Two other San Antonio restaurants also ranked in the Top 50.
SEGUIN, Texas — The Texas Monthly on Tuesday published a refreshed ranking of the Top 50 Best BBQ Joints in the state and decided that a fan-favorite in Seguin was worthy of landing in the top five.
In fact, it cooked up the No. 1 spot out of more than 300 barbecue restaurants visited last year.
In its seventh such Top 50 list since 1996, the Austin-based magazine said that as Texas barbecue continues to evolve, awarding the best of the best becomes a very difficult task.
To compile its list, Texas Monthly said 26 taste-testers traveled thousands of miles across the state in late 2024, visiting 319 total BBQ eateries in 14 weeks.
Visits were not announced in advance and judges paid for everything they ate, according to Texas Monthly. The “most promising candidates” were later revisited by judges to determine final placements.
Landing the No. 1 spot is Michelin-approved Burnt Bean Co. The craft BBQ restaurant in Seguin, which gets its name from the English translation for “frijoles quemados,” was opened in 2020 by grill masters “Super Dave” Kirkland and the “Pope of BBQ” Ernest Servantes.
The Burnt Bean boasts being home of the “best BBQ in South Central Texas.”
Texas Monthly describes Burnt Bean as having efficient service and a menu that requires “planning an all-day Sunday affair,” offering breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and more.
The star of the magazine’s second visit for lunch at Burnt Bean Co. was the weekend-only beef-rib dishes featuring a short rib with nearly two pounds of meat and a pile of Korean beef back ribs, according to the judges.
“We’re No. 1 in Texas, which we always say is No. 2 in the world,” Servantes told KENS 5. “We wanted to show the world that small-town barbecue is just as good as all the other big boys.”
Texas Monthly said the BBQ joint feels like a “museum of small-town Texas with barbecue perfection the main exhibit.”
Visit Burnt Bean Co. located at 108 S. Austin St. in Seguin.
Full top 5 ranking
5. GW’s BBQ – San Juan
4. Redbird BBQ – Port Neches
3. Goldee’s Barbecue – Fort Worth
2. LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue – Austin
1. Burnt Bean Co. – Seguin
San Antonio BBQ restaurants ranking in the top 50
Also making the list are two savory Alamo City restaurants: 2M Smokehouse BBQ and Reese Bros Barbecue.
2M Smokehouse was opened by pitmaster and co-owner Esaul Ramos Jr. in 2016, making his dream of barbecuing for a living a reality right here in his hometown of San Antonio. The BBQ joint is located at 2731 South WW White Road on the city’s southeast side.
Meanwhile, Reese Bros Barbecue was opened by co-owners and pitmasters Elliott and Nick Reese and Gabe Perez in 2022. The near-east-side restaurant is known for its “experimental” menu items offering Central Texas BBQ with a Mexican influence.
“Couldn’t be more excited,” said Elliott Reese. “The top 50 list is something that every barbecue restaurant dreams of when opening… to finally see it on that list is hard to even say how much it means to us.”
Reese Bros Barbecue is located on 906 Hoefgen Avenue near the Alamodome.