Paulina Tran

Moreno Barbecue is great for classic smoked meats. They don’t try to make it fancy. It’s classic barbecue in my opinion. My boyfriend and I got there at 5:15, and they had just sold out of their spare ribs. We settled on brisket, mac and cheese, and the smoked burger. We made it in time for ther burger combo special too. The brisket was nice. The mac and cheese was delicious. The burger was the star. It’s a pretty thick smoked patty with fresh ingredients. We opted for the season curly fries too. The counter service was very friendly. You will have to share tables with others if it is busy.

Victor Castillo

I stopped in for a quick bite. The pork belly taco was next level. The Charro bens were a little spicy with great texture. Will definitely go back.

Subhechha Roy

Food was good! It was a decent spread with pretty good BBQ. We ordered the 3 meal plate with 2 sides which was good proportions for 2. The jalapeño gouda sausage was amazing and the brisket was melt in your mouth. The potato salad could be better. Overall a very standard BBQ.

Scott Smith

Fantastic little bbq spot in South Austin. Brisket Philly and brisket nachos are surpassed only by the magnificent brisket chilequiles.

Victoria Augustine Gunnison

Passing through Austin, googling good bbq and this was worth it! My goodness I am in love and saddened to only be visiting once. So it’s my duty to let y’all know you need to go if you haven’t. The juicy brisket, spare ribs, turkey, pork belly, Gouda mac, banana pudding. Spicy beans were more mom’s thing lol but I still bought an extra 5 spare ribs and 5 brisket for breakfast or dinner tomorrow. Still debating if I wanna bring home to my husband.

+2

The Foodie Crusader

As much as I wanted to try the BBQ, I only came for the one thing to try. I came for the Smoked Smash Burger and it did NOT disappoint, it's one of my new favorite burgers in Austin for sure! The patties are not super juicy, but were nice and meaty with a nice smoky char to them and the edges are nice and crispy. I can't even explain, it but it pairs really well with the brioche bun which is not too sweet but is soft and pillowey. Usually, a jucy paddy with these buns would result in a soggy mess bit not in this case. I skipped the mayo and got everything else, with pepperjack cheese. The burger here has to be featured as one of the best in Austin, no doubt!! The price for the Smash combo is not bad either. I did not leave hungry. I also got the brisket Chili burrito and it was amazing, i just wish they stuffed it more!! Next time I'll try the BBQ, but you gotta try the burger for sure. 1/26 - Came back for more smash burger again and this time NO katchup and mustard, but i used their spicy BBQ sauce and it was really good. NGL, their burgers would kill if they offered burger sauce. I also tried the Brisket Chili this time. Chili was OK, lacked a little flavor, so it could have used a little salt. I ate it with their spicy BBQ sauce and it kicked it up some. I prolly should have asked for some chopped onion. Anyways, another good time here, consistency here is good! Ok, don't sleep on the BBQ here. I tried the pork belly and the brisket and they are so good!! They were both practically melt in your mouth. Soo good, I forgot to take pics!

+4

Martin Andresen

Absolutely. Amazing barbecue, just missed the top 50 in the whole state. The Brisket, the Jalapeño Cheese Sausage, the Pork Ribs all are outstanding very, very good. The Guoda Mac was incredible. The potato salad had a taste of ?? vinegar. Or that kind of flavor, and neither one of us is a big fan of that. You may love it, because there's nothing wrong with it. Great fresh ingredients, but not our taste. Don't forget to buy some of the cheesecake chocolate chip cookies they are amazing.!!!! And the 2 folks behind the counter, a gentleman and a lady were super friendly, super nice. And they made sure we had everything we needed... fantastic experience..

+4

Erica Moreno

We stopped by with the family for lunch and had a great experience. Everyone in my group loved their food. We had brisket, sausage, turkey club, the smash burger, and the smoked burger with curly fries. The brisket was tender, moist, and full of flavor. The bark on it was beautiful and it tasted fantastic, with just the right amount of smoke. The service by the staff (the gentleman slicing the meat, and the young lady at the register) was excellent, they were very friendly and patient with us as our group tried to figure out what to order. The space was nice, and they have lovely shaded outdoor seating as well. If you want really good Texas bbq and don't want to wait hours, this is the place to go! Great place, we will definitely be back!

We’ve now hit Moreno’s BBQ back-to-back — Saturday around 12:20pm and Sunday at 9:30am — both times for pickup with zero line. Fast casual setup with indoor and outdoor seating, super easy in-and-out spot, at least on our trip. We had our first bite of their pork belly at Smoke & Fire Festival (which we remember it being stellar) and then our second bite at Burger Fest where we tried their 1/2lb burger bite. (Which we remember it being thick and hearty, but lacking the smoke flavor and a pretty course grind.) So we wanted to come back and really dive into the BBQ side of things since we heard great things. Service was a little inconsistent. Saturday they forgot our sauce, but the cashier ran it out to us (appreciated that hustle). Sunday, different cashier, initially missed ½ lb of barbacoa, tortillas, and sauce. We caught the meat and tortillas before leaving, but didn’t realize until we got home that the sauce was still missing. Definitely check your order before heading out — unfortunately it seemed to be a theme for both of our visits. Now for the meat: • Moist Brisket – Texturally on point. Tender, pull-apart, juicy. But the smoke profile was also lighter than expected. We were hoping for a deeper smoke penetration. • Turkey – Moist with solid seasoning. Would get again. • Smoked Akaushi Barbacoa – Super tender, but noticeably salty. Once we added beans and avocado which we had at home, it balanced out beautifully. On its own, it needed that contrast in our opinion. • Jalapeño Sausage – Great snap, nice spice, and got some smoke. • Tallow Tortillas – Good texture, but again we were hoping for more smoky character. The absolute standout? Randomly, the Spicy BBQ Sauce. This is not your typical sweet, sticky sauce. It’s thick, bold, almost mole like — feels like a chile-forward sauce made from dried peppers with a real kick. It’s unique, complex, and honestly one of the more impressive sauces we’ve had at a BBQ spot. They should bottle and sell it immediately if they don't. We were genuinely bummed when it was left out Sunday. And then there’s the El Chingón Breakfast Taco — easily the most IMPRESSIVE bite we had across both visits. MASSIVE, flavorful, and just works as a whole. That alone is worth a return trip and we can understand why it's $13! Overall, texture and cook for everything was great, but the smoke depth didn’t quite hit like you'd expect from Texas BBQ. That said, we’d absolutely go back for the breakfast taco and that standout spicy sauce. Like WOW, those are addicting!

