Wonderful hidden gem in the heart of San Marcos! Great way to end an afternoon of shopping at the outlets. The staff was friendly, inviting, quick to answer all of our questions and boy was the bbq good! We were very surprised that there wasn't a crowd as we went on a holiday though most probably assumed it was closed. We were able to take our two small dogs and the tables were spread far apart as Blacks seems to be doing an excellent job at enforcing social distancing. The tables have covers patrons are scorched by the south Texas heat (added bonus). But on to the goods!!! The turkey was so moist and the brisket was falling apart the potato salad I wish I would've gotten a bigger serving of it was so good. Being completely and totally honest, I felt the cream corn was underwhelming but it wasn't a deal breaker. The rice and beans awesome as was the Mac and cheese! My son LOVED the rib and filled up on it. He said it was perfectly cooked. Will we be back? Umm YES!!! read more

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Wanted to stop by here since we heard all about this place from friends and TripAdvisor and it was just highly recommended. We couldn't dine in since we were on the way back home to Houston, so I can't really review the service or the ambiance. But I can make mention of the food. So between me and my boyfriend, we ordered a pound of their moist brisket and a single serving of their mac and cheese and peach cobbler. We ordered it for curb side pick up and since we got there right when it opened, we were served our meal almost immediately. We decided to eat in the car and when we opened up our bag, you can see the oil from the brisket. I literally gasped at how fatty and big these slabs of meat were. I was honestly so impressed. When I tried moving it over to a plate, it was falling apart. Taking that first bite? Good Lord... I almost died and went to Heaven. This brisket was so tender, falling apart, and more importantly - FATTY. It was absolutely to die for. I wish they had a location in Houston because I feel I'd be coming here almost all the time. Not only was the brisket to die for, but the mac and cheese was also top tier. Very creamy and cheesy and just ooey gooey goodness in every bite. I definitely recommend this place. This is just the best BBQ I've ever had! And I will definitely be coming back. read more

Black's BBQ - Mac and Cheese - Barbeque Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

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Great BBQ! Food was excellent, Brisket, Turkey and ribs all cooked perfectly. Mache was amazing! She saw we were from out of town. She walked us through ordering and the came to our table to give is Blacks BBQ history and cool suggestions on where to go on our quick trip. She even gave us each a free hat. After we learned the original Blacks was in Lockhart, we headed there and ate some more. I would definitely recommend both locations! Thank you for a great experience! The promised post card will be coming soon. read more

Black's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

This Black's Bbq location offers a delightful experience. While this location might not be the absolute best BBQ I've ever had, it certainly left a positive impression. The brisket was tender and flavorful, offering a satisfying smoky taste. The sausage and ribs were also delicious, with a nice balance of spices.Their sides were noteworthy as well.I particularly appreciated their BBQ sauce, which had a tangy and slightly sweet profile, enhancing the flavors of the dishes. One standout feature is the restaurant's suitability for large groups. With both outdoor and indoor seating options, it's a fantastic setting for gatherings. The ambiance is relaxed, making it a great spot to enjoy good food and good company. Overall, while it may not be the pinnacle of BBQ, this place definitely offers a satisfying dining experience with its diverse menu and accommodating atmosphere. The staff is so friendly and welcoming that it makes the restaurant that much better. read more

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This is my favorite bbq spot in central Texas. The brisket is out of this world and so are the sides. My son loved the chicken. We've eaten inside which is a nice bbq atmosphere and we've also picked up take-out. Both were delicious. They also have some dessert which I plan to try next time. read more

Black's BBQ - We had leftovers. The chicken is almost as delicious as the brisket. - Barbeque Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

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So much better than the location in New Braunfels. The beef ribs were perfectly tender, flavorful, and so tasty. The sides of green beans and pinto beans were great and not afterthoughts. Get the pickled jalapeños and carrots they're wonderful. Since I delivered my own food and bused my own table - I'd say my service was excellent! Plus I got the chance to eradicate ghost demons of the past. A winner of an experience! read more

Black's BBQ - Beef ribs, tender and delicious! - Barbeque Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

