"The ribs, pulled pork, baked beans and the corn was fantastic."
(in 9 reviews)
"I had the half rack of babyback ribs it was oooh so good."
(in 22 reviews)
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- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
38 reviews for Shorty's Bar-B-Q
Review Highlights
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I have been coming to this Shorty's since my family first moved to Miami, before they had fancy things like A/C... and windows!
There are now several Shorty's locations scattered around Miami & South Florida, but the original will always be the best in my opinion... while probably not the "best" BBQ in Miami, Shorty's is a piece of Miami's history and the food is good too. I'm a fan of the Chicken & Ribs combo (their baby backs are great) which includes two pieces of dark meat (you can get white meat also) and half a rack of baby back ribs, along with their excellent fries and some coleslaw (not a fan of coleslaw so cant comment on that)...
Service can vary wildly, I've had both great, and not so great experiences here, but I will keep coming back because its still a nice place for lunch/dinner and reminds me a little of being a kid again.
It's a neighborhood BBQ place... yeah that pretty much sums it up. The food is decent enough. The highlights are the onion rings, and pulled pork for me.
They have good coke (they keep the machine clean).
Corn is swimming in butter, while not healthy, is very tasty.
And they sell the little chocolate mints at the door, which is how I have always and will always end a meal at Shorty's.
Mmmmmm. Had the pulled pork sandwich and key lime pie. Yummmmm.
We were immediately seated and greeted by the hostess and server -- very friendly and attentive staff!
When we got our food, no one at the table said a word. Everyone was too busy eating. The prices are reasonable - $7.95 for a pulled pork sandwich and side.
We stumbled out with our bellies full and very happy!
However, the bathrooms were dismal. Go only if you reallllllly have to.
I haven't been to many barbeque establishments before, but this is one of them that I recommend. Their barbeque's great, cole slaw is great... everything's awesome. The prices aren't bad. The place can be a little sticky from the barbeque sauce bottles that's offered on the table though. There can be a long line too during peak hours, so be patient. Their chocolate cake is also very, very good.
Bar-B-Q is a hit or miss. Its good or it is really, really not good.
This place has solid food, not bad, but definitely not the best I have ever had. It is great for a nice Bar-B-Q fix. The food is well priced.
Don't expect anything fancy here, the sauce bottles are sticky (kind of gross and that is why I didn't give them 4 stars, you can tell they arent wiped down often) and the food is simply served. All in all, not a bad place if you are in the mood for ribs.
I came to Shorty's yesterday for lunch, and to the surprise of my companions, I had never been here during my four years at UM. I see the appeal of the place - it's unpretentious and has good food. Apparently this place has quite a loyal following, judging by the amount of regulars here chatting up the waiters.
I ordered a corn on the cob, which was served in a sea of melted butter. I tried to convince myself it was still fairly healthy since it's a vegetable and all, but it was a LOT of butter. And it was delicious. Then I had the 1/4 white meat chicken, which comes with french fries, coleslaw and a piece of garlic bread. The fries were fantastic - they were thick-cut crinkle fries, which I usually don't like because they tend to be soggy, but these were super crispy. The chicken is not basted in barbecue sauce - instead, you choose from the two kinds of barbecue sauce available on the table. I was not a fan of the smoky one (which comes in a shaker), but the sweet one was very tasty.
I left here feeling quite full and satisfied... but it's three stars instead of four because I don't like sitting next to strangers at an uncomfortable picnic table. Even so, I will be back :)
Call it nostalgia, but I have to give Shorty's the ol' 5 star treatment since it's what I grew up on. As a kid, my parents would take me there every Sunday and we'd join Miami's honky-tonk crowd in the 20 minute line.
Once inside, we'd sit all sit at the wooden picnic tables (oftentimes next to a complete stranger) and take in the sweet smell of BBQ. I never felt like I was in Miami when at Shorty's...it was a great respite from "bro-culture." I haven't been back in years, but next time I'm in Miami, I'll be making a pit stop.
