Near Me - Mulberry, Florida

Well no bathroom. Fast and good service. Had the Chicken and dressing. It was a little messy but tasty. Green beans and Collards for a $1 up charge. They should have paid me a dollar to eat the collards. Not good. Banana pudding large portion and sweet like you'd like. The sweet tea good. read more

I went yesterday with my mother and ordered a 1/2 slab of ribs. The ribs smelled and tasted old. I took the ribs back up there 10 mins later after getting them home and trying them. Mr. Carter came to the window and asked me what was wrong, and I told him. I told him I did not want a refund only a different meal. His response to me was; "Okay and?! What do you want me to do about it?!" I responded with, "Can I have something else?" After multiple failed attempts and being disrespected by Mr. Carter I asked for a refund and he refused and he refused to refund me the difference if I ordered a different meal. This was my first time ordering there and it will be my LAST! read more

Pork sandwiches and beans were great but the chicken sandwich not so great. We didn't know it was a thigh and drumstick between to pieces of bread. The chicken sandwich was not something you can eat while driving. We give it another try when we come through the area. read more

Carter's Barbeque - Drive Thru - Barbeque Near Me - Mulberry, Florida

We ordered our food and waited 30 minutes for it. Once we got it, the chicken was cold, the collard greens tasted canned and the macaroni and cheese tasted like noodles with cheese sprinkled on top. While we were waiting I noticed the microwave being used a lot. I don't know what they were using it for. I really used to like this place and have great memories from it. Nothing last forever I guess. I would recommend people avoid it if you can. read more

Today we pulled through for a veggie plate on a whim. Four soul food veggies...so, so good!

Carter's BBQ & Soul Food is a grab 'n go "joint" in Mulberry, one of only 2 non-chains I found open on a Saturday night. There's no inside seating, you either walk-up or drive up. It was a happening place around 6 pm. The female taking my order was not friendly and of few words. I chose pulled pork and onion rings for $7. They didn't tell me they had a combo of sandwich, fries & drink for $7.16 which was disappointing. They asked if I wanted sauce on the pork. Drooling for a nice red vinegar BBQ sauce surprise, I said "sure". It came slathered in a Carolina style mustard sauce which I guess is their "thang". I'm not a mustard girl but ate it. It had a nice kick but was too overbearing for me. The pork was sorta "blah" no smoke flavor and tasted "old". Both the onion rings and the sandwich came too hot to eat at first. The onion rings were tasty but very greasy. The list of sides was long and southern--squash, okra, greens. Sweet potato pie slice was $2. Prices were fair. The place is very southern and soul foodesque, I can see how some enjoy it. But I am not jumping to go back, for taste or friendliness reasons. read more

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No issues ever here. Always nice and quick service. People complain about prices, but it's like that just about any restaurant you go to.

Bbq the way it should be. Sauce dropping from the bun, heat hot and no fat or grizzle. My go to for mustard based Bbq sauce and crinkle cut fries. read more

I have stopped at Carter's Barbeque a handful of times over the last few years. The Barbeque has always been tasty and the sides adequate. The restaurant caters to To-Go orders but there is some outdoor seating. On my most recent visit I had the Ribs with Macaroni & Cheese and Collard Greens. The Ribs were tender and meaty and served with a flavorful homemade mustard based BBQ sauce that complimented the meat perfectly. The sides were pretty standard. Overall, Carter's is a solid quality option for good barbeque. read more

Carter's Barbeque - Ribs with Macaroni & Cheese and Collard Greens - Barbeque Near Me - Mulberry, Florida

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" read more

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Love this little place! Great food, Love the carolina mustard bbq sauce on this great pulled pork sandwich. This is the best BBQ place I have been to in Florida. The staff is very friendly and got my food fast. They do accept debit cards. Make sure to grab a bottle of their BBQ sauce to take home! read more

Carter's Barbeque - Barbeque Near Me - Mulberry, Florida

I have never written a review before, but I had to write one with this. First of all, we ordered online and we ended up waiting about 40 mins to get our food because it usually takes big orders some time. However, when he arrived 20 mins after that (an hour after we ordered) he was told the food would be 20 mins AFTER we had paid over $50! Then, the food was tasteless and horrible. We have been trying to support small businesses during this pandemic, but no. Never again. Nothing was good and we all had different dinners and different sides. read more

So glad to see that Carter's is still around! Used to stop there all the time 20 years ago when I was traveling between West Palm Beach and Tampa back-and-forth to USF.. Always picked up a sandwich to eat then, and one to take back to West Palm, or vice versa to Tampa.. The gentleman that ran it at the time was very friendly, the hot barbecue sauce was really spicy, I loved it! Highly recommend the pork sandwich or the beef sandwich.. Traveling to Tampa again soon, so excited that this will still be off of 60 on the way, definitely stopping! read more

Seamless online ordering, the food was hot and tasty and their game is tight! Employees are very nice and polite. Highly recommend.

Great walk up bbq place. Would recommend to anyone. The fried okra was on point as was the pork and fries.

