Southside Market: Maybe the oldest in the state, since 1882??? Well Bless Their Hearts

Southside Market & BBQ www.southsidemarket.com

Locations*

Elgin

1212 Highway 290

Elgin, TX 78621

512-281-4650

Bastrop

534 Highway 71

Bastrop, TX 78602

512-575-9037

Hutto

106 Co-Op Blvd

Hutto, TX 78634

512-518-2117

Austin

10515 N Mopac Expy

Suite B-225

Austin, TX 78759

512-838-3600

Leander

1420 Shimmering Lane

Leander, TX 78641

512-817-4991

Opened 1882

Southside Market in Elgin is a certified Texas BBQ landmark. They’ve been open since 1882, which means they were smoking meat before most people had electricity—so yeah, they’ve earned some reverence. If longevity alone was a flavor, this place would be full-bodied and well-aged. So we came in ready to pay respects and maybe get our minds blown.

The first thing you notice: this place is massive. It’s more BBQ megaplex than roadside smokehouse, and if you didn’t come for the brisket, you might get distracted by the ice cream counter or the merch wall. We’re talking a full-blown meat factory—and we’re pretty sure we overheard someone mention they co-pack sausages for other BBQ joints in the area. That tracks. It’s got commercial volume written all over it.

Now, to the meat of it—literally. We tried the usual lineup: brisket, sausage, ribs. The brisket was... fine. Not dry, not bad, but lacking the depth of smoke or rich bark we were hoping for. It felt a little too safe. The sausage, which should be a standout given their production scale, had good snap but a pretty standard flavor. Ribs were on the sweeter side, a bit soft on texture. Sides? Serviceable, but we’ll be honest—they didn’t stay on the table long.

Southside Market appeared on Texas Monthly's 1997 top 50 list, and has not made an appearance there or on the Texas Monthly's Honorable Mentions lists since. Southside Market is definately one of the oldest BBQ joints in the state, but their claim of being the oldest is a saga of it's own to be sure. Daniel Vaughn, the BBQ Editor at Texas Monthly has dug into the claims, and it's still a little smokey as to whether that title belongs in Elgin or possibly owned by another cathedral of smoke: Kreuz Market. To be clear: we didn’t hate it. We just didn’t leave plotting our next visit. That said, we’d give it another shot. Places like Southside don’t last over 140 years without doing something right—maybe we caught an off day. Maybe we were distracted by the sheer size of the place. Maybe we just like our BBQ a little messier, a little smokier, with a little more… soul.

Overall rating: More history than hype, but we’re open to a rematch.

*As of 4/30/2025, hours vary by location. Check their website for details