The 13 Best Barbecue Spots in Dallas

Barbecue and Texas. They go together as naturally as peanut butter and jelly, or baseball and apple pie. When the craft barbecue “craze” took off in Texas around 2011, the really good spots serving the best smoked meats took some effort to uncover, and the thrill of the chase was part of the experience. 

Today, you can’t swing a beef rib without hitting a solid barbecue joint, as pit masters across the state have capitalized on the boom of Texas’ unofficial state cuisine. The growth and appeal are earning national recognition. Barbecue restaurants earned 28 of the 117 entries in the first Texas edition of the Michelin Guide, and of the 18 restaurants that received stars in the 2025 awards, four were barbecue spots. 

Worth the splurge

Despite a literal and figurative climate that is making beef more expensive than ever, the crowds splurging on trays of smoked-meat perfection from their favorite barbecue joints seem to show no sign of slowing down. And in what feels like a marketplace overflowing with options, the best barbecue restaurants are continuously improving their game. Smoking stellar brisket or making your own sausage in-house is commonplace, and the big hitters are putting new twists on sides, fusing ethnic cuisines with barbecue, and finding ways to serve barbecue for longer hours and more days.

The Michelin Guide, the James Beard Foundation, and national media outlets are discovering that Dallas and Fort Worth have a blossoming food culture, and the world is taking note of barbecue alongside more upscale restaurants.

With the World Cup in North Texas, it was time for us to take a look at our top picks for barbecue in Dallas and Fort Worth, and places in between. We’re fortunate to live in a state with a wealth of barbecue options, and every list we’ve ever written on the subject leaves out some special spots. Our goal with this update is to provide breadth to the barbecue scene in our two cities and to focus on a mix of spots that have earned stalwart status and locations that are taking risks with flavors, techniques and infusions of other cuisines to create barbecue that’s new and exciting, while still honoring Texas’ meat-smoking traditions.

The 13 Best BBQ Joints in North Texas

Baby Back Shak

1800 S. Akard St., The Cedars
This bright red restaurant, just south of downtown, opened in 1995 and has been a staple in the Cedars neighborhood since. Baby Back Shak’s pitmaster Clarence Cohens combines flavors from his native Memphis with Texas spice. Pork ribs are the specialty, but don’t skip the boudain or smoked chicken. Sides are family recipes that originated on the family farm. Regulars buy beans by the quart. If you’re in a rush, you can order ahead of time online. Or sit in the dining room and take in all the Dallas sports memorabilia.

Cattleack Barbecue

13628 Gamma Road, Farmers Branch
How is it that one of the best Dallas barbecue spots is able to maintain their focus, if not continue to improve? Cattleack now has an extra day of lunch service on Wednesdays, and a cast of creative barbecue specials gives plenty of reason to make regular visits. Yes, there’s a line on the weekends, driven by relatively short hours and people’s natural fear of missing out on greatness. But when everyone from local pit masters to the writers at The New York Times all sing the praises of this north Dallas institution, that should tell you everything you need to know.

Off the Bone Bar-B-Q

1734 Botham Jean Blvd., The Cedars
At Off The Bone in the Cedars neighborhood of Dallas, brisket gets a simple salt-and-pepper rub, and the thick-cut slices approach perfection. This spot from Dwight and Rose Harvey also offers ribs that slide off the bone with the gentlest of tugs. The sides, largely influenced by Rose Harvey’s family recipes, imbue a sense of family tradition. Off The Bone may not be the flashiest joint in Dallas, but the fare is delightful nevertheless.

Kafi Barbecue

8140 N. MacArthur Blvd Ste 100, Irving
Owner and pitmaster Salahodeen Abdul-Kafi may be a newcomer to Texas’ barbecue scene, but his namesake Kafi Barbecue in Irving is making waves. Halal barbecue is the name of the game at Kafi, but the roots of Texas barbecue are strong. Kafi’s focus on halal meats means you’ll see no pork on the menu, but frankly, you won’t miss it. Wagyu prime brisket shimmers, thick slices loaded with the perfect amount of smoke underneath a glorious bark. A unique Iraqi sausage with vegetable and kebab flavors is a star here, as is the beef sausage. Traditional sides like barbecue beans get spice undertones that speak to Kafi’s roots. And Kafi’s cardamom-infused banana pudding is truly a game-changer.

Hurtado Barbecue

900 S. Harwood St., Dallas Farmers Market
Hurtado has grown into a staple in the North Texas barbecue scene, with a popular restaurant not far from AT&T (or Dallas) Stadium, another in Fort Worth and more recently, a full-service restaurant at the Dallas Farmers Market. Hurtado’s “Mexicue” inspired hits include birria tacos stuffed with brisket and elotes that could be a main dish. The Texas Trinity plate here should be your guidepost; one-third pound each of brisket, spare ribs and sausage, as well as one side, for less than $30.

