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Voted Best BBQ in Venice Come stake your claim on some Legendary BBQ

Gold Rush BBQ, offers an excellent variety of dry rubbed, hickory smoked Ribs, Chicken, Pulled Pork and Beef Brisket. We also offer great sandwiches, burgers, steaks and fresh seafood.
Gluten free / Sugar free options available

661 Tamiami Trl S, Venice, FL 34285-3237 | TEL: (941) 483-3137

Our Story Discover

We are an award winning family owned and operated restaurant and take pride in every meal we serve.

Our restaurant has a gold mining theme, with rocks, gold mining supplies and casual comfort, many of our items served in metal gold miner pans. While here check out our Souvenir Rock Shop. Service is fast friendly, with a nice selection of Beer, Wine, Sangria and our famous Sweet Tea. Hope to see you soon for your dine in, carryout from our convenient to go window, or catering needs.

Fried Chicken
Whole Fried Catfish
St. Louis Spare Ribs
Pulled Pork Sandwich and Fries
Grilled Chicken Salad
Baby Back Ribs
Sliced pork sandwich with cheese and fries
Fried Chicken and Ribs
Hamburger with Sweet Potato Fries
Steak, corn and cornbread

All You Can Eatdine in only Specials

Tuesday
Baby Back Ribs

Baby Back Ribs

served with your choice of two sides & Gold Nugget cornbread
Friday
Whole Fried Catfish

Whole Fried Catfish

served with your choice of two sides & Gold Nugget cornbread
Thursday
St. Louis Spare Ribs

