Best Barbecue in Pasadena, TX: 8 Brisket and Rib Joints

Our four barbecue picks inside Pasadena, Texas city limits are Andy’s Hawg Wild BAR B-QUE, Grand Prize Barbeque, No Name Bar-B-Q, and Pappas Bar-B-Q, plus four more a short drive away in Deer Park, South Houston, La Porte, and Seabrook. Start with our best BBQ in Houston guide for the full city picture; this guide narrows the focus to the Pasadena corridor.

The detail that surprises most first-timers: two of the four Pasadena joints are closed on weekends. Grand Prize Barbeque on the Pasadena Freeway serves lunch only, Monday through Friday, and No Name Bar-B-Q on South Pasadena Boulevard also keeps weekday hours. Plan your timing before you drive, or you will be looking at locked doors on a Saturday.

How we chose

We included BBQ joints that focus on smoked brisket, ribs, or both — not spots that serve BBQ as a side offering. Each pick was checked against its own official site or official social media page. For picks outside Pasadena city limits, we drew the boundary at neighboring cities: Deer Park to the east, South Houston to the west, La Porte to the southeast, and Seabrook to the south — all a short drive from central Pasadena.

We left out Korean BBQ (a different format) and national chains without a local identity. Hours change — treat every schedule below as “typically” and confirm before you drive.

Which BBQ joints are in Pasadena proper?

Four barbecue joints sit inside Pasadena city limits: Andy’s Hawg Wild, Grand Prize, No Name, and Pappas Bar-B-Q.

Andy’s Hawg Wild BAR B-QUE

2826 Dedman St, Pasadena · typically Monday–Saturday, closed Sunday

Andy’s Hawg Wild BAR B-QUE on Dedman Street in Pasadena is an independent joint whose menu walks a Texas-Tennessee line: chopped and sliced brisket and one-, two- and three-meat plates alongside a Tennessee-style pulled pork sandwich. The sides and extras go further than most. Look for baked potato salad (sold plain or topped with your choice of meat), boudin, and armadillo eggs — jalapeños stuffed with cream cheese, wrapped in spicy sausage and bacon, smoked, then deep-fried. The oddball item worth knowing about is the Pork-Bob: two pork shanks, deep-fried and dipped in barbecue sauce.

The official site lists more than one set of hours (Monday–Saturday 10 AM–7:45 PM in one place, 11 AM–8 PM in another), so call ahead if you are cutting it close to closing.

Order: Brisket is the flagship, but the armadillo eggs and the Pork-Bob are the items first-time visitors don’t expect.

Grand Prize Barbeque

3002 Pasadena Freeway (TX-225), Pasadena · typically Mon–Fri 10:30 AM–3:30 PM, closed weekends

Grand Prize Barbeque runs two locations — this one on the Pasadena Freeway and a second on Palmer Highway in Texas City — and the Pasadena outpost serves lunch only, weekdays only. Meats are smoked in the restaurant’s own wood-burning pit, and the restaurant says it has been featured in the Texas Monthly restaurant guide. The menu lists jalapeño cheese bread (sold by the loaf, and used for sandwiches and burgers) and a homemade pecan pie, and runs to pork belly burnt ends, stuffed brisket jalapeños, boudin balls, and a giant BBQ baked potato stuffed with butter, cheese, bacon, sour cream and chives.

Insider tip: around the holidays, Grand Prize will smoke your turkey for you — check its site for the per-pound price and ordering window.

Order: Pork belly burnt ends and a loaf of jalapeño cheese bread to take home. Arrive by noon — with a 3:30 PM close, the kitchen has less runway than most. Saving room? Grand Prize’s homemade pecan pie is the dessert to know on this corridor; for more, see our best pie shops in Houston.

