One of Texas Best
Don't be confused by operations with the
same name in Houston, when it comes to
Q, there ain't but one and it is on the
right side of the tracks in Luling Texas.

Eating is an adventure, you buy your meat by the pound in the smoke house, which is in the back of the dining room, you have to pay for the meat there, and get sides like beans cheese and drinks from a second cashier. The beans are really good.

If you want to be dainty, forget about it, this is not the place, wash room towels are your napkins and butcher paper is your plate, but it doesn't get much better than this.

The sausage is great but a bit on the hot side, the brisket is wonderful. I have not tried the ribs, but they looked like a winner!

You are the waiter so, my comments about service is ambiguous. As for ambiance, well the formica was always clean!

It is worth the 110 mile round trip for a great Texas lunch!!!!    [30 Jan 2002 14:02:48]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Brisket,Sausage and ribs

     ­Stu Katz   Stuzooman at yahoo dot com

Definitive ribs.
The ribs at City Market are sublime. The meat barely hangs onto the bone as you pick it up off the paper. You practically don't even need to chew it. The flavor is beyond any that I've tried before or since. Honest to goodness, all barbecue I've tried just cannot compare to these ribs; there's always something missing. Maybe it's extra fat, I don't know.

The brisket is good, and the sausage tasty, but man, those ribs.

A couple things one should know when going to City Market. The meat is in the back room; you order by the pound or number of ribs. Get your meat and bread or crackers first (the line is usually the longest for meat, so it's actually quicker to do it this way), then claim a table and get the drinks and other sides from the drink counter. Yes, it's a two counter meal, but that's okay. If you are getting brisket or sausage, don't forget to ask for sauce (you won't need - or want- it for the ribs). The sauce here is different; it's not thick and ketchupy, but rather thin and spicy, and works well with the meats. Use your fingers to eat; that's perfectly acceptable in all the better barbecue joints in Central Texas.    [01 Mar 2002 16:03:47]

Food: -   Service: -   Ambiance: -   Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Did I mention the ribs?

     ­Paxsimia   

Poor food at a high price...
I tried the brisket, sausage and ribs after watching a Sunday morning review of the place. Brisket; dry, sliced too thick, lacked flavor, cold. Sausage; this recipe is suspicious, it taste like something that is spoiled. The texture is is unpalatable. The flavor is non existant. Ribs; the only thing that could have made the grade but they were dry, cold and lacked flavor. The so called "sauce" is a joke. You need it though to add some moisture to an otherwise extremely dry piece of meat. Don't go out of your way to this place, there are sooooo many better places to eat in south Texas. The soft drink prices are great because you've paid soooo much for the meat. The beans and the cheese taste like they were made without any seasoning what so ever. Trust me, leave this place alone, that's why it's where it is.    [22 Jul 2002 21:08:28]

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     ­Tim   

Great Brisket
Between San Antonio and Houston this is the best place for Barbeque. You can get dry or juicy brisket and/or sausage that you then eat off butcher paper. Super atmosphere and food if you like informal dining.    [20 Aug 2002 22:14:10]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Juicy brisket and dry sausage.

     ­Graham   twcg at alaska dot net

NO PLACE LIKE LULING'S CITY MARKET
Luling's City Market Barbecue , ribs and sausage is worth the trip from anywhere. Everytime I'm in Texas I can't miss Luling. I've never had a bad meal and it's well worth the trip.

   [29 Aug 2002 15:29:51]

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     ­ALICE ALLEN   AALLEN at NORWALKMEDGROUP dot COM

TEXAS' BEST BAR-B-QUE!!!
The Luling City Market has the best Bar-B-Que I have ever tasted. I am not saying this because I am originally from there. I moved from Luling back in 1998 and can't seem to find any place that makes better Bar-B-Que or even close to it. So, I now have to drive approximately 390 miles just to get some of that delicious food.    [12 Nov 2002 03:51:56]

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Recommended Dishes: You must try a little bit of everything!!! No kidding, it is all great!!

     ­Rosie Zamora   noseyrosie1972 at hotmail dot com

CALIFORNIA FAN LOVES CITY MARKET
I visit San Antonio twice a year from Santa Barbara, California, and have only missed going to the City Market two times in the last ten years or so. It's the best! I've spent a lot of time in cities and towns such as Crockett, Elgin, San Antonio, Uvalde, Bandera, and others, looking for the best BBQ, and Luling has it. The brisket is hot and smokey, and you can't beat that mustard-based sauce. The sausage is tasty and has just the right juiciness. Of course, they have both Dr. Pepper and Big Red.    [20 Nov 2002 12:47:46]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Brisket, sausage, ribs, and sauce.

     ­Matthew F. Delaney   

This place couldn't be better.
My family and I HAVE GONE THERE FOR YEARS. My husband and his parents, and grandparents have eaten there most of their lives. We have tried many Bar-B-Que places all over the state, but the City Market seems to be the measuring stick by which all others are measured. The sausage is excellent, the ribs fall off of the bone, and that sauce ties it all together. Do not miss the City Market if you are anywhere near Houston or San Antonio. It is well worth the drive.    [18 Feb 2003 10:10:44]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Sausage, ribs, beans and Big Red

     ­Alexandra Cox   

My parents married in 1938 and lived in Luling to around the 1940's before they moved to San Antonio. I have been going to City Market since I was a little girl with them and I am now 50 years old. It is now a family tradition to go with my husband and kids at least once a month or so just to get the best sasuage, brisket and ribs in Texas. The service is great and what I like about it the most is that not much has changed and it is consistent and always good. Keep up the great work and don't ever change.    [24 Feb 2003 14:40:14]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Sasuage, Brisket and Ribs

     ­Susan Walker Edwards   je6028_bby at msn dot com

Best barbeque in the world!
My mother grew up in Luling. When she was in college at Baylor in the 40's, her mother would pack City Market barbeque in dry ice and ship it to her in Waco. What a treat!

We've lived all over the world and I've tried barbeque all over the states. I like Kentucky barbeque & Memphis barbeque & all the others, too, but none compares with good 'ole City Market!

I have a cousin who's a judge up in Boulder, CO, who is something of a barbeque connoisseur. The first time he and his wife came down to see my folks 20 years ago he said, "I don't care where else you take us but I've been reading about a place called the City Market in Luling, Texas, that I want to go try out!" He doesn't get down here very often, but when he does, that's one place we have to go. He flew down the last time he was here and hand-carried two briskets back he'd bought at City Market that we froze and wrapped with newspaper and string!

We like the ribs best if we're eating in. We usually take brisket and sausage home. The beans are soooo good. (We have speculated over the years that the reason the beans & iced tea taste so good in Luling is because of the Luling water. It's nasty to drink and smell but makes good beans and tea. Go figure!) Of course, we all usually have our meal with Big Red.

Finally, I STRONGLY SUSPECT that the only negative comment I've seen on this website (and it's a particularly nasty statement at that) has been entered by a competitor that just cannot compete or compare with City Market.    [29 Mar 2003 15:10:05]

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Recommended Dishes:

     ­Carol Marquis