Review The Pit Barbeque - Austin

When you are in Austin and you want tasty, down home bbq, this is the place. From the time I walked in, Orlando and his team made me feel like I was home. From the friendly service, to the delicious brisket tacos, to the fresh smoked brisket, Big O’s is a real treat you’ll love. I’ll never forget my visit and the kindness these Austin folks showed me. I even got a tour of their smoker! These are good people. Drop by and give it a try. You won’t be sorry you did!

My dad who loves BBQ was in town. He also likes a non-crowded experience and Big O's was the perfect place for us to stop. Mac n Cheese was tasty, serving sizes are appropriate and service was great. Highly recommend.

We had an absolutely incredible lunch here!! The gentlemen working allowed us to sample and ask a ton of questions. The food was so delicious and we had the best time! The entire experience was 10000 / 10!

Wow! I was served by U and Hudson- both great humans. And the food, some of the best bbq I’ve had. No idea how I’ve never heard of this place before. Definitely a gem out here and I’ll be back! I’m a bbq snob, have a bbq popup out here in Austin, and this is great stuff!!! I’m a fan

BEST. LUNCH. EVER. We were greeted with such amazing service. They let us taste a few things before ordering and explained the process. The staff had a very kind and goofy personality. We felt very accommodated and welcome! Would highly recommend trying out this small business! Side note: the BBQ sauce didn't stain my pants!

Straightforward, no fuss BBQ Found this spot on a whim while driving around. Had a craving for BBQ so I went in and ordered some brisket. Staff was pretty straight to the point but honestly considering they handed my food right off to me that is not a negative Portion size is good and comes with bread. They have a serve-yourself bar in the back with pickles and onions. The flavor was good on the brisket and it was juicy. Would recommend for anyone trying to get a quick and reliable BBQ in town

Fantastic experience at this quintessential neighbourhood barbecue. Rudy and his team deliver a great brisket - rich marbling and toothy bark with a nice slow and low smoke flavour. The banana pudding was a nice added touch!

Just had Big Os in late August 2023. Big Os is the truth. Got the brisket plate. Some of the best brisket I’ve had. Very tender, lot of flavor. Hatch chili mac and cheese very creamy and little spicy. Bbq sauce good. Only complaint is, they don’t have all the bbq sauce bottles at the table. This is a simple place but a MUST TRY in Austin. The brisket plate will fill you up as it comes with 2 sides. Unsure how this is only a 4.1 rating. Should be a 4.4+ bare minimum. I am picky and this food was legit.

Listen this hit the spot. I ordered a brisket sandwich, Big Red and pain lays potato chips. It was so Satisfying and fulfilling! I added the pickles and onions with the bbq sauce. I also wanted to try a rib so I ordered just one lol. I have to say though the rib does not compare to the brisket brisket was so flavorful the perfect combination with the fat in the lane with a little crunch you don’t talk about about I have to say though the rib does not compare to the brisket. The brisket was so flavorful the perfect combination with the fat in the lean mean with a little crunch you know what I’m talk about about. And if you don’t come try them out.

Great chopped beef sandwich. We added sausage. Beans are fantastic. We also love the smoked chicken and green chile mac and cheese. They have a nice patio .

I happened to be working across the street when I noticed this BBQ joint. I’ve worked the Austin area many years and I had never noticed this joint before. I’m glad I decided to stop in and try it out. The ladies (Amy and Shirley) were extremely nice and gave me a tour of the place. As soon as I saw that big pit in the back where one has to have the passion to manage the fire and it wasn’t a thermostat controlled pit I knew this was my place. Brisket sandwich was awesome and the sausage was excellent. Brisket was not over salted nor was it bland. The meat was the star. The bbq sauce was not over powering and it still allowed brisket to shine. I will be back. Nice job Big O’s Pit!!!

A great small local place with some great food. Service was amazing. Everyone was nice and friendly. I had the 1/4 Chicken and Brisket plate with green beans and hatch chili Mac and Cheese. It was delicious!

Legit Texas barbecue. Hige pit the the back. The ribs were good and tender. The brisket to die for. Good mac and cheese. The place was steadily busy with good reason. I loved it. Easy parking in a good location.

This little hole-in-the-wall BBQ pit on Burnet is a hidden gem in central Austin. Affordable, quick, and tasty with a friendly atmosphere that makes you feel at home. It's perfect for a weekend lunch with the family ♥️🍖😋

I am from Utah and I was in Austin for business. I had the pleasure of eating here and it was soooooooo good. Super friendly staff and the food is delicious. I would highly recommend this plase if you like smoked meat.

Was hanging around there literally all day practicing a conversation. For fun, tried it on cashier... He was engaged, good thing.

Well for sure this is one of the best barbecue places in Austin Texas you really need to bring your kids on but I will right next to pinthouse Pizza

The food is outstanding! The service is phenomenal thank you Johnny! Definitely satisfies the true BBQ craving!

