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Hays Co. Bar-B-Que and Catering

4.3 (594 reviews)
ModerateBarbeque

Hays Co. Bar-B-Que and Catering Photos

HAYS CO. BAR-B-QUE AND CATERING ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Outdoor seating
Happy hour specials

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Recommended Reviews - Hays Co. Bar-B-Que and Catering

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Michelle R.

My dad was craving for some Texas BBQ so we ended up trying this spot on 4/4/24 since we were in the area. First off when we arrived at noon time the parking lot was almost packed and all of the car parked there are the Ford trucks. We almost couldn't get a spot. What's with all the big ford trucks here? Now for the food. This was our first time trying the BBQ from this location. When you first enter you pick up a tray and select the sides and desserts before you head over to the counter to get your meat, drinks and to pay. We ordered the following: - 3 servings of potato salad = $2.99 each - 1 serving of jalapeño cream corn = $2.99 - 1 serving of beans = $2.99 - 1 serving of cole slaw = $2.99 - 1 pie = $3.69 - Sausage = $4.49 - Sausage = $4.49 - Turkey (0.480 lbs) = $9.12 - Pork Ribs (1.66 lbs) = $20.13 - Brisket (0.550 lbs) = $16.50 I didn't notice the 2 total prices on the receipt. They charge $3 more if paying with credit card. Our total came to: $82.66 (cash) or $85.14 (credit card). I'm not much into the brisket and the pork rib. I tasted a little bit of it and it was good. My dad liked the pork rib and thought the brisket tasted ok. I liked the sausage. It wasn't oily and tasted good. My uncle said the sausage to him tasted kind of dry. He liked the turkey. Potato salad was so good, this was the highlight for me. The cream corn with jalapeño was so spicy, I couldn't eat it. My mom said the beans lacked seasoning. She added salt to it but the flavor still lacked though. Overall, food was good and service was friendly and quick.

Ribs were very special here! Don't pass on the Turkey either!
Mark G.

Here we are visiting another Top 50 joint with Hays Co in San Marcos. This spot is in a large and very clean location with all the classic bbq decor one would expect. But before I get to the food, I have to talk about the excellent and ultra welcoming customer service we received from the staff. We came in with our dog and walked to the outside patio in blazing hot summer heat, and the gentleman behind the counter brought us a bowl of water for our pup. Plus he was super helpful with any questions and recommendations. Just super nice people all around. Ok food time. I bet if we didn't walk in around 4pm the brisket would have been less dry. But for 4pm, the brisket was still pretty dang good. The jalapeño cheddar sausage was good and cheesy. It was in a tight and chewy casing and the meat inside though moist was still a little crumbly. But still over all pretty good. The ribs though were next level! Good quality meat. Excellent seasoning. Good tug with the meat coming off the bone. But don't sleep on the turkey either. Smoked turkey in most joints tends to be super salty and moist if your lucky, but this turkey was absolutely exceptional. The green chile mac and cheese was creamy and did the trick but I wasn't getting much green chile. I hope you get to Hays Co as quick as you can!

They're amazing potato salad !!
JoAnna G.

Tried Hays barbecue for the first time. Everything was amazing and we tried every type of meat that they had. My favorite was the pork ribs. The potato salad is the best I've ever had from a restaurant. The sweet pickles that they sell are very good as well. everything was amazing. Doesn't matter what you get it's all good. Staff is very very friendly there and again the barbecue is high-quality barbecue. My only complaint would be the barbecue sauce. They have a spicy barbecue sauce and a mild barbecue sauce. The barbecue sauce is tangy tart & vinegary I like my barbecue sauce, sweet and they didn't have a sweet barbecue sauce, but other than that I highly recommend trying out Hays barbecue !

Brisket, pickles, potato salad, Mac and cheese, banana pudding
S Christine S.

Took a trip to San Marcos yesterday for the first time and decided I wanted to try this place out. They have great reviews online and are even listed on some lists for best BBQ. Being from the Midwest, I am picky about my BBQ, specifically my brisket. I focus more so on the flavor of the meat by itself, not necessarily the sauces that are offered to compliment the meat. The restaurant is very kitschy with stuff hanging from the walls that are reminiscent of old cars and gives a home grown kinda feel. It's set up cafeteria style so grab your tray and make your way to the cooler with the chilled side items! I grabbed the potato salad, my friend grabbed the same as well as pickles and a banana pudding too. Once at the counter, we ordered a pound of brisket, Mac and cheese and two waters. We figured a pound was enough to split. The waitstaff was wonderful, incredible friendly. Note there is a discount if you pay with cash and an up charge if you pay with plastic, so if you're thinking about coming here, bring the Benjamins! Now for the taste! Brisket was tasty, but could have used a bit more flavor. Nice marbling and definitely falls apart! The potato salad and pickles were pretty good, the pickles surprised me as they weren't my choice, my friend picked them LoL The Mac and cheese was a miss for me, as it didn't really have any flavor at all. They offered two barbecue sauces at the tables in squeeze bottles, they were both just ok. Overall it wasn't a bad meal but it didn't knock my socks off either. Solid 3/5 for me.

Ribs, turkey, brisket, green beans and more! YUM!!
Elizabeth V.

Have passed this bbq joint so many times on my travels between ATX -SA; had some family in town from Cali and wanted a quality bbq meal off the major highway. Hays did not disappoint!! Food was stellar, great meats and lots of side choices. It's counter service, and pick your own table. The tables are adorned with house bbq sauces. The vibe is exactly what you want from a bbq joint and will leave ya smelling like bbq all day.

Outside Front
Marcos D.

