Best ribs and a true Old Florida river experience. We all love this place. If you go there, you will not be let down. read more

This place is out of the way and off the beaten trail. It's a really nice ambient environment out in the middle of nature and by the water. The service was pretty good and the food was decent. Next time I'll have to try riding on the pontoon boat tour. I did not like their gator bites... and I love gator tail. read more

Afternoon lunch in March. 2 musicians on their 90s. Good bbq and old FL ambiance. My granddaughters (in their 29s) enjoyed it.

This is probably a good place to come just for beer and listening to music but the food wasn't all that. Probably should have taken our "lizard" bites...I mean gator bites back up and have them give us new order because they were all dough. Couldnt tell that there was any gator meat . There were 3 bites and I small quarter size fried batter with nothing in it for $10.50. Then the fried pickles...They were ok but the batter did not stay on the pickles, so in reality, we were just eating hot pickles. 2 cans of beer with those two appetizers were $29. They automatically add 10% on to your counter top order. They were out of anything that had to do with salads that were on their menu. Was looking forward to trying the pulled chicken or pork on the salads. Your probably ok sticking to anything bbq because the apps we got were not "appetizing" at all. The old Florida feel setting is what your paying for. The music and view is great. It is Florida, so be prepared for the bugs. Lots of flies and red ants. We will be back I'm sure to try their BBQ and hopefully they will have salads next time, if someone doesn't forget to reorder supplies. read more

Snook Haven - The view is great - Barbeque Near Me - Venice, Florida

One of our favorites. Great Location, Great Service, Great Food. We frequent for our Date Nights.

My husband and I were in the area. A relative lives in the area and suggested we go to this place for lunch. There was outdoor live music. We split a Carolina Pulled Pork sandwich and a Brisket and Spicy Slaw sandwich. They both tasted great. I especially liked the Carolina mustard sauce. We washed them down with two local beers which we greatly enjoyed. An enjoyable lunch. Next time we are in the area we will definitely stop by. read more

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Great old time florida vibe. Great views and fun entertainment. Food is decent, employees are very friendly and accommodating.

Ordered pork nachos. The server brought chicken nachos. Instead of correcting the issue, we were told we had to go back and get in line again. Won't be back. read more

Wow this is a unique and beautiful rustic place. They serve good barbecue as per my friend who took me there, but I can't talk about that because I just went there for a few pitchers of craft beer. The beer was great but the real experience was entering the place through a long dirt road covered with palms and jungle like fauna that made me feel like I was entering an episode of naked and afraid. This place is really incredible, when you finally arrive you enter this oasis. Shacks and a dock sit tucked into this beautiful spot where you can enjoy nature, and a really good beer. Grasshoppers, and alligators are common as well as other wildlife. This was an experience. read more

Snook Haven - The view from the deck. - Barbeque Near Me - Venice, Florida

Parents wanted to go here for my dad's birthday dinner. It is a pretty cool locale. Right on the Myakka River. It is set up for outdoor entertainment and patio seating. The menu itself, is bland. It seems to be more for a bar setting than casual dining. We sat outside in a section , that requires you to go inside and order your food. They give you a buzzer to locate you, when they bring your food. We got the 2 meat platter,(pulled pork and brisket). I though they were bland and dry. We also got grilled chicken salad, grilled fish. Cobb salad and hamburger. Server dropped half our appetizer in the ground, in the dirt. Didn't pick it up, didn't get us a replacement, just put the rest of the appetizer on the table and left. Didn't like them anyway, they weren't sliced into small chips, just lengthwise strips, fried. Overall, I think its overpriced and the food quality is below average. I wouldn't chose to return. read more

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Excellent food awesome service right on the river not necessarily over to dogs for any other very very well behaved dog food and drinks ring kayaks canoes awesome right on the river Nicole music shops drive awesome read more

Snook Haven - Reuben and Cat fish bites awesome - Barbeque Near Me - Venice, Florida

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Interesting little place with indoor & outdoor seating right on an inlet. We highly recommend their salads & bbq. All the salad dressings are homemade and the ribs, pulled pork & ribs are outstanding with a great selection of homemade bbq sauces. This place is tucked away in a state park and worth finding! read more

Snook Haven - Great decor - Barbeque Near Me - Venice, Florida

I was very disgusted about my food I ordered gator bites that were really chewy to chewy spent $15 for a gator bites. My wife it was pretty good but for six chicken wings $14 was just a little too much read more

Snook Haven - Barbeque Near Me - Venice, Florida

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I love this place, everything about it! Minutes off 75, down a dirt road, old school Florida police right on the Myakka River. Casual and friendly, good fried gator bites and fried catfish, wash it down with a local IPA out of Sarasota, good stuff! read more

