Barbecue in Alief, Houston: Brisket, Beef Links and 9 Grills

Alief's Texas barbecue pit is Guillory's Bar-B-Que on Bissonnet Street, which smokes brisket and ribs and makes its own beef links. Beyond the pit, Alief's barbecue runs on fire of every kind: cabrito and fajitas at Tequila Lopez and Lopez Mexican Restaurant, Korean tabletop grills at KPOT and Taste of Korea, Vietnamese grilled pork at Bodard Bistro, and a grill menu at Chez Michelle on Highway 6. Here are nine verified places, all inside Alief, plus a route you can save.

Our one-line version: in Alief, barbecue speaks five languages, and you can taste all of them without leaving southwest Houston.

Where is Alief? How we define it

For this guide, Alief means the City of Houston's Alief Super Neighborhood 25: the Westpark Tollway on the north, the Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8) on the east, Highway 6 on the west and the Fort Bend County line on the south, according to the City of Houston. That covers most of ZIP codes 77072, 77099 and 77083. Every pick below sits inside that box.

Places east of the Beltway, including the barbecue counters of central Chinatown, are in our Chinatown barbecue guide instead. The city's page also notes that Houston began annexing Alief in 1977, so the neighborhood has had a Houston address for less than 50 years.

The quick list

• Texas brisket, ribs and beef links: Guillory's Bar-B-Que, 11851 Bissonnet St.
• Cabrito on a sizzling plate: Tequila Lopez Mexican Restaurant, 8145 S Highway 6.
• Fajitas from a family kitchen open since 1978: Lopez Mexican Restaurant, 11606 S Wilcrest Dr.
• All-you-can-eat Korean BBQ (and hot pot): KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot, 10790 Bellaire Blvd.
• Korean BBQ with no buffet clock: Taste of Korea BBQ, 6968 Wilcrest Dr.
• Vietnamese grilled pork rolls: Bodard Bistro, 11360 Bellaire Blvd.
• Broken rice and pork chops: Thuan Kieu Com Tam, 10792 Bellaire Blvd.
• Grilled beef in vine leaves: Nam Giao, 6938 Wilcrest Dr.
• Whole grilled fish and suya: Chez Michelle, 6991 S Highway 6.

How we chose

We counted barbecue as any cooking built on smoke, coals or a hot grill: Texas pit barbecue, Tex-Mex fajitas and cabrito, Korean tabletop barbecue, Vietnamese grilled pork and African grilled fish. Every place had to sit inside the Alief Super Neighborhood and show current hours, a live menu or online ordering on its own official website in November 2026.

We left out spots we could not confirm on an official site, and a few well-known names that are close but outside the line. Hours and prices change, so treat everything below as typical and check the restaurant's site before you go.

Where is the Texas barbecue in Alief?

Guillory's Bar-B-Que on Bissonnet Street is Alief's Texas barbecue joint: smoked brisket, ribs, boudin and a homemade beef link.

Guillory's Bar-B-Que

11851 Bissonnet St · Texas barbecue · site lists 10:45 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Guillory's Bar-B-Que on Bissonnet Street in Alief sells brisket and ribs by the plate or by the pound, with dinner plates that come with two sides and Texas toast. The menu also carries boudain, mild or spicy, served plain or loaded, a nod to the Louisiana-leaning barbecue of Southeast Texas.

The "I didn't know that" moment: Guillory's menu lists a homemade beef link with a blunt note beside it: the link is not a sausage. It's a Beaumont-style beef link, the soft, all-beef link of Southeast Texas barbecue. Order the Home Made Beef Plate or a beef link sandwich and taste a regional specialty you rarely see on a Houston menu.

What to order: the brisket plate, the ribs, and a beef link on the side. The daily three-meat plate (two spare ribs, chicken and sausage with two small sides) is typically the best value on the board. Around the holidays, the site takes phone orders for a whole smoked turkey that it says feeds up to 10.

Good to know: the site lists hours but not days. Call before a Sunday or Monday trip.

Where to get fajitas and cabrito in Alief

Tex-Mex grilling is barbecue's closest cousin, and Alief has two long-running family restaurants that do it well: Tequila Lopez on Highway 6 and Lopez Mexican Restaurant on Wilcrest.

