Barbecue in Dallas

4100 Maple Ave. Uptown/Oak Lawn

214-443-8335

18th & Vine’s name comes from the neighborhood that put Kansas City jazz on the map, and the main dining room's cream-colored walls pay homage to those roots with photos of KC greats like Charlie Parker and Count Basie. The decor is classic and upscale eclectic, with none of the kitschy country touches that seem to define other barbecue joints. Tall windows brighten the interior, and the natural light will make Instagram photos of food look incredible. In fact, 18th & Vine is more than a “joint” — it’s an honest to goodness restaurant, with elevated menu choices to match. Come dinner hour, a sandwich-intensive lunch menu is replaced with chef Scott Gottlich’s eclectic entrées. The bone-in pork chop and pork belly come with a perfectly cooked chop served on a bed of mashed sweet potatoes, adorned with small spheres of granny smith apples and a savory glaze. The pork belly is equally amazing; bites started with rich smoke and ended with a sweet caramel finish, as if the pork turned into dessert in your mouth. For those who don't eat meat, the cauliflower steak is grilled and served with a cauliflower puree. A small selection of sweets includes a divine fried apple pie.

14 articles

AG Texican

7101 Harry Hines Blvd. Downtown/Deep Ellum

214-238-0392

Mexican, Barbecue

This is a new spot from Fried Jesus, Abel Gonzalez, who has been a vendor at the State Fair of Texas. He has five Big Texas Awards on his trophy shelf. But this spot is different. This restaurant is a mix of smoked meats and classic Mexican fare. Be sure to try a fajita quesadilla. If you appreciate a properly prepared pot of beans, dive into his pinto beans. The brisket breakfast tacos are steller, not only for the tender brisket, but also the house-made tortillas. AG Texican also has fresh made doughnuts, if you're hankering for something sweet.

2 articles

Angelo's Bar-B-Que

2533 White Settlement Rd. Fort Worth

817-332-0357

Barbecue, Recommended

The brisket is melt-in-your mouth tender, its flavor rich and smoky, and all you need to say as you approach the counter is "sliced" or "chopped". The lightning-fire hands behind the counter will take care of the rest. The beer is cold and the mugs are huge. Who could ask for more?

1 article

Baby Back Shak

1800 S. Akard St. Oak Cliff/South Dallas

214-428-7427

Barbecue, Critics' Pick, Best Of, Essentials

A half slab at this barbecue joint means seven baby back ribs kissed with smoke, spiced with pepper and just-right tender: The meat doesn’t fall off the bone, but pulls off with the gentlest of tugs. It just narrowly beats out the boudin plate as our favorite order, but the boudin (here spelled boudain) is top-notch, too, especially dunked in a cup of sauce. The small dining room pays loving tribute to great blues musicians and displays two decades’ worth of media praise.

Top pick: We love two meaty sides: excellent, peppery, lick-the-takeout-container baked beans and the boudin links. (Yes, boudin can be ordered as a side dish with a rack of ribs to make the ultimate meat plate.)

4 articles

Baker's Ribs

6516 E. Northwest Highway East Dallas & Lakewood

214-373-0082

Barbecue, Recommended, Best Of

The pink pig signage lures barbecue devotees to this palace of smoked pork. The rustic interior accentuated with red-and-white checker oilcloth tables gives the restaurant a 'cue shack feel. Stepping into Baker's Ribs is like stepping into a roadside barbecue joint. The signature St. Louis-style ribs are tender. However, the brisket is almost as much a customer favorite. With a thick, dark crust and smoky flavor, it's no wonder. The expected combo options, like the "two-meater," are available and can be greedily consumed with sweet tea and other classic barbecue accompaniments like cole slaw and corn bread. But at owners Joe and Suzanne Duncan's barbecue joints, it's all about the pork, even offering their own version of a spicy pork taco for less than a two-spot.

2 articles

Big Al's Smokehouse BBQ

3317 Inwood Rd. Park Cities

214-350-2649

Barbecue

Big Al's offers them big and smoky for the grizzled workingman. The eponymous sandwich comes with two meats wedged into a po-boy bun. The meat combos extend to the dinners. How about a three-meat meal of turkey, chopped beef and ribs? Everything is served cafeteria-line style, but the station hands are at the disposal of customers. You want a heaping mound of pulled pork with a one-pound, overstuffed potato? It's yours. Big Al's wants you to be happy, not hungry.

