Do not miss the Magnolia Pit if you're within driving distance of Shreveport. My husband, kids, and I were in Shreveport visiting family over Christmas, and everyone was tired of cooking and eating leftovers. We heard this place was good, so off we went. The first thing we noticed was the secret, speakeasy vibe. Off the bright street we entered a short, dark hallway with "brick covered" revolving door. You just have to see it. Once in the "Pit" we were greeted by one of the friendliest cashiers. He seemed genuinely happy to be there, and he was super helpful as we made our selections. The kids and I got the Pit Master so we could try a little bit of everything. It came with portions of brisket, chicken, ribs, sausage, turkey, and their firecracker pork belly bites as well as four sides of your choice, corn bread, cheddar beer bread, and two desserts. Hubby got a brisket cheddar melt. We ended up with so much food we brought home leftovers for another few meals. Holy smokes! Let me say, I've lived in San Antonio for the last 15 years and eaten A LOT of bbq around the state. Aaron Franklin in Austin has long had my heart for bbq. But the Magnolia Pit in Shreveport does not play. Everything was seasoned well, and juicy, but the brisket...oh the brisket! Perfect bark, nice and juicy, and not fatty at all. My non-foodie kids liked the ribs so well, we had to order a couple extra. If you are not familiar with pork belly or burnt ends, I highly recommend at least getting the firecracker pork belly bites as an appetizer. We all thought they were phenomenal. The brisket melt sandwich was thick and so flavorful. I can see why it is one of the most ordered things on the menu. Sometimes the sides are an afterthought at bbq joints. Not at the Magnolia Pit. The corn maque choux is crazy good. It's creamy, smoky, and has a bit of a kick. The potato salad tasted homemade, and the dirty rice was a fun surprise. Do not miss the creamy macaroni and cheese that is topped with bbq schnibbles. The kids went to town on that. I swear we took a couple to go boxes, and did not eat it all in one sitting! Do the same when you go, because their in-house made desserts are so good. We shared the bread pudding and the buttermilk pie. Fantastic sauce to pudding ratio on the bread pudding. The pie was so smooth and creamy, I may just order one to take to my in-laws' next time I'm in town. Anyway, do yourself a favor and get on over to the Magnolia Pit. The food, ambiance, and friendly staff made this a fun adventure I can't wait to go on again. read more

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Great food!! All of it. Normally I have one dish I'll go to a restaurant for but everything was very delicious. Ribs are awesome. Any dessert is a win. Have room. read more

The Magnolia Pit - Great food!! All of it! Ribs are awesome. Any dessert is a win. - Barbeque Near Me - Shreveport, Louisiana

My first time having Magnolia Pit. I sent for a brisket cheddar melt with greens and dirty rice for the sides. It also came with au jus and bbq sauce. Firstly the texture of the sandwich is absolutely terrific...I can't remember the last time I had sourdough and cheddar together but everything meshed very well with the brisket. I'd love to try their brisket by itself in the future. The greens were a little soupy had had more juice than greens for my preference but they still had a good flavor. The dirty rice was very nice and had a subtle heat on the back end of the chew it's cool when they do it. Bbq sauce had a great flavor profile but the au jus was such a pleasant surprise. I'm used to a lot of au jus having the same standard flavor but Magnolia Pit's had a good personality to complement the sandwich and also add real flavor to it. 5/5 experience read more

The cashier was very friendly. The food was great! The coleslaw was delicious; I thought about adding it to my sandwich but didn't; maybe next time. The corn was very buttery, and the bread pudding was well done. I'm a little particular about my meat to bread ratio, so next time I'll probably get a meat plate instead of a sandwich. I tried both the spicy and smoky sauces; both were really good! read more

The Magnolia Pit - Turkey sandwich with coleslaw, corn, & bread pudding - Barbeque Near Me - Shreveport, Louisiana

We ate here this afternoon. The service was quick and the food was top notch. I had ribs while my husband had the brisket sandwich. The dining room is small but comfortable. Samantha, the young lady who works the counter, made the experience for us! She was helpful in choosing our meals and entertained us with stories. We will definitely be dining here again in the near future! read more

I ordered the sliced beef brisket (stacked pit sandwich $15.08), which had a lot of fat. It should have been trimmed better. The mac and cheese was too spicy, which was not spicy before. They no longer do the pit points. read more

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A Pork, Brisket, and BBQ formula you must go check out yourself. Service is nice, and the ambiance is comparable to authentic old-school charm read more

Food is great! I wish they would bring back the Onion Ring Tower. We shared the plate for two and it was amazing. The place was decorated nicely, fits highland bbq theme! Service was good, you order at the front counter. So no table service really, but that's ok. We enjoyed it. read more

This BBQ is phenomenal. Love the Brisket. Cheddar Melt. It's packed with meat and melted cheese. The sourdough bread was toasted to perfection and buttery. My husband loves the complementary pork rinds too. Front of house was helpful too. Only down side is you have to buy bottled drinks with your meals. read more

