Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que

The ATX has a new heavyweight BBQ contender in town! I’ve been to Coopers in New Braunfels, and always enjoyed it, but the Coopers downtown is a different vibe. Brick walls, and clear coated oak tables adorn this location.
Originally slated to open Memorial Day of 2015, the floods pushed it to early 2016. The line wraps along the outside of the building, but it moves quickly. The biggest hang up being at the meat counter. They have one slicer, which creates the line. I was in, got my food, and ate in a hour. 13 different selections of meat. It’s challenging to decide on what to get.
I selected the ½ pd pork ribs, jalapeño mac and cheese, and ice tea. The beans are a free bonus located at the end of the line by the drinks. (So remember not to get too many sides!) In total it ran to be about 15 dollars, which isn’t bad for downtown. They have pricey rent to pay, after all.
Quality– outstanding. I sucked the meat off the bones. I was straight out savage in eating, these moist, succulent ribs. Flavored perfectly the the right balance of smoke and seasoning. Unlike la blah blah q, which douses it in pepper. To me this is what BBQ should taste like. Meat that is enchanted by a few things, not over powering it.
The sides are pricey for what you get. Mac and cheese was spicey, but reminded me of the cafeteria kind instead of being something really special. I did enjoy the free beans however. Put some onion slices on them, and bam! Bad breath to return to work with. No worries. I have gum. :)
Overall, I’m happy they moved in next door to work. I’ll be frequenting this for my protein fix and can not wait to taste the Cabrito! Hmm baby goat!

We were greeted at the door by a man who explained the system here — you pick your meats and specify the portion size. It’s then cut at a second station while you wait. The first station eyeballs the measurements so some of our portions were over/​under our specified weight. We were asked if the errors were okay, but it’s still an annoyance especially if the errors aren’t okay. Only the refrigerated sides were explained to us, whatever was in the warm section is still a mystery. We arrived shortly after opening so I assumed the items weren’t ready since everything else was explained to us or I would have asked. Luckily, we just wanted to eat some BBQ and have some drinks so it wasn’t a big deal. We paid for our food at the end of the line and went and sat at the bar.
Each drink at the bar was paid for individually. We would have to run a tab otherwise… which is odd/​uncomfortable since we had already paid for a tray of food and it was lunch time. The bar was small, as well, so it just felt like yet another process needlessly had extra steps added to it. The bartender was awesome and very friendly and service was great, though.
We picked brisket (moist), pork tenderloin, and pork ribs. The brisket was very salty (I couldn’t taste much besides the salt) and had a lot of extra fat — we picked the «juicer» option. The pork tenderloin and the ribs were delicious, though. The sauce was again, salty, with a lot of tomato, vinegar, and tasted slightly bitter… just seemed to be missing something to really pull all the flavors together. I wasn’t a fan.
Overall, the experience was needlessly complicated. Stopping at every station was a bit of a hassle and then having to pay for food then pay for each drink was just a hassle. It’s fine to have pound options when dealing with large orders, but for one person it’d be a lot nicer to have a more conventional option (like pick two meats and two sides and they deal with the weight) rather than trying to guess at weight and portion sizes… then hope they’re right when you get to the second station. Prices are also listed at the half pound, so you’re already doing a lot of math if you want to try multiple options on one visit and trying to figure out the cost/​stay within budget.
The whole ordering process combined with not really knowing how much you’re paying until you’re at the register stopped me from coming back while I was in Austin.

Very excited to have Cooper’s in Austin! After eating here a couple of times, I have to say that meat, ambience, and staff are all worthy of 5 (6 if possible) stars! However, the sides are a bit disappointing in that I’m pretty sure they put pretty heavy amounts of sugar in their slaw, potato salad, etc. Also, maybe lard in the beans (just speculating here). Just seems unnecessary honestly. While that may work well at other locations, I think it is important to consider that this is Austin where people are a bit more health conscious than other spots. I know what you’re thinking — BBQ is heathy?! Well honestly if you eat the meats while limiting starch/​sugar it is darn healthy! Also, would love to see some other type of vegetable green option for the sides as well. I know tourists will drive Cooper’s revenue, but locals will surely sustain it (especially with that expensive downtown real estate). And downtown locals for lunch would see to be a key component so no reason for one member of a lunch crew not wanting to go to Cooper’s for these reasons. (I mean, if we want unhealthy sides, we could go to R*dy’s!) Cooper’s your BBQ is already among the VERY best in town, would love to see you get the easy stuff right :) If you want great meats and quality service — Cooper’s is a standout.

