Fodor's Expert Review Rudy's Bar-B-Q

Many local barbecue snobs turn up their noses at Rudy's because it's a chain (albeit Texas-based) with hokey interiors, but plenty of Austinites count this as their "go-to" choice for a laid-back BBQ lunch. Three kinds of brisket—regular, extra moist, and extra lean—are cooked with dry spices over oak wood (not mesquite). Aside from brisket, there are pork and baby back ribs, turkey breast, pork loin, and prime rib. Sides are uniformly good, especially the creamed corn, which has a cult following. Take-out is brisk (and popular with large groups), but many diners chow down at the vinyl-covered picnic tables.