10 Best Barbeque Restaurants In Austin, Texas

Barbeque In Austin
Saptami
Saptami 
Updated
| 4 min read

Authentic Texan life meets with happening urban culture in the city of Austin. It is located in central Texas, at the Hill Country. The city possesses a great reputation for being weird! Due to a lover of weirdness, in various parts of the city, you can get to read the caption, ‘Keep Austin Weird’. As the state capital, the city is the center of politics, cultural heritage. The city is a patron of music, being the “Live Music Capital of the World”. The charm of the city must include its authentic taste of foods. The food habit of Austin somewhat reflects the city itself, not to mention the whole of Texas. Among all the food habits of Texas, the popularity of barbeque is very noticeable. Here is a list of popular barbeques in Austin, Texas, USA for your visit to this city.

1. Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew

Posted by Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew on Wednesday, 22 July 2015

The Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew is called after the historic railroad stop Stiles Switch. It is located on the artistic Violet Crown Shopping Center, one of the oldest in central Austin. The interior of the barbeque projects a nostalgic feel, as it resembles an old neighborhood-style eatery of Austin. The barbeque is specialized in slow-smoked meats and house-made sides, highlighting one or more specialized item every day. Some of the exceptional items it presents are fatty brisket and beef ribs, pork ribs, sausages, spareribs etc.

Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew

Address: 6610 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78752, USA

Website: Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew

Opening hours: 11 am

Average price for two people: 11-30 USD

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2. Freedmen's


Freedmen’s was the barbeque restaurant of the West Campus area. The retro-inspired cocktails and a large selection of whiskey is combined with a Texan-style barbeque. However, due to the construction of an eight-story student housing development, the restaurant is closed down for the time being. Meanwhile, it is open for catering to various events. The restaurant is in the process of re-opening in a historic home on the San Gabriel Street block.

Freedmen's

Address: Austin, TX, USA

Website: Freedmen’s

Opening hours: 10 am

Average price for two people: 11-30 USD

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3. Franklin Barbeque

http://www.texasmonthly.com/lists/50-best-bbq-joints-world

Posted by Franklin Barbecue on Tuesday, 20 May 2014

The restaurant is established in the year 2009 by well-known Aaron Franklin, a pioneer pitmaster of the United States. Aron had won the James Beard Foundation award for best chef, Southwest in the year 2015. His creation Franklin Barbeque has also won the title of Texas Monthly’s coveted best barbeque joint in Texas. The restaurant started very small but soon moved to its current location at East 11th Street in the year 2011.

Franklin Barbeque

Address: 900 E 11th St, Austin, TX 78702, USA

Website: Franklin Barbeque

Opening hours: 11 am

Average price for two people: 11-30 USD

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4. Iron Works BBQ

Posted by Iron Works BBQ on Tuesday, 21 September 2010

The historic barbeque was established in the year 1978. This property used to belong to the well-known Weigl family. It was their iconic ornamental iron workshop. After opening this barbeque, the State Historical Commission had declared the property as a historical site. The Iron Works BBQ is also a family-run restaurant, successful and popular. Time to time it has also welcomed celebrities like Leonardo Dicaprio, Kevin Costner, Jay Leno, Bob Dylan etc.

Iron Works BBQ

Address: 100 Red River St, Austin, TX 78701

Website: Iron Works BBQ

Opening hours: 11 am

Average price for two people: 11-30 USD

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5. Lamberts Downtown Barbeque

Waffle fries, baked mac, brisket & pork ribs. #twomeatplate #lambertsbbq ?: @thesmokingho

Posted by Lamberts Downtown Barbecue on Thursday, 4 January 2018

The charming restaurant is located in a historic, brick-walled store from the year 1873. The restaurant still has that old feel to it and a list of impressive menus. The restaurant was established by the famous chefs Lou Lambert and Larry McGuire. Lamberts Downtown Barbeque is famous for its smoked natural meats. Some of the specialized items of the restaurants are pork ribs, deviled eggs and wild salmon, jalapeño hot links and bigeye tuna, mac and cheese, potato salad.

