Fainmous BBQ

Happy I found this spot! They’re Ribs are very tender and seasoned but their homemade sausage steal the show!!! We ordered a pound and they were the best barbecue sausage I’ve had. They sell 3 sizes for chopped or sliced beef sandwiches which are very meaty. They’re very generous with portions. Can’t say I’m a fan of the offered side dishes. Green & Potato Salad didn’t work for me. As for me, I’ll stick to the meat only orders!

I was really craving barbecue and found this place on Unilocal with at least 4 stars. Decided to check it out and found it very much worth it.
The place itself looks very quaint and simple. On entering, I was greeted and went straight to the counter to order. I asked the staff for their recommendations, and pointed me in the right direction while being very patient with me. I told them I was a meat lover and didn’t really want bread, so they recommended a three-​meat plate, which comes with sides.
For the prices, the portion sizes are pretty big, and the BBQ I had was really moist and delicious. I had ordered a turkey leg and brisket, and the flavor just really stood out. They also have some unique BBQ sauces, mild or spicy, and adds even more to the taste of the BBQ. If you come on certain days, they have specials as well. The manager also came and checked up on me, asking if the food tasted alright. It did, and I liked the attention to customers.
Overall, I definitely like this place, the food and the service. While the location and venue itself isn’t all that great, the taste and friendly staff more than make up for it.

The gem of a place has some of the best brisket around and the spicy bbq sauce is to
Die for and is addicting. Friendly service. Can’t wait to try the ribs and pulled pork.

When I was told about this BBQ Resturant I was very shocked at how good the food taste. I told him I don’t eat everybody sauce well Will changed my mind on that. When you come in Mr. Will is there to greet you along with the clerk in the front. Will even know how many times you have been there. Will in my book has good Customer Service along with the workers. Will has gotten to know my car when I drive up. I have been there for 4 times now. Even my Girlfriend who just moved from Arizona went there and now living in Kansas can’t wait to get back to Houston to come back to Fainmous BBQ. I thank Will for opening this Resturant. I bless you and your Fainmous BBQ establishment.

Ok this is my fault. I didn’t check the hours of operation before I headed to this joint. Guess I’ll have to try coming back another day. Please disregard the one star.

My boyfriend (Kevin) and I just got done eating lunch here for the first time. From the minute you walk in the door the employees are very inviting. We got a chance to chat it up with Will and he made our experience great. Made sure we enjoyed our food and our visit (which we did)!
We ordered the sliced beef (melts in your mouth), ribs (so tender and flavorful) and ¼ dark chicken (perfect) with green beans, baked beans and potato salad. We finished our meal off with the sweet potato pie. Everything from the charred ends to the mildly tangy BBQ sauce was perfect. The food was perfect and the customer service was perfect. Definitely our favorite BBQ place in Houston so far. We will be coming back!

Great pulled pork, like I enjoy on my trips to the southeast. Meh potato salad. Very nice staff. Highly recommend.

The brisket here has an amazing flavor that stands on its own. I’m usually partial to fatty brisket but the lean brisket here was tender and I was impressed.
The pulled pork went very well with the barbeque sauce and I was glad we tried it. The ribs were a bit dry and tough. We did not try the sausage.

Never been here before & I will defiantly be back !! I’m a rib man and by far the best I’ve had in a long time. The spicy BBQ sauce has a great kick, they make it themselves. Close to the freeway so road warriors during the day like me can come in and leave real easy!

As a food critic the only thing I hate worse than bad food is NO FOOD. I have been here several times and 95% of the time they either have ran out of ribs or they are still cooking. Today was no different.
I came in during lunch around 1 and was told the ribs were on the pit and to come back between 4 – 4:30. So I stayed on that side of town and came back at 4:30. Still no ribs. I was told it wouldn’t be until 5:30 then. Total waste of time and gas.
My suggestion would be if you want ribs CALL FIRST.
I’ll be sticking to Triple J’s until the bbq festival in May at Reliant. This is super unfortunate because the food here is tasty but not worth the hassle.

Here at 8 pm on Saturday March 5^th. Sign says open til 9. They’re closed and tho I can see them through the door they’re ignoring me. Boo! Won’t be back.

