Where is the Best Barbecue Food in Austin, Texas?
meat quality, always good. never fatty or chewy. Sauce: excellent. Always spicy and great flavor. Ruby’s also has great salads & dressing, and not just “for a bbq place.” Everybody says Salt Lick is the best. Bah. Salt Lick does indeed have that nice open-pit traditional ambience, but I don’t need to pay 10 bucks for an all-I-can-eat plate to get average BBQ sauce and average BBQ cooking. Ruby’s does it right every damn time. Still impressive & cheap for the 6 years I’ve lived in Austin. Yum.Pros + super sauce, super price, super saladsCons – no credit cards, limited parking
Ok, for a place connected to gas stations – heck anywhere – this is just really good food. You walk in past the convenience store and into a long line where you pick up drinks and any cold side dished (I highly recoemmend the banana pudding). When you go to the counter make sure to tell them it is your first time in. Trust me.They offer the standard Texas meats and cut them to order and put them in their fanct plates and platter (wax paper and a milk crate). The juicy brisket and lean brisket are great, turkey can be dry but when it isn’t it is fantastic. They also offer one of the better sausages in town (for some reason most places oversmoke their links, gross). Not a fan of the prime rib meat, skip that one. The creamed corn is so good you want to slapp your momma for what she used to serve. They’ll eye you and toss 1/2 a loaf of white bread in there too(more if you ask).You take your crate to a picnic bench where paper towels and BBQ sauce to make sanwhiches or eat how
Friendly, downscale atmosphere, you get a lot of state workers mingled with the local east-siders. I’m praying the gentrification that’s happening literally next door doesn’t squeeze these local east side landmarks out of business. They have a really wide selection of meats, , where else can you get mutton?? The rub they use on the chicken is just the best, truly amazing flavor, and everything I’ve ever had is very tender, though I can’t say about the beef because if I can get pork, mutton, or chicken, why bother with the beef, you can get that anywhere. The sides are just ok, and you can get saltines instead of white sandwich bread, amen. On Wednesday’s they have soul food, but I would go to Gene’s for that.Ben must be a good guy to work for because some of the staff have worked there for years, and they all seem happy. Pros + food, parking, price, takeout, friendly staffCons – limited seating
