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    Stanley's Famous Pit Barbecue

    4.5 (1.4k reviews)
    Open 6:30 am - 10:30 AM, 11:00 AM - 9:00 pm

    Stanley's Famous Pit Barbecue Photos

    STANLEY'S FAMOUS PIT BARBECUE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Classy
    Live music

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    Recommended Reviews - Stanley's Famous Pit Barbecue

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    Doug R.

    It's hard to say something about Stanley's that hasn't already been said. It's good. It's real good. The sercice was fantastic, order at the counter, grab a number, get your drink, and find a table. They'll bring it to you. Everyone I spoke to was welcoming and helpful. I couldn't ask for better service. Food: I got the triple whatever it's called which is more than enough for 2 people but I knew I wanted to try everything. The brisket was spot on, not too heavy on the pepper, tender and juicy. Great smoke and flavor. Baby back ribs were also great and I actually like that they did not fall off the bone. I like to pull it off with my teeth like a real man! Don't get me wrong, they were tender as can be. Three kinds of sausages, House, jalapeño cheese, and hot link. I ate the house and jalapeño but brought the hot link home. Both had great snap when I bit into them and the flavors were excellent. I also had the potato salad and it was pretty good too. I prefer a little mustard in mine, but this mayo based potato salad was tasty. For dessert I had the chocolate sheet cake. It was soft and delicious. Overall, Stanley's Famous Pit Barbecue lives up to the hype. If I'm in Tyler again I will certainly be stopping by again.

    Zachary S.

    Stanley's is the only place in Tyler with over a thousand Yelp reviews. It's the most reviewed place in all of East Texas on Yelp. Whatever I say is a mere drop in the bucket compared to everyone else's opinion. Luckily, I sway the same way. Stanley's is the establishment of Tyler. If you mention Tyler to another Texan, they ask about Stanley's. I've seen people out in public wearing a Stanley's shirt. It's a place people will go out of their way just to try. As a former Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ Joint and a current honorable mention, it's viewed as one of the best barbecue restaurants in Texas. I went with my dad a few times while living in Tyler, and every time I returned on a break, we would make a trip for lunch. You can get a tray of whatever meats you want at Stanley's, but I highly advise against that. The reason is their sandwiches are the star of the show, in my opinion. There are two MVPs at Stanley's. The Mother Clucker is a smoked chicken thigh with cheddar, spicy BBQ mayo, and a glorious fried egg on their jalapeño cheese sourdough bun. It's recognized by Texas Monthly and appreciated for its killer flavor. The other MVP, which I always alternate with the Clucker, is the Super Deluxe Brother-In-Law. It has a grilled hot link, cheese, and chopped brisket on a jalapeño cheese sourdough bun. It's an absolute delight to all the senses. I recommend trying either of these before thinking of getting a regular three-meat tray. When I visited recently, I couldn't go to Stanley's for lunch, which was heartbreaking. I went for a quick breakfast instead. I got the Super Deluxe Breakfast Bro with a jalapeño cheese sausage link, cheese, and folded eggs on a biscuit. I should have asked for chopped brisket on it out of curiosity, but I stuck with the sandwich. They whipped that up for me along with a potato, egg, and cheese taco for my girlfriend. It was heaven sent. I just knew I had to make a Stanley's stop while in town, even if it was a little different than usual. The original Stanley's building is still standing, but they have added onto it adding a stage for concerts and a full service bar in the back which remains open in the evenings. Luckily, the best part of Stanley's is that it is right in the medical district of Tyler. If you get meat sweats or heartburn, you are only a block away from relief. With all the great options Stanley's has to offer, you probably wouldn't be the first. RIYL: The best barbecue sandwich of your life.

    "Baby Wade" Frito Pie & Mother Clucker Sandwich
    Ankitnoor D.

    Food was solid and so was the service. Very friendly staff and the outdoor seating was quite nice as well. When I'm back in Tyler, I'll try some other items in the future.

    Chopped Brisket Sandwich, Sliced Brisket Sandwich, Macaroni & Cheese, Coleslaw - Side, Potato Salad - Side, Peach Cobbler
    Jennifer V.

