Joe Allen's Pit Bar-B-Que

Best barbecue, sides, and dessert I have ever had! The quality and price were both awesome! I have been coming to Abilene for years and just now found this hidden jewel thanks to a friend who recommended it! Best thing about Abilene except for my grandkids!!!

I heard about this place from a lady at the airport so I tried it. About 6:30 pm on a Wednesday. Seat yourself, like that. Sat at the bar, served right away, got an ice cold beer. There is a bigger dining room as well but it was just me. Paper menu, very simple, ordered the chx fried steak with fries and a salad. 💯 on everything. The ranch dressing pretty sure not from a bottle. The homemade jalapeño cornbread and white bread, Chx fried and fries were crispy and tasty. I'd come back for sure!

Our server was most apologetic if it took her more than 2 seconds to bring us anything. She was lovely. I accidentally got served a baked potato when I ordered a sweet potato, so she said I could have both! Result! The sweet potato took mere moments to be brought to me. The steak was amazing (just the smallest cut was too much) and the extra shrimp were grilled to Absolute perfection ! Driving away … I wish I’d had a dessert to go!

We had a one night stay in Abilene and was hopeful to get some good Texas BBQ. There wasn't a lot to choose from. I loved the look of this place when we pulled up. The service was really great. You can order by the plate or the pound. Since we can't take leftovers we did plates. I got sausage, ribs and brisket. Sausage was good, the ribs were pretty good. I liked the rub and they pulled off the bone perfectly. The brisket was terrible. I couldn't eat it. I don't think it was smoked long enough because it was like biting into leather. There was a layer of fat on it that really should have rendered if it was cooked long enough. The sides were good. Better than a lot of bbq places. Overall the food was good and I would go again just to see if the brisket was a fluke.

Our lunch was delicious. Christy was very helpful and polite. Thank you 😊

My wife and I were in Abilene for a day trip. We've been craving barbecue, so we looked up Joe Allen's. When we arrived, we found the atmosphere to be inviting. We were seated and served quickly. I had the lunch special steak (New York Cut), and she had the two meat combo. Everything was delicious, and our server made sure we were happy. There was so much food that we didn't have room for dessert.

Abilene only has a handful of "Local Owned" pit bar-b-que restaurants. I have found Joe Allen's to be the best in Abilene. You can choose full service with a waiter or the self service. We prefer self service. The bar-b-que is pit smoked and fresh. The rods and brisket are very good. I only gave three stars for the atmosphere because it was chilly inside. There was an air vent blowing cold air on us. All in all, we will go back.

Haven't been here in a long time decided to try it again. The place is super cool, got that good old Texas atmosphere for sure. Onion rings on point, homemade bread was a win, the brisket though... Sad and dry 😭 my son and I drove 45 mins to eat here. Not a waste though, their chicken was really good, as was everything else I had.

Not sure how people could come up with a negative thing to say about this place? The service was very fast and the BBQ and sides are delicious. It is very fairly priced too. My family enjoyed it both times we've eaten at Joe Allen's.

It has been a LONG time since I've eaten at Joe Allen's. I remembered their sign with lunch specials and thought I'd give it a try. The hamburger basket was tempting but then I saw the lunch steak as a special also. The steak was perfectly cooked, very tender, and very tasty. My waitress was an extremely nice young lady, 7-Sierra. Altogether a great lunch. Like Arnold Swartinager "I'll be back!"

It was ok, the corn bread were dry as hell, onion rings were over fried also thick breading and a very thin slice of onion. The brisket meat was good tho.

Best steaks and brisket. Their brisket is so tasty and tender. Ribeyes are stellar! Nice folks who do good cookin' and que'in. If you are in town, go to Joe Allen's!

Pricing is good for the amount of food and the quality of it all. They make the cornbread and sourdough bread, we bought a loaf of sourdough. Texas Bbq place ambience is cool. The portions will make you happy. We had chopped brisket,jalapeño sausage (not too spicy), ribs, sweet potato fries, and home fries, all was very good. Daily specials. Lots to explore. We will be back! Eat here!

Good food, good service interesting atmosphere. Got the steak special was a good price cooked perfect, good portion for the money. My wife got the brisket, good flavor but was over cooked a bit, was a little dry. Plus was no fatty portion which we both like. Would definitely go back.

After seeing that one of my favorite Abilene BBQ joints was closed on Mondays, I was looking for another place to eat. WELL, after reading here about inspection scores (see link), I will certainly look for another restaurant. Can someone please explain to me how a place with such scores can still be allowed to operate?!!! https://www.yelp.com/inspections/joe-allens-pit-bbq-abilene-2 Thank you YELP for provide potential customers with this important health information.

I ate here at Joe Allen's during my time in the USAF back in the 90's and again 25+ years later, just a few weeks ago and the steaks are still just as good as I remember them. To the jackwagon @Markish J., playing the race card: Grow the hell up bro. I'm a Caucasian American and have crap service more frequently now than ever. It's not a race thing, it's a generational workforce thing! The quicker you folks can quit being butthurt about things the rest of us deal with all the time the better off we all will be. Delete or report my review IJDGAF. I'm sick and tired people crying RACISM when things aren't to their liking. Joe Allen's, keep up the great consistent work! You won't hear me slam you guys for having to wait an extra 30 minutes for my order, it was worth the extra wait.

It is what it is Meat was tasty, sides...not so much. Mashed potato salad that tasted like they took Walmart potato salad and mashed it. Yuck Coleslaw was way over thought, keep it simple!!!

