3 Little Pigs BBQ

Tried it for the 1^st time tonight-​Excellent!
Had their nachos with pulled pork. My mom had the ½ rack ribs. Treated ourselves to the fried cheesecake. Great food and staff will definitely go back

Got a half rack of ribs to go. They were tasty and the sauce was very good. I would like to go back and have a sit down dinner next time.

Nothing not to like. Staff is very friendly. Had the ribs and pulled pork plates. Full of flavor and very moist. We were here mid afternoon so it wasn’t busy so I can’t speak to the noise level but the layout seems to indicate it won’t be a problem. Full menu including fried green tomatoes. Service was great, tea never got more than half empty and server was always nearby. They are on a town with an iconic BBQ place. For my money I liked this better. The other can tend to be industrial in its presentation with their signature all-​in-​one pan approach. Here it’s normal plates and bowls. Will be back.

This place is really good! Diffidently has some outstanding customer service! I will diffidently be coming back!

Baby back ribs are to die for! specially with their house spicy bbq sauce!

Stopped in sort of spur of the moment back in December and have been dying to go back. I had a pulled-​pork platter and an amazing beer (for only $ 2) that I wish I could remember the name of. Cornbread was good, mac and cheese was a little soupy, which I thought was strange but ended up enjoying and eating every last bite. Their sauces are excellent. There are many different styles of barbecue and I am not a connoisseur, I just know what I like and this place is darn good. I am only giving 4 stars because I have only had one meal there and feel like I would need to try a few different things for a more well-​rounded view. So I might end up updating this review! Although my regional all-​time favorite at the moment is Nancy’s in Sarasota, this place comes second and I will definitely be back. (I have never been to Goldrush, I don’t like chain restaurants, although I do have friends who swear by it so someday I guess I will try it…)

This is a great place. Staff is friendly and competent. Eat outside or inside. Excellent food! Seating is quick every time I come here.

Good, no, GREAT BBQ! Loved their baby back rib sandwich with fried okra and creamy mac & cheese. Stopped on on a rainy Saturday for lunch and was surprised how empty the place was. All the other restaurants on Venice Ave. we’re packed with no seating, but 3LP was fairy dead– not sure why, this place has great ‘que reminiscent of your favorite local pitmaster and the staff couldn’t be any nicer and helpful. I’d give this place more stars if I could! Try it and bail on those other tourist traps on Venice Ave, this place deserves the business.

I had a pulled pork sandwich here, to go. Service was friendly and prompt, food was fairly priced and delicious. I’m sure there is a variety of choices of bbq sauces when you are not ordering to go, that would be nice. Also if the coleslaw had a little more spunkiness to it, id be here 6 days a week for lunch! Overall a really nice spot for lunch. I will be back.

I am sad that we didn’t even get to try eating here… Yes they were slightly busy but the waiter or host didn’t even acknowledge us… We waited at a table for 20 minutes and finally left.

I highly recommend this bbq restaurant. It’s family owned and operated, delicious, reasonably priced and super friendly. My personal favorite is the beef brisket. The meat is tender, juicy and ridiculously deliciously flavored. I’m also addicted to the corn bread and Mac and cheese. One of the best I’ve ever had. The décor is super cute. The restaurant is impeccably clean and the staff is super professional! It’s a nice addition to Venice. If you are hungry and love bbq??? 3 little pigs is your place.

The food was absolutely delicious. Definitely get the pulled pork nachos for an appetizer! The waiter (I think his name was Smitty?) we had was so friendly, and you could tell be really cared about his job and loved the food. We’ll be coming back :).

Had the half rack of ribs, baked beans and green beans for sides. Ribs were very good. Great flavor… so good that I never had to add more sauce. They were great as is. Sides were very good also. Check them out.

Had lunch here today. Disappointing, Brisket sandwich not all that tasty — no smoke! Bun was OK but meat was sparse
Mac & cheese side was a plus. Alfredo sauce with blend of cheeses was nice.

Great food, great price, great service! I recommend to anyone in town I stop by, enjoy the BBQ & sit a spell.

Cute place! Very clean and neat inside. Good prices. BBQ pork sandwich was great. Several different BBQ sauces to choose from.

I hate writing this. The people were great, they had some nice beers (I ordered take out, but asked. They are a Bud shop with a few craft beers that sounded great), the presentation was fantastic, the portions where, in general, great. BUT, this is a BBQ joint. The pork is the thing. I ordered a pulled port BBQ sandwich. It was $ 8.99. A little pricey, but you get two sides with that, and the sides are AWESOME. Lots of excellent fries, and very good, freshly made coleslaw. They has sweet potato fries, and BBQ beans, and green beans. I was intrigued with the green beans, but no bits of pork and onion. Really? Good southern beans have bits of pork, and/​or bacon in them. That is how it is done. Anyway, I went with fries and slaw.
I ordered carry out, and my order came out in a big paper bag, with everything. Nicely done! I did not have to ask for anything else, although I should have (see below.) The fries were hot, and wonderfully crisp. The slaw was thick cut, and home made. Catsup added without asking. Packaging was excellent. I opened the nice plate and saw the wonderful brioche bun with the pig burnt on it. SWEET! I opened up the sandwich and saw that they had added BBQ sauce. OK, well I should have asked for it on the side (newby!), I added a dab of slaw, and bit into the seemingly excellent sandwich. Then, well, my experience went south. The portion of pork was small and, the BIG issue, the pork was soaked in some kind of juice. This is so wrong. BBQ pork (a shoulder, hopefully) should be moist, with crispy bits, smokey, tender, and a compliment of sauce. Mouth feel is a big deal in BBQ pork, and this just did not do it for me.
This pork was swimming in juice (fat/​grease and water and salt, I think), and the meat had no taste! Yes, that is a bummer. It was smothered in a sweet and cloying sauce. Not spicy, not unusual, just sweet. I did not ask if they had a spicy sauce, and that is my fault. They may, and that would have helped the bland, wet meat.
Overall, my lunch was just OK. Great people, nice selection of beers, pretty good sides, excellent presentation, but the meat is the thing. I will return and try them again. I will try the ribs and ask for spicy sauce and hope I can dismiss this first impression.

A solid 4. They said they recently got a smoker and started doing their own meat and you can tell. All we got were were the BBQ nachos, but they were very good.

The food was not good at all. Corn was way over cooked. String beans were tasteless. Pulled pork was watery. The brisket was OK.
Service was very good and the décor was quite nice.
A BIG no — no … a dog sitting ON a chair at an outside table while it’s owner was eating. Not very considerate for the next customer who sits on the chair the dog was sitting on. This is a clear violation of Venice City codes.

Gold River BBQ has nothing to worry about.
The décor is great but the food is not great. The beans seemed canned and the pulled pork seemed thawed from frozen. I didn’t smell a bit of smoke and wonder if they even have a pit.
I was not offered a refill on tea.
Rib City blows this away!
Sorry. Venice needs a place like this but the food is just not up to snuff.