Franklin BBQ Reviews

great food, friendly people, and just a fun experience

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. I highly recommended this place.

Best barbecue in Austin. It is definitely worth the long wait

Worth the wait. The brisket and ribs were unreal. The sausage was also tasty but not to the level of the other two.

This place has some amazing ribs! I had to get an order to-go so I could eat them again the next day!

Brisket is the best I've tasted. It's not reheated, its freshly smoked. 18 hours of smoking means tender delicious brisket. Sides are nice too. Well run operation. We got in line at 8am, about 50 people back from the front and got a table. Worth the 4 hour wait. You can buy drinks and take your own and there is a coffee truck around the corner. You can get free water and use their toilets while you wait as well. People were well organized with chairs. Staff are friendly.

Best Brisket in Town, hands down. Luckily enough I had a buddy wait in line for me for 3 hours to get it!

"Great brisket, great staff- I highly recommend this place!"

Amazing brisket and sausage and the sauce is about the best I've tasted. Had to buy two bottles of it. The brisket is like eating brisket flavored butter. Unbelievable. Definitely worth the wait but get there early!

Best BBQ in town. Get there early before it sells out. AMAZING

This was the best goddamn stuff I have ever put in my mouth. Outstanding!

Amazing ribs, brisket and sausage! Be prepared to wait for quite a while to get in, we arrived quite late so we only had to wait for about an hour or so. Well worth it if you are into smoked meats!

As Bruno Mars is famously quoted in one of his songs, "You make me feel like I've been locked out of heaven for too loo-ooong."---this is how I felt after eating at Franklin.

Yes, I did wait out there for more than two hours until I was able to place my order but it was totally worth it for the first time. I arrived around 9:30 am on a Saturday but I heard that some people get their at 7 am.

After my first experience, I suggest getting there around 7 am or arrive at 1 PM or later (they actually aren't sold out at 1 PM as commonly believed). Expect to waste the most time by arriving and waiting in line between 9 am-noon. For those who do wait in line between those hours, they do pass out free sausages (and boy were they delicious!).

Plates are around 10 dollars with two sides included (sides include the typical cole slaw, beans, and potato salad). Brisket is their most popularly ordered item. There is outdoor and indoor seating with condiments on each table.

My suggestion as to which BBQ sauce to use? Stick with the darkest sauce--it has the slightest hint of espresso and is oh so very good--this is coming from someone who doesn't drink coffee that often.

Franklin, I will definitely be coming back!

Simply AMAZING! Aaron is a great guy, talked to him like we'd known each other for years. The service was the best I've ever experienced, hands down. The food is some of the best you'll ever have in your life.

Very good, classic S&P. Welcome after so many over-seasoned BBQ joints

Franklin's is as much about the experience as the food. After being cut off on our first attempt we quickly realized a 8:30am arrival would not suffice.

We're back 2 days later it's 5am <40 degrees outside and Misty rain. We def were chilly but had so much fun meeting people from all over the country. The staff is amazing Piper kept us up to date on the logistics of the day as we waited.

At 8am the coffee shop opens as well as the restaurant to use the restrooms. The whole vibe is very chill and laid back.

As for the food I LOVED the key lime pie! After 6 hours everyone in our group raved about the brisket and ribs and would wait again !!

Best BBQ ever. Too bad they had a major fire today. Hope to see you up soon.

My wife told me waiting in a 3 hour line wasn't going to be worth it. She still doesn't believe me that is was but I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Waiting in line was a privilege, we made new friends and drank delicious Texas beer. What these people do with brisket is absolutely magic.

To-go orders just make this famous bbq much easier to get!!!

The best BBQ in the US! On Thursday, waited from 8am then got a meal at 11:20am. The taste was perfect.

We didn't get in before they sold out . However, they constantly updated us about the waiting time and the possibility of us getting food. Can't comment on the taste but customer service is great!

2+ hours of waiting was completely worth knocking this Anthony Bourdain recommendation off the list. Make sure you're there for 10AM at the latest. The brisket, ribs, turkey, mac n cheese and pecan pie were to die for. Washed it all down with a Texas brew and it was the highlight of my trip to Austin.

It s busy place, take up to 50 minutes in the line for pick up even after lunch time during weekdays. 20 minutes outdoors and 30 minutes indoors. If order more than 5 lbs, you can order online, but still needs to wait for the whole line to pick up. Well, I ll totally give 1 star for the waiting time if already order online in advance, but the atmosphere and the BBQ balance it back.

This was a bucket list item for me. The experience was what I expected as far as the wait and the meeting people. The line was expected before they opened the doors but once serving the pace was snail like.. The food was good. The sausage was great. The brisket was so tender as were the ribs. The only drawback was the saltiness of the ribs and brisket. I think that for the wait and the cost they could make the place more efficient for a better customer experience.

Wonderful brisket. Met expectations which were very high. Pulled pork was also top notch. Everyone very friendly. Great experience.

All I can say is WOW! Delicious is an understatement. Yes, sadly all they had was chopped beef and sausage by the time we got up to the counter. The staff apologized over and over again for the wait, and for the fact that they were out of everything but chopped. But the made up for it. Our entire tray was $16.34. $16.34 Total!!! And they threw in another 2 pounds of sausage after started eating!

