BBQ restaurant from Houston's Pappas family closes location in Plano

A handsome BBQ smokehouse in Plano from a famed restaurant family has closed: Pappas Delta Blues Smokehouse, an upscale barbecue restaurant from Houston-based Pappas Restaurants (Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, Pappasito’s Cantina), has shuttered its location at 3916 Dallas Pkwy. after nearly five years.

Plano opened in 2019 in a former Bone Daddy's, and was the second location for the concept. The original opened in Webster, Texas, in 2017, and that location remains open, according to a statement from the restaurant, which also issued a "thank you" email to customers with no explanation for the closure.

Pappas Restaurants VP of Marketing Christina Pappas said in a statement that “it’s been a pleasure serving the Plano community, and we appreciate every single one who dined with us at Pappas Delta Blues over the years. While not an easy decision to arrive at, we have decided to close this location. Our incredible team members at this restaurant were first and foremost in our minds when this decision was made and have been offered a transfer to Pappas Restaurant locations around the DFW area. Our Webster Pappas Delta Blues location remains open, and we invite you to come by when you’re in the Houston area.”

Pappas has a regular barbecue restaurant in Pappas Bar-B-Q, which has a location in northwest Dallas.

But the goal at Delta Blues was to offer a twist on the barbecue experience by buttressing the BBQ menu with a selection of Southern classics, in a polished environment with full service.

Barbecue options were upscale by BBQ standards such as USDA Prime beef brisket from Creekstone Farms, jalapeño & cheddar sausage, Berkshire pork belly, St. Louis-style ribs, and beef ribs. Sides included poppyseed cabbage slaw, collard greens & turnips, and mac & cheese with a buttered cracker crust.

They also offered dry-aged steaks and entrees such as blackened Mississippi catfish; fried chicken with a foodie-centric mix of white and dark meat; and grilled salmon with bourbon maple glaze. Plus appetizers, salads, soups, burgers, and sandwiches.

The Southern element surfaced in dishes like fried green tomatoes with peppercorn ranch and goat cheese; deviled eggs with pork belly, pickled onions, and Crystal hot sauce, and gumbo with smoked chicken and beef sausage.

The bar featured an extensive American whiskey selection, cocktails such as a frozen whiskey smash, tapped and bottled brews, and wine by the glass or bottle.

I mean, what is there not to like. But the restaurant did not kill on business to the same degree that most of Pappas' other concepts do, with some resistance from locals to the idea of paying extra for barbecue, no matter how upscale it may have been.