2 articles

Blu’s Barbeque

17630 Preston Rd. North Dallas

972-316-7478

Barbecue, Menu

1 article

Bone Daddy's House of Smoke

8856 Spring Valley Rd. North Dallas

214-575-3050

Barbecue, Steak, Recommended, Best Of

Mike Leatherwood's tiny chain of breastaraunts can be summed up in three keywords: barbecue, beer and beauties. The latter are called "Daddy's Girls," and serve the former two items while clad in tight-fitting clothes. Surprise, surprise: The main clientele are men sucking down cold ones and hickory-smoked 'cue, like the three-meat house platter with two sides. Bear in mind that some meats, like the bone-in half chicken, are only available on a platter. Baby-back ribs, sandwiches (pulled pork is popular), burgers and chicken-fried steak also make appearances on the menu. And for the ladies whose men are too busy ogling the staff or the big game on the television, there are several salads. Trust us, many a "Damn!" can be heard in the dining rooms, exclamations referring to neither food nor sport.

3 articles

Bumbershoot Barbecue

425 US-377 S., Argyle Denton

Barbecue, Food Trucks

2 articles

Burnt BBQ & Tacos

2929 Custer Rd. Plano

469-786-0078

Barbecue, Tex-Mex

This concept is owned by the same group that manages Dock Local. They started this spot during the pandemic as a barbecue to-go spot. When they consistently sold out, they decided to go full bore and open a restaurant. Their ground coffee rubbed smoked brisket has a deep flavor and goes beautifully on their tacos or as a standard barbecue meal. Check out their barbecue platter that comes with a quarter pound of four meats along with two sides. The mac and cheese is fresh and creamy. For a unique dish, try their Navajo Fry Bread, a light dough fried crisp topped with pinto beans and a pile of meat cheddar-jack cheese, lettuce, fire-roasted pico, cilantro, avocado lime crema and lime.

2 articles

C.T.'s Real Deal BBQ

2901 S. Lancaster Rd. Oak Cliff/South Dallas

214-302-3000

Barbecue, Restaurants, Recommended, Menu

The longstanding Hardeman's is now owned by Cory Toney, though he kept the old brick pit, the hickory wood and several veteran staffers. The brisket is rich with smoke, just as Hardeman's fans remember. But C.T. added soul food to the list, from acquired tastes (think chitlins) to some of the city's best catfish.

1 article

Carrollton Town Center

2540 Old Denton Rd Carrollton/Farmers Branch

832-768-3722

Cattleack Barbeque

13628 Gamma Rd. Carrollton/Farmers Branch

972-805-0999

Barbecue, Critics' Pick, Best Of, Essentials

In an industrial park in Farmers Branch, Cattleack Barbeque lives up to every bit of hype it’s received. Fabulous fatty brisket and extraordinary pulled whole hog are the stars of the show, as is a vinegar-based coleslaw. Grab another bite of slaw and you’ll be prepared to tackle that next slice of Texas hot link.

Top pick: Some weeks, the Cattleack crew smoke beef ribs rubbed with a pastrami spice mix. The ribs are jaw-dropping; order an extra, take it home and throw it in a pot of beans the next day. In fact, order extra of everything in general, and you’ll be cooking the best beans of your life.

1 event 29 articles

Dayne's Craft Barbecue

2735 W. 5th St. Fort Worth

Barbecue

2 articles

Dickey's Barbecue Pit

1211 14th St. Plano

972-423-9960

Barbecue, Restaurants, Best Of

Since 1941, the Dickey family says it has had one mission: "Serve everyone great barbecue." It all began at this location, homey and humble compared to the other area restaurants. Three generations later the family is still at it -- in 2009, Dickey's was considered the largest barbecue restaurant chain in the country. The menu includes all the 'cue staples, such as brisket, pulled pork and ribs, available in meat combos, all of which are smoked on the premises. The available sides, like beans and corn on the cob, also hit all the traditional marks. However, the Dickey family isn't content with solely offering eat-in and take-out grub. The restaurant has a catering menu with several packages, including buffet or box options, and a holiday-meal menu with the holiday spiral-cut ham as a favorite choice.

1 article

Douglas Bar and Grill

6818 Snider Plaza Park Cities

214-205-5888

Barbecue, Steak, Essentials

When we spoke to Doug Pickering about his namesake barbecue venture in Snyder Plaza, Douglas Bar and Grill, he addressed the elephant in the room right off the bat: the barbecue here is expensive. Douglas Bar and Grill is a beautiful space, and the barbecue is top-notch, from the phenomenal wagyu brisket and the perfectly cooked salmon to a barbecue burger that takes two hands to pick up. With much of Texas barbecue, one has to deal with limited hours, long lines or both. At Douglas, you can make reservations six days a week, have barbecue within minutes of sitting down and drink from a full bar to boot. For many, the extra cost for those perks strikes them as quite the value.

