GW’s BBQ Catering Co — Restaurant in San Juan

I want to start off by saying the service we received was absolutely fantastic! A beer paired very nicely with our food so I'm grateful that they had beer available. I would definitely come back. I won't lie The line is a bit of a buzz kill but that's what you can expect when the food is this good. Further into the review I have written my personal opinion of the food based on my personal tastes. Parking spots can be difficult to find I also noticed there was very few handicap parking.

I came accompanied with someone that was wheelchair bound and they went went above and beyond and made sure the person I was with stayed cool and hydrated while I waited in line. Which was so amazing, however this does cause me to question how they would handle the situation if someone disabled came by themselves and was forced to wait in line, while they do have fans and water stations while you wait It was rather difficult to find cups for the water and since the food is so amazing the long line can seem to go on for a while. I'm not sure if they have some kind of contingency plan for that. Also once inside and you order your food if you can afford to I recommend ordering a little extra then you think you might eat. Because getting back in line to order more food seems pretty complex. I asked about it and didn't get a very clear answer as to how it would work if you wanted to go back in line to order food after you've already waited in line for quite some time. The plate I have pictured is everything that we purchased and it came out to a total of $160

As for the food: BRISKET I would rate probably like a 8.5 out of 10 Only because the bark of it was way too salty for my personal taste, I would occasionally take a bite and get nothing but a giant piece of black pepper which kind of took away from the brisket as well, and there were some parts of the brisket that seemed a bit too hard to chew. DINO RIB I had was delicious my only complaint was once again the bark the seasoning on the outside was a bit too salty. 9.5 out of 10 JALAPENO CHEESE SAUSAGE was absolutely great no complaints for me 10 out of 10 CHERRY LIME PORK BELLY absolutely fantastic so delicious every bite was melt in your mouth just amazing. 10 out of 10 As far as sides: POTATO SALAD probably the best potato salad I've ever had. So flavorful! 10 out of 10 HONEY BUTTER CORNBREAD. It was good I just felt the cornbread was way too dry. However I did bring it home and when I reheated it the bread ended up soaking up the honey butter kind of like a poke cake does and it was delicious! So maybe if you poke your cornbread shortly after they put the honey butter on top it would make it taste better if you give it time to absorb it. Otherwise straight out the pan it's very dry. 7 out of 10 GREEN BEANS. I love green beans but these ones were not it. For them being like a watery type of sauce they were the driest green beans I've ever had. I felt like every other bite I could taste the flavor and seasoning but honestly I feel like it was just not it. The ideas there but the execution just didn't go through. 3 out of 10. BAKED BEANS. The baked beans were good but they weren't good. They didn't have a lot of the baked bean taste It was more of like somebody mixed a can of pinto beans with barbecue sauce and threw leftover brisket pieces that were kind of hard in it. They weren't terrible I just feel like weren't my style of baked beans. 6.5 out of 10 MAC AND CHEESE. The mac and cheese was pretty decent I can't complain too much I did feel that it was a little off and taste as far as kind of giving me a like flour textures/taste. Maybe adding a little smoked paprika or something to it might give it a little bit of a zing. Overall I could compare to most white cheese macaroni you get from mega restaurants. 7 out of 10 THE RICE . Was very flavorful. It wasn't dry. It wasn't my favorite style of rice but honestly I have no valid complaints. For me it was like a 8 out of 10 as for the other person I was with they said...

Updated Review of GW’s BBQ: Concerns About Disability Accommodation

Before our visit to GW’s BBQ, we saw a post on their social media asking customers to notify staff if someone in their party has a disability. When my parents arrived they waited at a table while we were in line about to order. A staff member soon approached and started asking about my dad’s disability. While he wasn’t rude, he repeatedly pressed for specifics, asking whether it was his legs, back, etc. Even after an explanation, the staff member came back multiple times for more details.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), individuals are not required to disclose the nature of their disability to receive accommodations. This experience made us feel uncomfortable and singled out — especially given my dad’s serious health conditions. I hope GW’s BBQ reconsiders how they handle these situations and provides better training for their staff on ADA rights and respectful communication. ————————————————————— We visited GWs in Pharr, TX, and while the food was amazing, the overall experience was a bit frustrating. We arrived before opening and waited over 30 minutes outside, being around the first 30-40 people in line. That number quickly grew as cars started pulling up and cutting the line to be with family/friends, adding another 10-20 people.

