Hill Country Barbecue Market

We visited Hill Country BBQ Market for dinner on Jun 24, 2025 as part of the Road Scholar's "American Mosaic - An NYC Exploration" program. Since our program covered the expenses, we didn't pay anything out of pocket.<br><br>Now I enjoy a good BBQ cookout at home as much as the next family, but don't care for it as a dining experience. My employer catered BBQ luncheons from time to time, and even then I wasn't crazy about it. Here in Hill Country, a room was reserved for us (party of 36). Our dinnerware resembled army mess tins lined with sanitary papers; our glasses resembled moonshine jars complete with screw threads at the rim for lids.<br><br>Our dinner was a catered set of longhorn cheddar mac & cheese (quite good), sliced brisket (meh), market chicken (a little tough), fresh baked cornbread (dry & hard) and collard greens (good but could be saltier). I consumed massive amounts of mac & cheese and collared greens to help swallow down the almost rock-hard cornbread. Desert was chocolate chip cookies (that wasn't bad). Some members of the group ordered liquor (at their own expense) to celebrate the good time they were having.<br><br>Customer service was less than stellar. The waitress did not inform us that soft drinks were complimentary until after we finished eating. That wasn't all. The restroom was located downstairs past the bar room. During my two visits – before and after the food was served – the same staff member was there cleaning. He had just finished the sinks when I went in the first time. On the second visit, the front door was blocked from the inside by a pail – he was mopping the floor. Couldn't he have waited till the off-peak hours to do that?? Customer service and cornbread were enough for me to not recommend this restaurant.

Two kinds of brisket moist and shoe leather.<br>The beer and cool cucumber side were the best part of the meal.<br><br>I MISS BRISKET TOWN in Brooklyn<br><br>Also overpriced for a sub par meal.

Alberto was great! He made our night and he makes the best cocktails! Also great Texas bbq in New York.

First time, delicious food, service was a bit slow but it was busy and very loud but added to the overall experience. Solid lineup of delicious sides, mains, and platters!

I would give this restaurant a four out of five. The food was pretty damn good. The moist brisket was lovely — I’m a guy who loves a little bit of fat, and it definitely had enough. The spareribs were classic spareribs, nothing crazy, but good. The mac & cheese, potato salad, and cowboy beans were very good. Just keep in mind the beans aren’t kept hot — they’re more room temperature-esque.<br><br>Now, that alone wouldn’t automatically make it a four out of five for me. It’s a local spot, just a regular restaurant. But they are a wee bit sneaky, and you can see the profit strategy in some of their decisions. They have a popular “2 Meat Combo” option for $50 where you get two meat choices, four small sides, and two pieces of cornbread. However, they don’t state how much meat you’re actually getting. The two meats in the combo are only 1/3 pound each.<br><br>Instead, you can order by the half-pound and choose your sides. For example, I got a half pound of spareribs, and we also got a pound of moist brisket with three small sides. That came out to about $80 total. If my friend and I had each gotten the 2Meat combo, we would have gotten 1.3 pounds of meat total, one extra small side, and two pieces of cornbread — but it would have cost about $20 more ($100).<br><br>You do the math, but I don’t think one extra small side, two pieces of cornbread, and less meat justifies an extra $20. They were also out of corn bread anyway lol.<br><br>That said, this is a small complaint. It’s still a good restaurant. If you want solid barbecue, it’s a great option.

I got the 2 meat combo, the fatty (moist) brisket and burnt ends. Both good. What made me give this a 5 star review is the staff. Very kind and accommodating. I made sure to tip extra over the counter for that.<br><br>Oh, and they were open during a the blizzard so big kudos for that as well.

5 stars all around. Great space, amazing food and excellent service too. Gary was our server, he did a fantastic job, 10/10. Would definitely recommend coming here.

Time to water: fast<br>Food tasted good. Cuts are dry, but sauce does a good job masking it.<br><br>Sausages taste like sausages.. maybe I just haven't developed a taste for this yet?? Sweet mash is good, Mac is also good. The chili has good heat. Personally wouldn't mind skipping cornbread, it's dry -- I ended up saving it by eating it WITH the sweet mash.<br><br>Environment is chill and nice.<br><br>No parking.

Gary the bartender makes the best Arnold palmers i love them so much! I highly recommend this place food was delicious 10/10.

