Visited Austin's today on a local recommendation and it was easily the worst bbq experience I've had in the past 5 years of eating bbq across Texas. Service was fine, but food quality was really low IMO. I ordered a 2-meat plate with brisket and jalapeño sausage for meats and pinto beans and mustard potato salad for sides. If I could describe the what I tasted on my order I would say it tasted like spaghettios over pot roast. Zero smoke flavor on the brisket and it was covered in a sauce that smelled heavily of tomatoes and tasted like the sauce out of a can of spaghettios. The sausage was shriveled up it was so overcooked and had zero jalapeño spice. The beans were undercooked and had zero flavor. Not much ambience to be had in the small restaurant either -- it just looked old and worn inside. Like I said, Austin's was easily the worst bbq experience I've had eating bbq across Texas in the last 5 years. Do not recommend. read more

Austin's Barbeque & Catering - Inside - Barbeque Near Me - Eagle Lake, Texas

I've supported Austin BBQ in Eagle Lake for a while, but my recent experience left me deeply disappointed. It's troubling to see a business benefit from the hard work and revenue of immigrant customers, yet still allow openly disrespectful comments to be made--such as saying, "If he's here illegally, he's got to go." Regardless of anyone's background, every customer deserves basic respect and decency. Hearing statements like that creates an unwelcoming atmosphere and makes it clear that not everyone is valued the same once they walk through those doors. I believe businesses should treat all members of the community fairly, especially when they rely on that same community for support. I hope Austin BBQ reflects on how their words and actions impact the people who keep their doors open. Respect should be as much a part of the service industry as the food. read more

The food was outstanding! It's a small hole in the hall place, but absolutely worth trying. The sausage and brisket were better than most places that I've ever had! read more

I've tried this place twice. First time is was hands down the best BBQ around this area. Second time they messed up my order and i got jalapeno sausage and the brisket wasn't as flavorful. I tell you what though......I'll be back! It was still pretty dang good. read more

Some of the best BBQ in the State. Beef brisket is juicy and tender, the homemade sausage, the pork ribs, and all the sides are tasty.

Stopped in after reviews and recommendations. The brisket was cold, and the collagen hadn't fully broken down yet on the point cut. The two staff members didn't know the difference between the flat and the point. 1 was the person cutting the meat, and the other was the cashier. The brisket cutter asked if I wanted lean or moist. I said I'll take moist from the point side and that through them off. Which I thought was strange. I also received a large smoked chicken breast that was dry. Smoke flavor was ok. The Cole slaw was dry it wasn't soaked like you'd normally find. I ordered the yellow mustard potato salad after I asked, which is better of the two options. The potato salad wasn't anything spectacular. I also ordered a side of banana bread, nothing to complain about. Suggestions- I'd skip on the brisket and chicken breast or get the brisket chopped. That would hide any descepancies. Moose Out read more

Love love their banana pudding and bbq is awesome!!! I use to live here in this small town & I'll drive thru just for the food!!! Service is great, the guys are always nice read more

Thanks to Patti Owers, she told me about a ham they got at Austin's BBQ in Eagle Lake! Took a chance and texted them if they had or could make one for me! Denice Austin said by 11 today. I picked up a buddy to ride with me from Rosenberg and I was running late. Got there, paid for the ham and picked it up and it was wrapped in aluminum foil, but the smell was heavenly! Just got home, unwraped and it only got better! Took a knife and sliced a butt piece. Oh Lord it tasted fantastic Thanks to Patti for telling and Denice for making it happen! read more

Austin's Barbeque & Catering - Smoked ham! - Barbeque Near Me - Eagle Lake, Texas

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EVERY time we go the potatoes are very small and cost too much. I'll just make the drive to Rosenberg and get a potato where I'll get twice as much and pay less read more

Food was amazing. Great slaw and potato salad. Wouldn't expect it from the outside. Definitely worth going out of your way for. The service is top notch. read more

