I took up eating barbecue as a hobby last summer and this place is my favorite place I have ever found hands down. It's a hole in the wall with odd hours and the most delicious barbecue you could ever have. Service is prompt and friendly, very clean place with seating indoors and outdoors. Great place! read more

Best OG Austin BBQ and service in town! A must go if you're in the area!! Loyal forever read more

House Park Bar-B-Q - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

I used to come here all the time when I worked around the corner back in the late 1980s. Since the fire, it has changed substantially, although the tables outside look like they've been here since the 80s. Despite the rebuild, this place still maintains a no frills atmosphere with barely enough seating for 20 people inside and seven picnic tables outside. I think they missed a great opportunity to make this place even more inviting than before, but that's not the case. I have to give them high marks for the very discernible smoke rings in the meat, but their sides are average. There's also very little in the way of rub on the meats, not salty or peppery. Not a fan of their thick ketchup-like sauce either. Your drink choices here are either water or fountain drinks, but no alcoholic beverages. And keeping with the bare necessities business model, when it comes to checking out with a credit card, that will be handled on the cashier's cell phone. My advice, is to skip the sides and get the meat to go. This place is only open 3 1/2 hours on the weekdays and closed on weekends. Due to the bare minimum expectation offerings of this place, including nonworking bathrooms, I think it's one and done for me. The photos included will fill in the gaps. 31/2* read more

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Best BBQ in town! What a great experience! So good!!! Don't wait in line at the other places! The owners care deeply and bring it! Highly recommend!!!! read more

House Park Bar-B-Q - Nate's Plate! - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

This was the first bbq spot I tried when I finally went on my lunch breaks downtown. Walking distance from the office. Fast line and great service from everyone. I been here before and after the fire . The setup was and is comfortable and open. The chopped beef is 10/10. read more

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Some of the best Q in Austin. Ribs fall off the bone, brisket is fork tender and the sausage has just the right spice blend.

Just had lunch and the BBQ is on point! We had brisket and sausage (try the jalapeno cheddar) and loved every bite.

Brisket and sausage are on point. Beans have a unique smoking flavor A+. A simple no fills old school bbq vibe. Price were very reasonable compared to most. read more

House Park BBQ serves up some of the best barbecue in Austin. Great brisket, chicken, pork loin, ribs, and sausage. The brisket is tender and smoked to perfection. They are serving brisket tacos on Fridays now, and they outstanding, especially with the smoked tomatillo salsa. Really recommend trying some Q from the oldest pu in Austin. read more

House Park Bar-B-Q - Brisket tacos. - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

Great BBQ . Try it all. Monday is the only day they do chicken . It's amazing just like everything else and my favorite . No teeth or very few needed. I just had 4 pulled at dentist and saw their sign while on a bike ride near by. The owner Matt is a great guy and same goes for his team. Trying to talk him into making a Tex Mex BBQ taco that I can take to go. Support this local business and keep one of the oldest pits in Texas smoking for many years to come. Any place that is only open for a few hours per day has got to be great. Put this place on your bucket list! read more

There's a photo among the dozens that llive on the walls here that pretty much sums this place up for me, and oddly enough, it doesn't directly reference the food within. It's what appears to be some sort of parade photo featuring a seventies-era Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton, and it is, in a word, Awesome. There's much of the innards of House Park that feels like someone turned the smoker on in here and let it permeate the wall adornments for the better part of twenty years, and no one's complaining: vintage shots of SRV, hot rod event posters long since outdated, news clippings all point to a longstanding Austin tradition. And I can't comment on the appropriate number of 'teef' necessary to down the beef, other than to say there was a ton of same (beef, not someone's teeth, that would be weird -) at the ready when I went chomping away. The sauce held up fine, and I rounded matters out with a side of beans with a little meat a ready part of the sauce. As has been oft-noted, the hours are short and sweet here so you'll wanna come for lunch, but no doubt, just like the fare within, they'll pack a flavorful wallop. Just like life, if you let it. read more

House Park Bar-B-Q - Burt & Dolly, circa 1970something - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

