You heard the rumors. Yes you have to wait....a long time but it's totally worth it. Take it from someone who moved here 7 months ago and put off visiting here because of said wait. Pack a cooler with drinks and snacks. Bring a chair. A book. And games....and enjoy the brisket at the end of the rainbow....I mean, line.
I usually don't enjoy waiting in line for food (when I'm already hungry) and the idea of waiting an hour and a half was painful. I'm glad we waited though because this was the best barbecue I've ever had. We're from out of town but we've lived in TX a few years and I've never had brisket so tender and flavorful. The pork was perfection. Our friend loved their key lime pie. The meat fell perfectly off the rib and the sausage had a delicious snap. Definitely a place you need to have a little bit of everything if you want good barbecue in Austin.
Everyone knows that the brisket here is consistently Platonic. What was new to me on my most recent visit was how the sausage had improved since my last time there. The casing had a perfect papery snap, the grind was nicely coarse, the juice was plentiful without being excessive, the spice was beautifully balanced, and there was a deep beefiness that I can still taste. Competitive with the very best sausages in Texas. Magnificent! Still not as good as the brisket, of course, but a real triumph.
Not worth the 3 hours wait. We had better BBQ before!!!
As awesome as the BBQ is, it's the law of supply and demand that rules supreme here. Franklin Barbecue is open 6 days a week (closed Mondays) 11 a.m. - sold out. This amounts to roughly 3 hours of lunch service per day, which leads to the I've gotta have it frame of mind and daily ensures that the perimeter of the restaurant looks.
A true BBQ pilgrimage. It's not markedly better than the other best BBQ in Houston so don't look at the 3+ hour wait in line as the cost of better BBQ. Look at it instead as a tailgate with like-minded BBQ enthusiasts - it's a shared experience and it's really fun!
Franklin offers chairs to the first 30 or so people in line, which made the wait much easier. They also very considerately came out and asked each of us for our intended orders so they could warn people farther back if they might run out of some meats. Once they do open, the line moves really slowly - probably 2 minutes per person.
I tried the pork ribs (surprisingly the best meat there), brisket (very good), turkey (very good for turkey - still not as good as anything else there), sausage (good), pulled pork (very good), and the Tipsy Texan (amazeballs).
We could meet there at 11am. You get in line while I drive to Lockhart. I ll sit and eat the best BBQ in Texas and then meet you back at Franklin s before you make it up to their front door, the one with the sold out sign taped to it.
My wife and I were not impressed. If you want good BBQ and you are in the Tulsa area try Burn Co BBQ. The best BBQ I have ever had.
Don't believe the hype. It's food is passable, not terrible, but not amazing. The only reason that people rave about this place is because after you spend 4 hours waiting in line(literally), you'll eat anything they put in front of you. I'd rather pay the little extra and go to Salt Lick. Even with the drive time to Driftwood and back, you'd still get your food faster!
Most tender pulled pork and brisket I've ever had. Get there early or prepare to wait upwards of two hours.
The food runs out by 1pm. There are people who wait there starting at 4:30 am. It is not worth the wait. Go to Stiles Switch instead.
When my husband heard we were coming down to Dallas from Seattle to see our grandkids he started looking up good BBQ places to come to. I thought he was out of his mind when he said we were driving down to Austin for some BBQ and then to top it waiting in a line for hours!!!
I am so glad we did.
First off the line is all part of the experience of eating here. They have a wall where people sign and you can see where everyone has come from. You get to chit chat and get to know new people from all over while in line as well.
So three hours later it's open and we are in to experience the food. We ordered the brisket, ribs and sausage. The brisket was by far the best I've ever had. The ribs were ridiculous amazing and fell right off the bone but the flavor was to die for, no need for any BBQ sauce. I personally thought the sausage was ok but I'm not a fan of sausage to begin with.
If you are in the area or plan on it then I'd highly recommend making this a must stop on your list!
Texas is a beef state and by beef I mean their BBQ is primarily beef, so your not going to find whole hog, and other slightly more regional cuts.
In a region known for BBQ, in a state known for beef BBQ this place and shined as a rising and bright star in the industry. Places like Black's and Kreutz and smitty's have taken notice. Though probably more established regionally the fan fair nationally and online has been 10 fold those historical giants.
