Dallas is a serious barbecue city, but the best way to explore it is not to treat every restaurant as interchangeable. Some stops are destination smokehouses, others fit naturally into a neighborhood outing, and the strongest order depends on whether you care most about brisket, ribs, sausage or sides.
Terry Black’s in Deep Ellum
Terry Black’s brings a Central Texas barbecue lineage to Main Street in Deep Ellum. Visit Dallas lists the restaurant at 3025 Main Street, which makes it easy to combine barbecue with murals, music venues and the rest of the neighborhood.
Build your crawl around geography
Do not spend half the day crossing Dallas between lunch and dinner. If you start in central Dallas, group your stops with Deep Ellum, downtown or nearby neighborhoods. Save farther-flung smokehouses for another day.
Go early
Popular barbecue restaurants can develop lines and can sell out of specific meats. Lunch is often the safest time if there is one item you absolutely want to try.
Order for comparison
If you are visiting more than one place, order smaller portions. Brisket is the obvious comparison point, but sausage, pork ribs, turkey and sides can tell you just as much about a pit room.
Remember the rest of Dallas barbecue
Visit Dallas maintains a broader barbecue guide, and the list changes as restaurants open, expand and evolve. Use any “best” list as a starting point, not as a permanent ranking.
Sources
Visit Dallas food and drink · Terry Black’s listing
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