The sign outside "You don't need teeth to eat my beef" was not kidding! The brisket was melt in your mouth and so flavorful. Same with the pork ribs: the meat just falls right off the bone! This is definitely a place worth visiting! I will be sure to pay a visit here whenever I am in Austin. read more

Holy lord. Just tried the ribs for the first time and they were outstanding. Fall off the bone thick meaty goodness. I think I have a new addiction. Uh oh. Haha. read more

The very best barbecue rarely comes from the prettiest restaurants. Sam's definitely isn't pretty outside but has exceptional brisket & ribs inside. Our Trader Joe's cashier was so enthusiastic for us to eat here he wrote their address on the back of our receipt. When we saw the beautiful brisket sitting on the cutting board by the counter, we knew we were in for a treat! For $14 we each got a huge pile of brisket, 2 perfectly cooked ribs and 2 sides. The brisket was indeed rave worthy! So tender & flavorful with nice crispy bark on a few pieces. Best brisket I've ever had (sorry, Kevin)! The ribs were cooked to perfection - nice & tender but still holding together, which very few places get just right. Super meaty & delicious. Their sauce was the perfect compliment to the meat. The yams had an interesting sauce that may have included orange juice and their Mac & Cheese was a WOW! If I could make mine taste like theirs, my neighbors would be at my door begging all the time! Everyone in the restaurant was super friendly and you could just tell the love that the owner puts into his delectable barbecue! He loves what he does and it shows! read more

Sam's Bar-B-Que - Ribs, Brisket, Mac & Cheese, & Yams. Are you drooling? You should be!!! - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

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My husband just called to place a phone order per the website and the lady was SUPER rude and said "first off we don't take phone orders" ummm ok. Well we will NEVER be customers now. Rude, terrible customer service, next time check your tone hunny to a customer. read more

Pretty good Q. The brisket is nice and soft, and they had mutton! I was surprised and got basically 2 sheep ribs, which were super gamey and had a nice barkiness that was delicious. A solid baseline barbecue, definitely more of a local's place. If you look closely at some of the pictures on the wall, you'll see Bill and Hillary Clinton (!) with the owner! crazy! read more

Sam's Bar-B-Que - mutton (front) brisket (back) - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

Sam's deserves a spicy review and then some! First of all, being a true Austinite and having this gem here for almost 50 years gives me all kinds of feels. He's stayed true to his roots, community and passion. You can taste the love that goes into his BBQ. Not only is Sam down to earth and one cool a$$ dude, his BBQ will make you all sorts of happy! So let's talk meat...oh my...probably the best sausage around, it's beyond juicy and oh so tender!!! His ribs...oh his ribs!!! Legit fall off the bone and melt in your mouth!!! The brisket is juicy but not too fatty but definitely not lean, a good in between in my opinion. Now the sauce...I'm particular on my sauce and Sam 100% nails the perfect sauce!!! Ohhh my is your mouth watering?! Mine is...again! Don't be fooled by the appearance, it's top notch and super homey. Reminds me of how Austin use to be. They have been trying to get his property for years and I sure hope he never caves! Stay true Sam! We love you and your BBQ. Their slogan couldn't be more spot on..."you don't need no teeth to eat our beef"!! That's right! Do yourself a favor, skip the others and go see Sam. You're welcome! read more

Sam's Bar-B-Que - Ribs, brisket & sausage with the best sauce - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

