Mike O.
Yelp
Cooper's has become our go-to late evening option for good barbecue in Austin!
It's open fairly late, especially for this genre of cuisine, and moreso than that, they typically have actual meat left after 7:00 pm (even after 9:00 pm!), which has come in clutch for us on visits to Austin more than once!
On our latest visit, we happened to arrive right around 8:45 pm on a Wednesday evening, to absolutely zero line! They were only out of one meat, but still plenty on offer to satiate two grown boys! We ordered three different bulk meats to share, a side, and a dessert for each.
Right after we checked out and sat down, the line grew and moved out the door and down the sidewalk! Amazing timing!
And, there's a reason for the line: while not in the first tier of joints you name off with regard to Austin barbecue, Cooper's is absolutely holding down some strong 'cue game! Smokey, well seasoned, full-flavored, incredible meat of all sorts! Beef and pork were featured for us, and nothing disappointed.
Of particular strength on this visit: a pork kebab!
The beef brisket this time around was fine, by Texas standards (the highest of high), but not the best we've had either here or elsewhere in town.
The atmosphere is always rockin', any time we've been, which adds to the fun and flair of the joint!
TL;DR here: very solid barbecue, open late, but not quite top-tier by Austin's or Texas's extremely high standards.
Food = 4/5
Facility = 3/5
Service = 3/5
Ambiance = 4/5
Value = 2/5