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Quality Meats, the smell is in the air, very satisfying. I'll be back brisket, jalapeño sausage, beef ribs, ok even the cole slaw and green beans are yummy too. read more

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Great food! Whoever is making this stuff is a pure genius. All of these plates are around $15 read more

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Nice place for good smoked barbecue in San Marcos. There was a short line so we were able to get our food quickly around noon on a weekday. The atmosphere is what you'd expect at a Texas barbecue restaurant - nothing special, but it was kept clean. The brisket and sausage were both fantastic; sides were very good as well. I would definitely eat here anytime I'm in the area craving barbecue. read more

Black's BBQ - Brisket, jalapeño sausage, creamed corn, green beans - Barbeque Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

On rating based off good bbq, this isn't it. There's so many better places in the area. As a native Texan I was disappointed in the lack of BBQ sauce, and flavor in the meat. I ordered the chopped brisket, pork ribs, and sausage. I also got Mac n cheese and green beans for sides. For the price you pay you would think they'd add some salt to some things. Only good thing was the cute cats out back read more

After driving up and down I35 and constantly seeing the billboards, you start to wonder what this Black's BBQ is all about. So one afternoon back from Austin, we decided to stop. Parking lot was not super full and the outside patio was completely empty as it was a very hot Sunday. We walked in the many back doors and weren't initially greeted and honestly a little lost as to how to order. So we walked all the way up to the meat guy and cashier girl who told us to start with the sides if we were dining in. Okay cool, so we went back to the corner and started ordering sides. I actually told the girl there that this was our first time, but she just asked what would we like. Unsure of how the pricing goes, we both ordered 2 sides each and my husband ordered some peach cobbler. Onions and pickles were offered as well with dining in. Next we went to the meats guy, again unsure on how to order, I asked for the pork ribs - I think I told them about 4-5 and my husband ordered the brisket. We also tried 2 frozen margaritas as well (weren't worth it). Our total was close to $65 dollars...now again this was our first time, but I was shocked at how expensive it was! Now the food review, the ribs were amazing and the BBQ sauce that's located at the tables complimented them very well. The ribs were tender and fell off of the bone. I had the beans and potato salad, the potato salad was good - a little on the sweet side and the beans were a little hard, so I wasn't sure if they were undercooked. The mac n cheese was really good and cheesy and the mashed potatoes were tasty as well. Overall, it was a good experience - this restaurant history goes generations back and I appreciated the framed pictures on the wall. I can't say that I would frequent here often because of the price, but they do have some good BBQ!!! read more

Black's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

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The food is absolutely to die for every bite is moist and flavorful!!! The service is great they are very friendly and helpful.

I was stranded. In Austin and decided to ease down to SM to try out Black's. My main motivation was the beef ribs. They are hard to find, but well worth the search. When I arrived in their spacious back parking lot, the smell of smoke greeted me like an old friend. I walked through the outdoor seating area and began my trip down the sides/diversions area to get to the main stage. I did fall for a generous helping of pecan pie cobbler. It was a first for me, and proved a good choice. When I got to the carving area, I had one target, the beef rib. I've seen them vary from a pound up to two pounds. He found me one that was just under a pound. I made my way to a bar seat and proceeded to eat with limited inhibitions. I thought about taking my shirt off to keep from getting fat or sauce on it, but decided against it. The place has the old Texas bbq charm and the food to back it up. read more

Black's BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

The pork belly was indescribable. Better than dessert! The Fat Brisket was equally good! Great food, service and ambiance! Highly recommend Black's BBQ! read more

