Top Notch Texas BBQ — Restaurant in Childress

They sure named it correctly, and it deserves a gazillion stars…

Top Notch is, without doubt, the best barbeque I’ve ever had! We’ve traveled a lot. I do mean a lot, to many states, and sampled a vast quantity of barbeque. Do I dare say that we eat our way across a state? You get my drift. In our opinion, Top Notch has surpassed any that you’ve ever heard of, plus all the chains combined. Like these – Moe’s, Dickey’s, Mission, Corkey’s, Joe’s Sugarfire, Famous Dave’s, Rolling Smoke, Moon, Smokey Bones, Pig-Out-Let, Calhoun’s – I could go on and on.

The chefs’ secrets are theirs to keep, for sure. I bet they use mesquite wood… The smoke ring is sooooooooo incredibly thick. No need to dunk in sauce, the flavor is that prevalent and surely to-die-for. The brisket is melt-in-your-mouth tender and dripping with juice. It’s cut in large slabs, not teensy-thin slices like other places. The rib meat falls off the bone, it’s so tender. Don’t bother with a knife. The pinto beans are scrumptious and have jalapenos in it – just perfectly spicy, but not too much – perfectly salty, not too much, and just-right sweet. Sound like Goldilocks? “…Not too hot or too cold, but just right…? Because it’s very perfect! They even have fried okra and peach cobbler, to make you feel like you’re dining at the Whistle Stop Café. Their sauce is quite tasty though, with that certain *smack to it! Definitely the stuff you crave, even with a belly full.

Terrific customer service too – course Childress is chock-full of that “Southern hospitality” that we all love, and can’t get enough of. I’ll tell you, it’s fantastic - even cold, if you have a late-evening desire for a snack. If you have to drive out of your way to get here, your taste buds will be eternally grateful.

Give a big HI to Frank when you stop in!

My mouth is watering,...

If you're looking for "craft" BBQ'de brisket with killer bark and a thick smoke ring, keep driving. This is not your jam. However, if you're in Childress, or passing through, and you want a wonderful sit down lunch with excellent service, great food and ambiance for a fair price, pull over now and enjoy! Our server was super friendly and accommodating. I had the hamburger steak special and it was exactly what I would expect but better! Had the slaw and potato salad as my sides and both were great. My daughter had the kid's cheese burger with tater-tots and it was also spot on. Wife had a dinner salad with the ranch dressing which was also good and obviously not out of a bottle. Not the best we've ever had but better than most other "ranch" dressings we've had on our way to, or from, Dallas. They made my son a special plate of nachos with just chips and sleezy cheese. Not best he's ever had, but his favorite style and the included side of sour cream made it perfect. We tried the brisket. They offer a $3 side of it. Not great, but not bad either! Seems to have been oven baked. Not super seasoned either. However, my wife loved it. She's not into "all the smoke" and cost of "craft" BBQ so this was perfect for her. The kids loved it too. The sausage was just average and the sauce wasn't anything special either, but, it wasn't bad either. Far from it. Stop here for amazing BBQ? Probably not.... Stop here for a perfect lunch you won't regret with your family on a road trip? Hell yes. All day long and maybe...

The portion in relation to the price is lacking. The GM acts like he doing his customers a favor not raising his prices, despite the fact, having customers telling him that he should. I found the GM to be smug, not only because of the aforementioned reply to pricing/portion, but he acts like that if price is a problem, then you could go somewhere cheaper to eat.

The meat isn't even traditionally smoked. The have a commercial oven that introduces a low level of smoke that does not either produce that beloved pink ring, not does it create that nice black bark we love in traditional brisket. The seasoning blend is not savory by any definition, and their brisket would be dead last at any serious bbq competition.

It seems to me that the people of Childress would be best served if real smoked meat were introduced to this community. The management at Top Notch need to be humbled, and realize they are not producing a superior product compared to what others in the state are doing.

After spending time reading multiple reviews, it has occurred to me that this place is the Amy's Baking Company of BBQ. If you don't know about Amy's, you tube it.

*The only reason I went back is because my truck was at the tow yard in town, and had to walk everywhere, and there are almost no other...