No Name Bar-B-Q

101 S. Pasadena Blvd, Pasadena · typically Mon–Fri 10 AM–7 PM, closed weekends

No Name Bar-B-Q on South Pasadena Boulevard, just off Highway 225 near the Ship Channel, is a no-frills neighborhood joint whose name doubles as its personality. Its official site keeps the pitch to the basics: ribs, brisket, chicken, pork, turkey, and sausage. Like Grand Prize, it keeps a weekday schedule, so this is a Monday-through-Friday stop.

Order: Sliced brisket and ribs. Its official site doesn’t post hours (the weekday hours above come from its Instagram bio), so call (713) 472-7249 before you go.

Pappas Bar-B-Q

2336 Oleander Dr, Pasadena · dining room typically daily 11 AM–9 PM; drive-thru opens 6:30 AM weekdays

Pappas Bar-B-Q on Oleander Drive is the most accessible option in Pasadena: open every day, with a menu covering brisket, ribs, chicken, sausage, and sides. As part of the Houston-based Pappas family of restaurants, it delivers reliable, familiar execution rather than a pitmaster’s personal vision. It’s the right choice for weekend BBQ, a group with mixed preferences, or off-hour cravings.

The detail most people miss: on weekdays the Pasadena drive-thru opens at 6:30 AM and serves breakfast until 10 AM (drive-thru only), then closes for an hour before lunch. That makes it the earliest-opening pick in this guide on weekdays, and the one to know on the way to an early shift.

Order: Two-meat plate to compare brisket and ribs.

Where to find BBQ just outside Pasadena

Four more picks sit in cities that border Pasadena or lie a short drive south. None requires a major detour.

The Perfect Rack Bar and Grill — South Houston

911 Spencer Hwy, South Houston · typically daily 11 AM–midnight

Spencer Highway runs through both Pasadena and South Houston, and The Perfect Rack Bar and Grill sits just across the city line. It’s a BBQ bar-and-grill hybrid — full bar, pool, happy hour daily from 11 AM to 8 PM — built around smoked meats. The headliner is the Dino Rib at $38.99, but it is available Saturday and Sunday only. The rest of the week, the brisket sandwich on Hawaiian sweet buns ($12.99) and the one-pound “Tri-Blend” burger, made from brisket, prime chuck, and rib meat ($14.99 with fries), carry the menu. Late hours make this the pick after the weekday-only Pasadena spots have closed.

Order: Dino Rib on a weekend; brisket sandwich or Tri-Blend burger any other day.

The Brisket House — Deer Park

3217 Center St, Deer Park · typically Mon–Sat 11 AM–8 PM, Sun 11 AM–6 PM

Deer Park shares a city boundary with east Pasadena, and The Brisket House on Center Street is a short drive east of central Pasadena. The family-owned restaurant opened its first location on Woodway Drive in Houston in May 2010 and added Deer Park two years later. Brisket is smoked 12 to 14 hours every night over oak with a house spice blend, and the BBQ sauce is made fresh daily. The sandwich worth the trip is Wayne’s PB&J — not peanut butter and jelly, but pulled pork, brisket, and jalapeño sausage with coleslaw on a jalapeño cheese bun ($15). Brisket by the half pound is $16.50, and the banana pudding is homemade.

Order: Wayne’s PB&J and banana pudding. Open seven days, making it the go-to for Sunday BBQ on this corridor.

King’s BBQ — La Porte

521 W Main St, La Porte · hours not posted on the official site; call (281) 470-8358

King’s BBQ on West Main Street in La Porte is a local barbecue spot southeast of Pasadena, covering brisket, chicken, ribs, and sausage, with catering on the side. Pair it with a walk around La Porte’s Main Street or a trip to the bay. Because King’s doesn’t publish hours on its own site, call before you drive.

Order: Brisket plate.

