Darrell's in Venice - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

My new favorite restaurant! Best Fried chicken livers I've ever had.

The food was good service was great, the BBQ sauce could be a bit hotter for me. Over all I will go back.

9-4-24. Five of us dined together today. We all enjoyed our experiences. I love the decor on the walls, but not sure I care for the very open floor plan. We had a fine young man as a knowledgeable and attentive waiter by the name of Evan. I recommend. The chairs are extremely uncomfortable

ordered the combination dinner, asked for dark meat on 1/4 chiken and got white meat! The 1/4 ribs were all Fat! How do you even serve dinner like this !! On the positive side bread and cole slaw was okay . Since i dont know the cooks or the owner buying the ribs , Thank you Madison for taking my take out order!! i was so impressed with a phone call i received the next day by madison. Her efforts trying to make things right is why i changing my review. Few people in any place of work try to correct theirs or someones elses error that when its done I really appreciate it! Thank you Madison!!

Excellent food and service!! Gavin and Madison were awesome! Can’t wait to go back. The piggyback burger and wings were delicious!!!!!!

Yummmmmm! We got the fried green tomatoes (the best I’ve ever had I think) BBQ ribs, brisket bleu cheese baked potato, okra, corn bread, and Mac and cheese and OMG. I left there feeling more full than I have in years because I couldn’t stop eating. Our waitress Madison was amazing!! She made our whole dining experience so pleasant. She was attentive, fast, and everything was correct. Her recommendations were on point and her conversation was refreshing. She had a lot of helpful tips for things to do in the area with my son and she asked if I wanted to put his order in right away after we were seated so he wouldn’t get bored and restless. Overall, AMAZING FOOD, AMAZING SERVICE, WONDERFUL ATMOSPHERE! The parking lot can get very crowded sometimes because it’s so good. Be prepared to possibly wait. 🥰 We’ll be back!

Gavin our server was amazing make sure you ask for him!!

Still best BBQ and southern food in Venice

Ask for the hungry heffer it's the best it's a little bit of everything

I've been going there, or having food brought to me, for years. The staff are exceptionally friendly, polite and helpful. Great food, great customer service!

They r awesome! Food , service is excellent! Try their mac and cheese you wont be disappointed

The smell of BBQ will make you drool as soon as you walk in. The service was amazing and the food is crave worthy. Can't wait to come back and try more.

This place did not miss! Surprisingly great food. The wings cooked to perfection

We were excited to try Darrell's because of the high ratings, but we were disappointed. The BBQ was over-smoked and greasy, and the side portions were tiny. Service was fair at best. Had a much better experience at another local BBQ restaurant.

The parking is terrible. The food is not amazing. Price isn’t worth it. I got the potatoe and it was dry, no butter, I had to ask for it, the brisket was thick fatty slices. The nachoes were huge but pork was not great. It’s just an average bbq place.

This is a hidden gem in Venice! Had the opportunity to eat lunch at Darrell's and found it to be amazing. The menu selection was extensive from appetizers to desserts. The Brisket sandwich was so delicious - tender, smoky flavor and with the Carolina sauce all I can say is wow! Save room for dessert. The banana pudding was creamy and sweet with real vanilla wafers stirred into the pudding. Yummy! Our server was attentive and made sure our drinks were refilled and that we had everything needed including extra napkins. I can't say enough good things about this family owned restaurant!

We had an amazing lunch today at Darrel’s . We come here since 2 years every year during our summer holidays and the restaurant never let us down. Great food, huge portions and nice waiters. Please keep going. Thank you

My wife loves the breaded chicken livers and I got the sample ribs, chicken, pork and brisket. Always good

We stopped for lunch and were pleasantly surprised to have such attentive and respectful service. There were young guys working and they kept the place very clean, they were professional. The food was great as well.

It’s difficult to find good bbq in Florida and this sure hits the spot! We drive down from St Pete for it. Try the Mac and pulled pork, the fried okra, and sweet tea. Even with the half portion I take food home. You’ll find generous portions and the sweetest servers.

Very pleasant. Nicely specials. Good food. 3:2 no hard liquor. Good people watching. Family atmosphere.

