Franklin Barbecue - Austin, Texas

Ida A.

If you want some BBQ, be ready to commit! Is it worth it? Absolutely. We arrived at 8 AM on a chilly Thursday, and we weren’t even the first ones there! Keep in mind, Franklin’s opens at 11 AM and serves until sold out—and when we left at 11:45 AM, the line was still out the door. If you’re planning to go, weekdays are definitely your best bet.

We ordered just about everything on the menu: brisket, ribs, sausage, pulled pork, turkey, potato salad, pinto beans, and pie! All that came out to around $200, but we probably overdid it (pint-sized sides weren’t necessary). At least we had enough for two more meals!

The restaurant itself is small, with seating both inside and outside. Arriving early is key—not just for guaranteed food, but also for parking and a table after you order. Everything is homemade, and my favorites were the ribs, sausage, and turkey. The brisket was great, but ours was a bit too salty for my taste.

Even though doors officially open at 11 AM, they let us in early to warm up, grab drinks, and browse the store. If you’re thinking about making the trip—go for it. Just be prepared for the wait, because Franklin’s is an experience all on its own!

Jill M.

Went on a Wednesday and arrived around 9:45 am. We brought lawn chairs but they had some for people to use and there is plenty of shade. You can go inside and use the bathroom while you wait. Once the doors opened at 11 am the line kept moving along. We sat down and started eating by 11:55 am. The brisket is amazing and everything else was delicious too. If you're going to be in Austin and you love BBQ then definitely check it out.

Ana G.

We finally got to try the place. We did not show up early so we almost did not get any brisket but as seen on the picture, we did get great food. We recommend getting there early and try to go on a weekly day instead of the weekend. I also appreciated it that one of the staff members came outside to let us know how much meat was left over.

I think the only thing I suggest to the restaurant is having more options for the sides. But the brisket and sausage was so tender that is hard to describe it. It was a little loud too inside the restaurant. A gift shop is also available inside.

Rajesh V.

Got in line at 11:15 and sat down at 1:00. This was a Sunday so I expected a lot longer wait.

There are people that come by the line periodically and tell you what's still available. There is a person inside that will write down what everyone is getting and will give you an estimate of it will be available.

You can order less than a pound. I believe the minimum is a quarter pound for in person orders and 5 pounds for online orders.

The beef ribs ran out by the time I got to order.

Brisket was very good. It was very flavorful and tender. This is what I was looking forward to and it didn't disappoint.

Pulled pork was really good. It had a lot of flavor.

Turkey was good. It's hard to make turkey so they did a good job.

Jalapeno sausage was very good. It had lots of flavor and good spice.

The sauces hit the main styles and go well with the meats.

Potato salad was a little too much mustard but it's a different style than I'm used to. Cole slaw could use more flavor but also attributed to different style. There's nothing wrong with either of them. We finished both of them.

Definitely worth trying at least once.

Sarah E.

Hands down the BEST brisket I have ever had. Other places I’ve been it was dry and not as seasoned. This…. Melts in your mouth, changed my whole mind on brisket. The pulled pork was also reallllly good. Potato salad was not my favorite, strong mustard or horseradish flavor, but my BF loved it. Waited 1.5 hours and got there by 10:25 AM on a Wednesday (they open at 11am and have chairs, benches, fans for you to use while waiting)
Tuesday we arrived at 11:30 AM and they were just about sold out of everything! So no joke, get there hours before they open and ENJOY!

Silvia

If you're reading this and you are wondering... Yes, it is really good! Yes ,you will have to wait in line. Minimum an hour if you are verrryy lucky. Yes, you need to get there before they open if you want to make sure they don't run out of what you want.
To minimize wait time. Go during the week!

We tried their brisket, sausage, ribs, potato salad and beans.

Their brisket and ribs very easily the best I have ever had. Beans were very well seasoned and they have pieces of brisket as well.
The potato salad I could have done with out. It was a bit bland in my opinion. Wish they had more sides than just beans, coleslaw and potato salad. That's really their only downside in my opinion.
Eating space inside is limited. They have a few tables outside as well, but it looks like most people take their food to go.
We went there on a Tuesday and got in line at 10:20am. They opened at 11am but we didn't make it to the ordering counter until almost 12:30.
For sure must try at least once!

Judge W.

Be prepared for some of the best BBQ you’ve ever had. We got in line at Franklins at 10:00 and didn’t make it to order until about 12-12:30 but it was well worth the wait.

To start, the staff has to be some of the friendliest AND HAPPIEST staff I’ve ever come across. So much so it made my group and I question how much fun it is to work there. You can truly tell they enjoy what they get to do!

I ordered the brisket sandwich and pinto beans and this brisket was Smokey, flavorful, tender and juicy. The pinto beans had a nice spice to them, but were just a little bit too watery, but even that couldn’t stop it from being a 5 star meal.

Kelly T.

Rumor has it that if you get there at 4 am and wait in line you “might” get bbq because they could run out. I was pretty happy to escape the line and the time commitment with a take out order. It’s on the website and takes a little planning as they don’t usually have last minute availability. Just because it’s amazing bbq…that’s why. They’re featured on a Netflix show and regularly make it to the top of the list of best bbq places in Texas.
Hannah was very thoughtful about gluten and made me a bag of gf items. The espresso sauce has gluten in it. Thank you!