Lunch yesterday was super. Decided on the fried shrimp platter. Tempura battered. super puffy and delicious. Mac n cheese was ehh. Coleslaw was great. Looking forward to stop back in two months. read more

Snook Haven - Baby Gator on the bank @ snook haven - Barbeque Near Me - Venice, Florida

The food is awesome - old florida vibe and service was exceptional- staff are all very friendly. A family atmosphere - it seems like everyone enjoys working together and at Snook Haven read more

Unique outdoor experience. Comparable to camping by the river except you get live music with it. Mac n cheese is perfecto!! You place your order at the window, find a seat and they bring your food to you. Good for families. Get there early if you want shaded seats. read more

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Our service was amazing! The Arnold Palmers were on point and free refills! The sweet potato wedges were great! The brisket wasn't fatty and the chicken was great too! A funky spot that is tucked back off the road and would come to again! Thank you! read more

Not going to lie, when my boyfriend decided to go to this place, I was a little nervous. However, I ended up loving it. The brisket we ordered was so soft you didn't even need teeth to eat it. The ribs we ordered were so delicious too. They have about 4 different sauces to pick from. While they all were tasty, my favorite was the original. The food was served quickly and was priced reasonably. Order a platter if you are unsure of what you want, it's not a ton of food but my significant other and I shared. If you sit outside you are by gator water. It makes the food only taste better. Snook Haven didn't disappoint! read more

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This was our second visit here and we're pretty happy with everything. The service was fast and friendly. Felt like we ordered most of the menu. Our favorites were the sweet potato wedges, brisket, and gator bites. My goodness those sweet potatoes were the perfect crispiness without being soaked in oil and burnt. Hush puppies were good, but get ready for a kick of heat. My husband liked the pulled pork, but I thought it was a bit bland. It's a unique spot and definitely worth a visit. read more

BUYER BEWARE.. Met friends Sunday to listen to the band and have a bite. We ordered a gator bite ($10.95 on the menu which was mostly breading couldn't find the gator) and 2 cokes. When I checked the receipt later it came to over $28. We were asked to contribute to the band by a server. We knew the band did not get these tips so didn't get sucked into that scam. What the hell is going on? This venue is owned by the county but run by a private group. SARASOTA COUNTY FL wake up and check the practices of this establishment. read more

Food was delicious, the service was amazing, and the location is too cool to miss. The ambiance is reminiscent of El Arroyo in Austin, for those that have been there. read more

Now under water, probably to flush out the vermin, lol. Cracker venue, food, ehh, beer ok, music fair. Dirt roads be prepared to wash your car when you leave. Lots of history if you're in to it. read more

The atmosphere was great. This place is really cool. The food was good but not great. You come here for the atmosphere.

Ok, let me start by saying this is an eclectic and out of the way divey place that very much feels like an old Florida fish camp/smokehouse. On arrival, the scene is appropriately set by over a half mile of dirt road (well graded) to enter the site. The road tunnels through oak and scrub, paralleling a section of the Myakka River. There's plenty of parking before you get to the restaurant.. on the left you park and walk the rest of the way. The camp also has a boat launch, a river tour boat, and on the walk in we passed an artist set up selling her works. It's a little touristy... actually perhaps a lot... but the authenticity of the location and structure conspire with its out of the way place to keep a total descent into tourist trap at bay. The smell of the smoker preparing smoked meats was the perfect sensory compliment to this place. I'm disappointed that there was no smoked fish, but perhaps that's seasonal. There is indoor and outdoor seating, and a screened dining area along the river side. There's also a band stand that featured an excellent classic rock group while we were there. From where we sat on the back porch, the sound level was just perfect to hear the music but also to be able to have a conversation. If we had not needed to drive back to Miami after lunch, it would have been nice to stay and enjoy the band for a while. The menu has various smoked meats (turkey, roast beef, pork), brisket, cat fish, shrimp, and chicken BBQ and burgers. The smoked roast beef sandwich I had was a special- and it was delicious. My wife had a pulled pork sandwich done in a Carolina style with a red slaw... it was also really good. They also make their own thick potato chips... tasty if a bit on the chewy side. Their beer selection on tap of craft beer from Florida and as far away as North Carolina provides a lot of variety. I had a nice brown ale. And, like any good dive with BBQ, they have a good selection of House BBQ sauce. I'm a bit picky about hot sauce, and wish they had a better choice, but at least they had one alternative to Tabasco. Overall, however, the food is secondary to the overall experience of the place. It probably helps that we didn't visit on a hot buggy summer day, but it was definitely a pleasure to step back into a little slice of Florida's former charm. Something to be said about a crooked rickety fish camp shack along a river under the oak and Sabal palms. This is what makes this place 5 stars for me. read more