It was a great experience. We went there looking for a good lunch and were not disappointed. Plenty of options on the menu, including options for vegetarians so there’s something for everyone. I had the meatloaf special and gumbo and both were good. Portions were large and it was more than I could finish in one sitting. Leave room for dessert if you can as the banana pudding is delicious. Service was friendly and prompt.

The staff were very friendly. Awesome vibes. The food was a little bland, tasteless and really needed some seasonings. The cost for the food was not worth it. But overall an experience. The fried green bean appetizer and the sweet tea DID NOT DISAPPOINT!

The food was awesome. Our server was the best. She was friendly and had an awesome smile. Would definitely go back and recommend this place

I been here many times and neglected to do a well deserved review. No matter when I have been in the people are friendly, the service is fast and the food is great. This place is a gem. Let me tell you that if you do not get enough to eat it is not their fault. Come in and eat and then keep coming in. It’s worth it

The food was great but was really spectacular was the service. Everybody was very friendly! My family and I couldn’t stop talking about how good our server Lisa was. She was so nice to our kids and really made us feel welcome. Lisa educated us on the menu luckily because we almost ordered way too much food. So she steered us in the right direction. The portions are huge and the price is right! When we visit this area again we’ll be sure to stop in and have great BBQ!

Super Delicious Pulled PorK Salad.. Get the Small one.. it's Huge.. Homemade Honey mustard.. Homemade super delicious Banana pudding.. Great Friendly service..

Always great food and you get a lot . We eat there often and have never had a bad meal. One of our favorites.

Best food in Venice/Sarasota area, ordered an entree; their smoked chicken and comes with two sides and corn bread. I have only good things to say about every part of this place: clean, great food, friendly people.

First time eating there tonight I've heard about it but not too much..... I am very pleased not only the food was cooked perfect The chicken was absolutely moist and juicy unlike the barbecue place down the street. They serve Coca-Cola products !!!!!+++++ they get five stars out of me and repeat customer. Glad I came here tonight. Love the fried okra....I wish they had garlic bread.......

Excellent service, even better food! This little place is a must! Food is well priced n you get so much of it!

Superb meals & don't forget to start with the southern dish, 'gumbo' which was excellent. The cornbread with the main was 'delicious'( just ask Phil David) & the shrimp & grits was superb 'old florida'supper.

I ordered probably not the best meal (Southern grits and shrimps) but service was good and atmosphere also.

Nice food spot good food good service

I had Chicken with veggies! The family works together to deliver good comfort food in a kick back environment. I'm happy to support a local business and a hard working local family!

From the staff to the food it was all top notch

It was a Saturday evening and this was truthfully the third BBQ place we tried. The other two were all out of BBQ. We had the ribs and bacon-wrapped shrimp and the hungry heifer platter (a combination plate with a bit of all the menu items from “the Pit”). The bacon-wrapped shrimp were amazing. So good! I’ve had better ribs but the rub that they used was very tasty. They have three sauces on the table - sweet, Carolina, and hot. I found that a mixture of the sweet and hot sauces was best. Just not a fan of the Carolina. We had the “jar of dirt” (chocolate pudding with cookie crumbles and gummy worms) for dessert and it was rich and good. Probably should have shared two among the four of us, but leftovers are good. 😁 Service was a bit slow but maybe the waiter was new?

This was our first time eating at Darrell's. The food was AMAZING & our server Evan was EXCELLENT. It is definitely a must try if you live here or just vacationing like we are.

The food is good. They are very accommodating.

Food was amazing. Service was outstanding. Our waiter (Gavin?) went out of his way to do everything he could to make our dining experience special - even bringing food early for our discontented 2 yr old granddaughter. A totally perfect meal!!

Very cute place with hometown food and great servers!

Okay , so while traveling figured we would try Darrell's out. DANG GOOD FOOD! I got the Hungry Heifer ( a variety of all the meats). The corn bread FANTASTIC. My husband had the chicken fried chicken and finished his meal with banana pudding. He claims that the banana pudding was hands down the best banana pudding he has ever had. Great choice in restaurants this trip for sure!!!!