They sell out every day and don't always do everything, so your lucky if you get the coveted beef ribs. Most every day they do the pulled pork and/or pork ribs, but me being from CA, we don't get many beef ribs and the one's we do get aren't near the quality here. So when you get a good BBQ pitmaster with good ribs you inevitably get your mind blown. I'm an amateur bbq'r myself and admire the skills it takes to watch and brisket, one the longest smoking cuts out there.
The stories are true, they will sell out of everything, it's not that they don't make enough for people, the line would be to El Paso if some people had their way. It's a matter of quality control, love, timing, etc. If your near the end, you get whatever you can, but the brisket is what they are known for. You may ask and reactions seem sensationalized. No it's that effing good. Imaging if every bite was like the perfect burn ends you've ever had, but not so sweet. Juicy, tender, perfectly cooked, smoke ring, it's competition bbq dang near plated that way too. The lines will boggle you, must come prior to 10am to ensure your food.
From my experience Texas bbq doesn't use sauce, but they sell them here, all house blends, good flavor, but I don't think they need much. The sides are high quality and compliment well, desserts like the pie's are unique. I've never had bourbon in my pie before, but then again I'm from California. It's hot in Texas and as you get closer they offer a little shade and some misters. Buy the water and cold drinks in line and bring a snack to keep your stomach ready for the feast ahead. I brought lawn chairs which was a great idea. T-Mobile and their nonexistent 4G sucks so don't' even open your phone or it well be dead from the heat and receipt before you get food.
The beef brisket was superb! The pieces on top were very juicy and the meat was falling off. It was so east to eat you probably don't even need any teeth. It wasn't too salty either which is a another bonus. The pulled pork was a bit on the dry side. The flavoring of the pulled pork was okay. The link sausage was not bad either. Too bad the beef ribs and pork ribs sold out so I can't provide an opinion on those.
Let me explain how sad I was that I wasn't able to try the beef ribs and pork ribs. Due to the pandemic, they only do online orders. We have heard about the 5-hour wait so we were lucky we didn't need to go through that. We ordered a couple of days ahead of time but weren't able to order the beef ribs and pork ribs since they already sold out.
We ordered 3 pounds of beef brisket, 1 pound of pulled pork and 1 sausage link and 1 bourbon banana tart. It came with a free load of wonder bread, a bit of pickles, and a bit of onions. The 3 sauces were not bad although we didn't really use them.
The beef brisket were HEAVENLY, super duper juicy with its luscious fat that accompanied it. The meat basically came apart. It was a wonder how they made it so much juicier than the beef brisket we had at another competitor, Terry Black. After we took a bite, we felt like it was it. We only had to eat the beef brisket. Nothing else was up to par.
The pulled pork was a bit dry but standard tasting. The sausage was also standard tasting. The bourbon banana tart was surprisingly good since Franklin Barbecue is not a dessert spot. It tasted like well blended bourbon and banana. The crust was also very soft and came with good crunch.
Best BBQ in the world. I waited 6hrs to eat and it's worth the experience but would not do again.
Went here for a rehearsal dinner. The choices that they had were excellent. I just kept eating brisket and that brisket I would die for. Everything there was so good. You have no right to be called a Texan until you've eaten here.
I've never been a huge fan of brisket until I had it from Franklin's! The bar has been set high!!
Great and friendly staff, great BBQ options as well as sides, deserts, etc. Staff allowed us to use the restrooms while we were waiting in line before opening time. Chairs were available for those waiting in line as well.
Definitely one of the top BBQ joints in Texas. The food is great, and the staff is amazing too. They even try to make waiting in a line kinda fun.
Its bbq at its best, the brisket is super delicious. But overall not sure worth the wait. Stood in line from 8.30 on a thursday and got the food on my plate at 12.30. Bring a chair, even though they hand out chairs for sitting. Bathrooms are available, you can also buy drinks inside while waiting.
Excellent tender brisket with a perfect bark. Wait wasn't bad, nice that they provide the chairs. Stopped on my way from Dallas to Phoenix. Worth the plane stop and change!
This was the 1st time I have ever waited several hours to eat at a establishment, was well worth it. the staff was very friendly the food was delicious. They've definitely earned their reputation as one of the finest BBQ houses in Austin.