Stopped in here for a quick bite and wasn’t disappointed.
Operationally it’s a little odd. As you enter you line up at the pit and order there. There’s a lot of back and forth– how much of this or that (by weight) do you want? Um, I don’t know, what half a chicken weigh dude, I’m not the expert. So it was a little awkward and slow but we got through it. Wonder what it’s like when it’s busy. Pro tip– if you want chopped beef, bypass the pit and go to the counter (could use a sign to that effect).
Food: chopped beef, jalapeño bacon mac and cheese, jalapeño and cheese sausage. All good. The sausage and mac and cheese were hot and spicy as expected and were seriously good. The beef was standard, a solid option but not exceptional. Beans, white bread, pickles and onions are all free and are self serve after you pay. The beans were good and the amount of food on offer for free is kind of cool.
All in all a good, not overly quirky, home style bbq place that would be fun for families and groups.
Service was super friendly and helpful. Folks seem to enjoy working here.

Finally open!
Vintage «Texas Ranch» décor, right on Congress in the heart of Downtown.
LOTS of indoor seating in this 2-​story layout, even a fair numbers of tables in the outside back patio area.
Great selection of meats, including my super tender 2″ thick Pork Chop, more then enough to satisfy and carnivore. Nice variety of sides, including free pickles, beans, onions and jalapeño. All very delicious!
Looks like a pretty well stocked bar and variety of draft beers.
Come on by ya’ll!

Yummy food with very good service. The serving line/​layout is sort of puzzling when you first walk in but the gentlemen in charge of the meat explained how it worked very well. I was lucky to come in at an off-​peak time; when I left, it was busy and people in line did not look terribly happy to be behind a group that was deliberating a little too long. However, it seems that during off-​peak times they cannot cut into all of the meat displayed, so there’s a trade-​off there.
The brisket was delicious; a little too salty, but that is a minor complaint. I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious and fresh my little side salad was. The butter corn and complementary beans were fine. The sauce is super vinegary and addictive.
I paid around $ 16 for a half pound of brisket, corn, and a side salad. This seemed kind of high to me and I didn’t notice prices any posted on the sides area, so I felt a little surprised by my total.
This seems like a great place to take a group so you can all try a bit of everything.

Those pork chops haunt my dreams. Be prepared to spend, because you will get on a roll pointing out the delicious smoked meats you want to destroy.

I don’t like all of these non Texans ragging on coopers. You have no idea what coopers is about. Go back to wherever you came from!
For those new to Texas and coopers-​they are known for pork, the big chop, it has a bone in it so it cannot be cut. Yes they totally get you, pick your meat than they weigh it which can end up being costly. This isn’t your chain rudy’s bbq.
Be careful when you order. 100 $ meal can creep up real quick.
Non native people of Austin, do not review when you don’t know the history or you are not from here. GTFO. Tyler T, you are such an idiot.
We don’t take kindly to people that don’t take kindly.

Just when I thought Austen’s bbq scene couldn’t get any better, Coopers opens up shop and raises the bar. Is it #1? I’m not ready to dethrone Franklins or La Barbecue, but my sit down bbq spots rankings have changed:
1. Salt Lick
2. Coopers/Freedmen’s (tie)
3. Black’s
What’s more exciting to me about having a new top 3 bbq joint open in ATX is having a new style enter the market. Coopers is distinctly different then the rest, and their vinegar based sauce is to die for.

My first experience eating bbq wrapped up in packing paper!
The brisket was delicious! The rub on it was quite salty (almost too salty but justtt made it). The ribs were very good as well but weren’t quite as tender as we had hoped for. The mac and cheese was good but not great. Overall, enjoyed the experience– the item we were most interested in, the brisket, definitely made it well worth the trip!

