Finally made it to world famous Blacks BBQ. The Good 1: staff were extremely friendly 2: facility was very clean The Bad 1: Extremely expensive; Gold per ounce cost less 2: only one bbq sauce available ; and had the consistency of water; Brookshire's brand makes better barbecue sauce 3: I had the brisket and one rib; which the brisket was moist but more of a bland taste no smoke noted; not bad but definitely not the best bbq I have ever had. 4: Final thought; over priced bbq based on reputation, not bad but again for that price. It must be the best of the best. How to improve; 1: stop charging so much 2: I am not an expert in cooking bbq but you could at least improve your bbq sauce; maybe serve with some Texas buttered toast. read more

Great service and delicious bbq. The ambiance is welcoming and the music plays at a comfortable volume. Brisket. You can't go wrong with their brisket. It's delicious but they're not as loose with their scales. Chicken. Surprisingly delicious bbq chicken. You can taste the chicken with the right amount of smoke and spices. Side dishes complement their bbq but they taste great on their own. Any pairing of their side dishes will work. The only thing is the price-to-portion of their sides needs significant improvement. Overall 3 stars for this bbq establishment. I recommend they either improve their price-to-portion of their delicious sides or be much more generous with their bbq meats. read more

Took a 2 Hr drive from Houston to Lockhart, the best brisket I've ever had. Worth the drive.

We are doing a tour of bbq spots in the Lockhart area it was time for the original Black's. The staff were helpful and courteous. We got brisket, pork ribs, beef rib, and sausage. The brisket had a great bark, a nice smoke ring, and was juicy and flavorful. The beef rib was really good with great bark and flavor. The pork ribs were nicely smoked and still moist and tasty. The sides were beans, potato salad and coleslaw. The Coleslaw was the star, with the beans and potato salad a close second. If you are anywhere near Lockhart, you need to stop by for some great bbq. read more

The BBQ is tender and delicious. The business has been around since 1932 and the old, casual atmosphere is perfect. The staff was helpful and friendly, especially to us first-timers. FYI - if you order the beef rib, you better be hungry! read more

Black's Barbecue Lockhart - Barbeque Near Me - Lockhart, Texas

First time at Black's. Drove in from San Marcos. Loved the efficiently run process to order food and quickly get our food. Busy but not chaotic. Ambiance is for families and big groups if desired. Brisket and slaw were excellent. Green beans were ok, not great. Wouldn't get the beans again. Overall, would recommend. Thanks! read more

Black's Barbecue Lockhart - Inside the restaurant - Barbeque Near Me - Lockhart, Texas

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Brisket was tender, jalapeño, cheese sausage was on point. The food & customer service was amazing. Overall price is worth the food. read more

It was mine and my wifes first time in Austin, asked multiple locals for good suggestions on BBQ. Many said go to Blacks BBQ, the original, in Lockhart. We were excited and couldn't wait for good TX BBQ. When we walked in we were greeted with a smile. We told them it was our first time there and they explained the ordering process. They just opened and there was only one person ahead of us with a big order for a party and they were preparing his brisket. As the gentleman cut the two slabs of brisket into slices I could see how juicy and fatty it was. It got me excited! The lady gave us suggestions of what to order and we took them. The gentleman pulled out a new brisket and started slicing it. I could see it was so dry as he sliced it. I ended up asking for two more slices in hopes just the end was over cooked. Sadly it was some of the driest brisket I have ever had, as you can see in the picture. I do have to say the turkey was moist with a nice smoke and the sausage literally melted in your mouth. The rib was good but nothing to praise. The sides were good, beans were savory not baked beans and the Mac n cheese was great. I am sure I could have said something and asked for a different brisket, but I'm not that person. The staff was super friendly and towards the end someone came around and gave us a sticker which was nice. For what's pictured we spent $88, so unfortunately because of the brisket and the price I would not recommend them. read more

Black's Barbecue Lockhart - Brisket, Jalepeno Sausage, Pork Rib, Turkey, Potato Salad, Mac n Cheese, Beans - Barbeque Near Me - Lockhart, Texas

Nice smokey taste to the meats. Enjoyed the wide spread of desserts too. Very clean restaurant and bathrooms. Spacious dining room as well with cool decor. read more

Black's Barbecue Lockhart - Turkey, Chopped Brisket, Original Sausage, Pecan Cobbler, and Banana Pudding. - Barbeque Near Me - Lockhart, Texas

Brisket was tender & juicy. Moderate bark and smoke. Very Good. Sausage was fabulous. Great flavor and smoke. Maybe the best sausage I have ever had. Sides were good. But the Cornbread! Sweet cornbread and jalapeño cornbreads were the show stoppers. Never thought I rave about a BBQ joint cornbread muffin, but they were damn good. Overall, Original Black's BBQ is better than most. Will definitely go again. read more

Black's Barbecue Lockhart - Blacks BBQ, brisket, sausage, beans, mac-n-cheese, sweet potato and that awesome cornbread. - Barbeque Near Me - Lockhart, Texas

Really tasty BBQ in a historic building. The meat was really delicious but the rice side dish was amazing.

