The Original Texas Barbecue King

Hello! STUPID Unilocal,anybody home? This location has been CLOSED for about FOUR YEARS! Get a damn clue you idiots!
Any recent review is either a very late review of this CLOSED location or a review of their ONLY location still open, on Vermont.
The listed phone number is for their ONLY location still open, on Vermont!

As a native Texan, I really want to rip the Texas right off of their sign.
No. 1 Please do not refer to yourself as a Texas barbecue establishment if you do not serve BRISKET. I was really excited to find a Texas bbq place. I was extremely disappointed they offered tritip (so not texan) when I asked for brisket. It is not the same thing.
No. 2 Real texas bbq doesn’t require sauce. The meat is great with out it. No need to mask the flavor with sauce. Extremely disappointed.
No. 3 Where is the smoker? You cannot, in my book, be considered authentic bbq with out a smoker.
Don’t waste your money.

I think this place has turned around. All the bad reviews kept me away for so long. But after being there a couple myself, I found it to be pretty good.

This place has been opened for awhile, but always walked past it, and avoided it because its so small. It’s probably the size of 2 walk-​in closets at my house. But today, I settled on trying it out since I’ve eaten at almost every restaurant within walking distance.
First, the place is so small it only fits 3 tables for 2 people, so it’s not good for groups. The wait during lunch isn’t too bad, but since the place is small I feel the walls closing in on me, I swear the walkway is shoulder length and narrow.
So I ordered the tri-​tip sandwich, It’s not all that bad, a little tough, but alright. The sauce they used was pretty good though. Still I wish the meat wasn’t as tough and dry. I really didn’t feel it was worth the $ 10 I spent with the combo. The cornbread I got was hella small, and it tasted like it was a few days old and just warmed in the microwave. Halfway through eating it and started feeling hard.
If I do go back I’d probably try the ribs, maybe that will be better, cause there sauce is pretty good. If I could just rate the sauce I’d give it like a 4 or 4.5.

I’m a little hesitant to write this review because my experience, while not great, wasn’t too bad. I was surprised by how small this restaurant is. My boyfriend and I were the only one’s in the joint. As I perused the menu I made a comment on the tri-​tip beef sandwich. «I don’t have any tri-​tip.» Oh ok… then why don’t you tell me what you do have so I don’t waste my freaking time!
I ended up with the hot link sandwich which was tolerable. My boyfriend got the baby back ribs which were tender and flavorful. They also had no drinks, only coke, water and dr. pepper. So the guy allowed us to walk across the street to 7 – 11 and bring drinks back. He also claimed to have given us the sides for free but the bill still came up to $ 21. I probably won’t go back.

I used to frequent BBQ King when they were still in their old location and I haven’t been to the new spot. I miss the old gas station with smoke bellowing from a row of grills. I never felt this place had Texas style BBQ. It’s more back yard style. Huge burgers and good beef ribs. The bad reviews are keeping me from seeking out their new location. If I’m wrong please let me know.

I went to Texas BBQ 3 times… trying to give them the benefit tof the doubt each time, but the verdict still stands… thumbs down…
not too good if you ask me… First of all, the place is way too small, its empty, and the wait is pretty intense. The ribs were all bone, with a sliver of meat on them. The prices are high for what you get, and I felt ripped off. The bbq did taste good, but there are a lot of better places around.
I got fooled 3 times, and wont get fooled again

Wow, I am shocked at all the bad reviews on this place. I wonder if we all visited the same restaurant. I guess that’s just it, can you call it a restaurant? Since BBQ KING has relocated from Sunset & Figueroa to 7^th Street, it has gotten severely smaller with a less inviting BBQ vibe. It’s so unfortunate that the old parking lot location was bought out for a huge apartment complex.
I have to admit that I never even tried BBQ KING until this new location opened. However, my boyfriend has been talking it up for years, and he wanted to take me last weekend.
We ordered to go and picnicked at LA LIVE. It was perfect! He got the pulled pork, and I got the baby back ribs. AMAZING. Loved the flavor of the BBQ sauce. The meat was so tender. Loved the sides — potato salad, cole slaw, beans and corn bread with butter — just like I like em. I do wish they served freshly brewed iced tea. That is the only suggestion I will make. That’s just because I like fresh black tea with BBQ.
I found the staff to be perfectly friendly. They wanted to share the story about the history of the place. They told us about the other locations. They were totally inviting.
We didn’t mind the wait because we welcomed good, hot food and knew that there would be preparation time.
I am so excited to go again!

