Southside Market & Barebeque

Excellent BBQ. Always an eclectic crowd of good people there also.

Southside Market & Barbecue is only the second of the «mother BBQ places» in Texas I’ve tried. But, it by far exceeded my expectations for GREAT brisket, delicious sausage and the overall Texas barbecue experience.
I chose the brisket and sausage sandwich which gave an ample amount of brisket and equal amount of sausage on a big bun. It was the ideal choice for lunch! I chose to have it with potato salad which looked every bit as homemade as the rest. It, too, was creamy and flavorful.
But, it was that brisket that knocked it out of the park for me. UBER-​tender slices of meat with a distinct smoke ring and perfect smoke flavor. THIS is the brisket that tells you, «NO WAY does it need sauce!» — even though there is sauce on the side. It was a little thin, but still tasty.
The sausage is another hit. They make it right there and it’s every bit as good as you’d want it to be. When you’re done, you can saddle over to the meat market and take some home. Prices are fairly decent, albeit a little on the high side.
Overall, though, prices for BBQ plates, sandwiches and such were good. Service was very friendly and the place was clean with ample room to sit down.
Yep, Southside is going to be the benchmark for me to measure all the others I try on the Texas BBQ Trail. Like I said, it’s the second one I’ve visited, but it won’t be the only time I do come here.

Surprisingly good BBQ with a standout speciality — the sausage, of course!
I visited on a Tuesday lunch hour and only found a half-​dozen people in line ahead. However, compared to a few too many places I’ve visited, Southside was able to move the line quickly and efficiently.
This is a large operation, with a lot of family style seating and a no-​nonsense wood-​beam interior. I’d liken it to Rudy’s on 620 or Kreutz’s in Lockhart, and it’s both better lit and less derelict in appearance than, say, Louie Mueller’s in Taylor.
Aside from the BBQ purchasing area, the place contains a gift-​shop type section, an ice-​cream serving area, and a meat market. To my untrained eye it looks like they also do meatpacking/​sausage making on site, and they do a darned good job at it.
I tried the three meat plate with mac n’ cheese and beans as sides. Both sides were competent, though nothing to write home about. The BBQ Sauce is onion-​tangy, served warm, and reminds me of the thinner type of sauce served by Louie Mueller. Surprisingly good.
The brisket is average in my book, a bit on the lean side but tender, with a nice, simple pepper-​smoke flavor and pink smoke ring. On the other hand, the baby-​back ribs are *very* good, a cut above most I’ve had. Again, very straightforward seasoning but a lot of tender meat on the bone.
Now we come to Elgin ‘standard beef’ sausage… ah, I believe that I heard strains of the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ from Handel’s Messiah as I bit into a section. Maybe it’s the New Yorker part of my heritage, but I love properly seasoned meat in a natural casing. The delicious ‘snap’ of the casing when you bite into it is half the fun. There’s a reason they haven’t messed with this recipe since 1882 — it works! There’s even a little nip of heat at the end.
Definitely worth a visit to Elgin (45 mins from Central Austin) for this alone. I know that I’m looking forward to a return visit…
This place scores a 4 out of 5 on the ‘CTJ Scale’, as noted below.
5 out of 5 stars: Come-​to-​Jesus good. Would be OK passing away after finishing a plate here.
4 out of 5 stars: Come-​to-​Mary good. Would be OK being seen eating here by Mother Mary.
3 out of 5 stars: Come-​to-​Joseph good. Would be OK having a beer here with Jesus’ Dad.
2 out of 5 stars: Come-​to-​the-​Apostles good. Meh. Wouldn’t have my last supper here.
1 out of 5 stars: Come-​to-​Nobody good. I wouldn’t have my penultimate supper here, either.

Nice place to eat and relax. Wasn’t crazy crowded like some BBQ places in the Austin area. If ever out in this area I would for sure recommend a visit.

I live in Taylor but will happily go to Elgin just for the bbq. We routinely pick up a couple of pounds of smoked turkey and brisket and a bottle of the bold sauce, sometimes a few other things as well. I absolutely LOVE the way everything there is smoked, the turkey is always amazing. The staff is always warm and friendly.
The only complaint I ever have is sadly the same one over and over and over. Your brisket is fabulous, but sometimes the person cutting it just destroys it by not being able to slice it correctly or just not paying attention to the way it was cut last. I’ve come home with slices in all kinds of crazy thicknesses, and even triangles an inch thick on one side. I always ask for my brisket to be lean, and sometimes they do a fabulous job with that so I know it’s possible. Sadly I came home today and once again I ended up with a ¹⁄₃ of my brisket being straight fat, huge disappointment, especially since it was otherwise perfect. When you’re getting several pounds to go it’s really impossible to make sure it’s all cut well, and sadly about 50% of the time I get home and it’s been a brisket massacre. I really wish you guys could work on this, it’s a lot easier to throw down $ 50 when you know it’s going to be perfect!

