Ferris Wheelers Backyard and BBQ — Restaurant in Dallas

I'm reviewing the venue. I didn't try the barbecue.

It's an interesting space for live music, seeing the lights of the city sprawled out behind it. Easy to find with the old ferris wheel rigged with lights (not operational obviously, just a mascot). Parking is tricky, especially if you arrive a little later. They have a relatively small valet lot that fills up. There is parking along the street but can easily be completely filled, and you can't park at the Rodeo Goat next door; presumably they'll headbutt you.

The security and entrance was a little disorganized and slow the night I went. Not sure if that's standard.

The venue itself is very intimate, but also a little awkwardly shaped. It's all open air so be prepared if there's weather. (Looks like they may put up some overhead tents sometimes for partial cover.) The courtyard right behind the restaurant is paved. The pit itself in front of the stage is gravel, and is elevated a bit with a railing separating it from the courtyard. There are two entrances to the pit from the courtyard, one on each side, relatively wide with a couple stairs leading up. If the pit is packed full it can be difficult to find the best vantage point so best to get there early if you want to be close. The view from the courtyard is okay, but you won't be able to see the whole stage, especially if the pit is full, so it's not ideal for watching the show.

They have a VIP section, consisting of a deck alongside the pit, next to the Ferris wheel, behind the audio shed. Getting to it appears to require navigating through the pit, though maybe there's another entrance. I wasn't necessarily looking at the VIP section wishing I was in there, but it was less crowded.

For the concert I attended, the sound was great so I'd say the production there is excellent. And they have an attached lot opposite the Ferris wheel for merch tents with plenty of space to accommodate lines, out of the way of the show.

Overall I think it's a good venue, but I'll want to make sure to arrive early...

First visit, and I'm disappointed (note to self: ignore rating, READ the food reviews). Staff is super nice, place is interesting, just really sad about the food. My Togo order was the Trinity (listed as brisket, ribs, sausage and a side), my side were the BBQ beans and I ordered an extra side of green beans. Food was quick, rookie mistake #2: I didn't check the order before I left, someone swapped the ribs with pulled pork and no one said anything (the turkey sub with chicken I knew about). At home I took one big bite of the green beans and tasted nothing but vinegar, thought I got too much of the liquid and tried just one bean and same thing. Killed my taste buds and I had to flush my mouth before I could even try anything else. Then I tried the BBQ beans, nice they had some meat in it, but still very sweet with a bit too much pepper mixed in. I put it aside and went for the meat. That's when I saw the missing ribs. The pulled pork was fairly moist but also quite a bit over seasoned (saw a lot of pepper flakes). So I switched to try the sausage, which seemed to taste ok, a tiny bit on the dry side, but good enough to eat. Last I tried the 1inch thick single slice of brisket, I had to dig through gobs of fat on one side and the middle. I appreciate well barbled meat for flavor and moisture, but generally fat globs cook off quite a bit more. The outside was thick layers of burnt fat with seasoning on one side and just dry meat on the other, so had to put that aside. What was then left of the brisket tasted ok, was cooked and not dry. So overall it was an extremely over priced meal for what ended up edible. I'm really sorry folks. I REALLY wanted to like your spot...but I am not coming back for a 2nd try. Maybe there is kicking entertainment or drinks or something. For Food I would recommend try it as a sit down meal in the restaurant in case my experience is not isolated. Again...staff was super nice and great service...but not enough to make up for the...

Tried this place out on Sunday because my family members were in town. Had really high hopes for this place but it did more than miss the mark here. Let's dive into them one-by-one....

Brisket Sandwich 3/5 stars: Very salty (how I like it) but had a large quantity of fat. Not only in mine, but all 5 of my family members. Bread was not hot at all and had a soggy texture to it.

Mac and Cheese 1/5 stars: Probably the driest mac I have ever had. The mac was also on the colder side. When I approached the counter to notify staff for another one, they happy obliged and brought out another mac and cheese....this NEW mac and cheese was still on the colder side.

Corndogs 1/5 stars: Had to re-order another set of corndogs because the first ones were soggy and raw on the inside. The 2nd round was ALSO soggy and raw like it hadn't been cooked all the way through.

4.Fried Pickles 1/5: Soggy and luke-warm fried pickles. Tasted and felt like old batter/pickles left under a heating lamp and then brought to me.

Green beans 1/5: Super hot, greasy, and no flavor. The heat was overwhelming. Now I love hot sauce, but I also love tasting the flavor of what I am eating. This was not achievable with this dish.

Atmosphere INSIDE 1/5 stars: Tables were sticky, portable air-conditioning units (that you roll around) was our near table as well. It was kind of loud and in the way of direction to get our drinks (a hazard possible).

Service 5/5 stars: The staff was happy to help us out. They understood our concerns and tried to deliver a positive outcome for us. Unfortunately, the system that Ferris has in place does not help or assist the staff in being successful with their dishes.

BBQ food is something I truly enjoy and have been a fan of tasting different approaches to BBQ for the last 10 years. This place definitely misses the mark on NUMEROUS things and for this I blame the owners...