pecan lodge

omg. i am in love with thisbbqthe best i have ever had.....everything was awesome the ribs oh my....the mac and cheese yes i will please.

tried the new location and happy to say pecan lodge is still the best in dfw. burnt ends and pork ribs were incredible!


-----02 jul, 2013-----

bestbbqin dfw. by the time pecan lodge opened at 11:00 a.m., the line was well over 200 people deep. my wife thought i was crazy for wanting to get there at 10:30, but it turns out we were lucky we got there when we did. we also had some friends that met us at pecan lodge and kept us company in line. the line did not move very fast, but time did seem to fly by while we conversed with our friends. my wife kept my oldest daughter occupied by giving her ice cream. yes, she gave my daughter ice cream before lunch. i know that my wife just wanted to make sure my daughter was getting her proper servings of calcium. we are both waiting for the official notification of her mother of the year award for 2013.

a little after noon, we finally arrived at the register to place our order. i was disappointed to find out that they were already out of pork ribs, which were highly praised. no worries, there were plenty of other items on the menu i wanted to try. we ordered brisket, beef ribs, “hill country” sausage, jalapeno cheddar sausage, fried okra, and west texas pinto beans. since i had been waiting in line for over an hour and a half, i couldn’t wait to dig in. the brisket was absolutely smoked to perfection, had a perfect smoke ring, and was one of the top three briskets i have ever had. the beef ribs were perfectly seasoned, very juicy, and the meat was falling off the bone. i was also impressed with their two types of sausages, which they make themselves unlike most of the otherbbqjoints. both were flavorful, but i particularly liked the extra kick that the jalapeno cheddar sausage had. even the beans were out of this world tasty. the fried okra was good too, but paled in comparison to the beans. if you absolutely have to havebbqsauce on your meat, their sauce was pretty good but you are doing this meat a disservice by adding any sauce to it.

after eating at pecan lodge, i can honestly say that i finally found a greatbbqrestaurant in the dfw area. ever since i moved to the area in 2002, i have looked far and wide for goodbbqand finally my search has paid off. this place was far better than any of the dfwbbqplaces i have tried and rivals some of the best in the hill country. i would rate pecan lodge a 9 on my 10 point scale. i thoroughly enjoyed this dining experience and believe this place lived up to the hype. my wife raved about it on the way home and our friends seemed to really enjoy it as well. i don’t know how soon i will be willing to go back and stand in line for 90 minutes, but i will do it again sometime and order extra to take home!

all hype. we came to dallas for a swim meet and had heard so much about this place. they open at 11 am and the lines start well before that adding to the mystique of thebbqjoint. also, guy fieri of food network had a show on them and raved about their food. so we went. the food is pricey so be ready. we ordered a nice mix of meats that included a beef rib (a must when in texas), pork ribs, burnt ends, and sausage, along with greens (also my favorite when eating bbq), and cole slaw. thebbqwas incredibly over smoked. the flavor was akin to what i would imagine licking my fireplace walls after a good winter fire, and every piece of meat tasted the same. the meat fell off the beef bone, but that was not the case for the pork ribs, and the beef tips were charred and extremely dry. the sausage was maybe the better of all the meats in terms of flavor without such a smoke taste, but all in all you couldn't taste the actual meat. smoke, smoke, smoke. now to be fair, my husband seemed to like it some, but my son didn't at all either. i literally spent the rest of that day and next repeating the flavor. it was awful. the cole slaw was spicy. that isn't bad per say, but it did nothing to cool off or tame the smoke flavor of the meats. the greens were a bit weird. they told me that they were cooked with pork and brown sugar, and i could definitely take the sweet but had no hint of pork at all in them. there were no pieces of pork in there either. the greens were also real spicy. not my favorite either. i was seeing a lot of macaroni and cheese going out in large quart containers, but it looked runny and not like homemade baked macaroni and cheese, so i didn't order it. so, all in all, i think the hype outweighs the actual reality of this place. if you like heavy smoke flavor then this is your place, but don't count on tasting any of the meats themselves. one should never trust guy fieri anyway. he doesn't know much about anything as far as i can tell.

wanted to try pecan lodge a second time on a calmer day before i gave a detailed review.

atmosphere, design, & service: 4.0/5.0
we went wednesday around 2pm, upon walking in the line was already about 45-50 people deep (the line moved fairly fast). the aesthetic of the restaurant was fairly nice, nothing special. but i wasn't concerned because i knew withbbqin texas, its never about the experience it's about the food.

food: 4.0/5.0
i ordered the "two meat plate", you can either pick between brisket, beef ribs (always sold out), pork ribs, pulled pork, & hand-made sausage. since the beef ribs were sold out, i chose the brisket & pork ribs. my side was mac & cheese with bacon, this totalled up to about $15 without a drink (i got a water cup). the food was good, the marbled fat off the brisket melted in my mouth, the porks ribs were juicy & well seasoned without thebbqsauce, & the mac & cheese was nothing special even with the bacon sprinkled on top.

