Rudy's "Country Store" and Bar-B-Q — Restaurant in Round Rock

This location really disappointed me. I've always been happy to take my visiting friends to a Rudy's and give them the experience of being a "newbie". And while I think we can all agree that there is better BBQ out there, Rudy's BBQ is generally dependable. It's a reliable choice.

But last night, I took a friend from out of town to the Rudy's on I-35 in Round Rock, and it's made me rethink my tradition of bringing friends there. We were the only ones in line, but it took a minute or so before the 4 or 5 young men behind the counter to look up from their conversation to even notice us.

Even then, they didn't give us the standard, "Welcome to Rudy's. Is this your first time with us?" line. The dude just looked at me. I explained that the woman I was with had never eaten at Rudy's before, and he just said, "Ah. What can I get you?" I replied, "No samples for the newbie?" "What would you like to sample?" he replied. ... Seriously, what happened to the customer service at Rudy's?

I thought the big difference was just the service, but I was wrong. I got the moist brisket, and it had a very strong chemical flavor to it - almost like propane. The ribs I ordered were bone dry, and a few of them were just these thick slabs of dry meat.

We finished up what we could of the nearly inedible meal and left. I'm so very disappointed. This was my friend's first exposure to Texas BBQ, and Rudy's really dropped the ball. I'm embarrassed for the whole industry if other people travelling through the area only have this as their one exposure...

Have had Salt Lick a few times, and never considered Rudy's only because it was in/at a gas station.. Being from Brooklyn, this was just weird, and if not weird, at least it naturally gave me pause as the first thought would be, how good can it be if it's inside a gas station?!

So a few people had recommended it, and one day we decided to just give it a try. Went on a weekend, around 5 or 6pm, and the line was about 15 minutes long. Got up to the front, and they gave us the 'first timer' treatment, complete with shout-out and free samples. We wound up getting the St.Louis ribs (good), the moist brisket (YUM), creamed corn (YUM), potato salad (good), banana pudding (YUM), and bread (it's bread.) 2nd visit, short wait, and we both had the moist brisket and some sides, delicious. 3rd visit: around 6-7pm on a weekend, line was about the same, 15 minutes or so. This time, I had the chicken, where the dark meat part was a little bit too pink and runny for me. The white meat part was cooked through and tasted good, but since I generally prefer the leg/thigh, I was ultimately unhappy with my choice. But because their food has been very good so far, I'm just gonna write off the chicken (and probably not get it again). But that's not so bad, as I still want to try the other ribs, and having the brisket as a fallback ain't so bad. Wife had the moist brisket again, and it was delicious again.

Now when it's time for BBQ, it's a dilemma: Rudy's or Salt Lick? First world...

The Rudy's in Round Rock is by far the best one to go to if you really appreciate great Bar-B-Q. I now live about an hour north and have 2 Rudy's closer to me 1 in Killeen and 1 in Waco. However none of them compare to the one in Round Rock. 1st all the others must think extra moist means you want extra fat because they trim none or very little of the fat off. 2nd they must know nothing about how to cut brisket because most of the time it comes tough cut with the grain. In Round Rock it is always tender and cut against the grain. We had them cut us a whole point and some extra lean outside cut for my wife. Most of the other Rudy's don't even know what outside cut (where it has the bark on all the pieces) is. After seeing them pull the prime rib out several times my son and I had to have a slice of it too. We opted for a 1lb thicker cut that was mouth watering and as good as any steak I could have hoped for on Father's Day. Yes it was expensive for a meal, but it was an hour drive, a special occasion and now my son and I have a couple more great moist brisket meals to savor over this next week. If Rudy's wants to ensure their franchises success they should make sure all cutters be trained at the Round Rock location. Great experience and a wonderful Father's Day memory! I will always come to Round Rock to get my Rudy's, which is a shame since there are 2 less than a half hour from me. Just means I will not have Bar-B-Q as often as...