Pinkerton's Barbecue — Restaurant in Houston

I stopped into Pinkerton's BBQ in Houston, Texas for lunch yesterday. I had plans to meet friends after so I ordered the food to go and brought enough for us to sample a variety of their menu items.

Parking is very tight with around a dozen parking spaces in their parking lot. On the street and across the street there were a couple parking lots that had customers filling open spaces.

There is a defined entry and a separate exit for ease of customer traffic flow. Upon entering there is a handwritten menu on butcher paper on a wall that greets you. On the opposite side of the entry is a large bar that was just as popular as the food section of the restaurant.

Ordering is self explanatory with menu items with sizes and prices again written on butcher paper on the wall behind the line of sides where each item is selected and portioned in front of you as you order them. The meats are portioned in front of you as you order them so you know exactly what you are getting if you are dining in or taking food to go.

I ordered sliced brisket and opted for half of it to be lean and the other half to be moist so I could sample both parts of the brisket. The lean was dryer than I prefer with good bark, a faint smoke ring and an inconsistent fat cap that was mostly rendered. The moist portion had similar bark, less flavor, had a larger than 1/4" fat cap that was not rendered as well and the fat in between the point and flat was not rendered enough so it required a knife to cut. Mixing the lean and moist portions still required sauce to get enough flavor.

Their pork ribs looked great on the board so I ordered a few of them and they did not disappoint. I opted for "glazed vs dry rub" so they were lightly sauced prior to plating. The fat was rendered well so they could be pulled apart to eat the different parts from end to end. The crust was defined but not too crispy and the meat pulled from the bone perfectly. No sauce required, the flavor was spot on.

The Jalapeño cheese sausage had a smooth grind with chunks of cheese and small pieces of pepper. The temperature was perfect, the cheese was melted but not separated and the pieces did not require sauce.

I opted for two types of Mac and Cheese- one with bacon and "baller mac" that is covered with chopped brisket with queso drizzled on top. Both had good consistency and flavor, the baller mac was definitely a more flavorful option that could be a full meal in itself.

The South Texas beans were pinto beans with what looked like green bell pepper chunks in it. They were simple and a good accompaniment to the meat.

For dessert I had Aunt Ruby's Blueberry Cobbler. It was a dry and crispy pie top with a large portion of blueberries on the bottom that were reduced well and not overly sweet. The dry and crispy pie top was a perfect pairing for the blueberry base. This was pre portioned and in a plastic container to keep it from being too soggy on the bottom or dried even more on the top.

I have seen this restaurant mentioned on Texas BBQ pages and knew it would be a good option due to their Tuesday to Sunday 11am to 9 or 10pm schedule meaning they do not cook a limited amount with the intention of selling out each day. If I were to return I would select brisket from the end vs the middle to have a more flavorful and better rendered fat, other than that it was a great option for lunch in a well decorated space in North Houston. #PinkertonsBBQ #texasbbq #txbbq #houston #houstontx #houstontexas #smokedbrisket #porkribs #jalepenocheddarsausage #MacAndCheese...

On the fence with a 4 or 5 star rating. Ultimately gave 5 stars but really feel it’s more 4 star. The line here is incredibly slow. I’ve eaten BBQ for 40+ years in this state and this is some of the slowest I’ve ever seen. Guy in front of me needed a baby bottle heated up so they stopped the line to warm up his bottle. Forget cutting meat, let’s heat up baby bottles! At places like this, I am always tempted to teach them how to actually cut meat.

Anyways, the food is pretty good but not miracle level. My sandwich had a little too much fat but some people like that. I don’t but I looked past it, as it wasn’t too bad. The bun is soft and sweet if that's your thing too, but I would have preferred normal unsweetened bread instead. Brisket was very good. Jalapeno sausage was top tier. The texture on the sausage, and the jalapeno kick was miracle level.

