Great service and place was clean which is always good at a BBQ joint during Covid. You don't want a sticky mess on the tables and condiments. We started out with cold beers. When you request a cold glass keep in mind it's a Mason jar. My boyfriend has a thing about drinking out of them. He won't! Something about stuff getting not cleaned properly in the ridges. Oh well, I digress! I ordered the brisket sandwich and swapped the bun for a piece of cornbread and chose mashed potatoes and gravy for my side. The brisket is super tender and needs the bbq sauce. I started with the sweet sauce but halfway through added the spicy one. It was delicious! All sauces are made in house. The cornbread was yummy but I was disappointed in the mashed potatoes. Boring! My boyfriend got the baked potato with pulled pork. Again super tender meat but you need to add sauce and then it's super good. He enjoyed his meal and added cucumber salad which he enjoyed too. It was a great find for us for lunch and we definitely recommend it. read more

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Didn't know about the food. Or service? Ambiance was bland. Went in and said there for 10 minutes, nobody can't out to greet us. Saw no workers. Turned around and left. Maybe we will try again. read more

Take out. Longer wait than expected but I realize it is the busy season. Half rack was ok and sides ( they forgot my salad). Brisket was ok. read more

We can't believe how good the food was!! We had a party of 5 and everyone loved their meal. Piggyback outstanding along with the popular and utterly delicious chicken dumpling soup.. I had the chicken and waffles... moist crispy and the waffles were incredible. Brisket was melt in your mouth and the Cajun mac&cheese was a big hit along with the chicken livers!! Banana pudding was perfect... we all took that home with us. Joel made me tired watching him running around like speedy Gonzales... what a great server. This was our first visit and if you leave without any of the above.. your loss oh and the cornbread was wonderful!!!!!! Go to this restaurant!!!!! read more

First time there. Very, very good bbq and service. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Clean inside.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Quick service. Gavin was amazing and very nice. Will be back! read more

i wanted to try the pork rinds and fried green tomatoes. the portions were huge and the food was great. loved the chicken and dumplings too. all fantastic. lots and lots of leftovers. friendly service. read more

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Really tasty pulled pork and large portion. Only serve spare ribs, no baby backs was the only thing I did not like about Darrell's. Chicken and dumplings was very bland. I will be back to try more of the menu next time I'm looking for some bbq. read more

Outstanding food and service. Highly recommend the brisket. Barbecue with all the proper sides.

We usually go to another close by BBQ place but popped into Darrell's and we are in love with this place. The food is excellent and the service even better! We have had on our recent visits the pig wings which are small pork shanks cooked to perfection...slightly crunchy, moist and tender meat with dipping sauce along with a salad too which was just right. We've had the pulled pork which was piled high and perfect and the beef brisket was a mound of slices (not a pile of shredded leftovers). Sides and cornbread all delicious and plenty of refills on our drinks. We will be regulars here. Casual atmosphere, reasonably priced for excellent quality and impeccable service. If you like BBQ do not miss this gem! read more

Loove the food here. Very popular place for good reason. Good ol' down home cookin'. Yee haw

This hands down was the best Barbecue food we've ever had! Dawn, our waitress is the sweetest and so fun to talk to! The food was so incredible and so full of flavor! Can't wait to go back!!!! read more

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Had dinner at Darrell's on Saturday night food was great Very friendly staff . Madison was our bartender/server she was great, funny and friendly. It felt like we were family. Thanks Madison we will be back read more

Met up with some friends here for dinner & wow it was pretty dang good. My chicken was a little dry but it did have decent flavor. The best though was the banana pudding . Overall it's a good spot but it isn't mind blowing. read more

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Good food. Reasonable prices. Little cafeteria style but I certainly will be back For some reason we always forget about it - I think it is the location. See you in December read more

omg! What a delicious meal! We were passing thru after spending a few minutes at the beach and happened to pass this place. What a happy choice! The Meals were spectacular and the hospitality from Gavin (Server) and Darrell (owner of establishment and Gavins's dad) was exceptional! Highly recommend this southern eatery! Prices are great and portions plentiful! Don't miss a chance to stop here! read more

Darrell's Restaurant - Yum!!! - Southern Near Me - Venice, Florida

The food was good and the interior is new and fresh. Our order was not right but they drove a new one to our house.