Austin's Barbeque & Catering - Brisket and sausage sandwich inside. - Barbeque Near Me - Eagle Lake, Texas

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A nice little surprise.. my mom just moved to Eagle Lake, so we tried out the local bbq. They were friendly and the food was pretty good. We had a 2 meat platter and pork bbq sandwich. They were good. Potato salad & a sweet tea too! We will be back soon! read more

Absolutely amazing barbecue. It's not only great to have in a little city it's definitely worth the drive from anywhere. read more

Population 3639 in Eagle Lake Texas. More people than this live in my neighborhood. One reason to come to Eagle Lake is for Austin's BBQ. Best of the best in BBQ. Staff always is welcoming and ready to help. Even was able to snag a few pics of the pits! read more

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Born in Hallettsville, Pharmacy mgr in Columbus for 25 years, retired now, just had my first Austin's barBQ brisket it is awesome will be back. read more

I stopped by for lunch yesterday, arriving a bit before noon. There were cars parked beside the converted gas station, but nobody in line to get food. I walked in and order a "marbled" beef plate (or met from the point of the brisket) and two sides, The potato salad looked good, so I got double potato salad. While they were slicing the beef, I asked about their sausage, having read about it on Yelp. One of the guys cut off a little bite and I tasted it. It was very good, so I added a half a link of sausage to my order. So far so good. After checking out, I realized I didn't have any sauce to dip the sausage in (I asked them not to slice it up). I asked for a small cup of sauce and the guy at the counter said, "That will be $1.25, please." I said, "You're joking, right? I just bought $4.50 worth of sausage and a full beef plate". Long story short, he was not joking, so I paid the $1,25 for a 2 oz. cup of BBQ sauce and assured them that I would not darken their door again. BTW, they dumped sauce all over the beef without asking... The only place to eat is at outside picnic tables beside the place - no fun in the Texas Summer heat, so I sat in the car, ate what I could of the beef (which was not at all what I would call "melt in your mouth" or "super tender") and lost interest. I brought the sausage and gold plated sauce home for another time. Good sausage, marginal beef, and dumb management (the cashier told me that it wasn't their fault, those were the rules)! read more

That's a small little building but they got the best barbecue in the nicest people. Definitely worth stopping out if you're in the area.

We were driving on highway 90 from Rosenberg trainspotting with my son and father in law ans saw this bbq place. We had the brisket, pork rIbs, and sausage. All of it was great but what stuck out to me was the sausage it was spectacular!! I'm definitely going to make a trip out there with the family just to eat some bbq. I will be back!! read more

Not only is this worth a one star review, the writers at Texas Monthly deserve a one star review for putting this place on a list of any reputable BBQ establishments. This is, without a doubt, the biggest disappointment I've ever had with a so-called great BBQ restaurant. I stopped here on Saturday just before noon. I got brisket and my dining companion got a brisket sandwich. Let's count the fail points. 1) The brisket was super lean and really didn't have much of a smoke ring or smoked flavor. It was more like roast beef. 2) Absolutely the worst sauce I've had anywhere. It's almost exclusively tomato sauce. When you combine it with the brisket, it creates the sensation of eating pot roast. 3) Strangest packaging I've ever experienced. Everything here is served to-go, although there are a couple of picnic tables to the side. But my brisket was put in one of those paper boat things, then wrapped up. 4) Nickeled and dimed to death. Plain, sliced white bread is an extra charge. Sauce on your meat is free, but if you want a side of sauce, that's an extra charge. Do not bother stopping here. Our biggest concern was how quickly we could find something else to wash the taste out of our mouths. read more