I was so hungry at Black's BBQ that I didn't even think to snap a picture--it was that good. The turkey was packed with flavor and perfectly moist, the brisket was tender and didn't disappoint, and the Dino rib? Absolutely worth the investment. For sides, you really can't go wrong, but the bacon creamed corn, beans, and cobbler deserve a top spot. Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to a Dino rib--you only live once! read more

Meh. All I can say is that this is bbq, but nothing stands out here. Made the trip out from SA as I've heard that Black's is THE place to go for BBQ. Welp, turns out that's a lie. Dont get me wrong, its not inedible or anything, but it's not worth the line and its not worth the drive. There are too many other small holes in the wall doing up BBQ right to even consider coming back here. First tell should have been the fact that you cant smell the BBQ outside. You can get a whiff of the smoke if you stand at the exact right spot, but unlike BBQ Life or 2M, you're not greeted with that sweet smell of smoke as soon as you open your car door. We got a beef rib, brisket, pork ribs and a jalepeno cheddar sausage. Nothing here stands out, nothing was especially juicy and it was too salty. The sides are also lackluster, the mac and cheese was just there and the green beans seriously lacked any semblance of flavor. Dont get me started on the banana pudding, I dont even know how you mess that up! Service was perfectly fine though the ambiance is another dead give away that this place is too corporate to be good BBQ. read more

Omgeee best pintos beans ever. Very, very friendly service I was pleased with every single employee. They were super sweet! Additionally, the chopped beef sausage and mac & cheese were good too, but there was just something about those beans that were just phenomenal. Can't go wrong eating here. read more

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Great beef! We tried the sliced brisket, chopped brisket and the beef rib. All were excellent. The Mac and cheese was very good and the cream corn was pretty good but runny. Mashed potatoes were good but the green beans weren't anything special. They were out of cornbread by dinner. read more

Black's Barbecue Lockhart - Beef rib, chopped brisket, mashed potatoes, green beans, white bread. - Barbeque Near Me - Lockhart, Texas

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Really amazing brisket -- insanely flavorful and perfect texture. I also (surprisingly?) also really loved their bean salad, which had green beans, kidney beans, and chickpeas, and was a nice refreshing antidote as I stuffed pounds of meat into my face. The beef rib was also excellent although I've had others I prefer more. read more

Black's Barbecue Lockhart - Brisket, beef rib, spare ribs - Barbeque Near Me - Lockhart, Texas

First time here and I very much enjoyed the smokiness of the meat! I wasn't sure what to order for sides and they move very quickly so you don't have time to really think about it you just pick and go. It was a Thursday afternoon and it was busy but thankfully there was no line when we got there. There is plenty of seating available. They do have free condiments to make your own sandwich on white bread. I wasn't sure that's what it was for but that's what I was told. I've heard that this location has the best sides and I was not disappointed. The coleslaw was a little sweeter than I used to. I enjoyed the food, definitely not something I can get in Indiana. read more

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We love BBQ.....my husband grills and smokes our good all the time....... Let me tell you this: THIS IS THE BEST EVER! We went to Lockhart to sample all the BBQ is town and started at Black's. First mistake, we had the best first! No sides, just meat....samples of it all.....and one of the men sliced me a tiny slab of Big Beef Rib to try. It Was Amazing!!! All the meat was good, sausage was okay, Brisket was excellent, pork rib was delicious with a great bark. But that giant Beef Rib, it was so good, I got back in line and bought one to take home for dinner. It's not cheap, but anything that moist and meaty and delicious is worth the $$. We tried another place but Black's is definitely the best!!! read more

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Wow this is a sad day for me to review this,,, This has been my favorite bbq brisket and went down hill. I travel from Houston to get here. Am gonna keep it simple,,, brisket was dry and tough.. and that me ordering 2lb greasy moist,,, came back to the worker and show them,, yes they try to make it right and gave me a new serving 3lbs this time from a fresh slab of brisket... i was like,, ok look a little better but still tough and dry... Manager came out and i show him as well,, he even agree with me.. ask me if he can make it right,., told him hopefully the pit master can smoke it correctly to prevent this from happening to others. End discussion.... He thank me for giving him feedback. Well at least the service is still good. read more