NEED NO TEEF TO EAT MY BEEF House Park barbecue is only open for lunch, Monday - Friday. I work 15 miles from 12th and Lamar. I have called in sick so I could eat lunch there. Chopped beef sandwich, pork loin sandwich, oh man. But the best part is the inside. There's not much separation between the smoke pit and the dining area, and the hundreds of newspaper clippings tacked up against the ancient wood walls have turned deep brown from the smoke. The coup de' gras is the giant framed photograph of Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton riding in convertible chauffeured by the House Park pit-master. There are few things in this world that can make me as happy as that. read more

House Park Bar-B-Q - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

Found this place by accident when trying to go see the hope murals... they only open during week and close at 230. We stopped in at 2 and was welcomed to stay eat and don't rush! The place has a unique feel, Nothing fancy but amazing taste of BBQ! And great price! The owner was really nice showed us the oldest smoke house in Austin. I loved that while we were there 3 other customers came in and the owner knew everyone's name and they were all chatting. This hidden treasure is a must try! read more

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The hole-in-the-wall places always seem to have some of the best BBQ around and House Park continues that trend. The brisket could have been a little more tender, but that's a minor complaint. The servings are generous and the standard potato salad, cole slaw and beans for sides are pretty good. If you want no-frills BBQ, bring cash and an empty stomach and House Park will take care of you. read more

Oldest smoker in Austin. One of the few "Austin" institutions left. Brisket is tender, rib meat falls off the effin bone and sausage is spicy. Menu is short and sweet, nothing fancy here. My fav bbq in the 512. read more

House Park Bar-B-Q - I mean come on! Gone in 3mins flat! - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

House Park BBQ has been around forever and after a hard morning riding bikes at 9th Street during college, we'd roll over to House Park for a chopped beef. Now that I'm working downtown and fairly close to House Park, I've been wanting to go back. Time has not been kind. I had the two meat sandwich this time, brisket and sausage. The brisket was acceptable. The sausage was mediocre. I had beans and slaw, both of which were yawn inspiring. Maybe I should have stuck with the chopped beef. In a city rife with BBQ choices, it's sad this old mainstay isn't making my list of go-to places. read more

Texas AF! From the moment you set eyes on the building you can tell they're smoking something good inside. Family owned and operated so you know they do everything with love. I got a mix plate this time around but I've had pretty much everything on their menu, everything has been amazing! My personal favorites are the brisket, chicken and I love the baked beans. Definitely worth a visit! "Need no teef to eat my beef" read more

House Park Bar-B-Q - Sign - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Is jury duty ever a good thing? Well obviously not but when Travis County gives you lemons throw them in the trash and go get some BBQ. See House Park BBQ has been around for 60+ years but they are only open 11-3 M-F so once forced downtown for jury duty I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to knock another Austin BBQ spot off the list. First just order BBQ. The sides were not worth your money. Potato Salad and Slaw were meh at best. The beans were ok but not anything special. The brisket was very tender but a bit on the fatty side. Nothing really jumped out flavor wise. Just a nice simple brisket. Not the best in town and not the worst in town, pretty much middle of the road. Good enough to eat once but not sure I would go back. read more

House Park Bar-B-Q - Wasn't bad. Toss the slaw and potato salad. Beans were ok. Pork ribs were good. Brisket was ok. Nothing special. - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

Considering it has been a whole eight years since my previous review, I thought I'd make an update! First off as a direct update to my previous review, they are no longer cash only and accept cards, so that's cool. Also, the BBQ is still good, no-frills- just like I love it. This place is a little bit off the map for most folks, but I'm glad to have a place where I can get some good, old-fashioned Texas BBQ and don't have to line up for hours to get. The food is made with soul & history and the effort shines bright. But the real reason for my update is that they started serving breakfast tacos a couple days a week (as of this review, Tuesdays & Fridays). They are filling a serious gap in my quest for finding a non-pretentious taco in the morning at a decent price. If you see that breakfast taco sign out in the morning, be sure to stop and get you (and your coworkers, you office hero, you) one of the classics like a bacon, egg, & cheese or something different like brisket & eggs. They're still an awesome bet for lunch, too. I love meeting friends here or taking out-of-towners here to show them what BBQ is supposed to be. Love this place! read more

