Spacious with plenty of seating. They have a section where you place your order, at the counter…read more This place has no AC. After placing our order, we were offered to dine in at the adjacent building that does have AC. We were taking our food to go, so it made no difference to us. They also offer drive through service. For those dining in, simply sit and the food comes to you. I liked that they had complementary shelled peanuts. I ordered a large loaded baked potato. Brisket was great. I also ordered a small mack n cheese to taste it. Didn't care for the mac n cheese. I will definitely be coming back to try more things from their large menu choices.

Don't miss your exit! This BBQ is the BEST I have ever had in Texas! We pulled over on Highway 281…read morewhile headed southbound. There is a Diner with AC and a 2nd building that is for more casual seating (screened in patio) or takeout. We ordered the Chopped Brisket Sandwich with a potato salad side. The meat was flavored and smoked to perfection. The bun was fresh, soft, and toasted. The ice tea was excellent. They had an extensive menu of other classic BBQ dishes and I overheard another customer praise the seafood. While enjoying our meal, we briefly chatted with the owner Brian who was very welcoming, along with his friendly staff. He explained that the majority of his restaurant business are customers that drive by since its location is in a remote area. The great news... he offers catering all the way from San Antonio to McAllen, Hidalgo, and in between! My husband & I plan on making this a destination for BBQ when we do our monthly road trips to SPI.

Wow!! A gem in a small Texas Town. Right off Hwy 281 as we traveled from El Paso to south Texas…read more Old fashioned service! American classic plates like chicken fried steak, and authentic Mexican cuisine with spice combinations that remind me of my childhood. The nicest waitstaff. Chips and salsa come out first. Desserts look so yummy, but we were too full to even try them. The restaurant is an old fashioned western paradise. Even the clean restrooms are western wonders. We are returning to eat here before we travel out of the area.

6 years later and I got talked into going back today. Club sandwich with steak fries. Figured they…read morecouldn't screw that up too bad... WRONG. 4 slices of bread, single layer of bacon, single sheet of BS ham, single sheet of BS turkey, and that same bull crap lettuce and tomato they serve as a salad. Steak fries were all the burnt nubs. Nope. Still done. El Jardin closed but go to Taqueria Jalisco or Side Door Cafe if you can catch them open. Hell go get churches chicken, McDonalds or whataburger before Stricklands. Not worth your time.

Ran across this place at the gas station across the street looking for food decided to give it a…read morechance boy was so glad I knew that. some of the best stuff I've had in Texas thus far and I've been to every corner beautiful clean ambience outside even better Inside friendly help at the desk great food. I'm typing and eating. Talk to you later!!Definitely coming back!!!Thank you.

After a work trip, we decided to stop by Smolick's Smokehouse after hearing good things about their…read morebarbecue. First impression--the place is big, with plenty of seating. When you walk in, there's a clear line leading up to the register, with menus posted along the way and a large menu board up front, which makes ordering pretty easy. They offer a wide variety of options. The day we went, they had a chopped beef sandwich combo with a drink and a side for around $10, which felt like a solid deal. For my sides, I tried the mashed potatoes, potato salad, creamed corn, and okra. The okra was a standout--fresh, crispy, and really well done. The potato salad was also very good and worth getting. The creamed corn was something I hadn't had before--it included bacon and had a really unique flavor. It might not be for everyone, but I personally couldn't stop eating it, so I'd definitely recommend giving it a try. As for the chopped beef sandwich, it wasn't my favorite. It was a bit dry, even after adding extra barbecue sauce, and I didn't find it especially flavorful. That said, others in my group actually thought it leaned on the sweeter side, so your experience may vary. One thing that really stood out was the service. The staff was super friendly, patient, and happy to answer questions and help with recommendations. Overall, I'd say it's worth stopping by if you're in the area. If you're up for comparing, there's another barbecue spot a few miles down the road--Choke Canyon--that I've also enjoyed, especially for their sandwiches. Makes for a fun side-by-side if you're a BBQ fan.

I hoping this business is around for a while because I sure love being able to shop at a bbq place…read more They have all kinds of spices and accessories for your everyday grilling. They can even order your next future bbq pit and they will let you know when it is ready for pickup.

I had the brisket sandwich, chopped, with chips, and a Coke Zero! The brisket was wonderful!…read more The location across the street for Sea Ranch is great as a lot more parking than in the previous location! He has picnic tables with umbrellas! Remember Porky's is a food truck! It's well worth the effort to get some food from Porky's ! !

The best tasting barbecue ribs I've had in years. The meat is so tender it melts in your mouth and…read morethe sauce is delicious and flavorful. The portions are also very large. I highly recommend this place.

Small little hole in the wall place...well actually a small little building but with some of the…read morebest bbq ever. I love coming here and just eating whatever I want. This place has some good tasting bbq and the plates are well served. From the meats to the sides everything has such a real good taste. The kind of food that you eat and you just want to eat some more simply for the fact that is was so good and tasty...I mean the kind of taste that leaves you wanting more.

Everything was delicious. I had the chicken fried chicken. My husband had the hamburger steak.read more

I was very disappointed with my experience…read more I ordered the ribeye with a baked potato and a house salad. The first issue was that my house salad didn't arrive until after my entrée was served. I ordered my steak medium, but when I cut into it, it was completely overcooked. The meat was gray throughout, with no pink at all, and it was so tough that I couldn't enjoy it. I almost never send food back, but this was one of those rare times. The waitress was very apologetic and confirmed she had entered the order correctly as medium, so she had the kitchen prepare another steak. While waiting, I started eating my salad. When the replacement steak arrived, it looked better from the outside, but once I cut into it, I found it was just as overcooked as the first one--gray all the way through and again with no hint of pink. On top of that the baked potato was cold and seemed to maybe be reheated in the microwave as it was chewy. The "fresh rolls" had to be 1-2 days old. Stale and flavorless. At that point, I couldn't help but question the quality of the steaks. For a steakhouse, I expected a much higher standard. Based on my experience, the meat seemed to be of poor quality and certainly didn't meet expectations for a properly cooked ribeye. The waitress did her best to make things right, and I appreciate her effort, but unfortunately the kitchen failed twice. I left very disappointed and wouldn't return based on the quality of the food.

My buddies and I got off the plane in South Padre Island and headed directly to Smoke for lunch!…read more Gott love Texas BBQ and Smoke eas no exception. Good sized place inside and you order from the friendly staff at the counter and I got brisket slices, which is strange for me, since I usually get pulled pork, but I was on vacation. I got Mac and Cheese for my side. Food was ready pretty quick and all delicious. The mac and cheese was buttery and cheesy and al dente and the brisket was melt in your mouth. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Good stuff. The ambience was your basic Texas BBQ place, all good. Give Smoke a shot!

Smoked short ribs, pork ribs, pulled pork and sausage and Mac and cheese, 5 star BBQ sauce made…read morefrom scratch! If you are coming to south Texas don't miss this!!! Mouth watering true south Texas BBQ! ~ The Rio Grande Valley Gringa

Great place and great service as always . Would recommend and visit again soon. Friendly staff and…read morefair pricing.

This is one of those places that even though the place looks old and run down but because of how…read morelong they have been around it still seems to work out for them. There ain't to many meat markets in town but it's location helps them out. If you need some good cuts of meat, pork, chicken, or your BBQ needs they pretty much have it all. Now if you haven't had some Angus Fajitas this is the place to come get some at a pretty good hefty price. Now like I said I know the building is old and it has a very unique scent in there that lets you know you are at Marios Meat Market but it still works for them.