Al’s Finger Licking Good Bar-B-Que

Some of the best BBQ I have ever had and the people are great as well. A must try when in Tampa.

Al’s Finger Licking Good Bar-​B-​Que is that combination of a classic Southern barbeque shack, with some down-​home Ybor City friendliness. You’ll find Al’s in a little shotgun-​style house, just south of 7^th Avenue in Ybor City. Al’s sits on Angel Oliva Sr. Street (also known as 18^th Street), and it’s just below the railroad tracks. You can park in the small lot behind Al’s, or in any of the nearby City lots and just walk over.
Follow your nose for the scent of smoked meats, and listen carefully for the crowing roosters. That’s when you know that you’ve found your way to Al’s. The big smoker sits right out front, and the rest of their catering vehicles are parked behind the house. The roosters are hiding under the front porch, or else walking along the streets. Yup, roosters in Ybor City. That’s how they roll.
Enter Al’s up the front steps onto the porch, or come in through the side door, and make your way to the counter. That’s where you’ll see the guys swinging the big knives, and chopping up the meats. You’ll find the menu on the wall, or there are smaller versions to be found on each table. Place your order at the counter, and then take a seat. Your food will be brought to you as soon as it is prepared.
On the menu, there are sandwiches made with smoked meats with sauce (no sides), full dinners served with your choices of two sides, meats only, sides only, and desserts. The meats include pork ribs, pulled pork, smoked sausage, chopped beef, dark chicken, white chicken, turkey breast, and turkey legs (Thursdays only). There are all sorts of combos so that you can mix and match to your heart’s content. The dinner meats are served without sauce, so that you can taste the meat and the smoky flavor. They have bottles of sweet, mild, and hot sauces available, and sauces to go as well.
The sides are all very classic Southern and homemade from scratch. They include black-​eyed peas, spicy collard greens, homemade Cole slaw, Southern-​style potato salad, baked beans, yellow rice & chicken, Mac ‘n Cheese (Fridays only), okra and tomatoes, and some outstanding homemade cornbread.
For the dessert fans, Al’s features homemade pecan pie, sweet potato pie, and an ever-​changing selection of OMG cakes.
The food is fantastic, and the staff is a lot of fun to chat with while you’re enjoying some excellent barbeque. They know their regulars by name, and even know their favorite orders. On the day that I was there, Trey would say Hi as people walked in the side door, and then pull out the smoked meat to be ready to chop up their food and serve their meal. He made up a lot of To-​Go orders.
Al’s is only open Weds — Thurs from 11:30 to 4:30pm, and Friday — Saturday from 11:30 to 9pm. The restaurant is available for meetings and private parties, and they do a brisk ‘on-​site with the smoker’ catering business. I liked Al’s a lot, and will be back the next time that I’m in Ybor City and looking for lunch.

Fast friendly service. Pulled pork that melts in your mouth. Sauce flavors just spicy and tangy enough to savor.

This restaurant is a great place to enjoy good BBQ! The ambience makes you feel as though you are in someone’s house for a cook-​out! I ordered the three meat plate: ribs, chicken and pulled pork. The ribs were simply amazing and the sauce only added to the flavor, pulled pork was my favorite thing on the menu and the chicken I could have gone without. All and all a great experience.

Delicious BBQ, no frills place with hearty portions. Ordered the ¼ rack of ribs which had 3 ribs including tips which was a lot of food. Go on Friday if you want the Mac and cheese side which was so good I ate it before my husband could take a picture. Wish it came with more!
Beans were sweet with a little secret spice, BBQ sauce was good too. Ribs definitely had a very authentic smoke taste, so if you don’t like the taste of camp food (who doesn’t?) then you would be better off with the chicken. I ordered a side of cornbread which was pretty dry… I prefer the super moist and sweet almost cupcake cornbread at Famous Dave’s.
Everything is served on disposable dishes, so it’s definitely not fancy, but if the food is good and at a good price, what more could you want?

Ordered the half-​chicken with collards and coleslaw. My friend got the ribs and they looked so good, I traded some chicken for one of his ribs. The chicken was great but the ribs were amazing. Fell off the bone. The collards were deliciously spicy.
Word of warning, know what you want when you get to the counter. Al is a hard charger and doesn’t mess around. Kind of a cool signature thing. His Uncle Frank was really nice and very accommodating. Will definitely put them in my rotation. BTW, it was fun to sit out on the porch and watch the chickens go at it.

One of my new favorite bbq around the Bay Area.
Clean place, great food.
1 slab can easily can feed 3 or even 4 people.
Service was great and good crew, made our experience very good.

Good food, good ambience, courteous staff and great bbq! We got a three meat platter with ribs, sausage and pork with mac n cheese (Friday’s only) and spicy collards. I love collards and theirs did not disappoint! Definitely will go back again.

Al’s is amazing. Had the triple play combo with pulled pork, ribs, and sausage with coleslaw, baked beans, and corn bread. It was the best bbq I’ve had in I don’t know how long. Huge portions and Al’s family were great. Deff worth the price for the quality and portions.

