Driving north on I-75, my partner, d'André, was searching for a great BBQ joint using his iPhone.  We had made a couple of false passes at some BBQ joints he had found, but with no wood outside, no smoke, and too much fanciness, we had passed them up.  And d'Andre does not like the BBQ chains, nor crappy BBQ of any sort.  Not one bit.  He is bitchy that way, actually.
Not knowing for sure what he had found by searching on his phone, d'André, whose nose is usually unerring, yelled at the last possible moment for me to swerve off I-75 at the Micanopy exit.  I asked "my canopy?"
d'André replied "mik' a no pee" snippishly.  (d'André was tired, I think.  We had been driving for a full 3 hours, and he was NOT looking forward to the rest of the 12 hour run all the back north to DC.)
About a mile off the interstate, we found what we were looking for. Â A country store and gas station. Â We parked outside, and in we went. Â One glance told me we were right with Jesus. Â Everything was there, including the unmistakable hallmark of good BBQ, it's smells and a blackened cooker-oven in the back.
I do not know much about actual BBQ, so I can only relay d'André's thoughts.
I must say d'André was put off at first by the churlishness of her girlishness--the waitress with the inviting front yard.  But I didn't  think she was as hostile as d'André did.  We placed our orders. Â
I had always wanted to try that Southern ethnic dish called collard greens, not really knowing what they were.  I fell in love immediately and thought they were heavenly, and asked d'André if he would just leave me there and pick me up next year on our way back to Key West. d'André replied that I could find my OWN way back to Key West, and find a new boyfriend, too,  if I made him drive all the way home. Â
I am not quite sure how I felt about the rest of Pearl's food, but d'André had very strong opinions, which I will try and relay here.
First d'André like the baked beans, and thought they were meaty, well-cooked.  He pronounced them a 4.5.
The only thing I had a high opinion of, of course, were the collards. Â I LOOOVED their rich pot liquor seasoned with pepper vinegar. Â A definite 5.0.
The beef brisket:  texas style, but chopped.  d'André thought it a little dry for his tastes, but very good nonetheless.  A 3.5 - 4.0.
Pork:  chopped too coarsely for d'André.  Too  chunky.  Would have been hard to consume on a bun.  d'André prefers a finer chop or pulled.  A 3.0.
The chicken: Â Not much flavor, but cooked perfectly. Â a 3.5.
To try pork, chick, and brisket, get  the Meat Lovers platter.  A steal, and you will have plenty to take home with you after you eat.
Finally, the ribs!  A ROCK-SOLID 5.0!  Even I had a strong opinion about those excellent meaty ribs.  I ordered a rack to go, and got them chopped into individual ribs, sauce on the side.  Both d'André and I LOVED those ribs!  They were gone by the time we passed Gainesville, and we got to throw the bones at the rednecks as we drove.
I think next year, I may take d'André up on his offer to leave me if I stay at Pearl Country Store on the way home.  Don't get  me wrong, I love d'André,  But honestly, he is getting so bitchy, that a few months of Pearl's collards and ribs may be just what our relationship needs.
Ta ta, for now.
We make it a point to stop at Pearl Country Store every time we pass through Micanopy, and it's always worth the visit. This place is the real Dixie; part convenience store and part gas station with some seats in the back where they're serving up some great barbecue. It's not even that far off the beaten path, but it's still mostly locals who frequent this little gem. We love it so much that we put it on the top 10 list of our barbecue blog (<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.barbecuedreams.blogspot.com&s=5354df68a0d0e3c7ea2b1b988b23fffaecf8beaa06cd9bbb29eb79bd4ad32a1f" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.barbecuedream…</a>), and never once have we been given a reason to regret that decision. The ribs here are meaty and a little fatty, as St. Louis ribs should be, with a perfect smoky flavor and a bit of tang  from their rub and/or mop, which is a great match for these ribs...not overpowering or intrusive. They come un-sauced, which is my preference, with sauces available table side. I have also had the pulled pork and the chicken, and they're both delicious too, especially with a little hit of their mustard sauce. They offer a good choice of sides, from collard greens to cole slaw to mac and cheese, baked beans, etc. Their slaw is a little sweet and sour for my taste, so I skip that, but I like everything else I've tried. If you're passing through on I-75, swing by and try some great barbecue.
