HOUSTON — Houston barbecue is holding strong on the national stage. Three Houston-area restaurants earned spots on Southern Living’s 2025 list of the Top 50 BBQ Joints in the South, underscoring the city’s place in the region’s barbecue conversation.
The best-of list was compiled by Southern Living’s contributing barbecue editor Robert F. Moss.
Why the Houston area stands out
Southern Living says tastes and trends are changing fast in 2025, and Houston’s scene captures that mix of tradition, fusion, and constant improvement.
The 3 Houston-area headliners:
19 Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue — Tomball
Yes, it’s an artisanal chocolate shop, and also home to standout barbecue. Notable: neatly trimmed pork ribs with an excellent smoky bite and the chile relleno links (beef, fire-roasted poblanos, pepper jack). Signature Good Texan sandwich: sausage slices ringed on a toasted brioche bun, topped with a fried egg and ranchero sauce.
200 N Elm St, Tomball, TX; tejaschocolate.com
27 Truth Barbeque — Houston (Heights)
Early lines form for a textbook Texas Trinity: thick-sliced brisket with a superb salt-and-pepper crust, jalapeño-cheddar sausage that’s “almost creamy,” and pork ribs with a pepper punch beneath a thick, tangy glaze. Sides go big (charred Brussels with syrup, corn pudding, tater tot casserole), and Saturdays bring beef ribs and Carolina-style whole hog.
110 S Heights Blvd, Houston, TX; truthbbq.com
42 Blood Bros. BBQ — Bellaire
A fusion standout where Texas standards share the stage with global flavors. Think gochujang- or guava-glazed ribs, brisket fried rice, and orange togarashi-dusted half chickens. Insiders hit the Thursday–Saturday evening “Happy Nhau-er” for rotating small bites like smoked-pork egg rolls and fried bao with char siu pork belly.
5425 Bellaire Blvd, Bellaire, TX; bloodbrosbbq.com
The rest of the Texas list (ranked)
* 2 Snow’s BBQ — Lexington
* 4 Louie Mueller Barbecue — Taylor
* 5 LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue — Austin
* 13 Kreuz Market — Lockhart
* 15 Panther City BBQ — Fort Worth
* 20 Franklin Barbecue — Austin
* 28 Barbs BQ — Lockhart
* 31 Burnt Bean Co. — Seguin
* 37 Goldee’s Bar-B-Q — Fort Worth
* 38 Micklethwait Barbecue — Austin
* 40 Dayne’s Craft Barbecue — Aledo
* 43 Cattleack Barbeque — Dallas
* 46 Hurtado Barbecue — Arlington
* 47 Smitty’s Market — Lockhart
Methodology
Rankings are qualitative, based on Moss’s in-person visits and the overall dining experience, meats and sides, ambience, the “wow” factor, and memorable details, without score sheets or an empirical grading system.