Definitely better than the Doral location. Service is OK, the place is a bit crowded and uncomfortable.
The food though, is pretty darn good. I love, love, love ribs and here they are acceptable, not drop dead OMG but good solid tasting ribs. I don't love the chicken and I am not a Coleslaw eater so I can't rate that.
Pulled pork is very savory. So you have a bit of everything, the good and the not so good.
I have had the platter to share and found that the best thing on it are the ribs so stick to those if you can.
Enough has been written about the BBQ ribs and chicken here, so I thought I'd write about their cheeseburger. When I saw it on the menu, it dawned on me that this may be the only place in town where one could get a wood-fire-grilled burger!
This was a very good cheeseburger, about a half-pound, I think. It might have been cooked a little past medium, but it was juicy, with a great "char" on the outside, and a smoky flavor. Definitely wood flame cooked . The cheddar cheese had a rich flavor, and even the roll was better than average, although I would have liked it even more if it had sesame or poppy seeds. The French fries were obviously frozen crinkle-cut, but were a properly prepared example of that type. I saw onion rings on the menu, but the price of $4.95 seemed a bit much at an informal restaurant.
This is a very casual restaurant, with communal picnic-bench style seating and a lot of noise. Lines are long at peak lunch hour.
[Photos of cheeseburger posted]
I am very surprised by all the 5 star reviews this place has earned.
I mean, they aren't bad, but they aren't THAT good.
The ribs are good.
The BBQ chicken always seems dry to me.
Corn is good.
Slaw is okay.
Texas toast could use some more garlic.
I guess I just want more from a BBQ place. I want to fall in love.
I had the half rack of babyback ribs it was oooh so good. The waiter was attentive and polite. The place it not fancy at all .The ribs are my favorite it was well seasoned and tasted very delicious. They also have the corn on the cob which i did not get because it is floating in butter . If you are in the mood for ribs this is a good place to go. : )
If you like corn drenched in butter and bbq beans that don't suck, shorty's is a must. This is the only place I've ever been to that, as you walk in through the front door, there is a picture of the very building you are in, engulfed in flames. This place burnt down many years ago and was rebuilt from the ground up.
I can say honestly, the BBQ beans are uncanny. No one else's beans can hold a torch to these. The corn is succulent and slathered in butter, as all corn should be. The ribs are not the best, but the jumbo beef sandwich is off the chain. The house sauce, an extremely tangy, smokey concoction is unbelievable. You could tell me it was made from human fetuses and kittens and I wouldn't care. If you're a french fry fan, you're in for a treat: crinkly fries.
DO NOT GO TO THE ONE ON BIRD ROAD. The food sucks there for some reason (hmph!). I can vouch for the US1, Davie and Doral locations. Just not bird road. sorry.
Yummy, yummy, yummy...
The ribs, pulled pork, baked beans and the corn was fantastic !
Miami is not known for its BBQ, but visit Shortys and you soon could change your mind. Don't expect luxury or white linens, what you get is great BBQ in a family friendly restaurant.
Be adventurous and try the beef ribs, they are tasty and out of the ordinary. If you can clip the coupon from the neighbors section and you could save some $$, because the prices are not cheap!
Being from TX I always need to find a decent bbq place. Since Miami is either Caribbean, Mexican or something too expensive for me to say finding this place was a godsend.
I drove my boyfriend an hour away from North Miami to go here. He was pretty heated that I wanted to go this far just for food. But he was grateful when we did.
I always get the bbq pulled pork and onion rings.
My b/f has had the chicken and the brisket and is always satisfied. Everything is always cooked great, no fat.
The sauce is decent. They put it in those like red pepper flake shakes that you see at the pizza joints, it makes a mess but who cares.
The service is always great, the servers are typically older southern women who go out of their way to make an extra buck.
The restaurant its self if filthy. The tables are dirty, the bathroom is so disgusting I would rather old it all the back home then go here. It is always hot and sticky. But the food is so great that it doesn't matter.
