One of the joys of traveling around Texas is finding places like this. We'd spent the previous night in Lubbock and our bartender at the restaurant told us about TC's Ponderosa. He'd grown up in the Dickens area so it was a local favorite of his. We veered a little out of our way to stop here for lunch and were so happy we did. As others have mentioned--you'd drive right past it if you didn't look closely. Looks like an almost-abandoned gas station. Inside, it was packed with people, including a local rancher buying lunch for the cowhands working her ranch. That's a big endorsement in my book. As mentioned in a couple of reviews, this isn't the place to be in a hurry. Orders were written down by hand and the money was collected by a sweet, friendly woman who grew up when the world wasn't so uptight and fast. Bless her heart for sticking to her pace. You can get stressed out it or you can settle in and enjoy the moment. We enjoyed every bit of it. The food was the final payoff. Damn good BBQ. Everything we had was good. Pretty good chance I'll be on the motorcycle again in west Texas and an even better chance the day will be planned to be in Dickens when I'm hungry! read more

Tc's Ponderosa - a bar - b - q sign - Barbeque Near Me - Dickens, Texas

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If you like super saucy, sweet BBQ this place is for you. Even w onions, pickles & jalapeños- it was too sweet for me (chopped beef sandwich). The good part is they have a regular and large sandwich- the regular was more than I could eat. Might try again w sliced brisket. read more

Great BBQ and good service! Be sure to try the specials. Nice surprise for lunch while driving through the South Plains.

Driving to Utah for Thanksgiving we stopped at TC's. Definitely worth the stop for the delicious bbq. We had the smoked pepper turkey and brisket along with potatoe salad, baked potato casserole, and spicy mac and cheese. The servers were friendly and the seating area was clean and picnic style. read more

Tc's Ponderosa - Barbeque Near Me - Dickens, Texas

What a great potato casserole and coleslaw. The bbq sandwich was tender, flavorful and big. Good food, great menu. The counter person, standoffish and couldn't be bothered to say thank you for a tip. Go for the food for sure. read more

Tc's Ponderosa - Large bbq sliced brisket, slaw and potato casserole. - Barbeque Near Me - Dickens, Texas

We ordered the chopped brisket with the green chili Mac & cheese and potato casserole. Everything was delicious!!! Highly recommend this place. It was difficult to choose there were so many options. read more

Nice small town BBQ joint. Old building but nice and clean. Retro ambiance. As for the BBQ, top notch. I had sliced brisket and smoked bologna. The brisket was just as I like it, floppy and tender. The flavor did not require BBQ sauce to make it taste good. My criteria for good brisket, tender and tastes good naked. But I did try the mild sauce and the hot sauce. The mild had a very flavorful Heinz 57 vibe. The hot was easy on the palette with a sweet heat. I also had the mustard based potato salad, just like Momma used to make! I don't drive this road very often, but if I do, I will definitely stop in again. Highly recommend. read more

Tc's Ponderosa - Sliced brisket and smoked bologna with a side of potato salad. - Barbeque Near Me - Dickens, Texas

Great little bbq joint. The sliced brisket was delicious and hatch green chili mac was amazing

Everything is always phenomenal from service, food, atmosphere is great. My husband and I stop every time we are traveling thru Dickens and on our way back home to Lubbock. We look forward to visiting TC Ponderosa BBQ every chance we get !!! read more

BBQ that's hard to beat. Service made me feel like it was a cooked in my own backyard. Great folks and great food.

Dont show up at 6:01 even tho the open sign was on and people ordering at the counter they will lock the door and refuse to serve you !! Bad buisness in my opinion ,id be a little more understanding if nobody else was in line or if the open sign was OFF but no this was rude and uncalled for ! Turn your sign off before you lock your door for the night !and might i add it was a family of 6 in line there were only 2 of us ! So so disappointing ! read more

We were traveling and kind of in the middle of nowhere and were hungry. This place didn't look like much from the outside, but there were numerous cars and trucks parked there, which we took as a good sign. It wasn't much on the inside either, but the service was friendly and the food was very good. I had some excellent brisket. read more

Love this place! Love the lean cut brisket and I don't normally like it! I also love the sausages and the peppered turkey! The spare ribs are so good and the corn they make on Friday is sooo good! Great family too with the best employees read more

We stopped here on our drive and it did not disappoint! We got the pulled pork, chopped brisket plate with baked potato salad and regular potato salad. Everything was amazing! Worth a stop! read more

Great bbq, sides are good too. Spicy crackers to die for. Plan your trips to stop here for lunch