Lamberts Downtown Barbeque

Address: 401 W 2nd St, Austin, TX 78701, USA

Website: Lamberts Downtown Barbeque

Opening hours: 11 am

Average price for two people: 11-30 USD

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6. Micklethwait Craft Meats

Come on down!

Posted by Micklethwait Craft Meats on Wednesday, 11 March 2015

Micklethwait Craft Meats is a small joint which offers one of the best barbeque experiences of Austin. It offers the best pork ribs you can find in the town. The owner and official pitmaster of this barbeque is Tom Micklethwait, who was originally from the industry of baking. He bought a comet trailer belonging to 1960 to sell some of the mouthwatering smoked meats. The trailer first got rolling in the year 2012. The area around the trailer is full of charming lawn chairs where you can chill with a beer and mouthwatering dishes.

Micklethwait Craft Meats

Address: 1309 Rosewood Ave, Austin, TX 78702, USA

Website: Micklethwait Craft Meats

Opening hours: 11 am

Average price for two people: 11-30 USD

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7. Terry Black's BBQ

Happy Labor Day! We are open today 11am-9pm. #BartonSpringsRd #BBQ #Austin

Posted by Terry Black's Barbecue on Monday, 3 September 2018

The original Terry Black’s Barbeque belongs to the city of Lockhart, established by Terry Black. His twin sons Michael and Mark Black brought Terry Black’s Barbeque to Austin. The restaurant serves mouth-watering pork ribs, beef ribs, brisket, turkey, sausage along with some delicious desserts. They cook with wood, thus heightening the authentic juicy flavor.

Terry Black's BBQ

Address: 1003 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78704

Website: Terry Black’s BBQ

Opening hours: 11 am

Average price for two people: 11-30 USD

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8. Kerlin BBQ

Posted by Kerlin BBQ on Monday, 30 May 2016

Kerlin BBQ is one of the youngest barbeques in the town and has gained a great reputation very fast. The owner and pitmaster, Bill Kerlin is also new in the barbeque scene. Originally from Arizona, Bill Kerlin had got inspired from Austin’s unique barbeque style and opened his own practice. Bill Kerlin serves his barbeque from a charming trailer and he has won two awards back to back for preparing barbeque.

Kerlin BBQ

Address: 1700 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78702, USA

Website: Kerlin BBQ

Opening hours: 11 am

Average price for two people: 11-30 USD

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9. La Barbeque

Posted by la Barbecue on Wednesday, 4 December 2013

La Barbeque is one of the top barbeque joints of Austin city. The name LeAnn Mueller linked with this restaurant is the granddaughter of the founder Louie Mueller Barbeque, one of the pioneers of the Austin barbeque. LeAnn Mueller is also a very famous photographer, who works continuously for Texas Monthly. The restaurant was opened in the year 2011, under the name JMueller BBQ. Technically, it is based out of a little trailer, with a few picnic tables in front to enjoy the food, under an old pecan tree and oak trees.

La Barbeque

Address: 2027 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, TX 78702, USA

Website: La Barbeque

Opening hours: 11 am

Average price for two people: 11-30 USD

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The authentic taste of barbeque in Austin

Open barbecue
Source: Photo by Flickr user Ben Sutherland used under CC BY 2.0

The culture of barbeque is authentic in Austin, defining the taste of the Texan barbeque. It can be safely said that the barbeque is a way of life in Austin. So, undoubtedly, the smoked meats taste best in this city. There are a number of best options to have like briskets, ribs, and sausages in various parts of this city. So, choose the option which attracts you the most and savor the delicious taste of barbeque Austin city can offer.

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Any must-sees we missed? Tell us about them in the comments section or write a post here to help out fellow travelers!
Disclosure: Trip101 selects the listings in our articles independently. Some of the listings in this article contain affiliate links.

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Saptami's primary life mission revolves around the exploration of the uncharted. Following the completion of her MBA, she steered clear of the conventional 9-to-5 career path, prioritizing the...Read more

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