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Came here for dinner on an early Friday evening to find no wait. Guessing this isn't their peak time for business, but if you too wish there were more bbq options available for dinner it certainly adds to their value. With any new bbq place in Texas, trying the brisket is an absolute must. Having a long drive home and just finished a tour at the dr pepper museum nearby, I didn't want to go too meat heavy and risk an emergency rest stop, so I went for a decent helping of brisket along with their beans and potato salad. Overall it was a solid meal. The brisket had a gorgeous smoke ring, but was surprisingly a little lacking on the flavor end. Guessing that's a result of it being prepared much earlier in the day, but if you're open for dinner I'd still expect them to maintain a similar quality. The sides were pretty fantastic, it's been hard to find mustard based potato salad in my bbq travels and theirs is about as good as I've had. The staff was also friendly and patient with questions about the menu. Overall, if you're in town and craving bbq I'd recommend giving them a try, but I don't think the quality is good enough to warrant a trip to Waco with Guess as the primary reason
GUESS ??! I think I found the winner!!! This is where the best brisket by far I've ever tasted. By looks the meat seems so tender, by taste it' mouthwatering and melts in your mouth. After church we decided to give this place a try. We ordered it to go.... 1/2 lb of brisket A pint of Beans with brisket A pint of Kid's Mac & Cheese 2 Garlic Sausage by the link Total $48 Well the brisket slices are out of this world made to perfection. Each slices had that layer of fat between the meat when smoked has a low melting point, and that's why the brisket is so juicy and tender... The Sausage link was too dry for me but still well seasoned but no garlic taste at all !!! The grandkids love the Mac & Cheese but for me it was so bland. It could had more cheese and salt. The beans was just alright but not something I'll be ordering as a side next time. Dining area is spacious enough to hold a big party. It was a bit of a wait with just one cashier. I am not sure how busy it gets but we were 5th in line @1pm then after 20 minutes we were handed our to go orders.
Is it an abomination that we didn't grab brisket from Magnolia Farms? Maybe. We saved our brisket-shopping for our return trip back from Waco to Fort Worth and we were so very glad we did. We tried the following: BRISKET which was tender, salty, fatty... in short, PERFECT! We "over" ordered so we could take leftovers home and they were even better the next day when they were warmed up on the skillet and eaten with newly cooked white rice. Yes, rice! We're Asians if you haven't figured it out yet. RIBS were fall off the bone, full of flavor. A hit for everyone on the table. The SAUSAGES were also very good. Especially with the white bread included with our order. PICKLES came with our order and you might be wondering why I'm mentioning it -- coz it's crunchy, salty, sour, awesome! The line to order isn't that long and it also didn't take long for us to get our order either. The fountain drinks are cool - beer tap handles! The people are so friendly and the parking is large!
Driving around Texas doing the Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ places in Texas so we decided to drive to Waco Texas and pick up so food at Guess Family Barbecue. Parking here is free lot parking so that is nice. Beware this place does get crowded during lunch. So the process is you walk up to the counter place your order, pay for your food and they give you a number flag and they bring out your food to you when it is ready. The wait to get our food was a bit as they were VERY busy and it was probably a good thing we were getting our food to go as the main dining room was FULL and the side dining room was closed for construction. When we finally did eat the food the brisket was moist and delicious. The sausage was also delicious but I found nothing special about the pork ribs. We got no sides as our food was too go. We also did not get any desserts but by looking at the trays around us while waiting the banana pudding looked great.
Still on my mission to check off the Top 50 in Texas, it was Guess' turn today. We came on a Sunday morning 1/23/22 right when they opened at 10am. There was no line and we were first to order. The restaurant, because that's what it is, a restaurant not a typical saw dust joint, was very clean and modern. They had a great bar (with some nice Weller selections). To be honest I was surprised by how many non bbq related food items they had. They had a breakfast menu and French fries, I was almost getting a hodge podge kind of feel here. The brisket was on the salty side (which I didn't mind) but was definitely chewy and tough. The ribs also were kind of chewy and tough, but the taste was good. The roasted garlic sausage was middle of the pack. And my potato salad looked like it was going to be delicious but was kinda bland :/ Notable eats were the smoked wings which tasted quite good. The pulled pork taco had a vinegary punch and was good palette cleanser. And I quite enjoyed my chipotle cheddar sausage. I have a feeling that if the menu had more of a bbq focus, my ribs and brisket would have been more on point. Still worth a visit when in Waco.