Brisket! The turkey breast was the best I have ever eaten!

No need for another wordy review. Franklin BBQ is one of the only places I would ever wait so long for food. I was skeptical but I can't deny Franklin is a pit master and his love of what he creates shows. Don't be dissuaded by the line, just bring a few beer and make friends in line.

Guys, this is it. This is the place. Best BBQ I ve ever had. Hands doooown! The brisket is absolutely to die for! And surprisingly, so were the ribs and the sausages! Franklin s specialize in brisket, and it shows. Succulent, with the perfect crisp and sound on the bark. I ordered 3/4 lb and it was plenty for me! But I wish I could eat it everyday. The ribs and sausages are also worth writing home about. Firstly, the ribs are fall-off-the-bone and extremely delicious. I would make it a point to come back and have a whole rack to myself, if I could. Secondly, the sausages are mouth-wateringly juicy. The spices that went into making them stand-out and truly define the sausage, making them distinct in flavour. Absolutely delicious. Highly recommend.

NOTE: The line up is a bit long and does last for hours, but it is worth getting up early and standing in line. I braved the cold for a few hours and walked out with no regrets.

Amazing. Check out the food truck in the back. They sell Tacos. I had a brisket, potato and cheese Taco...

i love it it taste so good i wish i can go there any time

OMG this is the best BBQ place that I have been to. I seen it on tv and had to go and trust it was worth the wait in line. I can t wait to go back either. The brisket makes you don t want to try it nowhere else .

Long lines.. best brisket..really good ribs and great staff

Why am I overeating again? Says a man sharing table with me. And we nod to each other. No time to chat though.

As a Texan with a ton of choices, I can honestly say that the guys in my family cook better BBQ. The texture of the meat was fine, but all of it was way over-salted. Over-salted to the point that I stopped wanting to eat it. The sausage was just OK. Best thing if I had to choose was the pork ribs, but I wouldn't recommend this over every other BBQ joint in Texas. Long ago, Sam's in east Austin would've knocked this place out of the water. For the wait, the time and the price, unless you want to say you've eaten Franklin's, head elsewhere.

Frankly, the best brisket on the planet. Just don't overhype it with the long line (nothing lives up to overhype). Bring a cooler, umbrella, chairs, and some friends; and just make a morning event out of it... it's definitely worth it.

What can I say about Franklins that hasn t been said a billion times before? Iconic Texas BBQ. Super long lines. A MUST if you are visiting. All of it is true. It s great BBQ, probably some of the best, the ONLY reason for the 4 stars instead of 5 is there are plenty of AMAZING BBQ joints in Austin that have little (30 min) to no wait, you can leave for lunch, and be back in an hour as opposed to being out front at 7AM.

That being said, my friends and I have a yearly tradition of getting together, bringing lawn chairs and coolers and making a morning/lunch event of it.

I cannot tell you how fantastic these brisket tacos are! The coffee and cappuccino amazing also!!

Brisket is a little salty for me. Overall, it's a great experience for me.

Friday, May 31
8:30 - Arrived and was at 49th in queue.
8:45 - A staff came, introduced the menu, and asked what I would order. He was not really taking order but just estimating. He also made sure that I know where the restrooms are and where to get water.
9:00 - The queue has 20 more people added to it.
9:30 - 25 more added to the queue.
10:45 - The staff came again and asked people to put back all folding chairs and start standing in a line for the store to open.
11:00 - The store opened on time. Rough estimate of 200 people were in the line.
12:10. - Finally got my food and sat down to eat

Was it good?
Brisket - Scrumptious, love it
Ribs - Good but not the best
Turkey - Good
Sausage - Good but not special
Pulled Pork - Just OK to me

Was it worth the wait?
The waiting itself was a good experience. It s easier than expected. The folding chairs helped. Watching the pack in front of me making fun with each other helped. Chatting with the couple from California behind me helped. Doing some morning reading of a book helped. I have no regret coming here waiting for almost 4 hours but would probably not do it again. Experiencing it once is enough.

Amazing bbq. Is it worth waiting for? You're god damn right!

briskets and beef ribs are the best BBQ I've tasted!

The wait is absolutely crazy (got there before 9am, didn't eat until 1:30pm), but this is the type of place where everyone is prepared for the super long wait because they know the food is worth it. Lives up to it's same as the best BBQ in the US. They sell by the pound so plan your purchase wisely. Get a pie for dessert.

2 hour wait yes but you meet cool people and drink good beer so not a bad 2 hours and yes the bbq is as great as they say!

Probably unpopular opinion since everyone seems to looooove franklins. I think there are many downsides to it.. queue is always too long so I ordered pickup (super smooth and fast) but then I can only do half moist half lean. I love moist brisket but really couldn't careless about lean. It's very expensive too so basically I only got half of what I wanted. Moist brisket was very good indeed, suuuper moist and I enjoyed it. But for the price, I probably won't go out of my way to get franklins again

I mean.... it's alright. Long wait for average BBQ. Y'all never had real BBQ or something? This place is mediocre at best. Give me a sweaty smokehouse style restaurant any day, this place is way over rated.

