Lillie’s Q

The guy is a grumpy trump supporter but he knows how to cook food it was a great meal for me and the boys

Been coming to Destin for many years. We always eat at this Bbq establishment. Food is always good and hot. Great tea. Great customer service. The pit is always full with great cuts of meats. If you go tell him Dave the Bear sent you!

My wife and I went shopping due to rain keeping us off the beach. Mandatory stop at Bass Pro and on our way back made the stop at Lilly’s Q! We’ve been on week long Bar B Q tours of Memphis and Kansas City; Lilly Q’s is better than any!!!
No inside seating. All seating on picnic tables on the deck. It was pouring rain but comfortable seating. If the wind is blowing with rain then the seating would be dicy.
We each got a pulled pork sandwich and one rib plate dinner to split. Pulled pork was great served with no sauce. Several choices of sauce for you to apply to your sandwich as you wish. I like that choice. As for the rib plate: the slaw was excellent, beans were good and ribs were most excellent. Ribs were meaty and came off the bones nicely. The taste was fabulous and I recommend for bar b q fans to never pass by, this is a must stop. Don’t be concerned about the gravel parking lot, older looking building and outdoor seating. This is the best place in the area for Q. Cash only, no plastic. Stop here and you won’t be sorry.

What are you 5, 4, 3 or 2 star Unilocalers «smokin» on your review of this crap hole? There wasn’t a more deserving restaurant of one star than this place. Rude owner, horrific meats and disgusting sides. I don’t care to much about owners attitudes usually but his guy was a pompous liar. Here is a little hint about a BBQ joint to see if they are liars or honest business people. Ask them what is fresh today… if they say «everything»…close your wallet and go elsewhere if you have time. This guy answered everything is «fresh and delicious» so our expectations dwindled. Having to be at an appointment in 40 minutes we had to swallow my own advice and order. There wasn’t a piece of fresh meat (beef, chicken or pork) or even the beginnings of anything resembling «delicious». When I pulled up with my family I saw two people throw their trash away and walked to their truck. It was like they wanted to say something to us but didn’t. I found out what they wanted to say after we lifted the lid to the trash can to throw away 50% of our meal… they had taken a couple bites of their sandwiches and threw them away. My new suggestion is to look into the trash before ordering at a new restaurant!!!
Stay FAR away from this joint!!! Cans of soda are $ 2, we went out to our car and got some soda’s out of the cooler. Cute place, HORRENDOUS waste of money and time! McDonalds is a treat after this kind of garbage.

Had tri tip and potato salad. Was good!
Sweet smoky sauce was delish! Would have liked buns to be toasted like we do in TX. Potato salad was unique and really tasty. Very personable people running it

Standing there waiting buy food. But old man in building is yelling and throwing fit with two ladies. Do not know whole story, but he can see that I am there with cash in hand, but continues going off on these ladies.
He then says, «he like Donald Trump and will get people voted out office…»
Well, you will be just like Trump, bankrupt if you keep acting like this.

The food is awful. If you want to pay $ 10 for a dried out piece of chicken then this is the place for you. Go to chick fil a or dickeys barbecue.

Finally tried Lillie’s Q today. Pork sandwich and ribs. Pork — good, not great. Ribs – great. Best I’ve had in some time. The pork had good flavor but I like a more smoky flavor. Plus, it was a bit soggy. The trick to good barbecue is keeping it moist without being soggy. (See Central Barbecue in Memphis and Peg Leg Porker in Nashville). However, the ribs were fabulous. Tender, moist, good flavor. And the Smoky Hot sauce was excellent. Very nice lady at the window, also. Intend to go back. Very good overall.