Really pleased with my car club's recent visit to Black's San Marcos. Groups can be tough for any restaurant to handle. Yet, this was better than that easy button commercial. Couple of things I considered in choosing this place. I'd also like to point out I was turned away from a popular Chicken Fried Steak destination in Bulverde...It rhymes with Antler Cafe. First, it's a line up...grab your grub...pay...then eat kinda place. That means no confusing separating checks in the end. Next, a large dining area for your party was reserved in advance. No pricey catering group up-charge! Confession, we also showed up WAY late. We participated in the Texas Independence Day Parade prior to arriving and had extra guests. The line moved quickly despite my group hitting all at one. Full bar here folks which is a first for the family chain. Might as well take advantage of that college nearby. Girlfriend and I selected a couple of slices of fatty brisket, one sausage link, and a couple of spare ribs. From the serve yourself we grabbed some cobbler (dessert first), cabbage, and mashed taters. Out of 35 peeps, I didn't hear one complaint. Brisket had a beautiful fat line snaked thru the middle. Sausage was crisp and had an excellent flavor. I might have subbed the baby backs for the St. Louis for little extra meat. Cabbage with meat was stellar as was the cobbler. If I had to nitpick a bit; they were so busy slicing the meat became cold rather quickly. Otherwise, high praise for Black's San Marcos. read more

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Everything was really good, Mac n cheese is my favorite side to get from here, but everything else was delicious too. There is a cool patio area with cute cats all around. read more

Black's BBQ - 1/2 lb. Brisket Mashed potatoes with gravy on the side Banana Pudding with Wafers Potato Salad Mac n Cheese - Barbeque Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

We ate here for dinner on an early Sunday evening. There was no one in line. This is cafeteria style where you choose your sides then choose your meats by the pound, pay, then find a table. We ordered potato salad, pecan cobbler, Mac n cheese, brisket, spare ribs and sausage. All meat is cut to order depending on how much you want. The spare ribs were our favorite. They truly fall off the bone and melt in your mouth. The brisket was the second best. The seasoning and smoke flavor is perfect! One star removed for lack luster customer service, they were out of coleslaw at 5:30pm and we would have preferred eating with metal utensils instead of the plastic ones offered. Over all we enjoyed their meat very much! read more

Black's BBQ - Brisket, spare ribs and potato salad - Barbeque Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

Great spot in central Texas to get some bbq! It's always been a family favorite, and Black's is one of the places that has been around for decades. Nice, rustic vibe, and a great place to go for food after floating the river if you don't wanna hit up a fast food place. read more

Service was poor Staff did not know which sides were non-dairy. Brisket flavor was weak. No ribs. Terry blacks in Lockhart is 1000 times better in every way. read more

I love bbq and found myself in San Marcos I'm a Sunday late afternoon. I'm on a keto-ish sort of paleo diet and decided I would get some chicken and green beans. The smells were wonderful and the staff was friendly but it seems like it moves slow the way it is set up. They were sold out of chicken , so I ordered mean brisket instead (if you're a regular here, let me know if that was a mistake). What I got looked good, but was fibrous and dry on the edges... almost splintery.. taste was good on inner portions of meat but a little chewy. I expected better. Green beans were very good and I allowed myself a little bbq sauce which was excellent. Should I have ordered the regular full fat brisket? Let me know. I think everything looked really good and I wish I could have tried the carb load sides and desserts ... I'll give them another try. read more

Black's is a Texas institution and pretty much the definition of what real Texas BBQ is. Their brisket is consistently an 8+ on a 1-10 scale. Sausage is great and the sides are just what they are supposed to be. Black's is a benchmark brand by which others are rated. Complain about their serving line if you must, but if you don't like Black's BBQ, you simply don't like BBQ. You may think you do, but that's just ignorance speaking. Disregard any reviews from california people. These are the same people that keep Carls Jr in business. read more

Nope, just nope. I wanted BBQ so badly. All sides are separately priced. The potato salad literally had no flavor at all and the green beans were the worst I've ever had. The brisket was meh and the jalapeño sausage wasn't good. This was a pretty expensive mistake. read more

I recently got take out from here. Quick service. They did not give me the cabbage that I paid for so that sucked and everything was pretty mediocre overall. I used to eat here quite a bit in the beginning of 2022 but things seemed to have changed here. Drier and less flavorful meat and sides. I love a good BBQ meal but this just isn't it for me personally. read more

I love the service and the food and one of the staff was so sweet that they gave me a t-shirt so this place deserves a 5 star review