Ordered a slab of ribs for pickup. Not impressed at all. I can't believe this place can't do ribs better than Sonny's. Highly disappointed this time. Dry, tough ribs and cut with a dull knife that more shredded them than cut them. Not what I expected from a popular BBQ restaurant. I'm sure i'll try them again but if this happens again, I won't be back. **EDIT**: I paid $24 for a whole rack of ribs and wasn't even given a whole rack. I definitely won't be back. read more

Don't do it, don't do it, don't do it. I always try to support small (especially minority) businesses but next time I will gladly go to Sonnys. The workers are rude and the food is subpar. If you are going to act as if you are doing me a favor at least let the end product be worth the disrespect. Ummmm no! If I could give them a zero star I would. Not sure how they have decent ratings - maybe they have new staff and cooks. But for sure if you are thinking about going - keep onnnnn driving. read more

This is one of my favorite bbq restaurants in Florida. The bbq is great with the mustard based sauce. The ribs are tender, and the corn bites are piping hot. I enjoy the bbq chicken wings also. They have a huge menu and I always say I'm going to try the Turkey wings or something else, but I have to have the ribs, corn and bbq chicken whenever I go! One day... read more

If you're looking for some phenomenal barbecue, Carter's is the place to go. Service was absolutely exceptional, there a meatloaf is hands down the best I've ever tried. Kids got chicken nuggets and fries my daughter states, they were on point. Carter's is a must try. read more

For openers, if you believe the best barbecue is usually found in the worst part of town in a place with bars on the windows and just enough grease on the tables to write your initials, then this isn't it. If you think you might be able to find some pretty good 'cue on the main drag in a small Florida town that you could have just as easily passed without noticing, then Carter's Bar-B-Cue in Mulberry is worth the stop. Looking for an air conditioned dining room? Keep looking. Carter's is an order at the window, gobble your food at a picnic table outside and then (this is great) there's a bend over to wash your hands water faucet on your way back to the parking lot. And by the way, the drive through (is there a restaurant in America that doesn't have a drive-through anymore?) goes right through the meet and eat area - keep an eye out. Enough to about the ambiance. Carter's serves some some pretty good ribs and pulled pork, and some very different sauce. A thick Carolina mustard sauce with something that adds almost too much sweetness. Surprisingly very good on the ribs, not nearly as excited about on the pulled pork sandwich. The man behind the counter, a friendly sort, explained that he couldn't discuss the secret ingredients, but we could buy it at the Piggly Wiggly. As someone who has spent a lifetime in search of the perfect barbecue (read 90+ reviews on Yelp), Carter's isn't it... but it is good if you stick to the ribs, chicken (good flavor and moist) and the pulled pork if you can get them to go lighter on the sauce. Insofar as sides, the made from scratch Mac-n-cheese is pretty darn good. The French fries are neither, ditto the beans, the collards had a nice flavor. For a small place in a small town, they have a too large menu for a barbecue joint. Turkey wings? Why? Ditto fried pork chops, and never mind liver and onions - which I really do mind and clutter up the menu. One unique item that we did not try, chitterlings. Maybe next time. Bottom line, the Brown Shoe Gourmet found Carter's by accident but the unexpected stop provided some hungry folks with some pretty good barbecue. Three stars and don't forget to wash your hands before you leave the picnic area. read more

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. read more

This is one of the better BBQ places in the area, though there aren't too many to compare.I try to avoid the chain establishments, so Carters was a welcoming find. The ribs, pulled pork, chopped chicken and sides are all very good...not the best i've ever had, but very consistent. I have visited 3 times now and a 4th visit might bring my review to 5 stars. Love the collard greens! read more

Initially the food was great. I work near by so this place was my choice over the nearby McDonalds, Subway or Hardee's. The meals are slightly higher then other BBQ spots but once I found out It was black owned I preferred to spend my money at this BBQ spot, over the other local choice (smokin joes). But after placing a order online to pick up and to not have my food made until I arrived that was strike one. The employee's excuse was "oh this is a new system" so I guess they forgot to check the "new system" to see if anyone left a order. None the less I over looked that and returned to the restaurant. So a week or 2 later I placed a order for me and my co-worker (over the phone) for 2 orders of 12 wings and 2 orders of fries. Which I told the person over the phone I know the wings come in 6 per-order he said ok. I knew I would be paying for 4 orders of wings in total. I knew I could do that because that's all I've ordered in the past was 2 orders or wings and fries. But this time I wanted 4 orders of wing. This was pretty early in the day so it didn't dawn on me that they wouldn't have enough wings. So once we arrived at the drive through the person that worked the drive through said "I only have 2 orders of 6". I said "What? Whoever I spoke to over the phone said ok and it would be ready in 15 mins."So he rudely said "Mam all we have is 12!" I then say "well why didn't you say that over the phone?" His response was "I thought I did." I then refuse to continue to argue with this man in the drive thru. " then he rudely said "YOU GOOD!?" I then paid for my food an left. Long story short the customer service here is horrible. Another case of wanting to support a black business failed. I will not give them another dime of my money and I will go back to giving my money to smokin joes. The food could be really good but if the customer service is horrible it's not worth it to me. read more

Made an order online, went to pick up my order 30 minutes later. I was advised they had no order for me. The manager seemed to be angry with me. This was the second incident incident and will be the last. Good customer service is what makes a company successful. read more

Stopped on the way home from Bok Tower and bought a 2 meat dinner. The meat does not taste like BBQ actually it tasted like nothing . After a couple of bites we decided it was totally unpalatable. We won't stop there again. read more

I just noticed this place as I was looking for something decent to eat. This place looks like one of those hidden secrets that you either know about or you don't. I will say that the sauce is great here on the chopped beef sandwich but microwaving the food to heat especially when there's bread involved....completely off putting and the bread becomes hard from the microwave. The food is above fast food but don't know that I would go out of my way to come here again. read more

Carter's Barbeque - Menus is large and plenty of options - Barbeque Near Me - Mulberry, Florida

We enjoy the food from here. We love the Carolina mustard sauce and crinkle cut fries. Another location just opened in Lake Wales. So happy for this owner and anyone who eats here found the best bbq! Going for takeaway today...yumm read more

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. read more