Delicious. Friendly. Clean. Everything you want. Avoid the long lines and come here. Especially for the sandwiches. Mac and Cheese is only OK. Skip the Banana Pudding.

I would give zero stars if I could. This place is absolute shit. And has progressively gone down down hill over the last couple decades. From the food to the service. You want BBQ in Austin? I can think of a dozen places that are better from Rudy's, Wonderpig, Franklins, County Line, Ruby's, Stiles Switch, Micklethwait, Salt Lick, House Park BBQ, Lamberts.... the list goes on and on. Where these guys truly suck is their shit service. Brisket is dry and on the edge of turning to jerky. The chicken has no taste. I doubt these guys pass health inspections without some once a year heavy prep work. This place needs to go out of business already. Place would be better served as more parking for Pint House. They stay in business hawking over their parking lot booting any car that happens to land in one of the unmarked spaces. I parked there at 7:55PM - the place closes at 8:00PM. They booted my car. Boot company said they would remove it without charge if the Pit BBQ OK'd the removal. Talked to the manager of the Pit - explained my situation... that I am a true Austin native, attended high school down the street, and have supported the Pit BBQ over the years. They essentially told me to suck it. Don't believe the owner's response that they have no say. Complete bullshit. Go anywhere else in Austin for better BBQ. I have put up with the progressively shittier food over the years because I liked supporting Austin businesses and the nostalgia kept me coming back. Glad I can finally write this crap place off my list. Jeff D - you just lost a life long customer.

I love a restaurant in Austin that just is what it is! Great food served by good people. Thanks for not molding to the 500 people have to be in the space designed for 200 and just fixing great food at a great price.

Amazing brisket, fast service and friendly staff! They had nice size portions and food was made daily so very fresh.

The food is great for the price. The brisket and chicken is so tender that my JuJu is eating it to. The big red soda is the bomb with crushed ice! Thank you The Pit BBQ

I have never had a bad meal there. The staff is friendly & I feel like family when I’m there.

Best place in Austin to eat! Check out the new trailer in the back it's awesome. My dad been working here for decades, I love how he knows just about every person by name. Austin Texas Bar B Que got put on the map because of the Pit the food is delicious. Tell your friends and family that we are still open and remodeled. If u read this tell my pops that you seen this (= Keep Austin Smoked on The best Bar b que in town!

Great food, the sandwich maker can ligten up. But I can't take that out on the delicious food & great environment, the owner on cashier was really cool. And I would tow everyone also, that's your property sir!

Ate there today. Staff is uber friendly, meat was yummy but sauce had no flavor. I love BBQ and was disappointed all because of the sauce :(

Worst BBQ in texas. Dry, gritty, tough meat and bugs on the floor make this a 1-star establishment.

Good food and friendly service! Will go back soon!

Bad on the property management and owner for the parking scam, yes you have signs however it took you less than 3min to boot my girlfriends car and then want to charge an abusive 150.00 dollars on the spot or else tow the car. Then the lady drops our credit card 3 times and refuses to pick it up then proceeds to tell us she will take her sweet time with the transaction. As she hands the card back and tells us "Oh you are now allowed to park here it is close enough to 8pm". THIS WHOLE THING STARTED AT 7:50pm!!!!!!!!!! I am shocked that this $150.00 scam has not been looked at by investagative news, oh wait that could still happen! This has to be effecting the business at this location yet the business owner is not fighting this with the "property owner" in defense of his business? Seems there will continue to be negative posts. Food is not the only thing to make or brake a restaurant regardless how long its been open. And yes I have eaten here but there is no need to mention the food when you cant get passed the parking lot practices

Do not eat here! My friend and I were going to pick up some sandwiches and take them home for ourselves and my roommate and her friend. We were running into Pinthouse Pizza to get some delicious Maine Rootbeer to go with it and not five steps from my car, some little man pops out and slams a boot on my car!!! $150 to get it off. The pit BBQ employees/owner wouldn't do anything. I was looking forward to some BBQ but now I will get it somewhere else. I won't support businesses that allow their customers to be treated that way. It was also only 12 minutes before they closed at 8pm. I would not be deterring any business. And now they will never have mine back. The unethical treatment of consumers and residents of our neighborhood is not ok.

Great bbq + atmosphere + location = five stars

Good eatin. Nothing mind blowing. Eh...

First, I don't think that being caught illegally parking in The Pit's spaces gives anybody a right to give them a bad review. I ate there regularly from 1978 to 2001 when I moved from Austin. I love these modest family owned and operated places. The food was consistently good, prices reasonable, and service friendly. If you want to taste what good barbecue was like before the food snobs took over this is the place. I'm happy that it's still there and just as it was.

