Terry Black’s Barbecue
The kids wanted to play mini golf at Peter Pan, so we spent their first day out of school playing mini golf, then walked over for some BBQ.
Terry Black's Barbecue
1003 Barton Springs Rd
Austin, Texas
#21 on the TX BBQ Passport
Second stop
Parking is a bit of a mess by the restaurant. However, the location absolutely cannot be beat. It's close to downtown and across from a park.
They have a lot of wood. I took this picture on my way out of the joint -- they have a sign that says to ask them about the pit tour, which we'll definetly do the next time we visit.
They have a merchandise area at the front of the store. There was a sign that said if you were buying merchandise you can skip the line, but we made the kids put these cows stickers down.
I decided not to point out that we were there to eat a lot of cow.
All the usual suspects are available. The Texas Monthly list said the ribs were amazing, so we made sure to order those. I made an effort to read the guide BEFORE going to the restaurant (unlike my lack of planning when we went to Kreuz), but then pretty much forgot everything it said.
The sides are serve yourself. My pro tip would be to discuss what sides you want as a group as I'm sure we could have economized vs. buying four individual macaroni and cheeses and the kids complained that the containers were too small. We also got some creamed corn as the kids discovered they loved it on our other BBQ trip.
We ordered 1 lb of brisket - half lean (my preference) and half fatty (the husband's preference)
We also ordered three ribs and link of the jalapeno and cheese sausage. I appreciated that they cut the sausage for you.
Our bill - lunch for four - came to $80, which also included three drinks and two ice creams for the kids, which seemed insane. We apparently ordered way too much food and took a ton home, meaning the husband and I need to do better pre-game planning so we don't end up with 800 individual sides and pounds of meat left over.
No one is complaining about the leftovers.
The brisket was incredible. Over the top amazing. I had a hard time getting it on my plate because it kept falling apart (and yes, they had actual plates - Styrofoam plates, but still plate-type objects). The brisket bark was soooooooo flavorful and the fat was so buttery soft and melty.
When my son picked up a rib, all of the meat fell right off the bone. The meat was perfectly tender and good.
The sausage was good. It had big pieces of cheese throughout.
There was three types of barbecue sauce. I tried the classic. It was good - I think? I tried it, but stop caring immediately because the brisket was so freaking amazing and didn't need sauce.
The ambiance of the restaurant is fairly standard barbecue or regular restaurant place.
Traumatized by their experience at Kreuz, the first question the kids asked when we sat down was if they got a fork. The kids were happy with their meal that largely consisted of sides. One kid thought the macaroni and cheese was amazing and the other thought it was meh.
My son expressed dissatisfaction with the strawberry Fanta available and would have preferred orange Fanta. I'm confused about how he knows about Fanta, as well as why Fanta is available anywhere, but his recommendation is noted for the record.
All in all, the food was amazing, and Terry Black's definitely deserves its spot on the Top 50 BBQ list.
