The 2100 block of Main Street in West Tampa is a legendary stretch steeped in barbecue history — once home to iconic joints like The Bar-B-Que King, Moses White’s Cozy Corner, and Willie Bexley’s Bar-B-Que, Ribs & Chicken — all beloved West Tampa treasures.

Fourth-generation family members Amelia Howard and Tiffany Candis have continued the block’s tradition, reopening The Bar-B-Que King after a three-year closure for building rehabilitation. The restaurant’s roots trace back to 1955, when founder James Bloomfield earned the nickname 'Bar-B-Que King' while serving mouthwatering meals out of a spot called Zanzibar — located next door to the current site, in a building over 120 years old. Today, that restored section houses Cohatch, a co-working space. A decade after its humble beginnings, in 1965, The Bar-B-Que King opened its own dedicated storefront and kitchen within the same complex, where Howard and Candis continue its legacy.

The former Zanzibar building and the attached restaurant underwent a three-year rehabilitation, modernizing the interior and exterior, and creating offices for the new Cohatch co-working space next door.

The menu features a typical mix of pork, beef, and chicken, available in both sandwiches and dinner plates. Sides include standards such as potato salad, baked beans, coleslaw, and a nod to West Tampa with Spanish-style yellow rice. House-made sauces, made from “top secret recipes,” include sweet, mild, and hot.

I start with center-cut ribs: These ribs are taken from the most tender section of the rack, where there's a balance of lean meat and just enough marbling to keep them juicy. A thin, smoky mahogany bark covers the outside with more tender pork towards the bone. Three large ribs make up a perfect dinner. The potato salad has a sweet lean to it with chunks of potatoes in a mayonnaise-based sauce. The coleslaw is made from fresh, chopped cabbage, carrots, and a lovely, creamy, sweet dressing as well.

Center Cut Rib Dinner with potato salad and cole slaw

Three sauces come in separate packaging (there’s a charge for each additional sauce).
The mild sauce is sweet, thick, and tangy. The sweet version is denser, with a consistency similar to ketchup, and slightly peppery compared to the mild one. The hot sauce is thinner and more pickly, with a slight spicy finish, but not crazy hot. I once bought the hot sauce from the former Bexley’s BBQ, and my lips burned for an hour.

Next, I try the chopped pork. It is smoky and lean and definitely chopped (not pulled). It’s a mound of seasoned meat, each bite-sized piece tender and infused with deep, smoky flavor. It has a slow-cooked, over-hard wood flavor with dark, crispy edges that contrast beautifully with the delicious interior. It needs a little more fat to round it out, but I’m not complaining.

Chopped pork dinner with collard greens and baked beans

I'm not typically a fan of collard greens, but these are different. They have beautiful chunks of pork mixed in with tender green leaves and stems, and more importantly, no bitterness. The flavor is down-home outstanding.
The generous serving of baked beans are standard-issue navy beans, accompanied by a sweet brown sugar sauce, simmered to a perfectly tender consistency.

The 8-inch pork sausage is mild, meaty, and satisfying — served on a classic hot dog bun with your choice of sauce. It’s smoked in-house for a deep, savory flavor, with a crunchy exterior that pops just right when you bite in, giving way to a juicy, tender interior. Just the right amount of fat adds mouthfeel and taste. Although the sausages aren't made from scratch here, the in-house smoking process adds that West Tampa touch. The Mac and Cheese is down-home comfort food, with elbow macaroni soft-cooked, coated in a creamy, cheesy sauce, and blended with generous chunks of melted cheddar throughout.

All meals are served in a Styrofoam takeout tray and come with two slices of old-fashioned white bread. You're welcome to use the shaded outdoor seating, as there isn’t any indoor seating available. Otherwise, feel free to take your order to go.
Canned beverages are available, as is a house-made fruit punch mixed with coconut.
They offer super friendly service, free on-street parking, and moderate prices. When you get a mood for Q, come here and eat, and experience a piece of food and West Tampa history as well.

Bar-B-Que King 2132 W. Main Street, Tampa, FL 33607, (813) 258-3898

Tuesday to Saturday
11 a.m. - 8 p.m.

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