Honestly, it was aggressively average.<br><br>The sausages were decent but had the personality of a LinkedIn post ….technically fine, zero depth. The steak was a hard no. The lean brisket was so dry and The “moist” brisket tasted like a direct butter IV. The chicken BBQ really needs to consider retirement; bland, forgettable, and Nando’s would absolutely smoke it in a head-to-head.<br><br>The ribs, however, were the hero of the night great flavor, actually enjoyable, and the one thing I wish I’d ordered more of.<br><br>Overall, I was expecting a lot more on the flavor front. That said, the location is nice, service was quick, and the staff were friendly, which definitely helped the experience even if the food didn’t.

Missing home, craving that good ol texas bbq so I had to come here and see what the deal is. Honestly, I enjoyed it! Hill Country does a solid job. I got the lunch special which gets you a sandwich, a side, and a drink.<br><br>For the sandwich I went with the Sliced Brisket. It was tender, cooked and seasoned well, had a nice thick bark to it that I really loved. Onions and pickles were good. I thought the BBQ sauce was fine, it was dispensed from a bottle at the table but I wish it was provided warm instead. That usually is a game changer for BBQ sauce!<br><br>For the side I got the Mac and Cheese which was great. No downsides here! I also tried the Buffalo Cauliflower which was kinda a miss to me. Like the cauliflower was good but there wasnt much buffalo flavor, the sauce itself was very liquidy / watery, not like a thick buffalo sauce you expect.<br><br>I am really sad about the sweet tea though, I was so looking forward to getting that authentic southern sweet tea but the one here was sour? May have been a bad batch but I had to just get a diet coke instead.<br><br>The vibe and decor inside was straight out of Texas though, I loved it!

This. Place. Was. Soooooo. Good!!<br><br>I never get BBQ food because I underestimate places but for my book club, we chose to go here because it related to one of the characters.<br><br>I was first taken aback by having to order the food at the counter and bring it to your table. It was giving cafeteria vibes. However, once I had the food, I I forgot all about that.<br><br>I got the two meats and two sides. My two meats were pulled pork and the moist brisket. The pulled pork. It was nice juicy and flavorful. It wasn't saucy, which was my only complaint. The brisket was so tender, so moist l, and so flavorful. My two sides were the mac & cheese and the baked beans. The mac & cheese was cheesy and delicious. The baked beans were not too sweet and complemented everything. To add it, had brisket inside of it. The meal also came with too many cornbread, which were a little bit dry and I didn't love the butter that it came with, but it still did what it needed to do.<br><br>I highly recommend coming here. I can't wait to go back!

I just came across this restaurant on Sunday while walking from the train station & decided to stop in for lunch. I sat at the bar. (even though I decided not to have any alcohol that day) They had a large selection of whiskey & bourbon in the area of the bar I was sitting. It looked as though they make a ton of margaritas since they had slushy machines behind the bar. I ordered the dry aged brisket burger which came with fries & since they had bourbon mashed sweet potatoes on the menu I had to try that. I should have read the menu more carefully. I thought since it said dry aged that the burger would be one solid piece of brisket. However it’s a blend & was an actual chopped meat style burger. I wasn’t asked how I would like it prepared so it was a little rarer than I’m used to. When my waitress asked me how everything was I mentioned that in casual conversation & to my surprise I wasn’t charged for the bourbon sweet potatoes. (Totally wasn’t expecting that) They have several dinning areas on two floors. Ranging from small tables & bar seating on the ground floor to large picnic tables & bar seating downstairs where there was a stage set up for live music. Most likely for the dinner crowd. There were a few other dishes on the menu I’d like to try & since the customer service was good I’ll stop by the next time I’m in the area.

The place looks good and the food tastes good as well. However I wouldn't call it excellent neither mediocre, somewhere in the middle. The prices were too expensive for what you actually get, the platter for two people can be eaten by one big guy. Not value for money at all. You don't really get any service either as it's cafeteria style where you pick up everything yourself. Will not visit again unless I need a very quick meal, because it was extremely quick.

I came in on Tuesday evening. The music and atmosphere was lively and loud. The staff was friendly, helpful and energized. No servers here, you order at the counter and cafe style, proceed to register. Only the sides are prepared in front of you, the meats are behind the staff and missed opportunity to see it in front of you being prepared like some other smokehouses do. When my order of brisket and ribs arrived to my table, I was disappointed. The ribs are in a dry rub and were also dry tasting like they were not freshly cut. The brisket slices were tasty but i asked specifically for the ends with more charring and juices (burnt ends), my slices were cut from the center and my request ignored. They were dry and becoming chewy leather right before me as I was eating my collard greens and mac-n-cheese. Of which, was made with real cheese and had a grainy mouthfeel unfortunately due to overcooking causing the protein to separate and curdle.<br>I hope you like the food and atmosphere. I ended up not finishing my meal. My leftovers are incredibly sad, dry and tough.