Granger & Sons Bar-B-Que & Steakhouse

My buddy and I were traveling through and got excited when we saw this little shack on the side of the highway. Usually you can hit these little barbecue shack’s and get some pretty good food. Not the case here.
They only take cash, which is not a big deal. We both ordered the basic pulled pork sandwich off of the cooks recommendation. And hey, you can’t go wrong with pulled pork, it’s the heart of barbecue.
The meat did not taste like it was smoked very much at all. Very reminiscent of boiled meat, really just flavorless. They only had one kind of sauce at this place and it was very watery. Even after sauceing the meat up you wouldn’t have known you were eating pulled pork from a barbecue place.
I ordered baked beans as my side. When I think of baked beans from the barbecue place I’m thinking thick hearty, flavorful baked beans but that’s not what I got here. These were runny Campbell’s pork and beans out of the can that were barely cooked. Pretty gross.
If you’re reading this review and thinking about stopping in this place, do yourself a favor and keep going.

Nice little Florida cracker hole in the wall with a «sitting on someone’s back porch» vibe, complete with flies, sounds of a buzz saw cutting firewood, highway traffic & a «next door neighbor-​type» waitress with her 8 year old daughter helping out. I forgave them the «UF Gator» décor, since their last name is Noles. LOL. I was touched by the 3 young gents at the table next to me bowing their heads to say grace. Americana.
Friday/​Sat nites are «Steak Nite». Many call ahead for carry out. Only pick-​up trucks in the parking lot when I arrived (sign of good ‘q?). You order in a small room at the grill. I was dining in – ordered rib eye but they had to switch to T-​bone due to ribeye popularity and their «close count” – this was at 5 pm and they only start cooking steak at 5 pm so a fast sell-​out. I asked for medium rare and it arrived medium well.
Delicious oak-​flavored char on a high-​fat cut. Baked potato cooked perfectly. Real butter. House red wine vinaigrette was tart & flavorful. Cash only. $ 25 plus tip. If you’re flexible about the experience and open fire grilling it’s a fun delicious «down home» evening. Will hope to try their pulled pork at half the price some time. Was wishing for an ear of corn or a fun dessert but I didn’t ask about either. They have a decent vinegar bbq sauce for slathering.

Turned around to go here because of the No. 1 rating. Glad we did. I had a great salad. My husband had the ribs, commented they were a little dry and they brought another rack. Just perfect. By the way, Elvis lives.

I have stomach problems, but the meat was so tender, I had no problems. I am also not a hot sauce fan, but I listened to the other reviews here, and the hot sauce does not burn your mouth and really enhances the pork. Incredibly flavorful food for a guy on a limited diet like me.

Absolutely great BBQ! I’ve lived in Lakeland for 31 years now and been eating here for the majority of it. Nowhere else I’d rather eat BBQ in town and I love the potato salad. If you want an excellent steak check them out on Friday for dinner. Great people and great food.

Visiting some friends in Lakeland and they took us out to Granger & Sons after raving about it the night before. We got there in time to still get ribs, all the sides and 1 pork sandwich before they ran out. I had the large rib plate with coleslaw and potato salad along with a pork sandwich because why not? Everything was excellent! So glad we made it here. The bbq sauce was a nice touch but the hot sauce added to the pork was a standout for me. Even on the ribs it was a nice touch. The coleslaw and potato salad were out of this world delicious! We may just have to go back again before leaving!

Do not waste your time or money. I stopped for lunch and had a large sliced pork sandwich plate with baked beans and coleslaw. The beans were straight out of the can (Showboat, institutional size can, it was still sitting on the back counter), the slaw and potato salad were also from large institutional containers, nothing home made or special here. The sliced pork had Zero smoke flavor, like you would expect, very plain and dry. The bun was plain, not grilled, or buttered, just straight out of the bag. It tasted like the cheap-​o store brand type buns. The short rack of ribs were not much better, more grilled than smoked, and not up to standards. These two items were all they had, sliced pork and ribs, and neither one was acceptable. There are several excellent barbeque places in Lakeland,(Smoking Jims, Peebles, Jimbo’s) this is not one of them.

Granger has the BEST steak!!! The seasoning is amazing and it’s always juicy and tender! Steaks are served on Fridays and Saturdays only. It’s a small place so make sure to call ahead and make sure they still have some available.
I also highly recommend their potato salad! This is a hidden gem!

Great BBQ, done right. Very good value for lunch.
FYI cash only.

We drove by and saw a bunch of cars. It’s small and casual but great, friendly, efficient service. We had pork ribs as they were out of beef. They were excellent. No sauce needed. The cole slaw was good too!

Customer service was great, owners friendly smile and perkiness was greater, but the food was the greatest! Just moved from the south side and we live about 5 minutes away. Great food!

Ok here’s the deal don’t even think about driving to Berns, Shula’s, or even Charlie’s for a steak! Go to Granger’s for the best steak you will ever have in your life! They only serve them on Friday and Saturdays from 4 – 7 but if you’re not there by 6:00 they are out of food!!! Don’t let that get you down though because their BBQ is just as good! If you’re lucky enough to be there on the night the owners wife makes her award winning Blueberry Cake it will be a decision you will never regret! In addition to the food this place is family owned and operated and they really make you feel like you’re at their home eating dinner and appreciate your business!

I stopped in one day to get some brisket of course I found out only on Friday and Saturday so I decided to get to pork combination plates pork was okay thought it was good the potato salad was disgusting I asked for coleslaw they gave me potato salad I handed the guy a $ 20 bill and he only had to me $ 5 back it said on the wall 499 a piece I can add something wrong here heard the place was all that was not impressed whatsoever

Greatest bbq in the area

Absolutely the best steaks in Lakeland. Ribs are very good as well. Drive past the chain BBQ places and make this your stop for steaks and BBQ. Laid back atmosphere and good service!
Call ahead, as the hours aren’t late and they cook only a certain amount of food per day!

Few things go together like Mork and Mindy; rednecks and BBQ is one of those orchestras so well put together, you would think J.S. Bach stepped into the room. This little place has some of the best ribs in Polk County, hands down. Great smoky flavor to the ribs, well cooked, to a perfect place where the meat falls right off the bone. Their sauce isn’t to sweet and not too tart but a well blended mix. Sides are limited but good. If you’re going with a large party I would recommend to-​go, because seating is limited, and they are not open late.

Great authentic BBQ! It doesn’t look like much on the outside but don’t be fooled. It has a real traditional, old look on the inside. The basic sandwich by itself is only $ 3ish. Menu isn’t huge but the sides are tasty. Try it – you will NOT be disappointed!

Meat is good, sides need work. With that said I think these folks know how to smoke some great tasting meats. I had the ribs and they had great flavor and smoke. As for the sides well the slaw had a bit much mustard for my taste as well as pickle relish mixed in there. The beans tasted like they were strait from a can. I think if they put as much love into their sides as they do the main course they could have a five star establishment on their hands!

Amazing BBQ! This place is the best BBQ in Lakeland! Best BBQ I’ve ever had. Get there early because they close after lunch during the week. Definitely worth the drive up there!

The best BBQ in north Lakeland. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday they have specials. Tuesday is cheeseburgers, Wednesday is pork chops and Thursday is steak kabobs. The kabobs are awesome. Friday and Saturday nights are steak nights. Come early because they only cook so much.