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Very interesting place. We went here on the recommendation from a local. Enjoyed our meal and entertainment. We were there on St. Patrick's Day and it was packed. Nonetheless we got a nice table and had a good experience. Was surprised that they automatically add gratuity and then leave a line for additional tip. If you're not paying attention to the word "additional" (like someone in our party) you are likely to unknowingly add a second tip. read more

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What a cool hidden gem. I was down at Venice beach today and wanted to grab a night to eat after. Asked some locals (I was down from St. Pete) we were talking to where a cool spot was and they said to check out Snook Haven. A little out of the way but I think it was worth the drive. Definitely old Florida style. My mom and I both had the pulled pork platter with greens and slaw. I had a couple of local beers and she had a couple 'glasses' of wine'. The wine was served in plastic cups but this isn't some la-dee-da place. Food was great but the service we received was phenomenal. I believe our servers name was Carl but the entire wait staff was awesome. Home made BBQ sauces were really good. My mom ordered a dessert to go and our server wrote the heating instructions down for her for when she got home. Two lunches, four drinks and a dessert for about $60. I'm glad we found this place. read more

Such a great place to sit by the River and have decent bbq good local craft beers and listen to live music.

This was our first time here and I can guarantee it will not be the last. The outdoor deck is a nice place to sit and enjoy the view of the river. We were greeted with a smile and help your self to a table. The catfish, baked beans and potato salad was great best I have ever had. The same with the gator bites. My wife had the Texas brisket, collard greens and mac & cheese she loved everything. We will be back. Prices are fair for what you get. Thank you for the hospitality. read more

Only 3 not very meaty St Louis ribs for $18! Food was a rip off, but barbeque atmosphere on the river was good

Quite the place that is literally in the bush by the Myakka River. An old old Floridian fishing camp gallery. Quite busy & packed with Thursday afternoon bango players. Food & sauces were quite good. Some good southern swamp dining. read more

We stopped in on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. This veggie burger may have been the best and tastiest we have ever had. It was excellent! I tried to identify all the ingredients so I could recreate it at home...not sure that's possible. The beer was excellent as well, and made a perfect picture. read more

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We saw the reviews and crossed our fingers! The service was overall fine. People are friendly and definitely working hard. However, the food was made like Salt and seasoning do not exist! There's a previous review that said, "Tastes like boiled meat" and that was accurate. Have you ever had flavorless, lean, dried brisket? I can now say I have. From the brisket, to the pork, chicken, and ribs, nothing had flavor. I believe their goal is allow the flavor come through their sauces. However, the sauces are grocery store, plastic bottled level and or worse. The spicy BBQ sauces tasted like ketchup, and no heat. If you want good BBQ, I can reccomend some amazing places. If you want an atmosphere that's nice. Go check it out. read more

The food was good but I thought the portions were a bit small for the price. The drinks seem small also. The ambiance was a one of a kind old Florida. Very casual and quaint. Nice that there is music offered most days. That is fun. read more

Always a fun time at Snook Haven great bbq also fried catfish can't be beat. Then there's the great atmosphere band playing folks having fun. read more

Fun place with live music & good beer Shrimp tacos good. You place your order & it's brought out but done fairly quick

Depends on the person and their perception of bbq. Although the food was good, I have had better bbq in other places. However, not locally. Service was good. The ambience? Old Florida and by the Myakka River. Hard to beat! read more

Great place!!! The food is really good!! I love the bands and the service is great!!! The big booty brownie is to die for!!!!! Fun place to visit ... it's old Florida ! read more

Love Snook Haven. Staff is great! Food is very good! Like the atmosphere and the entertainment.

This was an "adventure dining" choice for lunch. Never been there before and never heard of the place. As we tried to drive down the road to the restaurant, we were waved into a parking lot on N River Rd. I was wondering what the heck this was all about. We got on a shuttle bus and rode down a dirt road to a jam packed outdoor dining area next to a few rough looking buildings. I wondered what the heck had I gotten us into. We were presented with a choice of outside self-serve dining, or inside full-serve. We opted for inside. It was first come-first served seating both jnside and out. We grabbed a table and started taking in the general mood of the place. We quickly realized this was a pretty cool spot, and everyone was having a great time. I felt pretty good about bringing everyone here. Suddenly, I'm a genius. We ordered a Cobb salad, salmon tacos, and a kielbasa sandwich. All were outstanding. I feel confident your food choice will be good, and it will be overshadowed by the experience of being here. Since it was Thursday, the banjo band was playing and the place was PACKED. Cool! The river boat tour was just pulling up to the dock, which added to the festive atmosphere. You really need to check this place out. Very fun, a great stafand good food. read more

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