I got here at about 1:30 and while there wasn't a line, there was a steady flow of customers the entire time that I ate there. A flow would come and then it would ebb. This is a popular place and could get slammed, but the dining area is HUGE and can absorb a lot of people. I wasn't hungry (as you can see from the pic) so I just sampled my way thru some of the items. I started out with a 1/4 pound of the pork ribs and boy that wasn't very much. My bad on the order. They were tasty, but a bit over cooked and not very flavorful. While on a given day they are probably fine, they don't do a "Top-50" very much justice. I had better expectations from what I've sampled from some of the peers. Probably the time of day after sitting in a heater for too long. Much to my surprise, there were Deviled Eggs on the menu!! To me it's up there with pecan pie. I see it on the menu, I'm ordering. I got the smaller size to sample and wow it was good. Well, the pimento cheese whipped yolk thing was a bit off, but that brisket jam was INSANELY good. It made up for the funky (to me) yolk. Wow, that was a joy. I could have bought an expensive jar of that stuff alone. Finally, you can't get BBQ without beans. Anything that says "beans & burnt ends" has got to snag my attention. The beans were great! There were even some chunks of drowned brisket in there. Sadly, no burnt ends that I could locate, but it was a great marketing ploy to get me to buy some great beans.
This is my Second time at this family restaurant. The food is always great period I got the deviled eggs, collard greens and the smoked wings. The collar greens were seasoned perfectly with pieces of meat in them. The deviled eggs were great and the smoke wings had that smoky Taste to them as soon as you bit into them..
Been wanting to find a time to try this place for years. Always gets high marks in Texas Monthly. Was running an errand down near Waco and three of us decided to make the trip for lunch on a weekend. One person in the group had some of their brisket before and said it was great. TLDR, it was a surprising letdown. We arrived before 1 pm. No line, not a lot of people. I was a little surprised at this. Maybe a sign? Between us, ordered brisket, pork ribs, Chipotle cheese sausage, brisket burnt ends, brisket melt, beans, cheese grits, deviled eggs, and some chips and queso. The chips and queso, well the person who ordered it said it tasted like can cheese. I tried it, not much taste, we mixed in all the toppings, and that made it better. I didn't eat any more but the others finished it off. I wasn't asked if I wanted moist or lean brisket. I never think about it at the time, but this place should be asking. When this happens I NEVER remember to ask for moist brisket. I got slices of very lean and very dry brisket that were kinda bland. The other person who ordered brisket got the same and said the same. I was asked if I wanted my ribs sauced or naked? I said naked, wondering what was going on. Other person got theirs sauced. I think they dip it in a thin clear sauce or something. I dunno, couldn't tell much difference. But I know the ribs I got were really dry, no moisture, and pretty bland as well. I honestly wondered if the ribs were leftover from the day before, considering the texture and how dry they were. The chipotle cheese sausage was honestly some of the best damn sausage I've had at a bbq joint. Well done, tasty, just the right amount of cheese. Everybody liked it. The beans with brisket were good, nothing special, they were fine. Not any better or worse than other joints I've been to. Same for the cheese grits, good, what you would expect. I was told the brisket melt sandwich was good, but (wait for it) pretty dry. It had to get a good dousing of sauce to get it going. I ended up using sauce on most everything except the sausage. (dood, that sausage was great) The brisket burnt ends were good. Couple pieces a little over fatty, but good. Not the most flavorful. The deviled eggs were pretty fantastic. Kind of a bacon marmalade on top or something? Whatever it was, those eggs were great. The filling was orange and super good. Very unique deviled eggs. Anyway, I really expected more. The one person who had their bbq before said it was a lot better that time. There were obviously some good and not so good things going on. I still think it's a place to try, and hopefully the brisket and ribs are better on your visit. But hope for a better visit in the future isn't enough to make me come back.