It was really good. The brisket was moist, not too Fatty. The pork ribs was nice and juicy. I wasn’t a fan of the sausage though. Hard to compare to Elgin. The jalapeño Mac and cheese was really good. Beans are free. I will be back! Don’t let the line discourage you, it moves quickly and there is plenty of seating.

Killer fatty brisket and cheese sausage links! Will return!
Don’t care for the vinegar heavy, watery sauce, but the tub and meat are plenty flavorful without the sauce needed :)
5 stars if they had a different sauce option.

Recently ate here with some friends in town from Chicago for the weekend who were looking for some Texas BBQ, and I am pleased to say that I’ll be back. The ordering process is pretty straightforward for a BBQ fan, and staff behind the counter will answer your questions about ordering options, as the process is always a little different wherever you go. There’s a chalkboard menu above the serving counter with prices by the pound and you can order meat cut to whatever size you want, except for a few items with bones in. They will give you the option of dipping it in sauce before they wrap it up for you, but I would advise against it as there is sauce available in the seating area and the sauce can overpower the meat if you aren’t careful because it’s more of a tabasco-​style vinegary hot sauce than a sweet ketchupy sauce, which is right and proper for Texas style BBQ.
For me the Main Thing at any BBQ place is the brisket, so I asked for ¼ pound of the fattier cut and that’s what I got, but they can give you a leaner cut if you ask for it. The brisket was tender with that nice smokey flavor that sets in with a nice long sit in the barbecue pit. I also had a half a link of the jalapeño cheese sausage, which was respectably spicy. Blackberry cobbler was delicious. There are free beans in the seating area too, with the sauce and bread. The beans do have some pork in them, and are more pinto style rather than a brown sugar sweet baked bean style.
There is a large outdoor seating area in the back with a huge oak tree for shade which will be great in the spring but it was cold when we went so everyone was sitting inside.

Awesome service awesome BBQ and not one but TWO bars!!! Come to Cooper’s awesome bunch of people!!! Why go to Franklin’s when you can have REALBBQ!!!

My co workers and I have been waiting patiently for this moment, COOPERS…
I gave this establishment 3 stars because of horrible service and the way you order your food.
When you first walk in you have ONLY two guys at the pit slicing what ever meat of choice you’d like, (be real specific on your cut and how much you want) by the time I got to the cashier it was 32 dollars and some change for ¼ brisket (moist) which was nothing but fat honestly and ¼ chicken with Mac and cheese and potato salad with a water! They do how ever have complimentary beans which were very good. They were not very informative to new buyers and possible long term customer.
The brisket was very salty and over marinated with so much fat on it! I can’t believe I paid 30 dollars! The chicken was very good! Fall off the bone meat and very well marinated. I tried some of my friends jalapeño sausage and it was very under cooked to me.
It was not a very good experience and it will be my last time there.

Average BBQ with an unfriendly and dishonest ordering concept. You walk in an tell 1 guy at 1 station what type of meat you would like and the quantity (meanwhile about 100 people wait behind you). I ordered ¼ lb brisket and ¼ lb pork ribs. The meat is put on a plastic tray which you then hold for 30 seconds before handing it to another employee that weighs and wraps the meat as if you’re at the meat counter in a grocery store. Even if you are dining-​in they wrap the meat. My 0.25 lb orders ended up being 0.47 lb and 0.60 lb so I paid way more than I intended and the checkout guy said «we try to get it right».
My friend ordered the pork chop and was told they can’t cut it up so he ended up with a 1 ½ lb piece of pork chop that set him back $ 20 and was too much for one meal.
Serving BBQ is not a new concept, yet Cooper’s fails miserably. Cooper’s should have copied a place like Rudy’s which efficiently moves hundreds of patrons through it’s restaurants daily. Final note: the jalapeño-​bacon mac-​and-​cheese tasted like KFC mac-​and-​cheese; the jalapeño and bacon wasn’t distinguishable at all (it cost almost $ 4 for about 6 spoonfuls). It’s unfortunate the restaurant owners/​managers think about what is easier for themselves and their staff rather than creating a pleasant experience for customers — hopefully it will go out of business so a better place can go in that great location.

