Bunkhouse Barbeque

Best local BBQ I’ve ever had. Great folks, and wonderful, good food. Better than chain places and meat just melts in your mouth. I have it at least once a week!

When you do it right, nothing else matters. Texas is known for a lot of things, and good barbecue is one of the top three when it comes to food. If you visit Texas and you do not eat great barbecue, a big juicy steak, or amazing Tex-​Mex, you definitely did something wrong. With that said, while there are no shortages of BBQ joints, «great» barbecue is often missed. I love to read glowing reviews about barbecue joints in Texas from prominent critics; however, I have failed to see one that covers Bunkhouse Barbeque in Clifton, Texas. This could be because of the lack of ambience. Or, it could be due to the location. Whatever the reason, it is not because of the food.
If you want to experience some of the best barbecue in Texas, make your way to Clifton and stop in at the Bunkhouse. This is old school barbecue with old school everything. Sure, you will be parking in a dirt lot. Sure, the floor is a bit uneven in places. OK, the décor may not be superb. However, I don’t eat dirt, the floor, or the décor. I eat great food… and this place has some of the most succulent, well smoked barbecue I have ever tasted. And, my friend, that is saying a lot.
The ribs are perfection with a nice darkened shell, yet tender and juicy to the bone. The brisket has a perfect smoke ring and is also very tender and juicy. The pulled pork will melt in your mouth and not floss your teeth with tough strands. So, if you want to try some of the best barbecue Texas has to offer, don’t skip this place. If you do, then you are comparing very good to very good while missing the great.

Sampled both the pulled pork & chopped brisket, as both are truly tasty. My taste leaned to preferring the pulled pork over the brisket, so you can be the judge. The BBQ sauce is of a vinegar base, but it is tasty. What are you waiting for, get in there & eat!

Got BBQ sandwich to go. Ok bbq, nothing special. Got sauce. Ok there. Told me they charge extra for pickles, onions, & jalapeños. Most joints have those for free. Irritated me. Also got slice of pecan pie for $ 2.95. It was a little slice, barely worth the effort. Could get Edwards in grocery store cheaper. Not impressed here. Will only go back when desparate. My local bbq joint at home is SO much better, but I guess Clifton doesn’t have much choice.

On my way to Houston I saw this place just sitting on the side of the road, so, I made a U turn and decided to check it out. Its a very simple place, very simple décor, but very good BBQ. I got the three meat plate, and it was VERY reasonably priced. I have to say, this is one of my top 3 BBQ places that I have eaten while in Texas. The ribs had a very good smoke flavor, they were tender, juicy and the meat just fell off the bone.

Quality meats at a very reasonable price. Ham was good, brisket had a nice smoke ring, very tender. Ribs are very sweet, a little to sweet for me but they were meaty and had a good flavor. 3 different BarBQue sauces to choose from. Sausage was very good, I put mine in the pinto beans which really made them delicious. Friendly, fast service, nice clean atmosphere. Homemade cheesecakes! You can’t go wrong with this place.

Very good BBQ. Great onion rings. Great service and staff

Great BBQ! What a great place. All from scratch, brisket with a beautiful smoke ring, meaty ribs, moist smoked turkey and we love the fresh cut fries, and corn fritters. Friday night all-​you-​can-​eat catfish fry comes with cole slaw, beans and the great fries, for $ 10, a real deal. Clean, and wonderful friendly staff. We’ve been 3x’s in our first 2 weeks here, and it’s consistent and awesome. The rib sauce is very sweet, but the traditional BBQ sauce on the table is not. If you’re in the area, this is the place to go. They have a drive-​thru. Closed Sundays and Mondays.

Great Texas barbecue. It may not have a Texas Monthly following, but the small space was almost at capacity on a Thursday night. Clifton residents clearly know a good thing. The sandwich, side, and drink combo is a great value. My sliced beef sandwich, generous portion of fried okra, and sweet tea hit the spot. They do have turkey if you’re health conscious. Condiments are self-​serve. The sauce is on the sweet side. It has the appearance almost of a honey glaze.

I drove out this way with my girlfriend and ht up this place for lunch. Great food and I will definaely go back again. Actually did but it was closed. Darn good food.