Loro

1812 N. Haskell Ave., East Dallas and 14999 Montfort Drive, Addison
It’s a risky proposition to mess with Texas barbecue and bolder still to blend it with Asian fare without upsetting both cultures. Under the guidance of Uchi’s Tyson Cole and Franklin Barbecue’s Aaron Franklin, Loro manages the feat brilliantly. The success of Dallas’ first Loro location led the team to open a second spot in Addison. Get the Butcher’s Cut served with shishito salsa verde, cilantro, pickled onion or the Char Siew Pork Belly.

Oak’d BBQ

5500 Greenville Ave. and 4525 Belt Line Road
Oak’d BBQ has made a name for itself with barbecue standards, from-scratch sides and desserts, and a full bar to quench whatever thirst you may have. Michael Lane wears the hats of owner, pitmaster and chef, and the attention to detail in everything food-related pays off come meal time. Want Wagyu brisket? Oak’d has it. Want to finish your meal with homemade ice cream? Oak’d has you covered. A second location in Addison has a bigger bar, a massive patio, live music, and games like skeeball and air hockey. What’s not to love?

Panther City Barbecue

201 E. Hattie St., Fort Worth
Since 2016, Panther City has been a beacon of Fort Worth barbecue. Starting in a trailer where Heim Barbecue got its start, Ernie Morales and Chris Magallanes have grown the location into a full-service restaurant, with long hours, a killer patio, and a bar — with some Michelin Guide recognition to boot. Those perks are the sauce on top of some stupendous barbecue, with the trinity of brisket, ribs and house-made sausages all well represented. We almost always order some pork belly poppers and the delicious brisket elote when we slide in for a visit.

Slow Bone

2234 Irving Blvd., West Dallas
A recent visit by Guy Fieri told confirmed what we locals already knew: Slow Bone is the insider’s choice for some of the best barbecue in the city limits. Sure, a line forms just after opening, but it moves quickly, and the fact that Slow Bone serves barbecue seven days a week for lunch means you don’t have to rearrange your calendar for a visit. The sides here are the best around, with plenty of vegetarian options. Don’t miss the (very slowly) smoked pork chops either, a special on Sundays and Mondays only.

Smoke’N Ash

5904 S Cooper St Suite 110, Arlington
Smoke’N Ash is a family-run Ethiopian and barbecue restaurant in South Arlington that is home to the area’s most unique takes on Texas barbecue. Waco native Patrick Hicks and his wife, Fasika, from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, combine injera with brisket, then serve Texas barbecue alongside classic Ethiopian dishes like doro wot (chicken stew) and fusion combinations like injera nachos. The mac and cheese, infused with berbere sauce, turns the smokehouse staple on its ear.

Smokey Joe’s BBQ

6403 S. R.L. Thornton Freeway, Southern Dallas
When Kris Manning took over his father’s barbecue spot, his dad’s style was the only thing he knew. But as his curiosity about smoked meats grew, he learned about styles across the state and applied them to his menu back home. Today, Smokey Joe’s still has the old-school barbecue vibe, but also influences from East Texas like hot links, barbecue brakes (all the ends, not just brisket) and a Central Texas brisket that would be at home in the Hill Country. Hey, if it’s good enough for James Talarico to prove his meat-eating bona fides, it’s good enough for us, too.

Terry Black’s Barbecue

3025 Main St., Deep Ellum
Terry Black’s Barbecue has everything a modern barbecue restaurant needs: a historic family name with Central Texas lineage; a dining room with plenty of space for you and your friends; a full bar that serves up beer, bottles of wine and its own specialty cocktail; and some sublime barbecue to boot. Save your pennies and your appetite for the beef rib, and thank us later — it might be an extravagance, but a perfectly smoked beef rib approaches fatty, succulent and smoky barbecue nirvana, and Terry Black’s is among the best in the area.

Zavala’s Barbecue

421 W. Main St., Grand Prairie
We’ll go ahead and throw out a controversial opinion: Tortillas are just as good, if not better, an accompaniment than white bread when it comes to barbecue. At Zavala’s, we long for those fluffy tortillas, either on the side or wrapping up a Sloppy Juan. Zavala’s mix of Mexican heritage with Texas barbecue produces brisket and ribs with an extra-spicy zing, and there’s a cilantro-heavy green sauce that goes perfectly with anything on the menu.