Meshack’s Bar-Be-Que Shack

Went to Meshack’s based upon the good reviews, but left disappointed. I was ordering today for my mother’s birthday. She wanted ribs. I ordered a mixed dinner after speaking to a lady. Seeing beef, or what I thought – I went ahead and placed my order. I asked to look at it before I left and found out it was pork.
They were quick to say no refunds, which I knew by reading the board. I didn’t want the money. It was the conversation after that upset me most.
I told the lady at the front counter, I assumed because everything I read said beef. my order would be that. I don’t consume meat often and was making an order for someone else. My mother.
I offered a suggestion to the family. Simply ask customers, «the ribs are pork, is that fine?» Or repeat back the order, «I have a mixed dinner with PORK ribs, mashed potatoes and beans.» Or to simply put on the actual menu, ‘PORK ribs’.
They said, «You should’ve known. Most barbeque places are pork.» Which might very well be true, but perhaps not everyone is as familiar. The signage should state the meat of which the ribs derive.
I told the lady, in a tone not rude, «I’m sorry, I won’t be back.» To which she chuckled and said, «one person won’t kill us.»
I was so hurt. Then, one worker asked an older man, «well, this time, should we give her her money back?» He quickly said, «no!» Which was fine, didn’t ask for it. I gave my dinner to a customer, who was so sweet. She offered what I paid for it. I didn’t even ask. I insisted it was okay and it wasn’t necessary. This sweet woman refused and put the cash in my hand.
I went to my car and was so overwhelmed by everything I found myself crying. I know, how silly. So, I sat in my car awhile to wipe my face and Google another barbeque spot for mom. Then, an older woman tells me I’m blocking the driveway. So I tell her, sorry, and I move. I park again because I haven’t figured out where to go. Again, the lady comes to tell me something.
She tells me, «ma’am, we feel like you’re up to something.» Wow, insult to injury. I take off my shades and tell her I’m not. She now sees that I’d been crying. I told her I’m not upset about money. That’s fine. It was the manner in which I was spoke to. That was the thing. I felt my feelings, or experience meant nothing.
The older woman, the owner, apologized to me. That made me feel a little better.
I won’t be back, however. Nor will I suggest the business.
This review is on customer service, not their food. I’m sure it’s amazing. But In my book, how you treat people overrides that.
EDIT: I edit to mention this took place at the Meshack’s in Garland on E Avenue B.

Great little place. The people are friendly and the bbq was good. It wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, but far above average. I’ll be back for sure. Nice job.

Delicious sliced beef sandwich! Very tender and delicious. Just what you want in a barbecue shack!

Don’t waste your time or money. This place is suppose to be legendary, Really! In what Universe? The baked beans were for sure out of a can, a few scraps of meat were thrown in to try and hide that fact. Epic Fail. Boring, Flavorless, Cheap, sliced white bread that you find at the local supermarket for $ 1.29 a loaf. The potato salad was more like mashed potato salad with some little chunks of sweet pickles tossed in. The ribs and links were totally average, nothing to brag about at all. Me and mine won’t be going back to Meshacks ever. The food is totally middle of the road and that’s exactly where Meshacks is located. I Should of known better. LOL.

Good bbq. There’s def better in DFW. Would give 4 stars if they could put out more than one order every 15 minutes. It’s pretty ridiculous.

This is by far my favorite BBQ Shack in Dallas/​Garland! The prices are great. Large portions on everything even the sandwiches. The only negative thing is the wait but the staff is friendly and Mr. Meshack will come out and talk to you every once in a while. I don’t mind waiting if it’s worth it.

To anyone wanting to try this place I suggest you Call before you take that drive across town on the horrible roads and sketchy neighborhood. I understand they close when they run out but if you open at 10:30 and are scheduled to close at 7p you should prepare to have enough food to at least be open until 3. I showed up at 2 and they were already closed.

I finally found my barbecue spot, The ribs & potato salad and sausage crazy good i’m living in Frisco but is worth the drive.

Don’t need words.

