Schoepf's Bbq — Restaurant in Belton

Hidden within a relatively modern-style structure of stone pillars and non-descript exterior, Schoepf's outward appearance belies the humble cowboy culture experience that awaits behind a simple glass entry door. One step over the threshold, and customers are whisked into another dimension as the delectable scent of smoked brisket, sausage links, pulled pork, venison, and even quail...yes, quail is a regular menu item...greet the nostrils with confident enthusiasm. The decor is reminiscent of your grandpa's old ranch house, where you stole your first kiss under the hayloft in the barn. To really cap the environment in true western style, classic artists like Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash softly bathe your auditory canals throughout your dining experience at Schoepf's. After making a selection from the extensive, almost overwhelming, list of menu options, each customer's meat order is individually hand picked from the smorgasbord displayed on a giant hotbox and cut to their liking. Appreciate everything a good brisket has to offer? Order yours untrimmed. Those who find blasphemy and cardinal sin acceptable in their lives will also have the option to order theirs "trimmed"...which we all know translates from English into Texan as "ruined." Looking for something a little out of the ordinary? There's no shortage of unique options at Schoepf's. Two in our party opted for the Brisket Queso Stuffed Potato, an enormous spud baked to cloud-like softness, split, and loaded generously with succulent chopped brisket, cheese, and fresh salsa (if desired), among other optional toppings. I elected to go with Tejas Nachos, which are served on a small platter, each crispy tortilla round neatly stacked with re-fried beans, a nice blend of shredded cheeses, and a smoking sliver of moist, delicious brisket. Optional toppings include red or green salsa, and the freshest jalapeno slices I have ever encountered in a restaurant setting. Of course, there are also plenty of standard plate options available for the less adventurous patrons. Order your meat by the standard plating size or by the pound, then add sides as appropriate. The crown jewel of the entire meal, however, was without a doubt the homemade lemon cake! Make sure you pick up a piece at the register. Schoepf's serves it in generous portions, so save room in your belly for it, unless you want to hate yourself for loving yourself so much. Trust me on this, swallow your pride, get a doggy bag for your meal, and eat the cake. Don't take it home if you live with other people...or dogs. It WILL disappear! Customer service at Schoepf's is second-to-none, and stands as an example for all others to emulate. Every member of the staff was respectfully patient and courteous, despite the fact that we walked in with a large party, including mostly kids. Though it took a while for my Tejas Nachos to be perfectly constructed by the cooks, I was never without a timely status update from the waitstaff and management team, and everyone moved with a true sense of urgency. Overall, the restaurant is well-appointed in tastefully selected western decor, with a nicely partitioned bar area in the back, and a large outdoor stage/entertainment/picnic area just across the street, where they regularly host some of the biggest names in today's Texas Country music scene (think Cory Morrow, Derryl Dodd, and Whiskey Myers). The bathrooms are disappointingly small, single-port downloading stations, but they are very well-kept...neat, clean, and conveniently well-stocked with all the necessary supplies. Schoepf's is not your run-of-the-mill tourist stop like some of the big chain barbeque restaurants. This is a truly unique place, with delicious food, and a comfy, down-home atmosphere. From here until the end of days, we will not make another run through the I-35 corridor without a stop for...

We ordered simple just in case because it was our first time. I also picked up a piece of strawberry cake to try. Happy I tasted it before we left. The piece of cake was $7.95. It was crispy not soft. I did get a refund after the one bite. Some lady came to the table and told me the cakes were fresh. Made this morning. We were there at 7 pm. If they were made “THIS MORNING” ma’am. No it’s not fresh. I was set back by the way she made it a point to come to our table to tell me she checked the cake I returned and it was a good piece. HAHA okay per you. Per me, nope. Also the brisket did not have a smoke ring. I was told the grilled cheese was on Texas toast. I got 2 thin small slices of brisket on each side of the sandwich cut in half. And looked like regular old bread to me. Food came out at 7:09 pm. We ordered food at 6:41 pm. We also ordered the Brisket Mini tacos. Unfortunately our food was cold. They call themselves TexMex. They should NOT do this.

