Terry Black’s Barbecue

This was my first bbq experience in Texas, it was about 8pm on a Thursday and most of the other bbq spots I wanted to check out were closed or sold out, anyway I’m glad that I found this place even though they had already ran out of ribs and pulled pork they still had sausage and brisket left, I went for the 2 meat combo, along with potato salad, Mac and cheese and green beans ($ 2 each), all of this for less than $ 17, it was all very good and I especially enjoyed the sauces on the table, maybe there is better bbq out there but coming from NYC this was good for me

Ah TB’s. Maybe not as good as it gets but damn good nonetheless. Good prices for good meat. Skip the sides that aren’t veggies though. Go for the brisket and pork, the bread, and the pickles, etc. A lit less of a wait and you’ll enjoy yourself more overall than dome places. Also better than the chains, so it’s the perfect happy median.

Ok, so I clearly have a serious brisket problem since this is my 4^th brisket review in Austin and I’ve been here for less than a week. But since there is no brisket rehab center to check me into, I’m going to keep trying new brisket places until I’ve run out or have had a heart attack.
I ordered a few pounds of brisket and creamed corn via postmates. The brisket was very tender and smoky, though I really wanted it to be moister and fattier. The creamed corn was a bit of a let down since the corn was overcooked so it was pretty mushy. The bbq sauce was also a let down– very sweet and no depth/​complexity. However, the brisket was pretty decent and a great price– would certainly eat it again!

Great place! I definitely recommend the brisket here. The atmosphere is casual, a good place to catch the NFL playoffs and enjoy Austin

I’ve had BBQ from lots of different cities, but Austin, TX is by far my favorite place to get BBQ!
We had a large party and got the family meal. All of the sides were delicious: Mac and cheese, coleslaw, dirty rice (my fave), green beans, potato salad.
We picked three meats: brisket (def. have to get it moist), pork ribs (slides off the bone), and sausage (staff was kind enough to give us a mixture of regular and jalapeño cheddar).
A friend in our group stated she went to La Barbecue and she said it was just as good and you can avoid the long line if you come to Terry Black’s.
Verdict: I want to purposely plan another trip just to get their BBQ… Yummm

This is amazing bbq that you don’t have to travel far for in Austin. It was recommended to me by a local and did not disappoint. Its traditional TX bbq so you order by the cut or pound.
You start off with the sides, and the mac and cheese and corn were great. I was particularly surprised by the corn.
A woman who worked there told us that the beef rib was the best piece of meat she has ever had, so we had to have it. It was indeed the best piece of meat I have ever had. But it’s huge, so you have to share.
The moist brisket and pork spare ribs are also delicious.
I would definitely come again the next time I’m in Austin.

Oh lawd. Generous amount of sides to start, sweet tea is the perfect amount of sweet, and ribs slide right off the bone.
Extra sauces provided on tables. Cute ambience and clean bathrooms = extra star.
Texas BBQ craving satisfied!

We came here on recommendation of a local buddy, it did not disappoint. The brisket was amazing and the pork ribs were on point, ridiculous tender with just enough bite. I’m smoke all summer and this was amazing, we will be back for sure!
The sausage was just OK, but that wasn’t the main draw anyway, enjoy!

Terry’s gets four stars just off the brisket! It was juicy, tender, and full of smoky flavor. The turkey was tender and peppery, but no comparison to the quality of the brisket. I would have liked to try the pulled pork, but it was New Year’s Eve and they were out. I would have gave them five stars, but the sides were rather mediocre. If you don’t want to wait in line for hours for BBQ, give Terry’s a try and definitely get the brisket!

I LOVE BBQ! And I am always on the hunt for a better brisket. This one may be impossible to beat. In 20+ years of being a road warrior, eating in every restaurant across this country practically, I have never had a brisket that topped this one.
Tender? Yes.
Juicy? Yes.
Flavorful? Yes. Yes. Yes.
After eating I was given a tour of the barbecue pit and after spending only a few minutes there I was ready for more!
If you are in the Austin area and pass this up, you have missed the opportunity of a lifetime. It is not often that you get to have the best brisket ever.