Tequila Lopez Mexican Restaurant

8145 S Highway 6, Suite 144 · Tex-Mex · typically Mon–Thu 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Fri–Sat to 10 p.m., Sun to 8 p.m.

Tequila Lopez on Highway 6 in Alief says it has been serving Houston since 1979, and its menu calls cabrito, young goat, "our specialty." It arrives on a sizzling plate with charro beans, rice, pico de gallo and tortillas. Cabrito is a South Texas ranch tradition, and finding it on a Houston menu at all is a treat.

What to order: the cabrito, or fajitas for the table, sold for one to four people. Carne asada comes as fajita skirt steak on a sizzling plate. Weekday lunch specials typically run 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and include a single fajita plate.

Lopez Mexican Restaurant

11606 S Wilcrest Dr · Tex-Mex · typically Mon–Sat 11 a.m.–9 p.m., closed Sunday

Lopez Mexican Restaurant on South Wilcrest Drive has been open since 1978, according to the family's own history. Its "Grilled Specialties" section is where the fire is: beef, chicken or mixed fajitas over sizzling grilled onions and peppers, an 8-ounce asada steak, and carnes rancheras with a rib-eye or pork chops.

What to order: mixed fajitas for two, with a margarita. Weekday happy hour typically runs 2 to 6 p.m.

More Alief Tex-Mex, taquerias and bakeries are in our Mexican restaurants in Alief guide, and the citywide classics are in our best Tex-Mex in Houston guide.

Where to get Korean BBQ in Alief

KPOT on Bellaire Boulevard is the all-you-can-eat option with hot pot on the side; Taste of Korea on Wilcrest is the smaller, order-off-the-menu Korean barbecue room.

KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot

10790 Bellaire Blvd · all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ and hot pot · typically Sun–Thu noon–10:30 p.m., Fri–Sat to 11:30 p.m.

KPOT on Bellaire Boulevard in Alief lets your table pick Korean barbecue, hot pot or both, and both typically costs $5 more per person. The whole table has to choose the same option, and there's a two-hour limit. Weekday lunch, typically until 3 p.m., is the cheaper ticket; dinner pricing runs on weekday evenings, weekends and holidays.

Insider tip: last seating is typically one hour before closing, so a 10 p.m. Friday arrival is too late for a full round.

Taste of Korea BBQ

6968 Wilcrest Dr, Suite A · Korean BBQ · typically noon–10 p.m., Fri–Sat to 11 p.m., closed Tuesday

Taste of Korea BBQ on Wilcrest Drive bills itself as "Prime Korean BBQ," with a regular menu, a lunch menu and online ordering on its site. It's the pick when you'd rather order a few cuts and soups than race a buffet timer.

Good to know: it's closed on Tuesdays, which catches people out.

For Korean barbecue across the city, see our best Korean BBQ in Houston guide. KPOT also appears in our hot pot guide.

Where to get Vietnamese grilled pork in Alief

Alief's Vietnamese kitchens grill as seriously as any pitmaster, and Bodard Bistro, Thuan Kieu Com Tam and Nam Giao are three good places to taste it.

Bodard Bistro

11360 Bellaire Blvd, Suite 100 · Vietnamese and Chinese · typically 9 a.m.–8 p.m.

Bodard Bistro on Bellaire Boulevard in Alief is known for nem nuong, grilled pork paste. Its menu lists Nha Trang-style grilled pork rolls wrapped with lettuce in rice paper, a platter of grilled pork paste to roll yourself, and bun thit nuong, charbroiled pork over vermicelli with an egg roll.

What to order: the nem nuong rolls to start, then the grilled pork chop with steamed rice. For a party, the site sells Vietnamese-style grilled pork or chicken by the pound.

Good to know: one page of the restaurant's site says it closes Tuesdays and another says it's open daily, so check before a Tuesday visit.

Thuan Kieu Com Tam

10792 Bellaire Blvd · broken rice · typically daily 9 a.m.–9 p.m.

Thuan Kieu Com Tam on Bellaire Boulevard is a family-owned restaurant built around com tam, the broken-rice plates of southern Vietnam. The site's own example is its C11 plate: pork chop, baked egg and tofu skin over broken rice.

Insider tip: the restaurant offers family-size portions for groups of up to 10, which makes it an easy call for a big table.