I didn’t find any onions or pickles but noticed everybody else had them. I have no idea where those pickles are at, even after standing in line 30 minutes. It would be nice if they made it more obvious. Also, having only one single soda machine for a 30 minute line is weird and super inconvenient. You must walk across the entire restaurant, weaving and dodging patrons eating, patrons in the line and endless BBQ trays and it just gave me anxiety. Just to get a refill you must be James Bond or Mission Impossible. It's just as bad as the parking. Meanwhile, their bar that you stand around in for 30 minutes while waiting is empty with no tea, no pickles or onions or sauces, just guys on computers. A weird combination.

Another thing I’m on the fence about is their sauce. The salt lick style mustard sauce is decent but the dark sweet sauce is oily. These sauces are not great, just "okay" and could be improved. These are nice sauces for entry level taste buds but I know these are not true Texas sauces. One is Hawaiian and the other is Kansas.

Parking sucks here. It’s best to park down the street and hike here. I moved my truck 3 times to finally park in the Pinkerton lot. Regretted that immediately as the parking spots are meant for compact cars, not trucks. It made for an interesting exit. Would not recommend parking here.

The tea I had here was top notch excellent. Real tea made with love and it shows. I would come here just for the tea alone.

Watching the employees talk and not cut meat was disappointing. The line could move much faster if they streamlined things behind the counter. I felt it was frustrating and probably worth a minus star, but the food was really good and I wasn’t in a big hurry. Also, the cashier was unfriendly, I said "Thank you very much" to her and she couldn't even be bothered. Oh well.

To make things easy, I sat outside. Be prepared to be swarmed and attacked by flies. The trashcans are just breeding them and make it pretty miserable. I had to eat my food quickly to get out of there.

I’d recommend not coming here if you’re in a hurry, like going to the airport. Other than that the food was great, although pricey. I came from San Antonio to IAH and stopped by for lunch. This lunch in the hill country would be $15 near my house not $28. Oh well....

I don’t usually write bad reviews, so I’m a bit conflicted here. Pinkerton’s has been featured in multiple editions of the Texas Monthly Top 50, so I came in with high expectations — maybe too high.

To start, the setup is great. It has a traditional, welcoming vibe. There’s a cooler with free water outside (a thoughtful touch for Houston heat), and the line moves quickly. When you enter, you pass a full bar before reaching the BBQ line.

You order your sides first. We went with the jalapeño cheese rice and potato salad. One of the staff members let me know that only three sides — the jalapeño rice, potato salad, and coleslaw — do not contain pork. As someone who avoids pork, I appreciated the heads-up. It was a bummer not being able to try the mac and cheese, but that’s just a personal preference — not a knock against them.

Then came the meat. I ordered 1/2 lb of brisket: 1/4 lb lean and 1/4 lb burnt ends. Unfortunately, this is where the experience dropped off.

The lean brisket was dry, chewy, and lacked flavor. It’s labeled as prime, but it didn’t eat like it. Just the day before, I had brisket at CorkScrew BBQ, and the quality difference was significant.

As for the burnt ends — I watched the cutter slice them directly from the flat. They were dry and didn’t have the rich, fatty texture you typically get from burnt ends cut from the point. Definitely disappointing.

On a brighter note, the sides were solid. The jalapeño cheese rice was flavorful and unique — not something I’ve seen at many BBQ joints — and the potato salad was a well-done, traditional version.

Every plate comes with the usual fixings: chopped white onions, crinkle-cut pickles, white bread, and a pepper (looked like a pickled serrano or jalapeño). BBQ sauce bottles are on the tables, and I’ll say — it’s a good sauce. Tangy and balanced without being overpowering.

Pricing was average. Service was also average — nothing to write home about. Not rude, just not particularly engaged. The vibe felt more like a high-volume operation focused on efficiency over connection.

The standout? Dessert. The bread pudding was phenomenal. Rich, comforting, and honestly the one part of the meal that made me want to come back.

Final thoughts: Pinkerton’s has a lot going for it — great atmosphere, solid sides, and an excellent dessert — but the brisket, which should be the star, missed the mark for me. In a city like Houston, where great BBQ isn’t hard to find, this one didn’t quite live up...