Garbage excuse for a business. The only reason they are still in business is because they hire a boot/tow company to hawk your car when you pull in and park in the wrong spot. I accidentally parked in their marked spot, at 7:52 PM, literally 8 minutes before they close. I walked into the place next door, ordered and came right back out. The chick they hired watched me pull in the spot, didn't say a word, then booted my car. Ok, fine, I screwed up. How much? $150 DOLLARS. No, I'm not kidding. Legal robbery. And no the police can't help you, it's a civil issue on private property. Want to know how much most tow fines are for actual parking violations on city property/roadways? $40. Ya, I'll never go to this place, even if they food was good.

I will never eat at this establishment. It happens to be next door to the thriving and popular Pinthouse Pizza, which has apparently caused The Pit some parking troubles. My friend and I accidentally parked in one of the spots reserved for The Pit, which we absolutely would not have done, had we known that parking wasn't permitted.<br/><br/>After we had spent maybe 30-45 minutes at Pinthouse Pizza, we returned to my friend's car to find that a boot had been put on it and a man writing on a pad, very pointedly ignoring us. When I told him we didn't know that we weren't supposed to park there, the man pointed over his should to a tow sign posted on the wall of The Pit, more than a yard away from the spot itself. I wasn't happy, but I realized they situation we were in, and we paid the fine. The man removed the boot from my friend's car, stowed it just behind a little nook in corner of the building, and sat in his car at the front of the building to keep writing in his pad. So this happens frequently enough that car boots are kept on-hand and near the parking area, and it's worth this gentleman's time to sit in his car at the front of the building and wait for hapless patrons to park without fully surveilling their surroundings.<br/><br/>Afterward, I called The Pit and asked to speak with the owner. I was first asked if I was a solicitor. When I said that I wasn't, I was put on hold. An older woman came on the line, who I assume was Roma Duff, one of the owners cited on the homepage of The Pit's main website. I informed her of what had happened with my friend's car and that I thought it was criminal. Instead of being polite but firm on her policies, the woman on the phone immediately took a hostile and argumentative tone with me. She told me that signs were posted clearly to see and that there must be "something wrong" with me if I wasn't able to read them. Given the immediate hostility, I figured she'd had this conversation with a lot of people, and she told me she had. She told me that they'd had to hire the towing service because it was such a problem. She told me that they towed five people a day.<br/><br/>Five people a day.<br/><br/>And, if each person is being charged the $150 fee that we were today, that's at least $750 dollars the towing company is making.<br/><br/>I'm willing to bet that $750 would probably make up a large portion of what the daily proceeds are for The Pit, if not exceed it. I'm sure it would be tempting, if I were Roma and Jeff Duff, to take advantage of the growth in the area and monetize the parking demand by not going too far out of the way to warn people not to park in the spots reserved for The Pit and possibly cut a deal with a towing company for part of the proceeds.<br/><br/>I'm no business person myself, but it seems like common sense that it might be a better investment for Roma and Jeff to post tow signs at each spot with a pole to reduce the number of people parking there, rather than to hire the service.<br/><br/>I actually understand where she's coming from. I know it must be irritating to have to deal with a larger, newer business taking up space next to yours and bringing their own customers that take up all available parking. The problem I have is with her idea that doing "good enough" by posting signs that clearly aren't working (if five people a day are being towed or booted) is the right thing to do. This is laziness, pure and simple. This is not really caring enough to do the right thing. This is doing the minimum effort you can get away with. <br/><br/>I'm not a rule-breaker, I'm not an inconsiderate person. If a sign had been posted in a way that really brought attention to the fact that the parking spot was for patrons of The Pit, only, my friend and I would have parked somewhere else. We weren't trying to get away with anything and we aren't bad people, but that's exactly how I was treated when speaking with Roma on the phone today.<br/><br/>Roma made it perfectly clear today that she isn't the least bit concerned about the impact this harmful behavior is causing to customers visiting her area. And, at five people a day, that is a lot of harm being done.

Not impressed with this meat at all. Also did not like their sauce either (vinegar base). Had brisket and sausage and would not go back - I found parking easily though which was the only knock I heard about this place before.

We held a business meeting at a hotel down the street, brought about 12 or so people here for dinner after. It was a pleasant surprise. Very good barbecue. Everyone got something different and we all loved it. Service was great too!

$150 customer parking. Stopped at your place lastnight on the way to work had several places to stop along the way. Parked went next door to pick up pizza came out and picked up BBQ to find my car with a boot on it. Lady standing in lot tells me it is your policy if I don't enter your store first I must pay $150 fine. She tells me I'm not a customer as I stand their holding pizza and BBQ. wow. Nice little side money you have coming in with this trap. Not happy no one in store would help. Seems everyone forgot I just ordered brisket. $150 later to the parking co you hired and me passing this info to the 60+ people I work with at the hospital down the street. I'm sorry I even ordered from your store. Next time I will tell hospital staff to just order BBQ from anyother place in austin!

Small place great food; good BBQ and nice people.

We finally made the short trek to The Pit Barbeque on Burnet Road in Austin. Our showing of ten was impressive, given the less-than-one-day's notice. Greg got there first and had his food when we arrived, but Russell manned up, as Russell does, and ordere