So this was our first stop on the BBQ crawl a couple of weekends ago. What a disappointment. Don’t get me wrong, the food here isn’t actually bad. It’s just not very good either. I’d definitely go back. You know, if I were really hungry and on this block when some sort of massive civil unrest broke out that prevented me from going anywhere else for food. Otherwise forget it. The ribs were dry and just generally meh. There’s nowhere to sit (unless you get lucky and snatch one of the two tiny tables. The food takes forever to be prepared. I imagine this is less true during the week when they cater to an office-​worker lunch crowd but still.
If this place is the King then I for one am glad we don’t live in a monarchy.

I’m not quite sure what restaurant the dude below is referring to.
But I’ve been going to all 3 locations for years and have never been disappointed. First and foremost, this owner has been holding down LA for years when it comes to BBQ. This is the taste of Downtown LA! Do you run your own BBQ place or something?
Another thing is… when reviewing a restaurant it seems awfully low class to pull the race card. You could have kept that. My suggestion would be for anyone who really knows what BBQ and sides should taste like, check this place out.
It’s not a mistake that the place has been around for years and is continuing to grow. They have a new location at 7^th & Grand that is popping! Don’t mess with Downtown LA man!

blah…

Stop #1 of the BBQ Brawl
When this joint was on Sunset and Figueroa, people told me, begged me, shouted at me that I needed to go because it was «the best.» They even have some high falutin’ moniker– «the King.»
Now, I may not be from the South but I have been there and that is where I have fallen in love with my ‘cue. No place in LA has come close to the best BBQ, the best red velvet cake, the best sides then well, in the South.
Still, I try. I’m always looking for some good baby back ribs. I don’t expect it to be better than flying 5 hours east but it should at least be edible.
So, 12 of us arrived at this tiny place with high hopes. The reviews were good. But they are very much nostalgia tinged. My mini group ordered a full rack of baby back ribs, two sides and a bottle of water. It came out to be almost $ 30! What in the heck? For BBQ that wasn’t even made on the premises? Highway robbery! And the sides were the smallest I’ve ever seen.
The ribs were pre-​sliced. There were about 12 of them. They were… average. The sauce was fairly heavy and smelled strongly like garlic to me. Very… odd. I didn’t like it because BBQ sauce should not smell like that! Where’s my hickory smoke? My brown sugar? My vinegar?
I finished my three ribs with a small sigh and poked at the odd mushrooms in the mac and cheese. Next stop!
I would also recommend calling in the order as they are very disorganized in the shop and can take 30 minutes plus to put together your BBQ. There are three tables inside and we set up another outside.
If only Seven Grand was open during the day to take away my pain of bad BBQ.