Hash & pancakes - both dishes have great BBQ infused! I was not expecting the food to be this outstanding! Every dish so well crafted and presented. The hype is real! One of @Texasmonthly Top 10 New BBQ Joints that was just featured on @manfirefood! We ordered: Brisket Hash Farmer's Breakfast ( bbq sausage & cheesy grits) Cinnamon Roll Donut Pulled Pork Pancakes
We had seen Guess on the list of Texas' best barbecue and decided that we should stop by while we were in Waco. This place absolutely earned their top 50 ranking. The pulled pork sandwich was great, but I was stunned at how good the brisket was. It's probably some of the best brisket I've had - very soft, you could cut it with a fork. On our next trip to Waco, we will definitely be back.
This place was so good. They have coolers in the back constantly making that yummy tender meat. Inside is very casual and open space. Love that it's not crowded or loud. I ordered the 2 meat combo with sides and was about $14. It was so worth it! The brisket and sausage were so good. I would def recommend this as BBQ done right. Enjoy!
Top notch barbecue. Guess Family excels at each protein and goes above and beyond by offering a bunch of really great sandwiches, sides, burgers and desserts. There's not a ton of parking but I've never seen it full. I've also never seen the large dining room that busy. The line is always short. However, they always sell out so don't sleep on it. There's nothing better than a perfectly smoked, fatty, salty, fall-apart slab of brisket. They nail it. Perfect bark, perfect everything. If you've every tried to smoke a brisket, you'll really appreciate Guess Family's work. I also really like a good smoked turkey, which is super hard not to dry out. Again, these guys make it perfectly. Buy everything they have and come often.
Went for lunch on 11-22-24 after searching the Texas Monthly top 50 list for nearby bbq joints in Waco. I knew there was a new Terry Blacks but I've already been to the OG in Austin and Lockhart so I wanted to take another bbq joint off of my top 50 list. Well I ordered the two meet plate and got the standard brisket and pork ribs with beans and Mac and cheese. I asked for the moist brisket to be cut from the point. What I received was a very dry 1/4 pound thin cuts of brisket from the flat and one dry rib with very little flavor. The beans were really overcooked almost mushy and the macaroon and cheese was just barely warm and not edible. One piece of hard white bread, two pickle slices, one slice of pickles jalapeño and two slivers of onion. Save your time and money. Go to Terry Blacks! read more
Not too sure as this may have been an off night for Guess Family BBQ as the portion size was not the typical "everything in Texas is larger". I ordered the dinner plate with 2 meats, and as you can see in my pic, it doesn't appear there was much meat there at all. The smoked turkey was very juicy and tender - just not enough of it. The pulled pork was so-so. The pulled pork taco was just that - pulled pork tossed on a tortilla. The Jalapeño bacon deviled eggs were quite tasty and probably the best part of my meal. Sorry, but I have had much better smoked meat elsewhere in Texas. read more
2 years ago
Came here for dinner on an early Friday evening to find no wait. Guessing this isn't their peak time for business, but if you too wish there were more bbq options available for dinner it certainly adds to their value. With any new bbq place in Texas, trying the brisket is an absolute must. Having a long drive home and just finished a tour at the dr pepper museum nearby, I didn't want to go too meat heavy and risk an emergency rest stop, so I went for a decent helping of brisket along with their beans and potato salad. Overall it was a solid meal. The brisket had a gorgeous smoke ring, but was surprisingly a little lacking on the flavor end. Guessing that's a result of it being prepared much earlier in the day, but if you're open for dinner I'd still expect them to maintain a similar quality. The sides were pretty fantastic, it's been hard to find mustard based potato salad in my bbq travels and theirs is about as good as I've had. The staff was also friendly and patient with questions about the menu. Overall, if you're in town and craving bbq I'd recommend giving them a try, but I don't think the quality is good enough to warrant a trip to Waco with Guess as the primary reason read more
