Phil’s Texas BBQ

Yes… this place would have been sooooo much better it MSNBC was on the TV… Worhtless Unilocal reviews FTL.
Phil’s never had a chance to get their smoker flavored. and with Hickory Hollow down the street, did it really have a chance?
Shame, great location… Now we can only wait and see what’s next.

[CLOSED]
Good burger that I would’ve written about if I had the chance. Sadly, according to Houston Press Eating Our Words twitter account, Phil’s is closed as of Tuesday, April 26, 2011.

Steve wanted to try out this place because it had gotten good reviews. I was starving, so the answer was a definite ‘yes’. First things first… I don’t care how great a restaurant is, I do not want to see the Fox News channel on the large screen TVs… ever. Everyone knows Fox News is a propaganda machine for the GOP. As a gay person, it instantly makes me feel unwelcome when I see Sarah Palin, Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly spewing their «Up With America» garbage right above my head. Add to that, the homophobic vibe I got from the staff — the young guy that brought me my onion rings thought that if he served them to me he was tacitly giving his approval of the «gay lifestyle». Somehow he managed to suppress his need to lecture me on the immorality of homosexuality, and finally handed the rings over to me. Suffice to say, the place is definitely geared for heterosexual patrons. (end of gay rant)
On to the food. The brisket was barely warm. This just isn’t acceptable. If they want to serve it at that temperature, perhaps they should offer to heat up your plate. The spicy BBQ sauce didn’t seem spicy at all, nor was there enough of it our plates. Three-​quarters of our brisket was eaten dry. Aside from those issues, the portion size was good, and the quality of the meat was excellent. The side dishes were fine, although a bit odd. The cole slaw was unrecognizable as cole slaw. Cabbage salad with vinaigrette would be more accurate. Who puts red bell pepper in cole slaw? We actually liked it, but it wasn’t what one would expect at a BBQ joint. Onion rings were fine. But the batter lacked any flavor (a little spiciness would be nice), and the breading was too thick. Steve’s mac and cheese was very good, and was probably the highlight of the meal.
Whether we return is really up to Steve. I’d be willing to give them another try. But I don’t think I’d be devastated if I missed out on their Texas hospitality, and slightly warm brisket.

My first time eating in at Phil’s. Ordered to go before when it first opened and thought it was so-​so. Decided to give it another chance.
Establishment was nice and clean. Staff was friendly. Plenty of outdoor seating. The food was good, but was a little cold.
Will go back, but prefer other BBQ places nearby and will go there first.

Good for fast food, sit down dining. They could of put more BBQ sauce and marinated their meats better. But this place was pretty good for their BBQ and food.
Loved the bread pudding, potato salad and dirty rice was good. Fast, friendly service. Plenty of parking. I had the beef meat cuts… yummy!

Crawfish check
Outdoor seating check
Lonestar check
tasty bar b que check
chesse grits check
I like this place. The atmosphere is very cool, with a ton of outdoor seating, and a stage for live music, and just a really relaxed place to grab some food. They have a huge chalk board for todays selection, and its cafeteria style. I went with the turkey sandwich with dirty rice and cheese grits. YUMMY!!! A nice cold Lone star seeled the deal. I saw the crawfish that someone else ordered, and they looked big, and smelled spicy, so I will be getting that on the next go around. The service was friendly, so all in all I will return!

I have been meaning to give this place another try ever since getting a response on my original one from the owner (that’s great customer service and should always be recognized!) and I got to go this week. My biggest complaint has been eliminated — no orange cones. Whoo hoo!
We went in for a lunch and found everything delish. It’s a little pricey since BBQ can def range in price, but I think it is on the mark for anything on Washington. It was also wonderful — loved the garlic cheese grits and three cheese macaroni with my chopped beef. Hubby got the same sides (he felt sharing mine wasn’t going to be enough) and he loved them and his jalapeño sausage and turkey. The outside seating was wonderful on a pretty day and I appreciate everyday the improvement to the area just in décor and exterior renovation since I live close. Love the big metal containers with plants, it is Texas elegance on a strip that needs every bit it can. Whoever designed it, please feel free to do so up and down Washington (up to, and including, my yard!)
At least four people were there to help us, so I have no complaints about customer service. There weren’t a ton of people there (we went in for a pretty late lunch), but that didn’t keep the service from being prompt and nice. Our kid keeps forcing us to go to Dickie’s for BBQ because he likes sausage, mac and ice cream and we are going to steer him this way since they can do this all here MUCH better. This place has def found its way and I dig it.

