Urban Brew and BBQ

Get the Mac and Cheese with the Pork!!! You won’t regret it. They’re a bit overpriced for the BBQ but the place has good vibes and good food. Not really a place priced to be a regular at. But still yummy!
I like the décor a lot too. We sat at the bar, and our waitress/​bartender was very friendly.

Quite possibly the best BBQ in town. I loved everything I had there — ribs, prosciutto wrapped kielbasa & pulled pork. Sides dishes are worth the trip too — Brussel sprouts & green beans were my faves. Plus great beer selection.

Probably the worst brisket I have ever eaten. Bark was good but the meat was so over cooked that it was like cardboard. On top of that, it took over 1.5 hours to be served. Don’t think I will go back to try other BBQ.

Great smoked pork, good selection of craft beers.

My first experience was the weekend of 2÷6÷16. My partner and I found Urban Brew and BBQ via TripAdvisor. Unilocal offered a «free» sample of pork belly. Our server informed us they were out of pork belly. Our service was very slow and my entrée arrived cold. Had to send it back. The server was graciously apologetic. Go back? Probably. not.

My husband and I were just driving around the city since our hotel wasn’t ready for us to check in so we were looking to grab lunch. Honestly, I only chose this place because we haven’t had barbecue for quite some time. Might I add that it was a great idea to dine here for lunch!
The establishment is very tiny so seating is very limited, BUT they are expanding soon so business will be booming for them. This place is great for lunch for two. They ask you to wait for a table kindly and also offer drinks while waiting. They have several different beers on draft. The staff is VERY friendly. I wish I got our servers’ names. Bad memory.
I was really itching to try their pork belly sample since they offered it for free for checking in. Unfortunately for us we didn’t get to try it since there weren’t anymore.
We started our meal off with the Urban Mac N Cheese. It is very hot when it comes out. It comes in a small little skillet/​cast iron pan. You can even see the cheese still bubbling when it arrives. Idk if my husband only read the menu item or actually thorough read the description, but the mac n cheese had ham or bacon in it. It was pretty delicious.
My husband ordered the brisket (You can order it ¼ lb, ½ lb, or ½ lb sandwich.) I ordered the pulled pork sandwich. We both ordered it with the spicy sauce. I LOVE spicy food and the sauce wasn’t that spicy at all. It has a kick to it. You can also order the sauce as sweet or tangy. My side was potato salad and I really liked that as well. I was so full from half of the sandwich!
If I ever come to St. Petersburg again, I will definitely hit this spot up again. Thanks guys!

4 stars for the deliciousness of the food and decent beer selection–
I’ve been here a few times and every time it’s always been very good. I love the pulled pork, mac n cheese, and collard greens — all so yummy. My favorite though, has got to be the ribs as they are truly fall-​off-​the-​bone. In fact, my plate usually looks like I’m reconstructing bones for a biology class. Weird, I know. Makes my mouth water just thinking of those ribs… Anyway, a couple of small negatives– the place is narrow (as other reviews have pointed out) but I hear that they are expanding very soon and there is seating out back which is great. Also, I think they’re prices are just slightly more than I’d pay at other very good BBQ joints but it’s not nearly enough to think about not going. Maybe, it’s because I want to eat everything there so I order way too much hmmm…

First impression was that this is definitely more bar than restaurant as there is no seating for parties larger than two indoors. When we walked in there were no patrons dining inside, just one staff member behind the bar and one resting his head on the bar. One of our party members asked if there was additional seating in the back and was told that «yah there are servers back there too.» Guess he wasn’t on the mood to work? Maybe he thought it would be funny but mostly it was just off putting.
Once we found a seat on the back porch though we got a great server who was much more polite if a little slow (I couldn’t blame he was the only one who appeared to be working).
We tried the urban legend, which is a little of everything including an awesome dessert and perfect for four people. It was listed as 48 dollars when we dined which I found reasonable.
Three stars for the food which is awesome but minus two for the off putting staff and lack of seating.

Urban Brew and BBQ is located in the Grand Central District of St. Petersburg, Florida. This fast casual restaurant was most convenient as it was nearly midnight and even better; Urban has extended hours on the weekends.
From the Urban Sampler, the pulled pork would have to be my favorite. Different sauces are available — Tangy, Spicy, and Sweet. Tangy was my favorite out of the three, I would say. Urban does not lie when they say the sauces taste exactly how they sound!
The Urban Mac ‘N’ Cheese appetizer is definitely a house favorite with its rich homemade taste. This appetizer is more complex compared to other macaroni and cheeses. If I lived in the area, I would stop by any day for the Mac ‘N’ Cheese…
You can never forget dessert as the appetite just does not stop.
The Skillet Ghirardelli’s Brownie was amazing and so addictive…
There is no excuse not to return if you are in the Grand Central District of St. Petersburg.

