San Antone by Bludso’s BBQ

Retuned a few days later to try some other items on the menu and once again had a great dining experience. Tried the chili (liked it) and the half chicken. Everything tasted great and the service was spot on. Nice to see this level of consistency. Also saw the staff using tablets to take orders on the go without having to go back to the main terminal every time to put an order in. Nice touch.

Yes. Absolutely amazing. I read reviews prior to coming here, and honestly we were walking so much up and down in Crown that we almost went to MerryWell burgers or something, but saw one of the cooks sniffing each bottle of sauce before putting it on the food (to identify it?) unhygienic. Thank goodness we walked out of there like bats out of hell and asked for direction to San Antone! It IS upstairs from the foodcourt, even though the sign by the escalators only says Kitchen Workshop and some others.
Anyway it was great. There was a short line but only 3 of us got us earlier access than the big family still waiting. Our waitress was the sweetest thing ever! You would just feel compelled to drop everything and smile and occasionally laugh whenever she came by. So 10 points to Gryffindor in the service department. The reviews said that the platter was great, almost EVERYONE around us was having a platter, so I decided to try the brisket and hot-​link sausage burger. For $ 17 it looked quite small, but then I realised how stacked it was! Our waitress suggested that I try the loaded fries for $ 11, which included the regular $ 8 fries with chilli flakes or something on the side of the loaded ones. SO MANY CHIPS. The meat on the loaded fries was phenomenal.
Every fibre in me was telling me to stop eating because it was so much food, and albeit pricey (about $ 127 for the three of us because of 1.65% surcharge for using credit card), it was so worth finishing everything. I didn’t eat the next day because I was so full. So in the end it all balanced out. Best decision ever. I might be sick of meat but for me that’s only temporary.

Bbq, what’s not to love about smokey meats. I love meat and I love smokey meat even more. I’ve been really enjoying the rise and rise of American bbq in Australia but l can’t help but feel that some authenticity has been lost collaborating with crown.
I mean the flavours are good the wait staff are super friendly and the service is fast. What I don’t like is the small portions with high price points. The food is good but not that good to warrant the price hike. With so many good bbq joints around I won’t be rushing back here despite its proximity to my abode.
I’m sure it will continue to thrive as most things in crown do driven by the tourist dollar or those that come to the complex rather than venturing out.
It’s good but my tip would be stick to the specials although I would be happy to return and try the brisket.

I had heard the queues to get in here were a bit crazy so I decided to go early and mid week. I think the initial opening frenzy has died down now — we didn’t have a problem getting a seat and there were always plenty of empty tables throughout the night.
We chose the share platter including pork ribs, which was quite expensive, but came with mac and cheese and slaw, but no chips.
It was actually too much meat in the end for the two of us, but it was all pretty good. It’s nice to get chicken that isn’t dry, although the ribs could’ve done with a bit more juice. The brisket was moist and tender and a generous serve. That’s what it’s all about really.

Food is just terrific, but expensive! Portions are small, but due to protein content very filling. Their Specialty is Beef Brisket and they do it well! Tasty, and Tender. I also loved the Chicken Sausage. Meat comes with 2 sauces and the «hot» one is not super hot and really tasty.
I had the Peach Cobbler and Ice Cream for Dessert, it was sweet, crunchy and delicious. Really good service and a fun meal, just a bit expensive! $ 235 for 3 people including 2 drinks each.

Great American BBQ! Brisket and pulled pork sandwich with s big soft bun. The spicy sauce is pretty hot. The loaded fries were great!

Being a big fan of texas bbq i must say im very dissapointed, this place is not serious about quality.
Had a reservation so didnt have to wait, staff were very friendly. Ordered a few starters and beef briskets, ribs and half a chicken along with sides.
Ambience was more like a bar than a BBQ or steakhouse, you dont get that feel.
The beef brisket was served semi-​cold (unacceptable), it was too dry, tender but not juicy, same with the ribs.
Chicken was very dry, beyond the skin the meat was bland no flavor, as if it wasnt marinated for long or the smoking process is not authentic. The beans tasted like canned beans, not even close to fresh beans you get at texas steakhouses.
Starters like quesidalla suffered from small portion size and the filling was lacking, the sauces were good but thats it.
Extremely dissapointed with Melbourne Bludso’s, im a fan of texas bbq and this place is pretending to be authentic. I wonder if Bludso is aware of the low quality being served here? they are obviously not serious about the food they serve, especially for the price they charge.

Arrived at 7.30 on a Thursday and got in straight away. The line seemed to build after us so just got in on time. The girl who served us was really nice and the food was so good. We got the platter for two which was $ 64 and we loved every bit of it. They were amazing with my son which makes it nice to know its family friendly even if they have no kids menu. The food came out quickly and we left very full. It was a great experience and we will be back here again.

Its been a few weeks since this Texas BBQ restaurant opened. There was still a queue when we arrived at 7.45pm on a Sunday night. Although when we looked inside the restaurant, there was quite a few seats available, so I am not sure if they are just trying to create a buzz around this place.
The service was fine, I had the Ice peach tea which tasted like black tea and not so much peach. And between the two of us, I think we ordered way too much food. I really wanted the corn bread, but apparently they are still working on the recipes, how is that possible?
We had:
— Cerviche Verde which is Poached shrimp with lime marinated scallops, tossed in a sauce of blended cilantro, oregano, parsley, serrano chiles, avocado, lime, tomato and shaved red onion, served with crispy tostadas (This was quite nice and fresh, but you do need to put some hot sauce on it.)
— Beef Brisket (Was fine, we had it with the mild sauce which is really mild and sweet)
— Mac and cheese (was quite disappointed with this)
— Texas Beef Chilli (was tasty, this is the first time I had chilli, I think I was expecting something that is more spicy, but there wasn’t any hint of spiciness at all)
— Mango fish tacos (the taste was amazing, altho I felt the fish was overcooked)
— Pecan pie (my first pecan pie ever and totally loved it)
What I am disappointed is that they charged a surcharge for using credit card.

As a self-​confessed brisket addict, I’d been eagerly anticipating the opening of San Antone at Crown.
Dubbed the taste of Texas, their signature BBQ sauce has all the right moves so I’m quite surprised about the negative critiques that have surfaced.
IMO the brisket rivals other smokehouse joints in Melbourne such as Fancy Hank’s, Le Bön Ton and Third Wave Café.
Made reservations on my «Cheat Day» so I ordered the chicken tacos, beef brisket and banana cream pie for $ 38 and I regret nothing.
If you don’t book in advance be prepared to wait behind the velvet rope for at least an hour.

Listen, if you love BBQ, you are going to love this restaurant. I had the brisket, pulled pork, along with Mac and Cheese /​BBQ baked beans as my main — you have the choice of two sauces and I chose the hot BBQ sauce. Not too much heat, but tasty as hell! This reminded me of good old American BBQ at its best. I also shared some of the chili powder dusted fries and I was so impressed. Dessert was sharing red velvet cake and a banana pie — both delicious.
As for the service, there were a few challenges with our waitress who chose to take our order and forget to come back and bring our food. Luckily, one of the supers on the floor helped out. Unfortunately, this was a critical bit which did lose a star as the food is amazing.
The drinks menu is very good with one of the largest bourbon menus I have seen in Australia. Make an effort to get out soon — definitely worth it!