I love their bbq. Its very close to my work. Simple but very good! Cant wait for them to open again! City of Austin cmon!!! Hirry up with the permits!!?? read more

Probably the best bbq for the price. It was just a little over $5 for the chopped beef sandwich. Delicious and full of flavor. I hear it's the oldest bbq spot in Austin. The guys working here are always very nice. You can smell the que from up the road. I'll be back for those very affordable prices. read more

House Park Bar-B-Q - Chopped beef sandwich after have eaten lol sorry I was hungry. Only a little over $5! Juicy and full of flavor! - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

Lousy hours. Just an ordinary barbecue sandwich. Not worth going out of your way. Prices are average. Friendly counter service. Short wait and no crowds. Went during lunch around Noon. No frills. Has that look of an old barbecue place, which it is. No TV here. Takes credit cards. read more

After a lifetime of living in Austin, a lifetime of driving past House Park Bar-B-Q, I finally had the occasion of dropping in for lunch. I visited with two friends, one of whom had recently moved to Austin from the East Coast and not yet had the privilege of enjoying real deal TX BBQ. I sorely regret that this was my companion's introduction to TX BBQ, because this place is a real bummer all around. First off, atmosphere can best be described as corny, dirty, and (to quote our unfortunate commander-in-chief...) SAD. I get that it's got a kind of rustic vibe that may be interpreted by many as "authentic", but frankly to me it's kind of embarrassing. Like, if people think a grimy run down shack with sticky tables, flies buzzin' around, and no AC in the middle of summer (the audacity!) represents an authentic Texan experience then I'm not surprised so many out-of-state visitors are scared to leave the city limits of Austin. After the patron drops an inappropriately large sum of cash on their meal, they get to chose between sitting inside the hot, cramped, windowless shack or dining outside on the make shift patio in the blazing hot sun with scenic Lamar traffic whizzing by just feet away. Talk about southern hospitality! Ok, now the food. Sides were unappetizing, the pulled beef sandwich is a glorified sloppy joe, and the sausage sandwich was a greasy seething mess of nauseating pork fat. I will say that the sandwich was absolutely heaping with meat, but the sheer quantity did not distract from the fact that the sausage was of particularly low quality, sort of soggy, and tasted like an extra salty hot dog. I'm pretty well convinced that this place is only surviving as a sort of tourist trap, or perhaps business traveler trap, or maybe a hungover UT fratboy shame trough. A word of warning: if you are an innocent looking for palatable BBQ in a charming atmosphere, save yourself and avoid House Park Bar-B-Q. read more

House Park BBQ is like going inside the heart of the smoker. Layer upon layer of old posters aged brown from years of smoke. Walls brown to black. This is old Austin. Right around the corner from the Rio Grande ACC campus. Excellent brisket with sauce on the side. This is the way to do it. read more

House Park is about as middle of the road as you can get for barbeque. In fact, it's the most uncommon of all barbeque types - downright average. I don't know how they do it but there's just nothing special about the meat, the sauce, the sides... it's not that it's Bill Miller bad. It's just not good. Or great. Or anything. The ambiance is good though. I like the walk from the dillo stop to House Park. Just don't expect perfection from the food if you go. read more

Great barbecue and ambience. It's a shack on a creek in the middle of downtown Austin. Your clothes will smell like a mesquite fire when you leave. And its only open from 11:30 to 2:30 on weekdays for lunch. How many restaurants could survive when they're only open for 15 hours a week? This place has awesome brisket and sausage. The sauce is good. The sides are just ok, but you don't go for the sides. Do yourself a favor, try it out. FYI- they only accept cash. read more

If you have a dog I highly recommend you take off your clothes before entering the house after eating here; because, your clothes will smell like mesquite grilled meat after leaving here and your dog will want to eat them... Trust me and bring CASH they do not take CC. Enjoy :D read more

