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    The Original Willies BBQ

    3.7 (54 reviews)
    InexpensiveBarbeque
    Closed 11:00 am - 6:00 pm

    The Original Willies BBQ Photos

    THE ORIGINAL WILLIES BBQ ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

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    A brisket and sausage plate, with mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and corn, and a loaded baked potato with brisket.

    Texas barbeque is a very competitive industry, but Willies BBQ stood out to me. The brisket was moist, smoky and tender. The loaded baked potato is a must have, it's stuffed with cheese, sour cream, and topped with delicious chopped brisket. The jalapeno sausage was rich and spicy. And for the price, the portions were very generous! I would eat here every day if I could.

    Menu
    Michele J.

    Someone recommended this place to us. We are on the road traveling so we made an effort to include Wille B's BBQ on our route. We are from So. California, so won't pass through to often. We ordered the moist brisket & jalapeño sausage and Pork ribs. The sides we had were Mac & cheese, corn, potato salad, rice & beans. The brisket.....out of this world! SO good, and tender. The jalapeño sausage was good and so were the pork ribs! We wish we lived a little closer to enjoy great tasting bbq. The corn was sweet. Excellent brisket, come on in and try it! Brisket Brisket Brisket!!

    Willie's BBQ Restaurant
    Julie S.

    Okay, so after the disappointing food I received when I used their drive-through for the first and last time I decided I'd dine in this time. Obviously a big mistake on my part. Everything was going well. I ordered what I usually do which is the baked potato with everything on it. I also bought a 16.9 oz. bottle of Dr Pepper. I received my order and was very pleased with its appearance. I mixed up my baked potato with the topping's and added some of their barbecue sauce. I was halfway through eating my baked potato and had drank about a quarter of the of Dr Pepper when I decided to get some chopped brisket to go. I left my food and drink at my table and went over to the front counter and place my order. After paying I turned around and headed back towards my table only to find that it was completely cleared off. One of their staff had cleaned off my table throwing away my food and my drink. It took another customer who speaks Spanish to explain to the worker that he had just thrown away my supper and that I wasn't finished eating it. The guy turns to me, says something in Spanish and shrugged his shoulders like, "oh well, too bad" in response. I went up to the counter, asked if someone knew how to speak English and explain to that man what the employee had done with my supper. The guy turns to another guy, talks to him in Spanish and turns and looks at me and says grab another bottle of pop. I spent $12 and walked away with only eating HALF of my meal and what was their resolution? Giving me a new bottle of pop. I also spent $10 for 1/2 pound of brisket to go. So for $22 dollars I got 1 and 1/4 bottles of pop, 1/2 pound of brisket (to go) and HALF of a baked potato meal. So my advice is, if you choose to go here and you are single, eating alone and you decide to get up from your table to go order a piece of pie or more food to go, don't be surprised if they throw away your meal while you are at their counter. Very, VERY disappointed and upset about this. I am seriously considering never coming back here, even tho I like their food. To have THREE employees act like this is unacceptable and not how you treat your customers.

    Cowboy bowl with fajita.
    Sylvia E.

    A must have when in the Valley. Great food and big portions. Family friendly environment.

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    4 months ago

    Every thing is great at Willies. Last week we got the giant potato & a pulled pork plate. I got 2 meals out of my plate.

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    1 year ago

    Food is always great, service is good. Restaurant and bathrooms are clean and well maintained.

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    5 years ago

    First timer, and I can absolutely say the food is delicious!! Loved it. Will definitely be going back for more brisket.

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    8 years ago

    If you want good bar b q in Texas avoid this place. Horrible food all the way around and over priced.

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    Teddy’s Barbecue - Sides: Potato Salad, Fried Brussels Sprouts. Meat: Péquin Sausage, Smoked Turkey, Pork Belly Burnt Ends, Ribs, Brisket!