Al’s is located in ybor one block south of the busy 7^th ave. I’ve passed by it so many times in the past but never realized it was a BBQ restaurant because every time I passed it previously, they’ve been closed. Also, the building just looks like a regular residential home when its not opened and packed with customers. Last Friday, I made it to Al’s around 8pm and they close at 9pm. Unfortunately, since it was late in the day some of the food items I wanted to order were sold out. In the end, I ordered the sausage and ribs platter with collared greens and okra, The food was so amazing and the staff was very helpful and friendly. I will definitely be coming back very soon to try the other barbecue and side options.

We have been wanting to come to Al’s finger licking good barbecue for weeks if not months, but due to their hours of operation it was difficult for us to make it there with our schedule. Finally we got a chance today, Friday at 8 PM to come to Al’s and the food is delicious. They were sold out of macaroni and cheese and cornbread sides which was disappointing/​heartbreaking, so we will definitely have to come back next Friday for these two items. The ribs were amazing but the sausage was the best. The pulled pork was another star, the hot barbecue sauce is very spicy and I would highly recommend trying. Overall great experience, great food and great staff.

This is by far the best bbq place I’ve been to in. Probably ever. I’m not really a big fan of bbq, but the food at Als is amazing. There’s an adorably sweet old man that helps park if you plan on eating in. Ask him for what he recommends and you won’t be steered wrong.
It’s a small little building with maybe 5 – 6 big tables. It can be a bit loud when they’re chopping at the meats, but it is a bbq restaurant after all! The service was awesome and staff was really friendly. I got my drinks refilled more in the 30 minutes I was there then if I were in chain restaurant for 1.5 hours!
I ordered the pulled pork with yellow rice and Mac and cheese. Don’t let the look of the Mac and cheese fool you. It’s not creamy or saucy looking like you think regular mac and cheese is but its creamier then anything! The pulled pork was seasoned just right and once you put the bbq sauce on its heavenly. Not too sweet and not too tangy. To top the meal off I had some of the pecan pie and OMG cake. Honestly what i loved most about it was that it was not overly sweet. The cake was moist with a great frosting and the pecan pie had just the right amount of crunch. It’s definitely worth trying if you haven’t yet!

Actually 3.5 stars and for the record, this is the second time I’ve been here. The first time was a 4 star experience though, I had the ribs and pecan pie. This time I got the lunch special. It was a pulled pork sandwich with 1 side and a drink for $ 7.95. I chose the collard greens and added Mac n cheese since it was available (only Fridays) which came out to just under $ 11. The sandwich bun was just your basic tasteless sauce soaker and the pulled pork was not pulled at all. It was ultra diced and fairly dry. The collard greens were ok though not real tasty. Their ‘hot’ bbq sauce is only slightly tangy and the corn bread was ok. The employees are super nice and they definitely smoke the meat right on the premise. In fact, if you choose to dine-​in then your clothes and hands are likely to smell very smokey. Last thing — i got there right at 11:30 when they opened so i didn’t wait long. When I left at 11:50, the line was out the door with more people arriving.

Do you ever feel like sometimes you were born inside The Matrix? While everyone one else’s brain is receiving signals that say the food is juicy and delicious, all you taste is ‘a single cell protein combined with synthetic aminos, vitamins, and minerals… everything the body needs’ but taste buds don’t desire.
THE SCENE
I read the reviews and came here with the highest of expectations. Immediately this place began to sweet talk me. I saw the meat smoker, which was a huge turn on! The sides were open exposing delicious pink meats being slow cooked right in front of my eyes like a sexy dance! I also saw the real wood stacked out back below a large tree with branches full of REAL LIVE chickens… yes I said chickens! (BTW the way, did anyone else know chickens climb trees or am I still inside the Matrix?) As a final act of foreplay, the interior décor was just right, like candles burning around a hot bubble bath. It had that seductive gritty down home feeling I like when enjoying BBQ. The only thing missing from this BBQ romance was blues music playing live!
The chef allowed me to sample several items since I just couldn’t decide what I wanted my sides to be. They’d run out of mac n’ cheese, which would have been my first preference, however, the collard greens and chicken n’ rice were amazing! This took my BBQ expectations even higher as I anticipated a foodgasm once I got my hands on the pork ribs I ordered. Unfortunately, this romance was not meant to be.
THE FOOD
The ribs were smoked to the point of tasting like cigarette ashes. I’ve learned since being an active Unilocaler than many people crave this type of smoky flavor, but it was just too much for my extremely picky BBQ palette. I would much rather have well seasoned meat with just a kiss of smoke than eat meat that should probably have a surgeon general warning label!
I also don’t care for BBQ sauce. If the meat is well seasoned, to me sauce is unnecessary. Yet I found myself drowning these ribs in sauce to hopefully compensate for the ashy flavor. I emptied an entire table bottle on my order, and still with little desire to eat them, I threw away my leftovers later that evening. Other items to my disliking include the potato salad and baked beans. Growing up my mother used brown sugar to sweeten her beans and that is the flavor I’m used to, but these beans tasted of syrup or molasses, which I did not enjoy. They were also practically as thick as peanut butter.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I’m not sure why people find this place to be worthy of 5 stars, but I most definitely do not. This brief encounter felt very much like being in a relationship where everyone tells you how great the person is before you meet them. When you finally do meet them, they are presentable, attractive and say all the right things. However, in the end, they just don’t perform!
I’m breaking up with you Al’s Finger Licking Good Bar-​B-​Que I didn’t lick my fingers, not even once.
SIDE NOTE — This review should really be a 2.5, but I really liked the staff. They were accommodating, hospitable and kind. Not to mention the chicken n’ yellow rice was simply amazing! So I have chosen to round up instead of down.
²⁰¹⁶⁄₄

