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Cooper's Original Bar-B-Q

4.0 (63 reviews)
ModerateBarbeque, American
Closed 10:30 am - 5:30 pm
Updated 2 months ago

Cooper's Original Bar-B-Q Photos

COOPER'S ORIGINAL BAR-B-Q ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Quiet
Outdoor seating
Good for kids

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Gina J.

Best BBQ I've had in as long as I can remember!! Can't wait to go back and get more beef ribs. A must try if you're in the area. You will not regret it!!

Joshua H.

Just as good as the famed location in Llano Texas which I have been to 3x before this one. It is the same exact concept and quality meats but cheaper by a bit and faster service due to far shorter lines. I actually think that I would rather make the drive to Mason (closer to home for me anyway) than make the drive to Llano to get great BBQ since it's so similar if not identical at lower prices and faster service. I love the view you get over the pits to point and choose what you want, how much, pending whats available at the time. The half chicken, smoked turkey, and brisket are big winners for us. My wife and I loved all 3 of them. The coleslaw is great, my favorite classic side to BBQ other than beans or sweet cornbread. The baked potatoes are big and soft, tender and tasty, load it up with toppings as you wish. We paid about $70 for all our goods and leftovers as well.

Alyssa M.

Best BBQ in Texas, hands down! Historic feel inside and out. Very kid friendly kid too!

My feast: goat and jalapeño cheddar sausage, chicken popper, pork ribs, brisket, turkey breast, goat shoulder, goat rib
Ryan M.

Mediocre barbecue joints are the most difficult to review, as they elicit so little passion from yours truly, Dark Prince of Yelp San Antonio and South Texas barbecue gourmand extraordinaire. The crème de la crème inspire fervid, multi-paragraph tomes in which I extol the indubitable, alchemical talents of their respective pitmasters: men and women who've spent years, possibly decades, honing their craft and transforming primal slabs of meat into tender, smoky, crusty slices of heaven. At the opposite end of the spectrum, extraordinarily *bad* barbecue joints (mainly corporate fare such as Dickey's and Bill Miller's) are fun to lambaste (often with scatological humor) on a public forum such as this. Cooper's BBQ in Mason, Texas falls somewhere between both extremes; most of the mesquite-kissed meats (and all of the sides) are average at best. Contrary to what other Cooper's BBQ locations throughout Texas claim, the Cooper's in Mason, Texas is *the* original location, the one founded by George Cooper in 1953. The pit has changed hands only twice, with longtime employee Duard Dockal assuming ownership in 1983 and the Estes family purchasing the property in 2014. The Estes' young son Dillon mans the three steel pits and does his best to keep the Cooper's tradition alive. The building still looks charmingly ramshackle, and the tantalizing aromas (yummy polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) wafting through town have no doubt enticed many a hungry traveler. Dry "moist" brisket (yes, an oxymoron) was the biggest disappointment of the afternoon. I should have trusted my eyes when Dillon's associate lifted the pit and I spotted several slabs of brisket with desiccated edges and no discernible fat cap. The edges were tough and difficult to chew, while the center was lined with rivulets of spongy, unrendered fat. Based on these signs, I suspect that young master Dillon utilizes the "hot and fast" approach to brisket, a technique best left to a seasoned professional like Roy Perez at Kreuz Market in Lockhart. In this case, the brisket would have benefited from the more traditional (and far less risky) "low and slow" method, imbuing the edges with a slightly crispy, mahogany ring of smoke and rendering the intramuscular fat and collagen. Goat sausage fared considerably better with just a hint of gaminess and plenty of snap from the pit. Dillon informed me that he follows the same recipe (a blend of pork, goat, and proprietary spices) handed down from the late George Cooper. I could have made a meal out of several links and a side of Cooper's tangy, vinegary mop sauce. Less successful, however, was a jalapeno-cheddar variant, which bore minimal heat from the peppers and an overpowering, heavily processed American cheese flavor. The biggest hit of the afternoon was a huge slab of goat shoulder. Given my disappointment with the beef brisket, I was pleasantly surprised to find the goat shoulder moist throughout, suggesting that Dillon applied the aforementioned "low and slow" method to the latter. Goat meat has a unfair reputation (at least in the US) for being tough and gamey, but the shoulder I devoured with my bare hands was delicate, grassy, and reminiscent of lamb. Regrettably, everything else I sampled was mediocre. Pork ribs veered dangerously close to "fall-off-the-bone" tender (i.e., they were overdone), and both poultry options (chicken poppers and turkey breast) were dry and stringy. Thimble-portioned sides of coleslaw and potato salad were bland, as were the complimentary pinto beans. The latter were also watery and lukewarm (or "piss warm," as my father is fond of saying). Whenever possible, I visit an establishment at least twice (preferably three times or more) before passing judgment, but I doubt I will ever return to Cooper's in Mason. On a positive note, Dillon and his team were ingratiating and receptive to feedback, two traits I seldom observe from justifiably narcissistic pitmasters at Texas's most acclaimed barbecue destinations. Road trips are fun, but when I crave barbecue (which happens with alarming frequency), I will embark on a much shorter trip to B Daddy's in Helotes or Blackboard BBQ in Sisterdale, two semi-local temples of 'cue (see my reviews). If you do visit Cooper's, then consider limiting your order to goat, goat, and more goat.

