Two Austin-Area Barbecue Spots on List of 38 Essential Restaurants in America

Today, Eater’s roving food critic Bill Addison released his annual list of 38 essential restaurants in America for 2018, and two Austin-area barbecue spots made the cut. Franklin Barbecue is listed for the fifth year in a row (as long as the list has been around), and new addition 2M Smokehouse out of San Antonio.

Franklin Barbecue remains the only restaurant in Austin to make the list, and 2M is the first restaurant from San Antonio to make an appearance. Of “new school” barbecue 2M, Addison praised the expression of Mexican-American heritage by pitmaster Esaul Ramos (formerly pitmaster of La Barbecue). He called the brisket “near-custardy” and concluded, “This is how the leading edge of Lone Star barbecue looks, smells, and tastes.”

Of Franklin, Addison noted, “His brisket alone altered my brain chemistry.”

The only other restaurants from Texas on the list were Indian/Pakistani restaurant Himalaya and modern Mexican restaurant Xochi out of Houston.