It is no surprise that you will find a line outside just to get in.
The corn is amazing. The coleslaw is good and so is the burger. The ribs and chicken are ok. The fries are frozen so I deduct a star because of that and the desserts are nothing special. It's unpretentious and you can always count on getting your fill of bbq when you come here. This location is much better than the one in Doral and Bird Road.
EVERY time I'm in Miami, I HAVE to visit Shorty's! Been going here for years. I don't suggest going here during peak hours (it could get crowded, and you could wait for at least 20 minutes)! This is guilty food, so if you're trying to watch your weight, then maybe you'd want to steer clear from this place. The ribs are as old-fashioned as you can get, raw and dirty (don't wear white). I love it! The decor is taken straight from an old western feel to it, it's perfect. I feel downright southern here!
I just wish the ribs had a little bit more meat, but other than that mmmmmm!!!!!
Overall-
Cleanliness: A
Food: A
Presentation: A
Prices: A
Service: A
----------------------
Grade- A
It amazes me that there are so few BBQ places in Miami. Shorty's is one of about 4 that I know of in the area. They do a brisk business, especially right around peak meal times. I've been there many a time to pick up a take-out order and there's been a line out the door of people waiting for a table.
The pulled pork and the brisket are 2 of my favorites, though the ribs are good too. I always ask for the "sweet" bbq sauce on the side, cause the vinegary basting bbq sauce just doesn't do it for me. Their side are good - good beans, good fries, and juicy corn on the cob. The prices are right too.
Seating is family-style, with long wooden benches along picnic-like tables. So don't be scared when you're seated practically on top of that couple dining next to you. Paper towels are a plenty, so you don't have to worry about tracking down your server for extra napkins. And their sweet tea is awesome.
I have been eating at Shorty's since before it burned down and it is still one of my favorite go to comfort foods. I would recommend the pork and the ribs, but not the chicken. I also love the corn that it is soaked in so much butter that you can hear your arteries slamming shut as you eat it. The vinegar based sauce is pretty good also, I do not care much for their regular sauce.
We went there again recently, and it is as good as ever. Again, it might not be on the same level as barbeque in other parts of the country, but it may very well be the best barbeque in Miami. If you live in Miami and need a barbeque fix, then you should definitely check this place out.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/19/2008
As someone who knows good barbecue and has eaten it in parts of the country where it actually… Read more »
I've been to a few BBQ joints around Miami, but Shorty's is by far my favorite. I've never been disappointed by their food or their service. Their baked beans are the best, and their brisket is to die for. Also, they have year-round coupons on their website for lunch, sandwiches and dinners which makes dining out easy on the wallet.
Spending $6-8 on the lunch specials are so worth it. I had the spare rib special... the usual lunch special at $5.99 for 3 rib, Fries, Cole slaw and garlic bread. Seriously can't beat it and it's good. They also have other lunch specials available. 11am-4pm.
It's one of those places where you pay by taking your bill to the cashier. It's like sitting at a picnic bench, but puts you in the bbq mood. Service was mediocre as expected, but you do get a cup of warm water to wash your fingers and they're friendly enough.
for the money i think better bbq can be had, i actually enjoy sonny's or romas over shortys
Love their BBQ. This is an original Miami Establishment and it's amazing that it is still around (and now with other locations!). My parents went their when they dated, if you can imagine how long ago that was!
GREAT FOOD! Messy, but there are rolls of paper towels on the tables, so you can use as many as you need.... I personally require almost an entire roll to myself. I like to wipe my hands clean in between each rib that I eat. Anal, I know.
The service is slow... But you're there for the food; after all it's BBQ, not Joe's Stone Crabs! Interesting country atmosphere and feel to the place. Quaint and cozy. :)
Coming from Texas I know BBQ and this is one the best in town. It is a little expensive for what you get and the place is always packed but I think it is worth it if you are in the mood for BBQ and you feel like staying in a good part of town.