GUESS ??! I think I found the winner!!! This is where the best brisket by far I've ever tasted. By looks the meat seems so tender, by taste it' mouthwatering and melts in your mouth. After church we decided to give this place a try. We ordered it to go.... 1/2 lb of brisket A pint of Beans with brisket A pint of Kid's Mac & Cheese 2 Garlic Sausage by the link Total $48 Well the brisket slices are out of this world made to perfection. Each slices had that layer of fat between the meat when smoked has a low melting point, and that's why the brisket is so juicy and tender... The Sausage link was too dry for me but still well seasoned but no garlic taste at all !!! The grandkids love the Mac & Cheese but for me it was so bland. It could had more cheese and salt. The beans was just alright but not something I'll be ordering as a side next time. Dining area is spacious enough to hold a big party. It was a bit of a wait with just one cashier. I am not sure how busy it gets but we were 5th in line @1pm then after 20 minutes we were handed our to go orders. read more
Is it an abomination that we didn't grab brisket from Magnolia Farms? Maybe. We saved our brisket-shopping for our return trip back from Waco to Fort Worth and we were so very glad we did. We tried the following: BRISKET which was tender, salty, fatty... in short, PERFECT! We "over" ordered so we could take leftovers home and they were even better the next day when they were warmed up on the skillet and eaten with newly cooked white rice. Yes, rice! We're Asians if you haven't figured it out yet. RIBS were fall off the bone, full of flavor. A hit for everyone on the table. The SAUSAGES were also very good. Especially with the white bread included with our order. PICKLES came with our order and you might be wondering why I'm mentioning it -- coz it's crunchy, salty, sour, awesome! The line to order isn't that long and it also didn't take long for us to get our order either. The fountain drinks are cool - beer tap handles! The people are so friendly and the parking is large! read more
Driving around Texas doing the Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ places in Texas so we decided to drive to Waco Texas and pick up so food at Guess Family Barbecue. Parking here is free lot parking so that is nice. Beware this place does get crowded during lunch. So the process is you walk up to the counter place your order, pay for your food and they give you a number flag and they bring out your food to you when it is ready. The wait to get our food was a bit as they were VERY busy and it was probably a good thing we were getting our food to go as the main dining room was FULL and the side dining room was closed for construction. When we finally did eat the food the brisket was moist and delicious. The sausage was also delicious but I found nothing special about the pork ribs. We got no sides as our food was too go. We also did not get any desserts but by looking at the trays around us while waiting the banana pudding looked great. read more
Still on my mission to check off the Top 50 in Texas, it was Guess' turn today. We came on a Sunday morning 1/23/22 right when they opened at 10am. There was no line and we were first to order. The restaurant, because that's what it is, a restaurant not a typical saw dust joint, was very clean and modern. They had a great bar (with some nice Weller selections). To be honest I was surprised by how many non bbq related food items they had. They had a breakfast menu and French fries, I was almost getting a hodge podge kind of feel here. The brisket was on the salty side (which I didn't mind) but was definitely chewy and tough. The ribs also were kind of chewy and tough, but the taste was good. The roasted garlic sausage was middle of the pack. And my potato salad looked like it was going to be delicious but was kinda bland :/ Notable eats were the smoked wings which tasted quite good. The pulled pork taco had a vinegary punch and was good palette cleanser. And I quite enjoyed my chipotle cheddar sausage. I have a feeling that if the menu had more of a bbq focus, my ribs and brisket would have been more on point. Still worth a visit when in Waco. read more