FALSE ADVERTISING! FOOD ACTUALLY REQUIRES TEETH! BRING CASH ONLY... AND YOUR TEETH! You do in fact "need teef...to eat their beef" well... at least some of the pieces of brisket that I had. Nonetheless, this historic Austin BBQ offers some pretty good eatin for cheap. It's cool that even newspaper articles that are hung up from less than a year ago already have gross smoke stains. Classic. I probably could have walked out with smoke rings on my eyes. For a mere $7.50, I got a quarter pound pork loin, brisket, and sausage, which was a good snack. It took me a while to realize this... but not everywhere in Austin serves Elgin Sausage. I, in fact, after dining on sausage at House Park that Austin Hot Sausage trumps Elgin. The sausage here, and everywhere else that I've had it, is perfectly oily, juicy, and spicy. That being said, nothing was special about the sausage here, but boy it's perfect... you can't do too much more to it. Brisket had good flavor, but lacked smokiness. Some pieces were AMAZINGLY melty and fatty, but others... as I said earlier, require teeth. Pork loin was a good attempt at something unorthodox, but there wasn't too much flavor, and thicker slices were tough. The parts that were fall-apart tender offered some hints of good BBQ turkey... but this was pig, mind you. Sauce here made the BBQ pretty awesome, as it was nicely spicy, sweet, and not vinegary. Overall, solid BBQ, nothing fancy. Definitely somewhere to hit up if you want to feel local though. Just remember your teeth. read more

Super nice dudes. Will be back simply based on how great the guys behind the counter are. The food was solid, old school bbq with no frills. Cheap prices and outdoor seating. What's not to like? read more

I tried House Park for the first time today with some BBQ aficionado ex-coworkers. Though they've been coming to House Park for years, surprisingly they hadn't noticed that main sign over the building says "Enjoy Coca-Cola" while inside they only serve RC Cola. It was an amusing reminder of that hilarious article in The Onion about RC Cola celebrating its 10th purchase in its 68-year history: http://www.theonion.com/articles/rc-cola-celebrates-10th-purchase,1674/ Sadly, that chuckle was about the only memorable part of the House Park experience -- everything else was strictly OK. $12 for a mixed meat plate + iced tea wasn't unreasonable, though probably a few dollars more than I'd spend elsewhere. The sausage was decent, though the casing was a little tough, and flavor-wise, it wasn't quite as good as the Rudy's hot jalapeño sausage. The brisket was tender and juicy, probably one of their better offerings, but the sauce it was covered with was rather disappointing -- it seemed to separate into tomato paste and wateriness and had no kick. Beans, cole slaw, and potato salad were all OK but unremarkable. I do appreciate the lack of pretense and laid back picnic table seating outdoors. I doubt I'll ever suggest dining here, but wouldn't turn it down if someone else does. Most of the (unbelievably) positive reviews mention the sandwiches, so I'd opt for that instead of the plates. read more

Seems a little expensive, , but 11 bucks for 1/3 pound brisket and tea ain't too bad, I reckon. The sauce is a little sweet for my taste, but today the cole slaw was nice and peppery. Needed a few teef to eat dey'r beef, but it went down well. Service wasn't too friendly today, in comparison with the first time I went in, a few months ago. Was great, then, really. All in all it's pretty solid BBQ, but nothing uber-special. read more

Amazing bbq, friendly staff and a really homey feeling place. We had ribs, sausage and brisket and I almost screamed of joy when I saw our plate. Probably the best bbq in Austin. read more

House Park Bar-B-Q - Bbq - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas

For the price, service, and quality, I'd definitely give this 5 stars. I've only been once so far, but the brisket sandwich I had was absolutely delicious. It was definitely more tender than many of the brisket sandwiches I've had in Austin. I am a die-hard Ruby's fan having lived next door for three years, but the brisket at House Park was definitely more tender and flavorful. When I first got my sandwich, I thought there wasn't any sauce on it and started looking around for a bottle. Maybe I just missed it but I gave up looking and started eating. A few bites in, I realized this was the BBQ that was good without the fancy sauces. (Turns out there was sauce on the sandwich, it just wasn't drowning in it). I'd highly recommend it if you like bbq for the meat and not the flavor of the sauce. -I don't like pot. salad, coleslaw, or beans so I don't have an opinion on sides anywhere. read more