We are visiting from the Midwest and eat bbq a couple times a month. This is the worst bbq we have ever had. Wish we had read the negative reviews before visiting, as each one was spot on. The brisket was not edible and definitely not smoked. Nothing was smoked; we eat a lot of smoked meats and know the difference. The beans were canned, as another reviewer said. The pickles and fried green tomatos were in a beer batter with no seasoning. This is a tourist trap....and not worth the visit or the money. It is overpriced for less than mediocre food. The positive was the staff was kind and attentive, though no one questioned why a lot of our food was untouched. But, I am sure they know the quality is not good.

We are visiting from the Midwest and eat bbq a couple times a month. This is the worst bbq we have ever had. Wish we had read the negative reviews before visiting, as each one was spot on. The brisket was not edible and definitely not smoked. Nothing was smoked; we eat a lot of smoked meats and know the difference. The beans were canned, as another reviewer said. The pickles and fried green tomatos were in a beer batter with no seasoning. This is a tourist trap....and not worth the visit or the money. It is overpriced for less than mediocre food. The positive was the staff was kind and attentive, though no one questioned why a lot of our food was untouched. But, I am sure they know the quality is not good.

This place was amazing, we were in the area visiting my dad as we are from Illinois and this place exceeded our expectations by far! The food was amazing, every bite, the service was the best like we had in the 80’s and the atmosphere was great! If I could score them higher than a 5, I would have!

One of the best overall dining experiences I’ve had in a long time. The food was amazing and all of the staff were great. Darrell runs an awesome restaurant!! Also get the banana pudding

It’s not a very big restaurant, but the food is pretty good with excellent service. Everyone in our large party enjoyed their food.

I ordered the hungry heifer platter and it was horrible. There was nothing in that platter that had flavor. I also ordered the fried mushroom and that was horrible too, thick battered full of grease. Extremely disappointing to spend $63.00 on food that I didn't enjoy.

Darrell’s did a fantastic job catering for our daughter’s graduation celebration!! Great communication and food was top notch. Darrell and his family and staff went the extra mile to ensure a delicious meal for our family. If you are looking for a great caterer or restaurant you can’t go wrong here. :)

This place is AMAZING. Soul food at its finest. Good service and not bad prices either! Would highly recommend

Excellent, authentic southern food with excellent and friendly service.

Very friendly service, great tasty and fresh food! TOP!!👍 I can only recommend it!

Excellent food with large portions. This restaurant provides a great value. Our service was excellent. Gavin was one of several employees that provided the exceptional service. This will definitely be our go to place for a great meal.

I just had them cater an event for 100 people and the service couldn’t have been better! Everyone loved the food, we had so much leftover, and the price was right!

The food was absolutely delicious and the service was excellent

Best service anywhere, food is awesome also.

Awesome Food @ Service, Evan @ Gavin are great

Darrell catered my son and daughter-in-law's wedding shower. He paid attention to every little detail. I didn't have to worry about a thing. We had pulled pork, chicken, mac and cheese, baked beans, coleslaw, cornbread, and slider rolls. We had more food than we could ever eat. My guests raved about the food! They were all able to take home a little doggy bag. We were all happy campers! Thank you, Darrell for helping me focus on making memories instead of working on all of the prep and hours of cooking.

Decided to stop by Darrell‘s after a visit to Venice Beach. It did not disappoint! It had a nice variety of items on the menu and the food was delicious with very generous portions! The chicken livers with the homemade gravy was an amazing appetizer. I ordered the chicken and ribs which was cooked perfectly, and my wife ordered the pulled pork nachos, which were enough for 4 or more people to share. We ended the meal with a recommendation of peanut butter chocolate pie from our server Lisa, who was amazing! She was very knowledgeable and friendly and accurate. Sadly, I neglected to take pictures, but I highly recommend a trip to Darrell’s and will definitely visit again The next time I am in the area.

Darrell recently did some catering for an event we had - everyone loved the food and the service was amazing! Darrell himself worked so hard and everyone enjoyed the meal immensely! We will definitely hire him again!

We found Darrell‘s Just passing through Venice, Florida. upon entry we were pleasantly greeted and told we could sit anywhere we would like. The restaurant was very clean and had a very friendly feel about it. There was four of us and everything that we ordered was on point, but the real reason we would return to Darrell’s restaurant is because of Lisa.

