Steve C.
Yelp
I was the first and only customer at around 11am - 12 noon on a Friday in September 2025. I was very excited to try some great bbq at one of the most highly rated food trucks on Yelp and by others.
It's about 25 minutes over curvy roads thru the hills outside of Austin central metro area. I was glad that I went because I've been to Austin many times yet had not been northwest of the city.
I tried many items. The sides were only $4 for the "small" portions (which weren't that small), so I tried all of them. The mac and cheese cork screw pasta was especially delicious. In fact, every side was delish and decadent. The jicama cole slaw was good and crunchy, the scalloped potatoes delish, the sriracha cole slaw had a good kick. I also liked the green chili corn and the pinto beans (very hearty). There was a side of pickle chips and onions.
Now for the most important part, the brisket. It had a delicious bark on it, but it was just a bit dry. When I told my native Austinite friends this later, they all got very quiet ;). I believe that perhaps the truck makes the meat every other day, and I was there on the second day and so the meat got a bit dry (I'm being purely speculative about this and could be wrong). But it was still amazing!
The special that day was "The Volcano Sandwich" (see photos) with brisket, potato salad, bacon jam, jalapenos, and pepper vinegar sauce on a hamburger bun. By the ingredients list, I thought it would be spicy, but it really was not. It was excellent. I also got the straight slices of brisket in its purest form. Again, delicious but a bit on the dry side.
I also opted for some pork and got the Maui Waui Taco with pulled pork, pineapple pico de gallo, and chipotle sour cream. It was very tasty and I recommend it for the pork. It had a good kick and just sweet enough, but too much so.
I was unsure whether Jim's Smokehouse had a second location along Barton Springs Road in Austin because it was listed on the web. I tried calling a few times to get more information, but got voicemail both times. I confirmed later that, as of this writing, the dt Austin location was closed down.
Jim's Smokehouse is co-located with a few other food trucks. There are picnics tables, shaded in the back and a ping pong table. That day, I was served by Cecil? who was incredibly friendly and very welcoming. Such a nice guy. He brought all the food out to me along with the entire napkin holder. He appropriately waited for about 15 minutes to bring me the dessert which was the Keylime Pie with strawberry sauce (on the side). I tell you the pie was fantastic - get it!
I think Jim's Smokehouse is 5/5 overall. I would go again in a heartbeat.