The wait is 100% worth it. Best brisket I have ever had in my life! The food is phenomenal, the staff are super kind and friendly, and the wait adds to the experience. It's fun to wait in suspense with those around you. It's BYOB, they have lawn chairs for you to use while you wait, no coffee shop around but they do have an airstream trailer that they serve breakfast tacos and coffee out of around 8-830 which I would HIGHLY recommend - we had a homemade chorizo taco to die for. Just as a reference, we got there at 7am and we were probably 30 people back. We will visit Franklin's every time we are in Austin without question.
I m a salt lover, but the pork ribs were way too salty, almost inedible. Not at all what I was expecting for the price point and the hype.
I got there around 10:30am on Wednesday, and it took us about hour and half to get in and get the food. Pretty good though! Also, this order was for three ppl( two men, one woman) and we got some leftover.
Amazing dry rub bbq. Line up at 8 am for a 4 hour wait for the best bbq ever! Be sure to get the brisket, ribs and sausages. Nothing else. Bring leftovers home!
The best American barbecue I've tried so far. Delicious Brisket and the head chef received us very attentively
Really good BBQ sauce. Food is good and fun to wait in line.
Waiting in line for hours when there are other great places nearby is just plain stupid. I say call them around 2, or so, and ask what they've got plenty of that day, still, and what the current line situation is. If they've got what you want, bolt over. I stopped at 2:30 on a weekday. It was busy, and they only had two choices left (I don't think they ever run it if sausages), but there was no line.
My boyfriend who's a local here insisted we wait for this place. He had never been, and we are finally on vacation from California and are here. We got there at 11am and got in by 1pm. We were thankful we were able to still go inside to the register to purchase beverages while waiting in line. It rained too, but that did not sway anyone in line. About 15 minutes into waiting, we had our order asked to confirm that when we got to the front we got our food. The wait was not bad at all. Once we got in, the rush of bbq smells just shot into my nose. I was ready! Some cute gifts like shirts and a coloring book were displayed for sale. We at least got a coozie for $3. We got the Tipsy Texan, Pulled pork sandwich, potato salad, pinto beans, side of ribs and pecan pie 10/10. Woth the wait. Plus after we ate, we got to go in the back where their smokers are. Such an amazing experience. Hope to come back.
I gave this 3 stars out of respect for Mr.Franklin but thats where it ended. My girlfriend and I hyped up coming and we came from Houston on a day trip to try Mr.Franklins BBQ spot. I have looked up to him as a chef and followed alot of his cooking methods when making brisket myself. Once we arrived it was curbside only which is understandable right now, so we parked and went online to order. Upon ordering it let us know that there is a 3 pound minimum on BBQ. That would be a total of 113 dollars for a meal for 2. In my eyes that is where my experience for Franklin's BBQ ended. BBQ is in my blood as a Texan but 113 dollars for 2 people. No thanks
First of all, you can drink beer while you wait in line. 5 stars. Second, you meet interesting people in line while you wait. 5 stars. Third, this is what BBQ is meant to be. 5 stars. Have I given you enough stars to convince you that this once in lifetime type of meal is worth the wait In line? That's like 15 stars which may as well round up to 100. Treatyoself and go.
It was amazing. The food was as good as good as the hype
Ah, Franklin's BBQ. I've been here roughly 8 times and it doesn't change , which is great. Still LOVE the smoked turkey and the pies and clearly, the brisket.
Definitely lived up to the hype! Best brisket I've ever had! The sides were okay, but I'll still give 5 stars because the meat is what I really came for!
Best BBQ in Texas! Everything is delicious but I highly recommend the Tipsy Texan!
This place provides a premier example of what psychologists call the "halo effect."
It's good barbecue, all right. But the prime driver behind what makes people like it is the expectation set up by what they hear other people saying about it: if other people say it's great, then it must be great. You can't risk sounding like a fool saying that it's just OK or even mediocre when everyone else is singing its praises, right? So much for Austin's "independent spirit."
The brisket can be dry or greasy. The sausage can be grisly and/or greasy. The sauce is just par for the course. All of which is excusable, but not considering the wait and subpar service.
Ain't going back. Lucky you, your wait will be that much shorter. Whoopee.