    Really great ambiance - good food with a fully stocked bar. We sat on the patio which has ample seating for all party sizes. This is one of the BEST peach cobblers I've ever had!! Not too overwhelming, the perfect amount of sweetness and warm spice. Gooey peaches with a delicious crispy crust and topped with the Blue Bell vanilla ice cream! The potato salad was also delicious and not too heavy. The only small negative was I found my brisket to be dry and the bbq sauce was nothing to write home about. I didn't particularly enjoy the Mac and cheese or coleslaw. This is just a personal preference and I think they are still both worth a try. this is a definite recommend!

    Full rack of ribs
    Paul M.

    Amazing food. I love it all. The service is always friendly and greets you with a smile. We like to sit outside on the covered porch and the kids love to play games. It's busy. It's loud. They have a bar. Some days they have live music. Very cool place to eat. We spent about $80 for myself, my wife , and my daughter. I got a full rack of ribs, the wife got sausage, and my daughter got turkey. They have amazing sweet tea. Again. Love this place

    Fat and happy side of the brisket melted.. so good a little potato salad
    Tex S.

    I was in town I had to stop by again you cannot go wrong here great peeple great place..

    Full parking lot

    Ok, it's surprising that we have never eaten here living an hour away in Longview, but this place deserves all of the awards and recognition it gets from Texas Monthly. We stopped for lunch. My wife ordered a brisket sandwich, and I had to try the baby backs 1/2 slab. The patio indoor outdoor seating was a great atmosphere. Service was excellent despite a pretty good late lunch crowd. The ribs were outstanding! Smoked perfectly and a generous portion for lunch. I could not finish and was able to share with my wife. I admit they are better than my Championship ribs I love to smoke. We both had the Cilantro slaw which was excellent and a perfect side. We will definitely return again and bring friends maybe when they have live music.

    David S.

    On the road to SFA (Nacogdoches) we decided to stop off in Tyler at a place where my daughter looked up on the internet. Couldn't have been happier. It's a busy place and we got there latter part of the noon hour. Just a few people in front of us in line and the manager/owner out there in the front helping direct traffic as parking lot was full. Super nice folks from the register to the food runners to the managers. First class service and attitude. They sold out of Mac and cheese this day so didn't get to try those....but did get to try the German influenced potato salad. It's pretty good. Love how they give you some bread, pickles, and onions with the order. The meat (we got brisket, pulled pork, and a couple sausage links after tips put us around $60) was fantastic and stood alone just fine without the barbecue sauce. But the barbecue sauce was pretty darn good too. I mixed that with the potato salad and had an instant hit for me. You can order the meats in pound increments and the sides in pints is the way to go. The brisket was the nice and soft but still firm enough and the pork was melt in your mouth. Great seasoning all over. If the people are super nice and friendly, the food is good, and the place is kept clean it stands to reason the atmosphere is fantastic too. Lot of happy people in there. Great place for family, business, or even just travelers passing through like us! Worth a stop!!!

    Rain W.

    This is a pretty popular barbecue restaurant and keep in mind that this means parking can be a bit difficult. You can go around the corner and up behind the restaurant for a few more parking spots near it, and then walk through the staircase down to get back inside the restaurant you order from one section and they tell you to find a table and then they come find you with your food, the food was actually really good and we didn't have any issues other than parking. They do also have live music bands, which is kind of cool.

    Mother Clucker Sandwich
    Ruth C.

    Amazing BBQ! I got the Mother Clucker Sandwich, Sliced Brisket Sandwich, and Potato Salad. The restaurant has great vibes with a covered patio for seating. The staff is awesome and the place is clean. Heads up: the front parking lot is small, but there's extra parking behind the restaurant. There's usually a line at peak times, but it moves fast. They were mentioned in the 2025 Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ Joints in "The Next 50".

    Chicken Thigh, jalapeño cheese sausage and potato salad! Delicious!!
    Eric B.

