Louie Mueller Barbecue — Restaurant in Taylor

Some folks chase fame, others chase fortune. I chase brisket. By the end of a long Saturday BBQ road trip with my daughter, I was chasing one more stamp and one last slice of smoky glory.

TL;DR: Brisket late in the day? Risky. Brisket this good? Worth it. Banana pudding? I didn’t even look for a spoon, I just used eye contact. Louie Mueller is still strutting on the TM Top 50 list for a reason.

The truck was aimed home, the gas tank was half full, and the stomach was running on hopes and hickory. At 3:30 p.m., with 30 minutes to spare, we rolled up to Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, Texas. The place looked like it had been smoke-seasoned since the Eisenhower administration, and I mean that as a compliment.

I waltzed up to the counter, cool as a smoked cucumber. “Brisket only,” I declared. No distractions. No fluff. No sides. I’m here for the meat sermon. But just when I was about to close the tab, someone behind the counter winked at my soul and whispered the two magic words: banana pudding.

Now let me tell you something. I may be strong, but I ain’t made of stone. I caved. And Lord, am I glad I did.

The brisket was doing its full smoky strut. Peppery bark with just the right crunch. Juicy center with zero dry patches. It was like biting into a piece of Texas gospel. And this wasn’t some leftover 3:30 p.m. afterthought brisket. This was full-bodied, bold, and tender enough to make your eyes water and your belt cry.

And then came that banana pudding. Y’all. It looked like it had been whipped by angels and dusted with sass. Creamy? Yes. Sweet? Naturally. The wafers? Crunchy and holding their own. I don’t usually go for sides, but this wasn’t a side. It was a flirt. My wife, the Side Dish Queen herself, would’ve fallen in love with it on the spot. I didn’t even offer her a bite. She wasn’t there. And if she had been, I would’ve fought her for it.

Louie Mueller brought the heat, even when the coals were cooling. The brisket was worth the detour and the banana pudding walked away with its own trophy. The old-school atmosphere? You can’t fake that. The smoke-stained walls have stories, and one of them now has my name on it.

This was stamp #32, and it earned every drop of ink. We’re deep into the Top 50 now, and Louie Mueller just smoked its way into the highlight reel. Only 18 more to go before I need a new passport, a gym membership, or both.

Dad Joke Sign-Off: Why did the brisket get promoted? Because it meats every...

Man I had huge hopes for this place I seen some videos on this cool looking spot and some said they loved it over franklins… huge order but we have been in this try all the best spot around Austin and surrounding to see who really is the best . First off I will say the place is nice and big and had amazing smells, I went to the right side and although hit it wasn’t that bad and gave me bbq atmosphere. Service was awesome and everyone very polite and engaging, this place has been open since 1840’s so I was even more excited.so I order brisket , chop, Mac and cheese and green beans , so keep in mind bbq is pricy these days so this place is the same .

Brisket: ok so it was tender and juicy but just lacked much flavor but that would not be bad for many because it still was good but just no punch to make a person crave it 3 out of 5

Chop: this was good and had some crispy in it more flavor but kinda dry not sure if it always that way , again not cravable.

Mac and cheese: wow this really hurt this was as basic as any Mac and cheese can get absolutely bland cheese flavor tasted more like box and just was disappointed

Green beans: stay clean it’s taste like can and really bad no flavor except they throw a couple bits of meat in it but don’t spend the money this was but very bad .

Sauces: the bbq sauce from the table was pretty good as well as the red bottle but the house sauce with onions was just weird not bad tasting but not sure how that even hegira with bbq , but I go kniws .

Overall I would go back if I was near and didn’t have other options , for all the years of experience I would have thought this place would rock me but seriously I can say Rudy’s is better and the only thing on Rudy’s I like is there moist brisket bc it pretty damn moist This is a very honest opinion and not meant to bash anyone or anything iam sure there are many that would disagree . Anyways the people are very cool and who knows...

If you're going here, you most likely know what to expect... so I'll try to give some tips you may not know. First, for my review... most of the pictures of the menu and online menus are WAY off on price. I spent $97 for 3 of us... not sure I feel I got my money's worth. Personally, didn't care for the original sausage. The brisket bark was a bit mushy and the brisket was lukewarm to me and my wife thought it was too salty (but i didnt) - both of us found it crazy tender. I can't say the same for the pork ribs- they were a bit tough and for certain didn't pull off the bone. The beans were a bit average but to be fair, I didn't come here for beans so no foul. The staff was super friendly and even Wayne made time to come out when I asked if I could meet him- so five stars on customer experience even if the Q was less than I was expecting. Several reviews talked about calling in your order for "to-go" but that only works between 8:00 & 11:00. Once the doors open, it's first come, first serve- no call in orders. Finally, I was nervous about the wait time especially since I was coming at 12:30 on a Saturday. I arrived to discover (to my amazement) I was #2 in line- only 1 person in line before me! Why? I suspect because it was 45 degrees outside and almost constant rain for most all morning. Finally, for a final tip, look for the Texas flag out front on the sidewalk. If you see the flag, they are still serving meat. Otherwise. I've gone to many of the Texas monthly top 50 joints and as badly as I want to give Louie Mueller five stars, I can't do it based on meal experience and value- but I reemphasize, the staff was still great! P.s. - despite this, I still tried to buy a t-shirt because I loved the experience even though I didn't have the same affection for the food... only to find out the only shirts left were size small and 4x. While they are getting more next week, ...