Review: Wholly Smokin BBQ & Ribs

1261 Celebration Blvd. (Map)
Florence, SC
843-407-7545
WhollySmokin.com
Facebook.com/WhollySmokin
Twitter.com/WhollySmokin

WhollySmokin.com

WHY YOU SHOULD GO

Wholly Smokin’ is owned and operated by friendly people who truly want you to have a great meal. They provided that to us without a hitch and at a great price. Because of our experience, Wholly Smokin’ is now on our list of recommendations for friends and family.

DINING EXPERIENCE

As you may recall from some of our recent social media posts, we visited on the day they opened. The soft opening menu was promoted as being limited, but in my opinion contained enough of the key items that we could a good sense of the menu.

We arrived for an early supper, as my office had closed for the day ahead of schedule. The dining room and some of the fixtures will be familiar to those who visited the location when it was Roberto’s some time ago. That said, it’s now more brightly lit and has been freshened-up with some country decor and display cabinets filled with barbecue awards and Wholly Smokin’ logo t-shirts in red and white.

Smoked Chicken

Behind the counter we found Bill Travis, owner, and a member of his staff. We had to re-introduce ourselves, as we’d only met once before. That was during a recent internet radio show episode taping. Listen to it for a bit more about the Wholly Smokin’ concept.

Each entree item is held in a steam tray, of course, as barbecue must be prepared ahead of time. From what we understand, he cooks all day and pulls off fresh items before lunch and supper so that nothing need sit any longer than necessary. That said, given the traffic in this restaurant since its opening, I would imagine nothing sits waiting for an order to be placed very long.

We decided on a cross-section of the menu: ribs, smoked chicken, and pulled pork. Three of my favorite food groups … uh, barbecue categories. Complimenting them would be a sampling of cole slaw, rolls and their signature smoked baked beans.

Dining Room

Order placed, we took our drinks over to our table and seated ourselves. Sitting for not more than a couple of minutes, we saw our trays on the counter with the signature red and white checked paper under our food. The restaurant is well-themed and that carries to the food presentation. Trays in hand we sat down again to eat and chat about our days with each other. One of the things that I love about doing Pee Dee Foodie is that we eat together as a family quite often. I enjoy that very much.

Regarding our orders, the very first thing I have to say is, “Get the beans!” Yes the barbecue is very good, but the beans are amazing in their own right. I ordered them at the suggestion of a Facebook friend and she was spot on with her suggestion. They are smoky, meaty, and a bit spicy. Excellent. Second, my entree, the Smoked Chicken was very moist and flavor-packed. Difficult to get a good moist chicken in a restaurant, don’t you know? At least that’s what I’ve found. The quarter chicken portion I received was large and more than enough for one person. In fact, I shared some of it my with my daughter. She ordered the half rack of Pork Ribs, because when it comes to barbecue she’s a rib kid pure and simple. Wholly Smokin’, prior to the restaurant opening, had received specific awards for its ribs and they did not disappoint. Her portion was large, as well, so if you order them be sure that you’re hungry. My wife ordered the Pulled Pork plate, which she enjoyed. I say that because she didn’t share much of it with the rest of us! I’ll have to order my own next time.

Stuffed by the time we were done, there was no way we were going to order anything for dessert. Never say “never”, however, especially if you’re Facebook friends have been there before you. Another friend suggested that we try the Banana Pudding. We thought about it for a nanosecond and then ordered one portion to share. It was good, you hear? Very good. Somehow, after tasting it, we found the room for the rest of it among the three of us.

We completed our meal, bussed our table, and said goodbye. Our experience was a very good one, especially for a restaurant that had been open for only a matter of hours. We’ll add to this review after future visits, should our opinions change.

SAMPLE MENU

BBQ Plate with 2 sides, roll and drink – $7.95
BBQ Rib Plate with 2 sides, roll and drink – $10.95
BBQ Smoked Chicken with 2 sides, roll and drink – $7.95
Sides include, BBQ beans, Slaw, Mac & Cheese, and Kettle Chips (Small $1.50, Large $2.25)
Dessert is Banana Pudding – $2.50
Drinks available are Coca-Cola products.

SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT

None come to mind at the moment. If you have any, please add them in the comments section below.

PHOTO GALLERY

Disclosure: At the time of this review, neither Bill Travis nor Wholly Smokin’ was a sponsor of PeeDeeFoodie.com. That has since changed some six months later and wanted to note that fact here. Note also that Bill’s wife, Jackie, is also a sponsor, as she owns Let Them Eat Cake! Their support for PeeDeeFoodie.com did not impact the opinions expressed above.

Tags: Award-Winning, Barbecue, BBQ, Bill Travis, featured, Florence, full-image, Ribs, South Carolina

Category: Restaurant Reviews