Rollin Smoke BBQ — Restaurant in Austin

Be aware: they've moved to a new, kid-unfriendly location with an unpleasant co-tenant bar. Still great food though.

First off, love Rollin Smoke and their food. For several years my family would walk or ride bikes on the weekend to eat at the truck for a special Saturday or Sunday treat. We'd always order online ahead of time so it was ready when we got there. Anyone with small kids knows how valuable it is to order on your phone and roll up at the specified time so the kids don't have a hangry meltdown. And they were always super nice to the kids (I'd often let my older daughter walk up and place her own order, and they were great to her.)

I ordered today expecting the same. Unfortunately the trailer has moved, but the Toast ordering site (which I had bookmarked) still has the old address, as does the confirmation email you get when you place an order. So, post-swimming with hungry kids, we departed to the 12th street food truck park. Not there, so OK, we trundle back and hop in the minivan. I called the number on the site to just confirm the location and that they got my order (it was charged) but got no answer. So I drove the 10 minutes down to Ceasar Chavez to see what was up.

Note: I only found street parking, but there may be a parking lot somewhere. Signage wasn't super clear.

When we got there, since we parked a block away, I got the kids (4 and 6) out of the car and walked toward where I saw the truck. To the right is a bar/restaurant with a doorman and to the left is an open courtyard with the food truck (and possibly others, but I wasn't looking) and literally not a sole standing around the courtyard. I walked toward the truck with my little girls in tow and the doorman told me I couldn't go in and that kids weren't allowed. I was honestly super confused and told him I was just getting a pre-paid pickup order from the truck. He told me I had to leave my kids in the car. I told him (politely, I thought) that I couldn't just leave my kids in the car parked on the street, that we were just going to pick up our order and leave, and that if he thought we were violating some important rule he was welcome to call APD, but we'd be gone super quick once we had our order. We went to the pickup window and the Rollin Smoke guys were somewhat apologetic about the location mix-up but asked for me to "give some grace" because they'd only been in since Wednesday. Totally fine, and I give plenty of grace. But then I was approached by a very pushy and irate manager from the bar who semi-aggressively approached me (and scared my 4 and 6 year old) accusing me of telling his doorman to call the cops (not what I said) and that I was breaking the law and couldn't be there with my kids. Whatever. If it was crowded with drunk adults, I might have understood a bit more not having kids there, but there was literally not a soul standing around when we were there at 12:20 on Sunday. Still somewhat stunned, I left with my BBQ tray in my hands and two girls asking me why the man was so angry at us.

I hope Rollin Smoke has good luck and success at the new venue. It's too bad that we won't be able to enjoy our ritual of tearing into the BBQ meal onsite like we had gotten used to. Just be aware, you can't bring kids onsite for, um, reasons. I asked the guys in the truck to try to make that clear to customers. Hey, for some, no kids around will be a huge plus! We've eaten all over Austin with my girls at dozens of food trucks, some co-located with bars, and some not. Never before have I had an experience like that. I feel like a boomer meme saying this, but the things that led me and my wife to settle here 15 years ago have changed and we're not the same laid back, live and let live city that so many of us loved.

I will end by restating that the bbq meal we got, and eventually enjoyed at home, was very tasty. But as my 4 year old exclaimed to mom when we walked in the door: "we won't be going back there again--they were so mean!" Definitely not the Rollin Smoke guys that were mean, but to a 4 year old, the difference...

Rollin' Smoke is absolutely my favorite barbecue place in Austin, and I've tried them all. Barbecue in Central Texas is so good that there are gas stations with legitimately good brisket, and so many places do such a good job with it that it's really tough to go wrong.

But if you're really looking for something special, something long-time barbecue aficionados approve of, you've got to find the places that approach smoked meat like an art form. Many of these places have famous names and even more famous long lines; again, among the famous joints its tough to go wrong, even with a two-hour wait. But just like other art forms, if you're really looking for something special you need to seek out the smaller places and connect directly with the artist. That's what you're going to find at Rollin' Smoke.

Seriously, if you're looking to learn a thing or two about what barbecue is all about in this town, head over to the Arbor Food Park and see these guys. Engage them in a conversation about what you like and what you don't and what you haven't ever tried; commit to trying a couple of things and within a couple of minutes you're going to know why these folks love what they do. If they're not too busy you can probably walk around back with Kyle for a couple of minutes to see the smoker and get a better idea of just what goes into their craft.

My first time at Rollin' Smoke was on a Saturday morning, with a festival in town, and I got there when they opened to beat the crowds. We went there for the pork belly burnt ends, and Kyle quickly talked us into trying a few other things - including two different cuts of brisket, some pulled pork and ribs. The food was great, the education was even better. We got to see the smoker, talk about sauces and rubs, and then launched in to some off-menu specials like crispy cheesy brisket tacos and strawberry pork belly burnt ends. After talking a little more about his specials, I knew I was hooked. I'd have to come back.

But that wasn't enough. Kyle mentioned his banana pudding, and we took that to go....before committing to coming back the next day for the crispy cheesy barbacoa tacos and an opportunity to show this place off to our most jaded Austin friend.

Rollin' Smoke is a great place to go when you want that barbecue fix - they're open early to get things on and off the smoker, they're open late if you're coming back from a night out and need the perfect late-night meal, and they make all the favorites like sausages and half chickens to bring home. This is also a great place to go if you've got friends with you, especially out-of-town visitors, because you'll get that experience where everyone gets what they wanted and everyone wants to come back for more.

One more thing - definitely look up the specials before you order, and definitely let Kyle talk you into trying...

We ordered the chopped beef sandwich, the silky, the G thing Rito, banana pudding, a side of macaroni and a side of potato salad, one country sausage, link, and the brisket Frito pie.First off we didn’t receive the banana pudding so I have no input on that. The chopped beef sandwich was good, my husband said the silky was good, but he probably would not order it again. The macaroni was dry and not as flavorful as I would expect, The potato salad didn’t taste like any potato salad we’ve ever had before. It came in a small container with two big chunks of what I assume is potato smeared with a white creamy type sauce.. My husband took one little bite and said that it was not good. Potato salad can definitely be hit or miss at barbecue places. The G thing Rito was the best thing we had, it was really delicious and a great size for the price. I was really excited about the brisket Frito pie, but that was very disappointing. The brisket was not chopped up on top of the Frito pie, and the added cheese that we got charged for was missing plus we asked for every topping on the side and it did not come like that. It literally was a bed of Fritos with a slice of brisket on it and some sauce that I asked to have on the side along with cilantro on top. The sausage link was good. Any modifications to the food that we asked for were not done. I asked for all the toppings on the side that they gave the option to do so, and none of that was done.The food truck is located on seventh Street in a bar a bar, the music was great to listen to while I waited for our food. We placed an online order, I showed up about 15 minutes after my pick up time and I was told they were starting my order when I asked about it at the window. There was no one waiting before me and there was not a line of people ordering. I’ve seen a lot of videos and a lot of reviews about This place and I was really excited to try it. We will give it another shot but maybe stay to eat there and not take it home. We spent about $85 that’s including a 20% tip. The the G thing Rito is something we will definitely be back for along with the chopped...