10/10 for food & price! it was beyond good! it was great! The service was amazing & the food made it even better. The price we paid for BBQ plates was decent (not overly priced). I am definitely.... definitely coming back (: read more

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Everything. Great menu variety. Fabulous service. Food was delicious. Cool south Texas vibe.

Been coming here for years Great staff Wonderful food Try The Giant Pecan Pie It's pricey but delicious read more

Rick, the owner is a former SWT College Football player that was on the back to back National Football Team in '81/82'. The BBQ was extremely good, set at a fair price and the dining room has that small town charm that I love when passing thru. I highly recommend this place and when you stop by make sure to meet Rick. read more

Stopped by Sowell's during a recent trip to Three Rivers, and I was so glad I did! We were greeted by the friendly staff as soon as we walked in, and had the chance to look around the place and see the decor a bit. Our server Elena was amazing and beautiful, and provided us with the best service. I started with some absolutely delicious brisket as an appetizer, and I had the chicken strips with fries and Texas toast as an entree. Everything tasted incredible. I will definitely be back! read more

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Food is amazing! Don't care for all the long hair on the ladies flying around everywhere. I feel it should be pulled back when serving customers food and working around it. Wednesday is catfish/shrimp day on lunch special and it was beyond amazing! read more

We were on our way to Port A for our annual guys trip and wanted some lunch and saw the 4 star rating Sowell's had, so decided to give it a try. We were pleasantly surprised. My hamburger was very good, my friends chicken fried steak was great but, my other friends BBQ was just okay. I am pretty picky about my cue though, that's why the four star rating instead of five. If in the area again, we would definitely eat here again. read more

Stopped at Sowell's on my way to Rockport this past weekend. One word. Yum. Had the chopped steak smothered in chili and cheese and it was awesome. The complimentary pintos and cornbread also hit the spot. The brisket was just off the pit, and the nice ladies working there gave me a big hunk to try. These are the sort of places that make me happy. I'd rather eat at a Sowell's than any of the fancy places I seem to go to meet up with friends. Hope Sowell's remains a Three Rivers institution! read more

Sowell's BBQ - The chopped steak thingy.., I can't remember what they call it... - Barbeque Near Me - Three Rivers, Texas

World travelers - we stopped in this quaint - traditional staple of a restaurant - on our way to Corpus Christi. Some of the best bbq and Mexican enchiladas we have EVER had. Don't miss this gem read more

Small town Texas BBQ. Menu had lots of variety so you don't have to stick with BBQ, but since this was our first time there we had to go with that part of the menu. Great sliced brisket, homecooked beans were the best I have ever had at any BBQ place in Texas. Pork ribs were delicious and cooked perfectly. Cooked just enough that the meat fell off the bones but not so done it was "mushy". Cornbread was excellent. So good that butter took away from the flavor rather than adding to it. Cornbread just needed to be warm, I think they baked it in the morning and stuck it in the refrigerator. What could be improved? Warm the Cornbread! Potato salad flavor was good but it was more of a "mashed" potato salad, so like no texture I have ever had at any BBQ joint. To each their own I guess. The coleslaw was crisp and cold but needed some coleslaw flavor, it did not have any. If I did not live 80 miles away I would go back just for the beans and Cornbread, (but I would make them warm it!) Wait staff was friendly and attentive. I will be back on my next trip to Corpus Christi! Thanks Sowell BBQ for a great meal! See you next time! read more

IMPRESSED, is the first word too come to mind. We got here late in the evening so there wasn't much BBQ left. However, we noticed a sign on the front door advertising a Doritos Casserole... naturally we had to try it (I was with two colleagues). Doritos with Enchilada sauce and Ground Beef...two sides (Beans & Corn or Rice). I am always down to try something different and I am glad I did. The Doritos Casserole is where it's at (Deliciousness). Real hole in the wall joint with good food. Rumor has it their burgers are pretty awesome as well. Saw a sign about Homemade Biscuits & Sausage Gravy as well as Texas sized pancakes. If I didn't live 90 minutes away I would be there for breakfast. If you are in 3 Rivers...I would say try it. read more

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We decided to stop on our way southbound, cute place but the sliced brisket was dry and my husband ordered ribs and brisket and they were out of ribs at 11:00 am, so my husband ordered brisket which was super dry and he never got his two sides. :-/. Big Big Disappointment Don't waste your time or money... Very overpriced for Dry Brisket read more

Unfortunately this isn't a place I ever want to dine at again. Pros: Our server was very friendly and the food came out fast. The decor is really "hole in the wall"-esque and very neat to look at. The beans (self-serve) were amazing! And it's a small business. Cons: Most of the food. The brisket tasted as if had been boiled then baked, very dry and tough. Yes, it was a lean cut but it was very bad. The parts with fat were average. The sausage was very dry and tasted old too. The cornbread had potential, and it's really cool they cook it up in a ridiculously large cast iron skillet and make it a self-serve item, but the bottom third of the bread was drowned in fat (Crisco?!). My takeaway is they need to step up their game if they want to call themselves a BBQ joint in Texas. They are not the type of eatery I can say I'd recommend to anyone. read more

Not a place to write home about. Will curb the hunger. Chicken fried steak was a pleasant surprise. Friendly staff! Little over priced. Just my take on it read more

Great Bar-B-Que, service & atmosphere at a fair price along with free bean's & cornbread!!

