I LOVE Cowboys. A local mom pop stop in Salado. Their bbq is amazing. Their sides are delicious, and their cobbler is melt in your mouth yummy. So very much recommend. read more

Ribs was rough, sausage was good, potatoes salad was to pickle, tasted vinegar mostly. Paid $81 for full ribs, 2 sausages and a pint potato salad. Overpriced for a quality of food. My kids and husband couldn't eat it. Hope they will consider to look at food quality. read more

Brisket was rough The chicken was nice and tender Beans were cold Bbq was cold Potato salad was excellent Yea tasted like dirt water I left very dissatisfied read more

Food is always good. My go-to is always a chopped beef sandwich with lay's potato chips so is my family's.

What better name for my first TX BBQ place than Cowboy's? I'm sure there are better places nearby, but I searched, and came up with some dead ends due to closures and construction, so I ended up here. Nothing special but not bad. The crowd seemed to be mainly workers from the highway. Service was minimal but good, the place is clean, and prices are reasonable. Decor is, well, particle board and cafeteria tables, but it's fine. I got the combo meats, ribs and brisket. You get a couple of sides; some are ladled out at the counter, others are on a buffet table. The ribs were pretty decent - a little tough, and not super flavorful. Sauce on the side was good. The brisket was a bit too fatty, but tender and tasty. The sides: baked beans were decent, though thinner than I like; the creamed corn was good. There aren't many food options nearby, so if you're nearby it's worth a try. read more

Cowboy's Bar-Be-Que - Ribs, brisket, baked beans, cream corn. - Barbeque Near Me - Salado, Texas

The staff was nice and friendly, but the compliments stop here. Brisket ... tastes more like crockpot made, not smoked. No bark, no color. Moist was not moist. Tasted more like pot roast... dry. Very disappointed. read more

Stopped by one afternoon heading home from my dad's house. Kinda in a hurry and just grabbed a chopped brisket sandwich. Good sandwich, no complaints and I look forward to stopping for a more diverse selection. read more

My son and I were on our way to Harker Heights and left early to get some eats in. I saw this BBQ place on our exit up a backroad and pulled over whle my 10 year old just rolled his eyes "How many BBQ places are we going to stop at today dad?" Stood in line and ordered a plate with brisket, pork ribs and turkey (my go to setup). My son asked for a piece of beef jerkey too. Brisket - moist but not much flavor in the rub or the smoke, was more like a chewy roast beef than a brisket. Ribs - They were cooked alright but were lacking any flavor from a rub or smoke. I was getting bummed out. Turkey - This was easily their best meat. I saw them cut it off the bone and it had tons of flavor and was very juicy. This place has definitely been around here a while. My son says 3 stars and I would have to agree. read more

Cowboy's Bar-Be-Que - Turkey, ribs and brisket - Barbeque Near Me - Salado, Texas

Great brisket sandwich. Place is clean and folks are friendly. Looking forward to coming back

Lived here all my life and I'm always pleased with the food. It's set up where you go to the counter and order and it's always very fast. The brisket, turkey, and sausage wraps are amazing. The pinto beans and potatoes are great too. Very affordable and the owner Miguel and his family are very good to their customers. They've catered for us a few times and it's always been exceptional. This is the best bbq in town read more

Took me awhile to try this place but once I did I was a fan. Great food and the staff is great as well.

Cowboys has been my fallback BBQ shack for a long time now. It never seems great, never seems bad, just there. Not to say that it's bad, because if it was, it wouldn't be my fallback. Just, over the years I have had better BBQ in and around, but somehow, places I like better keep closing, and these guys hang in. Some days company comes in and wants Texas BBq and my choice is closed, or we're near Cowboys so we end up there. In or around Salado, got a craving, stop in and have a bite. Seletions are plentiful, food, OK, and it's easy to get to. Traveling up or down I-35, it's right on the access road, so you're not delayed by much to drop in and head on. read more

Dont waste your money!! I bought a combo plate and the chicken was like chicken jerky and tasted like it was from the day before, brisket had no taste and very tough, mac and cheese was macaroni and water!! Baked beans were from a can (tasted like Bushes Baked Beans) ... I was very let down read more

Only reviewing the beef jerky. Maybe I'm sheltered but I have never bought freshly made beef jerky. Cowboy's actually cures their own jerky on the premises. It was very flavorful, good with a little bit of spice. Ask them to cut it in smaller pieces so it's easier to eat. This isn't like your typical hard to chew beef jerky. This one is so tender you can eat it all before you know it! We'll be back when we drive back through town! read more

