Robinson Bar-B-Q

I have worked in Fort Worth for 30 years and just happened to drive by this place on E Berry. It’s located in a rough part of town but it’s not far off of 35W. I went through the drive thru and ordered the rib plate with potato salad and coleslaw. The ribs are I guess what they call KC style. Whatever the style they were good. These are not those little baby back ribs these were big and meaty. They come slathered in BBQ sauce and they were so tender. The potato salad was good and the slaw was just so so. I will return.

Yes, I am a fan! Robinson’s BBQ is flavorful, tender and good! I saw all of the reviews saying they cover the meat in BBQ sauce but that did not happen with my order — first time visitor. I only got the ribs, no sides, but they were perfect! Perfect presentation (inside my to go box — bread and pickles! loved it), perfect to taste, perfect tenderness and not too much sauce (I always request my sauce on the side though :-). The BBQ is good! Exactly what we were looking for visiting from Florida! Didn’t know it was Kansas style though; so that’s good to know! Visit Robinsons! Staff is very friendly; no place to sit and eat, but very welcoming! I will definitely go back and try the sides next time based on the reviews. I am very leary about sides… GO Robinson’s !

This place was not what I was expecting at all, but I was pleasantly surprised. Robinson’s has a small dining area (like two tables small), so don’t necessarily plan on eating in the restaurant. The BBQ was delicious! My husband and I both got the three meats and sides plate and had enough food for three meals. The sausage was packed with flavor and didn’t feel mealy (that seriously grosses me out and is the reason I normally don’t order sausage). The ribs were meaty and tender. The brisket was alright in comparison to the ribs, maybe it was because I felt there was too much of their sweet BBQ sauce which overpowered the flavor of the meat. I would stick with the sausage and ribs if I went back as the ribs seemed to stand up to the sauce better. The beans had some meat in them and were some of the best beans I have had. The corn was a little mushy, but hey it’s steamed corn on the cob so it’s practically impossible to mess that up too much. They know how to make sweet tea! The sweet potato pie had a nice mild flavor, but the lemon cake was to die for! Definitely pick the lemon cake over any other dessert. Really what stood out here was the friendly service. I felt like I was having dinner at a friend’s house. It’s a drive to get there from my house, but I’ll be back.

Great hole-​in-​the-​wall BBQ joint whose ribs are a messy, sticky. lots-​of-​napkins-​needed variety covered in a sweet sauce (which they will go easy on if requested) but in other words everything good BBQ should be. The plate dinners come with a side of beans that have finely-​chopped brisket in them and the potato salad is tasty too. Friendly «Where-​ya-​been?» service if you’re a regular; the girls at the counter always have a lovely smile for me when I walk in. Downside is the «as-​seen-​on-​COPS» neighborhood, which may be intimidating to the uninitiated (they have a drive-​through if you are scared to get out of the car) but this place is worth checking out at least once. Good BOLO sandwiches if you don’t feel hungry enough for the rib plate (about $ 9) The place isn’t much on «wacky-​stuff-​nailed-​to-​the-​walls» atmosphere so much as its bottom line is all about the food. They also sell their own brand of excellent BBQ sauce (well worth the $ 3) I’ve been stopping there from time to time and picking up a rib plate to go for well over ten years and it’s always reliably good. Look for the Chuck Wagon– shaped sign out front…

I am not a BBQ snob. I cannot discern between the size of the cuts of meat and sauce and tell you the difference between one style to the next. So there will be no debate on that for me in this category. What I do know is good food.
And Robinson is good food. Robinson is hole in the wall. IMHO this is the best kind of BBQ place. Small, locally known and good. The building has seen better days and is tiny. The walls are old wood paneling, the flooring is warped, there is a faded picture of a mailbox with a butterfly and cat on it along with an old newspaper article of the restaurant from years ago. The bathroom is old but clean enough.
Hence you come here for the food. I had the chopped beef and it was really tender and delicious. You can buy bottles of the BBQ sauce they serve you. Your options of sides are plenty from green beans to corn on the cob to potato salad or coleslaw. They have lemonade or canned soda with options such as Big Red. The people who work here are really nice. Definitely a great BBQ place to check out.

The best kind of BBQ place, small, ancient, hole-​in-​the-​wall. Friendly folk, amazing ribs, perfect bbq sauce, the beef brisket was a little dry, but they also serve BOLO. Sho-​Nuff! (if you don’t know BOLO, you ain’t from the south). I’ll take Robinson’s any day over a chain.

Eh… anyone who reads this should also be a total patriot as well.
Obviously, being a Kansas City-​style BBQ joint in Fort Worth of all places does nothing to give this self credit. Imagine this place to be the Americans in an Indian-​infested society. The Indians being the Texas-​style BBQ joints, ironically.
In this story, the Americans (Kansas City BBQ) bring some unique crops (e.g. Sauced up BBQ) from England (Kansas City). The natives seem to accept this BBQ joint for what it is, but clearly our Texas crops (Texas-​style BBQ) wins. In my opinion, having been a Texas BBQ fanatic for 19 years going on 20, I can’t stand smokey sauce smothered ALL OVER my BBQ, sans Salt Lick.
Robinson’s drenches its meat with sauce, so it’s going to inevitably be tender. Yes, they ribs and brisket are tender and smokey. Sure, the chicken is moist. Of course the white bread is absolutely sopping with sauce after you open your container. (The BBQ here resembles something reliable from the cultural exchange, perhaps corn or tobacco.)
But WAIT! Not so juicy sausage? The last meat you’d assume would be tough is tough? Disappointing. Nice and zippy sausage, but tough large sausage is unforgivable. (Perhaps, in the case of bad American crops, we’d call this the undesirable brussel sprout.)
Overall, this is the outcast in Fort Worth, and Texas for that matter. But if you’re hoping to get a taste of Kansas City-​style BBQ outside of Mizzou, this is your local joint.