LeRoy and Lewis' New School Barbecue Levels Up
- Scott @ BrisketBus
- Aug 19
- 2 min read
Address: 5621 Emerald Forest Dr.
Austin, Texas 78745
Phone: 512-962-7805
Hours:
Sunday - 11am-9pm
Monday - 11am-9pm
Tuesday - Closed
Wednesday 11am-9pm
Thursday - 11am-9pm
Friday - 11am-10pm
Saturday - 11am-10pm
Year Opened: 2017
Accolades:
That old school service thing, they mean it y'all. Rolled in on a Wednesday around 1:45 p.m., thinking I’d beat the rush. With fewer than 10 folks ahead of me, it still took about 25 minutes to sit down with my plate. They might’ve been training new staff, but the line moved at a slow, smokehouse crawl. Chatting is an artform, and LeRoy and Lewis and company are good at making you feel at home.
The place has that “new-age barn bar” vibe—clean lines, bold colors—feels like it could turn into a lively neighborhood watering hole if it stayed open late enough. Overheard the crew raving about the cheesecake special, which instantly went on my “next time” list.
I went for the two-meat plate—brisket and jalapeño cheese chorizo sausage—with kimchi and miso-glazed carrots.
That sausage was textbook: densely packed with meat and cheese, but not so much you lose the snap. Bite in, casing breaks, molten cheese squishes across your tongue—pure barbecue bliss.
The kimchi was a clever twist on slaw, house-pickled, tangy, not too spicy. The carrots? Roasted and glazed to perfection, sweet meeting savory. Overall their sides menus is a distinctive one and it shows that risk taking in traditions can be rewarding when executed well. Kudos to L&L!
Now for the main event: the brisket had a beautiful smoke ring, bark, and flavor dialed in, but my slice leaned drier than I prefer. Still, the bark’s crunch mingling with the fat’s richness and the meat’s bite made for a killer texture combo. I get why this spot sits at #2 on the 2025 Texas Monthly Top 50—it’s creative, consistent, and unapologetically Texan.
Pro tip: Don’t sleep on their “Anytime Eats” menu if you’re short on time. And if you’re a sauce fan, their classic Texas BBQ and tangy mustard-vinegar options are both worth the dunk. Next trip, I’m gunning for that pulled pork.
Verdict: Bold flavors, inventive sides, and sausage worth writing home about. Come hungry, y’all. The adventurous should check out their locally sourced, house butchered, smoked and grilled steaks to share.
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