    A Must-Visit BBQ Spot in Tyler! While working in Tyler, TX, a local recommended we check out Stanley's for lunch--and I'm glad we listened! He advised arriving around 11 AM to beat the lunch rush, and he wasn't kidding. I ordered the smoked 1/4 lb chicken with jalapeño cheese sausage and potato salad. Let me tell you--Stanley's knows what they're doing! The chicken was perfectly smoked and juicy, not dry at all. The sausage had just the right kick of spice and a great cheesy finish that left me wanting more. If you're in the Tyler area and craving top-notch BBQ, Stanley's is the place to go. Just be sure to get there early--lines form fast and parking fills up quick!

    Mother Clucker Sandwich
    Dave S.

    From out of town and here for work. Ive visited many cities known for BBQ. Stanleys came highly recommended and I know why. Their BBQ is so good. Texas style w bbq sauce and rubs that are not overly sweet. Had the Mother Clucker sandwich with smoked chicken, egg, bacon, cheddar cheese on a jalapeño roll. First bite I was hooked. Moist, smokey and delicious. Different levels of flavor as I was eating. We returned the next night and tried the super moist, dry rubbed, fall off the bone pork ribs. These ribs give any other bbq city a run for their money. BBQ sauce is not needed with these ribs! The sliced Brisket was pull about tender and juicy. Again not sauced like other areas in other states. The Cowboy beans were delicious with no brown sugar sweetened sauce. They are Texas style more like ranch style. Delicious! The in house made sausages were slightly dry but had very good flavor. The jalepeno cheddar was loaded w cheese w a hint of heat!! Get in line and order from the friendly staff who were very patient with us. Take your number and find a seat. We sat outside and enjoyed the great weather -70's. The place exudes the ranch bbq feel. Hint each night we visited they were out of some of the meats. So get there early! I put Stanleys BBQ up against any other BBQ in the nation!!! Highly recommend Stanleys to anyone looking for BBQ!!

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    Stanley's Famous Pit Barbecue Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Stanley's Famous Pit Barbecue

    Hi just to confirm you guys are closed on Sun?

    Are you opened Memorial Day do you take reservations?

    Hi! We are open regular operating hours on Memorial Day. Unfortunately, we do not accept reservations. All seats are first come. Hope to see you soon!

    Will you be open on Thanksgiving Day?

    No they aren't. They close so their employees can spend time with their families

    Do you have beef ribs?

    We offer beef ribs seasonally. Typically in the Summer months and on Saturdays. Please call us or drop us a line regarding availability.

    View All 6 Questions

    Review Highlights - Stanley's Famous Pit Barbecue

    The Reuben was great but the Mother Clucker was the best sandwich I've ever had in my life.

    Mentioned in 112 reviews

    Read more highlights

    ETX Brewing

    ETX Brewing

    4.5
    (84 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$

    Brewery #421 This…read morewas the perfect spot to take a lunch break on our road trip to Dallas a few weeks ago. We had a caravan of 5 fat boys who like to eat and drink, so ETX was perfect. I got my usual flight of 4 beers which consisted of a DIPA, hazy IPA, Dunkel and Kristalweizen. All were solid with the DIPA being my favorite. For lunch I got a chef's salad. Yes, I was made fun of relentlessly by my fellow fat boys, but I needed something semi healthy before a 3-day weekend of debauchery. I was certainly jealous when I saw their burgers and wings come out. The place is large, lots of indoor and outdoor seating. The tap list was also plentiful, and the food menu was perfect for a brewery. ETX was a solid start to our trip.

    ETX is prominently situated in the heart of Tyler. My buds and I enjoyed our stop here clearly from…read moreour pics. You'll notice the brewery has a huge indoor and outdoor area for that caters to all parties. This place has a walk up counter where you put in your beer and food orders. The lady was enthusiastic and made me feel that walking up to the register was the best idea ever. She was great with her beer recommendations and since ETX offers so many different kinds, I ended up going with a 8 ounce sampler. They can go up to 16 as well! I can't say I remember which one of the eight was my favorite but they all were deliciously unique and tasty. Clearly we had a great time there. Will come back whenever we're around the area.

    Photos
    My 4-beer flight. Vienna Lager second from right - my favorite.
    My 4-beer flight. Vienna Lager second from right - my favorite.
    Drink Menu
    Drink Menu
    Looking into brewery from restaurant

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    Looking into brewery from restaurant

    Stanley's Famous Pit Barbecue - bbq - Updated August 2026

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