final thoughts: 4.4/5.0
pecan lodge is good, i definitely recommend it to anybody that has been wanting to try it. as of dec 2017, it still ranks #1 forbbqin dallas only. the wait isn't as long as franklinbbqin austin and the line moves fairly fast so it's not that bad. hopefully, my review helped!

if the beef ribs are ever in stock, go for it, they never have enough in stock due to popular demand. one of these days, i'll eventually stop by and grab some.

pretentious yet unassuming - the pecan lodge delivers probably the bestbbqbrisket i have ever had - great service and food - crowded but worth it!

being from michigan i'm not an expert on texas bbq, but my son took us here claiming it's the best in dallas . the line was long outside the door. we got three combos and shared so we could sample everything. the food was awesome !!! amazing brisket and thebbqsauce is very tasty . if you are the area or want to make a special trip for greatbbqyou won't be disappointed !!

this is some of the bestbbqin dallas. the meat is all juicy and tender, and they have the best brisket around. the side dishes could use some work, but that's not why you're here.

bestbbqin dallas hands down. i've had every place in dallas/ft worth area that has any hype and pecan lodge is always a notch above the rest, as well as the most consistent.

weekdays, thisbbqjoint opens 11am-3pm. 4 hours of business! i arrived there 10:50 and a queue were already formed. door opened at 11:04 (maybe before that, but it felt that long), went in and awed at the "wall of fame". it seems that they have won almost every single food awards. well, you have to see it yourself to believe.

i ordered about a pound of beef ribs, and 1.5 lbs of brisket. they were uh-ma-zing!! moist fall-off-the-bone ribs! the brisket were good as well, but i was really brought to the next level by the ribs! simply the best ribs i have ever tasted!

great indoor or outdoor setting. food runs out by midafternoon on weekdays. they stay open later on fri-sun. great, moist, tastybbqwith some delicious choices for sides. inside is noisy but that can sometimes add to the fun. large bar. tip: you pay by the pound. when trying to figure food quantities, i found it helpful to ask how many slices of tri-tip or ribs or whatever there were in a half pound increment as that is how you pay.

so glad i found this place. i read about this from an article off the net stating this is a must try for real texas bbq. they were spot on. i arrived here a bit before 11am (their opening time) and a small queue had formed. by the time the doors actually opened this small queue turned into a large queue. this shows how popular this place is as it was a weekday and before lunch!

once you enter the restaurants, make sure to join the queue on the left to place your order and make payment. once you have your receipt in hand, find a table and they will call out the check number and your name. the staff are cheery and handle the crowds efficiently and politely. collect your delicious meal at the counter. sodas are also refillable and self serve.

i had a combo plate of 3 meat + 1 side. i went with brisket, pulled pork, and handmade regular pork sausage. the side was mac n cheese with bacon. i also decided to try the banana pudding. the meats were awesome! it doesn't look that big at first but it fills you up. the brisket was tender, the pork was juicy, and the sausage had a great flavour. all smothered in somebbqsauce and you're in texasbbqheaven. the mac n cheese was creamy and the bacon added a great crunch. the pudding was nice with cookies on top and chunks of banana and cake too.

definitely seek this place out if visiting dallas. it's located just outside downtown so just hop on a train to deep ellum. it's worth it!

if you're looking for real bbq, this is the place.  we got there early evening and the line was already forming.  unfortunately, the beef ribs were already sold out.  ordered a number of sample/combo meals.  included was, brisket, ribs, sausage and pulled pork.   side dish was the mac n cheese.  the brisket was out of this world.  words do not do the brisket justice.  the bark, the flavor, tenderness were fantastic.    the ribs (pork) were good flavor and pulled pork had excellent smoke and bark mixed in.   those three were excellent.   the sausage...... heh  was ok just not on the same par as the others and certainly nowhere close to the brisket.    next time in dallas, we will try to get there earlier to order the beef rib and just get more brisket...... it was that good!      almost forgot about the mac n cheese.   it was excellent.    the only way to go wrong if you're looking for realbbqin dallas is to not go here.   this is a must!!!!!!

the smell alone is enough to make any sane meat-eating humane go crazy. outside of the peak busy hours, this place is great for groups and after work beers. i felt thebbqwas a bit dry for my taste but the buttermilk fried chicken was delicious. enjoyed the atmosphere and the live music on the patio.

this is definitely not somewhere i could eat everyday, but it's so worth waiting in line to hit up every few weeks. easily some of the bestbbqin dallas. grab the brisket, mac + cheese, and collard greens, and you're good to go.

p.s. prepare for a food-induced coma afterwards. seriously.

to be honest, i was very skeptical that pecan lodge would live up to all the hype surrounding it as it seems most restaurants in deep ellum can't, but i was pleasantly proved wrong. the "hot mess" was everything i hoped it would be and more. it was hands down the best sweet potato i have ever had {sorry mom}. the real winner however was the mac 'n cheese. i might just sell my soul for a tub of that mac and cheese on an icy winter day, and that sadly, is not an exaggeration. be prepared for your hair to smell likebbqfor the rest of the day, but that is a sacrifice you should be wiling to make. you may also want a friend to bring a wheelbarrow to roll you out after you have gorged yourself on some classic texas fare.