Review Source:After some disappointing BBQ at another local Gainesville location and at a highly-rated BBQ place in Tampa, we returned to Pearl Country (3rd visit) to see if it lived up to our memory. Â It did.
If you've never been here before be prepared: Pearl Country Store is the local mini-market attached to a gas station in the small, rural town of Micanopy, population=653.  The small seating area in the store is nestled between the food aisles and the BBQ counter.  Some days are cleaner than others and you may not want to linger.  Today, the seating area was packed but I had planned on just take-out.  I left with a  1/2-pound each of ribs, chicken and beef brisket.
The ribs were as good as expected and put to shame any other ribs I've had. Â The meat falls off the bone with the lightest touch. Â If you order it in the store, the ribs are served between two slices of bread. Â It's a small matter to nudge the meat off the bone on to the bread and make a sandwich. Â The meat is soft, moist, flavorful and barely needs chewing. Â It's a revelation.
This was my first time trying the chicken...it was good, but, hey...it's chicken.
As great as the ribs are, for me the winner is the beef brisket, so delicious you will want to simply eat it out of the styrofoam tray: beefy, smokey and moist. Â Today, I had a specific plan: mushrooms and onions were grilled, a couple of slices of quality sliced Italian bread were prepared with a little mustard, then an open faced sandwich assembled with fresh mozzarella on top. Â The open sandwich was toasted and then assembled to make a barbecued beef sandwich with grilled mushrooms, onions and gooey mozzarella. Â Best sandwich ever.
Outstanding food does not have to be fancy, nor expensive and Pearl Country Store has the goods to prove it. Â It you enter the store and it's too downscale, take out!
Previous reviews were accurate- the place was really smack dab in the middle of the gas station. You even pay for your meal at the gas station cashier. Very casual, friendly workers, and tvs to watch.
They were out of chicken, so go early if you want a variety of choices (maybe weekends are busier). They seem to cook a large batch and if it sells out, then they'll be out for the day. I ordered the pork sandwich. Wasn't hot, but still good. Nothing amazing, but tender and not dry. I also ordered a pound of beef brisket to go plus a pint of collard greens and macaroni and cheese. They were all pretty average.
Maybe I'm just not a huge fan of BBQ, so I thought everything was just ok. Not a fan of sweets either, so didn't try the desserts. Just satisfied nothing was dry or too difficult to eat. I'll have to try the ribs next time, maybe I'll change my review then.
Eating at Pearl once again legitimizes the large amount of faith I put in my fellow Yelpers. Spent four years in college not 10 miles from here and never once made it in. Was back visiting last weekend, and hungry on the way from Orlando recalled hearing good things a while back. Yelp confirmed with a 4.5 star average overall.
This is no-frills country barbecue at its finest. Located in a gas station with just a few tables near the counter where you order, this is the type of place you'd easily miss if you weren't in the know. And boy would you be missing out: incredible brisket, pork, and chicken bbq, with a choice of a couple sauces...the slightly less-sweet variety being my favorite. For sides, they offer fried okra (served with ranch, of course), cole slaw, baked beans...all the staples and all done right. And don't forget to polish it off with a sweet tea...you've passed Ocala and you're now solidly in the South, after all.
I have to take a second to mention how incredibly friendly the service was too: we were clearly the only non-locals in the place, and just to stand out a bit more I walked in holding a cake (long story). The single waitress came right up, made a joke about not needing to bring her a cake, and offered to keep it in the cooler while we ate. She gave us great suggestions, navigated our complicated array of for-here and to-go orders, and overall treated us like guests in her home. People just aren't this nice anywhere else in the country.