St. Louis Spare Ribs

served with your choice of two sides & Gold Nugget cornbread
Sunday
BBQ Chicken

BBQ Chicken

served with your choice of two sides & Gold Nugget cornbread
Gold Rush BBQ
4.6
Based on 2116 reviews
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Derf In Line
Derf In Line
22:55 28 Jul 22
Very good as usual. BBQ ribs and chicken. Fried green tomatoes too. Great traditional BBQ. Ribs various ways, pork,... chicken, greens, cornbread, and much more.Able to provide large or small tables. Beers really cold! Great great place. Always!read more
William Cloutier
William Cloutier
06:27 01 Jun 22
My first time at Gold Rush BBQ. I sat at the tiny bar and was taken care of by a team of short staffed, but quite... efficient waitstaff. All of which were helpful, friendly and hard working. I had the 1/2 rack ribs with the french fries and the green beans which were highly recommended by a female patron at the bar. The ribs were very good, but the green beans were what was memorable. I was quite impressed. I will be back on a Tuesday for their all you can eat rib meal. I highly recommend. Tuesdays lunch special before 2p.m. was this fabulous pulled pork sandwich with a side. I went with the French frys. Very good and inexpensive. I love the Gold Rush BBQ.read more
George Jacob Houghtaling
George Jacob Houghtaling
23:42 09 Apr 22
I ate here mid afternoon on a Saturday and had the 1/2 pound hamburger with cucumber salad side and an iced tea. The... hamburger was great ! It had a slight char with great flavor. The role was delicious (potato roll maybe) with 1 piece of lettuce that covered the bun with tomatoes and pickles. I was hungry and this was satisfying. Cucumber salad was good. Iced tea was served in a large cup with healthy looking lemons ! A great experience . I will be back.read more
Jeff S
Jeff S
23:25 11 Mar 22
03-11-2020 Still as good as ever. I had the mixed pulled pork and beef platter. So much food! Will definitely... return.One of the better BBQ joints in Venice! It has a nice miner atmosphere and the staff is friendly and attentive. My parents eat here often and they have a good selection of entrees. I really like their pulled near combo platter, but it's all good. Their cornbread is excellent. The prices are reasonable too. You can't go wrong eating here!read more
Dale Rude
Dale Rude
02:57 06 Mar 22
Great food and good service! Big portions as well. Been there twice and we love it!When departing, our car got stuck... in the sand in the back of the adjoining lot and the restaurant workers came out to help us. It looks like an entrance/exit, but it's all sugar sand. They had an entire crew out there pushing us. Thank you all for your effort! It was greatly appreciated. Hopefully, you will find a solution that will avoid others from falling into the same sand trap as we did.read more
Paul Davis
Paul Davis
00:36 14 Feb 22
Fast friendly service. Enjoyed the BBQ Beans , however everything else not so much. Chewy/rubbery ribs and chicken.... Others were enjoying the same meal I had but maybe it was just my meal. The waitress did offer to get something else. I politely passed.read more
Jacque Lee
Jacque Lee
01:18 25 Jan 22
Food was delicious! They tip share which I normally don't like but, this place was different every server and kitchen... help checked on you... Never a dirty plate left in front of you everything and everyone was prompt and pleasant... Very clean nice environment...read more
Kim Nubcakes
Kim Nubcakes
01:55 02 Jan 22
Everyone loved their food, and nobody left hungry. The prices are very reasonable for BBQ and they even have some... cheap items like $1 50 beer!!! They give you large cups for fountain drinks and service is diligent about refilling so you never run out of soda. The decor is cute and has mining items to look at. Highly recommend if you are in the area.read more
Lacey Faulkner
Lacey Faulkner
17:36 25 Dec 21
Literally everything here is a good choice. From their ribs and brisket, to their seafood and salads, I have probably... had close to everything on the menu and never been disappointed. In addition to their wonderful culinary offerings, I truly love the staff here. Everyone is so much fun and very attentive, even when they are crazy busy for both dine-in and take out.Jessica most recently gave us the best experience to date. She was so incredibly wonderful to us and our toddler, we didn't want for a thing, and she was so kind making sure our son was happy (he adored her). Jessica understood how hard it can be dining out with children, and she really took care to make the experience special. We have been here more than 150 times in the past 20 years and will definitely be back for many more visits.read more
Lou Germini
Lou Germini
05:35 07 Dec 21
Was in town for business and found my way to Gold Rush BBQ. I’ve lived in the Q capital of the east coast near... Lexington, NC and know what good BBQ is! Well buddy if you haven’t tried Gold Rush BBQ in Venice, Florida then you’re missing out. The food is absolutely delicious and the sauces are all perfectly blended with balance. But the service that I received was absolutely wonderful and I appreciate how attentive my waiter was. If I didn’t know better this guy took so much pride in his service that I would have thought he was the owner!Wonderful experience and wonderful food! Thank you Gold Rush!read more