I got here at about 1:30 and while there wasn't a line, there was a steady flow of customers the entire time that I ate there. A flow would come and then it would ebb. This is a popular place and could get slammed, but the dining area is HUGE and can absorb a lot of people. I wasn't hungry (as you can see from the pic) so I just sampled my way thru some of the items. I started out with a 1/4 pound of the pork ribs and boy that wasn't very much. My bad on the order. They were tasty, but a bit over cooked and not very flavorful. While on a given day they are probably fine, they don't do a "Top-50" very much justice. I had better expectations from what I've sampled from some of the peers. Probably the time of day after sitting in a heater for too long. Much to my surprise, there were Deviled Eggs on the menu!! To me it's up there with pecan pie. I see it on the menu, I'm ordering. I got the smaller size to sample and wow it was good. Well, the pimento cheese whipped yolk thing was a bit off, but that brisket jam was INSANELY good. It made up for the funky (to me) yolk. Wow, that was a joy. I could have bought an expensive jar of that stuff alone. Finally, you can't get BBQ without beans. Anything that says "beans & burnt ends" has got to snag my attention. The beans were great! There were even some chunks of drowned brisket in there. Sadly, no burnt ends that I could locate, but it was a great marketing ploy to get me to buy some great beans. read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
2 years ago
This is my Second time at this family restaurant. The food is always great period I got the deviled eggs, collard greens and the smoked wings. The collar greens were seasoned perfectly with pieces of meat in them. The deviled eggs were great and the smoke wings had that smoky Taste to them as soon as you bit into them.. read more
4 years ago
Been wanting to find a time to try this place for years. Always gets high marks in Texas Monthly. Was running an errand down near Waco and three of us decided to make the trip for lunch on a weekend. One person in the group had some of their brisket before and said it was great. TLDR, it was a surprising letdown. We arrived before 1 pm. No line, not a lot of people. I was a little surprised at this. Maybe a sign? Between us, ordered brisket, pork ribs, Chipotle cheese sausage, brisket burnt ends, brisket melt, beans, cheese grits, deviled eggs, and some chips and queso. The chips and queso, well the person who ordered it said it tasted like can cheese. I tried it, not much taste, we mixed in all the toppings, and that made it better. I didn't eat any more but the others finished it off. I wasn't asked if I wanted moist or lean brisket. I never think about it at the time, but this place should be asking. When this happens I NEVER remember to ask for moist brisket. I got slices of very lean and very dry brisket that were kinda bland. The other person who ordered brisket got the same and said the same. I was asked if I wanted my ribs sauced or naked? I said naked, wondering what was going on. Other person got theirs sauced. I think they dip it in a thin clear sauce or something. I dunno, couldn't tell much difference. But I know the ribs I got were really dry, no moisture, and pretty bland as well. I honestly wondered if the ribs were leftover from the day before, considering the texture and how dry they were. The chipotle cheese sausage was honestly some of the best damn sausage I've had at a bbq joint. Well done, tasty, just the right amount of cheese. Everybody liked it. The beans with brisket were good, nothing special, they were fine. Not any better or worse than other joints I've been to. Same for the cheese grits, good, what you would expect. I was told the brisket melt sandwich was good, but (wait for it) pretty dry. It had to get a good dousing of sauce to get it going. I ended up using sauce on most everything except the sausage. (dood, that sausage was great) The brisket burnt ends were good. Couple pieces a little over fatty, but good. Not the most flavorful. The deviled eggs were pretty fantastic. Kind of a bacon marmalade on top or something? Whatever it was, those eggs were great. The filling was orange and super good. Very unique deviled eggs. Anyway, I really expected more. The one person who had their bbq before said it was a lot better that time. There were obviously some good and not so good things going on. I still think it's a place to try, and hopefully the brisket and ribs are better on your visit. But hope for a better visit in the future isn't enough to make me come back. read more
Hash & pancakes - both dishes have great BBQ infused! I was not expecting the food to be this outstanding! Every dish so well crafted and presented. The hype is real! One of @Texasmonthly Top 10 New BBQ Joints that was just featured on @manfirefood! We ordered: Brisket Hash Farmer's Breakfast ( bbq sausage & cheesy grits) Cinnamon Roll Donut Pulled Pork Pancakes read more