We'd been here several times previously and it used to be great, but today was a real let down. The ribs were very salty and the potato salad was way too mustardy and not good. The top part of the ribs were jerky and inedible. Macaroni salad was clearly out of a container. No bread. Has this place changed hands? At $33 for two plates and one drink I expected better. read more

Our family thoroughly enjoyed our stop here. Everybody thought that the food was delicious, and the service was friendly. We had chopped brisket sandwiches, beans, and coleslaw. It was ready in a jiffy and piping hot (except for the slaw). One of the best barbecue joints I've ever eaten at! read more

My coworker and I were driving back to Lubbock and he mentioned that there was supposed to be a good barbecue place in Dickens. We found it and decided to stop. Because it was so late they were out of some stuff that I would have preferred, so I had to made do. I ordered the smoked turkey and the German sausage. For my sides I got cowboy coleslaw and their baked beans. My coworker ordered their brisket chopped and sliced and for his sides he ordered mustard potato salad and baked beans as well. I am not one for brisket because in all the times I've tried it, it is usually dry and chewy. He let me try his brisket since he was bragging about how juicy it was. I found it hard to believe LOL but when I tried it he was correct it was a very good and very juicy! My turkey and German sausage were both the same. Everything was very good!! My biggest disappointment was that they only had ribs on Friday and Saturdays SO... I guess I will have to come back on Friday STAY TUNED read more

Tc's Ponderosa - My leftovers too much too eat - Barbeque Near Me - Dickens, Texas

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Great food, great service, and very friendly. Truck friendly. stop by you won't regret it. read more

Tc's Ponderosa - a pulled pork sandwich on a bun - Barbeque Near Me - Dickens, Texas

We have been stopping to have some barbecue on the road at TC's Ponderosa since I was a kid. Every stop here brings back great memories of my grandma and grandpa stopping by on our way to Lake Stamford. I have always loved the food and the people have always been amazing. Stopped by yesterday on our way home from Oklahoma and as usual everything was great. If your passing through Dickens you should definitely stop by, if your not passing through Dickens anytime soon make a trip, it's worth it. Support Texas Barbecue! read more

The best barbecue you will ever have. The smoked turkey is insane, all of the sides are amazing (which is never the case for a bbq joint), and if you haven't had their pineapple pudding, you're missing revelatory stuff. There is no barbecue like the Ponderosa. Believe it. read more

Delicious BBQ. Friday is Ribs Day- try the baby backs! Pineapple pudding is a delicious spin on banana pudding.

I made a quick stop for some brisket to eat on the road as I had 4.5 hours to go. Upon entering, I found it to be pretty cool old style building with about 5 tables and a few rows of chips, soda.... I was #3 in line. It took about 15 minutes to get my order in, and another 17 to get my food. It appears to take them about 6 or 7 minutes per order to get food out of the kitchen. We used to sell BBQ at events. 3 different meats and 4 different sides, and got the meals out in under 2 minutes, so that is my frame of reference. The people are very nice and the brisket was great, but they are not too efficient. I don't know if this is the normal flow, or if it was an off day. So, if you are going to come by here for food, plan on at least 15 minutes if the place is pretty empty, and longer if the tables are half full as they were the day I got there. I know most people probably aren't in a hurry like I was that day. If I had planned on a sit down and eat, it would have been 4 stars. read more

Terrific flavor, generous portions, reasonable pricing...what more could you want? I ordered the 2 meat plate and selected lean sliced brisket and German sausage with baked potato casserole and beans for sides. Everything was fresh and warm. The meat was flavorful to eat without BBQ sauce but their sauce was just right and enhanced the flavor of the meat. The baked potato casserole was wonderful and beans reminded me of Ranch style beans...yum. Bear in mind seating is very limited in this convenience store / BBQ in a tiny town. But, this is well worth the stop! $12 for the 2 meat /2 side plate is below average in cost for an excellent meal! read more

Bypass the Dairy Queens and Sonics and stop at TC's. The price is as comparable to each chain mentioned above ( both which I love). Perfect place on Hwy 82 between Seymour and Lubbock to grab a good BBQ sandwich. The 'small' was the size of a large burger and they had several side choices. Fast service- friendly staff. This is a great local find!!! I'll be back for sure. read more

Tc's Ponderosa - Today's menu - Barbeque Near Me - Dickens, Texas

I came to TC's Ponderosa Wednesday evening and I just gotta say that the food was excellent, better than I expected. Me and my wife order the Nachos and they were delicious. The staff was super friendl. I can't remember there names expect for Aracel, only because I have a granddaughter by that same name. She was super friendly. I'll keep coming back for sure because of the service, but the food is top notch too. read more