Nam Giao

6938 Wilcrest Dr · cooking of Hue · typically 9 a.m.–9 p.m.

Nam Giao on Wilcrest Drive cooks the food of Hue in central Vietnam and is recognized in the MICHELIN Guide. The grill dish to order is the one Michelin calls out: flank steak wrapped in vine leaves and grilled, served with bundles of vermicelli.

Good to know: the restaurant's ordering site lists it open daily, while the MICHELIN Guide lists it closed on Thursdays. Check before a Thursday trip.

More pho, banh mi and broken rice across the city are in our best Vietnamese restaurants in Houston guide.

Where to get African grilled fish in Alief

Chez Michelle on Highway 6 is Alief's African grill, with whole fish and suya cooked in its "Grill's Zone."

Chez Michelle

6991 S Highway 6 · African, fish-focused · typically noon to midnight

Chez Michelle on Highway 6 calls itself the "House of Fish," and its grill section is the reason to go: whole drum fish in sizes up to 2XL, tilapia, mackerel (listed as maquereau), pork ribs and a chicken plate. The appetizer list includes suya, which the menu describes as beef brisket with fresh herbs.

What to order: a whole grilled drum for the table, with suya to start. It's open late, typically until midnight, which makes it the after-hours barbecue stop in Alief.

For more West and Central African cooking, see our best African restaurants in Houston and best Nigerian restaurants in Houston guides.

Save this: the Alief five-fire route

One day, five barbecue traditions, all inside Alief. Go with a group and share everything.

1. 11 a.m., Guillory's Bar-B-Que (11851 Bissonnet St): brisket and a beef link before the line builds.
2. 1 p.m., Bodard Bistro (11360 Bellaire Blvd): nem nuong rolls as a light second lunch.
3. 3 p.m., Lopez Mexican Restaurant (11606 S Wilcrest Dr): a happy-hour margarita and a fajita taco.
4. 6 p.m., KPOT (10790 Bellaire Blvd): Korean barbecue, or both barbecue and hot pot.
5. 10 p.m., Chez Michelle (6991 S Highway 6): a whole grilled fish, because it's open until midnight.

Before you go: a quick checklist

• Check hours the day you go. Taste of Korea closes Tuesdays, Lopez closes Sundays, and Guillory's doesn't list its days online.
• At KPOT, arrive at least an hour before closing, and agree as a table on barbecue, hot pot or both.
• Order cabrito at Tequila Lopez early in the meal; it's the house specialty.
• At Guillory's, order the beef link. It is not a sausage, and that's the point.
• Going in a big group? Thuan Kieu does family-size portions for up to 10.
• For the classic big-name pits, see our best BBQ in Houston guide. The closest one with Alief roots is Blood Bros. BBQ, started by three friends who grew up in Alief; it's just east on Bellaire Boulevard in the City of Bellaire.

Weekend morning in Alief? Start with our Alief brunch guide and finish at one of the grills above.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the best Texas barbecue in Alief?

Guillory's Bar-B-Que at 11851 Bissonnet St is Alief's Texas barbecue joint, serving smoked brisket, ribs, boudin and a homemade Beaumont-style beef link. Check its site for current hours.

What are the boundaries of Alief in Houston?

The City of Houston's Alief Super Neighborhood is bounded by the Westpark Tollway on the north, the Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8) on the east, Highway 6 on the west and the Fort Bend County line on the south.

Is there Korean BBQ in Alief?

Yes. KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot at 10790 Bellaire Blvd serves all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue with an optional hot pot add-on, and Taste of Korea BBQ at 6968 Wilcrest Dr is a smaller Korean barbecue restaurant that's closed Tuesdays.

Where can I get cabrito in Alief?

Tequila Lopez Mexican Restaurant at 8145 S Highway 6 lists cabrito as its specialty, served on a sizzling plate with charro beans, rice, pico de gallo and tortillas.

What is a Beaumont-style beef link?

It's an all-beef link associated with Beaumont and Southeast Texas barbecue, and Guillory's Bar-B-Que in Alief makes its own. Guillory's menu notes that its homemade beef link is not a sausage.

Which Alief barbecue spot is open latest?

Chez Michelle on Highway 6 typically serves until midnight, with whole grilled fish, pork ribs and suya from its grill menu.