West Palm Beach restaurant named among ‘top 50 BBQ joints’ by Southern Living magazine
Southern Living magazine has named West Palm Beach’s Tropical Smokehouse among 2023’s “top 50 barbecue joints” in the South. It’s the only barbecue restaurant in Florida to make the list, which was published Tuesday, Sept. 12.
The magazine’s barbecue editor Robert F. Moss highlights Tropical’s mojo pork, smoked wahoo dip, Everglades gator-stuffed sausage links, brisket-filled empanadas and smoked mahi as “the most compelling items” on the menu. These dishes “draw upon the Florida seas or incorporate Caribbean flavors,” he writes.
Tropical Smokehouse came to life on South Dixie Highway in January 2021, months after chef/co-owner Rick Mace departed his executive chef position at Café Boulud Palm Beach to pursue a Florida barbecue dream. He partnered with former Boulud general manager Jason Lakow to open the restaurant, which pays tribute to the diverse region.
“Having a sense of place is definitely a critical component,” Lakow says of Tropical Smokehouse’s concept. “We’re always trying to serve two ideologies, as Rick says. One is making our customers happy. Two is satisfying a desire to be creating and having that sense of individualism.”
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That Southern Living would name Tropical Smokehouse among the South’s “top 50 barbecue joints” should come as no surprise to those who follow the restaurant’s rising profile. In March, Southern Living hailed the Smokehouse as “the best locally owned restaurant in Florida”. Also that month, the magazine recognized the restaurant in its 2023 “South’s Best Barbecue Joint in Every State” roundup.
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This year, Mace was among five Palm Beach County chefs to earn a spot on the semifinals list for a prestigious James Beard Award for “best chef” in the South.
In late August, Mace and Lakow opened a counter-service spinoff in downtown West Palm Beach, Tropical BBQ Market.
Tropical Smokehouse, West Palm Beach
Where: 3815 S. Dixie Hwy, West Palm Beach
More information: 561-323-2573, EatTropical.com
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Southern Living names Tropical Smokehouse among top 50 BBQ restaurants
