Piggy Blue's Bar-B-Que — Restaurant in Austin

We love to visit crazy places around the US and the SPAM museum has been on our list of places to see for some time now. But one thing they don’t have there is lunch - unless you count getting some a can of SPAM from the gift shop and going to town on a bench outside.

But they do have a recommendation and that was to Piggy Blues, right down the street. Piggy Blues is a barbecue place and I love barbecue but I was there for something much different - SPAM. Because unlike the people in the Monty Python skit, I like SPAM, SPAM, SPAM and SPAM. So there.

We went in and sat down and grabbed a menu and…what the French, toast…there was no SPAM. When our server came over to start our drink orders I told her we were there for SPAM but didn’t see any but she quickly hustled-up a menu of only SPAM-centered items.

SPAM fries, SPAM burger, 3 piggies and a SPAM Po’Boy. Oh yeah.

My poor wifey is one one of those low-carb Diest so she got a SPAM burger without a bun. It was a piece of fried SPAM with cheese on top.

But I went whole hog (hehe) and got the SPAM Po’Boy and it was really, really good. If you like SPAM, of course.

Thick cuts of fried SPAM and all the other things you’d expect on a Po’Boy sandwich. This was also served on a pretty delightful French too with that great crust that has a crunch but a soft, wonderful interior. Yum-o! There was also a surprise in the package, fries. But not on the side, these were in the sandwich. That just added fuel to the fire, folks. Goooood stuff.

I can’t speak to the barbecue at this barbecue restaurant but the fact that they had home-made sauces is a good sign. But if you’re in town for SPAM and you want a mouthful to go with your eyeful, you could definitely enjoy yourself here.

Oh, and I loved all the silly decorations all over including all the Kellogg’s cereal...

We decided to go to Austin to get out of Rochester for a few hours this last weekend. The plan was to do the Spam museum...again, and tendermaid for lunch. Well, we got a late start and tendermaid was closing for the day by the time we got there.

After a little googling we decided to try Piggy Blues.

The place is clearly local with an older bar and diner vibe. At 2pm, it was pretty full when we got there. We were seated promptly and served drinks but after ordering, the food took about 20 minutes to arrive. Not sure why that is. Surely they don't do brisket in 20 mins, should be scoop and serve but in any case, the food was pretty good when it did come. We got the Smoky Smargasboard - $29 - to share and my 9 year old chose the Kansas City plate - $11.25 - mostly because it could come with no hint of vegetables.

The meats were generally very good except perhaps for the turkey which was Griswold Christmas dry. The star of the show was the sauces they had for you to try. My kid loved the Jackass because, you guessed it, because of the name. Mine was the inferno which was not super spicy hot but had good tang and flavour, and a little heat.

The meal ended well, especially for the 9 year old, with house made - supposedly - gelato.

Total bill came to $64 with tip.

We'd come back again when we go visit the Spam...

Food was awesome! Flavorful sauces, great textures between the tender meat and crispy potatoes! Wish I had a Piggy Blue's near me and not the overrated Bar-B-Que chains in my area! Finally, great Bar-B-Que in the North! Friendly service staff, too. The atmosphere is hit and miss. First, it is a fun, friendly, family atmosphere. Lots of people talking, laughing, and having a good time sharing a great meal. However, as for the decorative portion of the atmosphere it is that typical, out-dated "junk-on-the-walls" barbecue decor, which is gine if you are into that "junk that hasn't been dusted since they opened" theme that too many restaurants try to pull off in my opinion. Sure, it is fun and charming the first time you see it in a restaurant, but it is not so quirky when seemingly 1/3 of restaurants decorate with walls full of flair now. And, seemingly every barbecue and southern joint do it as does half the steakhouses and burger places now! But, for those like me who are over this long out-dated decorative trend that seems to dominate too many food genres, the food is more than worth it! Don't judge this Piggy Blue book by it's dust covered-dust jacket! It's food is not like the chain barbecue it emulates in style! For their awesome barbecue meet and potatoes, I would climb through the pits of the...