Dave’s Smokehouse — Seabrook

537 Kirby Rd, Seabrook · typically Tue–Sat 10:30 AM–7 PM, closed Sun–Mon

Dave’s Smokehouse is part of Bay Area Meat Market on Kirby Road in Seabrook, in the Clear Lake area south of Pasadena. Family-owned since 1984, it slow-smokes fresh, never-frozen USDA Choice brisket for up to 12 hours over Texas Post Oak, with no liquid smoke. Sliced brisket and pork ribs frequently sell out by mid-afternoon; the smokehouse itself suggests arriving before 1 PM for the best burnt ends. On your way out, pick up hand-cut raw meat, Dave’s Original Sauce, or a bag of Texas Post Oak chips from the attached market and smoke your own at home.

Order: Sliced brisket and pork ribs, or the two-meat plate. Buy a dry rub from the market to take home.

Save this: The Pasadena BBQ Route

This route works Monday through Friday, when all four Pasadena joints are open.

1. 10 AM — No Name Bar-B-Q at 101 S. Pasadena Blvd: Start with sliced brisket (call ahead to confirm it’s open).
2. 11:30 AM — Grand Prize Barbeque at 3002 Pasadena Freeway: Order pork belly burnt ends and grab a loaf of jalapeño cheese bread. It closes at 3:30 PM, so get there by noon.
3. 1 PM — Andy’s Hawg Wild at 2826 Dedman St: Compare brisket and Tennessee-style pulled pork, and try the armadillo eggs.
4. Weekend alternative — The Brisket House at 3217 Center St, Deer Park, then The Perfect Rack on Spencer Highway for the Saturday-and-Sunday-only Dino Rib.

Bring a group and share plates across stops. Use a rideshare if the afternoon stretches.

More Texas BBQ near Houston

For the major destination pitmasters and out-the-door lines, see our best BBQ in Houston guide and the pitmaster profiles at CorkScrew BBQ and Ray’s Real Pit BBQ Shack. One town east, our Baytown barbecue guide picks up where this one ends. Staying in town for dinner? Try our picks for the best Mexican restaurants in Pasadena and the best bars in Pasadena.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best BBQ in Pasadena, TX?

Andy’s Hawg Wild BAR B-QUE on Dedman Street and Grand Prize Barbeque on the Pasadena Freeway are our top independent picks in Pasadena proper. Andy’s is typically open Monday through Saturday; Grand Prize is weekdays only, closing at 3:30 PM. For weekend BBQ, Pappas Bar-B-Q on Oleander Drive (daily) and The Brisket House in Deer Park (open seven days) are the reliable options.

Which Pasadena TX BBQ restaurants are closed on weekends?

Grand Prize Barbeque at 3002 Pasadena Freeway and No Name Bar-B-Q at 101 S. Pasadena Blvd are typically open Monday through Friday only. Grand Prize serves lunch only, from 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM, so plan a weekday visit for both.

Is there BBQ in Pasadena TX open on weekends?

Yes. Pappas Bar-B-Q at 2336 Oleander Dr is open daily, and Andy’s Hawg Wild is typically open Saturdays. The Brisket House in Deer Park (3217 Center St) is open seven days, and The Perfect Rack in South Houston serves its Dino Rib only on Saturdays and Sundays.

What is the PB&J at The Brisket House in Deer Park?

Wayne’s PB&J at The Brisket House, 3217 Center St in Deer Park, is a barbecue sandwich, not peanut butter and jelly: pulled pork, brisket, and jalapeño sausage with coleslaw on a jalapeño cheese bun. The restaurant smokes its brisket 12 to 14 hours over oak and is typically open Monday through Saturday 11 AM–8 PM and Sunday 11 AM–6 PM.

When can you get the Dino Rib at The Perfect Rack in South Houston?

The Dino Rib at The Perfect Rack Bar and Grill, 911 Spencer Hwy in South Houston, is available Saturday and Sunday only, at $38.99 on the official menu. The bar and grill itself is typically open daily from 11 AM to midnight.

Does Grand Prize Barbeque in Pasadena serve on weekends?

No. Grand Prize Barbeque at 3002 Pasadena Freeway in Pasadena is typically open Monday through Friday, 10:30 AM to 3:30 PM, and closed Saturday and Sunday. Its Texas City location on Palmer Highway is open Saturdays.