Gordie Nicolai Jr
Gordie Nicolai Jr
02:37 28 Nov 21
The food was absolutely delicious and the service from Anthony was outstanding. My 9 year old daughter was also so... impressed with the food and service that she asked us if she could leave her own tip on top what my wife and I were leaving. She had saved money for a while to go on this vacation to Florida (we are from Michigan) and wanted to leave an extra $10 tip. We obviously allowed her to do so.read more
GK Taylor
GK Taylor
20:45 19 Nov 21
Great BBQ- best I have had in Florida so far. Being from Alabama, I'm a bit picky about flavors and have not cared for... a lot of the options here - Gold Rush was great. Fun open atmosphere, great waitstaff - you can ask anyone for something and they bring it, doesn't have to be the wait staff that took your order. Gave me more than I could eat, which is difficult to do! Hope to return soon - next time I'm in Venice.read more
Lesley Tompkins
Lesley Tompkins
02:07 06 Oct 21
We ate at Gold Rush this evening. It was the first time we've eaten there. My husband and I both had the baby back... ribs, which were delicious, and sides including barbecue beans, green beans and cole slaw - all of which were outstanding as well. Our server was really friendly and very fast with drinks, but assured us we should take our time with our meal - no hurry at all. We sat outside, and there was plenty of availability for an outdoor table at 6 p.m. on Tuesday evening. Great place. We will definitely be back.read more
Harry Blalock
Harry Blalock
21:20 29 Aug 21
We stopped in here for lunch on a Sunday on our way to look for sharks teeth on a local beach. We loved the atmosphere,... the servers and the food. The drink glasses were huge so you didn't have to ask for a refill every 5 minutes. The daily special was all you can eat bbq chicken w/unlimited sides as well for $13.50. Everything was amazing, and the servers made sure you always had as much as you wanted. If you are shark tooth hunting in Venice, this is a MUST-DO! Highly, highly recommended!read more
Dana Auman
Dana Auman
00:27 06 Aug 21
Aug 2021 update; so glad this restaurant survived COVID. The staff is still very friendly and the food still just as... good. Prices are still very reasonable, great job Gold Rush BBQ. Keep up the great good and service!April 2019, First time here for four of us. Two of us have been here plenty of times. Most of us got the pork sandwich special. They have several sauces, witch gives you an opportunity for many different taste. There corn bead is delicious, highly recommend it. We were here for lunch. Just happened to be driving by when I made the decision to stop. I'm glad I did. So if your in the area and love BBQ, stop buy. Prices are very reasonably.read more
K M-O
K M-O
20:56 24 Jul 21
wasn't sure what to expect with a full parking lot at 7:30pm, pleasantly surprised. we had a table of four. service... was prompt and food was great 9/7/2020- placed a to-go with Jessica. everything was perfect. Jessica and Linda verified each item on pickup, courteous and polite7/20/21 - Charlene is a pleasure, always bubbly, order is verified for correctness before anyone walks away. perfect five ratingread more
john bartol
john bartol
12:40 19 Jul 21
Drove past hundreds of times, finally stopped. If you enjoy BBQ, you gotta go. Best we've had since Texas hill... country! Great food and reasonably priced. But the best feature is the amazing service: polite, attentive, knowledgeable. Go!!! You won't be disappointed.read more
Miranda Cook
Miranda Cook
18:59 23 Jun 21
Great place to get some BBQ in Venice. The service was amazing! Everyone was super friendly. The pork belly sandwich... was fantastic. They Key lime pie was also very good. We will be back!read more
Emma Passaglia
Emma Passaglia
18:07 29 May 21
I love this place! I've been going here since I was a small child, and I've never had a bad experience here. The food... is great, and I highly recommend eating their fantastic cornbread. Also, their ribs are perfect! Be sure to try them with their signature BBQ sauce!read more
Chevelle Anguish
Chevelle Anguish
00:21 21 Apr 21
Was in town for the girls softball tournament over the weekend, called and asked if they could accommodate 19 people.... We were told 45 minutes. We were greeted by a very friendly staff member who got drinks for everyone as we waited (we showed up way early) we were seated as soon as they possibly could which was way sooner than 45 minutes. Eric was our server. Service was amazing and kitchen was quick and food was great. It had been a very long day for us and it was refreshing to have such a great experience at a restaurant. We never needed something our server didn’t address before us asking. Thank you Gold Rush BBQ and Eric for being good to us. We will be back if we come back to the area. 10/10 recommend.read more
Lara Mayberry
Lara Mayberry
22:38 02 Apr 21