I just don't get it. I've been here three times on different days as well as different hours over the course of four consecutive weeks, but this place leaves much to be desired despite my ability to endure great adversity. I had great brisket (though slightly salty and fatty) during my first visit and was warmly greeted by the older gentleman (Brian??). I didn't appreciate the handshake from his food covered hand, but that didn't bother me too much. Unfortunately, the last of the mutton (7 lbs) was purchased by customers in front of me.. My second visit with the same older gentleman was rather cold. Seeing as there was no mutton yet again, I went with brisket again, but noticed a significant decreased in quality with far too much salt. The brisket was cut with the grain if you can believe that. On my third and probably final visit, I arrived 2 hours after the mutton was supposed to have been smoked (as promised by Brian-?), but was greeted by the same cold person with no mutton for another 3 hours due to late smoking. At this point, I felt completely unwelcomed by the same gentleman behind the counter; I nearly left without making a purchase. This time the brisket was far worse than any brisket I've ever had. The price tag should be lowered significantly for flavorless meat with far too much fat. Having seen a recent newspaper article about the owner not selling the business to developers this summer, I wanted to put in an effort to keep an old Austin establishment thriving, but fear that this place will succumb to the pressures of developers anyways. I certainly feel like I was being strung along like a sucker. :-/ For their sake, I hope their customer service shows a more embracing demeanor along with more consistent quality if there wish to compete in a growing marketplace. read more

I stopped by after seeing a photo of mural on the side of the building. The owner has been in business for several years and I read it was a local hot spot. I had the chicken, ribs, potato salad, and mac & cheese. The place had historical decor with a lot of photos and articles. The owner was very nice and made sure I had everything I wanted. It was a very comfortable place with great food. Definitely support these spots. There are not many left. read more

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I can't believe that I've lived in Austin for nearly 8yrs and have missed this awesome late night BBQ spot. Forget taking my out-of-town friends to Rudy's or Salt Lick for a BBQ experience, I'm taking them to Sam's from now on! Sam's is one of those places that's authentic, old fashioned, real hardcore bbq. You can tell there's a lot of love that goes into his bbq. Their meats are tender, smoky, and full of flavor. The brisket was to die for, the ribs were really good, and the sausage was tasty. But that's not all - - while we were waiting for our order, Sam pulled out his prized meat and gave us a sample - - LAMB RIBS! It literally melted in my mouth and was by far the best lamb I've ever had! If only my Cypriot and Greek friends could experience this w/ me, I mean where else can you go in Austin and have some smoky lamb ribs? You know what else is great? Sam's is open until 1am during the weekdays and 3am on the weekends, so you can satisfy your bbq craving after 10pm as opposed to waiting until the next day. It's a small, quaint place w/ a lot of history, character, and friendly hospitality. It's common to see many local family and friends there just hanging out. Sam also mentioned how they survived a fire in 1983 that completely wiped them out. Their prices are very reasonable: $8.50 a plate for 2 meats + potato salad and pork n' beans (nice smoky flavor) and a few slices of bread. We were full since we basically had 3 meats since Sam gave us some samples of what he had in his smoker. We also had some of his sweet tea to wash it all down - which was actually refreshing. I'm typically not a fan of sweet drinks; however, I found his tea very tasty since it wasn't too sweet. You can get meat by the pound (chicken, ribs, sausage, brisket, and more) and there's a few dessert choices (banana pudding only $2). Sam also mentioned he offers a catering service for a reasonable price of $10 per plate (which also includes a drink), but my God you just gotta try his lamb ribs and brisket! His BBQ sauce runs on the thin side (compared to Salt Lick or Rudy's) but has a very robust and has a nice smoky flavor to it. It was one of those unique experiences - almost like we found a hidden treasure on a late week night. I soon realized why Sam's BBQ has been surviving in Austin for over 30 years - - awesome hometown BBQ w/ the fixings, friendly service, and great conversation. What more could you ask for? How about some extra napkins? read more

Psssst! Wanna go to a dilapidated shack where a man will cut meat with his bare hands, tossing it on a bare scale and serving it to you on a slice of paper on a plastic tray? Wanna eat in a building that should be condemned? You're goddamned right you do. This is possibly the most entertaining place I've ever eaten. Not the most sanitary, but who cares? It was mouth-watering. I have never in my life stuck a plastic fork into a chicken breast, twisted and had a clump of meat free itself for consumption. No knife necessary! What magic is this? Brian (the owner) took me back to show me his grill. He says he builds a new one out of brick every 15 years. And he said he went to prison for five years. And he said if you eat at his restaurant, "No one will f*** with you." I believe him. I was smiling from ear to ear the whole time I was there. Sam's is a national treasure. read more