    Teddy’s Barbecue

    4.5(110 reviews)
    8.2 mi
    $$

    Teddys BBQ: A Disappointing Experience Unworthy of the Top 50…read moreTeddys BBQ, a celebrated winner of the "Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ Awards," arrived with high expectations that were, unfortunately, decimated by the actual experience. Arriving at 11:10 AM, just after opening, we anticipated fresh, high-quality smoked meats and homemade sides. What we received was an uninspiring meal that leads me to question the legitimacy of its Top 50 status--and frankly, its place in the Top 100. This visit was a letdown, especially compared to the twelve other far superior BBQ joints we tasted this past week. The Meats: Misses and One Minor Hit The foundation of the barbecue here was weak, suggesting corner-cutting or, worse, reheating of old product. * Brisket: This was the biggest disappointment. The slice was terrible--dry, lacking juice, and with a bark that was chewy rather than crisp. It looked and tasted suspiciously like leftovers reheated from the day before, which is unacceptable minutes after opening. * Ribs: Nothing special here. They lacked the depth of smoke flavor and suffered from a distracting, undesirable "hammy" taste. There wasn't much meat on the bone, and the glaze was applied too lightly, failing to add any necessary sweetness or texture. * Jalapeño Cheese Sausage: This was the sole highlight of the meat offerings. It was a nice standard sausage with a good peppery snap to the casing and a satisfying ooze of cheddar cheese. It offered a nice, reliable counterpoint to the lackluster smoked proteins. Failed Opportunity: The Texas Twinkie The infamous Texas Twinkie completely missed the mark. While the basic concept of a bacon-wrapped, cream-cheese-stuffed jalapeño is sound, the execution here was poor. The filling was overwhelmingly cream cheese, which completely sucked the flavor out of the jalapeño and bacon. It was a great opportunity wasted by failing to include a bit of smoked brisket or chicken to give it complexity. Sides: Bland, Bland, Bland The sides tasted uninspired, suggesting they were prepared from a can or box rather than crafted from scratch--an unforgivable sin for a purported Top 50 establishment. * Creamed Corn: It was creamy but utterly bland. It needed significant elevation--perhaps charring the corn kernels or adding some diced jalapeño pieces for heat and brightness. * Mexican Rice: This was mushy and flavorless. It desperately lacked the savory depth and spice expected of Mexican rice. A small addition of pork or brisket trimmings would have provided necessary flavor and prevented it from tasting so generic. Dessert: An Unprofessional Finish The Grapefruit Pie was the final letdown. The filling tasted okay, but the crust was clearly store-bought. To be considered a Texas elite, every component should be homemade and excellent. This felt like an amateur concession. Final Verdict Overall, Teddys BBQ was profoundly uninspiring. Given that we arrived right after opening, expecting the freshest quality, and having recently toured 12 genuinely great BBQ places, this location falls far short. It simply does not belong in the Top 50, or even the Top 100. Teddys has a lot of room for improvement if it wants to justify its ranking.

    We enjoyed our lunch here…read more First time at a Teddy's BBQ. You order at the counter as you walk in, then pay at the end of the line, then your food tray handed to you. Two of us shared the following: - Chopped brisket sandwich - 1/2 pound pork ribs (2-bones) - Creamed corn side - Loaded mashed potatoes side - Bread, pickles and onions - Banana pudding - 2 fountain drinks The food was all real good. On the way out, we stopped by the meat smoking area to watch them wrap some briskets. We'd come back to Teddy's.

    Photos
    Teddy’s Barbecue
    Teddy’s Barbecue - 1/2 lb. Brisket, pork belly, Creamed Corn, loaded mashed potatoes

    1/2 lb. Brisket, pork belly, Creamed Corn, loaded mashed potatoes

    Teddy’s Barbecue

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    Smokin’ Moon BBQ & Beer Garden

    Smokin’ Moon BBQ & Beer Garden

    4.0(164 reviews)
    5.2 mi
    $$

    Food was phenomenal. We enjoyed the brisket so much that we ordered more (5 pounds) the very next…read moreday. I have never had any better than at Smokin' Moon. We also did a sample of the wings and decided they were amazing as well. We had excellent service. Our server was friendly and patiently answered all our questions. It was our first time there, but would not be our last. The owner or manager came to check on us to see how we enjoyed our food. This is another kudos for this management. Ambience was inviting. If we had been able to hang out longer, we would have enjoyed the patio/bar area. Maybe next time. If there was a negative, I would ask them to use something else for the paper on my tray. My paper was soaked through to the tray which is not appetizing to me. Perhaps butcher paper or parchment paper would solve the soak.

    Our first time trying Smokin' Moon BBQ & sorry to say it was just okay. Our visit was on a Friday…read moreafternoon (2 pm) there was only a couple of tables with customers so it was quiet with ladies soccer on the tv's. We chose a seat & the waitress came over with menus, we asked a couple of questions regarding food/drink (tea, potato salad & brisket chili) items & was told she didn't eat/drink those things so had no opinion/knowledge. Needless to say we ordered a 1/2 lb of both brisket & beef sausage, potato salad & brisket chili & 2 unsweetened iced teas. The brisket was closer to a slow cooker pot roast than smoked brisket. The potato salad I'm pretty was Reser's potato salad from the premade section at Walmart. The brisket chili had burger meat rather than pieces of brisket but it tasted ok. The beef sausage was the best part of the meal but it was just ok. The tea was terrible & tasted old. Our waitress was lacking in customer service granted she was working the bar with maybe 2 people in the area. Will we go back probably not.

