Sam’s Bar-B-Cue

Couple years ago, this place got busted for purchasing stolen meat and serving it to people. Just a reminder. They bought stolen meat and served it to people. You’re welcome.

Granted, we got there at noon and the lamb wasn’t to be ready for another 45 minutes, so we missed out on the signature dish. We should have left and come back another day. If a cook can’t get his signature dish on the fire and ready to serve, it’s not a good sign. Unfortunately we stayed and ate brisket, pork ribs, and sausage. All of which were mediocre or worse. 3/​8″ slice of moist wouldn’t hold together and had no hint of smoke. Ribs fell off the bone (this should not be your goal as a rib cook) and, again, no smoke. Barks were reasonable but nothing to write home about. The sausage was very moist and cooked right, but again, they tasted like they’d been in an oven instead of near a wood burning fire. Last, and certainly least, the sauce was atrocious. 90% ketchup, 9.7% vinegar, and 0.3% cayenne was the flavor profile.
All of that might make for perfect mutton, but these cooking techniques and flavors are not good for beef and pork.
Staff was nice, and you gotta love the joint. Just don’t go there for anything other than the famed lamb ribs.

You might not get the connection but as news spread today on the death of David Bowie, I remembered reading a story about Stevie Ray Vaughn asking Sam to send him some BBQ while he was recording in New York City. SRV loved going to Sam’s, so much that he craved it while recoding his tracks for Bowie’s «Let’s Dance» album in NYC. Somehow I felt I needed to stop by on the East 12^th joint to get some brisket, mutton and chicken. The place hasn’t changed much since the last time I was there, circa 1999. Sam’s older, the outdoor seating is now enclosed and the food tastes and smelled the same as it did back then. It was like taking a step back in time to relive an Austin tradition. BTW hipsters, Sam’s BBQ is the oldest BBQ joint in East Austin and it’s thriving against a new generation of BBQ eateries and trailers. It’ll probably be here after the hype leaves town.

Not great.
Good at best.
Had brisket and ribs, because… Well because I love brisket and ribs.
The ribs were good for sure, fall off the bone. And the brisket wasn’t «bad» but I’ve had such better brisket.
«So why 2 stars» you’re no doubt asking aloud to yourself at this very moment.
Well, because
1) homeboy doesn’t wear any kind of gloves. At all. He touches ALL your food, and then wipes his hands on the dirty rag he uses to wipe the scale. And then touches more of your food.
2) I got sick immediately after and I’m still laying in bed nauseated as I write this.
3) a bit overpriced for what the place is
4) not what you’d call a «nice» place. Unless you grew up in a sewer, then this would qualify as nice.
I gave it a try because it’s right down the street from me, but the food was just okay (pretty bland, actually), place was kind of nasty, and dude wasn’t any help answering questions.
There are far better bbq options out there for you.

Sam’s is great! I usually get the brisket and some sauce on the side. It’s in a little bit rough part of town (for Austin).
There have been one or two times when the meat was a little too fatty (they should trim some of that out when it’s in hunks) but that is generally pretty rare, here.
If I want to be the most popular guy at a party where people are bringing food, I’ll get a pound or two of the brisket and some bread and sauce to bring.

Overpriced and don’t accept credit when they decide to. Brisket is 50% fat, but tasty.

Pretty good… Got some brisket and ribs to-​go. Ribs were very tender and delicious.

Great BBQ in a great neighborhood. This place is keeping it real, with all the meat perfectly cooked and cool employees. Be sure to get the lamb when they have it.

This is an old East Austin joint that I used to frequent in the past. The joint, is a true joint. I noted that a few old photographs, which are stapled on the walls were gone, but many new ones were there. Of course the 2 with me in them sitting with some blues musicians were among the missing. Sad.
Now the food. The brisket is exactly like the Lady likes, very lean with the fat pad cut off after cooking. The sausage is good, but I still prefer it with more fat.
The Q joint has serviced the East Austin neighborhood for years. The hipster invasion is a worry as the food may be in danger of changing and loosing flavor to appease that clientele. Hopefully that will not happen. I would hate to see a Whole Foods type of place built next door. My humble opinion.

