Salt Lick

This is the real deal. It's a long drive, but by the time your car wheels hit that gravel parking lot, you'll smell those ribs and know you've arrived. (Just hearing that crunchy gravel sound makes my mouth water!)Family style's the way to go, but the sandwiches are to die for, too. Be sure to bring cash and your own beer, and don't forget to pick up a couple of bottles of sauce for the off-season.
www.saltlickbbq.com
 
Well worth the drive! I'm fortunate to live in the Southwest section of town, so getting to Driftwood isn't as big a deal for me. But even for folks on the North side, it's worth spending a leisurely afternoon driving out there to eat. As mentioned before, get the country style and BYOB.
 
Salt Lick IS Texas. I absolutely love this place. I'm getting misty eyed just thinking of all the times my friends have piled into cars, picked up some beer, and driven out there for a feast of epic proportions. The food is great, but can't compare to the Salt Lick experience. I guess you have to go to understand, but a trip out to Driftwood will take up most of your day. It's time well spent. First you have to drive way the hell out into the middle of nowhere. Every time we go to the Lick I think about how many people have driven out towards Driftwood, figured they were lost and given up looking for it. I know I almost did the first time I went out there.After the drive, expect to wait. You may be tired and hungry by this point, but relax. Pop open a cold beer and listen to the band playing outside by the patio. Now youre in the restaurant. The waitress takes you to a long table with long benches and starts setting down plates. You're hungry. You order the "Family Style". You MUST order the "Family Style". All you can eat BBQ and sides. At the end of the meal, if there's room (there won't be), try the cobbler. YUM.If you've got guests coming into town, or if you're a guest yourself, it's well worth your while to find out how to get to Driftwood. If you're not from around here, maybe it'll help you understand why we love Texas so much.
 
It doesn't just beat C-Line, it renders it useless. TRY to save room for cobbler. On busy days, they've started (okay, for awhile now) having bands outside. Little kids running around everywhere, beer in coolers, soooo much fun you don't really notice you're waiting for a table!
 
The Salt Lick is simply an awesome place to have some great BBQ. It is indeed a very long drive to get to, but I think it's worth it. For those of you who just want the food (without the country atmosphere), you can enjoy their menu at the Austin Bergstrom airport. Upon arriving back in Austin a few weeks ago, I was pleasantly surprised to see the Salt Lick as one of the mini-restaurants that serve food in the airport. Since I hadn't been to the Salt Lick since last year and since it was also lunchtime, I wasted no time in ordering one of their tasty brisket and sausage platters. Their BBQ sauce is stuff you'll lick your chops over. I better stop writing because I'm making myself hungry. I will miss Austin and the Salt Lick when I graduate.
 
A great place to take out-of-towners & especially non-Texans.Good food, but not quite up there with Kreuz's or Mueller's. Louis Mueller's in Taylor is IMHO the holy grail of all things 'que.Austintatious
 
I convinced the wife last night we need to go here. We are going to be over in that area for some R&R in the fall, so we've decided to add a cooler of beer and a couple of "family style" sittings to the agenda.
 
If you live in Austin and have not been to the Salt Lick you need to be deported. The combination of food and atmosphere is absolutely unmatched.
 
Some friends went on Tuesday night and I got them to bring me back a bottle of sauce. I love that place so much.
 
Ok, are some of you folks on crack?

Don't get me wrong -- I love Salt Lick, for several reasons:

-- lotsa food (gotta love all-you-can-eat, esp. when you're in school)
-- good pork ribs, smoky with a good crusty layer
-- good sauce -- unique, vinegary
-- great atmosphere -- Texas stone ranch house feel, live music, big tables, lots of friendly people relaxing and having a good time
-- BYOB -- fun to wheel up a cooler of beer and have someone else bring you meat

BUT -- calling the Salt Lick the best BBQ around? No way.
Brisket -- average, often dry.
Sausage -- crap. Pure crap. Tastes like Ekrich sausage. NO WAY does it compare to real centex sausages, like those found at Kreuz's, Louis Meuller's, Sam's, Elgin, etc.
Pork ribs -- very good. Not the best ever, but very good.