10/19/13 12:48pm - Is there legendary Texas Barbeque close to Houston? Let me tell you about Austin's. Did you know only 60 miles from Houston is a joint that has made Texas Monthly top 50 for the last four issues since 1997? That puts Austin's in the same stratosphere as Louie Mueller, City Market, and Cooper's. For over 16 years this joint has been quietly producing top 50 quality Texas BBQ. EPIC! I scored Austin's a 91 out of 100. Legendary Grand Champion Texas BBQ (and so close to Houston) Smoke: Pecan. They roll out the two big steel smoke monsters every Thursday through Sunday right out of the former gas station garage doors. The pecan smoke aroma reaches all the way to heaven. God must love Texas BBQ. Brisket: Very Good. An off the chart 3/8in smoke ring beneath a thin bark. Tested tough of tender but ate so tender. The pecan smokey goodness penetrated every bite. A great peppery rub with semi rendered fat sent this slice of brisket to flavor hall of fame. Pecan is by far my most favorite smoke flavor. When done right it is like nothing you have ever experienced. You will think about this slice for days. No sauce needed at all. Ribs: Excellent. Perfect tenderness, soft bite, clean bone. No teeth needed for these ribs. Pecan smokey goodness with a black peppery rub made every porky salty bite better than the last. No sauce needed at all. Sausage: Very Good. A handmade course ground pork/beef sausage with traditional spice and bold black pepper flavor. A nice peppery after taste. Little to no grease and snappy casing. Very enjoyable and fresh link. No sauce needed at all. Sauce: Good. This joint is notorious for smothering their great barbeque with their average OK sauce. Get the sauce on the side. Its a thin tangy tomato sauce and not much more. PS: There is no indoor dining area. You walk in only to place your order. There are few picnic tables under cover outside. Get it to go or go during the cooler months. read more

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A small place in the small town of eagle lake. I've had the brisket almost every time I go and mix up another meat, usually sausage I guess. It's pretty good. The brisket itself is probably worthy of 4 stars, but can't get myself to do it. If you want "sauce on the side" the charge you extra. I'm no penny pinching scrooge, but come on..if i'm ordering a pound of brisket to go, I don't want it smothered in sauce. When I questioned it, the kid working said that's the policy from the owner. Oh well. I can kiiiinnnndd of understand if just ordering a plate, but when i'm buying a pound or more, seems kind of stupid. I don't think I even remember or asked how much it was...for me I guess just more of the principle than anything else. By the way, the sauce really isn't that good. read more

Almost a two star but the tenderness of the brisket saved the day. BBQ sauce is terrible. It's like runny ketchup. The guys in the store are nice, the woman is not. 1.5 lbs of brisket and 1.5 lbs of pork, plus a container of sauce was $47.00. Pretty expensive. It's a cool place, but not worth the stop. Never again. read more

The potato toppers are the absolute best. The service is the absolute best, they really listen to what you want.

A good place to stop on my way home. Thought I'd give it a try. Brisket was moist and very flavorful. The sausage was delicious. However the chicken was dry and lacked flavor. Sides were average. read more

I've been going here over 20 years and I'm done with this place. This was my favorite BBQ for many years but it just keeps going down hill. They will consistently give you cold BBQ that's expensive and small portions. They don't even realize all their food is cold but it's been that way for around 5 years. read more

Yesterday I was in a hurry and got a BBQ sandwich to go. Some young kid made it. You don't know what you are getting in a wrapped up sandwich until later. I opened it up and it was half or more chunks of fat. I had to throw it away. If you buy food there-eat it there in case you have to have it replaced. $10 contribution to their business was all I got. Not again! This isn't even good, much less legendary. Oh...the canned diet coke was fine. read more

On our way back home from our grandson's graduation, we made our usual stop at Austin's. This was a Saturday so they were busy. Got a To Go order of a pound of lean brisket, a link of sausage and a banana pudding. As usual, the brisket and sausage were wonderful. The bread pudding was outstanding, chock full of bananas and vanilla wafers. Love this place! Will be back soon! read more