Went to Phil’s to see a certain local singer/​songwriter they had playing there on Saturday night. Kudos to Phil for booking Libby Koch.
Success stories:
— Jalapeño sausage. Really damn good. Tender, not too greasy, flavor is a combination of pork and spices.
— Cole slaw. Vinegar based, hell yeah. Far too rare in these parts!
— Beans. Solid. Big chunks of sausage in with them.
— Beer selection, if you count the bottles. But you have to go to the bar for any decent beer (draft or bottles.)
Dismal failures:
— Brisket. Seriously. Very dry; brisket should not require sauce to help it seem moist! (…nor flavorful, for that matter.)
— Mac and cheese
Other observations:
— It lacks that lived-​in feel of its competitors.
Really, the live music and the sausage are the best things Phil’s has going for it, and that killer combination will surely lure me back.
But, I will forever feel dirty for patronizing a Texas barbeque joint which specializes in awful brisket…

You’d think a giant place like this would have good food. Sadly, while the environment was clean and open, the food was sub-​par.
I’m a small eater so I just got the brisket. It was dry and the sauce was nothing special. I admit I’m a Rudy’s fan so the sauce is kind of important to me.
I’m a big fan of sides and none of the sides were anything to write home about.
Overall, it wasn’t terrible, but with so many other choices around for BBQ, there is no reason for me to return there.

The barbecue was very mediocre, and more reminiscent of a cheap hole in the wall. In light of the $ 11.99 price for a two-​meat combo, this is not somewhere I would return. For that amount of money, I can do a lot better at several places in this town.
If you choose to ignore me and carry on, I would advise you that the jalapeño sausage was decent, but the brisket was bland. The cucumber salad is overwhelmed by vinegar, while the macaroni and cheese was probably the strongest offering I sampled.
Portion sizes are huge, and both couples at my table probably could have split plates instead of wasting so much food.

I recently met a few of my friends here for lunch last week. I can’t say I was blown away by Phil’s, but I can’t say that it was terrible. The place was all right.
If you enter by the main entrance, to your left will be the bar area; to your right will be the food. Grab a tray and start sliding to the right because this place is cafeteria style.
I ordered the 2-​and-​2 combo for $ 11.99. Two meats, two sides:
— The sliced beef was all right. I made the mistake of not telling them to put the BBQ on the side. Instead, the server poured ladles of it on my beef, and I couldn’t really taste the meat, just the sauce.
— The link of jalapeño sausage was pretty good. Spicy and just the right amount.
— The cucumber salad was too heavy on the vinaigrette. I could only eat a few bites of it.
— The cheesy garlic grits were neither cheesy nor garlic-​y. I liked their consistency, and they provided a good balance to the tangy, spicy BBQ, so I ate it all up.
— The sliced white bread was thick… that’s really all I have to say about the bread, ha!
All in all, my time at Phil’s was pleasant. Unlike others who have reviewed the place, my time there wasn’t horrible. I hope Phil’s can grow from where it is now because it seems like it has the potential to become great.

I like Phil’s. But I am not going to compare it to a backwoods deep BBQ tradition kind of place. It’s simply a good BBQ-​based bar within the confines of the Loop. And fortunately, just around the corner from the homestead.
The ribs are great here and the fried green beans are an awesome way to trick yourself into thinking that you’re eating a healthy appetizer. I am not a fan of the okra — just too bland — but I was asked several times why I didn’t eat the okra, which tells me they are trying to get better here. The brisket is good but a little dry — nice smokey flavor — just be sure to get your’s moist for the best experience. And I really like the sauce here too. I’m not a big fan of sides when I eat BBQ. I prefer to just eat meat. But so far the sides I’ve had were good eats.
So if you’re looking for sold-​out-​before-​noon brisket type places that take an hours’ drive to get to and wait in line in the heat, this isn’t your destination. But if you want some good BBQ in a nice environment while swigging cold Shiner to a football game, this is definitely a solid choice.

