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

outta this world

Cowboys superfan launches pizzeria with Tex-Mex twist in Dallas food hall

Photo courtesy of Starboy's

Check out the cheese pull on Starboy's birria pizza.

A new pizza restaurant is slinging a variety of innovative pies in the Dallas Medical District: Called Starboy’s Pizzeria, the new shop is part of Food Nation Cinco Cocinas, the eclectic food hall at 4711 Maple Ave. The food hall was created by Ray Quintanilla and legendary restaurateur and "Godfather of Dallas Tex-Mex" Mico Rodriguez, who died earlier this month at age 68.

John Flores, an IT professional and self-proclaimed Dallas Cowboys super-fan, created Starboy’s Pizzeria, which is now open in the former Sal’s Pizza and Restaurant space. Friends call Flores by the nickname "Starboy," which combines his love for the Cowboys and his fascination with NASA and space, he explains.

Flores met Quintanilla and Rodriguez while hosting karaoke at Mico’s Bar, another food hall occupant. When Sal’s closed earlier this year, they saw an opportunity to fill the void with a refreshed pizza concept.

“It is because of Mico that I even thought about starting this project: he was part of this, he was always happy, and we really hit it off, so I miss him,” Flores says.

Starboy's Pizzeria joins Mico’s Bar, Picazo Sushi and Poke, Wing City, and JJ’s Cafe, which opened a location in the food hall earlier this year.

Lupe Ibarra, a chef from the closed Sal’s Pizza with 25 years of experience, stayed on at Starboy's to continue perfecting traditional recipes while creating signature new ones tied to Flores’ Mexican heritage.

The result of the collaboration is a menu that includes traditional favorites alongside creative pies with a Mexican-inspired twist like the Pizza Birria (resembling the flavor profile of popular birria tacos), elotero, chicken fajitas, and pastor, among more than 15 specialty offerings.

Flores' passion for the Cowboys is especially evident in several unique creations:

Cry Eagles Cry: Inspired by the Philly cheesesteak, topped with beef, green peppers, onions, and mozzarella.
Starboy’s Classic (Blue): Red sauce, mozzarella, mushrooms, onions, sausage, and fresh arugula.
Starboy’s Classic (Silver): White sauce, chicken, mushrooms, onions, arugula, mozzarella, and a balsamic glaze.
Cowboy: Brisket, onions, barbecue sauce, and smoked gouda.

Starboy's 16-inch pizzas range from $14-$25, with individual slices priced around $4. The menu also features sub sandwiches, pastas with a variety of sauces, and chicken Parmesan, all under $14.

To cater to the busy medical, residential, and retail crowds nearby, Starboy's offers lunch deals for under $12, which include pasta and garlic knots or a slice of pizza and a salad, complete with a drink.

Flores explains that his heritage and his mother’s influence serve as the primary driving force behind his new venture.

“My mom would always host family gatherings. She always fed people, and I got that from her. I like to see smiles on people’s faces from the things I do,” he says. “I have big dreams for this place. I want us to be part of the community and give back.”

Flores remains involved with karaoke at Mico’s Bar and is focused on driving traffic to the entire complex. He hosts Cowboys watch parties, while his adult children — Nathan, Natalie, and Amy — assist with social media, website management, and overall promotion for Starboy’s.

“When people try our pizzas for the first time, their eyes light up, so we know we are on the right track,” Flores says.

Starboy’s Pizzeria is open daily from 11 am-10 pm.

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