My son took me to Southside Market for the first time on Mother’s Day.
We decided to try a little of everything, and get it to go.
The lamb ribs were something we’d never had (good taste, but probably wouldn’t order again). They were a novelty for us, but just a bit too fatty.
We also ordered brisket (the favorite stand alone meat), jalapeño sausage (delicious), pork ribs (yummy rub, nice bark), baby back ribs (meaty), Pork steak (perfectly smoked) & turkey (moist).
Of the sides, the mac n cheese hit the spot. Coleslaw was a bit bland, sadly.
For us the true standout item of the day was the «Slammer». Envision cheddar cheese stuffed into jalapeños, wrapped in breakfast sausage, wrapped in bacon, and then made perfect on the smoker! What’s NOT to love?!
Overall, I was charmed. I’m new to Texas & hooked on trying all the BBQ joints. This one was my favorite thus far.
We’ve made plans to go back for a few more of those amazing «Slammers», a pound of brisket, & a bottle of the addictive «bold» BBQ sauce.
Soon.
Very, very soon.

Excellent food, i live in hutto texas, i work for massey services we service lots of homes in the elgin area so everytime im in elgin for sure i have to stop by southside bbq, great food, great people, always smiling to customers

Our first trip here was on the way back from a marathon, so I thought I’d take the fact that this place is the BEST EVER with a grain of salt. Well, we were headed to the Sherwood Forest Faire, and felt like some BBQ, so we decided to give it another try. It’s definitely solid.
Let’s go item by item that we’ve tried:
1. Mac and Cheese — TO DIE FOR. Seriously one of the best I’ve ever had.
2. Ranch Hand Bowl — Get this. It’s 9 bucks, it’s absolutely 2 meals, and it’s a bean-​y, brisket-​y bowl of awesome.
3. Chopped beef sandwich — good. Not the best I’ve ever had, but I think the problem here, and why it’s not 5 stars is…
4. The sauce. I just don’t love it. They have a regular sauce that tastes mostly like ketchup, a bold that tastes like ketchup with some pepper in it, and hot sauce that’s really good, but I’m looking for BBQ sauce to go with my food. I think that’s my only complaint with this place though!
5. Smoked chicken salad — holy wow. This is a giant plate of food. The chicken is delicious, the rest of it is nothing terribly special but it’s great for someone wanting something lighter.
6. Coleslaw was solid. Joel W. loved it, I liked it.
7. Brisket is also solid. Not the best I’ve ever had but up there.
8. Sausage was really really good. I kept stealing some from Joel. :)
9. There was a 4 dollar sausage popper thing that was ok, but not memorable.
…and I think that’s it. We’ll ALWAYS stop here over Meyers, it’s just better here. I just wish their sauce was better!

We ate here after a tour of AustiNuts. Three of us ordered the daily special which was a chicken sandwich and one of us got a brisket and sausage sandwich and then we added on a few sides since they didn’t come with the special. I was a bit disappointed because the chicken Sandwich wasn’t white meat it was dark. That is kind of a let down when you’re paying $ 6 for a meal with no sides. The sauce the chicken was in was really good though. I wasn’t really much of a fan of the bun the chicken sandwich came on, either but my friend really liked it!
The sides we got were Mac n cheese, beans, cold slaw, and a side salad. They were all pretty good.
I’m a sucker for good BBQ… maybe it was just an Off day or maybe I should get something different next time. I can’t say I’ll go out of my way to eat here but maybe if I’m in the area again I’ll give it another shot!

Holy SMOKES!
We’ve had quite a few things at Southside and even did a «non traditional» Thanksgiving and served their Pork Steaks — they were a HUGE hit and our family was talking about it for days!
I don’t eat red meat — but my Husband says, the brisket is nice and tender, not too fatty and has a great flavor. You can also purchase bulk meats online through their website and preorder — pick up in store. Sides are great and the Baked Potatoes is truly TEXAS sized!
A+ Southside!

Stopped on Sunday night passing through. They ran out of brisket! So I got a chopped sandwich and it was so salty and probably had msg.
Elgin has hype about its sausage but it was greasy and chunky. I don’t get it.
I left hungry and with a thinner wallet.

We have only been in Texas for three years and have been on a quest for our favorite BBQ place. There are so many good ones it’s hard to pick. This may be the place.
Sauce or no sauce?!? We like sauce. Me hot my hubby just plain olé sauce.
So normally we don’t get sausage at BBQ places anymore but let me tell you, you can’t go to the Sausage Capital of Texas and if I may add of the World… without trying the sausage! It is amazing… melts in your mouth. They have two sauces and hot sauce here and they all made the cut! The brisket and turkey were really good but when we go again we are loading up on the beef sausage.
Potato salad and Cole slaw were awesome too!
There were two sides to enter and the line goes fast. If you’re not sure what to order ask for a sample and they’ll gladly oblige.
Worth the trip and we’ll definitely be back!