Fair warning, you will have to wait for the food here and you will gain a new appreciation for what BBQ should be. Lord of what is good and pure, I'm both very sad and very happy I don't live next to this place because I would probably be 800lbs by now. Everything was so delicious and tender. The flavors permeate through the meat like I've never tasted before and you'll find that no matter what you have, you'll have a hard time stopping yourself from eating until you can't eat anymore it's so damn good. If you can go on a Saturday, do it. It's the only day they make the beef ribs and you've got to get one. I will warn you they are huge. The smallest one they had when we asked for one was 2lbs. Must stop for any trip to Austin, and you definitely want to come hungry.

The wait was long, but totally worth it and is a big part of the experience. We pretty much tried everything and it was all completely amazing. Thank you Franklin!

Food was pretty good. We did a preorder before opening and got it just in time before they were close to running out. Since COVID, the pick up process has been lining up of arriving cars to the pick up tent. Someone there tells you where to park and then you text the number at your designated space and have your car trunk wide open. They took a while to get to us but eventually came out and greeted us and placed our food in the trunk. They encouraged us to check the order before leaving to ensure it was right. I hurried and bit into a sausage and was a happy customer!

This place has the VERY BEST WITHOUT A DOUBT BEST TASTING BARBECUE you will ever eat....
True the line to get in is rough, (hot as hell in the summer) cold sometimes in the winter but the reward of a plate full of the meat is worth it all.....
We bring our folding chairs to sit in while in line and cool drinks to stay hydrated and we suggest that to every one that has any type of medical issus..

Some of THE BEST barbeque I've ever had. Texas barbeque is always the best!

Alright, this meat totally lives up to the hype!! I went with a group and we brought a cooler with some OJ and bubbly for the early morning wait. We got there a little before 8 am and were eating before noon. The brisket was to die for!! I usually love sauce but this didn't need any. So tender and perfectly seasoned! Definitely my favorite. As for sides, the potato salad wasn't the best I've had but the BBQ made up for it. Next time I'll skip the line and order ahead (I think you need at least 5lbs to do so). Thanks, Franklin!!

I waited and waited...and it was completely worth the two hour wait. I got there at 9 and ate at 11:30. They do sell out by around noon or one so come early. I wished he would hurry up with that second smoker already. This place is fantastic!

Was NOT Worth the wait whatsoever, the barbecue gets five stars but I don t feel the big hype is all it s cracked up to be.

All other BBQ is ruined after eating here. So damn good!

The food here is amazing however unless you order at least a day in advance you cannot get anything. We ordered online to find you most order at least 3 pounds of meat and gratuity is not optional at a minimum of 10%. With the prices as high as they are and the fact that you are instructed to wait by a fold out table with no chairs in the sun if your order is taken outside of a car.

I understand changes may be necessary due to current pandemic however they do not treat their customers as if they matter.

Great BBQ. Order ahead, not worth the wait in line with all of the fine BBQ around.

Some of the best BBQ I've ever had. Not overly expensive and friendly service. I went on a weekday and the wait wasn't bad.

Ribs were amazing - tender, juicy, yummy. Briskets were soft, chewy, again, loved it. Turkey was spicy and just right.

They should mention on the website to get there early.

I was honestly pretty underwhelmed by Franklin's, especially given all the hype and the usual 2 hour wait to get your BBQ. In fairness, I did not have the brisket (which is apparently THE thing to get) but the pulled pork and sausage weren't anything worth bragging about. The ribs were good, but again with the amount of sauce on them, I'd expect nothing less. Am a little sad this did not turn out to the the BBQ of my dreams - there are a number of BBQ places close by that are truly spectacular, so if you are not there to experience Franklin's fame, I'd go to those places instead.

Legendary spot that lives up to the hype. Couldn't imagine better brisket on the planet.

It's not like Houston's, but still a pretty good BBQ I must admit :)

Oh man the BBQ was soo...good...and that sauce is on point ..

In search of the silver lining of the Covid situation? Franklin BBQ - online order plus AI-assisted no-contact pick up replaces the legendary lonnnngggg line. Nothing fancy other than the tastiest bbq, nicest people and a soul, just like Austin. Even w/o knocking off your sign, I sure will be back.

Ordered three months ahead of time due to covid. Spent 25min in line in my truck and then received the food. It was hot and delicious. Yum.

Best BBQ in the world hands down. Even waiting in line isn t as bad since you can have a beer outside with friends your brought and the friends you ll make!

woke up at 7am and got in line at 8am.. Grabbed some chairs from CVS and then some lone stars beers to wait! got in around 1130 and OMG well worth every minute! the brisket melts in your mouth!

The truth is that Brisket and pork ribs are very good, only the real publicity trick is what works too much for them. We wait 3 hours and 45 minutes. Simply and with such fame through the ranks is how they make more publicity. If they really cared about customers, they had more than one person making cuts of meat and more than one cashier, as well as more than one person who attends extra-sides. Very friendly yes, only I would not go again or recommend it.

Been to a lot of BBQ places in Texas and other places, and this is in the top 3 at least! Phenomenal BBQ!!