"The smell of roasting meat together with that of burning fruit wood and dried herbs, as voluptuous as incense in a church, is enough to turn anyone into a budding gastronome." Claudia Roden Truer words have never been spoken by this James Beard award winning author or yours truly. So apologies for borrowing them as an introduction, but when you see the beauty of words why cover them with the cheap lacquer of my unrefined prose? Enjoy, polish, and fortify. A recent trip to the Hill Country left me with the unmistakable notion that I was in a rut. I had beaten a path like so many others to all the none too secret and slightly over exposed cathedrals of meat littering the oak studded hills of central Texas. I needed new conquests, and fresh faces not jaded with all the hype and dollars that accompany BBQ legends, self-proclaimed and otherwise. In need of unfamiliar checkered swathes promising more elbow room than the largest of ribs can command, I wandered....... .....to Eagle Lake. More specifically, Austin's Barbeque. Eagle Lake is a one dog town, but thankfully on this tired and weary Sunday he was neither tired or mean. He was smoky and delicious and appeared in the form of an old auto shop a mere block off the main drag. Walking past large cuts of aged pecan and two huge smokers that could double as old concrete tumblers, I stood before a door resplendent with the flag of Texas. Damn, it felt like home. I walked in the door and was immediately greeted by the three guys behind the counter. As always, I rocked the three meat plate with beans and (on recommendation) the mustard potato salad over the mayo version. There were a few picnic tables outside, but I opted for the truck and the welcome shade of a nearby bay of gas pumps. The Q, the sides, even the soft, white bread were excellent. I roll with the fatty brisket 9 out of 10 times and today was no different. Oh sure, I'll tell you it's because brisket fat packs the same heart-healthy HDL fat found in olive oil, but in all things meat - fat is where the flavor is. The brisket had a great peppery bark, a rosy smoke ring, and was fork tender, not falling apart tender. The ribs were 4* quality with great flavor, a smaller smoke ring and were tender while still holding the bone. The sausage was fantastic. Like buy it in bulk and give it away for Christmas good. A firm casing held a coarsely ground and peppery kielbasa texture kissed with smoke. Really, really good stuff. The sides were both emblematic of what Q restaurants should be doing. No one goes for the sides, but why are they always so clearly an afterthought? The pinto beans and mustard-ish tater salad were a joy in their own right. Clearly homemade and fresh, I was pleased to say the least. The sauce would be the only real downer here. Occasionally I'll be too busy bullshittin to remember to tell them to hold the sauce, and here it came back to bite me. The sauce is vaguely of the pasta variety and has no business on the plate. But better the sauce sucks than the meat, no? So when passing south of Sealy, or ....... actually there's no good reason to be in Eagle Lake. So if fate finds you in this neck of the world, shake its hand as you pass to put your hand on the flag and enter into yet another hallowed hall of meat. Albeit a little less traveled and jaded than some of its peers. 4.5* read more

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Stopped here with my team during the Texas Independence Relay this past Saturday, felt like your typical Texas BBQ joint and the guys working were friendly. Had the sliced beef sandwich with a side of green beans. My stomach immediately started gurgling after I finished eating, but I chalked it up to eating too fast. Fast forward to the next day, and all three people who had the sliced beef were experiencing intestinal problems. Fast forward to Tuesday, and I'm in the ER with severe food poisoning. 4 bags of IV fluid, some morphine, and a large copay later and I'm finally on the mend. Can't say I would ever recommend this place to a friend. And it's going to be a long time before I have BBQ again. read more