Wow– located just off of the main streets of Ybor, about a block away, you will find this amazing gem that I will DEFINITELY stop by every time I visit the area. The entire staff was so friendly and accommodating I was supremely happy to meet them all. I felt as though I had walked into someone’s home and I was meeting their family!
The entire look and feel of this restaurant is so sweet, I could not get over it. When I walked up I was honestly really skeptical, but the moment I walked in I was greeted with open arms and it was very refreshing.
I tried the option they have for 3 different meats, so I got to try a variety. Honestly, the ribs– which I was looking forward to the most, was my least favorite but STILL good! The pulled pork was scrumptious and the sausage was to die for. You can tell all their other clientele at the time I visited were repeat customers who had a great rapport with the staff. It made me feel like I wanted to move to Ybor just to become their most regular customer and eventually just work and move into the back room. The best, best service I’ve ever had in my life!
Oh, and the COLE SLAW!!! It was incredible! Must try

Drive around Tampa and you’re find roadside BBQs which usually have the best que. Then you have some sit down places like Sonny’s which is only so so because it’s massed produced food.
This place combines the best of both worlds. That true backyard que within a sit-​down restaurant. The ribs are so good you don’t need sauce.
The only complaint is that they only offer turkey legs on Thursday and I made a special lunch time trip and at 2pm, they had none.
Other than that, if you’re near Ybor, check them out.

And Finger licking is what I did… I love that this place is hidden in Ybor city and there are live chickens running around. It added a primitive effect to what I knew I came here to do… Which was to eat smoked meats, probably use my fingers and look barbaric since I will have sauce everywhere. I ordered a meat trio because I am greedy like that and I have to try everything at once. Ribs, Chicken and Sausage with Collard greens and Mac & Cheese. I enjoyed every moment eating this meal and will be back again when twitching for some BBQ.
Being that my family is from Georgia and I was raised on this stuff, I have to say their collard greens were on point. They had just enough spice that worked with the additional pepper sauce I like to put on my greens. This places is laid back with just the heavenly smell of smoke and sounds of the meat cleaver. I would recommend coming here when in the area and in need of a tender, juicy and flavorful meal!

How has no one told me about Al’s?!? Hands-​down top BBQ restaurant in Tampa (move aside, 4R!) We are more than wowed by both the Q and sides here.
I got the pulled pork with slaw and beans. The pork is just phenomenal, and they do a great job of picking out the fatty pieces so you’re just left with good quality meat. The slaw is delicious and creamy. The baked beans… Lordy, those baked beans!!! I’ve never tasted beans quite like these (we’re thinking there’s cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice or maple syrup in there), but they kick butt big time.
My husband is nuts and got the 3 meat plate (pork, beef, ribs) with Mac and cheese and slaw. He ate it all, which was probably about 3 pounds of food so that should be your answer of whether or not it was good ;)
If you want Heaven served up on a styrofoam plate, this is the place you need to be! Be warned– you’ll have to roll yourself out of here because there’s no other option than to eat yourself into a food coma!

It’s been 6 years since I’ve been going to Al’s and I’m still their biggest fan. It’s been great to watch them grow over the years to a point where they have a cult-​like following and fill up every seat in the house some days/​nights. I’ve tried many other BBQ restos in the area and also when I travel but Al’s is still the undisputed champ.
The food is consistently great as is the service. I often find myself staying there for hours just to shoot the breeze with Al and the staff in between chowing down. I usually go there on Fridays when it’s really busy but now they have me hooked on their smoked wings that they serve only on Wednesdays. If they ever operate 7 days a week, I might as well just move in.

After revisiting Al’s a few times, it would be an injustice to not change my rating to five stars.
The food is phenomenal every single time. The sausage is the best meat in my opinion, but to be fair I don’t like sauces so it may be because it’s the juiciest. Just a disclaimer! The yellow rice and chicken will forever be my favorite. The staff is always so polite and courteous. Even the parking lot man! I’m convinced we just had a misunderstanding or caught him on a bad day.
I didn’t think it was possible, but Al’s has quickly turned me into a barbeque lover!