I don't know if it was an off day or what. Over the years, I've had a lot of good BBQ around the state of TX. This wasn't it. This was OK BBQ, like something I'd expect from my neighbor or buddy cooking in their backyard. I had a job in the area and stopped for a late lunch, about 1:30 in the afternoon on a weekday recently. Smelled like BBQ walking into the place, and there were maybe 10 folks eating, along with some obvious locals. Good. Having never been, I of course had to try the BBQ Trifecta - pigcicles (aka pork ribs), brisket, and sausage - along with a couple of what the house suggested were their best sides. Besides ribs, I got the fatty brisket (they have lean, too) - usually because it's juicier - and the jalapeno sausage (they have regular). For sides, they recommended the sour cream potatoes and pinto beans, so I rolled with that. While paying, I was provided the requisite bread (wheat). The recommended house sides were (the only 2 sides) self-served at the bar in the middle of the room along with pickles, onions, and sauce. I scooped some of that onto my plate, filled my soda water and sat down to eat. I tried the sausage first off. Mmmm. Quite good, almost a kiolbassa style, very juicy, a good solid spiciness without killing your tastebuds. I next went for the ribs. While not bad, these are definitely not transcendent. Perhaps I'm just too used to those from my favorite BBQ places, as I'm used to meat that pretty much just falls off the bone. These ribs were a little tough to chew, but at least for the most part moist and juicy. They use a seasoning on the ribs besides salt and pepper but couldn't quite place it. Sorta along the lines of the seasoned salts you get at the grocery. Between ribs, I started on the sides. The sour cream potatoes, pan-baked casserole style with cheddar cheese on top, were tasty with a definite but not over-powering sour flavor. I ate them all up. I also enjoyed their pinto beans which had a solid and savory broth with all the expected flavorings of this type of cowboy bean. The brisket was one of the real disappointments. My (fatty, not lean) brisket was dry and tough to chew. I even had to succumb to dipping it in the sauce, a tomato based slightly sweet and tangy sauce that seemed to be store-bought with a few spices thrown in like salt and freshly cracked pepper. Certainly not distinctive. Although I usually like my BBQ sans sauce, but when I do like sauce, I'm partial to the nutty and vinegary meat-dripping sauces in Texas, and there are only a few places I know that do it right, so my thoughts may be slightly biased on this one, but have had plenty of the tomato-based sauces as well. Too sweet for me, and fairly thick. Getting full, I ended up not finishing all of the brisket. But I gnawed my way through all the ribs and ate all the yummy sausage, and sides. Throughout my experience, everyone was helpful and friendly. The place was clean and attended by workers throughout my time at the restaurant. I didn't find it bad, but I was certainly hoping for more on the meat. Again, it felt like solid food at a neighborhood gathering with BBQ and sides being brought potluck style. read more

Finally tried it wasn't impressed. Macaroni tasted like water... Ribs and brisket had absolutely no flavor... Very dry where it was a must to eat the meat with BBQ sauce. Only thing that was decent was the pinto beans. read more

Reviews has us skeptical, but we rather enjoyed our chopped beef sandwiches and juicy jalapeño sausage. Quite delicious we thought. Friendly service and yummy sauce. Works for me! read more

Cowboy's Bar-Be-Que - Counter service - Barbeque Near Me - Salado, Texas

Outstanding service and big sandwiches.. Had a brisket sausage sandwich and ribs .. Simply awesome . Will stop here again for sure! read more

Cowboy's Bar-Be-Que - Good BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Salado, Texas

OMG their BBQ is awesome. We used Cowboy's BBQ for a catered party. From the initial phone contact, their service was friendly, helpful and above and beyond. The brisket was moist, tender and flavorful. the chicken the same moist, moist and flavorful. I did not get to try the sausage as it went so fast I never had a chance to try. I am a customer forever now. Thank you guys so very much!!!! read more

Great food! Brisket was delicious, and sides are homemade wonderful. Very clean and very friendly! A new favorite in Salado.

The chopped beef sandwich tasted like soggy bread with pickles. I didn't taste any smoke,any meat or any sauce. But the banana pudding was amazing and would get it again,but not the sandwich. read more

I have a wonderful memory of stopping here to eat with my mom on our way back from visiting what would be my future college. I agree with other posters: decent food and nice people. But, like with so many places, the memories are what make it special. read more

I could have sworn I had already reviewed this place, but I don't see my previous review in the list. I do know that I ate here before, but had forgotten that when my car instinctively braked at the sight of a BBQ sign from the road. Maybe it was senility, but when I walked in and ordered I felt a "deja-vu " type feeling. It was not until I sat down and looked around at the decor items that I remembered I had INDEED eaten here before. They have an old colt pistol and holster framed & mounted behind the service counter, and that triggered my memory. I knew before my first bite that I was not going to enjoy this food & I was correct. Despite it being "prime" lunchtime, only two other customers were present. The ribs I ordered were tough, chewy, barely warm and the sides were plain & bland tasting like no effort had been made at all to season them. I had never intended to eat here again, and upon realizing where I was, thought to myself I can at least get credit for writing an "Update" review at Yelp, lol. I guess I was so annoyed by the waste of money on my first visit here that I forgot to review it after I ate here. So I have eaten here TWICE and hated it both times, and will not INTENTIONALLY ever stop here again ! lol. read more

Remember, 3 starts isnt bad. Cowboys is above avg. What I noticed and liked is the fact that they tske pride in the customer experience. The place is old, simple but clean! Friendly staff, good bbq! Worth the stop read more