Rodrigo Franca

Had visited the other location and lived the burger. Had to try the same at this location and..., this one tastes better. My wife had the 2 pieces BBQ (chicken and brisket) both were really good but one advice, cut the brisket a little thinner.

Crystal C

Got the pork belly tacos. Very tender and juicy. Well loaded. Im not a fan of vinegar coleslaw so I scraped it off. Ate one taco and a side of the cream corn and was plenty full. The cream corn could use some improvement. It needs less pepper, more something. My coworkers enjoyed the pork ribs, brisket and jalapeno sausage. Also said the Mac anf cheese was good but also needed some improvement. Good pickles too.

The Critic

First time here and might be my last. I wasn't too impressed. I got the chicken brisket and smoked barbacoa. The chicken I wouldn't even classify it as a barbecue chicken. It's more of a rotisserie type of chicken. Little bit dry outside was just peppered very bland on the smokiness. With a name like Moreno I was expecting some legit Mexican style barbecue chicken but I think I can get more flavor out of a Walmart rotisserie. Brisket was fatty well marbleized but the smokiness was lacking. You could see a slight red ring around the brisket, but I don't think enough was produced in order for me to enjoy the smokiness of what a true brisket should taste like. Lastly, the smoked barbacoa definitely was the smokiest out of the entire three meat plate. But it was very stringy and probably because it was left in the heat for too long. Which then denatured protein strands. Ended up with a mush of smokiness and fattiness. The two sides I picked were the macaroni and cheese and charro beans. The macaroni and cheese was a bit Al dente for my taste. I could barely taste the Gouda. Charro beans were a little too sweet for my taste and the flour or whatever. Stew base was used. Really didn't impress me. Overall, I think this is an okay place. If you like your food less Smokey prefer the rotisserie chicken approach versus true Mexican chicken on the grill and smoked. Probably won't be coming back or recommending it because I have a high nose snob like taste for barbecue.

Jason Farmer

First thing I have to say is, they don’t have bread. Like, what kind of bbq place doesn’t have a loaf white bread available or even a few slices on the plate?? The brisket was mid. Not dry, but not juicy either. I even got the “moist” but it tasted more like “lean”. Also, the meat had no smoke flavor. You should be able to taste the smoke from Texas BBQ for hours after you eat it. Not here. The pork ribs were good. Jalapeno cheese sausage was ok. Very cheesy and lots of jalapeno flavor. So much flavor that it overpowered the flavor of the sausage. I also tried the smokehouse burger which was recommended by several people. I’ll say straight up, the patty was perfect. 10/10. Thick, juicy, and cooked right. The problem is that the patty was so juicy it made the bottom bun soggy. After a few bites the bun just turned into mush. It doesn’t help that they slather mayo and mustard all over the bottom bun. Unfortunately ruining a delicious patty. The gouda Mac was great. Cream corn was very good, but too much cream and not enough corn. Fries were ok. They use seasoned salt on the fries. Not a complaint, just an observation. The vibe inside is crowded and noisy. I’m not a fan of the communal shared table seating arrangement here. I’m not in a high school cafeteria. This is not an army chow hall. At these prices I deserve my own table… and bread!! I ask again, how can you not serve bread at a bbq joint?? Unfortunately the bbq just doesn’t live up to the hype. I would definitely go back, but I’m not rushing back. I’m still interested in trying some of the other meats and sides. I actually think the smash burger might be really good based on the smoked burger.

Summer Jenee'

I tried Moreno Barbecue recently, and it was a mixed experience for me. I ordered the Frito Pie and honestly didn’t care for it; I was not super hungry so I thought I would try it. I was thinking how can you mess up a Frito Pie. After I tried it...I was like "this is how you mess it up"! It had no flavor, it consisted of house made chili, cheese, and Fritos. I almost wish they had put the canned chili on there, as I was eating it I was thinking of the things they already have on the bar that they could use to level up that Frito Pie. At least some of the green onions at a minimum. It was just not my taste and bland. Others in my party ordered the barbecue plate, and a burger. They said it was okay; it did not quite measure up to Rudy’s for flavor or quality. The service was fine, and the food came out in a reasonable time, but overall, it was just average for us. If you’re nearby and want to give it a try, you might enjoy it more if you stick to the barbecue instead of the Frito Pie.

+2

We have been going to Moreno BBQ for years.... Their smash burgers were in my opinion the best in town, it was a total low key flex to have the best burgers and some of the best BBQ in town. Unfortunately this is no longer the case. There burgers are frozen meat not smashed and looks like a steamed burger from a fast food joint. The quality of the BBQ has also fallen. Maybe it was a distraction to open the new store ? Or change in operations but in the past month we have eaten at the new location and the old location and they both have fallen from the golden days of Moreno. I'm sorry to write this review but we haven't eaten there multiple times and every single time it was a disappointment.

Beatriz Pantoja

The food was enjoyable until we found a hair in our meal, which caused us to lose our appetite. We won't be returning. They should wear hair nets to prevent this—it's so gross.