Brisket, sausage, chicken, potato salad, Mac and cheese. Bigger portions not pictured
Aspen F.

This place is tiny, but don't let that fool you. We have been planning family vacation routes around this place since I was little, and it never disappoints. They pull the BBQ right off the pit for you and cut however much you want. They have the generic meats and sides, but their Mac and cheese is delicious. Home made and creamy, so yummy! Make sure you have them dip your meat at the pit when you order, I think they call it sauce but it isn't BBQ sauce. I'm not sure what it is, but it makes all the difference. Your meat is moist and full of flavor.

Outside sign

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2 years ago

This is BBQ! Stand in line, point and grunt, get meat on tray. Everything is fantastic. A must stop on anyone's BBQ journey.

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3 years ago

The Goat BBQ amazes me. Everything bbq should be! Finger pickin & bone lickin. My portion is so perfectly cooked for challenging piece!

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It was ok but I almost didn't eat because flies in the pit as you picked out your selections. My husband liked it.

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7 years ago

Giant Beef rib fell off the bone. Beans were great. Great place. Will be back soon. For the goat sausage. To full now.

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Ask the Community - Cooper's Original Bar-B-Q

Sunset Grill - Mexican Coffee (my new favorite drink)

Sunset Grill

4.5(1.9k reviews)
39.0 mi
$$

This is our favorite brunch in Fred…read more Sam has taken care of us many times and she's wonderful! The whole staff here is top notch. They updated their porch to have more coverage which will be great once summer really hits. Inside is great too. We've sat in all the areas. We went all out for our brunch date (mom & dad time out). Cold brew with vanilla, caramel iced latte... yummmm! We started with zucchini fries and they were hot, crunchy and delicious. I had the brunch burger (it was huge!) with sweet potato fries. I love their sweet potato fries. Husband tried the special- biscuit love - says it's good for anyone who loves gravy and brunch dessert was the banana French toast - we got the banana on the side and a side of berries. Yum yum yum. Soft and pillowy. Thank you Sam! See you soon :)

My husband and I stopped in on a Saturday morning around 8:30 and were seated right away! Our…read moreserver Cassie greeted us almost immediately and was friendly and attentive from start to finish. She really made the experience. I ordered the Eggs Benedict, substituting bacon for ham, with a biscuit and gravy on the side. The Eggs Benedict was good. I loved the unexpected touch of Swiss cheese, which added a nice twist to a classic dish. The hollandaise was a little on the sour side, but the bacon was cooked perfectly. The biscuit and gravy was the real star of my meal, so good that I almost wish I had ordered it as my main! Definitely getting that next time. My husband went for The Big Ass Sandwich and loved it. Fair warning- it lives up to its name. It's big, it's messy, and it's absolutely worth it. He said the same thing I was thinking: we need to come back. We'll definitely be returning on our next trip to Fredericksburg. Highly recommend if you're looking for a great breakfast spot with good food and even better service!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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Sunset Grill - Pretty decor/seating area