Definitely the best BBQ in Dallas. The prices are excellent and the meat is amazing. I get the ribs without the sauce in order to truly enjoy the smoke. The potato salad is so-​so and I think it is because everyone is really particular about how they like their salad. The beans are on point and should accompany your meal.
We showed up early on the holiday because we expected them to sell out. Of course, we were right! This speaks to the awesomeness of the food. Highly recommend.
Be clear that there is no where to sit and eat. Plan on taking the food with you. Enjoy!

Love its. Some time have to wait for 30 min or out of meats.

By far the best barbeque we’ve ever eaten. The prices are fair and the quality of food is amazing. Large portions, but the taste is out of this world to die for. Get there early or there will not be any food left. Everything is pre cooked the day of!

Another typical visit to Meshack’s this past Friday.
Six people in line waiting to order when I arrived at 11am. I placed my order at 11:15am and at 11:45am, my name was called to pick up my order! It’s a good thing my wife now has a smartphone so she can catch up on her internet surfing while we wait.
If you can get over the wait, the sliced beef sandwich was very solid sandwich grade BBQ, with above average ‘Hot’ sauce. Two slices of white bread on the bottom to help keep the sandwich from falling apart after dousing it with sauce is a great idea.
I really like Meshack’s, but it’s hard to overlook the wait. I’m starting to wonder if it’s just worth the extra time to drive to Hutchin’s in McKinney.. .

Wanted to know what the buzz was and I wasn’t too impressed. I like to patronize local mom and pop establishments but I’ve had better bbq around other parts of town. I tried the beef brisket and sausage and bother were lacking flavor and way too much smoke. The potato salad wasn’t good also. Also, we waited for over an hour for just a pound of mixed beef/​sausage and potato salad. (Not sure why it took so long) .
The prices were good but try it for yourselves, I will not be returning. Good Day

The best. Worth the wait! I have stood outside in the rain under my umbrella for this amazing bbq! Their beans and potato salad rock. They are super nice.

Got my barbecue home yesterday and really enjoyed it. It was pricey and I was surprised that there wasn’t separate containers for barbecue sauce. I got a pound of ribs and a pound of brisket and beans and potato salad. $ 34.00. Potato salad was good but beans were just ok. It took me 15 minutes to get there and we waited 30 – 45 minutes to get our food in the sun. Was it good? Yes was it worth all the trouble? I don’t think so. If I just happen to be in the area at lunch I would stop for a sandwich but I’m not sure I would make special trip again.

I go to college in Florida. Freshman year my roommate didn’t even know what a chopped beef sandwich or brisket was so you can imagine the kind of bbq I was exposed to there. o. O Anyways, every time I come back home I go to Meshacks. I got 4 sandwiches and it was all under $ 20 (AND I left a tip out of that 20). The lady that takes your order is always so nice and personable. They treat everyone like family/​friends. Last of all my dog LOVES when I come home with a bag from Meshack’s. I’ve never seen him devour a bone faster lol. The food is definitely worth the wait! Parking has improved significantly as well.

Wouldn’t say best bbq I’ve ever had, but definitely up top. HOWEVER, the wait is horrendous. My mistake was going on a Saturday morning… at 11am. They had only been open 30 minutes, and I didn’t get food until 2 hours later. There is absolutely nowhere to stand in the shade, and the only respite from the scorching sun were the water bottles that they gave out for free. The woman at the counter was SO NICE and friendly. She was great about keeping us in the loop on whether or not she had more ribs left over (a bunch of people had ordered pounds on pounds in front of me).
The food: ribs were great (nice crust, good flavor, tender), the chopped beef was also amazing (coming from NC where pulled pork is king, this was a good surprise), and sauce was AMAZING. Sausage was good, but nothing special? Same for the beans. Sliced beef was a little on the dry side (I’m used to a different cook on brisket) but good with sauce. Honestly, if/​when I come back, I’ll just do what everybody else did and just order pounds of my two favorite meats. Pro tip: I think I saw a couple of people just drive in and pick up the order? I think they might have called the order in ahead of time? I will try, and so should you.

So amazing!!! You know it is good when they are open till they are out of food. I had a brisket sandwich and it was sooo good. I need to go back and try the sausage! They were out by the time I got there.

