Square’s Bar-B-Que Express

We stopped by here on a whim and it was so good! The staff is friendly and we got the brisket sandwich plate. Highly recommend the green beans and rice casserole! Thanks for a great lunch Squares we will be back!

So good! I eat here just about religiously! Family owned good country cooking. I have never had a bad meal or bad experience here and i’ve been going here for a long, long time! Yummy!

So I’ve eaten at square’s a couple times now before reviewing. Ultimately, its a mixed bag. You also have to understand that this is against a backdrop of the terrible BBQ options that make up Abilene, TX (Sharon’s, Betty Rose, etc).
We will start with negatives and work our way forward so we can end on a good note.
Up front, the prices are above market. I know the price of meat has gone up, especially brisket, but their markup is serious. A rack of ribs (3# equivalent) will run you $ 33 and sausage is also $ 11/​#. I can get a rack of pork ribs for $ 8 at the store and they don’t really require $ 25 worth of effort to smoke. The brisket was a little over $ 13/​# but I get that it also takes longer to cook so a 200% markup over market cost seems more reasonable.
Don’t waste your time with the ribs. I have yet to get a good order of ribs here (or anywhere in Abilene). They are always dry like they’ve been under a lamp or something or they were cooked too long. The flavor is good but the texture is way off.
Sides are a little bit better but only because they aren’t bad. They are basically what you would get if you opened a can of pinto beans and heated them up or used the most generic recipe for broccoli and rice you could imagine. Not bad but not good.
Sausage was decent. It seemed like prepackaged meat but it was juicy and had a good smoke flavor to it. Kids loved it.
The brisket is where these guys make their money. By far the best brisket I’ve had in Abilene. Juicy, tender and perfect smoke flavor. That’s about all there is to say about that and I’m willing to give four stars for it.
Additionally, I have had no problems whatsoever with the service. Every time it has been attentive, polite, and quick. No complaints at all.

Was not impressed to say the least! The ordering was confusing the way they have it set up. They have it where you don’t really understand all that comes with a meal and you get things that cost extra. Idk I wasn’t impressed with the food or the hole in the wall building

What I got was the ribs, brisket with beans and broccoli/​rice. The ribs had good smoke flavor with light sauce. They started the meal off right. Sides tasted pretty good, not over done like some BBQ try to do. This meal was heading to Atleast a 4 star meal, then I tasted the brisket. It just tasted bland with no smoke flavor. Wished I would have ordered just ribs. Did finish the meal off with some pretty good banana pudding.

I’ve grown up on Squares Bar Q and it has never disappointed. The briquet Mr Potato is so delicious. I always do the drive thru and take it home. I’ve eaten inside a few times and it has a nice atmosphere. Overall a great place to eat.

We have been going to Squares most of my life and have always liked it. The food is 4 stars while the prices are 3 star. The buffet used to be your meat and all you can eat veggies. But the price of food has hit all restaurants. The buffet is now one trip thru with all extras costing extra. We still enjoy it, but its not the great deal it used to be. Brisket and sausage are my favorites and they make a good hamburger. They do have a drive thru for take out.

We dined in tonight, it was our first time ever eating here & it will be our last time as well. I have never experienced such terrible customer service as I did earlier tonight. The woman that worked the cash register was extremely rude & had a horrible attitude for absolutely no reason at all. At least the guy in the back that took our order when we first walked in was nice. The food is mediocre & certainly not good enough to be acting that way over it! They won’t ever be getting our business again & we will not be recommending them to anyone.

Good BBQ
The atmosphere is perfect for Bbq. Just what one would expect in a small Texas town.
And the service is top notch. Friendly people who seem to genuinely care that your meal is everything you expect or more.
The BBQ, however, is just average. We had brisket, ribs and sausage. The ribs were the best part of the meat. The brisket and sausage were a bit pedestrian.
The baked beans were great though — top notch.

Lived in Abilene in the early 80’s while in the USAF ate at Squares at least a few times a week for a few years.
I haven’t been back to Texas since then. But because of Squares I have become a BBQ junkie.
I have tried hundreds of so called BBQ places all over and I use Squares as a bench mark and in my opinion none have come close

10 years ago, I did a cross-​country trip from VA to AZ, and stopped at a dozen BBQ joints in between. Somehow spotted this place from the freeway (it’s not really visible, but I have decent BBQ-​dar) and pulled in.
The front door was impossible to see in, due to the dozens of «Best of» stickers, which was promising. Then I realized that the mayor of Abiliene was in line in front of me, another great sign.
Turns out it’s the best BBQ I’ve ever had on that trip and in my life, with ribs and brisket that should be made ambassador of Texas. Great sides, too, and a very cozy atmosphere, but the ribs and brisket are the draw.
I want to go back, but it’s a bit of a drive from my current home in the Bay Area!

Everytime I come here the service is great and the food is consistently good! Best fried okra I’ve ever had and I hate fried okra. Also real good bbq sauce and brisket! Yummy!!! Keep up the good work. Will be back forsure!

Kind of a weird set up (think, Lubys) but overall the atmosphere is very BBQ-​esque and the food is absolutely delicious! Please choose this place over dickeys! The potato salad is great and the bread is extraordinary.

Squares has the best chopped brisket sandwich in Abilene. The brisket is so tender and juicy, and they really pile it on. Also, I think that they have the best barbeque sauce in town too! Yum.

Average BBQ at best. I come from the school where great brisket does not need sauce. It is needed here.
The brisket here was dry and bland. Sausage was nothing special. The Cornbread was dry and hard. Overall — disappointed.

Not good Texas BBQ. They were out of half the items on Saturday night. Sausage was awful.

Pretty good place to eat at. I had a cheeseburger, very good. Had to wait a bit but it was worth it. Boys had chopped beef sandwiches, those were also good. I really liked the bbq sauce. Portions are a good size for the price. Will visit again!

Well, it is express IF you don’t order a burger, but it was a good burger («as good as you’re going to get» my husband says). The fries were greasy and were baked potatoes that have been fried. I’ve had better BBQ, but I have also had way worse. We would come back (if we were traveling through here again).

My sister and mom live in Abilene so everytime I go visit I stop at Square’s BBQ. They smoke their meat for 16 hours using mesquite wood. Last time I was there I had ribs and brisket, it was outstanding! The meat had a perfect amount of smokiness and was very tender. Their ribs had a lot of meat and not fat on the bone. I’ve had the smoked sausage too and it’s really good. Also, their sides are very good. When I left I picked up a quart of their black beans. If you are ever in Abilene I would definately recommend stopping by to have some really awesome BBQ. My only complaint is that the sides are served buffet style and were not really that hot.

Great tasting BBQ. Not too sweet, not too tart. I prefer the Mr. Potato!