When I was young, my grandmother owned a condo in a retirement hamlet in north central Florida. What is there to do in Winter Haven, FL? Now that Cypress Gardens has closed… absolutely nothing. But when she passed away, the condo stayed in the family. Why? Sure, there was sentimental value… but the real reason: Winter Haven is only a 25 minute drive from the best damn barbecue I’ve ever had at Jimbo’s.
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Speaking of ribs: fall off the bone, juicy ribs, cooked overnight in a real smokehouse shack out back. Damn tasty chopped (not pulled) pork sandwiches. Incredible, golden brown hush puppies. Sauces with the perfect blend of spices and tang that tastes good on everything except the desserts. Creamy, delicious cole slaw.
But the real reason I was eager to go to Jimbo’s on family vacations, even during the 13 years I was a vegetarian? The best pickles in the whole world. Smack in the middle of each table is a stainless steel mixing bowl filled with freshly made chunky dill pickle slices that are crunchy as all hell, but still taste like the cucumbers from whence they came. Hush puppies doused in BBQ sauce and pickles made for a happy vegetarian in the midst of the mounds of meat piled on the plates of my family members.
But now that I’ve once again joined the ranks of the omnivores? Jimbo’s is the sole reason I’m looking forward to my next trip to the land of the geriatric set.
Would I take my dad there? Hell, he took me there.
Jimbo’s Pit Bar-B Q
1215 E Memorial Blvd
Lakeland, FL 33801
(863) 683-3777