Good sour cream potatoes, jalapeno sausage, and Cole slaw. Brisket was decent, a touch on the dry side for me personally (but I'm REALLY picky when it comes to brisket that someone else has cooked). The staff was super friendly and so were the rest of the customers. read more

I loved this place! Had a brisket plate and potato salad - the meal was great for the price- the bbq sauce was amazing ! Great customer service! read more

This bbq was some of the worse I've had in Texas. The turkey was extremely dry. And the sides were in the middle of the restaurant plus they looked like they have been there all day. Not to mention I had to get my own sides. I was extremely disappointed read more

Hello, I travel often from Austin to visit many of our customers in Temple / Waco areas and recently stopped at this business in Salado. My guest and I stopped at Cowboy's Bar-B-Q for lunch and we were both terribly disappointed with the quality of the food. We both purchased the rib plate at almost $ 10 each and the ribs were very bad, more fat than meat. I attempted to eat one rib and it was terrible. I would not normally complain in front of a guest but had to on this occasion. When I went to the counter, the gentleman that served the ribs told me " the ribs are good and I can do nothing". I was hoping he could at least switch it out for something else. As you can imagine I was very upset. I will definitely not stop there again and will pass this experience on to customers and friends. Thanks for your time, Chris read more

Stopped in for lunch... I had the chopped chicken and Mike had the brisket Sandwich.. both were outstanding. Sour cream potatoes were perfect. Everything is reasonably priced too. Great locally owned place in Salado. read more

Most of the reviewers here hit it on the head. This place is "Absolutely Ordinary." If you were stranded in the desert for two or three weeks it would move up from "Absolutely Ordinary" to, "well, it kept us from starving to death." Amazing that if you've done it that long, you couldn't figure out how to go from "it's edible" to it's good". Had the Turkey. Dry. Dry. Dry. Have had the chicken. On a scale of 1-10, (this from a many time BBQ judge) it is about a 5. Hot sides, straight out of a can with no seasoning. Potato Salad. If you like Dill it's pretty good! Cole Slaw. Less than Average in Flavor. Environment. Always too hot. BBQ Sauce. Absolutely Awful, by any standard, thinner than water, with little flavor. Even with all these "ordinaries" they could step up their game a little if they acted like they cared if anyone were there. Places like this are successful on the basis of location, location, location. Give this guy AN OUNCE of competition and he sinks faster than the Titanic. Moral of the story: Ordinary is as Ordinary Does! read more

One of the best things about living in Salado is being close to Cowboys BBQ. Their brisket is so delicious! My kids love the sausage too. Their smoked pork and chicken is also really good. The sauce is drinkable! The sides are really good. Our favorites are the sour cream potatoes and the baked beans but they also have great homemade coleslaw. Sweet tea is great. There is really not anything here that is not great. It's a family owned business which I love supporting. It makes me feel better about where my money is going!! read more

I agree with some of the previous reviewers that this place is "not bad." It just isn't all that great. I had a turkey plate with green beans and pinto beans. There was about 6oz of carved turkey breast on my plate that had no noticeable smoke taste or evidence of rub. It was just ok but was filling. The green beans and pintos both had that fresh-from-the-can taste and lacked any seasoning. My wife had the sausage plate and it had about 1/2 pound of sausage. The sausage was pretty tasty without being spicy-hot and had a nice "snap" to the bite. The sausage was the best thing we ordered. Her sides were sub par; creamed corn that tasted tin-can fresh and coleslaw with little to no dressing that tasted like ....well, plain raw cabbage. Our verdict: Turkey- 6; sausage- 8; pintos - 3; green beans - 3; coleslaw - 2; cream corn - 2 The food was not bad, but not good enough to keep us from driving past this place in the future. read more

Kinda like the BBQ that you get when you are fundraising at the VFW hall to help pay for a kids leukemia treatment. Not bad but not worth driving real far for. If you need a cheap dinner on the road or your not from Texas and don't realize you are in the region where god goes for BBQ,Go for it. read more

Only had takeout from here but the people are very nice. I've had most of the meats on the menu and they are all pretty good. Nothing fantastic but nothing bad either. Definitely a safe choice for food. Only bread choice is wonderbread style, so don't expect anything good on that end. read more

Went there my second time passing through Salado. The brisket was very good and the pork ribs were outstanding. Sides were mew, but all-n-all a solid place. I love small business! read more

What can I say, was not impressed at all with their brisket, had no discernable rub and definitely undercooked. Should've known when I walked into an empty restaurant, but on my way down from Dallas and wanted to try something new. Fortunately my dogs liked it so tacked on an extra star. Shoulda just gone over to Miller's in Belton. read more

Green beans solid, mac n' cheese off the hook, and BBQ to write home about.

The food was pretty tasty...I got the combo plate chicken and lean brisket with two sides...not much else to say about it...

Great BBQ in a casual, friendly atmosphere.

The chopped beef sandwich was full of burnt meat. The sauce was bland as was the potato salad. The coleslaw had an off flavor. I do not think it is a good representation of Texas BBQ. I wouldn't eat there again. read more