Best BBQ in Austin
Austin, Texas — updated August 22, 2026
Where to eat Central Texas barbecue in Austin, from sold-out-by-3 brisket on the East Side to a food-truck operation running Angus top blades in South Austin. Five spots, with hours, closed days and what the menus actually list.
Listings verified
Austin barbecue runs on a clock, not a reservation book. Most of the places below sell meat by the pound until it is gone, several are closed two or three days a week, and the best of them are shut by mid-afternoon. Below, the list is ordered by how convincingly the ratings hold up given how many people have weighed in.
1. Franklin Barbecue
The most tested reputation in the city: a 4.7 average across 6,920 reviews, which is proven rather than promising. Franklin sells brisket, pork ribs, pulled pork, turkey and sausage by the pound, with brisket listed at $42 per pound. Hours are Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. until sold out, which the restaurant itself puts at around 2 or 3 p.m. Closed Monday. The line is the price of entry, so plan the morning around it rather than the afternoon. If a trip is not happening, brisket and sausage ship through Goldbelly.
2. Micklethwait Barbecue
Central Texas barbecue since 2012, at 4602 Tanney St, holding a 4.7 rating across 1,908 reviews. Smaller sample than Franklin, same score, which makes it the strongest value on the list. The by-the-pound board goes past the usual: Tex-Czech sausage at $28 a pound, pulled lamb and brisket at $36, pork ribs and smoked turkey breast at $32, plus beef rib. It runs Thursday through Sunday only, opening at 11 a.m. and serving into the evening, so it is one of the few Austin joints where dinner is an option rather than a gamble.
3. Interstellar BBQ
Out at 12233 Ranch Rd 620 N in far north Austin, rated 4.6 across 1,942 reviews. The kitchen describes its range as Texas flavors, Tex-Mex and Southeast Asia, and the sides carry as much weight as the smoke: brown butter mac and cheese year-round, poblano creamed corn and tomato zucchini salad when they are in season. Service runs 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, so this is a lunch trip and a drive, not a spur-of-the-moment dinner.
4. Leroy and Lewis Barbecue
South Austin's argument for new-school barbecue, at 5621 Emerald Forest Dr, rated 4.5 across 1,977 reviews. Beyond brisket, the crew works through Angus top blades and steaks weekly, and the schedule has its own rhythm: chicken fried steak on Thursday evenings, a dinner specials menu Friday through Sunday, burgers on Monday. Open Sunday and Monday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday until 10 p.m. Closed Tuesday. The Wednesday 3 p.m. lull is a known quieter window.
5. la Barbecue
The credentials are the strongest here and the rating is the softest: 4.4 across 3,375 reviews, a large enough sample that the number is settled rather than noisy. Ali Clem is the James Beard recognized chef and owner, and the restaurant carries a Michelin star for its Texas-style smoked brisket. It sits at 2401 E Cesar Chavez St, closed Monday and Tuesday, with Wednesday service running 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday brings a smash burger, from 11 a.m. until supplies last, which is a reason to go on a weekend rather than midweek.
What we left off
Kerlin BBQ and JNL Barbecue both rated well, at 4.8, but the operators report closures: Kerlin's food truck is listed as permanently closed due to commercial development, with catering and large preorders still available by email, and JNL's own channels and Yelp both indicate the Buzz Mill location has closed. Terry Black's Barbecue was cut on a technicality rather than quality. Its 4.7 rating across 23,625 reviews is the most heavily voted on this page, but with locations in Dallas, Waco, Fort Worth and Lockhart in addition to Barton Springs Road, it falls outside our single-operator rule.