Decided to try due to good reviews. Sadly disappointed. We walked from Embassy Suites anticipating the good bbq as everyone wrote about. 1^st flag was when they person just swings open glass and asks us what can he get us. Nice greeting I guess for some but we were both thrown off. Anyway we proceeded to order Tri tip plate but they were out. No problem try something else. They had a brisket special so we opted to try one brisket plate and one pork plate with all sides. While our order was being prepared I noticed the cans of Bush’s beans on back counter and got disappointed already. We received our food and the brisket was so dry it looked like jerky. Even lathered in bbq sauce it was a hopeless endeavor. So we tried to eat the pork plate. Much better moist and pulled but lacked any smoke flavor. So back to the bbq sauce. Sauced it up just to put something in our stomachs. Coleslaw was old, corn salad was good and potato salad decent. Beans well they were Bush“s with bbq sauce and not even smoked. So if your coming for bbq and this is supposedly the best in the area. Well you might want to rethink. 1^st bad experience with bbq in a long time.

Something funny about the people leaving good reviews. Meat is tasteless or no smoke flavor at all. Bush beans? like the to busy with politics (right left bs) then cooking they’re own. I’m to old to care about people’s personal believe but in a place of business everyone should be welcomed the same friendly way. The brisket? So dry You will need someone else’s teeth. Excuse my American. Ragazzi qui si mangia da merda, Wi raccomando di non perdere tempo con questi stronzi. Liebe Freunde Last euch nicht täuschen, hier gibt’s nichts Gutes.

Really good Bar-​B-​Que. We had a Rib Plate, Pork Sandwich, Tri-​Tip Sandwich. All were very good. The sides were tasty: potatoe salad, baked beans and corn salad. Didn’t care for the cole slaw. Sweet Tea was good.

Gave it shot on my way home. I was really hungry so when I bit into the sandwich it tasted like the greatest thing ever cooked… ever. Friendly veteran running the shop too. All around good I say.

Tri-​tip sandwich was great. Tender and good flavor. I like a bit more smoke, but very tasty. Slaw was just ok, but nice on the sandwich. Nice guys working the window. Roadside location just past the hectic outlet malls in Sandestin. Carolina sweet and smokey sauces were both awesome. Great sauces. Cash only. Sandwiches run $ 8 – 9. Skip whataburger, chickfila, panara bread, and all the other chains in the heart of tourist central– go down the road ½ a mile to Lillies.

Food awesome !
Map directs you to south side of 98 by it is north –a tiny outdoor place that only takes cash l. Worth it to support a local establishment !

Went to Lillie’s with great expectations. We know that BBQ joints are a little rough around the edges but this one had way too many shortcomings to warrant a return trip.
First, the location. It is right on Hwy 98 so it’s easy to find. Bad news is, it’s RIGHT on 98. By «right on» I mean you are 15 feet from a 4 lane highway. The noise was very off-​putting. No indoor seating. That can be a problem in coastal Florida heat. But, set that aside, BBQ joints are a little rough around the edges.
Second, the staff. These folks had about as much enthusiasm as undertakers. It seemed like they were doing us a favor by taking our orders. Oh well, BBQ joints are a little rough around the edges.
Ok, the real test of a BBQ joint is the Q. I didn’t go for the ribs, I went with something easy to get a feel for what they were all about, pulled pork. If you can’t do pulled pork, it’s hopeless. I got the BBQ sandwich with my favorite two sides, slaw and beans. The sides give the BBQ joint in question the widest latitude for interpretation and execution. My wife got the smoked chicken plate.
The pulled pork was «fine». It had absolutely no bark, was a bit soggy, and had only the barest indication that it was even smoked. It was tender, tasted fine, but had no smoke flavor and the lack of bark is almost unforgivable. My wife’s chicken was the same way. It was «fine». It had virtually no smoke at all. It was served not pulled (no big deal on this, she just prefers it pulled) and even the skin didn’t have any smoke aroma on it.
The cole slaw was, and I don’t use this word very often, disgusting. It looked old with almost no color except gray and nearly green. The flavor was all vinegar and was inedible. I tried several bites to really try and like it but I just couldn’t. It looked like it had pickles in it. I realize that cole slaw has many regional variations but I’ve never had one like this. This was a disappointing because I love a good slaw on my sandwich.
The beans were good. A little sweet for my taste but certainly passable. My wife thought they were definitely too sweet and left most of hers behind.
The BBQ sauce that they serve was very good. We both had the «smoky and hot» and thought it was worth buying and taking home.
In closing, I can’t bring myself to recommend this place. It’s the only BBQ place I’ve visited in the Destin area and it would be a travesty if this was the best the area could offer. The real travesty is, the biggest drawbacks are easily fixable — Smoke! Bark! Fresh slaw (might want to think about a major tweak on that recipe), and maybe some beer to offer to take your mind off the traffic and the heat.