My boyfriend and I went last night for their official full service opening. Our favorite place is Franklin’s but you can only participate in their protocol of standing in line for hours on end so many times before it gets old. So, we are always on the hunt for BBQ that can match or come close to matching the quality of Franklins. Cooper’s comes pretty darn close!
Brisket — 5 stars — melt in your mouth delicious
Links — 5 stars — I’m usually not a fan but these were good!
Slaw — 5 stars — nicely sweet and complements brisket well
Beans — 5 stars — FREE and scrumptious
Potato salad — 4.5 stars — good but I prefer more mustardy potato salad, the boyfriend thought it delicious
Layout — 5 stars — very nice and the decorator did a great job!
Staff — 5 stars — incredibly attentive and accommodating with only one exception — we were a little confused where to start our order (there is no «order here» sign. We just thought you walked right up to the counter. We were the only ones in line at the counter trying to decide what we wanted to try out first. We stood in the space between the meats and the cold section. We were ready to order when a huge group came in and were greeted and served first. We had to move what we now knew was the back of the line. They really should have served us first by asking if we were ready before addressing the new arrived patrons. I won’t hold that against them too much — it was after all the first official opening. Always a little confusing and rusty.
Food Presentation — 2 stars — for us this is where it gets a little funky. We ordered the brisket and a link. They slapped it on a red serving try — no paper, no plate — nada. Just our sad and lonely meats, for which the link nearly rolled right off, just plopped on this red serving tray. Then the tray was passed down the serving line. Another staff member took the meat to the scale, measured and proceeded to slice our meat with an electric knife, then packaged in paper with a printed barcode label (like what you see in grocery stores). It was odd choice of presentation. We talked to one of the managers and he said that’s they way they do it a the original store in Llano. I would be curious if anyone else finds this odd. It certainly won’t deter us from going however; we will just ask that they put the paper on the tray first.
Now: a note about the electric knives… Seems a little «Dad carving the turkey-​ish». Seems more substantial to put a little elbow grease into it vs electricity. I don’t know of any other BBQ place that uses electric knives. Plus, having a cord in the way makes for risk of cross contamination.
Average of my stars is really a 4.5 but I could only do 4 or 5. I swung in the direction of the five because the brisket was so good and the staff and owner were incredibly pleasant. And I wouldn’t want my personal preference for presentation to get in the way of someone else’s perspective of the quality. Quality really is a 5 Star.

We visited Coopers over the weekend since we were at the J W Marriot and we’re happy with our visit. They apparently had a soft opening a few weeks ago and still only had a limited menu as they were evening out the kinks. We sat at the bar and orderd the sliders trio which was brisket, ribs I believe, and sasuage. We also ordered a side of Mac and cheese — which was a bit too soggy and didn’t have a ton of flavor. We had a Moscow mule and thought it was pretty good! Sounds like they are opening in a few weeks and I’m sure they will do great!

Austin get ready for he next big BBQ house. It’s about a week from being fully open, but I just got a behind the scenes look at what’s to come. I had the brisket, sausage and a taste of the pulled pork. Yum yum. The brisket was moist and tender. The chopped Pork was tasty and the sausage was yummy. We then stopped by the bar up stairs were I meet the owner and had a drink. This place will be massive. So glad I came in to try out the soft opening. Joshua booth the GM also welcomed me to the place. It will be a must stop in Austin.

Our first night in Austin and we were out looking for good Texas BBQ steaks when we passed by this place, which had BBQ in the name. We were roped in by a staff member who informed us that it was the soft opening of the restaurant and that we would not be disappointed.
Despite the name of the restaurant, there were only sliders, some other sides and one beef burger. I ordered the brisket sliders and side of mac and cheese and my boyfriend ordered the burger. The brisket sliders and burger were actually really tasty, but the macaroni was overlooked and the cheese sauce just tasted like butter.
There also seemed to be a lot of miscommunication with which dishes were going to which tables and after a while of seeing the chef, bartender and waitress juggling meals around, we finally got our meals delivered to us, one tray by the bartender and the other tray by the waitress. In their defence, it was their first night and possible first day on the job. I just hope they get their heads together and also extend their menu because I think they do have potential.