2 years ago
We had seen Guess on the list of Texas' best barbecue and decided that we should stop by while we were in Waco. This place absolutely earned their top 50 ranking. The pulled pork sandwich was great, but I was stunned at how good the brisket was. It's probably some of the best brisket I've had - very soft, you could cut it with a fork. On our next trip to Waco, we will definitely be back. read more
This place was so good. They have coolers in the back constantly making that yummy tender meat. Inside is very casual and open space. Love that it's not crowded or loud. I ordered the 2 meat combo with sides and was about $14. It was so worth it! The brisket and sausage were so good. I would def recommend this as BBQ done right. Enjoy! read more
2 years ago
The food is good, but the portions are much smaller with the new ownership. I was disappointed in the green chili Mac that used to be my favorite thing. Service was fine. The atmosphere is nice, love the addition of the pool table and darts read more
Top notch barbecue. Guess Family excels at each protein and goes above and beyond by offering a bunch of really great sandwiches, sides, burgers and desserts. There's not a ton of parking but I've never seen it full. I've also never seen the large dining room that busy. The line is always short. However, they always sell out so don't sleep on it. There's nothing better than a perfectly smoked, fatty, salty, fall-apart slab of brisket. They nail it. Perfect bark, perfect everything. If you've every tried to smoke a brisket, you'll really appreciate Guess Family's work. I also really like a good smoked turkey, which is super hard not to dry out. Again, these guys make it perfectly. Buy everything they have and come often. read more
Finally got to visit Guess Family today after missing out on previous trips & enjoyed their "holy feast" -- a sampling of all their meats & sides -- for my family of 5. Solid visit overall. I can easily see why Texas Monthly listed them in 2021. Meats: brisket, pulled pork, turkey, cheddar chipotle sausage, roasted garlic sausage, spare ribs, & baby back ribs. Sides: brisket beans, broccoli salad, potato salad, coleslaw, cheesy grits, & green chile mac n cheese. For us, the favorites were the baby back ribs, roasted garlic & cheddar chipotle sausages, brisket, beans, coleslaw, & cheesy grits. Least favorites from today's visit were the spare ribs (undercooked & chewy) & the broccoli salad (only tasted like mayo). Bonus for us was the craft soda collection on tap! read more
One word: OVERRATED. We came here on a Saturday afternoon and all their meats are sold out. They only have the kids meals and burgers options left plus the $65 steak dinners. My husband and I ordered the wood fired-burgers. These were $11 each and I'm surprised it's itty bitty! I mean, for $11, these are TINY! So, I thought, ok... these better come in BIG flavors. Nah, WRONG! The mayonnaise was dumped in on our burgers that it dripped over the sides of the buns. We had to scrape it off. The burgers itself were super salty. The beans side my hubby ordered came in a very small serving box too. And it tasted like it's from a can. Hardly any meats added in it. I'm like, seriously, are they mad at us???!!! My older kiddo got the smashed burger and couldn't finish it. This kid has never once ever wasted any burger in his life and he couldn't finish eating his burger because it's way too salty. My friend highly recommended this place and yelpers rave about it. I'm super disappointed. read more
Really tasty bbq that locals here seem to visit whenever they can, and I can see why! The brisket is delicious as well as the ribs. You can't go wrong with the sides of mac n cheese, coleslaw (has a very good kick), and string beans. The beans with the brisket ends was ok. The bbq sauce itself was good, not really sweet or smoky, it was just sauce with a minor flavor enhancement. Then again they might have more flavors, but I didn't ask. Since we stopped by a Friday night we were also able to try the prime rib which was excellent! The people working the bar and the counter were super friendly and really seemed to enjoy working here. I also liked the atmosphere itself. Very laid back with two painted murals of a piggy and a steer. For the bar they have some local brews on tap same as the soda. Overall we had a great time, and highly recommend some bbq here when you get a chance. read more
Business owner information
Guess F.