We ate at the bar late on a Saturday night. The selection of beers is decent and the bar app menu is pretty darn good. The onion rings are good, but they need a sauce to go with them. They were sold out of fried green beans, but we will try them next time.
The four meat plate with wet brisket, sausage, double ribs was delicious. The coleslaw was genius… vinegar based and perfect with sausage and brisket. The mac n cheese was perfectly gooey and packed with tangy flavor.
The bbq sauces were delicious and there was a jalapeño hot sauce on the table that was perfect on the onion rings.
We’ll be back to watch football and eat a full meal or taste some apps.

Not bad! Not bad! I decided to try this place after seeing this blog post: (
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The restaurant itself is a bit different from your typical bbq restaurant. Instead of it being covered in cow boy décor and dark, the restaurant was quite clean and brightly light. It had the usual cafeteria style of ordering you would see at a typical bbq place.
My friend and I ordered the hamburgers based of the review from the chronicle. He got the onion rings and I got the mac & cheese. The line went by pretty quickly and we quickly found a spot and were seated. The first thing I noticed was that they had SWEET TEA and regardless of the food that definitely earns a star.
The food came by pretty quickly and we were quite impressed. The toppings were very fresh and the burger has just the right amount of juice in it. It was not terribly greasy and I really like that. I even struggled to finish the burger as I already had finished the mac &cheese. I thought the burger was pretty good. I regret not ordering the onion rings as the mac & cheese was not very good. I’m not quite sure what it is missing but I know that I have had better. The onion rings were extremely good with the fried chicken type batter. It is exactly what I want in an onion ring.
Overall I do like this place but I would not come back for the burgers. I have yet to try the bbq but after reading other reviews I’m hesitant to do that. If I could I would give this place 3 ½ stars.
One tip I might add is that you should try to come early. I noticed that by 12:30 or so this place really does fill up. You can still sit outside but good luck with the Houston heat.

this restaurant has sooo much potential. It is a shame they know nothing about BBQ. Luckily, hickory hollow is right across the street. I don’t understand how there are so many positive reviews. By so many I mean more than 1.
Lets start with the good. Clean, nice layout, friendly employees, and I had a server who was named Jesus H. That was pretty cool.
I went with the 3 meat combo since it was my first time here. I thought the jalapeño sausage was legit. They gave me a whole link. I asked for extra moist brisket and the guy gave me a blank stare like he had no idea what I was talking about. I pointed out to the meat to cut from and he obliged. Portion size was terrible. At least have some sort of method to give people a consistent amount of meat instead of eyeballing it. try a scale. I got ribs to finish out the trio.
I do not like giving bad reviews, but how could anyone give this place a good one? The BBQ here has absolutely no smoke or BBQ flavor. It tastes like it was oven cooked. I make better BBQ in my weber smokey mountain. Not sure how there was even a smoke ring, but there was.
The BBQ sauce was supposed to be spicy but it wasn’t. It was runny and I often questioned myself if the server gave me the non spicy sauce instead. I did think the mac and cheese was decent. The potato salad was not that good though.
For $ 14 for a three meat combo, the prices were a little higher than normal, but OK for the area.
stay away from this place until they change the way the make BBQ. 1 star is being generous.

Quite possibly the worst bbq I’ve had in Houston. Came here yesterday and I ordered the 3 meat platter with 2 sides ($ 12.99). For my 3 meats, I opted for ribs, brisket, jalapeño sausage; sides: mac and cheese and potato salad.
All three meats had NO smoke flavor whatsoever. It tasted like they baked it in the oven. Unfortunately no amount of their «spicy bbq sauce» could fix the blandness of the food because it too was a big fat MISS. The sauce had a thin and runny consistency and was not «spicy» at all. Also, everything came out lukewarm which is a major pet peeve of mine. The sides were actually semi-​decent.
The husband and I smoke meats as a hobby, so I definitely know how much labor and love you have to put in to make great tasting bbq. Phil treats their BBQ like the bastard child no one ever loved, a product of mass produced barbeque poorly done.

