Tampa's Jimbo's Pit Bar B-Q temporarily closed after fire

Jimbo’s Pit Bar B-Q, a staple along Tampa’s Kennedy Boulevard for about 56 years, is temporarily closed after a kitchen fire earlier this month.

The eatery with the legendary sign topped by a smiling chef overlooking the commercial corridor plans to reopen “soon.”

According to a March 11 Facebook post, the fire happened overnight and there were no injuries. But the damage to the 4103 W. Kennedy Blvd. restaurant was extensive enough that the restaurant was forced to close temporarily for repairs.

The post says, “if everything goes according to plan we hope to reopen in the next few weeks.” 

Photo by Louis Llovio

Jimbo’s did not respond to an email asking about the extent of the fire Monday morning and the incident report from Tampa’s fire department was not immediately available.

On Sunday, vehicles from clean-up crews were in the parking lot and the windows were covered from the inside by what appeared to be plastic. A hand-written sign on the front door said, “See you soon.”

Jimbo’s first opened in 1970 and is a mealtime mainstay for locals. The restaurant says on its website that the “quality of our food speaks for itself, but we also make sure that our customers receive larger platters for half the price of the competition in our area.”

It’s menu ranges from breakfast specials to barbecue beef sandwiches to a rack of pork ribs topped with Jimbo’s secret seasoning.