Tried the top 4 Lockhart BBQ spots today: Chisholm Trail BBQ, Black's BBQ Lockhart, Smitty's Market, and Kreuz Market. Black's BBQ (not Terry Black's because Terry's is an Austin spot that also has a location in Lockhart) was today's top ranked! We got: moist brisket with extra bark (bark piece was really good, overall brisket was good), huge beef rib (honestly was overhyped because of the cost; it had a pot roast consistency so I wouldn't order it again but it did easily separate from the bone), jalapeño cheese sausage (casing was tough to cut and falling apart but flavor was pretty good) banana pudding (delicious and extra sweet). We didn't really make room for sides but agreed that between the 4, Black's had the best selection. Food wasn't quite a 5 for me, compared to some of the other BBQ places around Texas, but overall Black's did great and brought a small town big flavors. read more

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The food was delicious it was our first time having Black Bbq . Staff was so friendly and allowed to sample meat before purchasing. Banana pudding was so good. I wish I got a bigger size. read more

Ok if I'm being honest, I'm mad at myself for waiting in line for this bbq. Got brisket, chicken, and sausage. Brisket had a little smoke flavor but that's it. No S&P flavor whatsoever. The chicken was same and had a grey color to skin like dirty smoke hit it. The sausage was bad. Really bad. It had a mealy texture and the casing was rubbery. So bad we couldn't eat it. Sides were all just average at best. Drinks are almost $3 for a small cup. Really?? Staff were friendly and the place is nice inside but for a Texas bbq joint that's been around as long as they have, it's very disappointing. read more

Black's Barbecue Lockhart - Beef Brisket, chicken, Sausage Ring - Barbeque Near Me - Lockhart, Texas

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We had the chance to pass through Lockhart on our way home to Dallas. I have always wanted to try Black's BBQ and they were open when we went through. It's exacting as I envisioned. A old time BBQ place started in 1932 and still run by the same family. I had the sliced brisket and the original sausage. Both were excellent. The smoke flavor is not heavy and the brisket was lean and tasty. The staff very very friendly and helpful. Defintely worth a stop if you're in the area. read more

Vintage, rugged building, delicious food, smiling service, must try when in Lockhart. The rib and fatty brisket were mouthwatering and the sides disappeared fast. I believe bbq is like football, Any Given Sunday, and on this day, Black's rules them all. read more

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The food was fantastic, the sauce was on point, the ambience is great, the sausage is made with brisket, it was really good, we were so stuffed when we left, I love that we have leftovers for tomorrow, great job!!! The place is very clean too, and the staff is super friendly read more

Black's Barbecue Lockhart - The server was cute and too funny - Barbeque Near Me - Lockhart, Texas

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Loved the atmosphere and the smell of bbq in the air. Service was excellent, you go in, order your sides, order your meat and everything, and you chow. Someone is always available to provide an extra helping hand whether it's a refill or a slice or loaf of bread Food was hit with a few misses. The turkey was savory and to our liking. The sausage links were inexpensive and very snappy even the following day. The beef rib was gigantic, fatty, moist, and was brought home. The brisket was a miss since it was dry and may have been overpowered by the beef ribs read more

For our team's dinner, we Uber'ed 45+ mins to get to the Original Black's Barbecue and it was well worth it! There is plenty of street parking in front - we came early for dinner and there was no wait. How it works is you go down the line like buffet style, but the servers will help you plate the items you select. Then at the end you pay for your meal. Oh my, there were so many side options that I went a little too happy but realized that you actually have the option to do half portions. For myself, of course I over-ordered (my eyes were way bigger than my stomach): - half Mexican rice: 4/5 - half mac n cheese: 4/5 - corn: 5/5 - coleslaw: 4/5 - potato salad: 3/5 - sausage ring: 4/5 - 2 beef brisket: 5/5 - pork rib: 5/5 Wow everything was super flavorful and rich in taste. The protein options were super tender and well marinated. The sides were good, but I really enjoyed the corn the most. I should've asked prior on getting smaller portions but then again, I ended up splitting this into 2 meals. Definitely well worth visiting this location and recommend taking some time to stroll around the town. read more

Black's Barbecue Lockhart - Front of The Original Black's Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Lockhart, Texas