Thank you so much for your thorough review! Your photos are lovely…
I couldn't resist stopping in here because this place hit the top BBQ joints from TX Monthly. I mean, what does a list even mean? You can get BBQ anywhere, right? Nah!!! I've found that these places curated by Meat Eaters in the Know really are often quite a step up from other joints. I arrived a bit before 11:00 AM so their ribs weren't ready yet. Instead, I got a bacon breakfast taco, some plain old white bread and a pound of brisket. Brisket is always my favorite when it come to The Q! Fresh eggs, bacon, pico and tortilla. Yikes! Amazing taco. I chowed down half of it and then cut myself a good portion of the brisket. Amazing. The sauce? I tried that after a bit and Wow! It was great. So great, I added it to the rest of my taco. I don't know what made the sauce special but a few miles down the Toad I was kicking myself in The Brisket for not buying some of their sauce TOGO!! Oh well, if I don't tell my wife where I've been I just may be able to eat the rest of that pound by myself. Happy BBQing!! read more
3 years ago
My daughter and I came to town from MD to visit Baylor. My husband gave us strict instructions to find some good BBQ. We asked locals at several stops and Guess was always the 1st recommendation. We were only in Waco for 2 days, and they weren't open for dinner. So we squeezed in a lunch (shortly after a breakfast), just to say we'd tried it. We are so glad we did. Upon entering, the place was not too busy, but had several separate crowds of men on their lunch hour...which was a great sign! We shared a brisket sandwich and fries. The brisket was so so so good. The crispy outside pieces were amazing. The bun was delicious, too. Our crinkle fries were hot, crispy, and salty! The whole visit was perfect and I wish I could have some now! read more
5 years ago
I'm not from the area, so don't have a basis to compare the local offerings, but this joint is the cat's ass. You'd be crazy not to go. The ribs and the brisket will be remembered for a couple of years or more. The music made it all the better along with the cheesy grits. When this is your tag line (see accompanying photo), there's a lot to live up to, and they delivered on it. read more
Well worth every star!!! Every time we head to Texas to visit family we search out great barbecue. The star rating and the best slogan "Old School Texas Barbecue, The same kind Jesus ate", drew us in. We started with deviled eggs with pimento cheese and brisket jam. Brisket jam!!!!! It was the perfect addition. We then ordered the brisket, ribs, cheesy grits and broccoli salad. Oh man, we rolled out of there, happy and full. We meet one of the Guess family outside who filled us in of the evolution of Guess Family Barbecue. read more
2 years ago
3 years ago
My husband and I visited Guess BBQ on our weekend getaway after seeing so many positive reviews on TikTok. The restaurant its self was very clean, staff members were very friendly, and the vibes were immaculate. Overall with food, portion sizes were small. We both got the two meat, two side combos. His favorite: the brisket. Literally best brisket he had ever had. It was tender and juicy with a great taste. My favorite: the turkey. Thick sliced Turkey breast, tender, and great seasoning. The BBQ sauce was just okay for me, my husband really enjoyed the pepper flavor. read more
2 years ago
3 years ago
4 years ago
We had heard good things about this place and finally got a chance to check it out. There's not much that stands out from the outside, and if you're not paying attention you can miss the turn in for parking lot. But don't let that stop you, all the good stuff takes place inside in the kitchen. There's not much for decor, but the food makes up for it. My kid had the beef brisket sandwich and i had the bacon cheeseburger. Sandwiches come with a bag of chips or you can upgrade to fries for a small additional price. The brisket was exceptional and melted in your mouth. Their specialty sauces really add a nice touch to each dish. The burger was delicious and the toppings were very fresh and colorful. The bacon was nice and thick too. I forgot which sauce came with the burger but it had a nice taste and a little kick of spice and heat. Not over powering, just letting you know it's there. They had an assortment of desserts, nice portions of banana pudding and mini portions of other pies, like pecan, apple, coconut and a couple others. All in all a very pleasant dining experience. Highly recommend. read more
New to the area and saw the BBQ sign. Love BBQ. Area is old and outside of bldg isnt much to speak of but inside is much more inviting. Love the menu options. Ordered a pulled pork sanwich, daughter had a brisket melt, husband had a double patty cheese burger. Everyone loved their meals. The combos do not include drinks, so it gets pretty expensive. Combos come with chips but its $2.50 for a side of fries. If the combos included drinks, I would probably go more often. Only reason for 4 star is the cost. read more