I have had better brisket at at least 20 other restaurants. I have hardly ever had worse sausage. But I do eat the hell outa them ribs when we go.

So, laud the Salt Lick for what's great about it, but their overall score for bbq alone? Maybe 2.5 stars, or 3, out of 5.

orngbld

"Chicks dig me because I rarely wear underwear, and when I do, it's something unusual."
 
I had been living in Hawaii for 2 years and hadn't been back to Texas in quite a while when I came home for a holiday visit. My cousin came by my mom's house and forced me into the car for a drive. It seemed as though we were going to Austin, but then we went country and I knew exactly where we were headed. We drove up to the Salt Lick and everything became right in the world once again. As I was leaving I noticed the t-shirts for sale, I picked one up with a big Texas flag on the back and it helped me through two more years without barbq.

I'm an American by birth, I'm a Texan by the grace of God!
 
My parents took me there for the first time in the mid to late 80's and I've been in love ever since. I've watched the place explode in popularity over the last decade, growning from a small two room place, to a three parking lot Meca for meat-eaters.
I go everytime I am in town, and that will be soon again!

"There is nothing I hate more than bigotry, and midgets."
-some comedian
 
Went just last week for the first time in a year. New dining area...liked it. Got in MUCH quicker. New logo...ho hum....I like the cow better.It speaks to me....mmmmmmmrmmmyke....come on out....Eeeeat meee!!!
The food? Awesome, as usual. The cobbler portions have shrunk, but I rarely have room anyhow...buuuurp.
2 thumbs up.

.....>< )))' >
 
Ribs are outstanding, the chicken is above average, the sausage OK, and the brisket passable but inconsistent.

The sauce is to die for, especially the habanero version, but you have to ask for it because they don't automatically bring it to you.

Well worth the trip, especially with out-of-towners and yankees.



"Don't you hate Perry's wife?"
 
Alright, we took a big group out there last night, so I can update my earlier post.

Unfortunately, very little to update. I will be positive about the ribs though -- they are even better than I remembered. A perfect sweet crusty outside, but fell off the bone. Some of the better pork ribs I've had.

Brisket -- dry and bland. They take care to serve you the big pretty slices. Nice presentation, little taste. Screw that. Give me some outside cuts with some flavor.

The sausage wasn't as bad as I'd remembered, but it was close.

Still great sauce. Shoulda bought a bottle.

Never cared for the sides, either -- I pretty much stick to the beans.

Still, it was a good meal, and we had a GREAT time, which showed me yet again that the Salt Lick's greatest value is social, not culinary.

"Behold the bluebonnets!"
-- that new crazy guy who hangs out at 6th and Congress
 
Damn, I was reading this post and getting hungry, ready to load up, stop for some beer and head out to The Lick, until someone mentioned "The Pit" brisket being better. whoooa, Say it isn't so!!! The Pit, well, I'll try to be nice about it, but....it sucked!!!

Please say it ain't so!!!
 
I agree with the post above, the Salt Lick was overrated. My family went there 4th of July and we all walked out pretty disappointed. They did have great bbq sauce, but not much more than that. I thought the County Line wins hands down.
 
I'm kind of in the middle on this one. It's nice. Yankee's dig it. That makes me happy for them.

The food is not any where close to Cooper's in Llano (my personal favorite). However, it sure as **** blows County Lne out of the water. I'm probably biased because everytime I eat at the CL I want to punch my server in the neck, but I digress.

After the UNC game tomorrow ... OK in a couple of hours, I'm supposed to have dinner at the Salt Lick.

I'll report back.
 
Logically, the BBQ is better in any small town BBQ place. Llano, Taylor, Wimberly, et al. should have bad *** BBQ. Salt Lick blows doors off County Line.

So much of what makes Salt Lick so good is the whole experience. Forget the chains (County Line has what, 5-6 restaurants) and stick with the places that have one location.
 
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