Don’t wait in line to eat at Franklins. This place is legit. Try the ribs and Mac and cheese

This is a down home, family owned, passed down from generations style restaurant. It’s tiny in an «interesting» part of austin but man, this food is the best BBQ I have ever eaten in my life. I am from Los Angeles, then Dallas for 10 years, and I bring everyone who visits me from out of town to this joint. The guys are always funny, and keeps us laughing every time I go. I love looking at the decades of pictures, articles and memorabilia that is the walls of this hole in the wall.
I love the hot sauce at the table, the make it in front of you style and the overall atmosphere of this place. I feel like I am going to my uncles BBQ when I come here. They’re loud, and will insult you if you get too picky or if you don’t eat everything off of your plate (jokingly of course). Just can’t say enough goodness about this place!

great bar-​b-​q and cool location. Place looks like a little house. Very reasonable pricing

I can’t say enough about Sam’s. We had the best experience tonight. Especially with Brian, the owner. His business has been in his family for 39 years! That alone drew me in when choosing where to take my family to eat BBQ.
I’ve lived here for three years and tried plenty of the BBQ in town. The brisket, ribs and chicken were so juicy and flavorful! His portions were also great for the price. We paid about $ 14 for two meats and two sides with bread, pickles and onions. Two of us shared a plate and we were beyond full!
Love Sam’s and can’t wait to go back again!

Texas knows brisket. This place is outstanding and great on the character end of the spectrum. Had brisket and mutton, and wow. His slogan is, «you don’t need teeth to eat my beef, «and it’s absolutely true. Tender, juicy and delicious. Mutton was excellent — don’t understand why more places don’t serve it
First time here and it’s on the list next time I’m in Austin. Not in a great part of town but easily accessible from downtown or the freeway (35). The owner, Sam, is great — I was by myself, and since it wasn’t busy, he came out from behind the counter and sat with me, munching on a rib and telling stories about his movie roles and meeting AL Pacino and Nick Cage. I’m a BBQ ameteur, and he even walked me through his back of house, and explained what he does step by step.
Sam commented at one point that his crowd had changed over the years in terms of ethnicity, but he didn’t care — «we all came on boats, just at different times.» The world needs more of people like Sam, and his bbq is a nice bonus.

The brisket is good… Super greasy tho! Waaaaayyyyyy over priced and not worth it… Green Beens straight from the damn can!!! He ain’t even put no damn salt on them… Sooooooo disappointed. The yams were ok! Macaroni was decent but could be better! Not a good experience at Sams. No bueno… Sam is really nice tho! Oh, and bring cash…

You know it’s a must try when:
1. There’s no website and so you find out about it through word of mouth and ‘best of BBQ’ websites.
2. You call to find out when they’re closing (bc there’s no website) and Bryan answers and tells you «get here when you can make it, I’ll stay open for you.»
3. The «motto» on the front of the building says «you don’t need no teeth to eat my beef.»
To sum it up, it’s a gold mine. As an out of towner I can’t compare it to the other local BBQ joints, but if you’re stopping through I highly recommend it, both for the food and hospitality. They let us try pieces of each meat so we could choose what we wanted for our dinner. We mixed it up with ribs, mutton, and brisket so we could try everything. So good! Everything was juicy and so tender. The ribs had the perfect smokey flavor. They were out of mac and cheese side but we had green beans which tasted fresh and baked beans, equally good. Bryan sat and chatted with us and made us feel like friends. It’s certainly not fancy and maybe seems like it’s not in the best neighborhood (although I’m not from Austin so I can’t say) but it’s what real BBQ is all about: local, friendly, homey, and delicious. And there was no hour + wait, which was a bonus because I was too hungry to wait.

Effing DELICIOUS.
I’ve never had such delicious lamb in my entire life.
Is the place pretty?
No, that’s how you know the food is good. As long as the place passes a health inspection, I don’t think I care how it looks or the food is prepared.
It’s to god damned delicious.
Have you ever seen «House of Cards»? This is pretty much the place Underwood goes to get his barbecue.
Eat at THIS place. GET THE MUTTON.

Great BBQ! Very friendly proprietor. The location is old and run down and covered in photos of past famous guests and who know what all else. A truly unique dining experience, totally worth the trip.
The mutton was good, but pretty fatty and difficult to eat. I’d stick to the ribs and brisket.

THIS IS A REALLY COOL PLACE. If you want a fancy-​pants, stand in line for 3 hours, over-​hyped clone, don’t go here.
SAMS HAS EXCELLENT BARBEQUE. I’ve never been disappointed. The staff is great. The brisket is AWESOME. The ribs are to die for. THE LAMB IS CHOICE.
This is a place for barbeque. If you want nonsense and stuck-​up @#$@# go somewhere else. IF YOU WANT GREAT BRISKET, GO TO SAM’S!!!

If you’re into historic ATX eateries, Sam’s should be on that list. Located in East Austin where the area is rich in African-​American history along with jazz & R&B music. This old school, southern establishment is about as Austin as it gets. It’s old school Austin and is family owned and operated, 3^rd generation.
When you walk in, the history surrounds you. The porch is the spot. Southern hospitality is experienced before you experience the unique flavors of the juicy chicken and brisket. The yams are to die for.
The ribs are on my list to eat next visit.