Barbecue Restaurants Near Me in Austin

Barbecue restaurants near me in Austin are why I moved to Austin.

I’m a typical long-time Austinite, former Houston-area resident, lured to Austin by the BBQ. But my time pre-dates the cool-factor barbecue restaurants have now attained. This was before Texas Monthly dedicated an issue to Texas Barbecue. Before public television created TV shows about barbecue. And long before people decided it was a good idea to wait in line for 3 hours to eat meat.

My story is from 1992 – and there were just a few places to eat BBQ. You could drive out to Driftwood to the Salt Lick, but that didn’t even seem like part of Austin. Cooper’s and some other out-of-town experiences were there, but again, you might eat it when driving out of town, but no one made pilgrimages for BBQ. Back in 1992, there were a couple of standard BBQ joints, and my favorite was Pok-e-Jo’s. Pok-e-Jo’s has been in Austin since the 70’s, so by the time I heard about them, they were already part of the fabric of Austin. Much of that fabric has since eroded into history, but thank goodness, when I look for barbecue restaurants near me in Austin, I still find my beloved Pok-e-Jo’s.

Why do I love Pok-e-Jo’s so much? Because it is every day BBQ. Like, I could eat it every day. There are plenty of options to choose from for me for lunch, like the Super Spud – a baked potato filled with a quarter pound of meat and all the potato fixin’s on top of that. So, I can have the spud one day, come back the next for a hot Turkey Pot Pie, the next day for a sausage wrap, followed by a spicy pulled pork sandwich, and then finishing off the week with a Chef Salad (because after that Mon-Thur lunch schedule, I need a bit of a break!). And that entire week never even consisted of a standard 2 or 3-meat plate. Or even a veggie plate that includes my choice of 4 sides. You could eat lunch every day at Pok-e-Jo’s for a month and never order the same thing. That beats the heck out of your standard sausage plate with potato salad and beans that you find these days at most BBQ restaurants.

The other thing I love about Pok-e-Jo’s is the sides. I’ve always said it’s not the main course that makes you love a restaurant so much – it’s the little things. Like at a Mexican restaurant, it isn’t the enchiladas you come for, it’s the queso, salsa and margaritas. Well at Pok-e-Jo’s, the BBQ is amazing. But I just can’t get enough of the sides. My favorites are the green bean casserole and the jalapeño corn bread casserole. I also love the baked potato casserole, but I’m kind of embarrassed to order 3 casseroles on one plate! When you’re at one of their restaurants, be sure to try the fried okra. It is fried to order, so always hot and crispy and perfect.

Pok-e-Jo’s has 5 Central Texas locations, so for the past 27 years, and the next 27 years to come, Pok-e-Jo’s is my choice for bbq restaurants in Austin.

Bbq Places Near Me In Austin

Don’t panic. There are bbq places near me in Austin, right now, just waiting to serve up their slow-cooked bbq fast so you can fix that craving. And no, you don’t have to wait for hours in line to get it. Pok-e-Jo’s is here to fix that bbq craving, wherever you are in Austin. For nearly 40 years, Pok-e-Jo’s has been smokin’ it slow, and servin’ it up fast with our friendly, counter service bbq restaurants. For lunch, dinner, take-out, delivery and catering, Pok-e-Jo’s is here to solve your Texas BBQ needs.

When it comes to bbq places near me in Austin, this isn’t a “want.” We know that BBQ is a “need.” Pok-e-Jo’s slow-cooks our BBQ to perfection. It takes that slow-cooking to caramelize the fat in the meet, create the perfect bark on the edges, and internalize the smoky flavor. You’ll find this flavor impact in our BBQ brisket, pork ribs, pulled pork, chicken, turkey smothered in BBQ sauce, and our handmade Pok-e-Jo’s sausage. By the plate or by the pound, it’s BBQ heaven!

You can also enjoy that same slow-smoked BBQ as a large sandwich, chopped and piled high on Texas toast. Or pile up a quarter pound of meat and fixin’s onto a Super Spud baked potato.

There are five Pok-e-Jo’s bar-b-q restaurants in the Austin area, so one is sure to be near me. We’re in South Austin in the Brodie Oaks Shopping Center, 4109 S. Capitol of TX Highway in the 78704. In the Arboretum area we’re in the 78759 at 9828 Great Hills Trail. In middle-east Austin you’ll find us in the Hancock Center at 1000 E. 41^st in the 78751 ZIP code. North Austin enjoys Pok-e-Jo’s at 2121 W. Parmer Lane in the 78727. And last but not least, up in Round Rock (or South Dallas as south-of-the-river Austinites say), you’ll find Pok-e-Jo’s and our Catering World Headquarters at 1150 North IH-35 in the 78681 ZIP.

Wherever you enjoy it, enjoy it you will, at Pok-e-Jo’s Smokehouse.