turkey breast, and chicken – plus all-you-can-eat pinto beans and fixin’s and of course
potato salad and cole slaw.
Black’s Barbecue
215 N. Main Street; 512-398-2712
www.blacksbbq.com
Besides its reputation for great barbecue,
Black’s is also known as the oldest major
barbecue restaurant in Texas continuosly
owned and operated by the same family.
Founded in 1932 by Edgar Black, Sr., who
was then joined by Edgar Black, Jr. and his
wife, Norma Black in 1949, this barbecue
institution has a slogan of “Open 8 Days a
Week,” and the sign out front says it, too.
Even though Black’s is open seven days a
week, Norma Black says “if you’re here as
much as we are, you find a few extra days in
that time. It’s easier to remember when we’re
closed – Thanksgiving and Christmas – than
when we’re open.” That dedication comes
through in the barbecue – slow-smoked beef
brisket, pork ribs, giant beef ribs, pork loin,
turkey, homemade sausage, chicken, a range
of sandwiches and classic sides like black-eyed peas, cole slaw, pinto beans, creamed
corn and more.
Kreuz Market
619 N. Colorado; 512-398-2361
www.kreuzmarket.com
Yet another famous Hill Country barbecue
Mecca, Charles Kreuz opened Kreuz Market
as a meat market and grocery store in 1900.
Customers would buy slowsmoked barbecue
and sausage wrapped in butcher paper, add
some staples from the store to go with it – like
crackers, bread, pickles, onions and cheese
– and eat it off the butcher paper with their
hands, and without sauce. A family-owned
business until Charles Kreuz sold it in 1948
to longtime employee Edgar Schmidt, and
today it’s Schmidt’s sons who run Kreuz
Market. And the same traditions are still
alive and well – super-tender meat, no silver-
ware, and still no sauce. Besides brisket and
sausage, this German-inspired barbecue
landmark also features such other favorites as
pork spare ribs, beans, German potato salad,
sauerkraut, and jalapeno-cheese sausage.
Smitty’s Market
208 S. Commerce Street; 512-398-9344
www.smittysmarket.com
In Texas, good barbecue runs in the family
– and Smitty’s is just one example. Ina
Schmidt Sells started Smitty’s Market in
1999 in the building that was the home to
her father Edgar Schmidt’s Kreuz Market
for more than 50 years – after he purchased
the business from original owner Charles
Kreuz. Sells’ son is now the pit master at
Smitty’s, and the restaurant is known for
its long-smoked brisket and juicy boneless
prime rib – plus potato salad, beans, and
coleslaw. And, just like at Kreuz’s, there
aren’t any forks (though you can get a knife
and spoon if you ask), and no sauce.
Peete Mesquite Bar-B-Que
2407 Hwy. 281 N. ; 830-693-6531
www.peetesbbq.com
Regularly voted the “Best Barbecue in
Burnet County,” Peete Mesquite’s is the
perfect pick-up joint for those heading to
the lake, or those who just have a craving
for darn good barbecue. Owned by Wayne
and Lanell Henderson and serving the
Marble Falls area for the last 20 years, Peete
Mesquite’s menu includes Angus brisket,
pork ribs, pork steak, smoked chicken,
turkey breast and regular or jalapeno
sausage. With your choice of seven side
dishes, seven varieties of sandwiches, and
homemade peach and blackberry cobblers
and pecan pies, you can guarantee that no
one’s going home hungry.
The Green Mesquite
2601 S Interstate 35 B100; 512-341-0200
www.greenmesquite.net
Known for “BBQ, Blues & Bluegrass,” the
Green Mesquite is another Austin favorite
with two locations – the original on Barton
Springs and another in the Southpark
Meadows shopping center off I- 35 South.
With a menu that includes such classic and
delicious sides as fried okra, hush puppies,
green beans, cole slaw, and potato salad, and
barbecue plates with a choice of beef brisket,
pork ribs, pulled pork, chicken, sausage, ham,
smoked wings or turkey – plus live music – it’s
a meat lover’s (and music lover’s!) paradise.
It’s All Good Bar-B-Q
22112 W. Hwy 71 West; 512-264-1744
www.itsallgoodbbq.com
Located in the scenic Texas Hill Country,
It’s All Good Bar-B-Q was born of a
passion for barbeque that started with
a homemade pit, led to competitions
and barbeque cook-offs, and is now the
happy result of partnerships with friends
passionate about barbeque – and who
wanted to share that with others. With
lunch plate specials and happy hour from
3-7 p.m. every Thursday and Friday, there’s
something for everyone. It’s All Good BBQ
offers brisket, pork ribs, chicken, pulled
pork, beef ribs, sausage, turkey and baby
back ribs by the pound, as well as tasty
barbeque sandwiches (brisket, pulled pork,
sausage, turkey and chopped beef).
Louie Mueller Barbecue
206 W. Second; 512-352-6206
www.louiemuellerbarbecue.com
Founded in 1949, this is one restaurant of
many in the Texas Hill Country that is well
worth the drive. A no-frills kind of place
that puts all the emphasis on the meat, the
menu is written on butcher paper and there
is always a line. Meats are sold by the pound
and are mouth-wateringly tender. Try the
famous brisket – made with a salt and pepper
rub and then slow-cooked in 50 year-old
horizontal brick and steel pits using post oak
wood. Word to the wise: They often sell out,
so if you’re bringing out-of-town guests (or
planning to go yourself), it’s better to call
and place your order in advance.
