Stanley's Famous Pit Barbecue — Restaurant in Tyler

Stanley's had been a staple here in Tyler for a long time. I've heard good things about it for years such as from Texas Monthly's top 50 BBQ places in Texas and other publications or television shows. I've been to Tyler numerous times from the 80's up. I've never had a chance to check Stanley's out until this weekend. I can honestly say I don't know why I haven't made a stop here in the past!! My wife and our 6 year old made a planned stop here on our way to Lake Palestine to meet family for a weekend vacation for the kids before they start back to school next week. We were very impressed talking to locals in the line to get their BBQ! One elderly couple have been coming here for years!!! They said that there is no better in the area and they come and order to always take home! So we were in line behind them and they said everything is great here! They ordered and waited by the side on their order. We were up next and we decided that we would get the three meat plate with brisket, sausage, and pulled pork. We also ordered a half rack of ribs for our soon to be seven year old as he has always loved the ribs I cook at home. They had a sign at the register that advertised Reuben Sandwiches for a short time only and my wife and I both are fools for a good Reuben! So we ordered one of those to split and a quart of their potato salad to go with our order. Plus we added three drinks. We paid and they gave us a number to place when we got to our table and went and found a place in the A/C by their bar which has a really big selection of bourbons and other drinks. It wasn't long our waitress brought our order to the table and said that plastic utensils were in dispensers along with a spicy BBQ sauce if we would preferred that! I certainly did and it was excellent!!! BBQ isn't my wife's favorite, but she was hungry and said I made a good pick for a late lunch!! The Ribs we're really good and spicy the way we like them! The brisket was excellent with a great tasty bark. The pulled pork was really good too! I really liked their sausage as well as it was spiced just right! I have to say and my wife and I both agreed that the Reuben was the surprise of them all!!! It was as good as any Reuben we've ever had anywhere!!! I mean really good! We were not disappointed at all as our little one gave us two thumbs up on the ribs and I have to agree with him as did my wife! It was a little expensive, but what isn't now days. After splitting the Reuben and trying the meats we ordered we had enough to save for a meal later!!! Now I'm left asking myself why I haven't went out of my way to stop and check Stanley's out in the past!!! I know money is tight now days as it is on all of us, but if you really want some really great BBQ and your in the Tyler area, Stanley's is your place!!! I think it was very well worth the time and money spent to make the stop here and my...

Where to start? The beef brisket is the new style and they do it really well here, with a nice flavorful bark and good smoke. I ordered mine lean and it didn't disappoint. The barbecue sauce on the table is outstanding. Somewhat hidden though on the water refill table is the spicy BBQ sauce, made from Chipotle, Cayenne, and apparently chili powder in a robust marriage of flavors. You'll definitely want to try it. It's pretty strong and I preferred the milder flavor of the one on the table.

They advertise having the best ribs in Texas which may be a stretch, but if so they're not off by much. These ribs are thoroughly cooked, meaty, and covered with a really nice rub. The glaze on them is just perfect and they did not disappoint at all.

On par with the brisket and ribs is the potato salad, which is fantastic. I don't say that very often because most places in Texas have bad potato salad. This place is the exception and surprisingly so. The potato salad seems to have a nice sour cream base with perfectly cooked potatoes and just the right amount of spices. I highly, highly recommend the potato salad. The cowboy beans are good as well. I asked and was told they are made with pinto beans, brisket, and bacon. I don't detect the bacon but I do detect a hint of brisket and several other flavors, including taco seasoning and chipotle. These cowboy beans more resemble a meatless chili which is a welcome departure from the too many places that serve up just regular pinto beans. If I had to rank them though, the potato salad is definitely the better side but these cowboy beans are good. The total price for my two meat, two side plate with sweet tea came to $27.99.

This place is an institution in Tyler, TX for good reason. If you're anywhere near this way, you'll want to stop in...

I was in town for a business trip and my boss recommended I come here to try the BBQ. Me and a co-worker arrived and the parking was somewhat difficult, but I did eventually find somewhere to park. We walk around front and get in line. We did stand in line for around 15 mins or so, but we started talking to another guy who was there meeting his wife for lunch, so it went by fairly quickly. Super nice guy and was very helpful!

So, finally reach the front lobby and man it was hectic. You have people in line ordering, ppl ordering at another register for “to go” orders, waiters getting food from counter, people getting drinks. This is not a lobby with a lot of room either, it’s packed! I go to order and the girl at the register was super friendly and took my order. However, it was very hard to hear anything. I ordered a three meat platter ( not on the menu ) and grab my drink ( sweet tea ) and go pick a seat on the outside patio. The waiter brings the food a short while later. Waiter was very friendly and even gave us some insight on a special sandwich they do every Thursday and it sounded delicious. I’ll try it next time!

My food; the ribs were delicious and sweet. Coleslaw was fantastic, a little bit bigger pieces of cabbage than I personally like, but the flavor was on point. Potato salad, was very good. Pulled pork was good, not a whole lot of flavor but still good. Brisket was a little on the dry side and had some type of flavor that was so overpowering that I couldn’t eat the last bite. Overall, service and employees were great and food was pretty good for the most part. I’ll definitely be back to give...