About this experience
Six barbecue stops in East Austin — including a MICHELIN One Star joint and two Bib Gourmand smokehouses — with skip-the-line access at every one and an air-conditioned ride between them. No walking in Texas heat, no three-hour queue, and enough food that most guests tap out before the last plate.
la Barbecue holds a MICHELIN One Star and a line that wraps the building. Micklethwait Craft Meats is a Bib Gourmand honoree and one of Food Network's 25 Best Food Trucks. KG BBQ is chef Kareem El-Ghayesh, a James Beard semifinalist, smoking lamb with Middle Eastern spice. Mum Foods makes the pastrami Texas Monthly's barbecue editor calls the best in the state. Parish Barbecue brings Louisiana heat from a pitmaster who cooked at Franklin.
Then a sixth stop we don't announce. It's sweet. You'll think you're finished eating. You aren't.
Between plates, your guide tells you how East Austin was built and why these blocks became America's most argued-about barbecue.
Come hungry.
At a glance
- Duration: 3 hr
What is included
- Luxury SUV for groups of 8 or fewer; minibus for larger groups
- Skip-the-line access at participating barbecue stops
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Local guide with East Austin food and neighborhood history
- All restaurant gratuities and taxes at tour stops
- Six food stops with generous tastings
Not included
- Gratuity for your guide
- Alcoholic beverages (optional $35 drink package available at booking)
- Pick up and Drop Off
Itinerary and highlights
Smoked lamb with Middle Eastern spice from chef Kareem El-Ghayesh, who took his Cairo upbringing into Central Texas barbecue. A MICHELIN Bib Gourmand honoree and a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Texas.
Texas pastrami on house-made rye — called the best pastrami in the state by
Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn, at a deli USA Today named to its
Restaurants of the Year list. Queens deli technique, Central Texas smoke.
The MICHELIN One Star stop, and the reason the line wraps the building. You walk past it. Sausage ground and stuffed in-house, plus brisket from a joint that has held a place on Texas Monthly's Top 50 Barbecue Joints in Texas.
Start with brisket-stuffed kolaches and house-made sides at a MICHELIN Bib
Gourmand smokehouse that Southern Living named a Top 50 barbecue joint and
Food Network ranked among America's 25 Best Food Trucks. Owner Tom
Micklethwait makes nearly everything by hand, down to the pickles.
Louisiana flavor meets Texas tradition. Pitmaster Holden Fulco cooked at InterStellar Barbecue and Franklin Barbecue before opening his own truck, and the menu shows both lineages.
A secret sweet stop:
We don't announce this one. You'll think you're finished eating. You are not finished eating.
Meeting and pickup information
- You will receive a text the day of the tour with specifics on the address, where to park, and how to find your guide. Meeting address is also included in conformation email.
Languages and tickets
- English — Guide
- Mobile Only
Tour operator
- Locals Know Barbecue Tour
Accessibility and practical details
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Guests using a wheelchair are welcome. All tour stops have wheelchair- and stroller-accessible surfaces, but our vehicle is not lift-equipped, so wheelchair users will need to follow the route in their own accessible transportation. Contact us before booking and we'll share the full stop list and timing.
- Children who require a car seat are welcome, but families will need to provide their own car seat and transportation between stops.
- Every guest who will be eating requires a ticket.
- Some dietary needs can be accommodated with advance notice. Because our stops share kitchens and prep surfaces, we cannot safely guarantee accommodation for severe allergies. Please contact us before booking.
- Please arrive 10 minutes before departure. Tours run on restaurant reservation times and cannot wait for late arrivals.
Cancellation policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Available tour options
- Elevated Drink Pkg Add On: Upgrade your tour and sip your way through Austin’s finest with FIVE local small batch brews and smoky concoctions.
Traveller reviews and photos
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