Ok this place was absolutely positively spectacular in its entirety. It is a casual no frills restaurant. Our family dined and was pleasantly surprised. The customer service isn't what makes this place however..it's the food. All the meats smoked to perfection..falling off bone. Roasted chicken, seasoned brisket, pork/beef ribs,sausage etc! The sides are oh so good as well! Try the smoky Mac n cheese, the cream corn!! But the real winner for our family was the peach cobbler..it's like the best I ever had. As far as staff, we were greeted by a fella who seemed to have had a long day..and then the young man cutting our meats to order was friendly. After that you pay & carry your meal on a tray to your table of choice. No wait staff etc needed because the restaurant is self serve past that, which I enjoyed. I'd say the place could use a little scrubbing, aesthetically. Lonts of fingerprints & rustic atmosphere. Yet the food prevails and we plan to return often ! read more

First time to San Marcos in decades and we found this gem! Wow!!! Amazing food, and my fam is kinda picky but everyone was quite pleased

It was our first time at Kent's. It was amazing. The brisket was delicious , melt in your mouth. The Turkey was so juicy and smokey! As for the sides, I loved the Cole slaw and potato salad, but the green beans tasted like canned beans. read more

Black's BBQ - Meats: Pork ribs, brisket, Turkey. Sides: Cole slaw, potato salad, creamed corn, green beans, pickles & onions. - Barbeque Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

No vegan options exist here. I get that it's TX, but damn dude. Come on! Service is mediocre.

Read reviews and had to try it. Just got a sample tonight and we will be back. We got 1/3 pound of fatty beef brisket, pork belly, 1/3 pound spare ribs, small Mac and cheese and potato salad. The reviews did not lie! The potato salad taste just like my Mom's! I can come get it anytime I am missing it now. My husband loves brisket and he said it was really good. I enjoyed my spare ribs as well. Finally the pork belly was different for me but it was good as well. Needless to say, we are very full and satisfied! read more

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This place is in such a weird location in the middle of a neighborhood that we won't sure we were in the right place. Also the parking lot was so dark we thought it was closed and it was only 7pm but online it said they close at 9pm so I called to make sure they were open . Ordered 2 bbq sandwiches, cream corn and Mac and cheese. The bread was so dry and the bbq wasn't any better. Nothing special about the Mac. The only thing good was the corn, but not worth returning. Also the courtyard as you walking in had 3 stray cats just hanging around, not a good thing for a resturant to have. read more

The restaurant is a little bit tricky to find, but it is worth the trip to find this little gem. I did a to go order because they closed early. The food did travel well and was hot when I got back home. My friend enjoyed pork ribs because they were sold out of her pulled pork. I enjoyed the chopped brisket. The sides were quite good and included macaroni which my friend raved about it, but I wasn't too much of a fan but the beans are great. The service was completely friendly...very welcoming environment. read more

Went to Kent Blacks for the first time, food was amazing and Kayla took great care of us Will definitely be back!

Ok, came to San Marcos for a work thing. Had to get bbq while I was back in the motherland. Found blacks bbq, went in about 2 hours before closing, staff were friendly and service was prompt. It's cafeteria style like a good Texas bbq joint should be. Grabbed potato salad and beans and my sides, then ordered ribs and brisket. Probably should have had someone tell me that I order way too much but there was no one, so I ordered about a metric tone of ribs and brisket. I realized my error about one bite in, but I decided that my evening was gonna be meat sweats and sleep. So I ate all of the ribs I ordered, probably the best pork rib I've ever had in my life, it's was literal hog heaven. The brisket, honestly was average, I'd order it again but only one slice, I'd rather just eat ribs till I pass out. The potato salad was on point, the beans weren't my favorite but they weren't bad, pretty standard. My buddy had the same meats I did, he had the Mac n cheese, he said it was the best he'd ever had, he's an expert. The sauce was flavorful, and good on the brisket. The place is cool, very old bbq joint feel, nice outdoor seating area. Even with the things I wasn't stoked on, it gets 5 stars. You should go there, you should eat the ribs and whatever else looks good, make sure you can nap after, the food coma ain't no joke. read more

