Cooper's Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que — Restaurant in Llano

We we’re passing through en route to Austin Tx to our spring break destination. This Coopers Old Time BBQ is located in Llano Texas. These restaurants are supposedly family owned and operated. If I could rate this incident with a ZERO, I would do so. There was one lady who ruin this visit, our first visit. I believe that my family was racially profiled! This lady who rang up our food ask me if anyone in my group was purchasing a fountain drink because she did not want to double charge us. Well, if i already had bottled drinks on my tray, why would she charge me for a fountain drink as well. We had a large order. The meats are very expensive. We paid for bottled beer, so therefore, we needed a bottle opener. We were given one of those cheap inexpensive bottle opener’s that you could purchase at Walmart for one dollar. As we were leaving, my son walked out first. This lady that ranged up our food preceded to follow my son out of the door in a hurried stance, and implied that he had stolen the cheap $1.00 bottle opener. My son informed her that he had left the opener on the table. Myself and a few other family members were still inside the restaurant clearing our trash from the table. This lady walked back inside, looked around the room angrily yelling where is it. At this time, I didn’t know what she was referring to. One of the employees stated “ its over here”, then pointed to the bottle opener. Our meal cost us $328.00 dollars! This is how we were treated over a cheap bottle opener. Was this woman a member of the family that owns this BBQ joint!!! Three hundred twenty eight dollars is what we spent our first time there and this is the treatment that we received!!! The petty ignorance of this woman was written all over her face. She has forever left a bad taste...

Cooper's Llano is the gold standard for all of my Texas BBQ experiences (including other Cooper's locations). I'd give them 6 stars, or 10, if I could. I first tried Cooper's Llano as a kid back in the 1970s, but I've been coming regularly for the last 10 years, and it's just as great as I remember. No other BBQ joint has ever come close to the brisket I get here. Once in a blue moon, the cut may not be great, but overall it's on point and awesome. Their superior consistency is one of the things I appreciate most about them. I love ordering extra that I can take home and have later. The turkey is also excellent. Moist, with a fantastic smoky flavor. All of the sausage is great, but I personally love the jalapeño-cheese sausage. I've tried just about all of the other meats, and the ribs are very good, but I usually stick now with the brisket, turkey, and sausage. And then there are the pinto beans. I actually have cravings for Cooper's pinto beans. They're by far the best I've ever had. The sides, in general, are tremendous. My mother has asked me to stop and just get potato salad from Cooper's, because it's that good. The close slaw is also great. The cheese mac and jalapeño cheese mac are delicious. For dessert, the cobblers are terrific. I love the way they handle ordering, how they do their sides (but why not fired okra?!), and letting you get your beans and tea on your own. Their tea is great, by the way. They beat other BBQ places on these details alone. They're set up for taking home leftovers, with foil and paper bags. Service has always been great. Cooper's does everything right, even the little things. If you want real Hill Country BBQ, there's not a better place to start than Cooper's in Llano. May they continue serving great...

The Llano location is on the Texas Monthly 50 Best BBQ joints in Texas list. They had stamps for your passport books when you check out. But first things first, let's talk meat. Which is what you encounter first when you walk into this establishment. The pit is outside and you can pick your meats, and amounts, and they carve it right then and there. If they ask if you want sauce, say yes. They will take the meat and dip it in the drippings collected while cooking. They then put the meat on a tray that you take inside and they will slice your brisket, ribs, sausage, etc., into more manageable portions. This is also where you can order sides such as potato salad, Mac & cheese, cobbler (peach, blackberry, and others,) Cole slaw, and others. They do have a beer selection by the bottle, but I suggest a fountain drink so you can get some Big Red. The requisite soda of choice for BBQ joints. This place is a great place for BBQ. The brisket is moist, juicy, and delicious. The sausage is great as well. Both are may favorite. Pork ribs and beef ribs can also be had but I did not get them. If you've been to other Cooper's locations around Texas you know want to expect. It's no different here. Just no frills, delicious, BBQ. When you get it right, you don't have to dress it up, rely on gimmicks, slogans, or otherwise. So far, this is my number two so far on the Passport list. Only Franklin's beats it. I can now say I was wow'ed because once you taste their BBQ here, that's exactly what...