Went for lunch today, easy access from several bus routes (I took 338). Current posted hours 11:00am to 2:30pm M-F. I sampled the sausage and brisket. I liked the sausage, tender but firm. Some good seasonings. The brisket was very tender and decent sauce - on the fatty side, but this isn't health food. Sides were basic and seemed fresh and homemade Ice tea fresh and perfect strength. NOTE: This style of sauce and food is not to everyone's favorite. This place is unique, quality, friendly - and _true Austin_. I gave it 5 stars as for me that's what it is. But of course that doesn't mean everyone will love it - or I personally would prefer it over Wilbur's BBQ in Goldsboro NC [that's my favorite style]. read more

I used to eat here a couple of times per week during high school. After a long hiatus, I recently returned. I ordered a mixed plate with brisket and sausage. The brisket was good, was cooked to a tender texture, and the meat had a nice, medium constancy between lean and moist. The beans and potato salad were pleasing sidekicks to the meat. My major disappointment came from the sausage. The flavor was mediocre. However, what disturbed me was that the meat inside the casing was loose, and seemed to fall apart as I tried to cut the link into distinct pieces. This left chunks of meat and sections of bare casing sitting on the plate. I don't know about you, but if I start to notice and subsequently think about a meat casing (same goes for hot dogs), then my interest in eating said tubular product plummets dramatically. Be warned: if you eat inside, you will smell like pit smoke. Visit House Park on a day when eating outside seems like a swell idea. read more

Stopped in to try out this little hidden treasure, as I've passed it many times but never really noticed it. It is only open for lunch, so that might be part of it. Menu is pretty straight up. Beef Brisket, Sausage, Pork, and Chicken. Get them as a plate or sandwich. Plates come with sides - pintos, coleslaw, potato salad. Couple of other sides I don't remember. I got the mixed plate. Came with all three sides I named (which is why I remembered them) and I got the Brisket and the sausage. The brisket was tender enough to practically cut with a fork. The flavor was a fine smokiness and it was juicy enough not to need sauce. The sauce was good, but nothing special. The sausage may have been homemade, not sure, but it had that kind of rough grind to the meat that I find makes a great sausage. It too had that smokiness that comes with a slow smoking. The coleslaw was okay, but then I'm pretty picky. I'm not a big fan of slaw, so if its not just the way I like... then I pretty much don't. The potato salad was slightly sweet. I prefer a bit more mustard bite, but this was still really really good, and I would have rather had two scoops of the potatoes than having the slaw. The pintos also were slightly sweet, and again, while I prefer spicier, these were very tasty. This is a working mans eatery. If you want atmosphere, then go somewhere else. If you want tasty BBQ, baby, this is the place. read more

Came here with a group of six guys and everyone liked what they ordered so that says enough right there. The soon-to-be-groom walked out with a t-shirt because the guys working this place are just that cool. Great food with no pretense. It's all about the meat, just the way it should be. Super friendly staff, cool old vibe, 71 year old smoker...the place just does things right. read more

This place was recommended to me by someone whom I met on a flight. The recommendation turned out to be solid. I had Kansas style BBQ ribs, brisket, and sausage. The ribs were very good, moist, smoked flavor. The brisket was fall apart on your fork moist. Excellent. The sausage was delicious, a burst of complex flavors, dense consistency. Again, excellent. The owner and his staff were very friendly. His dad started the business; he took it over. Check out the 75-year old pit in back. Recommended. read more

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Just had my first visit to House Park BBQ and I'm liking it very much. I opted for the mixed plate with Brisket: Nicely marbled, great flavor Sausage: Lean and tasty with a nice amount of heat Sides included: Beans: Ranch style, good flavor but seemed a little firm Coleslaw: Fresh and quite good Potato Salad: Also quite good With an iced tea the whole meal set me back $11 Guys behind the counter were very friendly and service was great. It feels like a place you'd find in a small Texas town - but there it is, right on 12th street. I'll definitely be heading back - CASH ONLY read more

This place is real good. Great brisket, ribs were god damn delicious. Why spend your day getting BBQ from an overhyped place when you can get BBQ as good or better here without pretentious noodles harping about. read more

House Park Bar-B-Q - Your plate will look like this too. - Barbeque Near Me - Austin, Texas