We always have a great experience coming to Gold Rush. The waitresses even remember our order even when we are not... there for a while. Best beef brisket and huge drinks and polite waitresses. Great sauces. Also keto options. The competition is Sonny's which to me is disgusting and has flies. Love the old time gold miners decor and wood everywhere. Thank you for always providing the best food and service. We will keep coming back.read more
Shelley H
Shelley H
17:42 30 Mar 21
Food was excellent. The hot dog was ridiculously large and gave my kiddo quite the delight when it arrived to the... table. Hubby enjoyed all you can eat ribs. Chopped pork platter was delicious. I regret not trying the pineapple and cheese. Sweet tea was perfectly sweetened.read more
Beverly Puskas
Beverly Puskas
18:40 18 Mar 21
🤩🤩🤩. Wonderful food! Everything is homemade & it shows. I ordered the “plain old brownie” for... dessert. It was nothing but plain! Warm chewy chocolaty deliciousness topped with whipped cream & chocolate sauce. Highly recommend!read more
Marc Erwin
Marc Erwin
19:33 14 Mar 21
We did carryout, and took it to Blalock Park for a picnic. I had their baby back ribs, baked beans, and mac n cheese.... Everything was just wonderful, with some unusual, unexpected flavors. My husband loved his pulled pork sandwich, too. The people who work here are very nice. We will be back!read more
Jonathan Potts
Jonathan Potts
20:35 10 Mar 21
Amazing local restaurant. The staff was so friendly and welcoming. The food was amazing. We made a special trip back... the next day just to have lunch. Will have to go back on our next vacation. Definitely recommend a visit to anyone.read more
Jonathan Potts
Jonathan Potts
20:33 10 Mar 21
Stopped in while visiting the area. The service was off the charts. Would recommend this place to everyone. The food... was delicious. It was so good we made a special trip the next day just to eat again. Thanks for the great service and friendly atmosphere. Will see you again next time we visit.read more
Noster75
Noster75
18:41 06 Mar 21
Nice atmosphere, friendly staff, great food. Ribs and Catfish were both delicious, greens excellent. They have a kids... menu and it was family friendly. Price was a little more than what we usually spend but the quality of the food was worth the extra cost.read more
Luke Biggerstaff
Luke Biggerstaff
14:50 05 Mar 21
Great place to eat!!! I’ve been in Florida for a little over 3 years now and have eaten at gold rush close to 50 times.... I’ve only had one experience where the food was not 10/10. And that one time it was like 8/10. Always fast. Always friendly. Always consistent. Great price for what you get. By far my favorite restaurant around this side of Florida.4/18/21I eat here often! But I came today during lunch with my 8 month pregnant fiancé. Anthony was our server. He always is outstanding and pleasant. Don’t know him from anywhere but eating at this restaurant and today he decided to pay for our meal. As a gift to us for becoming new parents. That is not just a good worker but a good person as well. This company is lucky to have someone like this working for them.read more
Vance Mixell
Vance Mixell
00:52 13 Feb 21
We love this place. We often stop for lunch because they have great lunch specials. Today we stopped on the way back... from the beach to get something for dinner. We love the pulled pork but have been craving the green beans. The green beans have the most amazing smoked flavor. You have to try this place when you come to the Venice area.read more
Clara Curry
Clara Curry
01:06 06 Feb 21
Ribs dinner & tenderloin sandwich were great. We order extra corn bread to take home. It is wonderful. Wish you would... get more than one with your dinner. Waiter was Anthony. He was great. Servers were also great. Everyone were very helpful. It was nice to see free food pantry for people in need out on one side of building. Will bring things next time we come. Thank you for a great eveningread more
tammy cambridge
tammy cambridge
11:34 05 Feb 21
I heard rave reviews so I went to try. It was ok. I was overly thrilled with dry rub ribs. Flavor is just a bit dry as... well as ribs. Order a combo and was and normally get left overs from other places for dinner as we went for lunch, but, here was not enough to do that. Probably a 1 time visitread more
Nancy Ludwigsen
Nancy Ludwigsen
13:55 23 Dec 20
Great food. Casual atmosphere. Booths are a bit tight but there are plenty of tables. The BBQ is amazing sauces were... great with several "no sugar" selections for special diets. The corn bread is delicious. The service was terrific, friendly, accommodating young men who moved quickly.read more
tom miles
tom miles
23:11 02 Dec 20
Great lunch at Gold Rush. I had the mother load ribs, chicken, pork, beef, two sides and corn bread. Also had there... beer and cheese soup, holy cow it was good. Great service fast food delivery. If going for first time I recommend going for all you can eat, that way you get unlimited sides to especially the pineapple side yummy.read more
Ryan Bowersox
Ryan Bowersox
13:52 14 Nov 20
Classic local BBQ joint. Come hungry because they will feed you here! They had plenty of sides to choose from, but no... potato salad. I’d have finished the meal if I didn’t have such a large lunch late in the day. This was our travel day, so we were glad to have a pleasant local meal. Everyone else enjoyed their meals and the service was excellent and very friendly!read more
