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    Pinkerton’s Barbecue - Upper Kirby

    4.2 (101 reviews)
    Open • 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

    Pinkerton’s Barbecue - Upper Kirby Photos

    PINKERTON’S BARBECUE - UPPER KIRBY ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Loud
    Dogs allowed

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    Tim C.

    Third location and just as awesome as the first two. The moist end sliced brisket is super tender and full of flavor. The glazed pork ribs were tender and amazing too....as good as the brisket. The hot jalapeno cheddar link of sausage was great. They have two kinds of bbq sauce on each table, both good but the meat doesn't need any help at all. The creamed spinach was very good, reminded me a little of sag paneer. My wife enjoyed and shared the fries fried in beef tallow. Every item was 5 stars including the service and t shirt i had to have. We showed up right after 11 am and it wasn't crowded, by the time we left it started filling up.

    Exterior
    Maggie J.

    Had this on my list to try ever since the new location opened and finally got around to going last Saturday evening with some friends. We intended to eat at the restaurant but the sitter called at the last minute so we had to take the food to go and eat back at our friend's house. We arrived around 6:30 pm and there were only a couple people ahead of us, but by the time we left 10 minutes later it was substantially longer. The service was friendly and efficient. Only hiccup with our order was that we asked for bread with our order, confirmed it with the cashier when we paid and then realized that it wasn't in the bag when we got home. Always a good idea to double check your to go order yourself! I thought the meats were good overall (we tried the jalapeño cheddar sausage, turkey, unglazed pork ribs and brisket), but the sides we tried were just ok. We didn't like the Jambalaya at all and felt medium about the Mac and cheese, beans and slaw. Happy to have a new BBQ spot in the neighborhood.

    glazed ribs, sausage, mac n cheese, duck jambalaya
    Jessica W.

    AMAZING bbq!!! came in around noon on a thursday and there was no line and plenty of seating/parking! the meats were super tender and flavorful - sides were great too especially the sweet potatoes and jambalaya! a must try bbq spot in houston!!!

    Left: South Texas Beans. Right top: creamed spinach. Bottom right: tangy Cole slaw
    Mindy L.

    We are regular patrons of star pizza across the street, and I knew I had to try Pinkerton'd when the sign went up that they were coming soon! Fast forward several months, we finally came back to try for a belated birthday celebration. At Pinkerton's there's no combination plate where you can order 1,2, or 3 meats with a set number of sides. Meats are ordered by the pound and sides ordered by size. The lady behind the counter was really nice and let me look at the sides by scooping them up for me to see. That was really helpful as you eat with your eyes first . I ended up ordering brisket (half fatty, half lean), turkey, pork ribs and pork prime rib. For the sides I got creamed spinach, south texas beans, and tangy Cole slaw which is vinegar based (versus their creamy Cole slaw). Our whole family enjoyed all the meats. I liked that the turkey was seasoned perfectly (not too salty or overly sweet), and my husband favored the pork prime rib as we've never had pork prime rib at other Texas bbq places. As for the sides I thought the creamed spinach and south texas beans were just ok. I would get something else next time. However, I loved the tangy Cole slaw and would definitely get that again! They also had a golf arcade machine that you can play for free which entertained my 8 year old while I was ordering. Overall a great bbq place and would definitely come back again!

    Don Pepino
    Jennifer G.

    Great to see the new location continues the incredible quality and service of the original location. Ribs as always were perfect. Cheddar sausage moist and flavorful. You can never go wrong with jalapeno rice and the bourbon sweet potatoes. Bar could use some tweaks. I waited awhile for the bartender to come back and would eventually just go back to my seat. When she returned I asked for the Don Peppino. While making it she mentioned a couple of times she shouldn't have been making as it wasn't rolled out yet. I finally said if it's on your menu then it shouldn't be such an issue. Could've been better there.

    Rib, brisket, sausage, Mac and cheese, jalapeño cheese rice, banana pudding
    Alexandra P.

    Never been to Pinkerton's before, but I had heard so many great things so I was really excited to finally try it. We went this past Saturday around lunchtime (around 1-2 PM) and the line was definitely long but the weather was nice so we decided to stay. Honestly, it moved way faster than we expected! They also had a happy hour special going on where you could grab champagne and some beers for $1 while waiting in line inside which I thought was such a nice touch! Definitely made waiting better. We wanted to try a little bit of everything, so we ordered the jalapeño cheese sausage, 2 pounds of brisket, and one rib. For sides we got the mac and cheese and the jalapeño cheese rice. The meats were AMAZING. The brisket was perfectly seasoned, the sausage had the perfect amount of cheese and jalapeño with a nice kick but the real star of the show was the rib. It literally fell off the bone and was INSANELY flavorful. I was honestly blown away by both the size and the taste. Definitely a must order if you go. The sides were just okay to me. In my humble opinion...their meats and bbq sauce are better than some of the bigger competitors but the sides didn't quite measure up. We also got the banana pudding but we were so full we had to save it for later that night. It was great! Overall, service was great, we got in and out much faster than expected and there was plenty of parking too!