Time visited: 7:00 pm Sunday
Company: Hubby
Situation: Just looking for desert. The place had a bit of a warehouse feel to it. It was the 4^th of July so the bar area was packed but there weren’t too many people in the restuarant area.
Ordered: Dos Equis and the Chocolate brownie with ice cream
Cost: ~$ 8.00
Breakdown/​Verdict: The beer cost more than my brownie. The brownie was the shiznit. Warm, not greasy, really tasty. It looks like they take one of those mini Blue Bell ice cream cups and just dump it ontop of the brownie. Points for style? I think not.
Ranking just on my experience with the brownie, it was pretty good. We met up with some other people there who had ordered food in the bar area and apparently had a bad experience with the hamburger (waaay too salty was the comment). Anyway, I’m ranking based on my particular experience.
Props to Phil for paying attention to all the comments, I saw that he is looking at their Facebook page as well to make sure they are addressing everything. Maybe he should host a Unilocal event so he can work all the kinks out? ;) I’d hate to see another place turnover on Washington and with their slogan «It’s why Texans brag» it better represent! word

Yikes! I am really surprised by all the bad reviews…
I really liked this place and will definitely be going back!
When you walk in the front door (which is on the side of the restaurant) there will be a huge chalk board in front of you directing you… go to the right for the bar area and go to the left for the food and dining area. We were coming for dinner, so we went to the right… got a tray and silverware and got in line.
It is a cafeteria style line… you tell the guy and girls behind the couter what you want, then they serve it to you right there and you pay at the end of the line (kind of like Lubys).
There were so many things to choose from… sausage, turkey, chicken, ribs, brisket and more. Then tons of sides– cole slaw, potato salad, veggies, salad, garlic cheese grits, soup, fries, onion rings and more.
I ordered the sliced sausage plate which came with 2 sides– I ordered the mixed veggies and grits. My boyfriend got the 2 meat plate– ribs and brisket with grits and slaw. We both LOVED our food. Especially the grits! The meat was full of flavor and very tender. Everything was really good.
The service was fast, friendly and the restaurant was very clean.
The restaurant is actually HUGE… I could not believe how big it was when we walked in. The bar area is big and spacious and they have a band that plays on the weekends (not exactly sure of their schedule). The dining area had tons of tables and out door patio area.
This would be a great place if you had a big group and wanted a big open space with plenty of room for standing and sitting… plus there is a full bar, not just beer.
We even met the owner, Martin, and he was so nice! He shook our hands and told us a little history of the place and told us about his family… who all happened to be eating there right then.
There is a happy hour in the bar area and they have their own separate bar menu/​HH menu. I will definitley come here sometime for happy hour.
We asked how late they stay open on the weekends and Martin said till at least 1… but if it is crowded they will stay later. So, great place for some late night food!
Great location on Washington and overall great experience!

I’m rather surprised on these awful reviews! Give Phil’s a try! I thought it was pretty good. The spicy bbq sauce is great and so are the beans! Mac and cheese were a fail, don’t go near those, nothing beats Luby’s mac n cheese!. wait thats another review!
The meat was nice and smoky and flavorful. It’s a really nice bbq place, nice décor, they have a nice sports bar that I want to sit in next time! Service was phenomenal. I think I’d come back for another dinner. I really want to try the bread pudding next time! It looked delicious but its summer… and I need to look good in my bikini!
Anyways, bottom line, try it out. With all the mixed reviews, you should just create your own opinion about it!
Happy eating!

Phil? Phil Connors?!
Meh is right. I promise to give this place another try but I was, put frankly, disappointed. Houston has a very weak reputation when it comes to Texas BBQ and this place did nothing but perpetuate that sentiment.
Price — On the expensive side for a two-​meat combo. $ 11.99. That’s the same price as a matinée ticket these days, right?
The meat — ho, hum. Chicken and brisket. Edible, but on the dry side.
The sauce — I had the spicey and didn’t even recall it being there but to make up for the dryness of the meat. Very PG.
Sides — Had the green beans and the garlic-​cheese grits. When your sides are the best thing going for you at a BBQ joint, you have issues. Serious issues. Definitely the case here.
Rumored to have valet, you also lose points for this. Are you trying to be a haute BBQ joint? Oh, Phil, I fail to comprehend your message.
If Phil’s is anything like Groundhog’s Day, you are in for repeated disappointment and unless someone steers the cook toward another destiny, I see this ending the same way it did in the movie with Phil and the groundhog plunging to their deaths in the gravel pit.