I dined today at Darrell's restaurant for dinner. I ordered the half rack of ribs, a sweet potato and broccoli. The ribs were fine and fairly meaty. The broccoli was way overcooked and soggy and the sweet potato was somewhat parched. The waitress was excellent and came back and checked on us and was timely on getting us strength and water. I just felt the food there was very mediocre something like we had had been in my refrigerator for two days and not fresh at all. I like to go out for quality food and not necessarily quantity. Much improvement could be made on their vegetables and side dishes. read more

Absolutely the best mac and cheese ever. Big perfectly cooked shrimp. Side cornbread fresh and delicious!

Was really really good.. Had the half chicken with a side of fresh okra and collard greens.. My wife had the Ceasars salad.. Which is huge. Along with a cup of the chicken and dumplings.. Made fresh in house every day. Happy hour beer special is awesome! 1.50 for a pint! Wait staff was super nice and attentive. Now to why a 4 star.. When you are paying for smoked meat you are looking for quality and quantity at that price. Neither lived up to that. The dark meat was good and flavorful but the white meat was super dry. They must use baby chickens.. Size was pretty small for a half chicken. They pulled it too late off the smoker. Would i go back? Absolutely.. They have a lot going for them and are doing a great job. read more

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Serviced was excellent and attentive. Chicken dumpling soup was very tasty. Brisket and pulled pork were moist. BBQ sauce, corn bread was spot on. Cucumber salad and coleslaw were flavorful. Very clean and effectively run establishment. read more

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This was our first time here, so darn good!! Cute relaxing and down home feel, customer service is awesome, Gavin, our server was just a great guy all around. Servers were very friendly. The food was delicious, greens, black eyed peas, cucumber salad, crab cakes, brisket and pulled pork, not salty.. amazing flavor. Mac n cheese very hearty and delicious. So glad we stopped, you will not be disappointed. They have something for everyone. Philly loves Darrell's! read more

Love the barbecue and casual ambience. Please try the key lime pie in a glass jar. Of course, the food is great...

[[HIGHLIGHT]]We enjoy Darrell's Relaxed atmosphere.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] My wife and I, especially enjoy their Chicken Liver Plate. I, really enjoy their Cat Fish, primarily Seared. We both enjoy their Fried Okra. GREAT FOOD, GREAT SERVICE, EXCELLENT PRICES. read more

Great food! Good service and family-oriented restaurant. BBQ at its best!! On the island in Venice! read more

Delicious food and the servers are very friendly and welcoming Fried chicken is great! read more

As I came back to Venice to visit I was searching for a great barbecue place to eat and a couple came up but this one stuck out so I had to try it. This must be a new place because it wasn't here a few years ago also it's right off the Tamiami Trail with lots of parking. This restaurant definitely has the southern feel when you walk in with lots of tables for dining. I was pretty impressed with the menu it has a lot to pick from but I had to try the ribs, mac and cheese, collard greens and cornbread for the first test and it was absolutely amazing. The service was great and the prices are pretty reasonable and the next time you're in Venice Florida do you want some barbecue this is definitely the place to be read more

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Great staff, wonderful food! Their chicken & dumplin soup is rich & creamy, personally, I really like their chicken livers, it's a huge portion! I don't think you can go wrong with anything there. I'm a southern girl & adore their sweet tea read more

Good brisket and pulled pork. Pass on the ribs. Fatty, no smoke ring nor flavor. No atmosphere but attentive service.

