- I waited for seven hours to try Franklin Barbecue, considered the best barbecue in Texas by many.
- In line, I met other tourists and was even interviewed by a local paper.
- Despite the long wait, the food was amazing, and we made a day out of the experience.
Texas is renowned for its barbecue. One of the most famous places to get it is Franklin Barbecue in Austin, where people wait in line for hours to order.
Established in 2009, Franklin Barbecue has made quite a name for itself in the past few years. It’s regularly recommended in Michelin Guides, and publications from Texas Monthly to Bon Appetit have listed it among the best barbecue in Texas (and even the country).
Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain even called the restaurant’s brisket the “best” and “finest” he’s ever had in 2012.
As someone who loves Texan barbecue, I’d always wanted to try it.
Eventually, I got a group together to see if this spot was really worth the hype. We arrived at about 7 a.m. on a Saturday, and there was already a queue of about 80 people.
We got to know the others waiting in line
Ash Jurberg
The restaurant is in a pretty unassuming turquoise-and-white building, but we immediately noticed the crowds outside of it.
Most people in the queue came prepared with chairs and coolers full of drinks. Although we didn’t have chairs, we did bring some beer.
However, 7 a.m. felt a little too early to start drinking, so I had coffee first.
We started chatting with others in the line and discovered that most were not from Austin and had traveled from other states. We even spoke to a few international visitors.
Overall, the atmosphere was very friendly, and it felt like we were tailgating before a big sports game.
The back of the line was told there may not be enough food for them
After a couple of hours, when the queue had grown to a few hundred, a staff member came out to take orders.
These were not official orders, but the staff member wanted to try to check if there’d be enough of each order to cater to everyone in the queue.
Since there was a chance of demand exceeding supply, they advised people at the end of the queue to go home and not risk wasting their time. Thankfully, we were well within the cutoff limit and didn’t need to worry about the food running out before we ordered.
The samples we received left me wanting more
We could smell the delicious meat since the smokers were very close to the line, which made us even more eager to eat.
Around 10:30 a.m., another employee came to hand out some small samples.
Although the portion sizes were smaller than a bite, the piece I tried had me salivating. My stomach was rumbling, but I knew we still had a few hours left of waiting.
At one point, a local reporter started asking a few of us why we were in line.
A reporter from the University of Texas paper came to ask some tourists why they were there. As an Australian, I was one of the people interviewed. I joked I’d flown from Down Under for lunch just to fly home after eating — and they seemed to believe me.
At this point, I was getting delirious from the hunger.
Ash Jurberg
The doors finally opened at 11 a.m., and the queue began to move very slowly. Time moved even slower as I watched satisfied customers exit the restaurant.
I became impatient as we inched forward. Finally, around 1 p.m., we entered the restaurant and soon got to place our orders.
At last, we received our food after almost seven hours of waiting
Ash Jurberg
Once we made it inside, I was so hungry that I wanted to order several pounds of food, but I contained myself.
Finally, after almost seven hours, we sat down with plates full of meat and sides like coleslaw and pickles. The brisket melted in my mouth and no knife was required for the tender meat.
I felt like I was in food heaven.
The long wait was worth it
Ash Jurberg
After finishing our meal, we saw the owner and pitmaster, Aaron Franklin, emerge from the kitchen. We complimented him on his food and staff and told him that the experience was well worth the long wait.
I’ve tried many barbecue places in Texas, but this was the best I’ve had.
Customers can order Franklin Barbecue online to avoid this wait, but you must do so days in advance during a specific window and order at least 5 pounds.
Still, I think everyone should try the queue experience once since it makes for a fun day and an interesting story — plus, you get delicious barbecue at the end of the wait.
