Dallas’ 15 Best Barbecue Restaurants — Local Joints to Get Your Smoked Meat Fix

An Austin-based favorite, Terry Black’s expanded to Dallas a few years ago and has already taken over as one of the top barbecue spots in the city. The Deep Ellum space has plenty of seating — indoors, outdoors, and on the rooftop. Not too different from the original, the barbecue joint offers meats by the pound including sliced brisket, beef ribs, turkey, pork ribs, chopped beef and sausage. You can either get a sandwich or add some sides like baked potato salad, mac and cheese, cream corn, pinto beans, green beans and Mexican rice.

Since 2014, this popular Dallas barbecue restaurant has smoked some of the best brisket, pulled pork, and more at its Deep Ellum location. The line usually goes out the door during lunch and dinner any day of the week. Specializing in authentic barbecue and Southern comfort food, Pecan Lodge is especially known for their Hot Mess sweet potato, burnt ends, and banana pudding.

“Smokey” John Reeves founded Smokey John’s Bar-B-Que in the 1970s and has been serving hickory-smoked BBQ in the Medical District ever since. Owned by his sons, Brent and Juan, the barbecue joint is popular for its hot links, brisket, and craft sides. The barbecue restaurant also bakes homemade desserts like peach cobbler, banana pudding, and cakes.

This Bishop Arts barbecue joint serves some of the best Central Texas-style meats in the city, as well as in Downtown Plano and Arlington. Brisket, pork, chicken, turkey, and sausages are the real deal here. Pair with a side of deviled eggs, slaw, or baked beans and a draft beer. Happy hour specials are available from Monday through Friday from 3 pm to 6 pm.

Since 2010, this famed barbecue joint has been serving some of the best pork ribs, sausage, and brisket in Farmers Branch. Pitmaster Todd David founded the restaurant after selling his disaster restoration company that he had owned for three decades.

Only a 30-minute drive up north to McKinney (or 40-minutes to the Frisco location), this barbecue restaurant was initially founded in 1978 in Princeton as “Roy’s Smokehouse.” In 1991, the spot became so popular that the restaurant was moved to a bigger location and re-named Hutchins BBQ. Consistently named one of the best BBQ joints in North Texas, the restaurant is popular for their smoked meats, fried catfish, and specialties (only available on certain days) like Texas Twinkies and beef ribs.

Award-winning chef Dwight Harvey opened Off the Bone Barbecue in The Cedars after running a successful catering business for several years. The barbecue joint is known for its smoked brisket, baby back ribs, and family-friendly atmosphere. You can even get tacos with the smoked meat of your choice and sides like spiced pasta, con queso mac and cheese, and honey spiced baked beans.

Known for their small batch craft meats, this Lake Highlands barbecue spot has been featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. It also just offers some of the best smoked meats, chili mac, spicy brisket grilled cheese, and more in the city. You can enjoy sandwiches and tacos at the restaurant or order for takeout.

This Design District gem is a favorite for barbecue in the city. Opened by chef Jeffrey Hobbs in 2013, all meats are smoked on-site daily and only prime brisket is served. Make sure to try the fried chicken, pork ribs, and pulled pork sandwich.

This Richardson hotspot for barbecue is known for its St. Louis pork ribs, brisket, smoked chicken, and Torpedoes. Sides range from house-made slender slaw and five cheese mac to premium baked potatoes and Southern yeast rolls. Also, make sure to try the Key Lime pie, banana pudding, or chocolate pie for dessert.

Fort Worth barbecue staple, Heim Barbecue, debuted on Dallas’ Mockingbird Lane (right next to Love Field) in 2020. Popular for their burnt ends and epic sandwiches, Travis and Emma Heim started out with a food truck and quickly expanded to two locations in Fort Worth. Must-try menu items include the Heimburger, The Big Cat sandwich, and homemade banana pudding.

The best barbecue joint in Grand Prairie, Zavala’s is a must-visit for brisket tacos and smoked meats. Opened in 2019, the North Texas spot has been a unique choice for owner Joe Zavala’s backyard smoking style and soft flour tortillas. Don’t miss the Sloppy Juan taco.

Opened in Upper Greenville in 2020, this newer barbecue concept is a Central Texas-style restaurant that mixes it up with locally-sourced Wagyu brisket and innovative sides and desserts. Local celeb Kellie Raspberry and husband Allen Evans are also investors in the concept. A second location recently debuted in Addison.

This new, upscale barbecue spot from Texas pitmaster Doug Pickering is a must-try. After leaving the finance world to become a barbecue caterer under the name DWP BBQ, Pickering debuted his first full-fledged restaurant this summer, serving up brisket, ribs, sausage, steak, and seafood in Snider Plaza.

This North Dallas barbecue restaurant was founded by 25-year-old pitmaster Zach Bergenholtz in 2019. Known for offering exotic options such as smoked alligator and “Tipsy Campfire” bread pudding, the barbecue joint added a walk-up window to make picking up easier for customers.