The Vitals:
the spot: Mum Foods 5811 Manor Rd. Austin TX 78723
the eats: Pastrami, Brisket, Corned Beef, Ribs, Sausage, def the sandwiches, all sides esp the pimento cheese and chips, only hiccup was the burnt ends
the bucks: Bring your wallet, full sandwiches like $17, you can easily spend $30 a person but worth it
the full nelson: my fav restaurant in Austin right now
I’ve been to Mum Foods twice so far this year and it has become my new favorite restaurant in Austin. The barbecue scene continues to heat up and while places like Interstellar BBQ and KG BBQ(who just snagged a James Beard nomination) also enter the conversation, Mum Foods is bringing the modern Jewish Delicatessen vibe to deli starved Austin Texas. The tariff is stiff at Mum Foods to the tune of just under $20 for a sandwich but the craftsmanship is worth it, plain and simple.
Was on a weekday so I missed out on the brisket by the pound, which is only served on weekends. I did get ribs, burnt ends, sausage, a pastrami sandwich, and a mess of sides. I’ll get this out of the way: the burnt ends were a pass. They seemed like they were leftover from the weekend. Not bad, but not worth coming back for when you consider everything else.
On a recent episode of NFL Tailgate Takedown, I said Mac and Cheese was overrated. I will retract that statement when it comes to the shells n cheese at Mum Foods. OMG side for sure, oh and about those pickles . . .
Yeah, those look straight out of a Whole Foods Market cookbook. Great stuff and much needed for all the richness. Oh and speaking of richness and my fav side:
Yeah, I’ll take housemade potato chips and Pimento cheese(of this caliber) over the Tex Mex Margarita soaker that is Chips n Queso any day of the week, twice on Sunday. I love being controversial when it comes to food. Now on to my second run at Mum Foods.
Not only did I get pastrami by the pound but we also got a corned beef on rye, adorned simply with housemade yellow mustard. I mean, this is why you are here: deli faves in a Texas smoker. Also I wanted to give a shoutout to the meat ladened greens. As a stand alone meal, this would be a macrobiotic approved bout of meat sweats. Everything pictured here is awesome and so so Ali Khan Eats Approved.
I’ve been saying this for years ever since I went to my first Craft BBQ joint in Austin back in 2015. The best pitmasters can make gold out of brisket and turkey. The Turkey sandwich at Mum Foods is as fine as it gets and I recommend going with the coleslaw and Russian dressing aka “The Rachel”. While the turkey is moist, the added texture of the cabbage in the coleslaw plus the double creamy hit of the coleslaw dressing and the mayo in the Russian dressing make for one memorable turkey sando.
It aint cheap but it is also worth every damn penny. Mum Foods is in a groove and it is my favorite restaurant in Austin so far in 2023. Great coffee shop in there as well and I can’t wait to tear into their small but well curated wines by the bottle too.
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