If you ever find yourself on I-75 between Tampa and Atlanta, this one would be worth going out of your way for.
The meat on my pork sandwich was fairly moist, having just been chopped. It had a little bit of smokiness but definitely needed more flavor of some kind. The sauce helped a little and it was a decent sandwich, but nothing exceptional. Although it was an interesting stop and I will return to try it again if I'm in the area, this time I found myself wishing I had just kept driving. Extra points for character, middle of the road food.
Review Source:Absolutely forget the couple negative reviews. I have eaten here several times. I travel all over the United States on business and love barbecue. I don't need ambiance, I don't even need tables for great barbecue. It's not the point. Although, I must say, this is a very nice place to sit down and have a meal so I don't know what the others were talking about. The service is friendly and prompt. The food is fabulous. They use an apple cider barbecue sauce and it is great. The ribs are perfectly smoked and cooked. Fall off the bone and juicy. I can recommend the chicken and the sides I have had as well. This is one of the top 10 barbecue places in the country. Â Go out of your way to eat here, you won't be sorry.
Review Source:The country store = a gas station. The bbq inside this place was kick ass. Meat heaven. Ribs were great, so was the brisket. If you get the "jumbo dinner" for $14 you will get a load of food. I highly recommend this bbq place for people that aren't scared of eating inside of a gas station and a few flies. I also recommend the mac and cheese. Worth the drive from Gainesville, it will be the best bbq you'll have in Alachua County.
Review Source:At first I wondered why people were recommending a BBQ place that was located inside a gas station. Then I finally broke down and tried Pearl's beef brisket sandwich. Absolute perfection. The baked beans and potato salad are also amazing. There's a reason why you have to fight for a parking spot around lunch time. Best BBQ around.
Review Source:This place has the best BBQ I've had in Alachua county. Â They not only have great pulled pork and brisket (sadly I have not tried the ribs), but they also have awesome sides. Â The greens are spicy and I hear good things about the other stuff. Â The Mac n Cheese is just okay. Â All in all it's worth the trip down to Micanopy.
TIP: come here early. they run out of sides and will not have much towards the end of the day.
This is a gas station with a steady flow of customers at all times of the day. Â When we arrived, it was so crowded that we had to park off to the side on the grass. Â There are booth style tables near the front window and four-seater tables in front of the old style diner counter. Â The rest of the establishment is a convenience store with some locally produced items in the front. Â Even though the parking was rough, there were still plenty of empty tables inside.
As far as Southern Hospitality, that was not the case when I arrived. Â More like Manhattan hospitality to me, however I am not yet a regular here. Â For some reason the set-up really stressed me out at first because they rush you to order, so I attempted to stand off to the side to read the overhead menu and also look at the desserts in the case. Â This made the employees even more angry for some reason. Â
The chopped pork is very tender and juicy. Â The ribs are more of a dried jerky style pork rib, with a strong black pepper taste. Â The ribs kind of reminded me of Bubbaque's, so maybe they were having a bad day when I was there. Â The Mac and Cheese is of the processed cheese variety and the greens were also loaded with black pepper. Â The candied baked beans were delicious and had generous portions of meat. Â I assumed that their sauce is homemade because they advertise it as having an apple flavor. Â It does in fact and is very sweet and I soon became addicted to it. Â Perfect on their buttered toast. Â Each plate was under $10.
Their website advertises a photo of fried catfish. Â Do not get your hopes up like my Mom did, because they do not actually serve it. Â It is not even on the menu, and they almost threw a fit when we asked about it. Â
I really favored the desserts because you can tell they are made with natural ingredients and are not too sweet.
Just a note: Â You order at the BBQ counter, they write you a ticket, then you wait in another line to pay at the front register. Â So, basically you are waiting in two lines. Â Also, I recommend you order your dessert with your meal, otherwise you will have to wait in both those lines again. Â Your drinks are self service and free refill, you grab them before you pay at the front counter. Â The sweet tea is quite good.
