Black's Barbecue Austin

In Austin there are bigger places and definitely some places with more notoriety but I feel like Black's is an often overlooked classic. From the looks of it it seems like they get their meats from the mothership and brought here. I got the mac and cheese and the potato salad then made the short sidestep to get the meats. A place this small I'm unsure why I couldn't just do the entire order at the counter. Anyways, for the meats I went with the fatty brisket, the chicken and their sausages which are sold as rolls and not by weight. So, I'll say that right away I'm surprised by the chicken. I usually stay away from poultry but it was not moist and tasty. The brisket though was just ok, not super flavorful. The sausages-particularly the jalapeno sausage was amazing: flavorful, moist, gone too soon. I can see why they do it by the rounds and not by cut so that they can maintain the integrity of the meat; almost makes me want to make the trek out to the mothership.

Black's at 3110 Guadalupe in Austin used to be the best bbq in town. I live way up in Northwest Austin so I don't get down that way very often. Wife and I ate there today at about 3:30pm. Ordered 4 pork spareribs, 1 Small and 1 Med side, and 2 cokes. The bill was over $60 which would have been ok except the pork ribs were tiny with mostly bone and barely any meat at all. And the ribs were way overcooked. All that juicy fat had been rendered out and the small scraps of meat left behind were tough as boot leather. Huge disappointment. I'll go there again in a couple of weeks to see if today was just a bad day for them. I usually just order pork spareribs but I'll grab some brisket with pork ribs next time and compare it to previous visits.I'll also make a run down to the original Black's BBQ Location in Lockhart TX to see if their quality issues are the same. FYI, the original Black's BBQ in Lockhart TX smokes and hauls bbq to their location on Guadalupe in Austin because the Guadalupe location doesn't have the equipment to do their own smoking. That setup has worked well over the years.

Barbecue doesn't get much better than this!It is not cheap and it is not a high brow establishment. You walk up to the counter you tell him what you want and the car of everything in front of you. Prepare yourself for the goodness! The brisket is fantastic. The beef ribs were perfect. The sides. The sweet tea like your grandmother makes. Plan on getting the meat sweats later in the evening after enjoying Black's. You will enjoy it. The food is not cheap. It is 100% worth the price. The beer is cold. The bathrooms are clean. The dining is done at picnic tables so make friends and bond over the shared barbecue experience.

I really wanted this to be an amazing experience... and the shredded pork and awesome coleslaw and good Mac n cheese totally lived up to the hype. The brisket, both fatty and lean, did not. But love you can order meat by any weight you want, window ordering is easy, picnic tables to share inside were great (cold day outside) and parking available, just wait a moment for it.

This is the original Black's BBQ, one of the oldest BBQ joints in Texas not to be confused with Terry Black's.The first thing you'll notice is that it's smaller inside than Terry Black's is and the parking situation isn't the best, which can make visiting during busy times a bit challenging.That said, if you can get past the logistics, you're in for some good BBQ. My go-to is the brisket, which pairs perfectly with the sausages, mac & cheese, and green beans. Pro tip: opt for the fattier brisket to avoid a dry piece.If beef isn't your thing, they've got the full lineup of traditional BBQ meats, including turkey, chicken, pulled pork, and ribs. Is it my favorite BBQ spot in Austin? No, but it's definitely in my top 10, and I'll usually stop by if I'm in the area.

One of the things I noticed right off the bat was at Black's barbecue, which has been around since 1932 was full of people all the time I was there. And I think that's a tradition with great barbecue is they always have lines of people waiting for the food. Walking in through the door my mouth watered at that beautiful smoke smell. I couldn't wait to see the smoke ring around the meat when they were cutting it and so on. Since all the items that you order are by the pound or ounces, you are able to order the exact amount of anything that you would like to have so we did a combo platter of sausage, ribs, and brisket. We also got our sides of beans and slaw. Magic wonderful delicious five star experience. Your surroundings are not five star, but this is a smokehouse and a barbecue house. It's not a hangout bar or anything like that so the place is clean and well situated and all the tables are ready for customers and the food arrives in a timely manner and it is Unbelievably delicious. The staff was friendly from the moment you walk in they don't act like any question as too many or too weird it was so nice to be treated that way. They answered all my questions made suggestions. Explained how the process worked. It was wonderful. We loved it. We always order a little bit more than we can eat so we have a little takeout with us when we go back to our room and something to nibble on while we relax. I highly recommend this place. It's great.

Sad to say this was my into Texas BBQ. Not to be confused with Terry Blacks. Black's is apparently family rivals with the infamous Terry Blacks BBQ. It's hardly a competition though. I would definitely choose Terry Black's over Black's. The pork ribs were dry and mostly bone. The BBQ sauce helped but was nothing special. I have tried lots of BBQ in lots of different states and this was probably one of my least favorite. The potato salad was less traditional than normal and personally not my favorite. Long lines but they moved fast. Sweet tea was good. Indoor and outdoor seating. Small parking lot.

Checked out Black's Barbecue and while it didn't quite top Terry Black's, it was still a great meal. The brisket, sausages, and mac and cheese were all fantastic--definitely highlights of the meal. The ribs were good, but I'd take more brisket any day. The beans weren't my favorite, but overall, it's a solid spot for tasty barbecue.

Very quick time to get your food which is a plus! Not the best barbecue I've had in Austin but still very good and for the price point , it hits the spot

I ordered sausage- both original and the jalapeño-they were dry, not juicy at old. It was like they had been cooked way too long. I also ordered ribs, they were okay. I have had better ribs at Bodacious BBQ in Marshall, TX-I am really a sausage connoisseur. The best sausages I have had -hands down are from Down Home Meats out of Louisiana. They smoke and sell them at Bodacious BBQ. Trust me you will never want to eat from anywhere else. I wanted to try the meat here at Blacks, because I heard a lot of good things. What I realized is everyone's taste buds are different. Well on to the next place! Rule should be if you wouldn't eat it -don't sell it to others.