Great food, big portions and our waiter Gavin looked after us well.

First and foremost...GO HERE !!!! This was the absolute best dining experience I've ever had!!! The food the service EVERYTHING was phenomenal!!! Our waitress Madison was the sweetest kindest waitress I've ever had. Florida is one of the worst places to "eat out". This restaurant completely changed our minds. If you're looking for phenomenal food and service without being rushed or made to feel like you're an inconvenience...this is your spot. Or if you're looking for how to treat customers....just go observe their staff and take some lessons. DARRELL'S is where it's at, my first stop if I'm ever back! Thank you all for a great experience!

Gavin the waiter was outstanding.

Had a large gathering of family and friends together for lunch. Food and beverages were amazing but the star of the show was the staff and everything they did to make sure we were all taken care of. Great job.

Melt in your mouth brisket! Delicious pulled pork. A baked sweet potato that could double as dessert. All served perfectly by a charming and professional Evan!

This is a real gem among barbecue restaurants. The owners have done such a great job creating a restaurant that is inviting, clean, and unique. Everything we had was top-notch. The chicken was So juicy, and the vegetables were outstanding. If there is one thing, you must absolutely get it’s the banana pudding… It’s the best I’ve ever tasted.!!!

GO HERE! I don't care what your dinner plans are if you're visiting Venice, seriously, go here. Really cute atmosphere and amazing food. Their ribs are better than ones I had in Texas! Ms. Jolene was such a sweetheart. If I lived closer, I'd be a regular 😍

Excellent food, service and prices The chicken livers are exceptional.

Stopped after a Venice beach day on a whim and so glad we did! Absolutely delishous food and wonderful staff! We will be back, Their breading coating is abs amazing, We tried fried mushroom, shrimp and chicken and wow just amazing! great atmosphere!

Great food at a good location. Pork, chicken, beef, and fish food choices. Went with a family of 3 for lunch. Everyone got the pulled piggy BBQ sandwiches. We also had a banana pudding. Food came out quick, and the staff was friendly. Food tasted really good as well. The price of food was on average of other places. Parking is easy to get to. Definitely recommend eating here.

The next southern experience I have had

Actually our very first stop upon our return to Venice, we were very happy to find it open, and as good as we remembered. Very friendly and attentive staff, generous portions, good draft beer list. Pulled pork sandwich, brisket sandwich, hot crisp fries. We expect to be back there again in the next weeks!!

Exceptional service and delicious food! Two couples celebrated a birthday with a delightful evening dinner. We savored chicken fingers, loaded baked potatoes, succulent catfish, and delectable pulled pork atop creamy Mac and cheese. The beer and wine selection was reasonably priced. Despite the late hour, the cozy ambiance remained undisturbed, offering a welcome escape from the bustling crowds. A gem of a restaurant conveniently located just a stone's throw away from the bustling crowds.

We had the pulled pork, st Louis ribs, and smoked dark chicken. The pulled pork was on point. The ribs and chicken were good but seemed to be missing a smoked flavor throughout the meat. Our server, Gabe, was one of the best servers we've experienced in a long time. Kudos to Gabe.

Took me a while to get my food even after my party of 12 got theirs, but we'll be worth the wait. Great food, awesome attraction, too, visit great atmosphere

We ate at several places in Venice, Florida, this was by far the best restaurant

We were all impressed. Good brisket, pulled pork on baked potato, black bean burger, pulled pork sandwich, kids chicken fingers, all great. Good fries, large drinks, great and very attentive server. Great little business we will return.

Excellent food and service. Evan was exceptional!

Had the pleasure of working with Darrell on a 90 person order/catering job. He was very professional, responsive, and flexible. Best of all, food was very tasty and enjoyed by all. Great experience and would be happy to work with Darrells Restaurant again.

My first time. Gavin was fantastic!! He was friendly, great mood. The owner came around twice and thanked us. The Midwest pork tenderloins was excellent and true to Midwest tenderloins, the meat loaf was amazing as well. 3/21/24 we went back today for the tenderloins, oh so fabulous!! They do have kids menu's in the restaurant. Extremely reasonable prices and proportions. Gina B was awesome!

Good food good place good service!!

