Micklethwait Barbecue

Everyone in Austin has a barbecue spot where they bring visitors. When we’re playing tour guide, we bring our guests to Micklethwait. Sure, Franklin's brisket might be a hair more consistent, but deciding where to get barbecue in Austin involves a complicated formula using variables like location, wait time, brisket quality, side-dish options, and probably pi. No matter how many times we’ve run the numbers, the combination of excellent smoked meats, inventive sides (plus some actual pies), and semi-reasonable wait times makes Micklethwait perfect for visitors who want to see what Austin barbecue is all about. 

photo credit: Richard Casteel

It’s located in a renovated old house in East Austin with a few tables inside and a large patio out back. You’ll inevitably be met with a line, but unlike other famous spots in town, the wait here won’t require you to set a pre-dawn alarm. Expect about an hour on weekends, but you can minimize your wait time by showing up on a weekday or a few minutes before they open at 11am.  

Micklethwait’s menu covers the classics—brisket, pork ribs, and turkey—plus a few items you might not see every day like pulled lamb, pastrami, and barbacoa. If you get here early enough, you might even have a chance to take on a beef short rib (they sell out fast). They’re massive, incredibly tender, and, most importantly, make you feel like an extra in a Flintstones reboot. 

photo credit: Richard Casteel

But before you eat your way into a meat-induced frenzy, pay attention to the sides, because this is where things really take off. While the rest of Austin is debating between vinegar- and mayo-based coleslaws, the slaw here gets a glow-up with lemon poppy dressing. And the citrus beet salad—sweet, tangy, and with a nice bite—tastes like something we’d get at a sit-down restaurant with tiny shared plates. 

The next time your cousins are visiting town and want to try good barbecue, skip the difficult math and head to Micklethwait. 

Food Rundown

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Brisket

The seasoning on the brisket steers away from the traditional salt and pepper, adding in things like celery seed, onion powder, garlic, chili, mustard, and coriander. The result is a thick, flavorful coating that acts like Velcro to the post oak smoke it’s slow-cooked in. The brisket here is generally very good, though we’ve had the occasional issue with consistency over repeat visits.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Sausage

At Micklethwait, sausage takes center stage. The mainstay on the menu is a Tex-Czech sausage, which is pretty similar to the classic beef and pork variety you see at most barbecue joints, just ground a bit coarser. But beyond that are rotating specials where we’ve seen everything from lamb to wild boar.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Pork Ribs

These are seasoned well, but have a little more bite to them than other spots in town. They aren’t the MVP, but it’s still worth throwing a couple in with your order.

photo credit: Nicolai McCrary

Beef Short Rib

Beef ribs tend to clock in around 1.5 pounds each, so they’re usually something you’re just getting one of for the table. These tend to sell out fast, so get here early if you want one. The bark is dense and packed full of peppery flavor, but once you peel it back you’ll meet a giant mound of soft, shreddable beef.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Sides

The sides here are all scratch-made and some of the best—and most unconventional—you’ll find in town. If you’re here with a large party, try them all. If not, focus on the lemon poppy slaw and the citrus beet salad—they work best as tasty palate cleansers between bites of barbecue. If the meats here weren’t so good, we’d consider making a meal out of the sides alone.

photo credit: Richard Casteel

Dessert

Considering Tom Micklethwait’s past life as a baker, the desserts here are the perfect way to round out a meal. Grab the banana cream for their take on a classic, or get whatever nostalgia-fueled invention they came up with on any given weekend, like housemade twinkies or oatmeal cream pies.