One of our top BBQ places out of everywhere we went in Austin (Franklin’s, La Barbebue, Rudy’s, Salt Lick), but that is mainly based on their AMAZING beef rib (a must order!). They have a cafeteria line type set up, so you can grab side dishes, etc. as you go and order whatever meats you’d like. I actually placed my order over the phone, which allowed me to go to the front register, but they put my order together on the spot. We tried:
–Pork Ribs ($ 14.98/lb), Beef Brisket ($ 16.98/lb), Beef Ribs ($ 16.98/lb) [
: The pork ribs and brisket were solid, but the beef rib was super unique and delicious. It was fall off the bone tender, and had the perfect fat to lean ratio. It was on the pricey side, but completely worth it!
I would definitely come back to Terry Black’s, and actually dine in the next time so that I could try their side dishes. I would also definitely order a beef rib for just myself, since I would NOT want to share.

Easy to find off the side of a main road. Go in, get the moist brisket, ribs and sides (creamed corn!), all really yummy. But beware, if you’re not ready for heavy heavy, watch the order.
We overordered for the two of us, final blow: death by beef rib. We got one rib and it was bigger than my face! An end piece, too, so tons of bark. delicious but you really have to be ready for it… consider yourselves warned.
Good luck!

As a tourist of Austin, we ended up here because the a few local Über drivers said it was a solid choice for Texas barbeque without the long wait and hassle. I’m glad I listened… just looking at the parking lot of trucks, it seemed like a solid place for locals and tourists. It’s set up like a cafeteria where you can scoop your own sides and then you head to the butcher for the delicious meats. From the massive beef rib to the creamed corn to their peach cobbler were all great. I was addicted to their Spanish rice and the pecan pie.

Wanted some Q… was across the street and decided to try it out. Why here instead of Rudy’s (my go-​to)?? Peach Cobbler.
Ample parking and pretty dead for a Friday evening (meaning no line but plenty of folks sitting and eating). Missus ordered chopped beef and sides, myself brisket (with sides).
The sides: The are just kinda sitting out waiting for you to scoop — buffet style. Went for mac/​cheese, cream corn and cobbler. Rudy’s wins the corn battle and Black’s the overall side battle.
The main — The cutter actually CHOPPED the missuses beef for her sandwich. By hand. The missus was not happy, at first, but became a fan after (no Q sauce needed). She thought it was a little greasy (cuz made from fatty brisket), but a fan. Being a Rudy fan, I’m used to ordering meat by weight, but, here its by the slice — interesting. Ordered 3 slices and was on my way. The meat was actually TOO tender, with plenty of bark, but not a whole lot of spice.
Very expensive (since you wont know how much meat you have), a little too tender for my taste, I would not drive past multiple Rudy’s to eat here, BUT if I was close, its an option.

This place is the absolute bomb! I was trying to be good and ordered sparingly. Yeah right! I HAD to go back for seconds and then I found something new.
Round 1, I tried the brisket and pork ribs, which happened to be fresh out of the oven. See my pic for the array of meats laying on the cutting board for you to choose from. I asked for a rare piece of brisket, but apparently it cooks so long there’s no such thing as rare cuts here. No problem, it was so soft, moist, and flavorful, it practically did melt in my mouth. The pork ribs also were so soft, it didn’t take much tugging of the teeth for the meat to fall right off the bone. Both meats were super flavorful in their own right and definitely worth trying some of each. I did get some green beans, which were OK, but save room for the meat.
Round 2, I wanted to try the beef rib, which they claimed was the best. It was a little fatty hut. awesome. It was clearly a three way tie, each with their own unique smokey flavors, but all with ultra soft and moist textures. You have to be hungry or have someone to split the big beef ribs with. It was $ 20 for just one huge rib on its own with no side. I also got a jalapeño cornbread for the plane ride which was nothing spectacular, but only $ 1.
Make time for a 5 minute free tour of the smokers outside. I met James, one of the master stoker/​smokers, and he was really cool taking time to explain the heating and rotation process (see pics.) He also explained how the mustard-​based rub turns to the flavorful crust or «bark» as he calls it. Go see James and the other Architects of Bark. You won’t regret it.

