Tex-Mex Bar-B-Q
Oltorf & South First, 443-6966
Sun-Thu, 11am-8pm; Fri-Sat, 11am-2am
The friendly, hardworking Salas family brought their Circle S catering business to this former fast food outlet several months ago, and the neighborhood is certainly richer for it. While Lydia Salas caters lunches for private schools around the city, Manuel mans the Southern Pride smoker attached to the side of the building. His many years of barbecue experience are evident in his fine meats. He turns out a moist, tender brisket, meaty beef and pork ribs, a mild sausage, and great fajitas. That’s right, this little corner joint is where two of Texas’ best culinary traditions converge.
Here, you can get top-notch barbecue with the traditional sides such as pinto beans, coleslaw and potato salad, light bread, pickles, sauce and onions, and flavorful beef fajitas with rice, beans, pico de gallo, tortillas, and homemade hot sauce. Or mix and match to suit your palate. Just drive up to the window and you’re in store for a hearty, affordable, cross-cultural meal.
My current favorite take-home dinner is a three-meat combo with pork ribs, sausage, and fajitas with sides of rice and beans. The pork ribs are big and packed with flavor, the sweet, pink meat redolent under a thin, crispy layer of seasoned rub. The tasty sausage is a mild variety, perfectly complemented by the thick, smoky sauce. The thin strips of tenderized skirt steak are paired with grilled onions and a fresh, fiery pico. The pinto beans are cooked with just enough jalapeño to give them a little zing, and the rice is simple and fluffy. The plate offers something delicious from both worlds and makes a very satisfying meal. For lunch, I’m partial to the chopped beef sandwich, chock-full of brisket trimmings and the signature sauce.
The little building that now houses Tex-Mex Bar-B-Q was previously home to a Short Stop burger outlet and then something called Mexi-Go. Neither business lasted at this locale along Austin’s thriving Mexican Restaurant Row, but the Salas family appears to be here to stay. Lydia and Manuel can be found here during the day and early evening offering friendly, enthusiastic service.Their sons man the window on weekends when service is available into the wee hours, making it truly a family operation. With an assortment of Tex-Mex and Interior Mex cafes to choose from up and down the row, it looks as though the Salas family has found a perfect niche. Tex-Mex Bar-B-Q is a prime example of a true Texas two-fer.
This article appears in March 10 • 2000.