We were on our way home from the Bluebonnet Festival in Burnet, TX and traffic on I 10 was not moving so we decided to get dinner at Black's BBQ. What a GREAT decision! We ordered a single side of green beans, a single order of Mac and cheese, 1/4 lb of smoked turkey breast and 1/2 lb of lean brisket. I asked if they had any burnt ends and the gentleman went to the warmer and pulled out a BEAUTIFUL slab of smoked pork belly and two small pieces of the crispiest part of the slab, this is all we have left that would come somewhat close to burnt ends; at least you can have a little taste. My husband shared the above order and we had enough leftovers for him to have lunch tomorrow! The burnt ends taste was absolutely FANTASTIC (can't wait to go back and order some or at least order some smoked pork belly! The brisket was so tender and the seasoning was simple but perfect! A true sign of perfectly seasoned and smoked brisket is not needing any sauce to mask the brisket flavor! The smoked turkey was very tender and juicy; however, it was too salty for me to eat! I grew up watching my daddy grill and smoke all of the meat we ate growing up. I have been grilling and smoking all kinds of foods and meats myself for 40 years and I can honestly say, Blacks BBQ is one of only 2 restaurants that can prepare and smoke BBQ Brisket as well as I can! If you are searching for the best smoked brisket that is "mass" produced and IS ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS, then you MUST GO TO BLACK'S BBQ. The staff is friendly and very knowledgeable of their products served! read more

Nice patio dining , roomy interior. Get in line order sides. Cafeteria style then order meats then pay. Bbq was good. Ribs were fatty and ok. No smokey flavor. Jalapeño sausage was small and had a fall apart mushy consistency like boudain sausage. I didn't like it. The sides were all good. The turkey didn't have a Smokey flavor. It looks better than it tasted. We're from Houston visiting. read more

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GREAT BBQ. (Period) If you're in the mood to try some authentic delicious BBQ, this is your place! Ever since I moved to SA I've been craving smoked brisket, although SA has some great spots, I was shopping at the outlets when I decided to try this place out. I'm glad I did. Before arriving to the place you can smell the smoke permeating through your vehicle that's how you know this place is about to be an experience. The staff was very friendly and they did follow covid protocols. The rib was perfect. Super tender but still had texture. I hate it when they over cook it and doesn't have texture. This rib was cooked perfectly. The smoked turkey breast was super moist and was seasoned perfectly. Not over seasoned like many other places. The chicken and sausage were.. chicken and sausage.. although moist it was nothing to write home about. Sides were super tasty and added value to the dish. If you like BBQ, you have to try this place out! read more

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Stopped in with a group of 10. Everyone was impressed with the quality of food, ambiance and service. We were greeted as we walked in with a smile and tips on making the ordering process run smoothly. I had the pork belly, pork ribs and brisket. All I can do is say WOW. This place is all about Texas and from what I understand was originally a cotton processing building many years ago. If in the area make this a destination. The price was not cheap but the quality of meat and service make it worth it's weight in gold. read more

Black's BBQ - Brisket, pork belly and pork ribs. - Barbeque Near Me - San Marcos, Texas

I will start this by saying this is NOT Terry Black's BBQ! Different place and different taste. It's tucked away a few minutes off 35 and super easy to get to. Lots of parking. It was quite empty on the Friday night we went. Service was very fast and friendly and helpful. Lots of seating inside and out. Sides were mediocre. Brisket was a bit too fatty, sausage was pretty good, and the ribs were falling off the bone and sooo good! There are stray cats on the back patio that are super cute and friendly. The price is really steep though. Overall, I think I will stick with Terry Black's. So much better! read more

Just moved here and this place did not disappoint. Ordered the chopped sandwich, Mac, potatoes, turkey, and brisket. Had a great flavor! Missed T. Bbq! Highly recommended. read more

Brisket was tough..again..got sick after eating there..again. Must remind myself not to go back there Ever Again... Even the little cats who live there look emaciated. read more