Great food and service!!! Will return for sure.

Went to a St Patrick's day party and they had it catered from Darrell's. Best corned beef I ever had. Fell right off the fork and tasted delicious. All the sides were equally good. Wish he had a place at the Jersey shore as well!

Their corned beef and cabbage dinner for St Patty's Day is the best around. Just ate the same thing again this year, 2024, and still the best!

Stopped in last Saturday for lunch and the portions we so huge my husband and I brought it home for dinner. The crawfish/ shrimp Mac and cheese was absolutely killer on site but unfortunately didn’t reheat well. Just a helpful hint to future orderers-definitely fully enjoy this amazingness on premise guilt-free. What really stood out to us was the server’s commitment to and enthusiasm for the food and ensuring an awesome customer experience. I think his name was Gavin. Wish we had that level of service in more/all restaurants.

We have been coming to Darrell’s for almost 2 years and have never had a bad experience! Anytime someone comes to town we always tell them we have to go to Darrell’s to get wings! Gavin has truly made us feel like family every time we walk in! Great customer service and food!

Typical southern restaurant. Delicious and very friendly service.

Great service, excellent food!!

You always feel welcome at this place. Gavin is awesome at remembering you and interacting. Great family run local business!

Shrimp and grits was very good. Plenty of shrimp. Service was very good as well. Clean restaurant. Fair prices. Worth a visit.

We had a great meal. Sat at the bar just to have a drink before dinner, because there was a wait for a table. But enjoyed Gavin (the bartender) so much we just stayed at the bar and had dinner there. Everything was delicious. It was Friday, and we had the Fish & Chips special. We will definitely return, and most likely sit at the bar if Gavin is there. He is a hard worker, and definitely stayed busy. He’s training to be a firefighter. He will make a good one.

Great food and service!! Brisket was cold and not much smoker flavor

Outstanding food, service and atmosphere!

Very disappointed. The food was tasteless. Service was ok.

Been here many times over the years and always leave happy. Excellent food, great service (got to love a family ran business), and good prices. Highly recommend!

Our favorite place to eat in Venice Florida! The atmosphere and service were great! I was somewhat indecisive as to what I wanted to try. I ending up asking the waitress to surprise me. She brought out the brisket- It was amazing! Melt in your mouth! My teens ordered the Cajun Mac dish and the BBQ sandwich with fries, my husband got the Southern Fried Steak. We all tried and shared our dishes- sooooo good! THE CORNBREAD… the most moist & sweet ever!! We loved it here so much we returned 2 days later! We joke that we are willing to take the 18 hour road trip to Venice just to grab some Darrell’s! This place does not disappoint!!

Wife ordered smoked wings, deep fried. I had ribs, pulled pork, brisket and chicken. All were baked, not smoked or BBQ. Chicken was raw in the thigh. I heavily advise to avoid this establishment. Server was nice. Very disappointed

We ordered water and lemonade to start. The mason jars they came in were very large and I did not require a refill. The food was really good … after I added the available BBQ sauce to my pulled pork. I tried the pork plain, as it was served, and it was moist and I found zero fatty pieces. The flavor of the plain pork was, just that, plain. However, once I added the BBQ and mixed it well, it was delicious. Two others in my group had the brisket sandwich and the fried chicken. Both said they would come back. As will I. I would like to try the ribs. I ordered my pulled pork with a side of potato salad and broccoli. It also came with corn bread. I was overall very pleased with my meal and the price. Our server, Lisa, was very nice and friendly. She did however forget to mention the specials to us but it would not have changed my mind and there was a board showing the specials. The owner/manager (?) came by and he was very enthusiastic and he thanked us for coming and checking to see how the food was. I also heard another young man being friendly and thanking his table for coming. The service gets 5+ stars if I could give it to them. The next time we crave BBQ, we will think of Darrell’s.

We went on a Tuesday night. Go early. By 5:30 place was filled. Tuesday they have a smoked turkey dinner special. Turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy and corn bread. My wife had it and thought it was excellent. I had ribs, baked beans and potato salad. Ribs were tasty, juicy and fall off the bone. A real treat. Sides were both outstanding! Service was excellent. A little load, but great food and prices!