UPDATE:

Response from owner: Ronnie with my replies

Our bbq restaurant has been in business 31 years including 14 years of serving Tex-Mex BBQ. We are a restaurant that serves high quality meats, homemade sides and desserts. Everything is made fresh every day. We smoke our meats and prepare our other food items all day long. The items y'all ordered this evening are popular menu items with our customer base. As far as your concerns~ The strawberry cake was made fresh this afternoon.

MJ: wrong. I was told made fresh this MORNING

The cake and icing are both made from scratch. We checked the cakes and they were soft.

MJ: hilarious

You were given a refund when you stated the cake was hard.

MJ: thank you for that. Not worth the 8 bucks.

The brisket you ordered is prime brisket and it's smoked a minimum of 12 hours. The brisket grilled cheese is served with our prime brisket and is served only on Texas Toast.

MJ: Not Texas Toast

We do not substitute for regular bread. The brisket grilled cheese and the street tacos are considered kitchen items. All kitchen items are made fresh to order per customer. It states on our menu these items can take a minimum of 20 minutes. It also states it can be longer depending on the time of day and and the number of items they are preparing in our kitchen. The restaurant was busy this evening especially with kitchen orders.

MJ: when we were there your establishment was NOT busy. However we didn’t realize you close at 8 pm. Made sense of the quality of food. Mediocre

We tried to let everyone know that was ordering kitchen items there would be a longer wait time besides it stating it on our menu. We are a restaurant not a fast food chain.

MJ: minors took our order. And they did not mention the wait time.

Customer service is important to business.

MJ: Reading this response cannot tell that customer service is important to you.

So we try our best to walk around and check with our customers to make sure they are pleased with everything. We did walk up to your table to ask how you food was and yall stated it was great.

MJ: you are WRONG. My husband didn’t breathe a word. I NEVER said great. I said good and I said it with a question and I was only trying to be kind. Had the cake issue NEVER been brought back to to our table. I wouldn’t have even bothered leaving a review. She was unprofessional about it.

Our reputation is built on serving high quality, fresh food and we stand 100% behind everything we offer to...

I tried Schoepf's Bbq in Belton, TX today while visiting friends nearby who recommended it so we went for lunch.

Schoepf's Bbq is located on Central Ave 1/8 mile from Interstate 35 and the same distance from Downtown Belton. Belton is one hour North of Austin and 40 minutes South of Waco. Due to their volume of customers they open every day from 10:30am to 8pm.

Ordering was convenient with a large menu behind the counter outlining meat by the 1/4 or 1/2 pound prices as well as meals, sides and deserts. In the first room upon entry meat is portioned in front of you as you order it allowing for specific cuts if desired. In the second room sides and desserts are added to your order as you select them. A metal tray with butcher paper is used for serving which is the norm for restaurants of this type.

Brisket- The bark was crispy, slightly sweet and had great flavor and the smoke ring was light on all sides. I opted for a 1" thick cut of lean and a couple slices of moist from the end so there was more bark. The lean portion had great smoke flavor and the fat was rendered perfectly, it held together well but was moist enough to pull apart with a fork. The moist section was equally great.

Pork rib- Plenty of flavor and mix of soft and hard crust on the outside. All of the meat required a bite to pull from the bone. The fat was almost completely rendered so the ligaments were easy to find.

Jalapeño cheese sausage- The grind was great and the temperature made the cheese a perfect consistency. The jalapeño pieces were very small making the link consistent with all pieces.

Sauce- there were two types on the table, original and spicy. I tried the spicy and it was a good compliment to the meat.

Macaroni and cheese- smooth and creamy, this is how you hope it is made when you do not see a cheddar crust on top.

Peach cobbler- The peaches were soft and had great flavor, the pie crust was crisp on top, soft on the bottom and had cinnamon and brown sugar.

This was a great stop, I will return in the evening when they have a live band to experience more than the inside dining option that they offer. #beltonbbq #texasbrisket #bbq #porkribs #jalepenosausage #peachcobbler...