225 BBQ Finds New Digs at Maverick's in Arlington

225 BBQ has found a new home. After years of serving brisket tacos and cherry bombs from a food trailer, the business now has a full commercial kitchen and has even pulled out the nice dishware.

Last year 225 BBQ, which made its home adjacent to Divison Brewing in Arlington, was on Texas Monthly’s 50 honorable mentions list. Fans will be relieved to learn that they won’t have to travel far to continue their habit. 225 BBQ has moved only about 100 yards down the street to Maverick’s, a longtime local watering hole. The bar was originally on Cooper Street near the University of Texas at Arlington, whose mascot is the Mavericks — hence, the name. Maverick's relocated to this site on Main Street a few years ago.
Both the bar and barbecue joint maintain their own businesses — Maverick's is "now serving" 225 BBQ. For customers, it’s a win-win. Instead of waiting outside after ordering, there's a full dining room and bar.

This proved to be a welcome change when we visited on a recent rainy and chilly Saturday. The line to order barbecue forms at the end of the bar closest to the door. After ordering, we waited maybe 15 minutes for our food, which was brought to our table.

We started with the brisket ramen, a kaleidoscope of cultures in a bowl. The old plastic containers have been replaced with large ceramic bowls, which makes for a great presentation of the dish. Ramirez uses Tapatío instant ramen but makes the consomme from scratch every morning, which serves as the base here. He says he throws in the Tapatio spice packet that comes with it for a pop of flavor. All of this is served with a big scoop of finely minced chopped brisket, cilantro, onions, limes and a few slices of radish.
We also got a two-meat place with a hot honey-glazed pork belly, which was some kind of dark magic. For our second meat, we chose brisket, with an on-point crunchy bark over a thin layer of fat and tender meat. We've long liked 225's elotes, so we got an order of that along with a potato salad (with a mustard base). It all made for a memorable meal.

While we ate, we watched college football. We weren't drinking booze and despite being a "bar," the place channels more of a restaurant vibe, during the day at least, with many families huddled around tables.

Ramirez says he'll still use his trailer, especially to return to a spot in Balch Springs he's frequented for years.

225 BBQ is serving from noon to 7 p.m., Thursday through Sunday. And in case you head over before a Cowboys game, there's a shuttle to AT&T Stadium.

225 BBQ at Maverick's Bar and Grill, 601 E. Main St., Arlington. Noon – 7 p.m. Thursday – Sunday.