Grand Prize Barbeque - Pasadena — Restaurant in Texas City

I used to work in Texas City between 2005-2010 and Grand Prize was the best BBQ I had ever had but on my last visit in Aug 2023 the quality of the food had become disappointingly bad. I ordered the combo po boy and my wife ordered the sliced brisket on the jalapeño cheese bread. So $35 dollars later for two sandwiches, two sides, and two sodas I was embarrassed because I had spoken so highly of the place to my wife and she was visibly annoyed and disappointed. The sauce was still good but not like I remember. It used to have a bit of spice, a little sweet taste, and pieces of brisket in it. Not anymore it was okay but was definitely missing the spice and brisket I remember. The sides were good but the meat was not very good. Especially the brisket. One thing I always notice when I go to a BBQ restaurant is they always makes sure you can see them cut the meat fresh. For this last visit I don’t remember seeing them cut the meat. The brisket was tender but extremely bland. Also it wasn’t fresh at all. By the looks of it the brisket had been cooked in the oven and stored for later consumption. I’m not trying to be critical only honest because I used to love this place and it’s pretty evident the quality has gone down recently and needs to be fixed. The food is too expensive to Taste bad. Ownership and management has obviously changed over the years and they are now just living on the name but if the BBQ continues to get bad reviews the name will be useless and it may start affecting the visitors at the other locations.

Sincerely a concerned...

Giving 3 stars bc the service was quick and the sweet tea is really good.

I came in last weekend because I’m very pregnant craving catfish, and I noticed they had a sign out selling catfish plates. It was pretty bad, very chewy and tough texture, absolutely not fresh, and the tartar sauce was just some weird brand from the grocery store (maybe my expectations were high for fresh made sauce as well) boudin balls were over cooked and very dry. Got half lb of turkey for my husband to try, it wasn’t bad but I don’t know if I believe it was truly smoked all the way through. The bbq sauce was not what I expected, very very strong flavor, almost rancid but maybe it was just very strong vinegar based. Not my cup of tea but maybe someone else would like that.

I shared my experience with a coworker who has lived in the area for a long time and she informed me that this place is known for not smoking their meats all the way through, and mentioned that they boil the meat (or use some other alterNative cooking method to do most the cooking) very sad to hear it but upon reading other reviews and trying the food myself, I believe her. That’s unfortunate for a Texas joint since bbq is serious business down here. Hope they can fix that before it’s too late..

The sides were Mac and cheese and jambalaya. Not bad. Very generic. Tbh it reminds me of hospital food. Edible but meh.

Overall, won’t be back- I do expect to eat fresh fish if I’m paying for it so I’ll find another...

We always go to the Texas City location but we will not be going back. First the girl that answers the phone is very rude and reminds me.of the girl from The Madea Movies that works the drive thru and says thi gs like, " We don't got those mushrooms anymore"... but secondly the online menu is not up to date and they apparently don't have any of.the appetizers on the menu except Boudain balls and jalapeños, and it does not indicate on this menu anywhere that there is extra charge for jalapeño bread, as it states that sandwiches come with you choice of bread and then you get there and they have charged extra for the jalapeño bread. Lastly, the boudain balls are literally the worst I have ever eaten and my dog wouldn't even eat them. I spent $61 on food that I was overcharged for and that my dog wouldn't eat. Will not be going back. And also this was for inly 4 people, with no drinks or anything. This is...