Top pick: If the cost scares you away, Douglas runs a happy hour with cocktails and barbecue bites for just $10. Brisket bullets are brisket and cream cheese stuffed jalapeño peppers, which give just the right amount of peppery heat to go with the savory brisket stuffing.

4 articles

Ferris Wheelers Backyard & BBQ

1950 Market Center Blvd. West Dallas

214-741-4141

American, Barbecue, Recommended

Pitmaster Doug Pickering’s fatty brisket is soft and tender and melts in the mouth like meat candy; the bark, at times crispy, retains only a subtle whiff of smoke. The pulled pork, slathered in a sweet-spicy sauce, is fine. The ribs have a sweet brown sugar glaze that will win them many fans. Among the sides, the fried okra is fantastic, battered like good old-style onion rings, the okra tender and salty. Things only turn south at the bottom of the basket, where the last few bites sit in a pool of oil. There’s a spicy cup of baked beans and good potato salad loaded with corn, scallions and poblano peppers, but the best thing here is the green beans, which are smoked like the meats. The beans pack a huge punch of smoke flavor in addition to bacon crumbles and onions.

17 articles

Flatrock Smokehouse BBQ

4900 Main St., The Colony Far North Suburbs

972-292-9834

Barbecue

Flatrock Smokehouse first opened in Euless just prior to the pandemic, and eventually left that spot because of the many challenges restaurants faced during that time. They've reopened in The Colony.

Here owner Robert Davis runs a large A.N. Bewley smoker just off the patio that turns out a plethora of smoked proteins. We ordered a quarter pound each of lean prime brisket , pulled pork and sausage , then added on a side of brisket mac-n-cheese and fried okra.

Flatrock’s brisket comes sliced in textbook pencil-width chunks, and the obsidian bark has plenty of smoky flavor that compliments the moist beef. The pulled pork was another excellent choice, lightly sauced and full of juicy and tender goodness.

Davis also smokes chicken, turkey and ribs on-site, and tells us he’s most proud of his ribs. We’ll know the next time we come in to add a slab to our order, waistlines be damned.

We also loved the gooey brisket mac and cheese, and Flatrock’s tangy barbecue sauce that is drizzled on top is a bonus. And the okra might be the barbecue side value of the year just on quantity alone.

1 article

Flying Pig Roadhouse

531 S. Denton Dr. Lake Dallas

940-497-3240

American, Barbecue, Music Venues

Goldee's Barbecue

4645 Dick Price Rd. Fort Worth

Barbecue

Get your insulated coffee mug, sunscreen and folding chairs. You're going to need them for the line at this newly annointed No. 1 barbecue spot in Texas by Texas Monthly. We were able to snag a spot in line and after not too long of a wait (just a couple hours), we learned what all the fuss is about. Go for a tray that offers all of their meats; the turkey will surprise you. And if they have Laotian sausage available, be sure to get it too. Brisket is served half fat and half lean. If you get some burnt ends thrown in too, that's the trifecta. The beans are some of the best we've ever had and the pork hash, while not pretty to look at, is a must. Their bread is made in-house daily so be sure not to pass on it.

5 articles

Heim Barbecue

1109 W. Magnolia Ave. Fort Worth

817-882-6970

Barbecue, Best Of

12 articles

Heim Barbecue

3130 W. Mockingbird Lane Northwest Dallas

469-397-4346

Barbecue, Best Of

Travis Heim loves craft barbecue but hates forcing people to stand in line for it. At the Dallas location of his barbecue empire, Heim takes on the challenge of serving breakfast tacos, along with lunch and dinner, so the smokers are always full of meats. As important as dishing out good barbecue is, Heim wants to put a bacon burnt end on every plate without having to wait hours for it, which is something we’re on board with.

2 articles

Hurtado Barbecue

205 E. Front St. Arlington

682-323-5141

Barbecue

This barbecue spot in Arlington is synonymous with the phrase Mexicue. Since his early days of pop-ups, owner Brandon Hurtado attributes has flavor and style to his father's Mexican roots. The result is nothing short of fantastic. Go for the El Jefe Platter to experience a broad range of flavors. It's loaded with prime brisket, pork, spare ribs, sausage, pork belly burnt ends, pulled pork, turkey breast and two sides. Be sure to follow their social media to see what new things they're working on too. And on the weekends, don't sleep on those brisket juevos rancheros.