That hit the spot. I'm in town for 4 days, so there's going to be some gluttony involved in places I go to eat. I bought two combo plates (mutton & sausage, and brisket and pork ribs). Took them back to where I'm staying, and ate almost all of it. I have to go look up what mutton is after writing this, because I've never had it before, and it was delicious. When I got there, there was a line of locals getting lunch. When I got my food, I turned around and saw a longer line of locals getting lunch. It was a little hot in the place, but I would have eaten at Sam's. They have a soda machine, in lieu of fountain drinks etc, and there was plenty of seating. However, since I ordered so much, I wanted to be close to my bed, before I passed out from a food coma. I'm told via friends and acquaintances who aren't from Austin, that there is better BBQ here, but I doubt real people on their lunch break are going to wait in line for hours for it. If everyone in the world says that a particular thing is the best thing ever, it feels to me, given that people typically have diverse tastes, that the thing that's everyone's best thing ever, is probably just a mediocre thing. Sam's is not that. Sam's is great, and is something I'm coming back to next time I'm in Austin. Maybe I won't eat quite so much, though. Five stars. read more

Visited this establishment for the first time several weeks ago. I wanted to take a dear friend to lunch on a Wednesday afternoon after the funeral of her sister. The service being just a few blocks away from Sam's BBQ was a good enough incentive. When we entered we were asked what was the occasion. The man replied that he would make us feel better. We didn't see any prices posted. Just menu of food. We asked for prices but the same man said he didn't have prices. Odd answer when the website clearly has prices. We ordered the lunch special that the website says comes with two meats and two sides for $15. That same man proceeded to ring it up as $20 each plate. I didn't want to make a scene giving the circumstances of it being a sad enough day as it was. The food was mediocre at best. Meats, ribs, brisket, and sausage tasted old and dry. I give 2 stars for the sides, beans and potato salad which were ok. Never saw the man wash his hands and never put on gloves. The place itself seems clean and well established. Won't go again considering that extra bit of money meant more to them than giving some love to a sad day. read more

*Just put down my folk* Oh for heavens sake- it's too good. The brisket here is the standard by which I will judge BBQ for the rest of time. Holy smokes it's flavorful and tender and I'm so glad I ordered two pounds of this...cuz I'm going back for seconds as soon as I finish typing. As mind blowing good as the brisket is the chicken....on sweet Mary mother of Goodness THE CHICKEN! Falls. Off. The. Bone. I should have filmed it because I don't think you'll be able to fully understand just how moist and tender this chicken is! We got a half a chicken and I went to work off the drumstick....and the bone came right out. Then for giggles I tried to pick up the segments by the bones and again the bones slid right out. What kind of magic did you guys do to this bird?! And on top of that it tastes divine. Just miraculous. If Sam's BBQ was a religion I would convert today! Thank you to everyone at Sams for everything you do to craft such incredible food! read more

F for Franklin's BBQ! Overpriced mediocre BBQ is great for the tourists, but if you want authentic Texan BBQ go to Sam's. I have never had a bad bite of food there. They serve everything with white bread slices for sopping up that delicious BBQ sauce. One time I forgot my credit card and they gave me a free plate of food. When I went back I practically had to force them to take my money. The ambiance is old school but the service is fantastic, everyone is treated like family there. I literally can't praise the brisket enough and the ribs...oh my gosh, I'm going over tonight to get me some ribs, ya'll! Try it out and you'll never want to eat BBQ anywhere else! read more

I can't say enough about Sam's. We had the best experience tonight. Especially with Brian, the owner. His business has been in his family for 39 years! That alone drew me in when choosing where to take my family to eat BBQ. I've lived here for three years and tried plenty of the BBQ in town. The brisket, ribs and chicken were so juicy and flavorful! His portions were also great for the price. We paid about $14 for two meats and two sides with bread, pickles and onions. Two of us shared a plate and we were beyond full! Love Sam's and can't wait to go back again!! read more