Look, Houston has some pretty solid BBQ. I haven’t made the trip to the burbs for Killen’s, (south), or Corkscrew (north), nor have I had Ray’s on Old Spanish Trail.
I do love Gatlin’s, though. There ribs are the standard. And I’ve had a great experience at Jerry Pitzzitola’s joint in the heights as well, aptly named Pitzzitola’s.
But the SW/​Meyerland side of Houston doesn’t offer a lot of BBQ options, which is I found Fainmous.
Fainmous is in a strip center just outside of 610 southwest and right off of South Post Oak — just south of Kroger and Whataburger. Same parking lot.
The inside does look a little run down, but it has always looked clean. Both times we’ve been, we did get our order to go because, quite frankly, I have a 6-​pack of craft beer that will pair nicely waiting on me back at the house.
My wife got the regular pulled pork sandwich. Don’t let ‘regular’ fool you, it’s small. I would recommend most people at least upgrading to the ‘large’ size, but she’s small and doesn’t love BBQ. Well, she doesn’t love BBQ sauce, or any sweet sauce in general. She prefers the Carolina-​style approach sans sauce and Fainmous is as close as we’ve come in Houston.
The first time we came she really enjoyed her sandwich. This most recent time she thought the juice from the pulled pork made her bottom bun a little soggy. (Perhaps we should just eat it there. Juicy pulled pork isn’t a terrible problem to have).
[Sausage]: The first time we came I had their sausage. It’s delicious. It’s home made, sliced into big spicy bites of deliciousness. It doesn’t need any sauce, but drizzle some of that mixed sauce to your heart’s content. The gentleman I ordered from this most recent time recommended again, but I had to switch it up to…
[Sliced Brisket]: This was also delicious. Smoky and fell apart in my mouth. I loved the crispy burned edges (my favorite). It was just a tad dry, but that’s being somewhat nit-​picky.
[Pulled Pork]: As I mentioned regarding my wife’s sandwich, this is as close to Carolina-​style pulled pork as we’ve found. It’s tender, moist and flavorful.
[Potato Salad]: The potato salad is a little plain, but well-​executed nonetheless. I like mayo-​based with big chunks of potato and there’s some nice dill in there that adds flavor. In truth, I’m spoiled because I grew up on McKenzei’s BBQ in Huntsville and their potato salad is second to none.
[Coleslaw]: Again, pretty standard, but I like that Fainmous let’s their meats be the star of the show. The sweet coleslaw offsets the smoky and spicy BBQ. It’s a nice compliment.
[Other]: You do get two slices of fresh white bread with a BBQ meat plate, but unlike most BBQ joints in Texas, you do not get free pickles, onions and jalapenos. I keep these at home, and we order to go, so it’s not a deal breaker, but seems easier to tweak the margins a bit than nickel and dime ($ 0.50 each) your customers for things that are free most places. Customer expectations and such.
[Service]: The first time we came they did forget our extra side of potato salad and we had to go back. They also made my wife a chopped brisket sandwich instead of pulled pork. We had no issues the second time — completely different people working. They don’t exactly hustle to help you (short-​staffed in the back?), but they have been friendly and helpful both times.
[Overall]: There’s a handful of smaller things: little service issues, the dining room, charging for pickles and jalapenos, and relatively plain sides that force me to dock a star, but both times, I’ve very much enjoyed their delicious barbecue meats. And they do not cheat you. You get *tons of food* if you order a meat plate. Couple that with the fact that they’re the only decent BBQ joint I’ve found on the Southwest side and that equals 4 out of 5 stars for me.

Yep. Legit. And I’m not a huge fan of tangy potato salad but it was perfectly balanced with the mild sauce and BEANS. I love me some baked beans! I enjoyed the ribs and pulled chicken, but the free refill and kind service won me over to give em five stars. We’ll be back

I don’t really get it. All the four and five star reviews for this place confuse me. First of all I expected a nice restaurant I didn’t read the reviews I just looked at the rating. Big mistake it’s a dirty little restaurant in the strip mall The lady behind the counter was not welcoming borderline rude anyway we got through the ordering process had to pay $.81 for a bottle of water instead of getting a cup of water to drink with our meals. I didn’t even know it was lawful not to offer her water with a meal in a restaurant. Anyway I don’t mean to be a barbecue snob but I’m from Kansas City Missouri and we know barbecue there are barbecue joints all over our city some neighborhoods have a half a dozen. So I know good barbecue when I needed the pulled pork was good the brisket was OK but the chicken was just downright dry it wasn’t good at all and when I commented that it needed sauce because it was dry a man came out of the kitchen and Chyna gave me some static about it definitely a sour face look. So eating out of Styrofoam in a dirty little strip mall dining room with somewhat rude waitstaff suit shoe didn’t come on this is your place but I took my daughter here after picking her up at the airport and she was really hungry and I thought I was going to give her a treat. It was not a treat