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The Texas barbecue experience includes a number of elements. Taste is first of course followed by ambiance, service and incidentals. Black's comes in first in all of the above. The brisket was smoked to perfection. Excellent bark and a strong but not overpowering smoke taste. Unfortunately I had to limit myself to the brisket but the monster beef ribs tempted me. Maybe next time Being my first visit, service was patient and helpful. The history behind the pinto beans was explained in detail. They were excellent. The potato salad was also very good. Pickles and onions were free as well as white bread. Other sides were available. To drink I opted for a Shiner Light. And the ambiance? Well it just feels right. Hard backed booths. Plain tables. Get your own utensils. Eat. Nothing fancy at all. It's like stepping back to another time. And these days, that's a good thing. Thank you Black's Barbeque. I'll be back. read more

Black's Barbecue Lockhart - Beef Brisket - Barbeque Near Me - Lockhart, Texas

If you are a fan of Platonic Idealism then you might argue that there is a universal form of barbecue. That outside of our perception exists a perfect form of barbecue and that our perceptions and attempts of creating its realism render that ideal form imperfect. Something like that. Anyway, this is as close to perfect barbecue as it gets. Perfectly barked brisket dripping with juices from its internally marbled center. That smoke ring. Sausage that snaps. Crips yet also juicy. Ribs that fall apart in your hands and your bite. Perfectly smoked. None of this concept of barbecue requiring a single drop of sauce. Yep, that's it. read more

Black's Barbecue Lockhart - Beef Brisket, Pork Spare Ribs, Sausage Ring, Barbecue Chicken - Barbeque Near Me - Lockhart, Texas

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The vibe and design of this place is special and historic. I love the atmosphere in there because it feels super old school and you know it came from 1932. The service was great. The lady serving sides was super kind and welcoming. I enjoyed the BBQ a lot. This is one of the best in Texas. The quality in meat here is wild. The beef rib is the best I've ever had. Super tender and juicy. The smoke flavor is amazing. The brisket and sausage were Fire!!! I love the flavors and tenderness. The pork ribs were my least favorite here. Pork ribs were too tough and not sweet enough. The sides were amazing. The potato salad, Mac, and banana pudding was great! Overall, one Fire restaurant! WOULD BE BACK! Oh yeah! read more

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Excellent service and even better food. Love the brisket, slaw and nanna puddin'. I had work in Austin so drove down for dinner. Visit #2 at this location. read more

Black's Barbecue Lockhart - Brisket, turkey, slaw, tater salad, green beans, sweet tea and nana puddin'. - Barbeque Near Me - Lockhart, Texas

Good food. We there on 4th July for lunch. The line was not too long. Loved the atmosphere, it was fun. The brisket, and ribs were great as were the sides but the sausage was not that great, the meat was not packed well and the outer layer was chewy. read more

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Why 5 stars? Because we saved the best for last. --- --- --- Stop 3 of a 3 stop BBQ tour: Black's. Beef Rib - 5 Pork Ribs - 5 Brisket - 3 Coleslaw - 5 Potato Salad - 5 Mac-n-Cheese - 3 Banana Pudding - 5 Pecan Pie - 5 Peach Cobbler - 4 Overall, this was my favorite stop on the tour, if you're talking strictly about the food. The whole experience at Smitty's was pretty cool, but the ribs at Black's won the day. The beef ribs is gigantic and shares a similar texture to brisket. The pork ribs and all of the sides/desserts I rated a 5 above were all excellent. To top it all off, a very sweet woman was checking on us throughout the meal and promptly cleaning up after us, even though she definitely didn't have to. She was great, as was the food - a great way to end an afternoon in which more than the legal limit of red meat was consumed. read more

Black's Barbecue Lockhart - The feasf - Barbeque Near Me - Lockhart, Texas

This was part of an April 2022 trip to central Texas. Early lunch arrival for Black's, short (~10 min) line to order. My buddy and I split three meats and two sides: lean brisket, a beef rib (ENORMOUS - more to come on this), sausage, green beans and mac & cheese. I'll get the "tough" (pun intended) part out of the way first: the lean brisket was especially difficult to eat on this day...which happened to be the first and only time I've had their lean brisket. Although flavorful, the meat was very tough to chew, even on a "lean" scale. Not in the top 10 lean briskets I've had in central Texas. With the high standard set around the area, I was very disappointed. The sides were both good. Nothing outstanding, but down the middle. Now, that beef rib. This thing was a B E A S T!!! Out of five days of barbecue eaten across many of central Texas's best, this was among the BEST pieces of meat we had. Moist, tender, and full of flavor. It pulled right off the enormous bone. However, there's a catch... although you do get a fair amount of meat, the cost of this is the same rate as the lean brisket. On paper, you wouldn't think that to be too big a deal. However, once weighed WITH the bone (which are typically inedible, last I checked), this cost nearly $40 on it's own. No champagne, no gold leaf, no plain-ol' gold, and no black gold (hey - it's Texas, right?) is served with it. I wondered why everything rang up so high (~$65 for all the food above, which filled two grown boys), and upon reviewing on the way to the car, found the culprit - that darn beef rib. Ouch. I'd suggest they weigh WITHOUT the bone, which must be at least 2/3 the weight. The sausage, like the beef rib, was absolutely fantastic. Smoky, flavorful, moist... excellent! Hard to argue with the character of the main dining room, which screams Texas barbecue if anything ever has. Worth checking out, but, buyer beware of the catch-22 of that ol' beef rib. Tasty as it is, it's gonna cost ya! Food = 4/5 Facility = 3/5 Service = 3/5 Ambiance = 4/5 Value = 2/5 read more