Disappointing. That’s the best experience i can sum up my experience with The Original Texas BBQ King. I went here as part of Shauna’s UYE and i was expecting better given the positive ratings previous Unilocalers have assigned to this place. This is one of those places that have misplaced nostalgia and the reality does not meet the hype. Perhaps that’s because for the longest time, it was the only BBQ joint in the central downtown area.
I ordered the pork ribs lunch with came with 2 sides ($ 9.50). I chose the mac n cheese and baked beans. The order taker was very disorganized and very slow. He was writing down our orders on pieces of scrap order and he even ended up switching my order with that of another Unilocaler. He did give me a diet Coke to apologize for his mistake, even though I didn’t order the drink. He seemed distracted by several phone calls he took and it took him at least 5 minutes or more to acknowledge me even though I was the only person in line at the time. I would not describe the service as rude. A better description would be unfocused.
The order took another 10 minutes to arrive. There were 3 pork ribs of decent size. But the meat was on the dry side and a bit too much on the chewy side. It was a cheap cut of rib compared to the pork ribs I had at the 5 BBQ places I attended the previous weekend. The sauce was overly sweet. I think it may have had some honey, but too much brown sugar. It reminded me more of teriyaki sauce than Texas BBQ sauce. perhaps the quality of the meat dishes are not as good, because they smoke and cook their cue on 53^rd and Vermont, which is several miles away.
The mac n cheese was okay but nothing noteworthy. The best dish was probably their baked beans. Its not the best baked beans I have tasted, but it had a good flavor to it.
Whoever gives this place 4 stars or more does not know their barbecue. Period. For better barbecue just walk one block over to Showbiz which is a new upstart BBQ joint that puts the Original BBQ King to shame.
There is no private parking lot, so your best bet is either meter parking or on one of the local paid parking lots that will cost you between $ 5 to $ 7 to park.

Ok… so I was having high hopes for this establishment being that it was my first downtown L.A. BBQ experience (and 1^st crawl). Wait… am I allowed to say high hopes and downtown L.A. BBQ in the same sentence? Turns out The Original Barbecue King is no mo’ better than mediocre at best. The food is a little overpriced for the quality. The main courses come served to you… slowly…in a paper basket. The sides are served in disposable cups so no plates needed, meh. This is starting out with a bang!
The baby backs came already pre-​cut into pieces and slathered in a honey, teriyaki, sweetish sauce (which they attempt to call BBQ sauce). The ribs were a bit dry for my taste and the service wasn’t awesome but there were only 2 or 3 guys working in the back so it was understandable. The potato salad… well, let’s just say that a fellow Unilocaler (George S.) and myself both noticed that it tasted unbelievably close to the stuff you can buy in the grocery store which comes in a plastic container; identical in fact. The beans were alright but not nearly good enough to save the day.
The size of the restaurant is tiny. They only had 3 tables total so don’t arrive famished with a large group, or even a semi-​mediumish click for that matter. If you work downtown and MUST have ribs immediately, I would recommend heading two blocks over and checking out Showbiz Ribs. Much better fare and service!

This was the first stop of Shauna D’s downtown BBQ crawl and I came here with one crazy appetite as I had starved myself in preparation for a long day of crushing BBQ. It’s good that I did so I could fill up on all the great BBQ at the SECOND place we hit up.
The Original Texas BBQ King is certainly the first place to have two different dates posted on the outside to show when it was established. (1991 on the sign and 1994 on the window). Quite original.
The inside is tiny. Like if you come here and there are more than 2 other parties you will be forced to eat standing up. From what we heard the BBQ is precooked and brought in from their «main» location in another part of the city and it shows. The Baby Back Ribs were dry and the sauce they were slathered in was extremely sweet. The sauce was a bit heavy on the honey, and I LOVE sweet BBQ but it totally dominated the flavor of the meat. The sides were just OK and Don M. and I both decided that the potato salad was store bought out of the package. You know the kind, small bits of pickle, uniform pieces of potato, and a heavy dose of mayo. The beans were the all star of this meal and that isn’t saying much.
Three of us waited 35 minutes for an a la cart portion of ribs and two small sides for a whopping $ 28. (Mind you this is a meal that could probably be good for one person). Do yourself a favor and if you’re downtown and craving BBQ head over to Showbiz Ribs instead.

Ummmm
I must say I am shocked at all the good reviews this place has. Going there today on the first leg of Shauna D’s BBQ crawl, I was sorely disappointed.
First off the place is tiny. I wouldn’t even say tiny with a capital T because said capital letter would struggle to fit into this place.
Secondly, after ordering a sampler basket to split with 2 others, we waited… and waited… and waited. When one of our party went up to check on our order, it was ascertained that said order had been forgotten!
Eventually the food came, and unfortunately, it was no more than meh.
Maybe they were having a bad day, who knows? But overall, it wasn’t nice.