Texas Monthly has included Hays and 2M in their list of top BBQ establishments. My personal favorite in the area is Blacks San Marcos by far. The decor is typical of upper level BBQ restaurants - homey but tasteful. I ordered two small beef ribs and a half pound of brisket both were good but not outstanding. Again I much prefer Blacks San Marcos or Rolling Smoke in Vegas for beef ribs and brisket. Good beef ribs and brisket should be super tender, well marbled, and have that extra kick of smoke and caramelized fat. These were small beef ribs not the massive variety served at Blacks, 2M, and Rolling Smoke. Service was excellent, friendly at all times.

Love the creamed corn. Very good brisket and cheesy/jalapeno sausage.
Robert M.

Time to update the review since I haven't been in a LONG while. Certainly not since they made the Top 50 of Texas Monthly. It was pretty good BBQ and I enjoyed the experience. A group of work friends left for an early lunch and to avoid the lines. When we arrived at about 11:20am on a Monday there were about six folks in front of us already ordering. The line is very short before hitting the door, so that was a good sign. I expect you'll be waiting outside if there's any line to note. The crew taking the orders and cutting up the meat were super motivated, enjoying themselves and had the easy banter of a crew that loved their jobs and were managed well. The outside dining is right at the end of the line and the indoor is a bit looping around. If you need napkins utensils, it's kind of a weird loop to get it and then go outside, but no problemo with no mobs. Plenty of nice clean dining spots inside and out. They have a separate venue if you want to rent for a private gathering. That was a good sign. They may also use it for musicians, but we weren't sure. I started off with a half pound of the brisket. It was good, but certainly not up to the acclaim of it's peers that I've been eating lately. I had to do two cardinal sins. First I had to use a plastic knife as I wasn't able to just cut it up with the fork. Sign of a little bit of an over cook, or something. Second, I just had to cave and help it down with BBQ sauce. The mild was very good and the spicy was only a bit of a kick up in gear. Both worked well. I also had the mild version of the jalapeno cheddar sausage. It was good and a lot of it. Definitely something to share. For the sides I started with a potato salad. Pretty good there. Not supper unique but just well executed. Same thing for the jalapeno creamed corn. Maybe a notch down because it was straight up creamed corn with jalapeno cut into it. Maybe if it could have marinated a while it would have done better. All in all a very good BBQ joint. However, it really isn't/wasn't something I would have traveled cross country for.

Whole chicken Baked potato with Turkey  Beef ribs Jalapeño cheddar sausage Brisket Turkey Pork belly
Michael C.

We've passed this place up several times going between SA and Austin. Glad we stopped here. First thing that hits you when you walk in is the aroma of smoked meats. We ordered at the counter and the staff was helpful and quick to discuss several menu items. It all sounded good. The variety of meats we had were delicious, if they have the pork belly try it. Seems like it's a new item they're trying that's not listed.

Brisket (required sauce), jalapeño cheddar sausage, jalapeño cream corn (watery and nasty), jalapeño, and Texas sweet tea
James W.

Unfortunately I'm dropping them to 3 Stars. Brought Mrs. Texas here today, and she was a bit disappointed. The chicken was very good, but the side of green beans was downright nasty, and super salty. So for the items I've tried here, two have been nasty: Brisket - Alright (Needs some help) Chicken - Very Good Jalapeño Cheese Sausage - Alright Regular Sausage - Slap Yo Momma Good Green Hatch Chili Mac n Cheese - Delicious Jalapeño Cream Corn - Nasty (- 1 Star) Green Beans - Nasty (- 1 Star)

Sarna B.

After a day touring San Marcos we stopped here. Great Food and friendly staff. We dined on the patio with our dog. We will be back.

So yum

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The brisket and jalapeño cheddar sausage was on point. My son loves bbq period, and enjoyed it also.

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Ask the Community - Hays Co. Bar-B-Que and Catering

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Place is great! Small town vibe with Big Energy BBQ. Of course the brisket stole the show!! For me…read moreit was top tier quality and the sausage was right behind it. Decided to try some green beans (whoa!) amazing.. and can't forget the coleslaw, a couple drops of that gold sauce... and it was all she wrote. The main thing I liked is how the ladies service behind the counter didn't make me feel rushed to pick what I wanted. Bringing the family next time. Love it

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We had a lot of family visiting in town that wanted to get together and eat good food, not break…read morethe bank and also not have to worry about reservations. We heard that Rudy's was a solid spot to check out so thought it could be the perfect spot and it was! Fast casual setup, vast open seating, clean tables, clean restrooms. Easy in, easy out, and solid Texas BBQ vibes. Service was great. Super patient and friendly, greeted us when we came in and they even offered samples of the prime rib and pork loin before we committed to how much we wanted. That alone deserves a shoutout! Here's what we ordered: * Prime Rib - Honestly the star of the show. Great price, beautiful marbling, solid bark, juicy and pink inside. Perfectly seasoned. And that horseradish sauce?? So unique and addicting! I genuinely wanted to take extra home and put it on everything! I might have to get extra next time! * Moist Brisket - Tasted good. Not the best brisket we've ever had in Texas (let's be honest, that's a high bar), but for a quick, no-wait option? It was great! * Pork Loin - A sleeper hit. Juicy, well seasoned, nice smoke flavor, and super lean. This would be AMAZING for weekly meal prep. Not a cut you see everywhere and they did a great job with it! The pickled jalapeños and carrots are BOMB. Spicy with a great snap. Plus you get free pickles, bread, onions, and sauce, always appreciated. We really loved that they offer meats like pork loin and prime rib that you don't always see at BBQ joints, and they execute them really well! We'll absolutely be back for those in particular! Apparently we need to try the banana and chocolate pudding next time as we've heard it's good. Overall a solid stop!

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Hays Co. Bar-B-Que and Catering - bbq - Updated May 2026

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