Back during the summer, I decided I would make it my goal to visit all Texas Monthly 2008 Top 50 BBQ places in one years time. I am now over half way done, and figure it is only fair to write reviews for them. Eagle Lake is off the beaten path for most city dwellers. The way I normally take from Austin to Houston does not take me along any of my coveted BBQ targets, so I had to adjust my path a bit to take this one in. About 20 miles south of Columbus Texas and Highway 10, I finally roll into the city. At first I figured I would have to stop at the gas station and ask someone how to find Austins BBQ, but as soon as I rolled into the center of town, I could smell it. It was a beautiful fall Texas afternoon, and the aroma was a beacon for me, and about 10 other cars already packed at the building when I pulled in. The building itself is a thing of beauty. Looks like it will fall down on you any moment. I'm guessing it was an auto garage at one point, and they have adjusted the large garage into their kitchen and smokehouse, and the office into the serving area. The also have add a bit of Texas flair throughout, painting Texas flags and billboards for the business on the sides of the building. Inside I wait behind a few people, and finally order. Brisket and Sausage, and a side of beans and potato salad. But wait, they serve potato salad with either mayo, or with mustard. I have never been given the choice before, and off the top of my head I couldn't even remember which is considered the "traditional" style. I go with mustard, but I will regret it until I go back and try again both. One thing that bothered me about the sides and the inside of the store. Everything was sitting out open, sides in large plastic tubes sitting in ice and meat on the slab. The smoke and flies also got in through the open side door. I realize this is small town Texas, and I realize that truthfully none of that is actually going to hurt my food. I just would rather not see you not being as clean as possible, hide it from me and lie. The sausage was, well, average. Seemed to me they were made with too much filler. Also the sauce was thick and tasted to much like an over spiced tomato sauce. I have had better sauce in New York, I disliked it that much. It was all put behind me however when I tried the brisket. So tender and juicy. The smoke flavor was a bit different more exotic that normal, most likely some type of local wood used to smoke different than mesquite. It was thick cut, and looked like you can pull it apart just like pulled pork, if it weren't for the fact that it was well marbled with fat and it held it together. I also was very pleased with the amount of food I got for my money. They loaded my plate up. I plan on going back that way soon, and will stop again to try some of the other meats, the other sides, and more importantly the desserts. They looked great and homemade and I'm sure will get a positive review. It is worth the drive off Highway 10 if you have the time. Just be prepared to just eat by your car, trust me. read more

Damn fine 'que. Great smoke technique and homemade sausage. I get the sauce on the side (too damn sweet for me.) This is defiantly worth the drive from Houston. read more

Great place for Texas Barbeque. On a road trip and decided to stop in, it did not disappoint! Lots of options and great prices. We tried the brisket, and the sausage. The brisket was some of the best we've ever had, and the sausage was super flavorful! The portions are also huge!! We ordered the buttered potatoes as a side and this is a must. So glad we stopped! read more

All I can say is MAN! The pork ribs are the best tasting pork that I've had. I also tried the brisket frito pie, which was a first and awesome. It's a awesome old school bbq joint, you actually see the pits, no fancy decor, just Smokey bbq read more

I loved Austins Barbecue in Oak Cliff, Texas, eat there at least one or two times a week. It was much more to us than Barbecue house it was a gathering house. read more

Really good quick stop. Had the two chopped beef sandwiches for about $10 with chips. Love that Texas flavor. Especially liked their friendly and helpful service read more

Driving through and heard this place was worth the stop. Only had the chopped beef sandwich, but it was enough! This place is a winner! Will definitely come back. read more

Underwhelming to say the least. The Brisket is not very flavorful and rather dry. The people are nice enough but that is about it. I am not sure how this made Texas Monthly Magazine but to each their own I suppose. read more

Ate a meal catered by them for lunch. Brisket was definitely in the "very good" category - slow smoked with good crust and nice fat content. They had a german potato salad which was fine (not a big fan in general). Pinto beans were out of sight! Liked the barbecue sauce and the banana pudding! Definitely a diamond in the rough in the middle of nowhere! If you're in the area, worth checking it out!! read more

Yes, it's grungy but it's damn good! I drive from Sugar Land, bypassing Vincek's in East Bernard, just for the sliced beef sandwich. Oh, yum. I can only eat half and save the rest for a mushy dinner later. It's still good then. The banana pudding rocks. read more

Had sliced brisket sandwich and ribs. Ribs were cooked well, good, but it a ton of flavor. Brisket was average. Overall I liked the place read more

Out right the best BBQ in Texas!!!!! A must on your bucket list!!!!! Reasonable prices