Perhaps THE BEST bar-​b-​que I’ve ever eaten. Located in Clifton, Texas, this place has consistently served great food for 10+ years. Don’t miss the opportunity to treat yourself. I eat here 3 to 4 times a month and bring clients and friends.

SECOND TIME POSTING. It seems bad reviews «disappear». Was very disappointed. While the turkey & sausage was very good, the sides were horrible. The beans tasted old, the potato salad tasted spoiled & the coleslaw was just plain horrible. Not much of a selection of sides & no green veggies. Not kid friendly. No booster seats or kid friendly food selections. To top it off the employee that waited on us didn’t attempt to be friendly or hide her boredom.

I had a mid afternoon chopped sandwich and a bowl of beans since the line at Hard 8 was too long. The sauce is good. They have onions pickles etc on a little salad bar. Somewhere I saw posted the price per pond for these extras but I helped myself to pickles and peppers for my sandwich. Order at the counter, seat yourself and serve yourself. I plan to go back and try other choices. Pretty good q.

Some of the best bbq you will ever have! My grandparents live in Valley Mills and they introduced me to this place. Every time I visit them we always go to the Bunkhouse. I think they go a couple times a month. Brisket, ribs, and mouth watering sides make the Bunkhouse the best place for bbq in all the land.

I consider this to be a very fine barbeque choice that is a bit off the beaten path. You will have to drive 35 miles west of Waco on Highway 6 to Clifton, Texas to sample the tasty ribs. The dark finish and texture on these beauties make these some of the best in this region. The Bunkhouse (254.675.8409) sits on the south side of the 6 just before you get into Clifton. There is a sign about a mile before get to the dirt driveway.
The restaurant is furnished with many country paintings, curious old farming tools, saws, a guitar, horseshoes, and much more hanging from the walls. To enhance the central Texas atmosphere, country music is played in the background and the owner wears a cowboy hat, wranglers, and boots while he cuts the meat in front of you. His line of patter and country customer service is among the best in the west. Also interesting were the TV sets that seem to be a part of some strange performance art or broadcast from space. If you figure out what they are doing, let me know.
The ribs are the real star here. They come with a sweet glaze applied but I usually ask that they delete it. The portions of sliced brisket, ribs, ham, and sausage are very large. Sandwiches are packed with meat. The sides are all OK but nothing exceptional. Onion rings are frozen but OK and the fries also but OK. The sauce is good — maybe not the best ever but tasty. The prices here are very reasonable and the serving size make this place an exceptional value.
Tuesday thru Friday there is an all you can eat lunch buffet from 11am — 2pm that includes salad bar and dessert. Each day sliced brisket, chopped brisket (in sauce), and sausage are served along with alternating fourth meat. Be advised that the regular orders are large and are served with some decent sides.

Great BBQ and relaxed country atmosphere.

ok i was here a long time ago in october 2010, but this place is carazy. my first time in texas and i ate at this place on my last day. huge dusty parking lot and a very homey feel inside. a very texas and country feel. i was ending my trip with a BAM!
omg
omg
omg
omg
i cannot even begin to tell you what the hell happened. i had the all you can eat bbq lunch. it came with a bunch of stuff that filled this huge ass mofo plate. i think brisket, chicken, beef? also a few sides, slices of white bread, and a piece of cobbler. when the plate of food came out my eyes widened and that vietnamese proverb my mother always said to me echoed «full stomach, hungry eyes.» i had been so good on my trip here, only having a nibble here and a nibble there but it was my last day so what the f. i ATE. it was so good and this meal seriously made a dent in my life. i tried to start healthy by eating the chicken, but i made my way around the plate. the brisket was marinated super well and i ate a bite off of my bf’s plate. there were a few other huge people in there eating and i have no idea how somebody could come back for seconds nor can i imagine this place being a daily lunch place. it’s sodium, msg, and fat heavy! i didn’t even have room for the cobbler, but i ate it anyway. it was okay the gelatin was mostly corn starch.
when we went back to the house, my bf asked if i wanted a beer. i don’t know why i said yes because after that i died for like 3 hours and came back to life.