Hands down our favorite BBQ spot in all of corpus, we order the 1lb marble brisket and the Mac n cheese. The service is super quick, is always extremely clean before you sit, and the staff is very attentive. You get your food really quick aswell. The price reflects the quality of food, so don't expect cheap food but also this is tier 1 bbq so you will get what you pay for. 10/10, make sure you sample the bbq sauce before hand. read more

Chopped brisket sandwich meat was cold. BBQ sauce was some kind of tomato based grease concoction that had very little flavor. Green beans are seasoned in the same BBQ sauce plus, the beans were over cooked which made them like mash. Only good dish were the French fries. Way too expensive for the quality of food we got. read more

The food was so delicious!! Jessandra was a really fun waiteress. Thanks for such a great experience Jess!! The food was also good. read more

Mike Cotten's BBQ - 3 meat plate - Barbeque Near Me - Corpus Christi, Texas

We came to Mike Cotten's BBQ for dinner with friends. We were not only greeted when we came in but they had complimentary cheese and crackers on the table. The service was amazing. Aliyah was so friendly and she was very attentive to everyone at the table. We all enjoyed the meals; which were all generously served on trays. If need be the place has room to accommodate large groups. Overall, we truly enjoyed the experience. Kudos to all the staff. Enjoy! :) read more

Pros: Brisket fries were on point! Huge amount of food. And very tasty! Brisket sandwich was very good as usual. Con: Ambiance was very sterile. Didn't look like there were any bbq pits on sight. Just not the same as the old Joe Cottons. read more

Food ok ! Still lowkey NOT customer friendly IMO! The prices are high! They gave my husband wrong Sausage he had asked for Jalapeño w/3meat! By time he remembered he had cut into his meat and took few bites. He told waitress and she said "let me throw that away"! In any other restaurant they'd tell you keep it and bring correct item . Wow Not here! And you better hurry up in bathroom they cut the lights out on you if you take too long! Potato salad is decent mustard type! The cheese of course is good with crackers! read more

See all

Great food and excellent service! When you're feeling frazzled and just want to relax and have a comforting lunch, go to Mike Cotton's BBQ for a delicious sandwich. The brisket was tender, the turkey was sooo juicy, and the fries are perfectly crispy. I even love their salads for balancing everything out. read more

Great BBQ - I had the sandwich which was loaded with delicious bbq meat. You will not be hungry after this meal. The service was friendly and fast. The place is clean and comfortable to stay and enjoy the meal. Ambiance is comfortable read more

New location, new price. I used to pickup one brisket and sausage plate. I paid $15 at the old location. Now it's $22.

5 STARS. What a nice place. Good food, nice people. "Matilda" chocolate cake is delicious. It really lives up to what I expected it to be. I ordered a chopped brisket sandwich and it was LOADED up with yummy brisket. read more

I was excited when I read the menu because the limited variety of items. In general all the meat were tender, they will fell appart on their own. The lack of smoke and choice of seasonings wasn't present. I did left with the Turkey flavor in my palate. The meat was right on point. Great flavor and seasoning choice. The beans were very watery, also without flavor. Im general was not impressed with it. Exception service and cleaned restaurant. read more

See all

bbq is delicious their fries w / brisket on top my granddaughter loves them. excellent service recommendation a plus! read more

Great late lunch today at Cotten's. Brisket was nice & moist and well smoked. The ribs were great & the sausage was good. The beans & BBQ sauce were spot on old school Cotten's. No room for potato salad today, but it sure looked good too. Still feel like a kid eating the cheese spread & crackers, but in a good way! Still BYOB, so don't forget!! read more

Mike Cotten's BBQ - Brisket, rib & sausage plate. - Barbeque Near Me - Corpus Christi, Texas

Prices on the website are wrong and these idiots don't know how to update it. They couldn't even apologize for the mistake. Poor attitude. Poor customer service. Won't be back. read more

Great food and service for decades. My grandparents and parents were good friends of Joe Cotten.

Best BBQ in South Texas! Mesquite smoked brisket and the sausages are incredible!! It's always worth the drive from Port A!!

Picked up some orders to go, the place was new and very clean, the service was very good, and the brisket sanwiches were awesome.

Stopped here for bbq and the quality was poor. No flavor in the brisket and sausage was dry along with the chicken. Just not worth the money or my time. read more

In the Joe Cotton tradtion Mike has brought his grandpa's BBQ to a new generation of BBQ lovers. In the late 1980's and 90's a trip to Corpus Christi was not complete without at least one trip to Joe Cotton's. Now the trip will not be complete without at least one trip to Mike Cotton's!!! read more

Delicious every time! Family friendly. Service is always excellent. Would definitely recommend if you're in the area.