Great BBQ, some call it the best in the world but that's going to be up to you. As everyone else has stated, make sure you get here early, like 3-4 hours before they open to guarantee you get the cut of meat you really want. Otherwise as someone who is not from Austin i was impressed with how popular it was and really did enjoy the brisket. The time in line actually flew by, considering they have chairs there for you, you can BYOB. Make sure to chat with people in line it adds to the experience and you'll get some good information on places to see while in town. Overall this is an experience that you should try if you have the time to dedicate.
Picked up the food with a pre order and it was really quick and easy. Only hassle is you have to order so far in advance. But, I guess that's the price of success!
Corona Curbside Pickup. Placed my order three days before, followed their instructions for pickup. I ordered some brisket, ribs, and sausage. Yum! The two barbecue sauces were nice...one was tangy and smokey, the other a bold hoisin sauce. Can't say that I'd stand in line for hours for it, but will definitely order curbside again while they still offer it.
The lines may be brutal but the BBQ is worth it. My best advice is to try your luck shortly after 1pm on a weekday. You might get lucky with a 30 minute wait rather than the customary 2 hour plus wait. When you do get to the front of the line be sure to order enough for leftovers, you won't regret it
What else can be said about Franklin BBQ? Good food, but more importantly, good service from a staff who's dealing with huge volumes of guests every day. Well done.
My wife and I were visiting family in Austin and were told that we needed to try this place. They are currently only doing curbside pickup with a minimum order of 3lbs. of meat. This ended up working out for our party of 5 but I can imagine this requirement being off-putting for smaller parties. Our order of 3lbs of brisket came to a hair over $100 with their required gratuity. I was not a fan of the minimum order requirement or mandatory gratuity however the food was amazing and the brisket was the best we ve ever had. The hype is REAL!
Delicious taste that melts in your mouth! You need to get one of everything its soooo good! Great service!
For 5 years I have wondered why the line. I figured it would be good but this is not barbq, it's art in meat form.
Austin staple with enormous lines. Go when they are about to close, and they will likely be generous with their servings.
Absolutely worth the hype. We drove all the way from Chicago to try it. Husband and I are smoked brisket snobs and the brisket here was absolutely delicious, tender with the perfect amount of bark and marbling/fat. Only criticisms:
- min order has to be 3 lbs of brisket
- the packaging is flimsy, wish they would ve put it in an aluminum tray since all the fat can drip through the butcher paper
- would ve liked to have some utensils/napkins
- sauces were meh
- stingy portion of pickles/onions
If time is a luxury for you and several friends take advantage of it and line up here in the morning with a cooler full of beer and some camping chairs.
The brisket and turkey are a must. The tipsy Texan is a great sandwich as well.
There is a coffee stand right next to Franklin's where you can get your cup to help you with those 7am lines.
The brisket really is as good as everybody says. Falls apart at the touch of a fork, and melts in your mouth. Absolutley the best! Worth the wait!
Fantastic bbq highly recommend just be aware there will be a big line and you'll want to get there several hours early to be first in on a weekend! Great culture in the queue though everyone's really friendly.
This is the place for great Texas barbecue if you re in the Austin area and thanks to COVID-19 we didn t have to worry about crowds or waiting in long lines.
Lives up to the hype. The brisket is incredible, but so was the rib and the hot link.
Snuck in line after 12:30, still had 90% of menu after an hour wait, but this is a risk as I was one of the last in line.
Great food. Polite service. Be ready to wait 3 hours if you get there at noon. Bring a foldout chair.
Aaron is very personable and treated us so kindly, looking forward to coming back again!
Huge wait for average food, great service and atmosphere. You really need to plan it as an event.
Finally got to try this place after years of trying! I can definitely understand why the food runs out and why this is such a hot spot for BBQ! The food was delicious, the portions/price were appropriate, the service was outstanding. They keep the customers informed as to the wait and quantity of food left often, so at least you know ahead of time what you are in for. My only regret is not being able to try the other options as they had ran out. Next time!
Staff was super friendly, and the brisket sandwich was fantastic. Get here early, or risk them selling out before you arrive! I definitely suggest try all three of the available barbecue sauces, they were all great.