Not the best barbecue, but it is great!!!! My rack of ribs was huge and was very tasty! Not a huge variety of sauces, which is not the end of the world but i like hotter than what i was given.
Our waitress was very nice, and I loved the atmoshere. The rolls of paper towels on each picnic table!!! It was so much fun!
It's a fun location outside the metrorail station and a quick drive to the BEAUTIFUL houses of Coral Gables!
The ribs were flying EVERYWHERE!!! i made such a mess! I couldn't help myself and I had 2 pieces of cake! This was the best pecan pie I have ever ate!!! She warmed it up for me and it was soooooooo good!
My boyfriend who is a lightweight said that one of the sauces were too smoky but he loved the other one. The fries were good and the corn on the cob was so tasty, just not the healthiest thing with all that butter!
I was introduced to this place by my uncle who lives in South Beach. This is my second time here and it hasn't failed me! I love it! When I am in the South, I want Barbeue!
Shorty's is good for what it is: a rib house. The ribs aren't the best, the cheapest, or the easiest to come by on a busy night, but they do a good job of providing the community with meaty deliciousness on a regular basis. They're good, not great. Keep your eyes out for coupons in the herald every week. Call in orders ahead of time and make sure to get both the sweet and the regular sauce with your order. Skip the fries cause they always end up soggy by the time you get home, but the cole slaw is pretty damn good.
Shorty's Rocks! I grew up around here, and Shorty's remains one of my favorite things about South Florida. These other reviewers do not get it.
Shorty's isn't designed to look like a shack or a roadhouse. It IS a shack. It IS a roadhouse. It burns down all the time. It's what happens when you mix grease with fire... you are going to get burned.
Now, I have had better beef, and I have had better ribs, and I have had better pork. I have had better slaw and i have had better corn. I have had better links and i have had better chicken.
There is ONE THING that makes Shorty's INCREDIBLE. And I don't even have a word for it. The best I can come up with is "Grill Sauce". As far as I can tell, it is HOT BBQ DRIPPINGS that have been put in a glass shaker. And it's brought to your table when the food arrives.
It is brown. It is smokey. It is meaty. It is tangy. It is delicious. It has chunks in it. Chunks of goodness. I drench my food in the stuff (generally I will use a shaker and change on my meal). And, try as I may, I have never been able to recreate it. And have never seen anything like it anyplace else.
So do yourself a favor. Go to Shorty's. Order the pork sandwich. The jumbo pork sandwich if you are really hungry. Get a side of slaw, and a side of fries. Wash it down with a Sweet Tea if you want the true southern BBQ experience - but be forewarned it is SWEET!
Then, you will come to know and love Shorty's.
tried the combo -- ribs are tasty, chicken is dry and not as flavored. didn't like the BBQ sauce much (cuz of the tang), but the rib glaze is already sweet.
Shorty's is one of the first places I ever ate when visiting Miami years before I moved there.
Haven't been a beef or pork eater for years before my first time going there so I can't speak on those but I love the BBQ chicken from there as well as the shortys sauce. The cole slaw there is also among some of my favorites. I'd say it's a must try.
As others said depending on when you go it can be rather crowded. If taking out I usually call up my order so it can be ready when I get there.
Messy food so if eating there be prepared. Service is also pretty slow but it's worth the wait.
This is the place for the best bbq in the US I've had to date. I lived in Miami for two years, and I probably went to Shorty's no less than 100 times. You're sitting at a picnic table covered with a checkered tablecloth. You're ingesting large amounts of melt-in-yer-mouth ribs, slaw and fries.
And you're loving every single second. You even lick your fingers clean BEFORE using the hand wipes.
It's that good.
Mmmmmm.
Something is definitely wrong with the sauce. It's too damn sweet. BBQ sauce should have a kick. Similar to how tartar sauce should actually be tart. Kraft Bold and Spicy BBQ sauce is more zesty than Shorty's and that's pathetic. Good portions though. The sweet tea was good too. Then again it's pretty hard to screw up sweet tea isn't it? I won't be coming back here ever again. Life is too short for crappy /mediocre BBQ.
