Big Oak Bar-B-Que - Buda, Texas

Address	210 South Main Street, Buda, TX (map)
Phone	512-312-1947
Open	M-F 10- 8, Sat 10-7, Sun 11-3
Date Visited	January 20, 2007
Reviewer	Tex

This place started out as a hardware store, and then started selling BBQ on the side in 2004. With the arrival of Home Depot up the road the folks at the Big Oak (there literally is a huge oak tree out front) decided to go 100% BBQ in 2006.

Located just on the South side of the main drag in Buda, its pretty easy to find. They have a very inviting curb appeal to the restaurant. Its right on the corner and has a great little patio with multi colored vintage lawn furniture. Seems like it would be a great place to just sit and have a few beers while eatin some Q with your friends. Entering the place there is not much to look at. The menu is writen up on the wall behind the counter. All the meat is prepared in the back kitchen area and is brought to your table along with pickles, onions, & bread.

The dining area is pretty bland. There are a good couple handfuls of tables with vinyl checkered table clothes and a big sceen TV. A couple of things here or there hanging on the walls, but not much more. Alot of times this is a good sign....they care more about the meat than they do anything else. A lot of places try too hard to just create a vibe thinking it will make the business successful.

I went with the 3 meat combo plate for just under 10 bucks (drink not included). The place is BYOB if you like a cold one with your Q, otherwise they offer Big Red, ice tea and all the other standards in can. I had read really good things about this place in recent reviews and could hardly wait to get my food.. I had pretty high expectations going in. After waiting a few minutes my plate was brought out to me. I was disapointed right off the bat with the 2 ribs they chose for my combo. They looked really dry and barely had any meat on them. The sausage looked good and brisket had a nice color to it. The sides looked pretty standard as they did taste. The sauce, sitting on the table in a bottle was unique. A very tomatoey taste with little chunks of vegetables here and there. Almost like a salsa with no heat to it. It was better than average. The ribs had a nice smokey taste to them, but thats about it. I just couldnt get past the dryness and lack of meat. Brisket had a unique rub on it giving it a different taste...my guess is chili powder but i could be totally wrong. I liked it ok. To me, the best of the 3 was the sausage. It had a nice snap to the casing, and just the right amount of grease. Not too spicy, just right.

Ribs	Brisket	Sausage	Sauce	Sides	Atmosphere	Overall Score
2.00	2.50	3.00	3.00	2.50	2.00	2.50

Bottom Line

Not as good as I expected based on what I had read in recent months. Just a notch above average. The ribs really were dissapointing, but I think I just got em on an off day. Sausage is the best here. The location of the place is great and has a nice feel when you drive up. Being new to the BBQ game, i'd say with a little tweeking here and there they could have a really great place that could become a regional hit.