I have a saying, "It ain't country without flies!" Â Well, you get plenty of flies here.
I moved to Gainesville from Austin, Texas, and while living in Austin, I slipped off to Lockhart about as often as I could to hit either Smitty's or Black's. Â When I got to Gainesville last August, I went into absolute withdrawals, and substituting Smitty's with that mediocre fare at Sonny's is akin to weening off crack by taking NoDoz..
Luckily, Pearl is right down the road. Â It's right around 10 miles from my part of Gainesville, which is really no great drive at all. Â Though in a gas station, it looks like a BBQ joint should (and also reminded me of meat and threes you used to find all over the south in small gas stations with a kitchen in the back). Â There is a counter, a pit, some utensils, tables, meat , and that's it - immediately a good sign. Â It also helps that the folks working there are good-natured and friendly.
I had the pulled pork sandwich, and it was damned fine and at a good price. Â Loads of pork that was smoky, tender and juicy with out being overly greasy. Â
"But wait," you may say, "isn't Texas known for its brisket?" Â Yes, it is, though both the places I mentioned do have fantastic pork ribs and loin. Â However, I've lived all over the south and had barbecue all over the place as well, and for me rule No. 1 when trying a new barbecue joint is to try the barbecue that is native to that region. Â Beef may be king west of the Mississippi, but we all know Pork rules the east. Â I base my comparison off how well the style of BBQ I'm eating is represented. Â Pearl Country Store does a great job with pork - it isn't the very best I've ever had, but it is definitely some of the best I've had in a long time. Â I've yet to have anything close in the Gainesville area. Â
I am looking forward to going back and giving the ribs and brisket a spin.  In the case of the brisket, I want to see how it stacks up to the to my Texas haunts.  I'm also happy  that my withdrawal shakes have subsided and that perhaps I have finally found a hook-up in Florida.
I've always been a huge fan of Pearl Country Store, but just wanted to say a couple things: recently, it seems the desserts have gotten even better--especially the pecan pie and the chocolate cake. Now, they keep most desserts in a cooler case on the right of the BBQ counter, but don't be fooled: often the chocolate cake is up on a cake platter atop the counter and away from the other desserts. Sometimes, they have the pecan pie over there, too. This is perfectly appropriate for cakes, to have them cloistered off in their own little covered cake platters--ask any Southern grandma or Baptist preacher if you don't believe me.
Secondly, the guys who work here--especially the younger African-American dude--are helpful and polite beyond belief. Always super-friendly. I find it ironic that you can go to a five-star restaurant and get poor, aloof, service (and those people work for their tips, supposedly) whereas here you get truly friendly service despite the fact that even if they were rude people would still come in because the BBQ is simply that good.
As I've said before, come early if you want a good selection of sides: they do run out of stuff now and then which is only logical for a small business because it doesn't make sense to make too much then not sell it.
BBQ so good you'll wanna slap yo mama. Â
While you're there, go down the old county road (the road off of 441...between the gas station and blue highway going left out of Pearl's if your leaving from the southern exit, sorry can't remember the name of that road??) and take that nice road about 10 minutes. Â You will find a very old cemetery on the right which harbors Florida's 4th Gov.! Â It's pretty cool. Â Most graves from the 1800s. Â Mmm bbq n dead people.. MMM MMM MM!
This is NOT a five star gourmet restaurant (I don't eat at those), rather a great place to get some real good "country" food. Â My wife and I shared a barbecue pork sandwich (we'd read that they were huge) and fries - so that we could also share a dessert. Â We tried the cherry pie - pretty good too. Â They have a LOT on their menu, including breakfast - we'll be back.
Review Source:Pearl Country Store & Barbecue is another of those great barbecue places you really have to want to find - once there, however, your effort will be rewarded with some of the best 'cue  20 miles either side of I-75.
