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

An Austin-based favorite, Terry Black’s expanded to Dallas several years ago and quickly took 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.

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.

In 2018, Brandon Hurtado and his wife Hannah began serving Tex-Mex-inspired barbecue at pop-up events around North Texas. A year later, the couple opened a food truck at Division Brewing in Arlington, leading them to open their first brick-and-mortar in the area in 2020. They then opened a new storefront in Fort Worth, became the Official Barbecue Restaurant of the Texas Rangers with a permanent stand at Globe Life Field, and expanded to Mansfield in 2024. And just this year, the favorite spot debuted in the Dallas Farmers Market, taking over the former The Reserve space.

Don’t miss the El Jefe platter.

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.

A second location recently debuted on Dallas’ West Lovers Lane.

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.

Formerly a food truck in Grapevine, Vaqueros Texas Bar-B-Q comes from pitmaster Arnulfo “Trey” Sanchez. In 2024, he was named one of eight finalists for the James Beard Award and has been featured on Cooking Channel’s Man Fire Food and Man’s Greatest Food. Sanchez has now teamed up with M Crowd Restaurant Group (Mi Cocina) to open a stand-alone restaurant in Allen’s Watters Creek.

The new spot is 7,400 square feet and includes a smoker room, a covered breezeway, and outdoor patio. The menu is big, featuring hickory-smoked meats, sandwiches, platters, sides, vaquero-style dishes, tacos, and desserts.

This new Irving barbecue spot comes from pitmaster Salahodeen Abdul-Kafi, who started making barbecue for friends and family six years ago. Kafi BBQ is halal-certified and serves Texas Wagyu brisket, back rib, and dino rib on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The Iraqi-inspired spot also offers Iraqi sausage and jalapeño cheddar sausage, sides like tallow French fries and tallow baked beans, and more.