The Best Barbecue in Austin
Don’t mess with Texas barbecue. For many in the Lone Star State, smoked meat is a near-spiritual experience. Not to mention, it's a source of fiery debate—namely over where you’ll find the most succulent and flavorsome brisket, beef ribs, and pulled pork. If you’re looking to get in on this sizzling love affair while visiting the state's funky capital, the good news is that it’s home to some of the finest BBQ spots in the world. From stalwart classics to notable newcomers, traditional sit-down joints to vintage trucks—here's a list to get you started, and hungry. Read on for our recommendations for the best BBQ in Austin, according to a local.
Read our complete Austin travel guide here.
Every restaurant on this list has been selected independently by Condé Nast Traveler editors and reviewed by a local contributor who has visited that restaurant. Our editors consider both high-end and affordable eateries, and weigh stand-out dishes, location, and service—as well as inclusivity and sustainability credentials. We update this list as new restaurants open and existing ones evolve..
LeAnn MuellerrestaurantLa Barbecue
$$Though some have considered it a “backup” when Franklin runs out, La Barbecue, finally in a permanent location on East Caesar Chavez Street, should in no way be considered simply an also-ran in the Austin barbecue world. Here they specialize, appropriately, in Central Texas-style barbecue, slathering meats with salty, savory rubs. You'll want to wrap your smoky brisket up as a sandwich with pickles and onions along with a side of chipotle slaw. It will almost certainly be crowded, as meat-loving friends congregate on the outdoor patio over their butcher paper-covered trays.
Courtesy Franklin BBQrestaurantFranklin Barbecue
$$A standout star within Austin’s heavyweight barbecue scene, Franklin draws lines that are as epic as its world-renowned brisket. Take a tip from the regulars: come early, come hungry, and come with a collapsible chair (you don't want to stand for three or four hours if you can avoid it). The good news is that you can now preorder up to six weeks in advance, as long as you’re committed to at least three pounds of meaty treats. Just don’t miss that luscious oak-smoked brisket with its distinctive peppery exterior; it’s tender enough to cut with a spoon.
Read our entire guide to Austin's best barbecue here.
Geoff DuncanrestaurantKG BBQ
$This food truck from chef Kareem El-Ghayesh and his innovative fusion of Texan BBQ with traditional Egyptian flavors finally arrived in the summer of 2022 after a series of wildly popular pop-ups all over town. KG BBQ's popularity is seriously on the rise, because it ticks the two most important boxes—it's different, and it's delicious. The Mediterranean rice bowl brisket is the headline act: perfectly smoked brisket served with fragrant rice, garden salad, candied nuts, and pomegranate seeds. The menu also contains a number of lamb options, including incredible lamb-bacon ribs which fall off the bone. There are a handful of well-maintained outdoor tables to eat at, but come early if you want to guarantee a spot. It's a genuine game changer, with a carefully thought-out, uniquely delicious menu.
Courtesy The County Line BBQrestaurantThe County Line on the Lake
$$The County Line has been slow smokin' Texas BBQ since 1975, and the Lake venue is their second in Austin. The main appeal of this place is its location: a fantastic riverside setting with a great outdoor deck. The atmosphere is super relaxed—this is the kind of place for long, lazy lunches with a side of awesome views. BBQ connoisseurs love this place for a reason—and that reason is the superb second cut brisket (this has more marbling than the regular first cut, making it extremely tender and flavorful when cooked). The sides here are also a cut above, particularly the brisket-stuffed baked potato, the creamy potato salad, and the amazing homemade bread, which is absolutely heavenly when paired with the honey butter.
- Readers' Choice Awards2024 Readers' Choice Awards Survey
Courtesy Sam's BBQrestaurantSam's Bar-B-Que
$This is proper old school, no-frills Austin BBQ. From the outside, this East Austin restaurant looks a little rundown. But inside, the food is very much on point. A recent winner of a Black Food Week award, they KNOW how to cook meat to perfection, and have been doing so for decades, at great value prices. "You don't need teeth to eat my meat," is the restaurant's motto, painted in giant letters on the wall. And that sentiment does ring true: the brisket is cut thick and served super soft. The half-chicken is also incredibly good, falling straight off the bone. The MVP—a gargantuan, overflowing BBQ sandwich—does necessitate the application of canines, but is well worthwhile.
John Davidson/Courtesy LororestaurantLoro
$$$The brainchild of two Austin superchefs, Franklin Barbecue's Aaron Franklin and Uchi's Tyson Cole, this is an innovative Asian smokehouse on South Lamar that's been insanely popular ever since it opened in 2018. As you'd expect from two such esteemed chefs, the menu is both intriguing and unique. The smoked bavette is a must-order (sliced hanger steak topped with shishito salsa and pickled onions), as is the chicken karaage, a spicy Japanese twist on traditional fried chicken. Intriguingly, you can order many of the main dishes in rice bowl form, which is a nice alternative. Just ensure you leave enough room for dessert, specifically the seraphic smoked chocolate creme brulee, served with salted peanut brittle.