Cotten's is long time favorite for my family. For decades, when planning drives between Central and South Texas, we have made sure to avoid Mondays (they're usually closed) because we love stopping by. The BBQ is fairly priced and great quality. My favorites are the brisket, sausage, and pork ribs (combination plate runs ~$15), and it comes with pinto beans, slices of tomato, onion, pickle, and your choice of white/wheat bread. The staff is friendly, the environment is cozy, and we'll continue to visit as long as they're open! The only complaint I have for Cotten's is cleanliness. As stated in a few other reviews, the bathrooms tend to be unkempt and discouraging for most travelers. read more

Mike Cotten's BBQ - 3-meat plate :) - Barbeque Near Me - Corpus Christi, Texas

12/15/22 at 4:30PM I grew up a valley kid who would stop at ol' Joe Cotten's on the way up or back from San Antonio. I had heard and read about Mike Cotten doing his thing and I finally had the opportunity to stop in and see what he had to offer and boy he didn't disappoint. From the nostalgic atmosphere, the extremely kind polite and caring staff, wish I could name them, to the plate less plates they serve you on, it made me feel young again. Felt like old times but I must say, as a BBQ guy myself, Mike Cotten, your Grandfather is proud of you I'm sure because you have a good thing going and you took it and made it your own and stepped it up two times above your Grandfather! God Bless and see you again soon! read more

Was in the mood for Texas BBQ and ran into Cotten's reviews and wanted to check it out myself. Upon arrival we were greeted and provided with cheese and crackers. Can notice around the restaurant they have couple of history portraits around which is very great to view. Have to say it was very good food. The rub in the ribs and brisket was great! The sausage taste home made and well seasoned, highly recommended. Ribs were fall of the bones and the brisket was very juicy and fell apart by the touch. read more

Mike Cotten's BBQ - Cheese and crackers - Barbeque Near Me - Corpus Christi, Texas

See all

We are visiting from out of town and stopped in for some barbecue. The place was packed, but we got a table quickly and the food was outstanding. We had the sausage and turkey. The thing we liked the most was the barbecue sauce, and had a great flavor, but a different texture than we are used to. The service was impeccable. If you're looking for a good barbecue, this is a great place to stop. read more

Service is always amazing here. They have the old school Cotten's charm. Brisket and sausage plate is my go to. The quality of tomatoes has gone down, but I am not there for the tomatoes. Haven't visited the new place yet but hoping to soon. read more

Food at Cotten's is always amazing. The brisket cannot get any better. Service is always quick and very nice. Ordering Togo is amazing, they make it ready in under 10 min. This is our weekly bbq place. read more

Very disappointed with my to go order. Brisket was fall apart tender, heavy smoke flavor. Jalapeño cheese sausage was terrible, dried out, tough, unappetizing flavor. The 1/2 chicken was over smoked, dry. Wound up throwing away the sausage and chicken. Spent way too much money for poor quality BBQ. I have eaten here several times with no issues, not sure if this was an off day or what. read more

Bbq was ok small portions on combination plate butcher paper ! Small piece of Brisket , small pork rib and sausage ! Food was ok not the best like they used to be ! My favorite was the Bowl of beans and don't forget the iconic cheese and crackers ! I used to love this place as a kid plus the ice cream bowl they used to give out with the mint ! Place has really gone down hill I'm sorry to say I won't be returning I'm sorry to say ! read more

The brisket nachos were good but that's all I could eat due to the chips being stale. Honestly 3 people could share this appetizer.

Stopped in for lunch on our way down to South Padre. Was craving a good smoked brisket. Left here still craving that good smoked brisket. Ordered the 3 meat plate, sausage, lean brisket and turkey. Sausage was not greasy, definitely a plus compared to many places. Had a decent flavor as well. Brisket was extremely tender, literally fell apart as I tried to pick it up with a fork. Nice looking smoke ring, but lacked a strong smoke flavor and definitely not enough spice on it. Didn't appear to have any dry rub added to it. The turkey was the highlight of the 3 meats. Great flavor, and spice. Nice little amount of pepper, and tender and juicy. The bbq sauce was very good also. Beans did not appear to have any flavor at all, basically brown mush. Needed cilantro, onion, garlic and jalapeños. read more

Mike Cotten's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Corpus Christi, Texas

Truly disappointing. We were first timers and were excited to try Cotten's. We ordered $54 worth of food for the two of us to try everything and it was just terrible. The brisket was beyond fatty, I prefer to chew my brisket, not slurp it. The amount of fat was truly unreal, I couldn't even stomach it, the bag and paper wrap was dripping with grease. Sausage, probably the worst we've ever had. Ribs were not tender and the seasoning was so salty, just not a good taste. Potato salad, nope. BBQ sauce tasted like sour tomato sauce. You know what was good? Their beans....but I mean that's not what I should be raving about from a bbq place. So donyourself a favor a drive a little further down 624 to Sam's BBQ and get you some good grub. I'm just pissed that we wasted so much money here. read more

Mike Cotten's BBQ - Fattiest, mushiest brisket I've ever had - Barbeque Near Me - Corpus Christi, Texas

Awesome service, best BBQ around just like his grandpa used to serve at the original location.