2.5 maybe?
Stop #1 of Minty’s DTLA BBQ Crawl.
Now… some of us noticed something about the signage and the logo painted on the window. One said «est 1991» and the other said «est 1994». So which is it?
Well, just as both Dawson S. and Marcus B states, this place is UBER tiny, and that’s an understatement. I really doubt Jared Fogel would be able to fit into this place BEFORE he went on his diet. Just sayin’
I ended up sharing some ribs with Vixen and Minty, as well as 2 sides of mac and cheese. I was wondering if that was going to be enough for me, even though we did have 2 other stops on our crawl, so I got a BBQ beef tri-​tip sandwich. The sandwich was ok. The tri-​tip itself wasn’t too bad as was the sauce, but the bread was untoasted and it would’ve been nice to have it warm and toasted. Also, it would’ve been nice to see cole slaw or something. I know cole slaw is normally a pulled pork kind of deal, but hey, it’d still work.
Anyway, the mac and cheese was just kind of whatever, kinda oily and a little bland. The ribs themselves were alright but the sauce was on the sweet siide. Others didn’t appreciate that too much.
Other knocked off stars are for the size of place, or lack thereof, the fact that their ordering system is rather disorganized which ended up biting Dawson, Marcus, and Edgar in the rears (they forgot their order)
Also other than lacking ample seating, this was just ok. If even that

For starters, the Texas part of this joint baffles me because there’s nothing Texan about this que. If anything, it’s more of a sweet Memphis style.
Secondly, how you can call yourself a king of any bbq when there’s no kitchen or smoker to speak of because all you do is heat the food up that’s been brought over from another kitchen a few blocks away, is a total mystery.
Granted, the place is so tiny you could smack yourself in the ass turning around, that’s really no excuse for it taking nearly an hour to fill a lunch order. How long does it take to throw some pre-​made food into a paper tray and soak in warmed up sauce?
If you like your bbq a little chewy and overly sweet and don’t mind waiting an age for it and paying through the nose, this is the place for you. Oh, and the greens are ok. Kinda bland, but ok. The mac. Meh.
For everyone else, Showbiz Ribs two blocks away is light years better and less expensive.

I think the chicken leg that came with my sampler order was at least 24 – 48 hours old. Plus, the scary cashier dude kept my change from the $ 20 but I didn’t realize it until I was already back at my office. I guess that’s five extra bucks I gotta spend to finally write this place off for good. I’ll admit that the sauce is okay if you like sweet over tangy, but it’s not a good enough reason to go back.
Next time, I’ll stick with JR’s.

i love texas bbq king. i passed by the Figueroa/​Cesar Chavez location twice a day, sniffing the awesome bbq smoke until they were forced to move. the first time we went to this location, we found out that they had sold out and was about to close for the night. the staff is really friendly and are cool dudes.
today we went back (early at 6pm) to make sure that we got some of that bbq’d goodness. i ordered from the ala carte menu: instead of getting two slabs of ribs, i asked if i could get a half a slab of Texas-​style pork ribs and half a slab of baby back ribs. It was $ 20.
A bbq dinner of either ribs would have been about $ 15. $ 5 more and you get double the ribs! I have tried all the sides: beans, mac-​n-​cheese, collard greens, cole slaw — I wouldn’t trade a rib for any of those. the cornbread muffin is okay but i rather pay $ 5 more and get more ribs!
Ala carte ribs is the way to go!
oh yeah, the wait at this location is a bit longer than the wait at the old location. i would call ahead so that you can just park, dash in and grab it and go.
i also got a bottle of bbq sauce for ~$ 3. it’s really the sauce from the bbq put into a squeezable bottle but now my meat can taste like theirs. woohoo!
(did you know that the secret ingredient may be… anchovies?)
see pics