Pappas Bar-B-Q — Restaurant in Oak Ridge North

Driving around all of Texas and enjoying epic BBQ in places like Lockhart, TX, we were really looking forward to trying BBQ from the same chain that gave us Pappadeaux and Pappasitos - both places we really enjoyed. Wow, were we surprised. TL;DR - We regret having eaten here.

The staff was fine - it's a build-your-meal while-you-wait type of restaurant. The BBQ's an epic fail, however. We got a Rib Combo, a Beef Trio, and Turkey Breast. For sides, we enjoyed Ranch Beans, Mac'n Cheese, and Lima Beans. All of the sides were great - we really liked the Lima Beans. The meat, however, left A LOT to be desired.

Meat was VERY over-smoked Meat was massively over-cooked & very greasy BBQ sauces were TERRIBLE The Jalapeno Cheese Bread was stupid - almost comical!

The Rib Combo was "OK", but the beef rib was over-cooked and greasy. The baby backs were OK, but were also over-cooked. On the Beef Trio, however, the Brisket coated your mouth with a fairly overwhelming greasy film, then blasted you with over-cooked, over-smoked beef flavor. Yuck. The Beef Sausage was also "OK", but a bit underwhelming flavor-wise. The Turkey breast was over-smoked like everything else, but wasn't terrible like the Beef Ribs and Brisket.

Jalapeno Cheese Bread? WHATEVER. White Bread with a cheese-ish "bubble" every 10 miles, and the occasional rare sighting of the apparently extinct Jalapeno Pepper flake. Comical and stupid, at the same time.

The BBQ sauce was disgusting. The "Sweet" sauce is nothing BUT sweet. It's sugar all-the-way. Then there's an Espresso BBQ, which is also very sweet, with a kick of coffee flavor at the end. Finally, there's a Tangy Mustard sauce which is definitely MUSTARD, and unless you like one of these 3 options, you're S-O-L in the sauce department. Good BBQ doesn't need sauce, but this wasn't good - and it definitely needed SOMETHING to disguise the extreme greasy residue. This sauce was disgusting. No spicy sauce options, either. Wow.

To be fair, there are some good things about Pappas BBQ:

The condiment bar is loaded with Jalapenos, Peppers, Relish, Pickles and Onions - and they were pretty good. The sides we had were good, too: Lima Beans were really good, Ranch Beans were yummy, and the Mac'n Cheese was basic, but tasty.

That's about it. Why on Earth would we go back when there's a Spring Creek BBQ right down the road? Stick with Pappasitos and Pappadeaux if you want to visit a Pappa restaurant. I suspect at least one of the reasons the reviews for this place are as high as they are might have something to do with that $10 all-you-can eat rib deal...even if they are overcooked, over-smoked and...

Our family has tried literally every BBQ place within 200 miles of here. My kids always ask if we can go back to Papas. WE ❤️❤️ it. We all like the sliced brisket extra lean. Today for the first time, I tried a pulled pork sandwich and it was only $8.95. My husband likes the sliced brisket sandwich covered in barbecue sauce. One kid likes sliced brisket with a side of macaroni and cheese and a side of beans. My other kid, the picky kid, likes the barbecue chicken and brisket plate. Everyone leaves happy and full. I we have never had to wait in line more than one minute. Order at the counter and when it’s ready, they will bring it out to you, but usually no more than a few minutes. My only complaint is that the sodas are very expensive. You could literally add another $20 onto your bill if everyone gets a drink. They have a table for help yourself, barbecue sauce, pickles, onions, peppers to add to the sandwiches. They also have spicy hot mustard in addition to the barbecue sauce. In the past I have gotten wings and ribs. Everything is tasty. People are extremely friendly. I am shocked when I read these reviews… I have never had a bad experience here, never had a bad meal here. I have never had anyone be anything but nice at all times. Sometimes I wonder if people’s expectations for these types of restaurants are too high. These people work really hard and we’ve always had a great experience! It’s on our monthly rotation of restaurants. They have a drive through also. These people stayed OPEN during the entire pandemic, serving customers with a smile. It’s hard to understand why people are so harsh sometimes. This place is VERY...

Sept 2 2025 Well I officially quit. Heading to spring for an insurance claim matter and coworkers asked for Papa's. I was hesitant but figured surely my feedback which has a response would yield some results, right?

Wrong.

Paid an extra $7 for fries on 2 sandwich orders and not only was neither cup even halfway full, one cups had all sauce and ketchup. I throw the boogie buggy in reverse and am met at the window by 2 cherubs who seemed truly off guard when I asked where the rest of the fries. The one gave a very long "ummm" the said it's by weight.

So the sauce cups and unwanted ketchup cut down in the fry volume.

Got it.

Will not be back and will work on closing our business account. It's was actually pretty great while it lasted.

Aug 2025* After moving north this was my go to for reliably good barbecue. Just went back the first time in a while and wow...tragic. Fries were cold and barely a half cup (if you know, you know). The meat order was also incorrect and the wrong size; lean brisket requested and seemed to have gotten all the fat trimmings and pork but ordered turkey. The extra sauce request was definitely ignored with just 1 cup with the potato despite selection on each entree.

The potato sub and kids meal (grilled cheese) were literally the highlights.

I know staffing across all markets is a struggle lately but after nearly $60 mistakes like that are glaring. Hopefully the...