Guess barbecue is delicious! We really enjoyed our visit this past Sunday. We arrived right before the lunch rush so didn't wait long in line or for our food to come out. The pulled pork pancakes are something I've never seen on a menu before and was really curious about. They turned out great - I got a small order (2 cakes) which was only $5, so super reasonably priced. With the honey butter and syrup on top they were the perfect balance of sweet and savory. The green Chile Mac and cheese was also killer - very slightly spicy with a good sauce consistency! My husband really enjoyed the brisket and ribs, as well. We'll be back the next time we visit Waco! read more
5 years ago
Here's the deal, if you find yourself on IH35 headed either north or south through Waco,TX or if you live in Waco and have not visited Guess Family BBQ do yourself a favor and set your GPS to this location. You can't miss the beautiful black and white building settled in this location. Atmosphere- very cool murals inside. I was hoping for a pic with the pig on the wall but a family was chowing down right in front of the mural. Cleanliness- fantastic, well done Employees- super nice. Knowledgeable The BBQ - brisket was fantastic, great bark, pepper was not too much just perfect, moist and lean served up and wanted to order more, turkey had beautiful color with the hint of the right smoke and moist.. only had side of coleslaw as I wanted to dive into the meat. Coleslaw was perfect but couldn't tell what was in the slaw that brought some heat. The prize with my order was the burnt end that came with my order. DAMN GOOD...made me say LA MADRE out loud. : ) Two things that kept me from 5 star review; One - they must be doing something right to be out of sausage by 12:30 lunch. NO SAUSAGE Two- i like going to BBQ places where I can see the meat and have the pit bosses talk me into order 10x more than I need. : ) Give them a try and let them know El Mero Jefe sent you. You might get a free dessert. : ) Overall a fantastic stop in Waco. read more
3 years ago
We had the most wonderful Tx BBQ experience with Unexpected Surprises (read to the end...) and met one of the coolest guys on the planet, Reid Guess, owner of Waco's Guess Family BBQ!!! Before ordering, we overheard Reid giving the customers that were in line just ahead of us tips on creating a unique & tasty Dr Pepper with vanilla flavoring using the restaurant's AWESOME soda fountain (see photos)... We ordered: Beautiful brisket slices that were so moist and tender with superb bark and an impressive smoke ring. Pork ribs smoked to perfection with a pepper-forward seasoning that well-represents both our state of Texas and the style of BBQ that Texas is known for. We ordered our ribs DRY ...because they don't need any sauce!! Pound of Jalapeño Cheese Sausage that was so juicy and flavorful!! For sides we elected to go with the Yummy Green Chili Mac & Cheese and delicious Beans made with Brisket Burnt-Ends. After digging into the delicious BBQ, I decided that I HAD to take one of the super-cool Guess BBQ T-Shirts back home with me!!! So, I got back in line and requested a t-shirt (I believe that they were ~$20). Reid informed me that the shirts were free today!!! I tried to pay Reid for the shirt but he wouldn't accept it... What a nice gesture. Then, I told Reid how a year earlier, we were seeing family in the Waco area, went to the Silos and visited several area businesses. We tried his restaurant for the first time after the folks at the Balcones Distillery recommended Guess BBQ to us when we asked where the best BBQ in Waco could be found. Then Reid revealed that one of the accent smoking woods that his restaurant uses comes from the local Balcones Distillery's retired barrels... Not only did Reid give me some of the Balcones barrel wood to try at home, he allowed me to visit the restaurant's pit area and described in great detail their process for using the barrel wood to put the magic finish on their chicken wings. Please don't pass if you have the opportunity to experience Guess Family BBQ in Waco, TEXAS. Reid Guess has a PASSION for Texas BBQ that is second to none. Take the time to get to know Reid and his food. Enjoy!!! read more
This place was amazing!! We ordered 1/2 lb of baby back ribs, 1 lb of 44 farms black angus grass fed brisket, burnt ends that the cashier through in and broccoli salad. OMG all was too darn good. Even their house barbecue sauce which, none of the meat needed I just tried because it smelled so good. The only draw back was they don't sell their BBQ sauce. BTW, their local beers were also good!! The dark one is Hot Blonde which tasted light and the lighter beer is Brotherwell which both were their local beers. All so mmm good!! read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
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More info about Guess Family Barbecue
2803 Franklin Ave
Waco, TX 76710
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(254) 313-3436
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http://guessfamilybbq.com
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Guess Family Barbecue - bbq - Updated July 2026
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