Laurie Finizio
Laurie Finizio
18:40 12 Nov 20
This was the best find the Hot Wings are amazing! The fried pickles have a perfect tangy sauce. The best You have to... try the yams absolutely out of this world. A sweet nut sauce like Thanksgiving yam casserole.I'd give this 10 stars and I'm not a big take-out person but I go now once a week 💕read more
Steve Davis
Steve Davis
00:53 05 Nov 20
Great restaurant and casual dining experience! Delicious food, great service, large portion sizes and convenient "to... go" containers for leftovers. The assortment of some different side dishes compliment the BBQ main course options (as well as steaks & chicken, etc. Looking forward to going back for more!!read more
William Rafferty
William Rafferty
16:12 12 Oct 20
Gold Rush BBQ is a Venice icon. Great food. Great service. Great portions. Always a crowd so get there early for lunch... and dinner. You will enjoy this meal no question about it. Don't miss the gold rush while you're in Veniceread more
Bryon Suski
Bryon Suski
21:56 11 Oct 20
Update: took our son to the all you can eat bbq chicken and he loved it. Today, a week after eating there, we picked up... some chicken elsewhere. I KNOW. But his reaction was "I think Gold Rush ruined chicken for me anywhere else. Theirs is just so much better".Today was All You Can Eat BBQ Chicken. Falls off the bone juicy! We added a little Golden sauce for a nice zip tang taste. The corn bread was also sweet and perfect. I can't wait to go back!read more
Shellie Gyetvai
Shellie Gyetvai
00:43 08 Oct 20
Excellent food and service at a reasonable price! I highly recommend and will definitely be eating at Gold Rush... frequently!read more
Big Mikes
Big Mikes
20:38 02 Oct 20
Since we can't eat pizza everyday, we love Gold Rush. We refer to them daily when asked for great local Q. Keep up the... great work.read more
William HUTH
William HUTH
10:55 26 Sep 20
My Mom, Dad, and Myself have been going to the Gold Rush BBQ for quite some time now, we feel they have the best BBQ... by far. We were there on 9/25/20 and the owners daughter was our waitress, she is a wonderful young lady. That is our place for BBQ.read more
Aurora Dawn Creamer
Aurora Dawn Creamer
12:42 25 Sep 20
Absolutely by far the best restaurant in Venice Fl Wonderful food. Extremely clean. And I like to make note Gold Rush... is the only restaurant that gets involved with the Community for example they are willing with a good attitude to help those in need take the homeless for example 7 days a week you can go to the restaurant -& Recieve a wide variety of food that is available to the public they have a wonderful lady who donates her time energy& wonderful wisdom to all of the homeless. The owners of gold rush Sue & her husband Pat Kudos to you for all the support you have given to the people of Venice We thank you for your sincercegenerosity.read more
Heather Mackinlay
Heather Mackinlay
22:37 19 Sep 20
Great baby back ribs. Excellent service
Nunya Bidness
Nunya Bidness
03:01 19 Sep 20
Go on Wednesday and get the fried chicken. You welcome
Jason Kobe
Jason Kobe
22:28 18 Sep 20
I always mean to take a picture when I first get the food, but with Gold Rush BBQ, I dig in to quickly. Never a bad... meal there!!!read more
B Itsjustme
B Itsjustme
18:59 11 Sep 20
Poor substitute for Darrells
Tom Mahr
Tom Mahr
22:30 26 Aug 20
Excellent food like always and good service
MILINDA SANCHEZ
MILINDA SANCHEZ
03:53 26 Aug 20
First time eating there. The waiter was amazing and sof course the food was delicious. Food came out very fast, I... will definitely go again.read more
Patricia Gordon
Patricia Gordon
17:22 27 May 20
Since the start of "sheltering in place", we have only gotten take out a few times from local restaurants. Two of... those times were from Gold Rush BBQ on Venice Island. They have always had great food, great service and great value! The pork is delicious, lean and generous portions! Their current handling of curbside pick-up and payment is efficient and feels very safe. We'll continue to support them because they are such a great, locally owned restaurant!read more
Tanya Purdy
Tanya Purdy
21:51 15 Mar 20
This is the BEST BBQ I have had in a long time.Cheyanne was my waitress and she was awesome. I didn't know what I... wanted but, I love ribs and chicken. She suggested the rib and chicken combo. I was sold before I even looked at the menu.The mashed potatoes were just like how I make them. Mmmmmm. Cucumber salad was really good too. The ribs and chicken were so juicy and delicious. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!read more
Dan Brown
Dan Brown
02:53 06 Jan 20
No frills, classic BBQ joint. Very generous portions of meat on the sandwiches and tasty sides. We started with the... fried okra and.had the chopped pork and chopped beef sandwiches with coleslaw and mashed potatoes. Friendly and attentive service too. Would definitely go back again next time I'm in the Venice area.read more
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(941) 483-3137