Once we got inside, we were told we couldn’t sit down until we ordered unless we were elderly, disabled, or had kids. This rule allowed people at the back of the line to sit just because they were older or had kids. What really made it frustrating, though, was seeing younger customers being allowed to sit down, especially if they were friends of the staff or regulars. It made the policy feel inconsistent. There were about 4-5 staff members making sure no one sat down unless they met the criteria, but only 3 were actually helping with the food and at the register. As a young adult with back and nerve issues, it was tough to be treated like I should stand for long periods just because I didn’t look like I needed special treatment. It’s not something most people want to explain, but it felt like younger customers were being singled out, while those at the back of the line—many with kids or older—got to sit comfortably.

We ordered The Vaughn platter, pork belly, and lamb. Unfortunately, we found a hair in the pork belly, and our Vaughn platter was missing sausage. They did bring us the sausage and fixed the issue, but it was still disappointing.

On the bright side, they were offering free coffee from Dutch Bros, which helped make the wait a little more enjoyable.

Another downside was that the door was left open, which made it warm inside. People from the line were standing right next to you, watching you while you ate. It was a cloudy day, so it wasn’t unbearable, but I can't imagine how uncomfortable it would be on a hot summer day when the place would likely get even warmer.

While the food itself is definitely worth coming back for, the seating situation, the way the staff handled it, and the uncomfortable indoor temperature really need improvement. It felt like younger customers were treated unfairly, and the whole waiting and seating process made the experience less enjoyable. Hopefully, they can improve the system, because the food truly is great.

Total Wait Time: 30 min outside + 45...

“If you build it, they will come.” That famous line from the film, “Field of Dreams,” based on W.P. Kinsella’s collections of baseball stories (namely his novel, Shoeless Joe) about the building of an emerald diamond ballpark in the middle of nowhere Iowa that becomes a sort of shrine that fans just can’t help but inexplicably long to visit. As in Iowa, we’ve got our own cornfields and our own Rio Grande Valley history of baseball leagues and traveling teams and standout ball players. But we’ve got something Iowa and the rest of the world doesn’t have: G.W.’s BBQ, just a bit outside the campus of the Basilica of the Virgen de San Juan del Valle National Shrine. Now if you think that’s a mouthful, you’d better skip breakfast before heading over to this shrine to Texas barbecue, established in 2021, which (according to my scorecard) was at the height of the COVID pandemic. Now that’s about as inauspicious a time to start any business, yet this place proved to be just that good that it’s kept people from near and far coming and coming back, but not inexplicably. The moist brisket is an unforgettable melt-in-your-mouth explosion of flavor. Y’all, we could solve world peace if we could bring our so-called leaders to the table here. The lean brisket is no slouch. The bark is a bit salty—but I’m only saying it as a warning if you’re watching your intake; however, you ain’t coming here to watch your weight, unless you’re fixin’ to watch your weight increase! The white cheddar (+ white American cheese) macaroni is creamy and topped with just a sprinkle of salty, crunchy fairy dust goodness. Or maybe it’s love. The pork loin is juicy and the bark is knee-slapping good. The pork ribs were fall-off-the-bone deliciousness. Our party also enjoyed the potato salad and we nearly broke out into a fight over the last piece of honey-buttered cornbread. Truth is, we were too full and happy to fight for it: world peace, y’all! I can see why G.W.’s has gotten the Watts family top-shelf listing among the state’s best BBQ joints. Lots of families, just like at the ballpark. Those poor kids are going to have a rude awakening when they try different joints. But that’s their parents’s problem. I don’t have any beef with that! Fountain drinks are self-serve. They built a pretty deck with a roof out back. Not sure what that’s about, except maybe folks have been demanding to get married right then and there and walking over to this shrine for the reception. Plenty of parking. They’ve got those Disney style line things outside (in the shade, with cups and complimentary cold water while you wait.) This ain’t fast food, but it moves fast enough after you order. Great, friendly staff all around. Don’t come here unless you’re prepared to start a new addiction! Mmm mmm...