    Photos
    Smokin’ Moon BBQ & Beer Garden
    Smokin’ Moon BBQ & Beer Garden
    Smokin’ Moon BBQ & Beer Garden

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    GW's BBQ Catering

    GW's BBQ Catering

    4.5(18 reviews)
    2.1 mi

    Food and service is PHENOMENAL! Everyone is so sweet and…read morehelpful! Amazing place! Worth the wait and worth the price!

    This place lives up to the hype! We arrived about 5 minutes before the doors opened and the line…read morewas already into the parking lot. It took about an hour to reach the front of the line but the wait was worth it! You can smell the smoke and food as soon as you get out of your car. There are a variety of sides to choose from. We opted for the potato salad, beans, and Mac and cheese. All sides were delicious! The potato salad was rich and creamy. The beans had a ranch style flavoring with added pieces of their sausage which paired well with each other. The Mac looked a little plain but the taste was excellent, very cheesy! We chose the brisket, beef sausage, and beef rib as our meat choices. The brisket was seasoned perfectly and was not overly smoked. It was also super tender and passed the pull test. The sausage had a really good flavor, but we found the casing to be a little tough. It was a challenge to cut the sausage with a plastic butter knife and a little chewy at times. The beef rib was tender and moist. Sometimes it can be a challenge to get a beef rib right but these guys nailed it. Absolutely NO sauce was needed for anything!!! The cherry on top was the staff. Everyone was very nice and seemed determined to make sure everyone was taken care of! Best BBQ in the RGV!!

    Photos
    GW's BBQ Catering - Sides! Sides! And Sides!

    Sides! Sides! And Sides!

    GW's BBQ Catering - The Vaughn.  Brisket, pork ribs, turkey, sausage, potato salad.

    The Vaughn. Brisket, pork ribs, turkey, sausage, potato salad.

    GW's BBQ Catering

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    492 BBQ

    492 BBQ

    4.4(29 reviews)
    7.0 mi
    $$

    I've asked the question before, but it bears repeating: "Is it even possible to get 'bad' barbecue…read morein the state of Texas?" Every time I'm back in the Lone Star state, I need to get my fix of 'cue since there is some essence that gets lost when the art of "slow and low smoking" of meats leaves the Southwest and migrates East and North of the Mississippi River. And for sure, it's difficult if not damn near impossible to find decent barbecue in the DC area. For an establishment that has been in business for over 15 years (since 2009), 492 BBQ has a criminally low review count. So allow me to add my ringing endorsement for some of the best 'cue you can find in the Rio Grande Valley. 492 is a not a fancy restaurant with tile flooring and multiple dining areas which have various seating configurations. But the place is clean and well lit, which is always appreciated. I was warmly greeted by the hostess and shown to a table, where my friendly server Christina suggested the three meat platter. Any good TX 'cue joint is judged on by one cut of meat and that is of course, brisket. The brisket at 492 is superior! There is a thick bark resulting from hours of slow cooking over mesquite wood coals. And you won't need any of the slightly sweet sauce on the table, since any good brisket can stand on it's own with just salt, pepper, and smoke. The ribs were also tasty, although I slightly preferred the pork vs. the beef short rib cut. Both the pork and beef ribs were "fall of the bone" tender, but perhaps I just like the texture and taste from the fattier pork. Both versions were still darn good. Sides were delicious...of course. The Mac and cheese was made in-house and from scratch ingredients. It was creamy, well seasoned, and didn't have that artificial taste or weird fluorescent color from box mixes. I'm glad I went with Christina's recommendation and tried the rice/beans combo. I've not sampled something like this, but the slow cooked pinto beans were added atop fluffy rice to make an almost "stew like" dish with pieces of meat mixed in. Really good! Service was attentive throughout the meal with water glasses being filled when empty, and take home boxes offered since there was waay too much food to be consumed at one sitting. My 3 meat sampler, with just water and no dessert, came to about $28 with tax and tip. A bargain really since I had the other half of the meal for lunch the next day.

    I ordered to go. I ordered the baked potato with sliced brisket. It was a very large potato that I…read moredidn't get to finish. I was satisfied with the order. The service did take like 15 minutes on the wait. The place looks clean. Ambient is casual

    Photos
    492 BBQ - Entrance

    Entrance

    492 BBQ
    492 BBQ

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    The Original Willies BBQ - bbq - Updated May 2026

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