Pearl Country Store & Barbecue

My husband and I haul travel trailers and 5th wheels across the country and get to eat at a lot of places. We dropped a camper off just northeast of Tampa, FL and were driving north on I-75 when we were getting hangry and going back and forth about what to eat.
We're from New Mexico and he's super picky so it's not easy! Then, all of a sudden I start smelling something amazing coming from the trees... BBQ... "Take the next exit" I told him. So he takes the exit and there's not really much there except a gas station and a strip club named -Cafe Risque (Which, by the way comes up under restaurants in the Google) so we pull into the parking lot and search for Pearls because we saw a tiny sign that said "Pearls Barbeque". The search shows it's 3 miles up the road, into the woods, in a place we don't know, in a town we've never heard of, on a back country road, next to a strip club.... "Let's go!, It smelled amazing" I said.
When we pull up to this old bank looking building that is now a gas station, my husband is hesitant because he didn't smell what I had.
But, when we walked in we were greeted with the overwhelming smell of heaven in a convenience store. The store smelled like they literally smoked everything in the room itself. The brisket and pulled pork were tender, juicy and just smoky enough to get the flavor jets wanting more. On the pork they leave the thin fat layer that has the rub on it when they chop it up, so every bite has a different taste because you get a different amount of seasoning. The mac and cheese.....well you'll just have to try it.

I'm always looking for good ribs and this place is one of the best. I had collards and baked beans for sides and they were delicious. There are places to sit inside and out. As others have said, don't let the fact that this place is inside a convenience store deture you. This is some of the best BBQ anywhere.

Ribs were tender and near fall off the bone. They still had cartilage in them (uncut/pork rib slab). I think the taste of the ribs is incredible. Unfortunately I believe that the ribs are a bit expensive, especially because paying per pound would include paying for the cartilage because it’s uncut (this is a pork rib slab, not St. Louis style). I also had the brisket which was pre chopped up. The brisket was average. The ribs were above average…superior…wonderful. Love the country store atmosphere and the good service. They were kind and attentive. I would return anytime and I highly recommend everyone eating here if you like delicious ribs.

Don't judge a book by its cover. This place looks like a small southern hometown gas station, so pay attention, or you'll miss it. It has a very homey atmosphere in the restaurant and it's always busy. Busy because the food is mindblowingly good. The convience store the dinner is located in is slightly dated but well maintained. The have all the usual things and some local items like homemade soaps and honey. Parking isn't horrible but it can get busy so keep that in mind.

This was our first time here. The food was outstanding and we will definitely be back.

The pictures are our leftovers. We had enough food for dinner that night. It was delicious

Quite a surprise when we pulled up front and discovered great barbecue buried in the back of a convenience/general store. We both had the brisket sandwiches, which were chopped. Very generous portions and a tasty sauce. Don’t let the front of the building and lack of signage stop you from trying this little gem.

What a great little place on US 441 in Micanopy. You don't find many places like this anymore. My wife had the pulled pork sandwich and potato salad. Both were spot on. I had the 3 rib sandwich with fried okra. The ribs had a nice smoke to them and were finished off with a sweet glaze. The sauces were very tasty as well. Certainly worth the stop. While you're in the neighborhood, head just a minute away to the downtown area of Micanopy and visit the shops there.

Well i once again was reminded about Pearls from a Tik Tok person i follow so on our way home from a day in Ocala we stopped off to pic up some dinner for later. When i got there the line was to the door but it quickly went down as the guy behind the counter worked his magic!! Ordered some food and paid for it at the counter of the store, bit different than most take out places..lol...within 10 mins tops i had ordered and gotten our food from them, make sure after you pay to bring your order ticket back to the barbecue counter so they know you paid and make sure someone's getting your food, i just happened to ask when i was asked if i needed anything , so to save anyone frustration of not knowing , Now you Know!! It is probably better than about all the barbecue i have eaten in Gainesville, so if you're passing through or just want to try for yourself its one holds the top spot for barbecue in my eyes , hands down!! Its a MUST DO!! ...Don't let the gas station appearance fool you...

This place is fantastic, on first glance it looks like only a gas station. But if you take a moment, you will realize they are putting out some great barbecue food! This picture that I posted is the Combo dinner, beef and two ribs, two sides, (I chose southern green beans and Mac & cheese), with a side of banana pudding. If you are in this area, I recommend stopping here!

Old fashioned barbecue in a country store/ gas station setting. Reasonably priced. Charming experience. Recommend after an outing in Mcinaopy.

Local convenience store and food. Got the junior bbq sandwich, which was ginormous! Good bbq ,lean. Potato had skin on, but good. Baked beans were really good.

The place was hopping for lunch. Menu has barbecue plates, sandwiches, combo meat, sides and dessert. Order at the counter and pay at the gas station counter. Eat in or take out. Ribs were awesome, brisket was chopped, very moist, sides were excellent. Portions are generous. Didn’t see a barbecue pit or smoker so not sure where it’s cooked but flavors were good. Not impressed with banana pudding but pie was good. Great atmosphere, will definitely be back.

We drove 30 minutes to get ourselves some BBQ here.
Like others say. The portions are generous. You get what you pay for, unlike many other BBQ restaurants. We had their Chicken, it was very good. Brisket, we were given mostly ends, tasty but... Pulled pork was very good, too. The BBQ beans are incredible, get at least 2 large portions.
The sweet BBQ sauce was great. Make sure to get extra, 2 small Styrofoam Bowls were not enough for the amount of meat we got. The waiting time was less than 10 minutes. All in all I highly recommend you having yourself a very tasty BBQ meal here. The atmosphere is very country with friendly staff.
What are you waiting for, Go get yourself some!!!!

My wife and I each had a chicken sandwich dinner. It came with two sides. We both got the beans and fries. They were both outstanding. I would recommend the 1/4 rather than the 1/2 chicken sandwich, unless you're REALLY hungry. My 1/2 White meat sandwich meant BOTH breasts and wings! We both got the Texas toast for the bread. Grilled on both sides with what had to be butter! Decadent. The rest of their meats looked as delicious as the chicken was. If you're anywhere nearby, I would highly recommend you stop by. Don't let the outside of the building throw you off.

Old fashioned and so good, I’m not a barbecue expert but darn the chicken and beans are soooo good, hot barbecue sauce is perfect

Brisket sammich was perfection .. Reasonable pricing and friendly employees .. Easy to understand why it was so busy, despite that, service was quick .. there is inside & outside seating

This place has the best BBQ I’ve ever had. There Texas style brisket is out of this world good. The beans were so good and potato salad was wonderful as well. They’ve got really good breakfast food. There sausage patties are huge and tasty. Whenever I’m in the area which is usually once sometimes twice a week. I’ll be back for more great bbq.

Day trip to Micanopy to visit with friends. Quaint Micanopy is more than 200 years old, suggest visiting Thursday to Sunday worth the trip.

Food was great! Server was a little abrupt! although they very busy it was impossible to get my order packed for travel. Having spent close to $100 for my order I had hoped that I could have my containers wrapped a little more securely as I was going to be driving to the next town with them. Basically, I was told that they were too many people in line for me to expect any kind of extra packaging or even a double bag. But yet I was still asked to leave a tip on the order at the counter for bagging it up. This was my first experience at the store so that was a little disappointing. The food, however, was excellent, and I will be back.

To all the pretensious restaurants out there. Come by and try the food here. We had the Friday catfish special for lunch because all of the other lunch plates looked so generous. The catfish was too large as well but the best we have ever had. Crispy coating and delicious, moist fish. We are coming back to try the BBQ, it looked fabulous!