Betty Rose's Little Brisket — Restaurant in Abilene

Abilene has 2 locations; this review is for the north side location (E. Lake Rd.) I’ve tried this place on three occasions now, and have had mixed experiences. None have been spectacular encounters, but on two occasions the food was not bad. However, every time I’ve been here, the staff is apathetic and borderline rude. They’re usually out of at least one item I want to order or mess the order up. My third visit was my worst experience. I think maybe because it was a Sunday, and the owners or managers weren’t there, but none of the 4 or 5 employees I observed were wearing face coverings as mandated by the governor. The brisket looked moist, but was dry; the sausage was cold to the touch, as if it had been refrigerated. I wondered if the meats weren’t leftover from yesterday, since I didn’t see anyone out back cooking. If that’s the case, then I’m even more upset that I had to pay full price for leftovers. Then they failed to give me part of my order, I only found out after I returned home. So I drove back over there, and I was met with more apathy. When I asked for an extra side of ranch, (I had ordered fried cheese too and it hadn’t come with ranch, wth?), the girl walked over, grabbed it, walked back and handed it to me without so much as a word. She then promptly shut the window. I found her very unapologetic and rude, even though I was the one who had been inconvenienced! And they’re stingy with their ranch dressing. On a previous visit, I had asked for extras even if they had to charge me. I was assured it would be no problem, only to arrive home and find one side cup that was only about half full. To sum up, the food is decent but overpriced. The staff’s attitude and work ethic leave a lot to be desired. The food may not always be fresh, and your order will likely be bungled. They’re stingy with their ranch, but they’ll happily serve you a free side...

Service was slow. Gal took my drink order and finally brought my drink after cleaning a table and helping another table. She said she would get me a straw but didn’t. I went looking at the drink station but nothing. So I went to the counter and asked for one. She took one out and threw it on the counter even with me having my hand out. Same way when paying out. I handed her my card and she threw it on the counter instead of handing it to me. I guess they don’t have any manners nowadays.

Now to the food. It was of generous portions. I had the 2 meat sandwich of brisket and jalapeño cheese sausage. The brisket had little flavor, a little over cooked and a good smoke smell and flavor. It needed sauce to help it out. The sausage was good and so was the potato salad. The cabbage was too except for the core sections that were left in the mix. The bun fell apart way before I finished. Not a a fan of those type of buns. Way to weak for this type of sandwich. Now I grew up in a family restaurant and know how to operate and run one. Management needs to teach the wait staff to be more efficient and take better care of the customers. I will try again and make my final decision at another time. So work on those things and we will...

We are here on our way home to Waco and we're rather disappointed... my husband and I are hardcore BBQ people and the food unfortunately didn't meet half our expectations. We were hopeful after the good fried pickle appetizer and upon recieving my husband's brisket, which had a lovely red smoke ring and wonderful texture. Sadly, it was utterly void of flavor. It was odd, really- you took a bite and the texture was there but you tasted nothing. Even doused in BBQ sauce and salt, you couldn't make it taste like brisket. My pulled pork sandwichd was an alright texture, but almost gamey. Again, doused it in BBQ sauce to try and help but it didn't do much. Macaroni salad was pretty good, but the meat itself could easily be beat by Rudy's or Rib Crib- and the price? Positively outrageous for what you get. Not to mention my husband didn't even get cornbread with his $14 plate (our fault for not even realizing until we paid...) Server was very sweet, though. But again, a BBQ joint is all about the meat and we got ALMOST everything but. Perhaps it's just a bad batch of brisket and...