The Best Barbecue Restaurants in Houston

Brothers Robin and Terry Wong and Quy Hoang are at the forefront of a new movement in Houston barbecue, one that embraces the new, and most importantly, embraces new flavors. You can find the classics at Blood Bros., but you can also find dishes that use the Vietnamese ingredients the owners grew up with, as well as other Southeast Asian and Mexican influences. The menu changes often, but think brisket fried rice, thit nuong pork belly burnt ends, smoked turkey bánh mì, togarashi chicken, and guava-glazed pork ribs.

Cooked on a 40-year-old offset steel pit known as “the Beast,” as well as a rotisserie pit, the smoked meats at Brett’s are worth the drive to Katy. The brisket, pork ribs, and sausage pair perfectly with the restaurant’s housemade barbecue sauce, which is sweet with just a little kick. The brisket we tried was tender and had a really nice smoke ring as well.

This barbecue spot went from a small venture in Acres Homes to a Houston favorite with four locations, including two in Katy and Pearland. For a big group, order one of the plates such as the Roy Burns BBQ baked potato, which weighs 10 pounds and feeds 15 people, or the MLB special (yay, Astros), which features a slab of smoked ribs and one pound of your choice of links. You won’t be left hungry from the dinner plates and sandwiches either. For those steering clear of red meat, no worries—order a whole chicken or half-chicken tray. Can’t get enough of Burns? Rep the brand with one of its T-shirts or aprons.

This barbecue joint came to fruition after finding success through catering—people just couldn’t get enough of it. Corkscrew sources its brisket from Creekstone Farms, which raises prime grade all-natural beef; the turkey breast from Fresh Farm Turkeys; the pulled pork and whole rack pork ribs from Compart Family Farms; and the sausage links are made of Akaushi beef and all-natural pork mixed link. Oh, and don’t forget to save room for the three-cheese mac and cheese.

Patrick and Erin Feges started out with a small counter in the Greenway Plaza food court in 2018 (which is still there), then opened a proper restaurant in Spring Branch in 2021, boasting a larger menu and a full bar. We recommend making the trip to the latter; you’ll have a much better experience. Come here for the Carolina-style whole hog, somewhat of a rarity in Houston, as well as the out-of-the-box sides like spicy Korean braised greens and pimento mac and cheese.

Pitmaster Greg Gatlin’s concept has been a Houston staple since 2010. The smoked meats are all good here—brisket, various sausages, pork ribs, turkey, and chicken—and the sides shine equally, including a potato salad, coleslaw, dirty rice, mac and cheese, and baked beans. If you’re there bright and early, there’s the Gatlin’s breakfast menu, which features shrimp and grits, wings and waffles, or the GBBQ Big Boy Sandwich, a triple-decker made with three fried eggs, smoked ham, bacon, spicy sausage, American cheese, and jam.

Henderson & Kane General Store is much more than just a place to go for local goods and groceries—it also offers a full barbecue menu. Choose from brisket, pulled pork, pork ribs, chicken, turkey, sausage, or smoked boudin. If you can’t pick just one (we know indecisiveness all too well), grab a friend and order the pitmaster plate for a sampler of almost all the meats. Don’t forget to check Henderson & Kane’s house specialties, including a meaty mac, Frito pie, loaded potato, and a Texas red chili.

With its smokehouse, beer garden, and live music, J-Bar-M might just have it all. Diners can get up to a four-meat plate, choosing between brisket, pork ribs, turkey, pulled pork, chicken, housemade sausage, and jalapeño cheddar sausage, plus two sides. Or stop by after 5pm for a bite of one of the restaurant’s wood-fired steaks, smoked brisket burger, or brisket queso. Great Mexican food is also on offer, so be sure to stop by on Sunday for the lunch special of barbacoa by the pound.

There are many outposts of Ronnie Killen’s famous restaurant across the Houston area now, but the OG in Pearland is the place to go. It’s a longer drive for anyone in the loop, but you’ll be glad you did after filling up here. The various smoked meats—brisket, pork ribs, jalapeño cheddar sausage, and pulled pork—are all well-seasoned and tender. The appetizers also deserve some hype, especially those deviled eggs. And although you might encounter a long line upon arrival, don’t let that steer you away, as it moves along quickly.

Grant Pinkerton’s country-like eatery has many fans, which now includes even Bill Gates, apparently. The brisket is great, but the jalapeño and cheese sausage is well worth trying too. The star of the show, though, are the fall-off-the-bone glazed pork ribs, which might just be the best ones you’ll ever taste. They have the ideal balance of heat, smokiness, and sweetness. Don’t forget to try one of the restaurant’s many sides and desserts; we love the duck and sausage jambalaya and the bread pudding, which, of course, is smoked.

The Pit Room has risen in the Houston smoked meat ranks since opening in Montrose in 2016. You can get the usual meat plates, but what we really love here are the barbecue tacos, which are worth the attention for the flour tortillas alone: they are made with smoked brisket fat, making for the perfect tortilla to hold the meat. The Pit Room has three taco options—brisket, pulled pork, or chicken—but if you’re here early, the breakfast tacos are the way to go, served every day from 7 to 10:30am. The restaurant also just opened a second location in Memorial City to cater to outer loopers, and this location offers an ice cream sandwich bar, so it might be worth the drive out there too.

One of the older barbecue joints in Houston, originally opened in 1984 as a food truck by Rayford S. Busch, Ray’s found a home on OST in 2011. We particularly love the baby back ribs, the rib-tip sandwich, and the oxtail plate—the latter are pricey, but it’s Ray’s specialty. Leave room for the peach cobbler and Sock It to Me cake.

A good order here includes the turkey, brisket, and jalapeño cheddar sausage, which are all good with the barbecue sauce provided but can be eaten on their own too. Skip the sides; they weren’t our favorites. Roegels, which opened a Katy location in 2022, also offers regular sandwich specials, like the pastrami reuben, barbecue cuban, patty melt, and smoked bologna.

This Tomball spot combines the best of both worlds: barbecue and chocolate. Tejas actually began more as a chocolate goods store with a smoked meat side hustle, but the latter really took off within the community and among inner loopers too. A fair warning: the brisket is extra, extra moist here, so you may want to order yours lean; it’ll still be quite moist. As for the sides, the carrot soufflé has gained somewhat of a cult status—and yes, it lives up to the hype.

While everyone has their favorites, Truth BBQ is often touted as the best barbecue in Houston. The restaurant started in Brenham in 2015 and made its way to the corner of Washington Avenue and Heights Boulevard in 2019. Like many places, the brisket here is king, but you can’t go wrong with any other smoked meat on the menu. Truth also gets frequent praise for the creativity of its sides. The Tater Tot casserole might just be one of the most legendary barbecue sides in the city of Houston—it makes our mouth water just thinking about it. That corn pudding and mac and cheese, too… A word of advice: get here at least 30 minutes before opening, as the line stacks up.

But this barbecue spot goes beyond just great ‘cue. Owners Leonard Botello IV and Abbie Byrom-Botello believe in giving second chances via their hiring practices, and they are heavily involved in feeding Houston’s houseless population, too. So if you’re craving some barbecue and feel like supporting a local restaurant that’s committed to giving back to the community, check out Truth BBQ.