Stiles Switch BBQ — Restaurant in Austin

Austin has been recognized by multiple organizations as the top BBQ destination in the United States.  Often, two family-owned BBQ restaurants, Frankin’s and Terry Black’s, are the first two names most often mentioned when people suggest where to get BBQ in the city.  They have earned that reputation with decades of outstanding service and the production of literally tons of really good meats and other fixings.

With that said, there are some outstanding BBQ restaurants and food trucks in the city cooking up mouth-watering meats that are worthy of recognition and support.

Stiles Switch BBQ and Brew is one of those organizations.  It operates three locations - Dripping Springs, Cedar Park and on Lamar Boulevard in North Austin.

I visited the Lamar Blvd. location twice over the past two weeks and tried multiple offerings. As in most BBQ establishments, brisket is king, and Stiles Switch sells a lot of it. Smoked perfectly, you can get it moist or drier.  Buy it by the half pound for $17 or as I prefer it in a Meat Plate (1 meat $20.95 – 2 meats $25.95 – 3 meats $31.95).  I always recommend trying brisket if you have never had Texas BBQ.  If you are a veteran, I also recommend it, because it's both my favorite, and I feel if you can do that well, the other meats will fall in line.

Stiles Switch offers sausage, smoked turkey, pork ribs, pulled pork, smoked pork belly burnt ends, and smoked chicken as other choices for the meat plate.

I chose the 2-Meat Plate, going with the brisket and the pork burnt ends.  My sides were the macaroni and cheese and the potato salad.  On my second visit, I tried their Smokehouse Club, which had brisket, turkey, cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce, and a chipotle garlic aioli.

Their brisket is very tender, even the leaner cuts, which I requested for my plate. The bark had a sweet, smokey smell and tasted wonderful. I also was impressed with their macaroni and cheese, which was really creamy. Extra cheese got stuck in the curve of the mini shells. The Club was huge with a generous amount of brisket and turkey.  All the flavors melded together, and the aioli complemented the meats with the right amount of spice. Dip it in their meat sauce to make it even better.

BTW- I went there on Tuesday for their Cuban Sandwich Special. Apparently, it is not an every week special, only at certain times.  Note: Check out their website for the weekly specials so you too won't be disappointed.

I spoke to Tom, who was the manager on duty, about what he thought made Stiles Switch different from other places. He said that they offer a number of different side dishes that are not found at other places like the Serrano Fries Brussel Sprouts, Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole, Corn Casserole and a  Cucumber Tomato Salad.

He added that while it sounds cliché, every employee at Stiles Switch is dedicated to making sure each customer has a good experience every time they visit.  They appreciate people choosing to spend their hard-earned cash at the restaurant.

I had a good experience at Stiles Switch, and with people like Tom and their fantastic food line-up, I'm sure...

“Brisket so good, I almost hugged the pitmaster. Almost.”

TL;DR: 9th stamp in my Texas Monthly BBQ passport, and Stiles Switch made it feel like a BBQ revival. No line, but packed with locals who clearly know their meat. Brisket and turkey carved by a friendly meat-slinger, corn casserole as my sidekick, and a banana pudding finale that deserves its own parade. They even offered to stamp my shirt. Now that’s hospitality.

It was mid-afternoon in Austin, that golden hour when the sun starts whispering, “Go get yourself something smoky.” Like any good Texan with a mission and an elastic waistband, I found myself at Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew, aka the meat caboose of flavor town.

I stroll in, and while there’s no line, the place is hummin’ like a Friday night fiddle contest. The joint’s lit like a Texas Christmas, with string lights twinkling like brisket dreams. The energy? Electric. The smoke? Perfect. The staff? Friendlier than a grandma at bingo night.

I sauntered up to the slicing station and asked the meat maestro for his hot take. Without missing a beat, he nodded toward the brisket and turkey like a man who’s seen the Promised Land. I didn’t argue.

The brisket? Juicy, peppery, and soft enough to make a grown man whisper “mercy.” The turkey? Moist, smoky, and sliced with the confidence of someone who knows it’ll shut up even the loudest brisket loyalist. The corn casserole? Like corn and bread had a secret lovechild and gave it a golden crust. Banana pudding? Oh Lord. If there was a banana pudding Olympics, this would podium without breaking a sweat.

Before I could even take a bite, the staff offered to stamp my shirt, not just my passport. I obliged for a photo before heading out.

Stiles Switch ain’t just a BBQ stop, it’s a BBQ vibe. Flavor, hospitality, and atmosphere all operating at full throttle. I’ve now got 9 stamps down, 41 to go, and if they’re all this good, I may need a meat-based gym membership...

TL;DR I'm not saying this is the best BBQ in "your name here" but it is an excellent BBQ joint that fired on all cylinders.

Came to Austin on a family trip and had to swing by this place to try out cause of the name. We saw the hog on their logo so I got ready for the pork ribs/sausage/pulled pork/etc. and was (pleasantly) surprised to find that their menu lists the Beef Ribs as the Cadillac. I'm a sucker for beef ribs and honestly they are hard to find. My wife and kids also got brisket, turkey, fries, Mac n cheese, cucumber tomato salad, and potato salad. The beef rib is no joke. 1 rib = 1 pound. There's no forced perspective in my pics. Everything was juicy, even the turkey, which I find most places dry out. The rib and the brisket had a very good amount of smoky-ness without tasting like a campfire. There was good char on both that really sealed in the flavors. The sauce you're given is very runny but sweet, not very vinegary, which I enjoyed since the meat was rich. Really helped contrast the flavor, but in the end I did t use that much, so was the quality of the meat. French fries were nice and crispy, not soggy and had some nice seasoning on them. Mac and cheese had some jalapeno or something with a bit of kick. Tasty. My wife did wish it was cheesier. Potato salad (mayo based) was very good and fresh. No hard boiled eggs in it. In a way, the sides were the biggest loser. They were all so good, but we totally over ordered on the meat and that made it hard to justify the limited space in our stomachs. I was happy to have found an "unknown" BBQ joint that's not the big names you always hear about when traveling this way. I've been to a most of those and left disappointed from a few of them. Bottom line, I'm not in the business of declaring a BEST BBQ type place, but I will say this is a 5* BBQ place that is...