One word: juicy.
The smoked meat was so juicy and tender. It did not disappoint at all! The shop was a little hard to find, it’s slightly hidden it’s in the corner.
Get the urban legend if you want to sample all the meats. It’s enough to feed at least 3 people.

If you want a five star experience, read no mo’: Go for the Pulled Pork Sandwich and call it quits. Well, maybe have a beer or two, and maybe some apps, actually, just keep on reading.
So, BBQ and craft beer? Yes, Urban Brew and BBQ provides. I came here with a rather unusual large group, and first things first, service was excellent. No mistakes in the orders, the checks were correct, and the fast delivery of food and drinks was truly admirable. Second, the craft beer selection was really good. I mean, yes, we are in the Tampa area and this is beer mecca, but nonetheless, the beer selection was really good.
Now onto the food…
We ordered BBQ chicken, ribs, the pulled pork sandwich, pumpkin and regular cornbread, pork bellies, and sides of fries and mac n’ cheese. Like I said in the opening, the pulled pork is the way to go. Plentiful, soft, fatty, flavorful, just an amazing moist pork sandwich that many would love to make, and I am saying this because I was there with a couple of restaurant owners (joke is on you guys). The mac n’ cheese was delish, the pork belly was very flavorful yet a tad chewy and hard. The cornbread was a bit dry, but surprisingly, my least favorite were the ribs and the chicken. Imagine that. At a BBQ restaurant?
Well, the BBQ ribs were a bit too chewy. They were smoked all right, and the sauce was good, but just not cooked properly. The meat was too hard, too dry, just too difficult to enjoy. I would give them a passing grade, yet nearly failing. And the chicken, well, it was still chicken but it could have been just a dried up sponge. It was too dry, too hard. It had a beautiful coat of smoke, but I felt that it was left to cook way to long. If I was eating this at a cabin, and it had been smoked for preservation purposes, I would understand. But it wasn’t.
So, why four star if there are no good ribs and no good chicken? Really? The pulled pork sandwich! It was amazing and out of this world. It was so good, that the next time I am in the area, that is what I am having. That is my go to meal in St. Pete from now on.
Bottom line, if you want a great pulled pork sandwich and some good beers, definitively stop by. But if you want some BBQ, well, you will just have to take your chances and hope for the best…

This review is for the beer selection and for the atmosphere & service (and the smell of the food!). Unfortunately we ate before we came here and we were so stuffed that we didn’t get to eat, which was a total bummer because the food looked awesome.
Beer list is solid– they had local staples from Cigar city, coppertail, green bench, etc. and then other beers from around the world. Service was great. There’s a really nice patio in the back with long tables and ample shade. I guess this location was so popular that they’ve opened a second. Next time we come back to the area we’ll definitely be in to try the food!

There is a delicious selection of food made from scratch, with generous portions and fantastic flavors. The selection of house brewed beers is quite good.
On top of that, the service is awesome, the outdoor seating area has shuffleboard and corn toss. I could see this being a regular spot for me if I lived locally!

Urban Brew and BBQ is an outstanding place to go to get your fix for some seriously delicious smoked meats and a wide selection of brews. Wife and I had a truly delicious meal on our first visit here.
The place is in the somewhat up and coming Grand Central district of St Pete, which mean that if you are not a hipster you might make a note that you will be invading their domain when you visit the area. As long as you have a beard or perhaps some strategically displayed tattoos you should be fine.
All kidding aside, the inside of the restaurant is cozy, basically a bar with around 10 seats and then a few high two tops along the wall… It is small and intimate, and smells absolutely terrific. Out back they have a series of picnic tables accessible through the restaurant.
We tried a number of items, including the ribs and chicken, as well as some delicious sides consisting of Brussels sprouts and mac and cheese. Everything was truly great. The rub on the meats almost made the finishing sauce unnecessary, and the sides were very well seasoned and had a great smoky flavor. The sprouts in particular are amazing, although some may find them a bit over-​seasoned.
My only negative was although the place is small, only one person was working as server/​bartender/​phone answerer etc. She was fast and thorough but clearly a little frazzled as the restaurant filled up. This may have been an atypical problem, perhaps someone didn’t show up to work, but she was noticeably a little stressed.
All in all I am looking forward to a return trip not far in the future. This is an outstanding, non-​chain establishment serving up excellent BBQ.