Terry Black’s is my friend’s absolute favorite bbq place and I can see why. We came together one night because he couldn’t stop talking about it :) I am not by any means a bbq expert, but I do like meat and I do like home style cooking. It turns out that the meat is really tastey with tons of awesome sides and a home-​cooked appeal. I had the brisket with cobbler and mac n cheese. I was stuffed, I think I ate half at the restaurant and then made a sandwich the next 2 days with the remaining leftovers. I also loved the buffet style and that they had bottled IPA available.
Another selling point: The fact that they are so popular that they started running out of meat! I don’t what it is about seeing the choices diasappear that makes things interesting, but it was definitely exciting to suddenly see the pork ribs run out and a sign get plastered to the window saying «sold out». I guess it makes you feel like you made a good choice. :)

After a second visit I’m bumping Terry Black’s up to 4.5 stars!
They have succeeded in improving all of their meets across the board.
Brisket was excellent, tender, juicy, smokey and nice pink ring.
Ribs were melt in the mouth good with nice bark.
Sausage was very good, great snap and not greasy.
Actually had a bite of mac’n’cheese and the potato salad, both were fresh and solid.
4.5 stars!

Went to this place after enjoying some time on the lake. I was starved and dehydrated. But let me tell you! This place hit the spot!!! I got the corn, beans, brisket and ribs. EVERYTHING was sooooo good except the beans. Those beans were gross. But other than that, this place was great. The meat was so moist and well seasoned. I will definitely be back next time I come to Austin.
*they are a bit on the expensive side.

I don’t dislike BBQ, I’ve just rarely been blown away by it, or not felt like I was paying for overcooked meat. What I do find interesting about BBQ in Austin is who worked for whom, who is the best right now, and whom do you really like? I also get a chance to play with pronouns.
I thought the moist brisket here was pretty good, if a little too salty & peppery for me. To each his own. But I will give them props for even having brisket on a Friday night at 8, because they were out of everything else. I know we’re supposed to whine about lines & BBQ places running out of stuff, but I think it’s all part of the deal. When in doubt, call first. If there’s a line here, it’ll move quickly.
And bonus points for the creamed corn, a friendly staff, and a Holy Surprise — a real parking lot with lots of parking. It occurs to me Terry Black’s BBQ is a good trump card to play when your out-​of-​towners want an impromptu «Texas Experience» — give them the winning trifecta of beer, BBQ, and boot-​scootin’ at Donn’s Depot.

Came here when we were visiting Austin for the weekend, went to about three trucks and all were sold out of meat, one of the guys working at a food truck told us to go to Terry Black’s as it’s one of his favorites!
Just to maintain expectations, Terry Black’s is not a food truck, it is an actual restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating and air condition. This ended up being really good since it started thunder storming about 20 minutes into our meal!
It’s a little more like cafeteria style, you get a tray, fill it up with meat and sides you want, grab drinks, pay at the end of the counter then find a seat. I actually found this to be really nice and efficient!
There are long tables that seat about 10 people, so this place is great for groups! There are also smaller tables too (if you don’t want to share a table and are part of a smaller party).
The Food:
We tried a few food trucks (which is what I’m comparing Terry Black’s to) and Terry Black’s is pretty legit! I actually liked the beef ribs here the most! They were so tender and flavorful. They were also MASSIVE!
I like how you see what you’re choosing. Pork Ribs were good here too! Brisket was good (Brisket I actually liked better on the food carts, but it was good.)
Sides were amazing, loved the string beans, potato salad and coleslaw
Love how they have a help yourself bar of lemons, pickles and onions!
I was very impressed with this place and there was the perk of no line!!! The food was good, and we didn’t have to wait hours upon hours!
Would most definitely recommend this place to others. If I came back to Austin to visit, I think I would come back here myself as well if I just wanted good bbq and didn’t want to deal with camping out in a line.