The Top 25 Barbecue Near Gatlin’s BBQ
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Rank 1. Gatlin’s BBQ
Barbecue
A James Beard Award-winning BBQ joint doing East Texas-style smoked meats the right way. Brisket, ribs, sausage, turkey, the whole lineup, and the sides hold their own too. The crowd is a good cross-section of Houston: families, regulars who know exactly what they're getting, and out-of-towners who've done their homework. Show up early and the breakfast menu is its own reason to make the drive.
- Houstonia The Best Barbecue Restaurants in Houston
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Texas · Greg Gatlin
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Rank 2. Pinkerton's Barbecue
Barbecue
Pinkerton's is a proper low-slung BBQ joint on Airline Drive where the deer heads outnumber the napkin dispensers and the line starts forming before most people have finished their coffee. The beef rib is the move, thick and serious enough to make you reconsider your weekend plans, and the brisket is the kind that doesn't need sauce but gets it anyway. Michelin gave it a Bib Gourmand, which means the locals were right all along.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Texas Monthly 2025 · The 50 Best BBQ Joints in Texas
- Houston Chronicle Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
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Rank 3. Truth Barbeque
Barbecue
Houston Heights gets a BBQ spot that actually lives up to the hype, and this Michelin Bib Gourmand winner is the proof. It's a proper barbecue shop, clean and busy, full of families and off-duty chefs who know a good thing. The brisket and house-made sausages are the draw, but the sides, especially the tater tot casserole, might genuinely steal the show. Get there early before the sausages sell out, and save room for a slice of cake.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Texas Monthly 2025 · #9 · The 50 Best BBQ Joints in Texas
- Houston Chronicle #10 · Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
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Rank 4. Feges BBQ
Barbecue
Feges BBQ is a full-service barbecue spot in Spring Branch where the sides are honestly as interesting as the smoked meats, which is saying something. The Brussels sprouts and hogfat cornbread attract the kind of attention usually reserved for brisket. It draws families, neighborhood regulars, and people who know that a full bar at a barbecue joint is never a bad sign. Check the site for weekly specials before you go.
- Eater The 38 Essential Houston Restaurants
- Houston Chronicle Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- Houstonia The Best Barbecue Restaurants in Houston
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Rank 5. Pizzitola’s Heritage BBQ
Barbecue
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Rank 6. The Pit Room
Barbecue
This Montrose smokehouse earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand and somehow still doesn't make you plan your whole week around a reservation. The brisket and beef ribs are the real deal, the sides punch well above their weight, and whoever decided to make tortillas from brisket trimmings deserves a quiet medal. Grab something from the pickle station, find a seat inside or out, and enjoy the rare Houston barbecue experience of not having camped overnight to get here.
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Rank 7. Burns Original BBQ
Barbecue
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Rank 8. J-Bar-M
Barbecue
Big, loud, and unapologetically Texas, this East End barbecue joint runs four custom smokers and a menu wide enough to keep everyone arguing about what to order. You've got classic meat plates and by-the-pound options alongside brisket tacos, quesadillas, and a brisket lasagna that sounds unhinged until you taste it. Groups, families, and meat-devoted regulars pack both the indoor and outdoor space on weekends, all of them wearing the same expression of focused intent.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Houston Chronicle Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- Houstonia The Best Barbecue Restaurants in Houston
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Rank 9. Henderson & Kane
Barbecue
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Rank 10. Blood Bros. BBQ
Barbecue
A Bib Gourmand BBQ joint that treats Texas smoke as a starting point rather than a finish line. The pitmasters here grew up in Houston's cultural overlap, so gochujang-glazed ribs and pho-rubbed brisket feel completely natural rather than gimmicky. Solid brisket and ribs anchor the menu, but the daily specials are where things get genuinely interesting. You will absolutely covet whatever the table next to you ordered.
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Nominee · Best Chef: Texas · Quy Hoang
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- The New York Times 2021 · The Restaurant List
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Rank 11. CorkScrew BBQ
Barbecue
A Michelin-starred barbecue shack in the Houston suburbs that draws the kind of lines usually reserved for concert tickets. This is a weekend pilgrimage spot, coolers and lawn chairs not out of place, where the brisket and beef ribs are genuinely worth the drive. Get there before they open or call ahead, because they sell out fast and the crowd knows it. The sides are serious too, so don't be the person who skips them.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Texas Monthly 2025 · The 50 Best BBQ Joints in Texas
- Houstonia Houston’s Best Restaurants
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Rank 12. Roegels Barbecue Co
Barbecue
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- Texas Monthly 2025 · Dishes We Wanted Seconds Of: Churro French Toast Brisket Sandwich · The Best Things in Texas
- Houstonia The Best Barbecue Restaurants in Houston
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Rank 14. Rosemeyer Bar-B-Q
Barbecue
It's a trailer next to a gas station on the side of the highway, which is exactly the kind of setup that produces genuinely great barbecue. Rosemeyer Bar-B-Q has a Bib Gourmand to its name, and the smoked brisket alone justifies the drive out to Spring. Grab a picnic table and watch the regulars show up knowing exactly what they want. Check their social media before you go because the daily specials are worth planning around.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Texas Monthly 2025 · The 50 Best BBQ Joints in Texas
- Houston Chronicle Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
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Rank 15. Killen's BBQ
Barbecue
The beef rib here is the reason you drive to Pearland, full stop. This is a proper Texas BBQ joint with a Bib Gourmand to its name, the kind where a line forms before the doors open and nobody complains because they know what's coming. The crowd shuffles through fast, loads up on smoky, fatty, glorious meat, and finds a seat. First-timers always underestimate how much they'll eat, and veterans never skip the bread pudding.
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Rank 16. Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue
Barbecue
The pitmaster here started as a chocolatier, which sounds like a punchline but is actually the origin story of one of the more interesting barbecue spots north of Houston. It's a casual counter-service situation in a quirky old house in Tomball, with the pits parked outside next to a serious wood pile. The brisket is prime, the sausage has real snap, and the carrot soufflé will confuse you in the best way. Pre-order if you hate lines.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Houston Chronicle Houston’s Top 100 Restaurants
- Houstonia The Best Barbecue Restaurants in Houston
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Rank 17. Brisket & Rice
Barbecue
The mashup you didn't know you needed: a barbecue joint where the star move is brisket laid over jasmine fried rice with Chinese sausage and egg. It sounds like a fever dream but it's deeply, obviously correct. Long lines snake through fast, and nearly everyone orders the same thing, because why wouldn't you. The crowd is a mix of regulars who drove across town and newcomers who saw a photo and couldn't unknow it.
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Rank 18. Rays Real Pit BBQ Shack
Barbecue
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Rank 19. Brisket & Rice
Vietnamese Barbecue
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Rank 24. Jennings & Co. BBQ
Texas-Style Barbecue
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Rank 25. Bar-A-BBQ
Texas-Style Barbecue