Pinkerton's Barbecue — Restaurant in San Antonio

My family and I visited San Antonio for an event and prior to arriving, I did some online searches for nearby barbeque (BBQ) restaurants that were within reasonable proximity of our hotel. We love eating BBQ and trying different restaurants especially in the cities/states that are famous for their BBQ. I know that people love to boast about "their BBQ" and how it's better than others across the Nation, but just because you're eating BBQ in that city/state, doesn't necessarily mean it's always going to be the best. What do I mean by that? Well, I've had some exquisite BBQ all around the world in my lifetime and some of the best BBQ places happen to be in my home city of Las Vegas (clearly not known for their BBQ). However, when I visit those big name cities that claim to be the best BBQ, I always want to try it out to see if it's actually that good or a false claim.

We ended up dropping our stuff off in the hotel room the moment we arrived and quickly headed to Pinkerton's on 26 Mar 2025 for dinner and boy, I could smell the BBQ coming from the restaurant as soon as we walked up to it. We got there early enough in which we didn't have to experience waiting in line outside of the restaurant, although there were several customers already in line inside of the restaurant waiting to order their food. It didn't take us long to decide what we wanted to order since we did our research prior to arriving. I enjoyed their concept where they have different stations to order your stuff; the first station was your cold sides, then you move to the hot sides, then finally, the meat.

We ended up ordering Glazed Pork Ribs, Jalapeno Cheese Sausage Link, Sliced Brisket, Tangy Coleslaw, South Texas Beans, Duck & Sausage Jambalaya, Rosemary Bacon Mac & Cheese, Grant's Potato Salad, and Bananas Foster Pudding for our dessert. Luckily we found an inside table for us to dine at because we didn't want to have to take our food to-go or try to stay dry while eating outside (yes, it was raining that evening). Everything for the most part tasted pretty good with the Pork Ribs, Sausage Link, and Potato Salad being the star performers. Unfortunately for us, the brisket was extremely dry which was such a disappointment because it's rare to be served dry brisket at BBQ restaurants - but it happened. Also, aside from the potato salad, all the other sides were just mediocre...I have definitely had better at other BBQ places. Whereas, the Bananas Foster Pudding was good...but nothing to write home about.

The service was great and the employees working behind the counter were helpful and friendly, which I appreciated because this was our first time here and I had a couple of questions when ordering our food. The prices were adequate considering the restaurant's location and the cost of goods/labor. I respect this restaurant for their continued support of the men and women of the Armed Forces, including its Veterans - thank you for that! Overall, this restaurant was just ok for me, as depicted in my 3-star rating. The dry brisket had a huge impact on my overall rating because I was expecting quality BBQ given this restaurant's popularity and high Google ratings/reviews. The chances of visiting again are slim since I don't reside close by; however, if there is a chance to visit again, I might stop by and give it another try. For now, I will "lightly" recommend this restaurant to everyone based on...

I had heard a lot of hype about Pinkerton’s Barbecue, so on the last day of my work trip, my colleagues and I decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, it did not live up to expectations.

The Wait & Atmosphere • We went on a Friday evening after our shift (around 7 PM) and had to wait about 40 minutes in the hot sunbefore making it under the shade. • No free water was available while waiting, which would have been a nice touch considering the heat. • Once inside, there was air conditioning, but not full blast, so while it was better than outside, it wasn’t exactly cool and comfortable. • The place was very busy, which is understandable for a Friday night.

Ordering Process Pinkerton’s is à la carte, which wasn’t entirely clear at first, so I relied on recommendations from the staff. The ordering process was: 1 Bread, peppers, onions, pickles – basic but a nice touch. 2 Cold sides station – Skipped. 3 Hot sides station – Ordered a large portion of mac & cheese. 4 Dessert station – Was torn between the pudding and cobbler, but the staff recommended cobbler. 5 Meat station – Asked for a sampler and got one jalapeño cheddar sausage, a rib, and some beef. The total came to about $42 with tip, which felt steep for what I received.

Drinks & Pricing • I wanted a refreshing beer and ordered a Belgian White from the bar. • It was $8 plus a $1 tip ($9 total), which felt overpriced. • While it had a slightly sweet, cider-like taste, it wasn’t anything special for the price.

The Food • Barbecue – Decent but not as flavorful as expected. The barbecue sauce on the table was in an unmarked bottle, and I had to spruce up my food with sauce and seasonings. • Mac & Cheese – Very bland. I was shocked at the lack of flavor, especially for the price. My homemade mac & cheese is far better. • Sausage – Good, and I used the bread, onions, and peppers to make a little sandwich, which helped. • Ribs & Beef – OK, but nothing memorable. • Cobbler – Disappointing. It was dry, bland, and the cream cheese swirl was not creamy or flavorful as I expected.

Final Thoughts • Total cost: About $53, which was not worth it given the food quality. • Would I return? Only if it were free, LOL. • The best part: Spending time with my coworkers on our last night in San Antonio.

Overall, I give Pinkerton’s a 3/5 based on the long wait, lack of free water, high prices, average BBQ, and underwhelming sides and desserts. It wasn’t terrible, but it definitely didn’t live up...

First visit to Texas and decided to try some “Texas BBQ”. I was actually excited to wait outside in line and thought this was a good sign. Finally got in and went down the line. I didn’t try any of the cold sides, and with the hot sides I decided to go with the jambalaya with duck sausage and the Bacon Macaroni and Cheese. The Jambalaya was a little dry and tasted nothing like Jambalaya, and whatever seasoning they used covered the flavor of the duck sausage. It resembled more like dirty rice. Jambalaya should have a lot of different flavors going on and this had only one. I had high hopes for the Bacon Macaroni, however it lacked in the bacon portion of this dish, as I could only find about three bacon pieces. The macaroni and cheese part was average at best, but very cheesy. Kind of tasted like a high end version of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Then came the meats, it’s very fast and you should know what you want when it’s your turn. This being my first taste of Texas BBQ, I decided to go with three pork ribs, but put four on the tray, a slice of brisket and a couple of slices of turkey. All of it looked amazing and picture perfect, however, looks are sometimes deceiving, and this was one of them. The pork ribs while very tender and fall off the bone, there seemed like something was missing in the taste of them and even though they glazed them, I had to keep putting sauce on them to get them down. The brisket was about average and also seemed like it was missing something. They did however make sure that I had an extra fatty piece (since they charge by the pound). Again I had to use sauce to help get it down. Then there is the turkey, it was kind a tinder, but reminded me of acTV dinner turkey. Again with the sauce to get it down. I have eaten BBQ in a lot of different places and I understand there is some differences when it comes to what part of the country you are in. I was really hoping that this was going to be place that got me hooked on Texas BBQ. I should also note that this was just for lunch and I was by myself and my bill with over $60.00. If you are good with drowning your food in sauce to get it down then this is probably the place for you. Telling people that their food is great, or even good when it’s not, is a disservice to people that count on good reviews. At this point I’m still in shock at what I received for the money. I hope that this is not the best...