The food is a little pricey but it's worth it for the spot! We tried alligator and we also seen one!

It's closed now due to hurricane but good smoked barbecue food. Outside eating on the myaka river where you may see alligators. Or dine indoors read more

This place was great! Live music all day. We grabbed some appetizers and drinks. Everyone was very friendly working here. Recommend the fried pickles! The only reason I marked it down was that people can smoke pretty much everywhere, which really is a bummer. We moved places a few times to get away from the smokers but eventually had to settle and just put up with it. read more

Snook Haven - Barbeque Near Me - Venice, Florida

The ambience is nice and the food is decent. I love the location and they have local beers on tap. The BBQ and lunches are pretty good and prices are normal. I would go 3 1/2 on this, but that's not an option. The tilapia, garlic bread, and side of potatoes were good, but corn on the cob was not. The Shrimp po boy and veggie wrap were also good. read more

A real old Florida type of place, the food is good and very reasonably priced. Their live music fits in and is always enjoyable. A great place to bring your visitors from the north. read more

The brisket was vile. Not sure if Florida bbq is a thing, it if it is I'd guess from the food that note boils more than smoked. The brisket had no bark and barely any kind of smoke ring. They served ranch with my daughter's fish and everything was in desperate need of salt. read more

Out in the woods but had a pleasant lunch after our Myakka River cruise. Sitting outside the flies can be a problem but inside is fine. Connected to Fins in Venice so the food is good. read more

I recently visited Snook Haven on a weekday afternoon. This was the first time I had ever been. It seemed quiet and not too busy. I had the shrimp po boy and tried some fried green tomatoes. The sauce was same on both shrimp and tomatoes. Nice and not very spicy. The breading on the tomatoes is very thick. It's different from any I'd ever had. The view is really peaceful here. read more

See all

Super cute place on the water and really that's the only thing that I enjoyed.... Almost $70 for lunch for 3, with an appetizer and soda/water. Which if it was great, wouldn't have been an issue. The ribs were the best part, and they were only ok. Well, at least the atmosphere was pretty cool! read more

Great atmosphere! Outdoor beside the river. If you like BBQ this is the place to go. Great craft beer too!

After you drive down the bump filled road you come upon an old style Florida fish house.Food was good prices even better would go again.

Wow. Probably the worst barbecue we've ever had the misfortune to choke down served in an atmosphere of dilapidation, biting insects and dust. There are FAR FAR BETTER barbecue places in the North Port area! Inside waitstaff was variable in their service. One waitress had a particularly negative attitude. Not sure why; we never complained, commented or asked anything of her. We know that some people just don't like their jobs. Or maybe she was having a bad day. Whatever. First rule for getting good tips is to avoid taking it out on your customers. As for specifics on our meals, while the portions were large, the ribs and brisket were all dry, sweet corn was puckered & starchy, chips were tough and nearly everything was so salty we both ended up with headaches that lasted several painful hours after eating. The best parts of our meals were the garlic bread and coleslaw. Definitely not worth what we paid in terms of money, effort to get there, discomfort swatting away flies and bees throughout our meals and the persistent headaches afterward. And guess what? We won't be back! For good barbecue we'll go back to Beno's or Gold Rush, neither of which are perfect, but much better than this place in every possible way. read more

Cool location, food was just OK, as was the service. The ambiance of the place is its selling point. Old school Florida.

Best chow around. The ribs are the best! Atmosphere of Old Florida! Easy to find with great service

I love the location and it is unique, try the kayak rentals for a fun afternoon on the river (it can get very hot). I would limit my visit to a beer at the outdoor tables as the food is very average and small in portions. The ribs here used to be great years ago but I can't say that for now. The side orders are very greasy but older folks seem to like salty and greasy Nothing special here, it can get hot with indoor dining. Staff is great and parking not a problem. I found the food to be expensive for what you get and the price keeps going up each year. Stop by for a beer and enjoy the location but for me this is not a dinner location read more

Ordered for take out 10 minutes before closing. It was ready on time so took it home and unfortunately it was burned terribly. Called the next day and talked to the manager Ralph. He said to come back and that he would personally refill my order - and he did! As usual, it was terrific! Thanks Ralph! BTW we eat here frequently and this was the first time we had a problem. read more

I had the fish & chips, delicious. Staff was hometown friendly, a fun experience of "old Florida" bring you out of town family/friends.