Got there at 10:50 am place opens at 11 am. Restaurant helper came out and was taking order estimates on a piece of cardboard to make sure they had enough meat. His estimate at that time was we were gonna be able to eat around 1 PM. The estimate was pretty much right. We got to order at around 1:15 PM. We got brisket and sausage. Brisket was tender and would melt in your mouth. The sausage was tasty. Overall it was good.
Franklin barbecue was amazing. Insanely good. While waiting I was wondering how good it could possibly be. It was better than I could imagine. We tried the brisket, ribs, turkey, and sausage. The sausage and brisket blew my mind. I can never eat barbecue again now because Franklin has ruined all other places for me!
OMG this best Smoked and Barbecue meat I ve ever had! It s so good you ll smack yo Mama! Brisket didn t need sauce and was so tender, it fell apart as I put it on the fork. Bone came out of the rib as I picked it up, best ribs ANYWHERE! Sausage is legit, sauce is legit, sides and desserts are legit! Can t say enough good things about Franklin Barbecue. That said here is the bad, you ll be waiting for hours to get what I just mentioned. Friend and I got there at 8:45 AM on a Sunday, waited in line until 12:45 or 1 PM. Only good thing about the wait, you can drink beer while waiting.
There's little in this world that's better than a well cooked brisket. Amazing!
Worth the wait
Sauces are legit
No other score is appropriate. Some of the best barbeque in Texas.
Curbside pickup was perfect, living in the North Houston suburbs it was nice to see a restaurant handle things like downtown Austin. Weird upside to these trying times is Franklin had been on my to-do list for a long while but being 150 miles away we'd never had the opportunity to wait in line for hours, being able to order curbside a week out solved that.
The food was, naturally, excellent as well. Brisket and ribs are fantastic, turkey, sausage, pork and sides were all very good as well. Definitely doing it again in a few weeks.
My experience at Franklin was incredibly lucky and unusual. After going on an early morning wine tour, I found myself driving around Austin at 12:30 PM. Somehow, I found myself driving by Franklin Barbecue and saw that the line wasn t ridiculous. Knowing how popular this restaurant is, I found this absurd so I got in line.
A waitress immediately warned anyone newcomer getting in line that the meat was almost out for the day. They could only guarantee a chopped brisket sandwich if I decided to wait. I love brisket sandwiches so I opted to wait. Most people in line were hoping to get Franklin Barbecue s famous brisket.
Many people in front of me were discouraged and left after waiting ten minutes. I stuck it out and ended up being one of the last people to get every meat I wanted. I got brisket, chopped pork, ribs, and sausage. The best part was I only waited 35 minutes in line. If you don t mind risking only getting brisket sandwiches, maybe you should consider jumping in line later!
Best barbeque in Austin. To answer your question - is it that much better than other Austin barbeque powerhouses as to be worth a multi-hour wait? Depends on whether you're in the mood for great barbeque, or the best barbeque. If you only need great barbeque, there are several places which can scratch your itch without such a line. But if you simply have to have the best barbeque in town, Franklin's will be worth your while.
Amazing food and worth the hype. Its better if you realize that waiting in line is part of the fun. Come prepared to wait. I might not do it often, but I'd say you should do it at least once. (after that try ordering ahead). Amazing food though, very good.
Didn t want to wait in line. The place is tiny with a line wrapped around the corner. A smart business owner would expand his business to a much bigger building.
The barbecue is definitely pretty good, but compared to other Austin BBQ places definitely not the best. It's definitely not worth standing in a long line for.
We finally were able to try the famous Franklin's and what can I say, it's as good as everyone says.
There isn't much more to say about the quality of the bbq that you can get here.
BBQ is exquisite and nice folks that work there! We appreciated the hospitality.
Very long line they ran out of food by 1 pm. Why not to cook more food if you know customers are waiting in line for 3 hours.bad management operation. Bad for business.
really enjoyed this food, only had chopped beef and sausage left but they included sides and ice tea in the price which was cool.
Life changing! We went on a Sunday afternoon and waited for about an hour (after speaking with the locals they said that wasn't bad). Meat is sold in sandwich form or by the pound. A sandwich is about 8 ounces. This is the best BBQ I've ever had. If you want the true Austin food experience make sure you stop here.
franklinbbq.com