Pretty decor/seating area

Sunset Grill - Huevos Rancheros

Huevos Rancheros

Sunset Grill - Crab cakes

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Crab cakes

Lum's - Two meat plate

Lum's

4.3(467 reviews)
37.0 mi
$$

Though I grew up in rural Virginia, the majority of my family lived in upstate South Carolina and…read moreTattnall County, Georgia. The women in my family were superb cooks. Many of them had a specialty: one reliably fried her chicken juicy, crunchy, and golden-brown; another made buttermilk biscuits that were always flaky, layered, and tender, with a subtle, tangy flavor and a rich, buttery taste; yet another baked exceptionally delicate, intensely-flavored coconut cakes; etc. I was taught and encouraged by these ladies - my Meemaw and my aunts - to manage a kitchen, and, to this day, their influence abides. My father was a restaurant man, but at home, he, my grandfather, and my uncles, all of whom would've called themselves "traditional", mostly limited their culinary efforts to food they could prepare outside. From an early age, these men taught me to work with grills and smokers, which is to say that as soon as I was strong enough, I was put to work, hauling wood before a cook and clearing ashes afterwards. And that was as close as I got to cooking with the men, until one special day, when, at 10 years old, my Uncle Buddy allowed me to baste the hog as it spun on the spit. It was another three years before I was permitted to poke the fire. Cooking, for the men, was guided by custom and tradition, a set of rituals that they'd learned from their elders. They didn't prevent my participation because they didn't trust my talent; they just hadn't finished teaching me yet. But eventually, I earned my place by the fire, and, having proved myself capable, I was entrusted with special tasks of increasing importance: grilling meats (a throwaway - kid's play - in the men's eyes); making basting sauce - the "mop" - or what some call barbecue sauce; and, in my late teens, assisting with the butchery. In the decades that followed, I traveled the United States, trying dozens of local BBQ variants. I won't criticize the barbecue of places that don't do it well, but I will say that if you're going to make the stuff and charge money for it, maybe go see how it's done in Memphis and eastern North Carolina, where my favorite types of "Q" come from. Don't just light a fire and open for business; learn something first. At home, I've owned several smokers, and I've made and eaten a lot of a LOT of BBQ. I use pecan (or a pecan/cherry mix) when I want the taste of the thing I'm smoking to stand out, or when there's not much meat to the bite. Ribs, fish, and special dishes like pizza and involtini get the light smoke. I use hickory or oak when I want an old-school BBQ flavor, or when the cut I'm cooking is large enough that it won't smoke all the way through. Those woods make excellent pork shoulder, prime rib, and leg of lamb. The one wood I won't smoke with is mesquite. Never again. The few times I used it, my food tasted the way country air smells in the summer, when road crews get to resurfacing the County road. But I know that the problem is me, because one day, a while back, I ate outstanding mesquite-smoked BBQ at Lum's in Junction, TX. That morning, I'd left Luling for Van Horn, and, since I'd missed the more famous spots in the Houston area, I was set on finding a decent plate of BBQ before I left the state. Yelp and TripAdvisor said Lum's was a good choice, which gave me hope that the place would have what I wanted. I walked in, happy to note that Lum's was not so much a "restaurant" as a "dining hall," the sort of place that serves a basic menu to lots of people, quickly and without complication. You grab a tray, shuffle down the line, choosing from a meat (or two or three) and a couple of sides, a drink and maybe a sweet treat to finish. Park yourself in a comfortable chair at a heavy wooden table, and get to eatin'. The menu board offered brisket, turkey, pork ribs, pulled pork, pork loin, and sausage. There was chicken, too, but that's not why I was there. The sides included something called "Spicy Spaghetti" which, had I been sticking around, I'd definitely have tried, but pasta wasn't on my short-list of Things To Eat In Texas' Hill Country. I picked brisket (because Texas), pulled pork and ribs, and sides of potato and cucumber salads. My plate came with white bread. And with my feast, I drank sweet tea, as God intended. What did I miss? The spaghetti, and sausage, and pinto beans and mac 'n cheese. Next time. The meats were expertly done: tender, moist, not greasy, and they'd been handled carefully by the pit master, so that the seasoning hadn't been knocked off as they were shifted from smoker to service line. Before I left, I paid my respects to one of the owners and asked what sort of wood he uses, as I couldn't quite identify the smoky flavor. I was surprised when he said, "Mesquite... we're surrounded by it!" There was no acrid, creosote-y bitterness; instead, the flavor was smooth, savory, and delicious. Lum's showed me that mesquite can work. But not at my house; I just don't have the touch.

This spot was delicious! The ribs were some of the best I've ever had, and we loved the pulled…read morepork. The brisket was kind of dry and flavorless, and had a big strip of fat, but it was easy to just cut around. The sides were overall tasty, especially the beans, though all of them could have used a bit more salt. The BBQ sauces on the tables were great. The decor was cute too! They had a counter on the wall for how many likes they had on Facebook. We had fun following them and seeing it change! The guy behind the counter seemed a little cranky but he wasn't rude, the woman grabbing our sides and the girl who rang us up were super sweet. Overall it was a pleasant visit and tasty, and we would return!

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Lum's - Pretty much just BA Barracus

Pretty much just BA Barracus

Lum's - 2 Meat Plate - Brisket, Turkey, Mac & Cheese, and Spicy Spaghetti

2 Meat Plate - Brisket, Turkey, Mac & Cheese, and Spicy Spaghetti

Lum's - Welcome to Lum's!

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Welcome to Lum's!

Cooper's Original Bar-B-Q - bbq - Updated May 2026

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