There’s no shortage of BBQ in Austin — in fact, you could spend a week eating nothing but smoked meats and still barely scratch the surface. But when EASTside Magazine invited me to join their Locals Know BBQ Tour, I thought, “Alright, let’s see what happens when I let someone else take the steering wheel.”
What followed was a four-stop pilgrimage featuring food from six restaurants and a reminder that the new BBQ spots are just as good as the modern classics also featured on this tour.
The tour kicks off at KG BBQ, a trailblazing food trailer where Chef Kareem El-Ghayesh is redefining what BBQ can be. Think Texas brisket meets Mediterranean flair — smoky meats paired with vibrant, herby sides that transport you halfway across the world.
I’ll drop the hammer right now: KG’s rack of lamb was a showstopper. As much as I recommend getting his brisket or pulled lamb rice bowl, the cook on this rack was fantastic medium rare. It’s served with a tomato-cucumber salad, yogurt sauce, and warm pita which sums up Kareem’s narrative of bringing more balanced flavors to Texas Barbecue.
Before diving into KG’s offerings, we warm up with pastrami sandwiches from nearby Mum Foods, a spot blending Jewish deli traditions with Central Texas smoke. The pastrami alone could justify the tour — tender, peppery, and deeply smoked. FWIW the sandwiches are cut into 1/4s so you’re not totally overwhelmed before the tour kicks into second gear.
Next, we hit La Barbecue, a name that’s practically synonymous with Austin’s BBQ royalty. Fresh off earning a Michelin star and still basking in Food Network fame (you may have caught me there on The Best Thing I Ever Ate), La Barbecue is a masterclass in consistency and smoke control.
The brisket here? Legendary. But the bigger story is how La Barbecue helped cement Austin as the center of the modern craft BBQ movement. Every bite here speaks to the 15 years of the modern craft barbecue renaissance. La Barbecue is a living legend that every BBQ aficionado needs to visit and pay homage to.
From there, we shoot over to Micklethwait Craft Meats, one of the original players in Austin’s BBQ renaissance. Micklethwait has always been about craftsmanship — from the barbacoa, pulled lamb, brisket, beef ribs, sausages to the homemade bread everything sits on.
Here, we dig into a pork rib that’s smoky AF but tender enough to pull apart with a fork. Balanced beautifully by jalapeño cheese grits — one of the best sides in BBQ today, this is a great one-two punch. The pro move (and yes, I demonstrated this): dunk the rib straight into the grits.
Not only does it turn the grits into a savory, rib-infused sauce, but it also captures the essence of Texas BBQ’s evolution — where the sides get as much attention as the meats. Judging by the looks around me, I wasn’t the only one converting skeptics into rib-dippers that afternoon.
We finish strong at Parish Barbecue, the newest stop on the tour and maybe the most exciting. Chef and pitmaster Holden Fulco, a Louisiana native with serious BBQ pedigree (including time at Interstellar BBQ), brings Cajun flair to Central Texas.
Our plate reads like a Louisiana Thanksgiving cooked on a smoker: pulled duck, deep-fried kolaches, and crawfish cornbread stuffing. It’s indulgent, inventive, and — for me — the most memorable stop of the tour. Parish feels like the next chapter of Austin BBQ: the time honored craftsmanship remains but the menu pushes boundaries in diversity of dishes, notably the sides.
The Locals Know BBQ Tour is more than a food marathon — it’s about tasting Austin’s diversity, innovation, and soul. Each stop reflects the pitmaster’s roots, creativity, and obsession with flavor.
You’ll eat just enough to feel like you overdid it (in the best possible way), and you’ll come away with a deeper appreciation for how BBQ continues to evolve in Austin.
If you’re visiting from out of town and want to hit a few iconic spots in a few hours — without needing a nap between each — this is the way to do it.
Book the tour here
🔥 Hot takes on the hits
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