The only problem we had was there is so much to try! We all ordered different things so we can try a little bit everything, the chicken strips were fried to a nice crisp with a great gravy. Their big loaded spud, was huge about as big as my head! It came with Mac and cheese and chopped bbq, with onions and jalapeños! Their brisket was tasty as well as their sausage, great sides. We also had the kitchen sink burger on the jalapeño bun, talk about explosion of flavors (bacon, avocado, cheese and jalapeño! And lastly their sweet tea was great! We want to go back to try other things on the menu! read more

Wonderful family friendly little barbeque joint in the near of the rivers... Food is die for... Staff is super friendly and just an all around great place to stop in for a bite of food! read more

So my expectations were high, a decent rating, small Texas town barbecue, boy was I disappointed. Bad, bad, bad. The service was slow and indecipherable. The server was surly and inattentive. The atmosphere was interesting, Fox News blaring in the background. The food was filled with more fat and gristle than meat and to top it off, the prices were outrageously high. Not at all a value meal. I will not be back. read more

Family friendly in out of the way Three Rivers, TX. We drove from San Antonio as a day outing to check out the place, a good friend told us about. Food was good and plenty of it. We started with the onion rings - best I have had in over 30 years! You gotta try them, large Texas size, crispy, served hot and fresh out the oil, perfectly seasoned. The brisket was tender, moist and the crust was excellent. The pork ribs definitely met my expectations, were tender, meaty, juicy, with a perfect seasoned crust. You can get extra beans and cornbread while you wait for your order, I would have preferred they be a little warmer/hot, but still tasted good. Sweet tea lots of ice topped it all off. Then I had the nerve to ask for a slice of the homemade pecan pie. Had to loosen my belt for this meal. Yep, I would definitely go there again. read more

Yelp shows they are open but they are not today. Went to another BBQ place to eat. Sowell's need to update their times open or closed

Stayed in the area and we loving trying small town BBQ. Sowell's is ok, not a big smokey flavor to the meat, a more natural meat flavor. We got the pork ribs, brisket, and sausage. Sausage was the star, lean and flavorful, a little dry but in a good way. Brisket and ribs were fair, bbq sauce is kinda sweet. Service was super, small town hospitality at its finest. We got to sample the beans and cornbread, and sweet tea was on point, got a refill while we waiting for our food. Would stop in again, if in the area. read more

Sowell's BBQ - Partial dining room. - Barbeque Near Me - Three Rivers, Texas

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Love this Texas Gem! Delicious cornbread, beans, and ribs! This small town BBQ joint was packed with flavor, we were greeted by a very sweet host, the restaurant love visitors and we will definitely be back! read more

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Delicious BBQ! We accidentally entered in through the back which was a little awkward but aside from that we enjoyed our quick bite at this BBQ joint. I would definitely recommend if you are in the area. Pros: Delicious Brisket, chicken, ribs..all meats The service was fast considered we had a large group Cons: Beans were just ok read more

I'm OK with Sowell's great food friendly people a great place for a meal or meet some friends they usually have a special are can get bbq, chicken fried steak, hamburger and bean pot on the side with corn bread serve yourself if you leave hungry it's your on fault. read more

This is one of my favorite traditional South Texas joints. Between Sowell's here in Three Rivers and Max's in Tilden, you just can't get any more authentic Texican fare. read more

Sowell's BBQ - Sowell's BBQ & Breakfast - Barbeque Near Me - Three Rivers, Texas

We stopped in this afternoon following a day of birding at Choke Canyon State Park. I ordered a 2 meat BBQ plate (brisket and ribs with Cole Slaw and Potato Salad as my sides) and my husband ordered the BBQ Salad. Their BBQ is quite good -- smoky without being overpowering. The nicely sized portion of brisket was split between moist (=fatty) and dry (lean). Three large ribs rounded out the meat portion. They were cooked just right, being easy to eat off the bone, but not falling apart. My sides were great. The cole slaw seems to be made there. The cabbage is chopped into larger chunks, rather than being the factory shredded kind. This allowed for it to have more crunch. Their potato salad is the German kind (the one that's yellow) and was also good, though it could have used a touch more salt. The BBQ Salad was a standard iceberg lettuce based salad smothered in drained kidney beans and topped with chopped brisket in bbq sauce. My husband declared it "delicious". I also would like to comment on their sauce -- probably the one I like best of all the joints I've tried in the state. It has a distinct mustard flavor as it's foundation and both my husband and I loved it. After our meal we spent a little time speaking with the owner, one of the reasons we love eating at small establishments. Apparently a Food Network tv show is considering featuring Sowell's in one of their episodes so get there before you need reservations! read more