Sam's Bar-B-Que - Brian is a great host! Looking forward to more visits at Sam's. - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

Working in the field for the COA, my coworkers and I would hit Sams up all the time. I think that anyone that can't see and like just simple good food should let it go. I'm sorry I didn't write this review sooner. I think the only downfall is that he needs to kick all those lil whiny folks to the curb. I want born here, but I know good BBQ. He has no show, he just does what he does because he likes it. Seems to me, he's always there. Let him tell you his story! read more

The Inside of the restaurant was nice The Owner was very nice and they let us pay with a Credit Card on Sunday night which they do not accept Credit Cards on Sundays The Brisket and Sausage was very good the Mac and Cheese and Beans were not that good we are likely to come back and try some Mutton read more

Sams was delicious cozy and had the best music I've heard in Austin. People who talk about the owners are haters because the folks there went as much out of their way for me as to ask if they could send someone out to get a beer for me because they didn't have it there. Thanks for our best eating experience in Austin read more

Sam's Bar-B-Que - This is our food completely gone. ‍ - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

The sign on the wall says "you don't need no teeth to eat my beef" and it is true. The beef just falls apart in your mouth. It's delicious. We tried the beef, chicken, sausage, and pork ribs. All of it was excellent, my favorites are the beef and sausage. read more

I ordered the two meat plate and it was delicious. I ordered the sausage and ribs with Mac and cheese and potato salad. The woman who took my phone order was very nice and the food came out quick and hot. I hadn't eater here in a few years but I'll return often. read more

Holy sh*t! And I mean SH*T. I used to be in the neighborhood and ate at Sam's regularly for years. It was reliably tasty always. Just gave them a visit in observance of Juneteenth and had the absolute worst barbecue I've ever had in my life. Cloyingly sweet sauce, brisket was almost all fat (and I'm not just saying that because I'm fat-phobic or something--I prefer a juicy second-cut brisket), "baked" beans were from a can and were cold when we got home, potato salad was, well, not f*cking potato salad. It was like waterlogged mashed potatoes mixed with a tiny bit of sweet relish and zero salt. Plus it took like 10 minutes for them to take our order. Nobody but us in the place, 5 people "working" and they barely engaged us. AND they got our order wrong. Avoid at all cost. This place is a sad, shell of what it used to be. read more

Atmosphere was a 5. There is a ton of history here and very friendly, talkative folks. That being said, I weigh my decision on the actual bbq and it was just a 3...The competition is just to tough nowadays in Texas. It might of just been an off day for them though. read more

Sam's Bar-B-Que - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

I rolled in there at ten past midnight last night and their smoker was blowing and going! Hit 'em up for the mutton and Mr. Mays pulled off a choice rack, cut me two thirds of it, and sent me home with the best smoked mutton of my life! Nobody else does it like Sam's. This place is a state treasure! And I swear, I don't know what all they put in their sauce, but I always ask for extra and when I run out I crave it till my next trip. Liquid gold! read more

Super friendly people serve mountains of delicious BBQ Brisket, Sausage, Pork Ribs, Lamb and Chicken. Mouth watering sides and a delicious bbq sauce they serve on the side. I can't say enough about this original, genuine East Austin neighborhood bbq restaurant. Well worth the short trip to beautiful East 12th Street. The wonderful lady that helped us kept giving us yummy bites of the meats she was cutting for us. We took ours to go and nearly got a ticket hurrying home so we could dig in. As soon as I can get off the couch (I'm so full) I'll be heading back to Sam's BBQ. read more

One of the few remaining East Austin institutions. Good food, great people, and the walls tell it's history and story. I really enjoyed the sausage and the sweetness in the sauce. Thanks for a great meal! read more