All hype, little taste. Oh and rather large price.
This place suffers from the same ailment as most in Lockhart. They listen to the critics. The critics as in bbq as in movies know nothing.

I stopped by on my way home from a work trip and was really looking forward to trying this place. Unfortunately, the meat was totally disappointing. The brisket was gummy and flavorless, and unlike the elite places in Austin, this one desperately needed sauce to be edible. The sausage, which I heard this place was famous for, was only slightly better. It doesn’t say much about a BBQ place when the best part of the meal was the mac and cheese.
This may have been a great place in the past, but the BBQ game in central Texas has really made this a below average joint.

My wife and I are always looking for the best places to eat, BBQ included. Southside Market is among the Best BBQ in Texas.
Food: She ordered the 2 meat plate (brisket and rib) with coleslaw and green bean sides. She loved it. I had the loaded baked potato. I loved it. THE Best spud we’ve ever had. Full disclosure: we were not starving or anything. The brisket is DOE-​licious and almost doesn’t need sauce. The bbq sauce comes in two types: regular and bold. Go with the BOLD. It is a WINNER.
Place: They have a meat market just a few feet away from the serving line, within the same room. The raw meat smell is not ideal just before your meal. Other than that, typical rustic feel for the dining room. They strategically placed the ice cream counter at the entrance of the dining room to earn a few more of your dollars.
Parking: plentiful.
Restrooms: did not visit.
Competitors: Big Boys BBQ in Sweetwater TX and Hinzes BBQ in Sealy TX.

I this place-​it is so worth the drive. Their meat is extremely tender, turkey is moist, and l love their BBQ sauce. The cole slaw is a little different than your typical slaw-​made with vinegar, bell peppers (no mayo)-much healthier and yummy! If you have room for dessert, they have blue bell ice-​cream, pecan pie, or cobbler!

After several visits to Southside Market I can assure you that it’s much better than your average mom & pop and especially chain BBQ shops. And considering the huge amount of business that they do I definitely admire their consistency which ain’t easy.
Very good brisket with good smoke penetration, nice bark and pink smoke ring. I usually other half lean & half moist and take a bite each to get the perfect balance. Always moist and no sauce needed.
The house made all beef sausage is a always great with a nice snap and medium course grind.
The «Slammer» is outstanding, in fact I took home a dozen last time. (I like to reheat then my gas grill to get the bacon more crispy). Highly recommended.
The mutton ribs are big & juicy, however it may not be to the average person’s taste because they are bit gamey/​strong tasting and a little greasy. So start with one and see how you like it. Myself I like them once in a while, especially when I douse the meat with their house hot sauce & BBQ sauce, good stuff.
And hey they also serve ice cold beer, Blue Bell ice cream and don’t miss the the full service counter with all kinds of fresh & frozen sausage products, meats and frozen BBQ that can be taken home or shipped.
4.5 stars and worth the trip!

This review is only for The Slammer. Because that’s what I’m coming back for.
What is The Slammer you ask? Well, it’s a cheese stuffed jalapeño, wrapped in sausage that’s wrapped in bacon. For all of you diabetics, gluten-​free, or just carb conscious folks, you have to try this. It’s basically a meat kolache.
Sounds good? It is! Just go get one. You’re welcome.

This review is mostly just for the sausage.
Took about a 30 min drive to get to this place from we were staying and I have to say that the sausage is worth the drive!
On the way here is a whole lot of nothing… So this place is kind of in the middle of nowhere.
Got here and the line was pretty long, but it goes by fast. They also have a market if you just want to buy the meat/​sausages to cook at home. They also sell the bbq sauce too and the bbq sauce is pretty damn good.
Ordered a sausage plate to share because I wanted to try the sides too. The sausages were out of this world amazingly delicious. It’s very juicy with the right amount of spice and cook to perfection. I’ve been told that if you buy the uncooked ones to cook at home, it will not taste the same. The plate came with 2 sides and we got beans and potato salads. I would say the sides were just okay and nothing special. I would suggest getting 1 pounds of sausage for $ 11.99 rather than the plate.
Delicious sausage for a cheap price, what more can I ask for? Austin’s food has been treating me well and keeping my belly happy!

Was passing through Elgin (headed to Giddings) and just had to stop by to see how Southside compared to my beloved Black’s in Lockhart. I must start off with saying that speed is definitely one of their strong points. Took us maybe 15 minutes from start to finish. Still, great and personable service. Their space is larger and can accommodate much larger crowds easier than Black’s. They also have a meat market inside.
Now on to the food!
I ordered the chopped brisket sandwich (small) with a bag of chips for $ 7. I wasn’t able to eat my sandwich right away, but by the time I did the grease had soaked all the way through half of the bun. Yuck! I ate as much of it as I could stand and it was OK (hence the rating). The pickles, onions and Bold BBQ sauce saved it for me, but on its own, this sandwich wouldn’t stand.
Sorry Southside, but I’m still all about that Lockhart prime rib.