5 articles

Hutchins BBQ

1301 N. Tennessee St. Allen/McKinney

972-548-2629

Barbecue, Critics' Pick, Essentials

Hutchins is one of the best all-around barbecue joints in the area with locations in Frisco and McKinney. The appeal here is that everything across the board is excellent, from the thick slices of fatty brisket to the banana pudding for dessert. The original McKinney location is a no-nonsense, old-school dining room. A bonus is that peach cobbler, banana pudding and soft-serve ice cream are free — yes, free — for dine-in customers.

Top pick: Everything — all the meat, all the sides — is good. Hutchins might be the most well-rounded smoked meat joint in the region.

6 articles

Intrinsic Brewing LLC

509 W State Garland & Vicinity

972-272-2400

Barbecue, Brewery, Menu

Smokehouse and Brewery in the Historic Garland Square

4 articles

Katy Trail Station

4825 Cole Ave. Uptown/Oak Lawn

Barbecue

Katy Trail Station is Kent Rathbun's latest project. During the pandemic he started smoking meats and selling them at curbside pop-ups. Now, with this food truck adjacent to the Katy Trail, the concept has a permanent location.

The barbecue we've tried so far is going to build a solid fan base. You can order meats as a sandwich or as an entrée, both of which are priced with a side included. A sliced brisket entree comes with both cilantro slaw and a smoked gouda macaroni and cheese. Sliced brisket comes by default with Rathbun's tangy barbecue sauce, but the brisket needs no help (purists should ask for sauce on the side if this offends their sensibilities). It's perfectly tender and delicious, even when we were served one of the last orders of the day. The slaw sparkles beneath a crumble of queso fresca, and the smoked gouda mac made our taste buds happy with every forkful. They also do breakfast with baked goods from Empire Baking, breakfast tacos and full coffee service, including lattes and cappuccinos, which is sure to be a hit for those getting some morning exercise on the Katy Trail.

2 articles

Kooly's BBQ

3627 Bonnie View Rd. Oak Cliff/South Dallas

Barbecue

1 article

Sura Korean Bistro

2240 Royal Lane #106 Northwest Dallas

972-243-5656

Korean, Barbecue, Recommended

With its separate floors for regular dining and barbecue, Sura is a veritable palace of Korean cooking. But, as satisfying as the All You Can Eat Meat Buffet might be, the simpler pleasures of dishes like spicy pork bulgogi and exquisite daily lunch boxes are more than enough to draw us back for more.

4 articles

Lakewood Smokehouse

1901 Abrams Rd. East Dallas & Lakewood

Barbecue

5 articles

Lee's Bar-B-Q

103 School House Rd., Haslet Fort Worth

Barbecue

1 article

Lockhart Smokehouse

400 W. Davis St. Oak Cliff/South Dallas

214-944-5521

Barbecue, Recommended, Best Of, Menu

Lockhart Smokehouse, the Central Texas-style barbecue joint launched by a step-granddaughter of longtime Kreuz Market owner Edgar Schmidt, was easily 2011's most eagerly anticipated restaurant opening. Lockhart's fatty brisket, remarkably tender and flavorful, proves the excitement was warranted. While the smokehouse hasn't yet mastered ribs or chicken, there's perhaps no better place to Dallas to observe the "no sauce, no forks" dictum and attack smoked beef bare-handed. Consistent with Texas tradition, the array of accompaniments includes pickles, raw onions, jalapeños and cheddar cheese. There's Shiner Bock at the bar.

38 articles

Longhorn Bar-B-Que

124 N. Highway 67 Cedar Hill

972-293-2111

Barbecue, Restaurants, Recommended, Menu

Ever heard of this place? It's been in Cedar Hill since 1980, and it serves up some of the best hickory-smoked barbecue in the area. Longhorn Bar-B-Que, located on Highway 67, has excellent brisket, pork ribs, chicken and turkey legs; perfect fresh-cut french fries; tasty bread pudding and peach cobbler. Each day there's an all-you-can-eat special, though the beef-rib free-for-all we witnessed looked a bit like a dinosaur dig, with humongous bones piled on plates. No frills here, just meat, meat, meat, and a nice, spicy sauce to go with it.

Loro

14999 Montfort Dr. Addison

214-894-5676

Asian, Asian Fusion, Barbecue

This is Loro's second location in Dallas, near Addison. Here the menu is primarily pan-Asian with touches of Texas brisket. If it sounds like an awkward marriage, it's not. It's beautiful. Try green curry hushpuppies with a coconut chili ranch or a smoke prime bavette served with a shishito salsa verde. The sandwich selections here are reliably fantastic as well. We love the Loro Cheeseburger with a red onion brisket jam. Ge it during happy hour for a sweet deal. And the coconut rice with the bits of brisket is amazing.

5 articles

Barbecue in Dallas

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