Martin's Place

I used to eat here almost 2 decades ago while in college and decided to stop by for a late lunch. Ordered the 3 meats plate: ribs, sausage and beef brisket with fried corn nuggets and mashed potatoes. Generous portion for $15. Both ribs and briskets were dry; sausages were ok. Both sides were tasted good. Oh well, hopefully they will taste better next time I am visiting in town!

Bottom Line:Mom & Pop BBQ joint in all it's rustic glory. Very reasonable prices for generous portions of hyper-smoked meats. A piece of Texas history that's earned its reputation for good eatin'.Top Line:For a mere $11.31 after tax I got a sliced smoked beef sandwich with a huge pile o' beef tucked under the bun, cole slaw, deep fried corn nuggets, and a glass of unsweet tea. A generous dinner at lunchtime prices. Gotta love that!The beef in the sandwich was some of the smokiest I've ever had. The meat had a very sharp, nearly acrid, smoke flavor that cut deep, long, & strong. An extremely rigorous flavor punch to the tongue from Martin's pitmaster. Well done amigo, well done! The texture of the beef was drier than typical. So while the meat was very tender, the lack of juiciness made the sandwich more substantial, and requiring a bit more saucing & washing down with tea, than usual.The sauce that came with the meal, for dressing the sandwich or dipping the corn nuggets I wasn't quite sure so I used it for both, had a mostly tomato taste. Sort of a ketchup or Campbell's tomato soup flavor to which was added a distinct vinegary tangy. Quite different from the other sauces I've had on this particular jaunt through central Texas in search of BBQ.The corn nuggets were nicely deep fried crispy on the outside & moist tender inside. Tasty enough that they didn't actually require dipping in the sauce to make my mouth do the Happy Dance.The cole slaw was crunchy texture & slathered with a mayo dressing that was pretty neutral in taste. The dressing didn't lean in either the sweet or tangy directions, so it came off as being a touch flat. It was, however, quite smooth & creamy in texture.This is not a book you want to judge by it's well worn cover. Martin's is an old institution in this area and you've got to forgive the rather dated, tired, and somewhat run down appearance to harvest the gastronomic gold these folks are dishing up. The food is good well-smoked generously portioned eats at economical prices. Eat what you love, love what you eat. Eat at Martin's in Bryan TX and find what *you* love about hole in the wall BBQ joints all over again.

Love Martin's! I've been coming here with my family for the past 20+ years. Such a great family oriented place with great service! They have watched me grow up (though I was missed during my teen years for a bit due to me being a vegetarian for a few years).Food has been consistently good throughout the years. I recommend this place to anyone in BCS looking for delicious BBQ and great people serving it to you! One of my favorite restaurants in town.

Been going here for over 3 years and the food is always yummy! If you call your order in ahead of time you can cut down the wait. Love this place!

Plus a half a star.... Wish there were half stars. Anyways. Food was very tasty. The brisket sandwich is well portioned for $5. The quality of the brisket is also nice. It was very lean and minimal bbq sauce to mask the flavor of the meat. Although the aroma of smokey goodness is in the air, I didn't really get the smokey flavor or smoke ring imbedded in the meat. Brisket had good texture as well. Also tried the roasted chicken. (White meat only.... G/f's choice)The chicken was incredibly moist. Once again minimal BBQ sauce to mask the flavor of the chicken. And portions again are great. As well as price. $4.75 for half a chicken. Highly highly recommend. Now for sides. The onion rings were really good. Some sort of vinegary tang to the batter once fried. Potatoes were also good. Had some bacon added to them which is always a plus. Would def recommend. Sadly this is a slow moving place in terms of service but it's an okay compromise for quality well priced meats. Also if you are "iffy" on restrooms this is definitely not your 5 star establishments. Just know you are sacrificing bells and whistles for amazing food and home cooking that's just to die for. Have an open mind and empty belly because you'll love it. Be sure to try it next time in Bryan.

This place is questionable when you arrive. The restaurant is small and old. The toilets are outside but not an outhouse. However, the food was delicious and the owner was very nice.

Well I indoctrinated another bbq lover To the Bryan institution of smoked meat Better know as Martin's Place He had ribs and sausage Very satisfied German potato salad was not his favorite I had sausage and brisket Brisket was dried and chewy But that's not normal Beans and tots were good Peach cobbler was great but the ice cream cup was old, thawed and refrozen crystallized Blue bell But cobbler made up for it

Came here several times during my childhood and stopped by a few months ago. I'm so glad I did! I enjoyed talking to the waitress. The food is true, authentic southeast central Texas barbecue- if you want the fancy bells and whistles, just go to Austin. I would like to emphasize "authentic"... this is the OLDEST restaurant in BCS, therefore the amenities are NATURALLY going to reflect that! If you can't use a restroom unless it's less than 5 years old and looks like it came out of a Southern Living magazine, then you're out of luck in that department. Martin's ROUTINELY scores a 100 on their health department inspections (available on KBTX), so I'll let those numbers speak for themselves and enjoy some delicious brisket while I'm at it!

This place is the best! The ultimate hole-in-the-wall. You have to get the Aggie (the owner's husband invented it!)The space is in need of repairs but that's what gives it some charm. We talked with the owner and she was very nice, told us some stories about Martin's over the years.

Came in here with a friend that recommended it. Definitely a old place. Still has the old horseshoe bar. Lots of old pictures of the place and Aggie pictures. It smelled the smoke from pit inside that I thought was great. Service was good. Very friendly. I ordered the sliced brisket sandwich. Pretty much just brisket on a regular hamburger bun. Brisket had a good smoke flavor. A lil on the dry side for me as I had to put sauce on it. Overall everything was good. Cool old place.