Shorty's is a longtime BBQ joint in Kendall that specializes in what I like to call Southern style barbeque, i.e., barbeque sauce that has a vinegary aftertaste to it, more tangy then sweet (Texas-style bbq). If you dig that, you'll like Shorty's which is a dimly lit, wooden plank bbq shack on US-1 right next to the Dadeland South station (last step on the metro rail!). You can tell the owners kept the decor real humble, we're talking indoor picnic tables and paper napkins. The pulled pork sandwich is decent but the sauce definitely needs improvement (for my tastes), my fellow lunchmates and I kept adding tabasco hot sauce to give it a more tasty kick. Didn't work. Call me a philistine but I actually preferred Tony Roma's then this place.
bless their bar-b-qed hearts. the hostess and waitress were sooo sweet! not what you'd expect from 1) a popular place in miami where they shouldn't care to be nice to us because we'll go anyway or 2) a place in miami period, let alone a divey rib joint.
the ribs were delicious and hit the spot. i could see how you might not like it if you're not into southern bbq. but then just don't go so that there's more for the rest of us. we all started with an ear of corn drenched in butter which (with a sprinkle of salt) is heaven. i do prefer my corn fresh and a little less done, which leads me to believe that they let there's sit too long and maybe it was frozen first. point off for that. cole slaw was useless. bbqed beans had perfect flavor. pitcher of heiny was just right. sookie sookie.
we were intrigued by this spot after seeing the huge line outside a definitely authentic hole in the wall spot.
we ordered the baby back ribs + spareribs dinner special and for the price (around 20 bucks) we expected a pretty huge meal but the size disappointed. baby back ribs were tasty, spare ribs were cooked half perfectly finger-licking good and the other half a little dry and crunchy... but the sauce was definitely smoky, authentic, and addicting.
probably more cost appropriate during lunch?... we'll try again. :)
Shorty's will always be awesome in my mind. They are a dimly lit southern bbq restaurant in South Miami across from Border's bookstore. It is unbelievable. I don't go there for ribs like most people. (My ribs needs are satisfied by Flanigan's). I go there for their side dishes, for their pulled pork sandwich, for their corn on the cob, for their baked beans, for their bread. It is awesome. The only thing is that I pass up coming here alot because I always remember how there can be a huge line outside waiting to get in. It is a VERY popular place. Also, there servers are friendly and can be good, but the way it's set up allows for service to be slow because it's hard to properly identify who gets what food because it all takes place on long benches that house different parties. Still love the place though. Great bbq food.
I had a lot of problems finding information about good food in Miami, when I finally made it down there I understood why. Amongst the towering shopping mall and the maze of streets that is South Miami, Shorty's was a welcome start on a failed trip to the Everglades this month. While not the best B-B-Q I have ever had (Salt Lick / Austin, TX), it held it's own. The beef really stood out, which surprised me as pork usually steals the show for me. One thing I could not argue about are the great prices and friendly service, both excellent! It is set up a lot like other Southern B-B-Q places with picnic tables, paper towel rolls, etc. and it really facilitates you talking with other people while enjoying your huge pile of meat. I would stop back if I ever try and go to the Everglades again.
Damn, I thought I would be first to review!!! Oh Well. Unlike the first reviewer I really liked Shorty's. I have been to Miami twice this past year and both times stayed at the Marriot that is about a block away from Shorty's BBQ. Now I was reluctant to try this place because of its appearance but the looks here are deceiving and it is a look that is designed. Much like the "Roadhouse" chain restaurants in the U.S. this place is made to look like a shack. The food.... Now, I love me some BBQ and the BBQ here is delicious. The ribs I have had were succulent. The pork sandwich was also delish with and without the BBQ sauce. Now they have a couple different sauces and the pulled pork has the vinegar based sauce but I actually like the sweeter sauce on it. It was rated as a top BBQ joint in the country in some magazine article that was posted inside the place and I agree it is a damn good BBQ joint.