JC Reid of the Chronicle told me about this place a few years ago back when he was mapping BBQ joints for the Houston BBQ project and I finally tried it for myself.
This is some seriously good Q. The brisket is moist, the pulled pork is great. The sides are basic but good. (Besides, you come to a BBQ joint for the meat, not the green beans.) Try the chopped beef.
I prefer the normal sauce to the hot, but that’s my personal preference. But this meat is cooked so well that it can stand on its own without sauce.
Give this place some love. You’ll love their Q.

So I came here based on the Unilocal reviews since I had a hair appt and this was very close by. I ordered a 2 meat dinner ribs and sausage with baked beans. The food was pretty tasty. The baked beans were just right flavor texture and all. The sausage and ribs tasted good to me not much seasoning on them but they were pretty good. BBQ sauce was ok. The hot BBQ is really hot so if you don’t want your nose running stay away from that one. I would return if I was in the area I had a pretty good experience.
Prices were decent
Dining area was not what I was expecting they could use a little more up keep. The plastic cloth on table I was seated at had tape or something on it. I guess to repair a tear.

While my husband and I was at a play production, I found this place on Unilocal.They were closing 2 hours early on Saturday due to the rain. They were out of everything, so I did not bother ordering. My husband ordered the ribs, which he sad were not tender, sausage which was very good, potato salad which was okay, and green beans not good at all.
Husband went back Tuesday, and finally they had smoked baked potatoes in stock. I was really looking forward to lunch but unfortunately, the potatoes were definitely not smoked more like microwaved or oven cooked and under cooked. You can tell if a potato is undercooked when it crumbles like blue cheese. Thank you, but no thanks. I don’t understand how a bbq company can mess up a potato. Rudy’s smoked potatoes are by far the best, because their potatoes are wood smoked, and you can taste it in every bite.
My husband tried their pulled chicken and sausage plate with baked bean, and it was so disappointing for him. The serving size was not consistent as our first visit (Saturday), and my guess is because they were closing early and just gave him all that was left. Hubby will only return to purchase their sausage which is equally as good as Ray’s BBQ Pit Shack. Thelma’s BBQ is good bbq, and I have not had anything as good since she retired.

Pretty good little bbq place in the corner of a strip center just south of the Kroger building. My colleagues and I were looking for a restaurant since we had to run some errands in the area. I remembered seeing this listing on Unilocal several months ago, and so we all agreed to try it out. We found the prices to be very reasonable too (compared to other Houston area BBQ restaurants), so this ended up being a great place to stop in for lunch.
Upon walking in, we lucked out and came at a perfect time with only one other lunch time customer. We noticed the smell of the interior which is hard to describe. Maybe like a doctors office smell? We joked around and thought the tenant space may have been an emergency clinic in its past life. After we ordered at the counter and sat down, a group of 8 walks in, so it suddenly got busier.
They have daily specials and also a sandwich special with side for $ 6.20, but I didn’t want one of the chicken specials for a Tuesday and I didn’t really want a side. I went straight for the meat. Their beverages are bottled for the most part and within a cooler behind the register. If you want water, they’ll likely give you bottled water.
I ordered the smoked spud with sausage ($ 7), a small chopped brisket sandwich ($ 3.99) and a root beer (20 oz bottle of A&W). Total damage was almost $ 14. Since I was only able to finish the potato, I took the sandwich home and enjoyed it for dinner.
Spud — regularly priced at $ 4.75, add a meat for $ 2.25. This potato fills the to-​go box, even though we told them we were dining in. It has plenty of cheese, melted butter, chives and of course several sliced links of homemade sausage. I’m a sucker for homemade links. I gave one link to my colleague and he claimed that he liked Pappa’s sausage better, but what does he know about food.
Chopped Brisket sandwich — since I ordered the filling potato I opted for the small sandwich, but they also offer a large and a jumbo for a few dollars more. Brisket was chopped at the time of order and placed within the bun directly. I love how they serve the sauce on the side. This is the better way to prepare and eat a chopped beef sandwich. Many chopped beef sandwiches you buy at restaurants are premade, soaking in bbq sauce for who knows how long and it seems you are eating more sauce than actual meat. Not here! They pack plenty of meat on that small bun. I can’t imagine how big the Jumbo is. My only complaint is that it didn’t come with onions, pickles or jalapenos as with many BBQ restaurants here in Texas. You may have to ask for those separately since the owners are from Tennessee.
Definitely a good place to stop if you’re in (or just passing through) the Meyerland area. I will be back.