Walked in on Saturday night around 6:30pm nice crowd not real crazy. I believe some people may not understand the way it’s set up but being from a larger city I totally get it. Great selection of beer everything is listed on the chalkboard behind the bar.
When the rest of our party showed up we were seated promptly on the covered patio at two large tables. I ordered the quarter pound of pulled pork with baked beans and collard greens!!! All I can say is I was not disappointed at all! The pork was delicious moist and slow cooked the greens and baked beans tasted like mine!!!
As I look around the table some people ordered ribs others ordered chicken and brisket. I fortunately had the opportunity to sample a little bit of everything and not one thing disappointing.
A few in our party ordered dessert which I also tried and was fantastic especially the brownie with vanilla ice cream!
Overall this was a fantastic experience everyone that worked there from the dishwasher to what I assumed was the manager did a fantastic job!!! Each and every employee was personable and very knowledgeable on the food being served and beers being poured!
Once again I’m a restaurant guy with 23 years in the business so all I’m going to say is the food was great and worth the money!!! Please go check them out! I’m not going to give you a overly dramatic review of every morsel I ate all I can say is highly recommend it!!!
Thanks again for the great experience I’ll be back real soon!!!
Cheers Peeps!!!

What more can be said about a small «pubish» place that has a great selection of draft micro brews and serves great BBQ as well. Then add the nice aroma of smoked meats and the extremely friendly staff, why not stop and have a bite and brew ?
Ive been here many times, and it’s always been a great experience, Mike the bartender is always on his game. Its a small place so it fills up fast and the bartenders are also the table servers and they don’t disappoint.
This a awesome place for a first date, or a couple whos looking for some good Q and brew. Depending on the time of the day more than a party of four «might» be an issue.

Fabulous meal!!! Joined friends on the patio— greeted by Christina, our waitress, super nice and very friendly. Ordered wine and water to start, others enjoyed their root beer and said it was very flavorful!!!
I ordered a chicken slider with tangy sauce and a side of Mac n cheese. It was seriously the best bbq I’ve had in quite a while. The Mac n cheese was served in a skillet and prefect in every way. Our party ordered two deserts– Apple crisp and brownie, both looked and smelled amazing!!!
I can’t waIt to try this restaurant again!!!

This little bbq joint is amazing. Each meat comes with a specialized homemade sauce to match. There is a good selection of draught craft beers to match any meal choice. The service was good. I found the food to be a tad bit pricey, which was the only downfall in my book. The place is tiny, so if you blink, you will miss it.

The food here was great, no more dried out bbq. The pork in my opinion was definitely better than the brisket. Pricing was a but much, not crazy but $ 40 +tip with 2 entrees 1 beer and an app. Beer was $ 7, ouch. The sandwich is definitely the way to go in this place and the mac and cheese with the pork in it was awesome not heavy. Beer selection was great too. Small location with parking challenges. Staff professional and fast. Will most definitely return.

Coming off the plane from California, I wanted one thing I definitely can’t get back there — Good Barbecue. It’s terrible out here, and no sweet tea either. I had heard about Urban Brew and BBQ and couldn’t wait to check it out.
Located on Central, I was shocked at how close it was to Haslem’s and Art Pool. Another great beer stop for the area. As we walked in there is the central bar top and a few tables along the wall, and a beer garden patio, but with four of us we just decided to sit at the bar. We were served by one of our former favorites from the Downtown St. Pete WOB and she didn’t sell us short.
Before we could decided between the great food and beers, I checked in on Unilocal for the free sample of pork belly. It’s enough to fit on a toothpick, but it is yummy. Drinks were tough as they have 18 taps, not a real description for any, so suggestions from the bartender/​server are a must. After sampling a few, I went with the Hog Heaven Barleywine.
As for food, well they pretty much have something for those that can’t decide: The Sampler and the Quad. The Quad is there mix of sliders, but The Sampler is the real deal. A portion of brisket, pulled pork, chicken, and I paid extra for the ribs. Each meat came with a sauce — tangy, spicy, and sweet. Spicy and sweet were the best. The brisket and pulled pork were both great, the chicken a bit dry but still enjoyable, but the rib meat fell off the bones and that’s what I love. Even my friend cracked a comment about leaving nothing.
So if choosing a beer and entrée weren’t difficult enough, welcome to the sides. They have four signature sides and a selection of rotating seasonal sides. And they all sound amazing, even the veggies. I went with the Urban Mac N Cheese and the skillet cornbread. The Urban Mac was really warm and cheesy and I liked the bits of prosciutto (wow, spelled that right on the first try). But the skillet cornbread. WOW! Comes with a thing of butter and you better believe I covered the top with it. The cornbread was some of the best I’ve ever had. You need to get this.
One buddy went «healthy» with chicken and veggie sides. On the other hand, another went the opposite and got daily special The Thing. I can’t even remember everything that went into this — meet, cheese, eggs, I think a waffle, sauces. It looked fantastic and likely to kill small children. Yum!
The staff and the other patrons, while this was late on a Tuesday night, were all great. Excellent service with tons of suggestions and help from the server, and got to have a nice conversation with her. As with any place like this on the first trip, everyone was looking at what everyone else got. «Wow, what is that? How is it?» for sides, entrees, and beer, with some casual conversation as well.
If it wouldn’t kill you, this would be an amazing local weekly spot. Also, there are cheaper options on the menu than what I did. But I was on vacation and hadn’t had good barbecue in over a year. I splurged.