Best meal we had on our vacation this week! Great service and food recommendations from our server Emmy. I'd like to highlight the Mac and cheese, probably the BEST I've had at a bbq joint. Saucy, rich and creamy. Other items we liked included smoked wings, fried mushrooms, chicken fingers, sliced brisket, pulled pork on top of Mac and cheese. Oh and we also tried the banana pudding which was to die for. read more

We were greeted when we walked in. Gina was our waitress. My husband had the blackened fish, mashed potatoes, black eyed peas with cornbread and he loved it. I had the crab cakes, fried green tomatoes, baked potato, coleslaw, and cornbread. We will be returning! read more

Darrell's Restaurant - Crab cakes sitting on top of fried green tomatoes, baked potato, coleslaw and cornbread - Southern Near Me - Venice, Florida

Found Darrell's on yelp. It was a few blocks away and we were hunger. First, cute place, good theming. Service was outstanding, really good. The portions were generous. Almost everything was really good. Why the 4 stars, well, I am a rib guy. I ran a BBQ competition in California. I know good BBQ. I don't expect that quality, but I am a hard judge. The ribs were a little tough, and the first rib was cold and very bland. The rest of the half rack was good, not great. The sauce, however, was as good as I have had at a BBQ joint. I would buy that sauce and pretend it was mine at home to show off, it was that good. The ribs special came with bacon wrapped shrimp. My wife wanted one. I wasn't really up for sharing, they were really good, so I gave her half. She is lucky that I did. The dill pickle spears were a hit, we got two orders. If I was in Venice, I would absolutely eat there again. On a side note, I hate complaining. My family was hangry after a day at the beach. They were complaining, I wasn't very happy with them when we sat down at our table. The waitress rolled with me growling at them to sit-down and eat. Darrell's is fun, good, and a great value. Go to Darrell's. read more

Darrell's Restaurant - specials - Southern Near Me - Venice, Florida

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Excellent barbecue. The pulled pork and brisket are outstanding. Service is always friendly and fast. Haven't had a bad meal here.

I enjoyed this place so much, I brought family back a few weeks later when we came back to Venice. Service can be a bit slow sometimes but the food is very tasty and the portions are generous. I had chicken and waffles both times I went because it was so good the first time, but I sampled my tablemates' food including chicken fried steak, mac and cheese and pulled pork, and everything was delicious. The cornbread is particularly yummy. It's sweet but very light. I saved mine for breakfast the next day. Prices are reasonable and you won't leave hungry. The parking lot is small and tight, especially if you have a large vehicle. We parked behind in a lot one time and walked over. It's also very easy to miss the driveway, so pay close attention. read more

Darrell's Restaurant - Chicken and waffles, coleslaw, fried green beans, chicken fried steak, collard greens, cornbread - Southern Near Me - Venice, Florida

Great BBq, what else do your want? It was a nice place to sit with family and dine a while. Njoy

Great food! Wonderful atmosphere!! Staff is great!! We love this place on Friday nights. Great family environment! read more

Not sure how it got 4.5 stars. We tried the Hungry Heifer platter, thought it would be a good sampling and variety. It was a big plate of mush. Looked like everything came directly from a steam table. Soggy. If they have a smoker here, this meat was taken off of it a long time ago. Won't be back. If BBQ is your thing, make it taste like BBQ and not steamed meat. St Louis ribs were tough. Brisket was very fatty. Chicken we never even tried because the presentation on the plate was yuck. Step up your BBQ game. read more

My boyfriend and I frequent here for the wings!! They are amazing and all of the service staff is so kind! We love everything we have had from Darrell's but the wings most definitely stand out! read more

Family of 6 was a Little busy waitress we're running, overall food was good typical smoke ribs, chicken etc. bbq place. Pork rind appetizer was really good hot fresh.Plus sweet tea was really good.Everyone was very friendly and professional.Would visit again. read more

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good bar b que. spot. It's always good. Last night we went and I was surprised how many kids were there on a school night. They were not the kind of kids you would want to eat with. Spoiled my eating experience which was what I was looking forward to without kids being unruly. read more

I had the Down the Keys Mac & Cheese and it was so creamy, packed with big chunks of crawfish, shrimp so large I had to cut it in half just to eat it. I thought it would be too spicy but it was seasoned beautifully. I got the full size and it is enough for 2 big servings. I swear I'd cross state lines just to eat this. I left a message for the owner that it was so delicious. read more

Darrell's Restaurant - Down the Keys Mac & Cheese, full size. - Southern Near Me - Venice, Florida