    Jason Z.

    This is the newer Pinkerton's location located in Kirby, right next to the old Halal Guys. Their OG location is north of the Heights and is a bit more charmed but inconvenient. This is a much larger location with more seating space. It does lack the cramped ambiance but the meat was tasty. Their meats are fairly highly priced and I always felt that their sides are not the strong point but the meats are usually solid. The brisket, pork ribs are tasty, and we didn't get a chance to try the pulled pork. Their sides on the whole are weaker than Truth BBQ for example.

    Woo K.

    I've been to Pinkerton's before. The other location. This wasn't as busy and no long wait times which I highly appreciate. Brisket was nice and juicy Ribs were soft and tender Pickles were amazing Sausage was good. And the coleslaw was great! Not a lot of bbq places nailed the coleslaw. The duck Jambalaya was eh. I would skip that and go for another side. Peppers are hot as hell! Eat with caution! Would come back 100%

    Elsa C.

    Went to Pinkerton's new location on a cloudy Saturday. First let me say that it gets busy here at times causing parking to be street parking or looking for far and safe parking. The line goes slow as they have several people working, taking your order but they work slow and ask and repeat the same things several times. The brisket is very good, the boudin is great, the sausage is good the sides are just ok and the pork that they only serve on Saturday is just ok and very over price. I have gone and eaten here might return but not if I have to do street parking or circle around 4 times looking for parking. Go try it and make your on opinion,

    bread pudding
    Chloe L.

    So good I came here twice in the same week. Super clean interiors, you're greeted right away. Among the sides my favorites were the tangy cole slaw and beef tallow fries. For meats- I would recommend the lean brisket and unglazed pork ribs! Meats fall apart the moment you touch them. Bread pudding is very moist, blueberry compote was a great touch too. Brought my parents the second time and they were taking pictures of everything so we were kindly offered a tour of the grills! Fantastic service. Definitely coming back soon!

    inside
    Haley E.

    Great barbecue! The line moves sooooo slowly, yes because there's a long line but also the whole system seems inefficient. So expect a wait. The brisket was great, as well as the jalepeño cheddar sausage. Make sure to get the pickled onions for the brisket. The ribs fall off the bone. You can skip the fries, they weren't warm and nothing exciting.

    Menu
    Arshad H.

    Pinkerton's Barbeque was at the top of my list of BBQ places to visit when visiting Houston. This is their 2nd location and seating is spacious with cafeteria style service. I was surprised to see only 1 person in front of me when I visited for a weekday lunch. I went with some brisket, beef ribs, okra, cole slaw, and turkey. Beef ribs ($38 a lb.) - I beef rib weighs about 1.5 lbs. It's so flavorful and fall of the bone tender. It was definitely the best thing I ate here and the best beef ribs I have tried. They have 2 kinds of bbq sauce here : regular (mustard based) and a sweet one (regular bbq sauce). Both were great and complemented the meats. Brisket - ($35 a lb.) - The brisket was good, although not as tender as the beef ribs and I've had better brisket elsewhere. Flavor wise it was a little plain but still not bad. Turkey - ($24 a lb.) - The turkey had so much smoke flavor and was juicy. It was definitely a surprise for me and I really enjoyed it. Cole slaw (large is $6) - The slaw here is slightly creamy and complements all the meats nicely! Okra (small is $4) - Prepared with tomatoes this is more of a stew and provides a nice earthy taste that goes well with BBQ. Overall I was impressed with all the meats here, especially the beef ribs! Service was so friendly and accommodating. All the staff were helpful and helped to clean up after one finished eating. I didn't have any issue with parking as they have a large lot.

    Chicken and Brisket plate (creamed spinach, baked beans, jalapeño cheddar rice, potato salad)
    Mia M.

    What better food to try to assist in my transition into becoming a full-blown Texan than some nice quality barbecue? Because of this Pinkerton's had been on my list for a while. Now with this being Michelin star BBQ, you can imagine that this place is in such high demand. Although there was a bit of a wait when getting into the restaurant, the line moved swiftly and tables were readily available and cleaned after the food was ordered, which made the process seamless. Staff were super efficient and polite no service complaints whatsoever. The barbecue was so delicious. Flavorful and moist yum yum yum yum. My sides were pretty good and paired perfectly with my food. I think my favorite had to be the potato salad. The macaroni could use a little work but it doesn't take away from the fact that it was a great experience. Can't wait to come back.

    outside of the restaurant

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Pinkerton’s Barbecue - Upper Kirby

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    Pinkerton’s Barbecue - Upper Kirby - bbq - Updated September 2026

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