- Readers' Choice Awards2024 Readers' Choice Awards Survey
Logan CrablerestaurantLeroy And Lewis Barbecue
$With a chalkboard menu, experimental dishes, and picnic tables lined up on a grassy lot, LeRoy And Lewis, operating out of a deep-blue barbecue truck, oozes charm. But don’t let the casual setting fool you: This food trailer has been amassing praise since opening in 2017 for its ambitious and personal take on smoked meats. Alternative cuts like smoked beef cheeks and pulled whole hog are stars on the menu, but other plates, including the brisket burger with American cheese, are worth the stop, too.
Courtesy Micklethwait Craft MeatsrestaurantMicklethwait Craft Meats
$After a career in baking, Austin-born Tom Micklethwait now serves some of the region’s most coveted ‘cue out of a vintage Comet trailer. Given its location down the street from Franklin Barbecue, Micklethwait originally drew people seeking shorter lines. A lot of statewide press later, it stands on its own, and people from all over Texas convene here. While most traditional Texas barbecue joints focus on brisket, Micklethwait is known for its smoked sausages (though there’s brisket, too), ranging from duck with cherries to lamb with tangerine zest; though options rotate daily.
- Readers' Choice Awards2024 Readers' Choice Awards Survey
Nicolai McCraryrestaurantDistant Relatives
$Distant Relatives is an extremely popular food truck in South Austin, located in the lot by Meanwhile Brewing Company. It's one of the hottest tickets in town right now thanks to its inventive twist on modern African-American BBQ, meaning the barbecue here is inspired by the techniques and ingredients that were used by enslaved people on America's plantations. There's an interesting spice profile to every dish—as well as a stronger element of mixed hard-wood smoke. Stand out stars from the menu include the pulled pork sandwich served with kohlrabi slaw and chili sauce, and the beef brisket with smoked mustard butter sauce. Also not to be missed are the juicy, well-spiced chicken leg quarters with tamarind molasses barbecue sauce.
restaurantInterstellar BBQ
$$Texas barbecue is often not about doing something new, but about doing the staples well. By that measure, Interstellar is doing great. Marbled beef brisket, succulent Duroc pulled pork, and tangy red-pepper chicken are all stars, as is the jalapeno sausage. Specials like sweet tea–brined pork chops add a bit of flair. Food comes served on a metal tray with a sheet of butcher paper—just as it should.
- Readers' Choice Awards2024 Readers' Choice Awards Survey
Courtesy Valentina's Tex Mex BBQrestaurantValentina's Tex Mex BBQ
$This trailer serves up traditional Texas barbecue with a Mexican twist. The tight-knit family who runs this ship has a reputation for treating customers as their own, and the crowd is no different. Chat it up with your neighbors in line—you'll be there for a while—then find a seat at one of the umbrella-shaded picnic tables to sprawl out with your tray. Valentina’s barbecue comes as sandwiches or tacos, or by the pound, and favorites include the smoked carnitas, as well as the pulled pork sandwich in a tangy slaw and barbecue sauce.
- restaurant
Black's Barbecue
$$Not to be confused with Terry Black's BBQ (another legendary Austin meat temple) this is the "Original Black's BBQ," tracing its roots and recipes back to the 1930s, in nearby Lockhart. The meat here is quite simply the stuff of legend. As is so often the case in Texas, the brisket is the headline act: slow smoked, and served with a great bark. But the Flintstone-style giant beef ribs are a real treat too, weighing in at over a pound each. Underrated but equally delicious are the awesome smoky barbecue chicken and the melt in the mouth, how-did-they-make-this-so-moist turkey.
- Readers' Choice Awards2024 Readers' Choice Awards Survey
Courtesy Rollin SmokerestaurantRollin Smoke
$Rollin Smoke, which recently moved to Arbor Food Park, is a legendary food truck, even in Austin—the city that introduced the world to food trucks. It is often referred to as the David in this city of meaty Goliaths. We all know how that first fight went, and this popular, peppy truck can hold its own against giants like Franklin and La Barbecue. The food is fantastic quality and almost criminally underpriced for its excellence. If you're unsure what to order (or having trouble reading the menu after a bar crawl on Sixth), then reach straight for the MVP: the Playboy Sandwich. A quarter pound of brisket topped with a quarter pound of pulled pork, topped with a half-link of jalapeno cheddar pork sausage, it ticks every important barbecue box.
Bethany Ochs/Courtesy LambertsrestaurantLamberts
$$$This is truly inventive barbecue, so smoked meat lovers with a curious palate will be in heaven. The basics (prime brisket, smoked baby back ribs) are done extremely well, of course, but then you've also got dishes like crispy wild boar ribs in a honey glaze (with buttermilk blue cheese for dipping), quail enchiladas, and delicately spiced barbecue clams. This is the kind of joint, with its well-heated outdoor seating area and live music venue, that you could actually take a date or a client to—if you were looking to seal a deal.
Recommended