Soooooo good!! The brisket and sausage was amazing!! I missed out on the ribs... but that just means I'll have to come back again!! Thanks so much!! read more

Sam's Bar-B-Que - Sunday lunch in quarantine - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

Classic bbq joint nested on the corner of 12th st and Poquito. Simple and small menu that's gets to the point: Bbq. Very "cookout" feeling with a historic sense inside with newspaper printings scattered throughout along with pictures of local and famous customers. The bbq was absolutely as advertised: tender and savory. It quite literally just melts in your mouth. They've been cooking bbq for so long they have they're secret down pat. With that being said, some of their sides they have to offer can be a little lackluster. Nonetheless, it's the most authentic true bbq you can get in Austin without having to break the bank. Great stuff read more

Sam and co. make some pretty damn good BBQ. Not only that but they load your plate up with plenty of brisket, bread, sausage and cole slaw. Parking's either on the street or in the gravel lot behind the place. It might not look like much, but the food's pretty good. Another great thing about this place is it's got some history. Apparently some famous people have come through here over the years. I saw an autographed photo of Bruce Springsteen on the wall, and asked Sam--I'm pretty sure it was Sam--about it. Apparently he met Bruce! He then told this funny store about when Bruce walked in, Sam said "Oh my god! You're The Boss!" Apparently Sam's friend also goes by "The Boss" and came around the corner and said, "What're you talking about?! I'm the only Boss here!" Okay so it wasn't that particularly funny, but when Sam told that story, I thought he was gonna have a heart attack laughing. There's some booths inside, and a patio outside with a bunch of tables. The only thing is that the patio has a LOT of flies. Like, a ton of flies. Before you say it, yes, I've been to plenty of outdoor BBQ places and the flies are just a fact of life there. But here they took it to a whole other level. I was seriously afraid that the flies were gonna gang out and lift my brisket off my plate. read more

Bbq was incredible, Sam steered us in the right direction and was liberal with samples before we ordered. Definitely a man who is deservedly proud of his product read more

We live nearby and often wake up to the smell of Sam's smoker (in the best way). I finally ate there and absolutely loved it. I like BBQ but it often makes me feel sick after eating it. Sam's brisket had all the fatty deliciousness I love AND I felt great after eating it. I 100% do not understand / believe the bad reviews I read. read more

We decided to stop by after seeing that the wait for franklin's was insane. A local recommended Sam's and told us it was way better and under-hyped. Gosh where to begin. There's a sign outside that says "you don't need teeth to eat my beef" and boy is that true! The brisket literally melted in my mouth and ribs right off the bone. We had Terry Black's last night and comparing the two, I'd say Sam's wins for me. Sams is a small hole in the wall with visitor like myself probably wouldn't have thought to stop at without the recommendation of a local. The walls are covered with old photos, posters, and autographs of those who rave about his BBQ. TL;DR: This place is so underrated. Get the brisket for sure. read more

SOOOOOO good. We were feeding 4 hungry boys and they feasted big time. Great BBQ. Would highly recommend Sam's

Perfect brisket and ribs. Went in there really tired and hungry and asked if the plate was enough for 2 people. "I can make it enough for two people." Can't beat it! read more

Family owned and operated, They bring true southern barbecue to Austin. Try the extra moist brisket. That's my favorite

We went here based on a recommendation from someone we talked to at the LBJ library. I wasn't sure what to expect, as its not much to look at on the outside. Do NOT judge a book by it's cover! Their slogan is "you don't need no teeth to eat our beef" says it all. We had brisket and sausage, both smoked to tender perfection. The potato salad was good too, especially because it didn't have onion and eggs ! This will be a regular stop when we're in Austin from now on ! read more

This place use to have good sausage. My recent visit I was very disappointed. Sausage tasted horrible, was VERY dry taste like it was 2 day old sausage reheated. Next time I spend a couple more dollars for gas and drive to Elgin. read more

