I don't normally write reviews this long, but after our experience at Soulman's Bar-B-Que, I felt…read morelike they deserved more than just five stars and a couple of sentences saying, "Great barbecue."
From the moment we walked in, I was impressed. The first thing I noticed was how incredibly clean and well maintained the restaurant was. Everything looked fresh, organized and cared for. The dining area was spotless, the tables were clean, the serving area looked great, and even the bathrooms were exceptionally clean. That may seem like a small detail, but I've always believed the condition of a restaurant -- especially its bathrooms -- tells you a lot about the pride people take in running the place. Soulman's clearly takes that seriously.
Now, let's talk about the food.
The chopped brisket was absolutely incredible.
Seriously, this was some delicious Texas barbecue. The brisket was tender, juicy, smoky and full of flavor. It tasted incredibly fresh and had that wonderful combination of smoke, seasoning and richness that makes you remember why brisket is the king of Texas barbecue in the first place.
Then you add Soulman's barbecue sauce, and it gets even better. The sauce was fantastic -- just the right balance of sweet, tangy and smoky without covering up the flavor of the meat. I'm pretty sure I used considerably more barbecue sauce than any reasonable person actually needs, but I regret nothing.
The chopped brisket with that sauce was worth the trip by itself.
But the rest of the meal absolutely held its own.
The sides were excellent. Everything tasted fresh and flavorful and, most importantly, like somebody actually cared about what was being put on the plate. At some barbecue restaurants, the meat gets all the attention and the sides feel like an obligation. That definitely wasn't the case here. The entire plate was good from beginning to end.
And then there was the sweet tea.
If you're going to serve barbecue in Texas, you'd better know how to make a good glass of sweet tea. Soulman's does. Cold, refreshing and properly sweet, it was exactly what you want sitting next to a big plate of chopped brisket, barbecue sauce and sides.
And just when you think you're finished, there's the ice cream.
I love this.
There is something wonderfully simple about finishing a great barbecue meal and then getting some ice cream. After brisket, sides and sweet tea, that little bit of ice cream was the perfect ending. It's one of those small touches that turns a good lunch or dinner into an experience you remember.
Another thing that really stood out was the freshness of everything. Nothing tasted like it had been sitting around. The brisket tasted fresh, the sides tasted fresh, the tea was fresh, and the restaurant itself looked and felt fresh and clean.
There are certainly plenty of barbecue restaurants in Texas, so the competition is pretty serious. You can find brisket almost anywhere. But what separates a really good barbecue restaurant from an average one is getting the entire experience right.
Great meat. Great sauce. Good sides. Cold sweet tea. A clean dining room. Clean bathrooms. Fresh food. And something sweet at the end.
Soulman's checked every one of those boxes for us.
The only unpleasant part of the entire visit had absolutely nothing to do with Soulman's. A group of customers walked in behind us with a very strong smell of marijuana, which unfortunately was pretty noticeable while we were trying to enjoy our meal. I want to be very clear, however, that this was not the restaurant's fault and doesn't change my opinion of Soulman's whatsoever. It was simply an unfortunate circumstance involving other customers and completely outside the restaurant's control.
In fact, it almost made the contrast more noticeable because Soulman's itself was so exceptionally clean and well maintained.
I have to come back one more time to that chopped brisket because it really was the star of the show. Tender, smoky, moist, flavorful and absolutely delicious. Put some of Soulman's barbecue sauce over it, grab a fork and forget whatever diet you thought you were on when you walked through the door.
This was simply a terrific Texas barbecue meal from beginning to end.
Fantastic chopped brisket. Delicious barbecue sauce. Great sides. Excellent sweet tea. Ice cream to finish it off. Fresh food. Spotless dining area. Spotless bathrooms. Everything was clean, organized and obviously well cared for.
You can tell when a restaurant is being run by people who take pride in what they do, and that was my impression of Soulman's.
Soulman's Bar-B-Que reminded me of what a good Texas barbecue restaurant is supposed to be: uncomplicated, delicious food served fresh in a clean, comfortable environment.
We thoroughly enjoyed it, and I will absolutely be back.