***UPDATE*** I think I was too critical in my original post and have been meaning to edit it. I hate giving harsh reviews, especially for local, family-​run businesses. Also, the owners contacted me and answered some concerns I had. Thinking back, the meatiness of the pork and the quality of the pork were very good. The smoke flavor was a bit weak, which is okay with me because sometimes the Texas smoke is overpowering. But it did remind me of a pork that my friend smoked for me in his backyard for several hours. Which means it was very good, but I wanted something more to separate it from what my friend can make at home. My issue with the cole slaw may have stemmed with the dressing sinking to the bottom, but I still stand by the suggestion for improvement there. I would like to return and try the brisket and beans; those are likely their stronger offerings.
***original post***
I feel bad giving this place a ³⁄₅ but I have to be honest, all the good reviews probably made me expect too much. I came here for lunch today. The menu, which I had perused beforehand online, showed pretty good prices and a good selection. You have your BBQ plates, sandwiches, sides, and potatoes, and also Southern desserts. The menu was designed very nice as well, which when combined with previous good reviews of this place, made me expect a nice, BBQ-​looking interior, at least like Rudy’s BBQ.
I ordered the lunch sandwich special, which is a large sandwich and a side for $ 6.25+tax. I got the pulled pork with the slaw side and spicy BBQ sauce. I asked for a cup of water, but sadly they only sell bottled drinks. As I sat down and waited, only one other gentleman came in but they did get a few phone orders. I didn’t sit and wait that long, but it did seem to take a bit of time for them to put the sandwich together, despite being one of two people there. The sandwich was very large! I cut it in half and ate it with the slaw.
The pulled pork was good in that it tasted like real pork and there was not too much fatty parts. It was all the good part of the meat. You could really taste all the natural flavor of the pork. But the smoke and BBQ flavor was just not prominent enough. It reminded me of some homemade smoked pulled pork that could have used a few more hours with the smoke.
The «spicy» BBQ was a bit spicy, but not as spicy as I had expected. The BBQ sauce also did not really add much flavor-​wise. But I suppose it was good that they didn’t smother the pork in the BBQ sauce so you could really taste and assess the smoked meat. But I’m a saucy person and could have used some more.
The slaw was disappointing. The slaw did not have enough vinegar kick to add anything to the sandwich except a cool refresher in between bites of meat. I think the use of more vinegar or a squeeze of lemon in the vinegar, and the use of cabbage would have elevated the slaw to something you’d want to eat.
The amount of food is very generous for the price. I ate the sandwich and side for two meals and realized how much meat is on the sandwich. Upon reheating and eating my sandwich, I could appreciate the natural pork flavor which puts on the fence about whether I like this place or not. So, I’m in the middle. It’s generous and meaty and uses good meat, but the sides, sauce, and interior are lacking. Perhaps I will have to try the brisket and beans next time; maybe those are there strong points?

Good BBQ and awesome owner.
My family and I came here to eat some dinner. The restaurant has quite a few tables and their was a table already sitting waiting for their food.
We ordered
A slab of babyback ribs-​Juicy and tender with a nice smoke flavor
Brisket-​My favorite of the entire meal. Nice smoke ring and not too fatty
rib tips-​Solid and not a lot of bone, hubby liked it.
The BBQ Sauce ruined it for me, watery, too tangy but once again that’s the type of sauce we are finding in Houston.
Sides
Potato Salad-​Good but just a little too much mustard but really good if your not picky.
Baked Beans-​Delicious would definitely have again.
Only suggestion is that when we decided to eat their they were kinda thrown off. The owner politely told me that he was a catering restaurant and he didn’t have any plates. So he tore of some of his to go containers so we could eat there. My only suggestion is that he takes away the nice tables on the inside if he is mainly a catering spot. Then he would have to worry about people wanting to sit down and eat.
Great people and solid BBQ.