Black's Barbecue Lockhart - Barbeque Near Me - Lockhart, Texas

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One of our favorite BBQ places in TX. It never fails to satisfy. We took our out of state friends and they won't be able to eat BBQ again. Come early if you don't want to wait in line, and anyone that knows about Blacks knows this. read more

Beef brisket was very flavorful with a good amount of smoke, decent bark, and a good smoke ring. The meat was extremely dry, however. In fairness, the brisket was ordered by mail. The package was perfectly shrink-wrapped and cooler packed. I wrapped it tightly with aluminum foil and heated it low and slow to serving temperature with the fat side up hoping to get some extra moisture into the meat. It was super dry. The taste was great, but the dryness of the meat really took away from the experience. I'm sure it is better at the restaurant, but I wouldn't recommend the brisket for mail order. read more

Black's Barbecue Lockhart - Beef Brisket - Barbeque Near Me - Lockhart, Texas

The Original Blacks Barbeque Lockhart, Tx After a week long training in San Antonio, the family and I wanted to stop for a historical bite to eat. If Central Texas Style barbecue started here in Lockhart then let's try one of the most famous. Indoor picnic style seating with booths. Family small town country atmosphere. Almost gives you the feel of your typical bbq spot. Red and white plastic picnic tablecloth. Friendly staff. We got here about 12 noon, the line was not long at all. You get the opportunity to order your sides and desserts first then as you prepare to close out your order you can order your meats. We got our usual. 1/2 pound of brisket, sausage, and ribs. The Brisket is as dry and lacked what I thought was supposed to be Central Texas Barbecue. The bark was mid at best. Definitely needs to sauce to carry it. When my 8 year old says it's dry and he's been eating bbq since he was 2 years old, you know it's not the best. The ribs were ok. Like seriously, just ok. Light salt pepper rub and light smoke. Membrane still attached. Not what I expected. The sausage was better than the brisket and ribs. We tried both the original and jalapeño cheddar. Best thing I had was the pecan cobbler. Overall, save yourself the trip. If you're coming, you're coming for historical value only. Do not believe the hype! Clearly, a tourist sight now. read more

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Drove down to Lockhart to check this place out, among other things. I think I could've ordered takeout and bypassed the line, but instead waited in line inside. It was a bit cramped (not COVID friendly). The food is served cafeteria style where you walk by the food and pick out what you want, sides and meats. They cut the meats right in front of you! We got Mac and cheese and potato salad - both were good but nothing that would make me crave it again. The meats were deeeeelicious and cooked perfectly. Just wish I liked the sauces they offered a bit more. Overall very good, but not really worth the drive to Lockhart for me. Am I glad I went out to try it once though? Absolutely! read more

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Our 1st time here. We got the giant beef rib that was tender it was like melting in our mouths. The pork ribs and brisket was wonderful. All tender and a great smokey flavor. Only thing we were disappointed in was the jalapeño sausage. It was dry, like it was over cooked. Tried the BBQ sauce that was on the table. We really enjoyed it as it wasn't too sweet and didn't taste like vinegar. Mac & cheese was cheesy and delicious. Green beans were on point and the white gravy made the mash that much better. Overall, a great visit. The staff were very helpful and we didn't have to wait too long in line. All the decorations around the place were interesting to look at. We even bought some of the sauces and rubs to take home. We'll done, Black's Barbecue. We'll done.​ read more

For years I heard that Black's was the gold standard of Texas Barbecue. I was on a road trip recently which took me through Lockhart and decided to check it out. It turned out to be a huge disappointment. The beef brisket was super fatty, and what meat was in the carvings was tough beyond belief and also burnt. Their beans tasted terrible. How can you mess up beans??! I also had a few ribs, also overdone, chewy and burnt. Their sauce is a fail too. Bottled store-bought sauce is better. read more