Awesome BBQ. It's been years since I've eaten here. Just got back this territory and I'll be back for sure. Different look and feel from the old location but the brisket (had the burnt ends) was spot on. Service was excellent as well! Ruben was our server! read more

Love the home style lunches, and fried catfish is a must on Fridays. But don't forget the finger licking pork ribs that are always rich and delicious. read more

Love the vibe. Fast service and it was very good. Turkey was tender and moist. Sausage was near perfect. Ribs could have been cooked a little longer but I'm probably too picky about them. Brisket nachos were too much to eat at one sitting. Slaw and beans were delicious and potato salad was average. The "cheese whiz" they brought when we sat down was super good. read more

It's Barbecue what can you say. But if your in the area and want a filling meal then this is a highly recommended 3 meat plate. The Brisket has great flavor and awesome meat texture. The ribs and sausage are also a good treat. Comes on butcher paper with tomato, jalapeño, beans, and onions with a side of homemade bbq sauce. A great place to eat and service is one of the best I town. read more

Ate a few weekends ago with family. It is a small establishment compared to the original but give them some time and they will expand. It was super packed! We waited about 10 minutes. We ate dinner. We ordered the combination plate (stringy brisket, rib, sausage) with all the trimmings (sliced tomato, sliced onion, pickle, jalapeno, beans). Also cheese and crackers are served as appetizers. The brisket was tender, rib meat fall off the bone type and the sausage was ok (not a big sausage fan). The beans were ok, flavorful. The b-b-q sauce is good - taste just right. We ordered ice tea and water. The tea tasted like Texas tea, made by Texans. One of the drawbacks (if you can call it that) compared to the previous location is we were not offered seconds free of charge. At the original location customers would be allowed a second serving of meat at no additional cost, we did not really ask because we were full after the first round. The food is served on butcher paper which saves on clean-up. We are definitely going back. read more

Mike Cotten's BBQ - (Rib, sausage link and brisket) side of beans. provide jalapeño, sliced onion, half pickle and sliced tomatoes. - Barbeque Near Me - Corpus Christi, Texas

It is so good to have Cotten's back in business. It's safe to say, it's the same great barbecue made by the same people and served by the same great staff. The only real disappointment is the new location lacks all of the charm the old location had. The new place is a small, plain dining room although it functions well enough. I was here for lunch so I didn't indulge in a "plate" dinner. I had the brisket sandwich with some of their potato salad. Trust me on this: if you want a sandwich, ask for the "moist meat" or cut from "the point." That is the most tender you're ever gonna find, and it was! Excellent flavor and oh so tender. I tasted a few pieces before putting on the sauce. Good thing. The sauce is okay, but a little too thin and heavy on the tomato for my taste. Almost like a picante BBQ sauce. But, that's part of Cotten's unique style. The potato salad was a hit! Great flavor, seasonings and texture. The little green olives on top are a nice touch. And, for me, you're not an A-1 candidate BBQ place if you can't make iced tea. Well, Cotten's has the best, fresh brewed iced tea around. That, along with the impeccable service is why I'll keep coming back, no matter where they are. read more

We were there on Saturday night, the place was busy but there were still a couple tables. The menu is sparse and a little confusing; at first it appeared you could only acquire ribs as part of a plate that also included sausage, loin and some other type of pork but I was able to just order ribs alone (I don't know what I got charged for it though. I'd prefer a menu be better delineated.) Unfortunately, the food just wasn't that great. My ribs were not only not particularly warm, they were hard as if they had been smoked the day before. The edges were very tough and the meat itself dry. The BBQ sauce they provide is clearly their own creation, a bit vinegary for my taste but with chunks of tomato. The ranch beans are decent as is the potato salad. I had a bite of my husband's brisket and it was just ok as well. My in-laws had been raving about this place and we drove about 20-30 minutes to get here so maybe that contributed to my overall disappointment but honestly I've had much better...even in Houston and Dallas ;) I can't say whether it's the best BBQ in the greater Corpus area because I haven't had any other Corpus area BBQ. But, it definitely didn't hold a candle to any of my favorite places. read more

Best bbq I've had in Calallen and Corpus Christi, they are a bit pricey, but it's worth it!