Wonderful fish and chips great barbecue people are friendly and it's just a fun place to take a guess when they come to town it's so pretty right on the river it's a must see! read more

So disappointed. We've been coming to this area for 5 years and always look forward to eating here. They have the most incredible buttered parsley potatoes, which is what draws me there. I was surprised to see they're no longer on the menu. My wife loved their Cheesy River bread, which has also disappeared from menu. The food we had was good but there are lots of good restaurants in this area, so I'll likely not go back here. If you do, EAT INSIDE or in the screened in area. We spent our 90 minutes there battling relentless flies. I just think if a place has a popular item, something that no other place around has, why get rid of it? read more

Good food, good service, good atmosphere. We'll have to try one of their gator tours sometime!

I have wanted to take my girlfriend to snook haven for along time . She had a strong affinity for nature . She enjoyed the beautiful native flora and fauna around the river. In the restaurant we had some of the best chicken wings in the area . A recommendation from are excellent server Angie ! Don't use the sauces , homemade blue cheese was the perfect complement to the smokiness of the wings read more

Snook Haven - Barbeque Near Me - Venice, Florida

See all

Some places need to be experienced to know if you like them. Snook Haven is one of those places. It sits canopied under the shade of huge oaks on the bank of the Myakka River, on the edge of Myakka River State Park. The place reminds me of the place that they had the banjo duel in Deliverance and a beach bar. They offer a variety of beers & some wine as well as live music at times and a large outdoor self-serve dining area, as well as an indoor A/C, table service dining room. The food is good and about the same price as most unique-type restaurants. There's a boat tour that runs from the dock during the winter season, reservations required. A banjo society meets there Thursday mornings October to May according to the poster. read more

Ate lunch at Snook Haven today . I ordered a cheeseburger since I did not see a hamburger on menu. Was ok - chips awful . Bill had an extra dollar charge on it for the cheese . Strange .... I thought food was same as Sharkies , but not as good . Bev read more

I have been all over the country in great BBQ areas... Memphis, Texas(Dallas, Houston, San Antonio), Carolina, St. Lewis and my own BBQ. this place does it right! live music, old Florida feel, Spanish moss on the trees, great beer list, friendly service, and really good BBQ. when in the area do yourself a favor...go! read more

We have been driving by here for 10 years on our visits to BG and wanting to stop but never a good time. Finally had the opportunity and boy have we been missing a great hidden spot! Two things... bbq sauce and smoked chicken wings! That's all you need... truly the best I have ever had on my quest to eat bbq. Thank goodness they serve homemade chips, so I could keep tasting the sauce :) I think I love the spicy whiskey the best... but a close tie between the four! Service was super friendly too. read more

Snook Haven - What sauce do I like best.... so hard to choose!!! - Barbeque Near Me - Venice, Florida

My wife and I love Snook Haven. It's off the beaten path and definitely has that Old World Florida feel. It's only three miles from our new home and we've had difficulty limiting ourselves to going there only once weekly. Our family came down recently and our 7-year-old grandson insisted one going there three times. The fish is fabulous but the brisket, pulled pork, and steak combo platter is to die for. Fun atmosphere and we always enjoy ourselves. read more

I've been to snook haven twice now and I never had bad food. They are mainly known for their smoked bbq dishes and their cold beer. I didn't have any complaints with the food or the staff be(they were super nice and fast pasted). I would say that snook haven has a very friendly atmosphere with live music and everyone being nice but I wouldn't recommend it to younger person. They definitely cater to the older crowd. They have nice docks that go right out onto the Myakka River, and do offer a place to dock a boat if that's your way of transportation. read more

Stopped for lunch after arriving on vacation. True Florida charm. Great atmosphere. Counter and table service availability. Live music by the Monroe's upright base and guitar duo. Shrimp poor boy was the best fried shrimp with six large fried shrimp and toppings. Plenty of barbecue selections. Place sat back off the road at a fish camp. read more

Can't believe this hidden gem is just a few minutes off I75! The food was excellent but the atmosphere sold it for us. Tons of outdoor seating, relaxed vibe, good beer, & a view of the water where some gators reside. The BBQ pork nachos were my favorite thing but we enjoyed it all. Great service too! If I'm back in Venice, I won't miss this spot! read more

Southern Florida on the river. Awesome catfish and smoked meats. This visit include River Bread for the first time... And it was delicious! read more

Snook Haven - River Bread with pork - Barbeque Near Me - Venice, Florida

See all

Great little place, this is old Florida to us. The atmosphere sets you back 50 years of eating outside under the huge oak trees with cypress moss on them, great band and great food!! Definitely will be returning for dinner with all the lights throughout the trees.. read more

