SLAB BBQ & Beer

If you're looking for some great tasting BBQ, you'll nave to look no farther than this Slab BBQ location in Austin.Tip: You won't find any "lean" or "low-fat" meat here, but what you will find is completely Legit!The sandwiches they serve here are the real deal. I've tried the Classic O.G., the Notorious P.I.G., and several others, but my current favorite is the McDowell.My only complaint about the food here is the sides. The mac and cheese is pretty good, but all the others I've tried are just AOK. That said, whenever I'm in Austin and craving good BBQ, I'll make of point of coming back here :-)

The ribs were honestly great, the meat came off the bone so easily!I was just not a fan of the fact that's inside a bowling alley and that there was a kid laying next to the stove, with his shoes on top of the surface nearby it.

For years, I have been wanting to try SLAB BBQ, but I could never find the time to go whenever I was in town. That finally changed this past weekend when my friend and I made a point to have lunch at SLAB. We browsed the different locations and decided to come to this one. We were confused at first because the GPS brought us to Westgate Lanes. I grew up going to this bowling alley and even had two birthday parties at Westgate when I was a kid; so you can imagine my surprise when we discovered that SLAB was inside the bowling alley! I'm not sure when they moved inside the bowling alley, but we were happy that we didn't have to eat outside in the extreme heat. SLAB is located near the entrance. It's counter service and they will page you when your order is ready. The two guys that were working were nice and answered our questions. I typically order brisket, but I was intrigued by the McDowell because 1. I love Coming to America and 2. It's deboned rib meat. I like ribs, but I don't love eating meat off a bone. Not having to deal with bones sealed the deal for me lol. It came with onions, pickles, and the Soul Glo sauce.The sandwich was a nice portion. The temperature of the sandwich could have been hotter. It wasn't cold, but wasn't piping hot either. The bread was good, but got to be too much so I didn't eat all of it. The rib meat was flavorful and tender and I liked the Soul Glo sauce. I had a few bites of Smoked Gouda Mac N Cheese and it wasn't bad. Mac N Cheese is never my go to side dish, but I love Gouda cheese and wanted to try it. Is it the best BBQ in town? Of course not, but it wasn't bad and I'm glad I was finally able to try it.

Love this place! Slab BBQ has great BBQ - those pork nachos, mac cheese and other sides were delicious. Love this joint. Slick and dope.

I discovered SLAB while watching Diners, Drive Ins and Dives on the Food Network. If you follow my reviews, you know I like to hit up some of the restaurants featured on the show. On a recent trip to Austin, we decided to grab some lunch here. This isn't the location on the show, but one of the three locations they have now. We were confused as the address brought us to a bowling alley. We noticed a trailer outside that said SLAB on it but I almost kept driving to another location because it was too hot to eat outside. Driving up, a sign said that a full kitchen was inside. Phew, crisis averted! The bowling did not smell like a typical bowling alley as the wonderful aromas or BBQ filled the air. Sometimes the best food is located in places like this. Customer service was great. Your order at a window and seat yourself anywhere in the bowling alley. They give you a buzzer when your food is ready. I typically order what I see on the show, but I wanted to really test out a variety of their meats. SLAB stands for slow, low and banging, so I was expecting the most tender meats. Their menu is fun with unique, fun names for their creations. They don't do your typical meat plates here. Their thing is BBQ sandwiches and wraps. The only meat they sell a la carte are ribs They do have a few other items available such as nachos, bowls and wings when available. I do believe they sell their meat in bulk to go as well. I went with the SLAB Slammer Trio which came with slider versions of their best sellers. It included the Notorious P.I.G. (pulled pork), TX O.G. (brisket), and Chicken W.A. (shredded chicken). I asked if they could substitute the chicken for a sausage slider and they happily obliged. We also got an order of their smoked gouda mac and cheese and some chips. The food came out quick as expected. I tried the meats first before eating it as a sandwich. Individually, I really liked all the meats especially the brisket. I would've liked it to be a little warmer though. They were very tender, with just the right amount of smoke. As a sandwich, it was overall just ok. If you are a sandwich selling business, you gotta use the best bread. The little slider buns could've maybe used a little toasting or something as they were a little hard and cold. I ended up ditching the top bun and going at them as open faced sandwiched. The mac was outstanding. I don't know if I was just hungry, but I made the comment it was one of the best I had. I washed it all down with some delicious lemonade. I also tried a bite of the ribs from the McDowell sandwich was a take on the McRib. Those ribs were really good.Overall, it was a good lunch. BBQ is definitely a huge business in and around Austin so I have high expectations when having it in the area. The meats were good but I don't think I will go out of my way to come back before trying other places first.

Ordered chopped brisket sandwich to go, it came wrapped in foil, and the bun was all soggy. Cooked kettle chips really are just chips in a bag. Nothing made in the kitchen. Menu seemed a bit misleading.

Slab BBQ is delicious! I got this catered for an event. Food was packaged nicely and everyone loved the O.G (brisket)and P.I.G (smoked pulled pork) which was tender and full of flavor these sandwiches you can't go wrong with!

This is a strange little place but the food is tasty. The fact that you order and then the server goes outside to get the food was a little strange. But wow the food was delicious. We ordered the brisket nachos,a few different sandwiches, a bougie bowl and Mac and cheese. We all enjoyed our meals completely. I had the Tony Montana that had pulled pork, sausage and cheese sauce. It was really messy but very tasty. The nachos were delicious and were plenty to share with everyone at the table.

Just fyi they're located in west gate lanes bowling alley. Now on to the important thing, the food! I ordered the brisket nachos which were great! When I placed the order I did note that I want to add more brisket however, that didn't seem to happen but nevertheless they were good. I recall when they first opened at they bowling alley and when they located on 290 the would pile the nachos pretty high with lots of meat but things change I suppose. Lastly the customer service is okay; not bad, not great. All in all, will I return? Absolutely!

Santos took greatcare of us today and made the best ribs. He provided exceptional customer service, and we appreciate that he values us as customers. As always, the food is excellent!