Stopped in on a recommendation from a friend. Locals 13 years. Really enjoyed the food but the customer service was a bit edgy. Lady, possible owner, was rude and snappy.
Food was prompt, hot and full of flavor. Definitely the southern style. Recommend the food and hope you catch the? owner? on a better day.

This is the best place for BBQ on the panhandle and the redneck riviera in general. the LillyQtians make it right, and it takes time and lots of love to create a perfect product. The line might move slow, they might have sold out of some items and maybe you missed desert. So what. If you can’t deal with a true Indy family run BBQ joint then go to some generic chain restaurant in a strip mall.

Now I am not quite sure where the negative reviews come from b/​c the Tri-​Tip plate I had was off the chart tender, juicy and just plate licking GOOD!!! The portion size was just right and the prices are great! Quito is a hoot! We talked BBQ, I ordered a whole tri tip and smoked wings for our house warming/​b-​day party and we just shot the poop. I will definitely be frequenting this BBQ joint and bringing our guests here as well. Who would’a thunk that moving from San Antonio (right in the heart of Texas BBQ country) that I would have found this incredible slice of BBQ heaven on the Florida coastline! I am thinking the negative reviewers just don’t know what good BBQ is… you would be surprised at how many people don’t understand the difference b/​w grilling and smoking meat. Glad my grandpa taught me at an early age as he owned his BBQ restaurant right in the heart of Texas!

I have been here several times over the past year or two, and thought the owners were a little rude, but finally figured out they are the exact opposite! They just have a different sense of humor. I plan to frequent this place more regularly.
I love their BBQ, think their corn salad is great, and also love the cobbler.

Walk up and get in line and find a seat on the porch. This place offers que with a tude.
It’s hot and the Suntea is brewing in big olé jars on the porch and smell of smoke in the air. It’s a good day in Destin (Sandestin).
The shoulder here is a pretty good but lacks the depth of smoke needed to make it awesome.
What really got my attention here is the Tri-​tip! What! Tri-​tip outside of Southern California? Woohoo! And guess what, it was tender and moist and tasted really good. I grew up eating Tri-​tip and it should have a strong beef flavor. The flavor was a little shy at Lillie’s Q, but still very good. The seasoning and smoke ring that hugged the edges were both on point. This is smoked and not grilled so don’t expect the charred edges that typically wraps around Tri-​tip. They served up the sandwich with a premium quality bun (I really like good bread). Having quality buns matters!
Lillie’s Q is the beneficiary of not getting into a sauce war. Instead of choosing sides… they created a recipe for all kinds of flavors. From the Carolinas, Alabama, Memphis, and Kansas City they provide a nice overview of the good life. Right on! Let me pick and choose which sauce… and I choose them all! My two favorites: Smoky, White, and Smoky Hot (see, I can’t even choose two). One of these was not like the others… it was good olé Alabama White and was really good. The combination of vinegar and mayo with seasonings proves these folks know their barbecue. The other two were tomato based and sweet and smoky with a kick… one kicked more than the other.
They have it packaged all their sauces in a really cool and trendy way… they must have plans to go big time!
The «take out» orders were on the roll and they ran out of their supposedly most awesome ever Banana Pudding. The one guy eating on the porch that managed to get one needed a security escort back to his car (jk).
I think the staff running the joint has the attitude of folks from Chicago. I love Chicago including the Dog, but just get ready… the line moves at a Southern pace, but the order taker is direct and in your face. I like it. Are they from Chicago? I dunno.
I’ll be back. Can’t wait.
Bring cash or have your ATM card ready.
(post review note: as it turns out… there is a Chitown connection… good deal).