I've been here for over a week from out of town and been looking for some really good food for lunch during work. I stumbled Upon this barbecue place, this has to be some of the best damn barbecue I've ever had in a really long time. Great job! read more

Fantastic BBQ! By far the best in town! Also, the only place you can get a beef rib cooked to perfection. Try the firecracker pork bites! read more

The Magnolia Pit - Sampler plate - Barbeque Near Me - Shreveport, Louisiana

Pretty good spot to eat. They are very friendly and helpful. Food comes out fast. I've only been 2 times now and been pretty happy with it. Got a brisket burger first time which was a limited time special and it was very good. This time I got 2 meat plate with brisket and turkey. I didn't really care for either of the meats. Turkey was just ok and sliced almost deli thin, which made it a pita to cut with knife and eat with fork. The brisket was just bad. It was grey, bland, tasted like roasted in oven with no bark or smoke ring or smoke flavor and dry. It was also cut too thin. Good brisket should be cut pencil thick. Probably worst brisket I've had in awhile tbh. To end on a positive note the baked beans were on point! Also bbq sauce is excellent! I will be going back for quick friendly service and will just try other options they have. Hope this helps! read more

The Magnolia Pit - Sliced turkey, brisket, baked beans and wild rice. - Barbeque Near Me - Shreveport, Louisiana

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What a cool place! The first time I tried to stop in I was by myself and my vehicle was approached in the parking lot by 3 men.. I got spooked and left. I came back weeks later with my husband. - - Very different experience. No issues. The restaurant has a cool "hidden" but casual vibe. The gentleman at the counter was super friendly and gave great recommendations. The food was out fast! The flavors are bold and purposeful with and the plates are beautifully put together. Loved the spicy BBQ sauce and the beer bread. I will go back for sure!! read more

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Really pleasant workers! The food I had was good but the banana pudding was fabulous read more

The Magnolia Pit - 3 veggies, cornbread & a fabulous banana pudding!! - Barbeque Near Me - Shreveport, Louisiana

We had heard about Magnolia Pit on American Ground Radio and had to try it. We were not disappointed. The food was extremely good. Enjoyed the sliced brisket and pork ribs. The Pit Potato was huge and stuffed to the max. Staff were excellent! Made you feel at home. The relaxed atmosphere was welcoming and a relatively quiet room. read more

Ok. BBQ is something I'm well versed with. From Gates in KC to every worthwhile spot in Memphis & wandering across Texas. So the strength here is the brisket. What I had was tender, very juicy, good bark, and reasonable smoke. It's clearly the best brisket in Shreveport, but that's not a very high bar. Location: well the decor & interior design is attractive BUT the location is horrible for parking. I'll leave it at that. The let downs: the sides. They obviously make their own potato salad & kudos for that BUT it's really ordinary honestly. The beans are navy beans rather than red or pinto beans, and sure a lot of decent places do that but the Texan in me rejects them. In other words, their sides game could use improvement. And the location. Just saying. read more

Revised review.....when I passed through Shreveport again a couple weeks ago, made sure to stop at Magnolia with a friend for lunch. We were extremely disappointed! 180 degrees from original experiences a few months before. Brisket melt served cold...cheese not even melted (although you could tell it may have once been....obviously pre-made from earlier in the day); Au jus--cold; Greens--cold. Brisket wasn't quite the same either--tough for certain and full of chunks of fat and grissle. While dining in, another customer complained to the cashier about a take-home order that she said was inedible. I cannot justify paying these prices when it is a hit or miss situation. For whatever reason, consistency no longer exists in the restaurant industry. read more

Easily the best barbecue in Shreveport, and hidden away in such an odd location for a restaurant. Find this place, you will be so glad you did!!! read more

I'm not crazy about the brisket.I hope the other food is better.The new Fatty Arbuckles looks great on tv. The service was fine as well as the ambiance. read more

You better go try this place! We were the first ones to arrive and it did not take long for the lunch crowd to build up. It was my first time here as well as a lot of other people. Once they sell out, you've missed out. We had a warm welcome and were told we could sit anywhere. When you're ready you can go to the counter to order. They give you pork cracklins as you wait for your food and they are seasoned differently everyday. The food arrived within minutes and the portions were great for the money spent. The owner/chef, John, is a great guy who you can tell has a passion for cooking & providing his customers with a great product. I found my newest local restaurant to add to the rotation. read more

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Attempted to have lunch today but they had no disabled access parking. I'm disabled and refuse to spend money at places that don't have access. It shows a lack of respect or a business that doesn't want the disabled community's dollars. read more

Been here 3 times based off all the good reviews. brisket is super dry. The sides are pretty good the BBQ meats are just mid BBQ in general is weak in Shreveport but there's still better options. Staff is always friendly and accommodating the bbq meats just don't come close to hitting the mark. read more