Always a delight when we come to Sowells for breakfast, lunch or dinner! Me and my boyfriend absolutely LOVE the burgers! So delicious and worth the money. Only came here one time for breakfast and it was a standard country breakfast. Which meant it was good! read more

Very good ribs. A generous plate of 6 ribs and two sides. Plates are a large flat tray. Plate is made up by the server. Vintage decor. Brisket was very lean, both meats were prepared with a perfect char and incredible smoke line. Great. Will come back again. read more

Good food most days. The tres rios hamburger steak is good. My kids like the chili cheese fries. The rib eye steak is the best in town, a little pricey but worth the splurge if you want a good steak. Daily lunch specials are good. Fried chicken on Thursday is my favorite. My mom loves the chicken salad. read more

Amazing place! The cornbread is homemade is a iron skillet, the beans are slowly cooks and they are complementary! Perfect amount of onion and fresh cilantro. Service was so amazing too! Owner knows what they are doing and very kind staff! read more

Good bbq in a small town setting. I travel a lot for my job and I try to eat at a bbq place every time. Three Rivers isn't far from my home town but it's kinda in the middle of and I was very satisfied with the food and service. Good place for a small town. read more

We have eaten here a few times. This last time I ordered chicken fried steak with queso (it was the special). I was not sure about queso on CFS so I asked for it to be on the side. When they brought it out, my chicken fried steak was drowned in queso. I pointed out their mistake and the waitress offered to then bring me more queso on the side. I declined, as I did not need more queso. So I just hoped I liked it. I did NOT like it. I told our waitress about the problem and she said she would look into it. I only managed to get through about a 1/4 of it before I gave up. When the original waitress that took our order came out and gave me the check, I pointed out their mistake to her and we even confirmed that she had written the order down correctly. I told her I did not like my meal. She apologized and said that my order was given to another customer by mistake. When I went to pay, I told that employee that I was unhappy with my food. So I told three different employees about the error and my dissatisfaction. No offers to correct the problem or even offer some form of discount. Our total bill was $75. For that kind of money I expect my order to be right or made right especially if I didn't like it. So if you go here, be prepared to spend some money and they will serve you whatever they want regardless of what you ordered. read more

Stopped for breakfast on my cross country bike tour. Had the omelette special--it was excellent. Portion was a little small, but thankfully so. They had pecan pie--some of the best I've ever had. Homemade flakey crust, beautiful filling and amazing pecans on top. This is a BBQ place. My omelette was filled with chopped beef. It was tender and flavorful. Not sure what the dinner and supper offerings are like, but as far as breakfast, this place is good. read more

Stopped here on the way back from checking out choke Canyon Park. We had the burgers and fries. We didn't see any other options that day. They were huge portions. Enough in one meal for 2 people. It took a long time for the food to be served. The beef burgers tasted delicious. Unfortunately my tummy did not enjoy the meal as much as I did. The kids were amused with the signs and decor. read more

The brisket and sausage are flavorful. Wait staff is not very friendly. I do not recommend the burgers mine lacked flavor and had been sitting under a heat lamp for awhile. Don't eat the mushrooms or onion rings either. Excellent sweet tea. read more

I'll add my positive review to the others. Passed by Sowell's on my way through Three Rivers and sure am happy I stopped. Had the chopped beef sandwich with potato salad and beans for sides. Portions were huge, all for $7.95. Definitely has the feel of a local joint, which made for a cool atmosphere. Got a huge piece of pecan pie to go for 2.95-taste test indicates it's another winner. Highly recommend! read more

Was here for a local refinery t/a recently. This place was located right outside the main gate. They had very good bbque and sides. The large order of onion rings was the size of a small armadillo. The stuffed potato's we're also excellent. If I'm ever back near 3River's I'll definitely be stopping by again. read more

Great food & service every time, an ez stop for travelers on 281 or headed to Choke Canyon Lake, a full menu includes breakfast & lunch & damn good BBQ give it a try you won't be disappointed! read more

Extremely soggy oily fries and over priced. The burger was decent but I still wasted my money on this place, the fries went in the garbage.

I'm giving this place two stars because of the fact that they don't serve BBQ after 6:00 pm. The sweet tea was sour, and service took a while to get our food out. The food was good, just needs to be improved a little. read more