Great little BBQ stop on very quite part of HWY 82 between Lubbock & Wichita Falls. Staff was friendly. Food had good flavor. I had the pulled pork & jalapeño cheese sausage. Pork was good, sausage was great. Definitely worth stopping by if you're on that stretch of highway. read more

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Y'all, seriously - if you're driving through Dickens, TX on HWY 114 anywhere close to a time that makes sense to eat - do yourself a favor and stop at the Ponderosa and get some of their BBQ. Everything they cook/smoke is seriously delicious and served with the friendly smiles and unpretentiousness that will make you fall in love with West Texas. This place doubles as the only place to get road trip snacks and a clean restroom in Dickens - but don't count on gas pumps!! PSA for all travelers: since the only gas station in Dickens closed down, there is NO gas on 114 in the 88 miles between Benjamin and Crosbyton (yes, I learned that the hard way). But on the up side, there is some great BBQ!! read more

Tc's Ponderosa - Barbeque Near Me - Dickens, Texas

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Great Brisket sandwiches and the Hatch Green chili cheese and macaroni was fantastic!!!

Some outstanding BBQ. You need to get there early if you want a local favorite. The staff is great always accommodating. I wish I was closer. read more

Small ,unassuming place pretty much in the middle of nothing but amazingly beautiful scenery. But my smoked Turkey was some of the best I've ever had. I tried my husbands sliced brisket. He ordered the moist and it was . Juicy and perfection on the fatty bites. I loved my baked potato casserole and the green Chile Mac n cheese. Husband also let me try his potato salad, mustard style and delicious. Restaurant was clean and service was friendly and quick. If you're out that way for any reason I'd highly recommend. If I could have enjoyed an icy beer it would have paired perfectly but apparently local laws don't allow on site consumption. read more

GO HERE FOR THE BEST BBQ EXPERIENCE OF YOUR LIFE. Driving on Highway 82 between Lubbock and Wichita Falls? You must stop here. You will love it. Not only can you buy some good spicy crackers and Fatman's beef jerky, but you will get barbeque that is worth driving the hour from Lubbock to Dickens to get. My go-to is the bbq wrap (though anything on the menu is good). These are the most portable for a car trip if you're in a hurry, too. I love the peppered turkey, the chopped brisket, and the jalapeño sausage - each are great. Add onions, pickles, jalapeños, and sauce to top it off. They will give you extra sauce if you like, too! All the people here are really kind, and it adds to the experience of getting the best barbecue around. Seriously, do yourself a favor and try this award-winning barbeque! read more

Good but like all BBQ it's expensive. My sandwich was really good but I'd get a different side next time. The potato salad was awful.

I cannot argue any aspect of JR's review of the Ponderosa. Regardless of the fact that this is (literally) the only restaurant in King & Dickens county, it is a jewel. Taking a few minutes to eat inside and watching the locals come and go is almost like you've stepped back in time a bit with the good ole boy attitude and huge pickup trucks. Ok, maybe not stepped back in time (since I've never seen a Delorean here), but definitely like being in City Slickers. You feel like Billy Crystal with your pressed Mets cap not fitting in but still being accepted by everybody. Bar none, the Ponderosa has the best BBQ brisket I've had! They basically serve until they run out but that shouldn't stop you from swinging by in the late afternoon or evening. It will take about 14 seconds from ordering until you receive your food and it will be the longest time in your life; the sights and smells in here make your stomach immediately scream for food. read more

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Overall pretty good pretty good place. The atmosphere was very welcoming and the food was pretty alright. Good place to stop by at.

The prior reviews are perfect even though they're really old. If you're passing through and not ready to eat. Get it to go. You'll be in and out in a couple minutes. Unlike most BBQ joints, these guys don't flood their food with sauce. If you 'say yes to sauce'. It's about the same amount of sauce as to what a burger place uses for catsup on a burger. If you're getting this to go, I'd recommend getting some extra sauce. read more

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Traveling between Gainesville to Lubbock I always look forward to getting BBQ at the Ponderosa. The beef is exceptional but don't miss the Green Chili cheese Sausage! read more

This is the best BBQ place between Lubbock and Dallas! They have Brisket to ribs and some great local items you can purchase to take home! So get off the interstate and take the back roads and stop by TC's! read more

Great local BBQ shop. Great portions and value. Love this local place. You would almost miss it if you did not know it always there. Is located in a old gas station/ convenience store. read more

Stopped by on out for way back to Dallas!! Amazing staff and even better food!! The brisket is awesome, coleslaw and potatoes were great .... the ribs were really good as well but the pineapple pudding topped it off! Recommend this place for sure read more