Great new spot for this area of Shreveport. Texas BBQ with some North Louisiana flare to it. Enjoyed the turkey, brisket, okra, and Mac and cheese. The staff were all super friendly. Awesome lunch stop. Looking forward to return trips. Owner is a real nice guy and I thought the pricing was fair. We missed enough authentic bbq here. Magnolia Pit checked the boxes for me. read more

The Magnolia Pit - Barbeque Near Me - Shreveport, Louisiana

Place was packed. Went for lunch. Large portions. Food hot and fresh. Condiments free with okra, jalapenos, and pickles. Extra BBQ sauce of several types. Folks very professional and nice. Prices good. Food taste amazing. You must try it out! read more

The Magnolia Pit - Chef special with sausage and brisket. Macaroni and collards sides. - Barbeque Near Me - Shreveport, Louisiana

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First visit to Magnolia Pit. It's on Jordan in the old P & S building. There is parking on the back of the building. We had the chopped brisket sandwich which was delicious. They have a regular and spicy sauce. My husband liked the spicy. He notes that it did not overpower the meat. You get 2 sides with the sandwich. I had baked beans and coleslaw. The baked beans were great. The coleslaw is more vinegar based and had a touch of BBQ sauce in it. My husband had beans and potato salad. He enjoyed both. Drinks are bottled and you help yourself to utensils, sauce, and drinks. They have good selection of sides, meat plates, appetizers, and dessert. Super nice staff, clean restaurant and fried pork rinds made in- house to snack on! All in all was a great meal so go check them out! read more

The ambience was amazing! They have a nest door you come through that looks like a brick wall! The customer service was delightful! The food was so good! The only thing I didn't like was the chicken, it wasn't done. The desserts were amazing! The building was very clean and we will probably go back very soon! read more

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They were nice but it was not my type of bbq, wasn't satisfied or impressed. Overall I was just disappointed, it was a big let down not what I expected. read more

The service here is over the top every one is super friendly and very helpful!! The brisket was very tender with tons of smoke !! You have your choice of bbq sauce!! The bbq beans were very good and full of flavor !! The bread and the corn bread both were excellent!! The sausage was great as well in all this was a great experience!! read more

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OMG!!! What a great bbq joint. Playing blues softly in corner, everywhere are big smiles, and the ambience gives it a (clean) juke joint vibe. The service is quick and the food is fabulous. Don't forget to order the firecracker pork belly bites, they are outa this world!!! read more

The food, atmosphere, and service were top notch! A nice little gem on our cross country adventure!

Great food and down home feel! Some of the absolute best BBQ I've had since living in Louisiana! Will definitely be coming back in the future next time I'm in Shreveport. And the most friendly service you could ask for. read more

I'm out of NC here for work and I always try to find good BBQ when I'm out of town. Jackpot here! Owner is great and he's served our country (always appreciated) and super nice. Inside was surprisingly hip and clean! I had the 2 meat platter (burnt ends/smoked turkey) with magnolia coleslaw and the kicker...... burnt ends dirty rice! Phenomenal! I'll definitely be back to this place! Great job gentlemen! read more

Excellent barbecue.. Very clean, friendly people.. l loved the turkey, but everything was great ,

I had the ribs and they were fall off the bone. Very flavorful. The restaurant has a speakeasy entrance that is fun and the hosts and servers were friendly and helpful. read more

Exceptional service and excellent food! True Texas style BBQ with a hearty blend of seasoning with Cajun infusion! read more

The Magnolia Pit - Barbeque Near Me - Shreveport, Louisiana

Love the location, service was prompt and well mannered. I had the turkey sandwich with potato salad and corn. Turkey was pretty dry.2 I couldn't tell if the stuff on top of the corn was cheese or butter. On the menu the potato salad was described as having "ends." I thought brisket ends or pork rib ends, but it was simply ham. Still delicious but the menu was slightly misleading. What pushed a "3" for me was the fact they don't have jalapeños or jalapeños read more

The service was excellent even though we got Togo! Got back to work and this potato was LOADED for sure. The pulled pork was amazing, some of the best I've had in the SBC. Can't wait to try something else! read more

Delicious ribs, sandwiches, bread pudding, banana pudding, and sides. I could go on and on but that would be the whole menu. Highly recommend! read more

This hole in the way place is a little hidden gem. I got the 3 meat plate, Mac and cheese and potato salad for sides. Don't judge on the two starch sides I wanted to see which was better. The smokehouse Mac and cheese was very delicious. I felt like the potato salad was just a regular potato salad but that is the only complaint I had to give. The three meats were pulled pork, turkey, and brisket all of which were amazing and very delicious. I also highly recommend their cheesy beer bread cause that was some of the best cheesy beer bread I have ever had. Easily 9 out of 10 place. The service was amazing everyone was really happy to be there. The decorations were cool, but I guess in my head I was expecting a big back room for parties and what not and the authentic smell of smoked meats. Like I said not a very big building but great joint for taking clients or business partners to. read more

Service was very good as was the ambiance. Food was just okay. Ribs were just okay. Would go again but not out of my way.