My Lord! Where do I start! My friend and I finally made it here. We teach so it was our first day we had time to go since its summer break! We arrived at 11:00 and there was already a line. Luckily we still had our iced water from our workout and an umbrella! We waited 30 minutes but we expected that. The young lady taking orders was very polite. We ordered chopped beef and sliced beef sandwiches, potato salad, beans, and orders of sliced beef and ribs. The only thing missing was mac n cheese! But it was delicious! We didn’t make it out of the parking lot before we devoured the sandwiches! We will definitely be back!

I really enjoyed going here. Lots of nice folks sharing a true cultural experience. Oh, and it smells REALLY good! A smoky goodness that can’t be duplicated. It’s a shack, alright. You wait in line, place your order with the nice lady at the dark screen window and then wait with the others. She calls you when your order is ready. I put my food in the car and closed the door. I thought I had died and gone to barbecue heaven, it smelled so good. I dug in as soon as I got home. I got a combo with sliced and chopped meat. The sliced meat runs the barbecue variety with lean and fatty slices. Great smoke flavor. Chopped beef sauced just right. Comes with beans and tater salad, both very good, but this place is all about the meats. And it’s fun!

I’ve been anticipating to try this place for quite some time. The first time I arrived, the line was too long and they ran out of ribs. During my second visit, they had closed for the day. I would suggest checking their hours before arriving and come before opening time. They open until food runs out which happens often. The main cashier is very friendly which makes the experience pleasant.
I would suggest getting the ribs which was $ 14 a pound. I ordered two pounds which was well worth it. The ribs was cooked perfectly. Flavor was just right where BBQ sauce was not needed. The linked sausages was delicious! The brisket was a bit dry. Might consider asking them to make them moist next time. The chopped beef sandwich was pretty good. Messy to eat but that’s the main style of eating BBQ. Everything should be finger-​licking good. I wasn’t too crazy for their BBQ sauce since they offered a regular sauce and a spicy kind. The regular sauce seems like it had too much vinegar. Spicy sauce was a bit better. They’re pretty generous in providing enough utensils. Gives plenty of sandwich bread for your order. Overall, I would definitely come back but arriving earlier next time. Would love to try «Da Jasper» sandwich.

Meshack’s Bar-​Be-​Que Shack is literally a shack or food stand that serves honest to goodness great barbecue. Be warned, there’s no infrastructure for seating, but if you’re ok with eating in your car or picking up a catered order, if you’re in the area Meshack’s should be #1 on your list.
My Overall Rating — 4 Stars (Atmosphere, Service, Food, Return)
Atmosphere — A run down parking lot, overgrown grass, a busy intersection, and a long line are some of the things you’ll find at Meshack’s. If it’s your first time, look for their sign and then find some parking. If you’re there early then you may find just a few people waiting. Get there at peak time and they will have probably run out. It reminds me of Austin, which is a good thing. Some people may not like having seats, but if you’re just here for the smoke it won’t matter. 1 Star.
Service — It’s a family run business, which means they take pride in their offerings. If you’re there just to eat, you’ll walk up to the shack, order with the lady, and proceed to wait to be called. Prince likes to sweet talk his way into some free samples, so be nice because these are good people. We’ve placed a large catered order with them and they are great. They took the time to get our order right, call us with updated timing (good smoking has a small window), and help us with the order to the car. Again, good people here. 1 Star.
Food — Is it the best in Dallas? Everyone has their own opinion but I’ll say they’re the best in Garland. I’ll highlight two of my favorite items. First, their chopped beef is my favorite in the area. The brisket is finely chopped and tossed in sauce, but it’s a perfect balance. Not too much or too little. When you place a large scoop on soft white bread, add pickles & onions, you have the perfect chopped barbecue sandwich. My other item of choice is their beans. Perfectly tender, sweet, and you’ll find bits of brisket added for flavor. I could honestly eat an entire bowl of beans and be highly satisfied. The ribs have great smoke flavor but I prefer ribs from other places (Slow Bone). And honestly the other sides are your basic sides. It’s still some of the barbecue in the area. 1 ½ Stars.
Will I Return? — For catered orders — no doubt. I can’t see myself making a trip to Meshack’s just to eat on my own — sorry, I’m a messy eater & need a table, chairs, napkins, & help. But if I needed a large catered order, Meshack’s can take my money. ½ Star.
My Unilocal Rating Scale (Sum of all parts):
1 Star — Atmosphere — Is it a cool dive? Perhaps an upscale place? No matter the type, atmosphere plays a big part and I’ll give a star if I like it or thinks it has great charm.
1 Star — Service — You can have a great meal with bad service. But that’s also what can make a five star joint drop to four. It’s important to the dining experience that service is great and on point.
2 Stars — Food — I’ll award up to two stars for the food, since this is the main reason we dine out. Sometimes the extra star is given for value, but it’s really all about the food.
1 Star — Will I come back? — If I know for a fact I’ll return, I’ll give this a star. A place has to make an impression for me to return.
Each Category can be given up to 1 star except food (2 stars) because I consider all these categories important to the overall dining experience. I will sum them up to provide my final Unilocal score.