First time to visit Sam's and to be quite honest, I didn't go in with the highest of expectations considering it's just a neighborhood bbq joint. But with that said, the bar went even lower... First impression walking in was the typical for the style of establishment, so no surprise there. A random guy sitting in one of the booths shouted out "hey man, you gotta customer!"...no surprise there. Took about a minute for someone to come out. And when they did, the guy came out stumbling, and clearly was inebriated. Never made eye contact, I greeted him by saying hello and gave me a delayed "hello..what would you like". I ordered the two meat plate with two sides for $15. I thought a bit pricey for this type of joint but whatever. I got the brisket, sausage, potato salad and beens. I wanted the Mac and cheese but he said they were out, which was weird considering there was like no one in there the entire time I was there. He grabbed a styrofoam to-go plate and went to the back, and stumbling the whole way. Comes out and drops the plate of sides he got from the back. So he had to start again. Came back out with the sides, which by the way looked like they were served with a teaspoon. So I asked if it was possible to get a smidge more potato salad and he proceeds to tell me, "I could put some on the side" and I asked would that cost extra and he did yes. So I declined. Considering they weren't busting out with customers, I didn't see why he wouldn't have accommodated my request with all that considered but again whatever. He then proceeds to grab the meat to cut, without gloves, which I again was like okay...whatever! Puts plate in paper bag and was about to close it, without asking if I wanted any condiments or extras like pickles, onions, etc. Basically he could've given two shyts if I wanted anything else. I decided to just grab my stuff and go cause at this point, there was just too many things that went wrong, considering how much I was spending. The moral of the story is, this place gave a bad first impression with a lack luster product! Brisket was cold and greasy, sausage was good, sides could've easily come out of a bucket from HEB. I won't be coming back anytime soon read more

I read somewhere that Stevie Ray Vaughn used to play for his dinners at this old Austin BBQ joint. I totally believe it. The place is a dive, lets face it...ran down and to the more "refined" it can be "scary" but read closely... GET OVER IT.... The proprietors are very personable...give that southern charm and hospitality a good name...and will let you even sample stuf (maybe because i m a girl...but I digress) lets get onto the food shall we? Ribs- succulent, fall off the bone and seasoned...THATs whats important..smoked and seasoned. Beans- bbq baked beans, nothing fancy but add the just right amount of sweetness & twang. Potato salad- YAAAAaaaaaas....this is the kind my momma , grandmomma used to make...well you get the picture...full of flavor and a hint of sweet. and plenty of white bread hunty...I had the holy trinity at home...pickles, peppers and onions. GO to this place..bypass Franklins (see my underwhelming review on them) and ck out this old east Austin goodie...who knows, SRV will be smiling from the heavens...you will be in good company. read more

So when you first pull up you'll nervously look around in confusion. "Am I in the right place?" You may ask. Yes. Yes you are. You walk in to be greeted by Sam and you tell him what you want, pay then enjoy probably the best BBQ in Texas. Just a heads up, you pay for your drink via vending machine.. so bring cash. In terms of the actual food, the meat falls off the bone. My friend made the mistake of asking for a knife. Sam just looked at him and answered, "No knives here." You don't need one. tl;dr Sam's BBQ wrecks all other BBQ and you should eat here. read more

Sam's Bar-B-Que - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

Ive been to Austin a few times and I've sampled some of the more notable bbq places- and they're all great. Don't get me wrong. Sams though... Ohhhh, Sams. Lets start with the owner. Dude is about as smooth, kind, and chill as they come. As he's carving up the meat he just started slicing off samples for us. (Not samples, small servings at some joints) The meat was the tenderist (is that a word) that I've ever had. EVER. The brisket was amazing. Succulent. Savory. The ribs... I had to eat the ribs with only a fork because every time I picked up a bone the meat just fell off. No Joke. I couldn't even pickup the ribs without them falling apart. The sides were delicious too. This place is the real deal and they mean it when they say, "You don't beed no teeth to eat my beef." read more