A billboard on the highway was my first word they even existed. Two miles east of I-675 and a half mile south on Highway 441 there stood Pearl's - a combination country store, service station and barbecue emporium.
A couple aisles of groceries when you enter, followed by a few tables and a couple booths before you get to the meat case where the barbecue is showcased.
Pearl's chopped pork  and brisket tops the list of fine eating. The ribs, rubbed with mustard and apple, are good, but a thin slice (pun intended) behind the pork and brisket. All smoked on the premise. Two sauces, a thick tomato and sorghum (?) based (good but not great) and a hot.
Their vinegar slaw is better than most; baked beans, with chunks of pork, are far better than most. Good potato salad and a variety of excellent homemade pies to top off your side trip.
Traveling south through Georgia to Florida? ... if so, The Brown Shoe Gourmet suggests you add Pearl Country Grocery & Barbecue to Highfalls Barbecue (exit 198), The Blind Pig in rural Jackson, Georgia, and Finchers (exit 160A) as "musts" as you eat (and travel) your way through  The South.
Barbecue - it's not just for breakfast any more.
This place has the best BBQ ribs near Gainesville. It is located in the middle of nowhere and I would have never thought that they sell BBQ inside a gas station. I passed by it going to Micanopy, saw the sign and decided to google it. It was not until later that I decided to try it.
I got ribs and brisket. The brisket was ok and little dry, but the ribs were excellent. If anyone ask me for good BBQ ribs in Gainesville I think I will have to send them to Micanopy to get some ribs here. The price wasn't bad for the amount that was given.
In their website it shows that they have breakfast with a wide variety of things, I don't know I would end up coming to try that since it is a lil far, but I will definitely come back for some ribs
Dropped in for some brisket on the way back from Ocala.
The BEEF (pun intended) I have is I asked for it sliced not chopped, and the guy behind the counter says we only chop it. I said well can't you just slice it (I like it Texas style for my sandwiches) long story short they won't.
So that's strike #1
Strike #2 is they used bottle BBQ sauces and don't make their own
Strike #3 is the brisket really isn't that smoked. It's good but not great.
No one does brisket right in the Gainesville Ocala area anyway. Will end up going to Cecils Texas BBQ in Orlando for my Brisket
Great BBQ. Dont know why they advertise as a store. If they just put BBQ, more people would come. It's in the middle of nowhere and looks like some run-of-the mill gas station. But when you walk in, you could smell the bbq coming from the back. The people there have always been super friendly and are some funny guys.
The food was great. I've had the ribs and the pulled pork sandwich. The ribs were fantastic and they were a little sweet (which I like). The sauce is pretty good as well, but it's just your standard sauce. The pulled pork sandwich was good, but it was chopped pork (which is big difference for some BBQ lovers). My friend says that they've given him pulled pork before, so it must be different at different days. For sides, I got fries so I cant really comment on the traditional bbq sides.
The food was great. The people were great. The prices are great. Everybody needs to give this place a try. It doesnt matter how far it is. It's worth the drive. (In Gainesville, no place is far out anyways)
This may sound like a bold statement but this place definitely has the best BBQ in the state of FL. I've been all over and only a few places that have since closed down compare to Pearl's. Their ribs and bbq pork sandwich are simply fantastic and their crinkle fries are perfectly cooked. Can't wait to go back. Very easy stop off I75 too!
Review Source:I really love this place. It looks like a typical gas station/store from the outside, but inside you will find some of the best BBQ around. Everything I have every had here has been just wonderful, I just wish it was closer to my house.
I stopped in for breakfast one day and ordered a biscuit with sausage and egg and some home fries with sausage gravy. It came to around $6 and when I got the food I thought, oops, there is not a chance I will be able to eat all this in two meals. The sausage patty is the size of a big hamburger and the whole thing was about 5 inches wide and 4 inches tall and the home fries were easily enough for two people. Yum Yum is all I can say!
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