Tom’s Place
1225 Palm Beach Lakes BLVD, West Palm Beach, FL
(561) 832-8774
As I discussed in a previous post about Amy Ruth’s in NYC, I like to save my soul food meals for when I am traveling in the South. South Florida certainly counts as the The South, at least geographically, but sometimes, from a culinary perspective you get the feeling that you’re in some weird transplanted version of the the Northeast or Middle America. And if you’re looking for legit Southern stuff like barbecue and soul food, you end up finding mostly chain restaurants like Sonny’s and Park Avenue Grill to scratch that itch. So when I heard about Tom’s Place, a legit Soul Food and BBQ restaurant with a heritage, I had to go.
A picture of Tom Wright, the founder of the restaurant. Originally the place was just a shack at a different location, but in the mid-80’s his restaurant had become so popular he had to build a larger place, then eventually move to the site of a former steak restaurant in Boca Raton to fill the demand. Wright retired in 2005 and his son has re-opened the restaurant in West Palm.
Ready for some great Soul Food and Q? Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link for more.
The restaurant is probably one of the most attractive BBQ restaurants I’ve ever seen, and looks like something you’d find in perhaps the Carolinas, Louisiana or Memphis.
Tom’s does a very popular takeout business.
Excellent sweet cornbread, which came out piping hot. We had to restrain ourselves from ordering more.
These are vinegar peppers which are used to spice up your Q’ and your greens.
St. Louis Cut Ribs, with Black Eyed Peas and Greens. I’m not usually a big Black Eyed Peas fan but these were excellent, especially with the chopped tomato. The greens were great too.
Once I sucked off the sweet BBQ sauce, I was able to reveal that yes, in fact, this was legit smoked BBQ. The smoke ring tells all. The meat was smoky and tender.
While you would think Mac and Cheese is a regular menu item, it isn’t, its a daily special only made one the weekends. Yes, its very good.
Pulled BBQ Pork sandwich
BBQ Pork sandwich, cut in half, bisected view. The sweet and sticky BBQ sauce makes it difficult to eat as a sandwich, I had to use a fork and knife on my piece, but it was still damn tasty.
Fried Chicken with BBQ Beans and Potato Salad
Fried Chicken closeup. Juicy, with a nice crust.
Off The Broiler 
[…] traditional Southern meal in a classic setting. While I have had some good Soul Food examples in Florida and New York City recently, they were both modern restaurants, and the last time I had a truly […]
This review is absolutely 100% correct. This is the best BBQ in the area. Anyone, even remotely interested in BBQ, and related delicacies, should give this palce a try…. you will NOT be disappointed. The Wright family is so caring and willing to please; it’s all a wonderful experience. Take the kids for the beginning of a life-long-lasting relationship with some of the best of anything… especially BBQ, that there is !!!