Cooper's Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que — Restaurant in Austin

After a disappointing hour plus waiting for the bats to emerge from Congress Avenue Bridge, we scurried up the street to avoid the massive crowd heading toward Cooper's, arriving just in time. As we walked up and ordered immediately, a drove of bat lovers followed us in and the line was quickly out the door and spilling onto the sidewalk.

You order your Bar-B-Que meat (brisket, ribs, chicken, sausage, etc) by the pound (around $18/pound), 1/2 pound, or 1/4 pound from the young man tending the pit/spit full of meat as you enter. After he slices you off a hunk approximating the weight you requested, you move over to the cafeteria-style buffet line to have your meat weighed, sliced and priced.

Once you have your paper-wrapped meat with bar code, you move down the line to select your sides where containers of potato salad, cole slaw and baked potato toppings are followed by a hot table full of corn on the cob, macaroni and cheese, baked potatoes (all arounf $3.25/each) and an assortment of cobblers (apple, peach, and blackberry the night we were there). They then hand you a plate, a waxed sheet of butcher paper, and send you on your way.

Next you move to the register to order a fountain drink or tea (sweet and not) and pay for your meal. The next stop is the pots full of extra barbecue sauce and wonderful soupy beans, dill pickle slices, sliced bread, and sliced onions (all included in the price) as well as soft drinks and teas. If you want something a bit stronger to drink, the bar is as short walk away where you can get a reasonably priced pint of beer (my IPA was $5.25) or a cocktail of your choosing.

The place is full of long picnic tables where you find space enough for your party and join complete strangers (much like what you would experience in Germany) to consume your bounty.

The brisket we ordered was tender, succulent and delicious, sliced thinly with just a tad of fat along the edge. The potato salad and coleslaw were equally as good and the baked potato was, well, a baked potato. Some additional potato toppings, other than the scant containers of cheddar cheese, butter, bacon bits and horseradish, would be nice (chives, sour cream, etc.) would have been welcome. Fortunately, each table has a roll of paper towels (which are consumed quite frequently), condiments and a huge jar full of jalapeños.

The two of us ate quite well for $24.77 plus $5.25 for my IPA and a total of just over $30, an excellent price for such a feast, particularly in downtown Austin. The only improvements I would recommend, minor adjustments at most, would be the additional baked potato toppings mentioned earlier and possibly another potato option or two (e.g. french fries). The only diet drink choice was Diet Coke, so another low-cal option or two would also be a nice addition.

CombatCritic Gives Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More...

Came to Cooper’s today for a late lunch. It was our first time here. (We wanted to go to La BBQ originally, but when we got there the line was around the block so we went to Franklin’s. We were pleased that the line was short, but minutes later were told that there was no food left…thus we ended up at Cooper’s.)

As local Austinites we know good BBQ. Smitty's, Franklin’s, Blacks… the reviews on this place were high so we thought we would try it. First impression coming in was relief that there were no long lines, we were starving. There was no hostess and no sign directing us where to go, we walked around the bar to see the order location. The meat attendant didn’t greet us, he just stood and stared until my husband said he would take 1/2 a lb of brisket with charred ends. The attendant replied with , “That all?” We then asked for a 1/2 rack of pork ribs and 1/2 lb of turkey. He gave us a tray with the meat on it. We advanced to the next area with sides. There were two attendants, the male greeted us, I asked if we served ourselves so I grabbed some potato salad and started to advance to the register when a female asked for our tray, she then weighed our meat, wrapped it and gave it back. My husband selected the jalapeno bacon Mac-n-cheese as his side. At the register the attendant was nice, she let us know BBQ sauce and beans were available next to the drinks. My husband went to procure the suggested items while I took our trays outside to the patio.

The seats for the patio tables were welded way too far back so I had to sit on the edge and lean towards the tabletop to eat. Once we got everything unwrapped we were really disappointed to see how badly the brisket was cut. It was so fatty and barely had any meat. There were several yummy charred edges as requested, but even the cleaner pieces without the edges were full of fat. To think of the money wasted on that! What a rip off! The beans were good. The Mac-n-cheese was flavorless. The ribs and turkey were o.k., nothing to brag about. If anything the brisket and ribs were over salted. The potato salad was very bland, I had to add salt and pepper to it, something I rarely do. I wasn’t a fan of the BBQ sauce. I get that it was a vinegar base, reminded me of Memphis BBQ sauce, but Cooper’s just didn’t have the flavor.

Overall total fail. The entire meal was $110. With a 15% tip. It’s sad to imagine that tourists try this place downtown and think it’s a representation of Texas BBQ. (Rudy’s gas station BBQ has better flavor and service at a more reasonable price.) I guess we were paying $$$$ downtown...

This place had a long line outside on my way to a business function around 7pm on Tuesday. After the event, my coworker and I decided to check it out. It was pretty late, around 9:30pm. We figured they won’t have any line at that point, and we were right. However, 30 minutes before closing, they still had a good amount of people there.

The interior was…well, Texan to me. Bricks, woods, old-fashioned light fixtures and decorations. Making the huge space feel cozy and welcoming. It is surprising to see that with that much space, they still get a long line that goes out into the street…can’t imagine what it is like on the weekends!

Here, it is all about the meat. The ordering counter is at the back and it starts with the meat, side dishes, desserts and then pay at the cashier. Since it was almost closing time, most of their meat offerings were gone. Luckily for me, what I wanted was Brisket and they still had it.

We had no trouble getting a seat, as it was not as busy late at night. They had a few giant jars of Japapeño Peppers on each communal tables, with paper towels and other condiments.

They had a few kinds of complimentary breads on the counter by the wall. They also had complimentary Bean Pot too! How generous...

Now, the MEAT! My Brisket looked somewhat dry without any sauce, but it was incredibly moist and juicy! No words can describe how tender and juicy it was…pure perfection!!! The portion was huge, I didn’t get to finish them all.

I bought one side to go with my meat, Japapeño Bacon Mac N Cheese. It was creamy with good kick to it from japapeño. I didn’t get to finish this one either, so I took more than half of it back to my hotel. For the dessert, I got Peach Cobbler. The cobbler was like the way your grandma from country-side made for you back in the days. Sweet, decadent, welcoming and warm.

Staffs here were not overly friendly but that might have been because we got there about half and hour before they closed. I am sure they were tired and ready to close up. Still, if you talk to them, they are nice and polite. And the food, my goodness, after one bite into the meat, I understood the crazy popularity of this spot. If I ever go back to Austin, I will definitely...