I have been wanting to try this place for a while now and today was the day. I stopped by around 2:30 and there was only 1 other person there. (Score! I’ve heard how busy they are) Ordered a chopped and sliced beef sandwich. Both had a good amount of meat but the sliced appeared to have the most. Beautiful smoke ring, nice smokey taste that wasn’t over powering, easily pulled apart. The BBQ sauce was sweet with a little bit of a twang to it. Which I like! Overall, damn GOOD BBQ. Chopped came on a bun, sliced came on 3 slices of white bread. Never had that before. They are doing it right at Meshack! I will be back to sample more!

The smoke is in the meat, right where it should be. Super tender and moist pulled pork, my favorite. I also love the potato salad. They usually run out of pork and beef early so you have to get early, maybe by noon, I have gotten there too late but was able to try a $ 1 roll up, a link rolled up in white bread. YUM. If you want to eat there, you will have to do so in your car or on a tailgate. This barbecue is in my top 2, Mike Anderson’s in Dallas is also in the tied for top two for me. My stars are for service and flavor. I would give it an extra star if they would have seating, at least picnic tables provided. Also, later hours would be nice, but I understand this is a family business and they gotta get home!
Thanks for staying in Garland!

Love it!
An old mysterious shack with equally mysterious voices, noises and hands within, visible only partially via a very small smoke plated screen window. Our order of ribs, sliced brisket, sausages and beans has to be turned sideways to fit through this portal to Barbecue-​ia. The mysterious hand also brought two cans of Big Red across from the other side.
There is no seating, other than on your car in the small dirt/​gravel parking lot, so it would be wise to take your newly gotten treasure home or other pre-​ordained location.
My kids and I thought the sausage was delicious; the brisket was smokey and tender without being juicy, but was also delicious. The ribs, however, were on a much higher level: smokey, salty, meaty, almost bacon-​like in their addictiveness (they huge, with long meaty ribs). The beans were fine. The sauce was fine. The old school dingy, slightly spooky shack was fine.
But the ribs were worth the stop themselves. Wow!

My co-​worker recommended this place, and apparently it was acclaimed by D-​Magazine for top BBQ a few years back. I can see how this is probably one of the best in Garland, that’s because there is nothing here. This is located in the ghetto part of town and a little bit confusing to get to at first.
The cashier suggested a platter with brisket, ribs, and sausages and a side of beans and potato salad. Sounded great to me, that way I was able to try a little bit of everything. The wait felt long, as all waits in the bad parts of town tend to feel, but the platter finally came out after like half an hr. These were some of the worst BBQ I’ve ever had. Everything were extremely dry (even when I asked for extra moist brisket), chewy and tasteless.
But then I decided to give them a second try. It was a lot better. I got the extra moist brisket which they called «baby meat.» It was actually moist and a lot tastier especially with the BBQ sauce. The ribs were ok though.
Food run out fast here, so get there early. Be prepare to for at least a 30mins wait in this shady part of town. There’s no dine in, to go only. They are now accepting credit cards. If I really crave for some decent BBQ for lunch in this part of town, I’d definitely come back.