Award Winner Award Winning Cuban
$12.75Smoked pork, ham, swiss, pickles, mustard. Pressed Cuban bread.
Smoked low. Loved long.
Raising the Bar in Bar-Be-Que
Premium meats. Pecan wood. Scratch-made sauce. Tampa, FL.
Award Winning
The Cuban That Won Tampa
Smoked pork, ham, swiss, pickles & mustard on pressed Cuban bread.
Big Flavors, Bigger Memories
Catering for Every Occasion
Weddings, corporate lunches, parties of 10 to 1,000.
House Specialty
Smoked Brisket Mac & Cheese
Five cheeses, twelve hours of brisket, zero shortcuts.
Take a Bite Home
House-Smoked Beef Jerky
USDA inspected. Made in small batches. Now shipping nationwide.
Raising the Bar in Bar-Be-Que
Our craft, in four moves.
The Smoke Process
Great BBQ isn't a recipe — it's a sequence. Here's how every brisket, pulled pork, and rib leaves our pit ready to be loved.
- 01
Premium Cuts
USDA Choice or higherWe start with USDA Choice or Prime cuts — brisket, pork shoulder, ribs. Trimmed by hand the morning before the smoke.
- 02
Pecan Wood Fire
225°F pit temperaturePecan wood, sourced from the South, burns clean and sweet. No gas. No charcoal. Just real wood smoke for 12+ hours.
- 03
Low & Slow
12+ Hours in the smokerBrisket spends half a day in the pit until the bark is dark and the fat renders into the meat. We wait. You eat better.
- 04
Scratch-Made Sauce
0 bottled shortcutsSauces are made on-site, in small batches, from scratch. Sweet, tangy, hot, mustard, Alabama white. Pick your style.
"We don't rush the smoke. Neither should you."
Crowd favorites
Full Menu
Signature Picks
Twelve hours in the smoker, three minutes on your plate. These are the dishes Tampa keeps coming back for.
Award Winner 
Best Seller Notorious P.I.G.
$13.75Pulled pork, slaw, pickles, our signature sweet-heat sauce.
Alabama-Slamma
$12.75Smoked chicken, Alabama white sauce, crisp slaw, brioche bun.
Spicy Hot Texan
$13.75Brisket, pepper-jack, jalapeños, chipotle aioli, toasted hoagie.
From our pit, to your party.
Catering Built for Big Days.
Weddings, corporate lunches, tailgates, family reunions. Pick a package or build a custom menu — we'll handle the rest, including setup and tear-down.
10–1,000+
guests served
12hr
meats, freshly smoked
7 days
advance notice ideal
Tampa Bay
full delivery zone
- 01 Weddings
- 02 Corporate
- 03 Tailgates
- 04 Birthdays
- 05 Reunions
- 06 Block Parties
Since EST. Tampa, FL
Our story.
We Came to Smoke.
We Came to Smoke.
We Stayed for the Luv.
Southern Luv BBQ started with a simple obsession: real BBQ, made the slow way. Pecan wood, premium meats, sauces from scratch. No shortcuts. No gimmicks.
We're a Tampa joint with southern roots, serving brisket, ribs, pulled pork and the kind of sandwiches you tell your friends about. Catering is in our DNA — we love feeding crowds.
Family-ownedPecan-wood smokedScratch-made saucesTampa local
Read the Full Story
Tampa Says.
Real reviews from real guests. We read every one.
"Best brisket I've had since moving from Austin. Tender, smoky, and the bark is unreal. Sauce is on point too."
"We catered our wedding rehearsal with Southern Luv and every single guest asked for the contact. Incredible service."
"The Cuban sandwich is dangerous. I keep telling myself I'll try something new and I keep ordering it again."
"Mac & cheese with brisket on top is the move. Whole family loves this place. Friendly staff every visit."
Speak BBQ.
BBQ Glossary
Six words every smoke-head should know.
- Bark
- The dark, crusty exterior on smoked meat — a mix of rub, smoke, and rendered fat. Texture matters as much as flavor.
- Burnt Ends
- The fatty cap of a brisket point, cubed and re-smoked with sauce. Tender, candy-like, and the first to disappear.
- Mop Sauce
- A thin, vinegar-based sauce mopped onto meat during the smoke to keep it moist and add layers of flavor.
- Smoke Ring
- The pink ring just under the bark — a sign of true wood-smoked cooking. Comes from nitric oxide reacting with myoglobin.
- Low and Slow
- BBQ's golden rule: low temperature (225°F) over a long time (8–14+ hours) to break down tough cuts into tender, juicy meat.
- Rub
- Dry seasoning blend — salt, pepper, paprika, sugar, spices — applied before smoking. Our base is Texas-style coarse pepper and salt.
Pull up a chair.
Find Your Luv.
Open Now
8019 Citrus Park Drive
Tampa, FL 33624
Hours
- Mon 11 AM – 8 PM
- Tue 11 AM – 8 PM
- Wed 11 AM – 8 PM
- Thu 11 AM – 8 PM
- Fri 11 AM – 8 PM
- Sat 11 AM – 8 PM
- Sun Closed