BBQ News

Dallas brushed aside on Texas Monthly's top 50 BBQ joints list

Smokey Joe's BBQ

Smokey Joe's

Dallas barbecue restaurants dropped a notch on the hottest barbecue list in Texas, via Texas Monthly magazine, which has issued its new list of the 50 Best Barbecue Joints in Texas.

The list has 18 restaurants in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but with a heavy emphasis on Fort Worth. The coveted top 10 includes two Fort Worth favorites: Goldee's Barbecue, a returning player, and for the first time, Dayne's Craft Barbecue in Aledo.

Here’s the new top 10, in order:

1. Burnt Bean Co. (Seguin)
2. LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue (Austin)
3. Goldee’s Barbecue (Fort Worth)
4. Redbird BBQ* (Port Neches, near Beaumont)
5. GW’s BBQ* (San Juan Texas in the Rio Grande Valley)
6. InterStellar BBQ (Austin)
7. Dayne’s Craft Barbecue* (Aledo, near Fort Worth)
8. LaVaca BBQ* (Port Lavaca)
9. Truth BBQ (Houston)
10. Evie Mae’s Pit Barbeque (Wolfforth, near Lubbock)

Published Tuesday, May 27, Texas Monthly’s new list is the latest update to its quadrennial ranking of Texas’ best places for barbecue. The last time they published a list was in 2021. Texas Monthly presents the list as a ranked top 10 with the remaining 40 restaurants listed alphabetically by city. An additional 50 restaurants earn honorable mentions.

To compile the list, the magazine visited 319 restaurants, including more than 100 personally visited by barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn in January and February, he writes in the list’s introductory essay.

The four newcomers to the top 10 are marked with an asterisk to make them a little easier to spot. Compared to 2021, Burnt Bean Co. moves up from No. 4 to No. 1, followed by LeRoy & Lewis, which ranked No. 5 in 2021. Goldee’s, ranked No. 1 in 2021, drops two spots, and InterStellar moves from No. 2 to No. 6. Truth and Evie Mae’s are the only restaurants to make the top 10 in 2017, 2021, and 2025, a nod to their consistent excellence.

Conversely, Snow’s BBQ (Lexington) and Franklin Barbecue (Austin) drop from the top 10 to the second 40 for the first time.

The overall state of Texas barbecue has never been stronger, but the aura of Dallas BBQ restaurants has dimmed. Cattleack Barbecue (Dallas) dropped out of the top 10 and into the top 50, joining top 50 Dallas-area stalwarts that include Slow Bone, Smokey Joe's BBQ, Hutchins BBQ, Zavala's Barbecue (Grand Prairie) and Hurtado Barbecue (Arlington).

Meanwhile former Dallas honorable mentions (and one-time Daniel Vaughn favorites) like Oak'd Barbecue, Pecan Lodge, Lockhart Smokehouse, Harris Bar-B-Que in Cedar Hill, Meshack's Bar-B-Que in Garland fell off the list entirely.

TOP 50
DFW restaurants that make the Top 50 include:

Slow Bone BBQ, Dallas. A returnee from 2021, lauded for its sweet potato praline side dish.

Smokey Joe's BBQ, Dallas. Oak Cliff restaurant has been doing BBQ for 40 years.

North Texas Smoke BBQ, Decatur. Food trailer with good BBQ and sides, plus free beer.

Cattleack Barbecue, Farmers Branch. Returning list maker drops down from its top 10 status.

Smoak Town BBQ, Fate. BBQ trailer in upcoming suburb.

Sabar BBQ, Fort Worth. Buzzy, Pakistani-inspired BBQ.

Panther City BBQ, Fort Worth. Returning list maker drops down from its top 10 status.

Yearby's Barbecue & Waterice, Pilot Point. Barbecue and water ice spot 60 miles north of Fort Worth.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
DFW earned eight honorable mentions, as follows:

Hurtado Barbecue in Arlington. DFW chain also made the list in 2021.

Smoke 'N Ash BBQ, Arlington. Mom-and-pop earned a Michelin nod as well as a recent appearance on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.

Brix Barbecue, Fort Worth. Lauded for specials like the tomahawk pork chop.

Smoke-a-Holics, Fort Worth. "Tex-soul" restaurant with "spectacular oxtails" made the list in 2021.

Zavala's Barbecue, Grand Prairie. Family-owned barbecue spot is another return list-maker.

Hutchins BBQ, McKinney. Collin County BBQ spot made the list in 2021.

Patriotic Pig Smokehouse, North Richland Hills. Mid-cities restaurant gets praise for its burgers.

Smoke Sessions Barbecue, Royse City. BBQ restaurant 32 miles northeast of Dallas.

barbecue lists texas monthly bests

Henderson Avenue News

Dallas bar High Fives will close on Henderson Avenue after 10 years

High Fives/Facebook

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A nightlife staple on Dallas' Henderson Avenue is closing: High Fives, the bar located at 1804 McMillan Ave., will close in early January, after more than 10 years.

According to a release, the actual closing date will be tied to the Texas Tech Red Raiders' game schedule in January.

"To all our neighbors, the Red Raider faithful, and everyone who has made High Fives their home—we are saying goodbye by raising our hands high for one last High Five," says owner Phil Schanbaum. "This establishment was built on community, spirited rivalry, and countless memories. We are deeply thankful to every single patron and, especially, to all of our incredible staff who were the heart and soul of this place."

High Fives opened in mid-2015, part of the portfolio of This & That Hospitality, the company Schanbaum founded with partner Brandon Hays, next door to its sibling bar The Whippersnapper (which was rebranded into a concept called Boogies in October 2025.)

Schanbaum says that they're unsure of what will go in the High Fives space after it closes — but that the closure "paves the way for the ongoing evolution of Henderson Avenue."

The property is owned by Acadia Realty, the New York-based company that is partnered with Dallas development firm Ignite-Rebees on a 161,000-square-foot, creative, mixed-use development currently underway on Henderson Avenue between Glencoe Street and McMillan Avenue at the eastern end of Henderson Avenue.

High Fives' closure is part of that plan to transform the quarter-mile stretch into a walkable destination featuring restaurants, retail, and office space.

"To Henderson Avenue, we look forward to further expansion and to making this street even better. We are excited for the neighborhood's renaissance, which will bring new experiences, retail, and dining concepts to the area," Schanbaum says.

Moving target
The actual closing date will depend on the outcome of the season for Texas Tech's football team the Red Raiders.

"The final chapter for High Fives will be written alongside the almighty Texas Tech Red Raiders. The bar's ultimate closure is tied directly to the team's success," the release says.

The next game day is on January 1, when doors open at 10 am.

If the Red Raiders advance past the game on January 1, High Fives will remain open for subsequent Texas Tech game days until the team's run ends. Meanwhile hours in December will be Thursdays & Fridays from 8 pm-2 am, and Saturdays: from 2 pm– 2 am.

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Henderson Avenue News

Dallas bar High Fives will close on Henderson Avenue after 10 years