A half mile down a dirt road just outside of Venice is the Snook Haven, a fish camp straight out of the 1940's which features indoor and outdoor dining, boat tours, and live music. This is truly Old Florida, and it was even used for filming an old Tarzan movie back in the day. They have a small stage outdoors and the food is a bit better than ok, being mostly burgers and sandwiches, although they do have some salads and seafood as well. If you're sick and tired of Florida strip malls and chain eateries, this place will make your day (or night.) read more

After 20 years of knowing Snook Haven existed, we finally visited on a recent afternoon before the sweltering sun of summer arrives. There are some attractions for out of town visitors; canoe rentals, boat rides etc. This was an "old" Florida river stop that was used to import liquor during prohibition, and is located on the scenic Myakka River. Not very much has changed and that's its charm. We strictly came for lunch but were actually flabbergasted to find out that Wednesday afternoon is Dulcimer band day. I'm not sure if I was more surprised by what a Dulcimer looked and sounded like, or the fact that they could find four people in the same county that could play the Dulcimer. Nonetheless the seats around the Dulcimer concert were "reserved" and we were thankfully moved to a rear area were the lilting music was a distant sound. This place features reasonable prices and pretty good food. Everybody at our table was pleased; the burger was served exactly as ordered ($7.75) and included lettuce, tomato etc, a few had homemade chili topped ($4.75) with cheese and small side salads ($3.95), a Jumbo Hot Dog ($4.00), a fish and chips ($12.95) and the "smoked 18 hour" pulled pork ($7.95) sandwich. All sandwiches came with homemade Myakka Chips. You can add French fries (or sweet potato fries) and Cole slaw to any sandwich for an additional $2.25. The chips were good and ample and really didn't need any additions. The food was surprisingly good as was our waitress who checked back often for drink refills. We took a brief stroll and posed for a few goofy "stick your face through a board and have alligator body" pictures, and stood next to their sign that says "Snook Haven, with the Coolest People on Earth!" Wow, they really have a good self image. Now if I could just stop humming that Dulcimer version of "Proud Mary." read more

Ribs very good Brisket & spicy slaw tasty. Fried pickles delicious. Orders came out very fast.

Overpriced bar food and service with an attitude. Went in planning on having dinner for 5, but the waitress's condescending demeanor had us downgrade to apps only. Pulled pork nachos were soggy, with a weird flavor profile. Fried green tomatoes were fresh out of the freezer case at Publix. You can definitely tell this place has been taken over by the owners of Sharky's. And that is not a compliment. read more

Go on Sunday afternoon before 1pm or you'll need to park at the entrance a mile away & wait for their shuttle that comes about every half hour. The place rocks with their fun music outside. Everyone sits on the picnic tables outside to either listen, dance, on the dirt patio, or have a brew & sandwich. I recommend the pulled pork sandwich served with their chips for $7.95. Burgers are good too. There is also nice inside casual seating where it's air conditioned. Great fish fries on Fridays. Lots of cycles come on Sun., but are never out of hand. Located on the Myakka River. Can take a chartered boat tour from there. Do not swim or feed the alligators. They are not logs just floating in the river.... read more

We are local to the Sarasota area but had never been to Snook Haven. Followed the gps which led us down a 1 mile dirt road. Pretty bumpy but beautiful. The restaurant itself is a hodgepodge of seating: outdoor picnic tables/order at counter; table service inside, outside and screened porch. All right on the Myakka River. We had ribs, pulled pork, turkey, fried pickles and a salad. Food was EXCELLENT. Counter and table service was OUTSTANDING. 4 types of homemade bbq sauce. All very good. About 10 beers on tap. All brewery beer; no bud light (on tap) which is pretty amazing in this neck of the woods. About another 25 beers in cans and bottles. Awesome selection. Kids played on the playground. Bathrooms were clean. We will definitely be back! read more

Good food. Awful access road. I mean awful, as in go early enough that you'll be able to see all the potholes and craters in the dirt road on your way out. read more

No si great food. Place doesn't look or feel clean. You need a tank to reach restaurant, the road is horrible to drive on.

Absolutely no order to this place. We we're six people looking to sit outdoors. While the "hostess" was showing us the table two assholes sit down at our table. This place is for the red neck set. However, we sat at a table inside away from the smokers (the cancer set) and things started to look up. Alligator bites, fried okra and cheese bread for starters. A salmon diner, shrimp Po boys, pork tacos and a couple of kids meals. Everything was delicious. But please, get the seating fixed. read more