I can't tell you anything about the food here because after waiting more than 1/2 hour we had to flag down a worker to ask where our order was, and they hadn't started it yet. We left.

Popular place - even late lunch was busy! Nice, rustic interior, very appropriate for barbecue. Provided jalapeño cornbread (very good) and slices of sourdough while I waited for my meal. Ordered 2-meat plate with two sides. Potatoes salad was like mashed potatoes with veggies mixed in - different, but fine. Fried okra was good. Brisket was fine, not too much smoke, nice ring and a little more fat than I prefer. Jalapeño/cheese sausage was great! Really a big plate of food. I was having such a good time I had to try a dessert, too. Waitress recommended banana pudding. It too, was different - it was real deal, made from scratch with no jello pudding added. Overall a good experience. Huge surprise when I got the check for $18.03 including iced tea! That's a LOT of food for relatively small price.

The best steak in Abilene. We don't waste our time and money anymore checking out new places for a better steak. We always end up back at Joe Allen's

This place is awesome !! It is the first restaurant I go to when I visit Abilene. If this is your first visit to Joe Allen's, I recommend the 1-1/4" ribeye with either sweet potato or loaded baked potato. Unless you're breaking a three day fast, you will probably be taking away half of it to consume later. It comes with a delicious side salad and excellent service from the staff members. This meal including iced tea and gratuity only costs $70 which is more than reasonable when you consider the quality and presentation of the cuisine, as well as, the friendly, helpful staff taking care of you. The dining area and washroom has always been clean every time I have dined here. The legacy characteristic of this fine establishment is consistency.

Came in Joe Allen's and ordered to go order to take to the park very disappointed my brisket was cold like it was out of the refrigerator not warm at all cut to thick and tough and fries were homemade but old usually the food is good and hot and reasonably priced not this time I will think twice before I go back and it will not be to go at least if you eat there they can fix your food if it's not right .

Food was fantastic and plentiful! Service was prompt and friendly. Bathrooms were dirty and not well maintained though.

Get their fajitas!! Get them medium rare! This place is a staple in Abilene and for very good reason. I have been coming here since I was a boy and I have always loved it. Trust me, you will not find better fajitas than these!

Hey Siri show me mediocre BBQ Siri: Joe Allen's Pit BBQ Abilene, Texas I have eaten here multiple times thinking it's going to live up to hype. It hasn't yet. Everything I have tried has been average. Not great, not terrible, average. Brisket, sides you name it average. The staff is very friendly I will give them that but the food is average. Prices are also reasonable for BBQ so I can't knock them for that.

The first time I went here was in '95. It was the best steak I have ever had. Today I brought my whole family here because some of them are here for work. Anyone talking bad about this place does not know what a great wood fired steak is about. I have never tried their bbq but I guarantee nobody does a steak better. The staff are all friendly and so nice. We took two kids under three and they never treated us as a burden. Always going to be the best steak I have ever had.

Outstanding across the boards! The food is tremendous, the staff is great, and the ambiance is perfect for a great meal. My favorite BBQ place and one of my favorite overall restaurants in Abilene. Can't recommend Joe Allen's enough.

This place is as Texas as it gets. Food is really good. And let me tell you about the service. Love the service here. Everyone is polite and helpful. I think my servers name was Haley. I told her that it was my 1st time here as I just moved into town. She definitely didn't steer me wrong with her suggestions. She also brought bread and was so nice and polite the whole time. I will definitely be back.

Really good! I had the ribs and my boyfriend had the brisket. Both really tender, yum! Walking in, I was skeptical. I redact my skepticism! Check them out!

Racism at its finest! Here is my reason. I am an African-American, my two coworkers were Mexican and Puerto Rican. The bar was first come first serve at one point us three were the only persons at the bar for about 30 minutes. We ordered our food and drinks. 10 minutes after we ordered food and drinks two separate groups of Caucasian Americans set along the bar with us. They ordered food and drinks also to make a longer story short, The Caucasians ordered similar menu items as we did and got their food 20 to 30 minutes before us. to make it more clear the three of us along with the two separate groups of Caucasians ordered ribs and steak someone please tell me how they got their food 20 to 30 minutes before us. I'm just not understanding. I am giving one star because we did enjoy our beer and the review makes us give at least one star.

Food was great, Christy was an amazing waitress and took great care of us. The steak, the catfish, the hush puppies are in a shape I've never had hush puppies in. Overall great food, great people and great atmosphere

This is a man restaurant with man food minus the calf fries the best quality beef that I've ever had in fajita's at any restaurant

December 18, 2021 - Chicken fried steak straight out of the box from Sam's club. I've had better chicken fried steak from Dairy Queen. Pork Ribs were beyond dry. Probably sat under a warming light since Friday. Almost inedible. Sent them back. I've had better pork ribs at a chinese buffet. Manager didn't even come over to the table to attempt to make things right. He knew he had served crap to our table of twelve. Our server was amazing. This was my first experience at Joe Allen's and the adage says, "You only get one chance at a good first impression." I've heard so many good things about Joe Allen's. Apparently, I have been lied to for years. All in all, Joe Allen's is incredibly over-rated. Almost as over-rated as Joe T Garcia's in Fort Worth. It is apparent they have been surviving on their own press for years. My final statement on Joe Allen's is been there, done that. Kind of like going to a tractor pull. You go to see what all the hype is about and leave incredibly disappointed. Oh, they do have decent onion rings for a BBQ joint.

Stopped by for lunch since my husband mentioned their BBQ fajitas that he's had in the past. SERVICE - A hostess will come and greet you and then your waiter is your main person. I'm not sure about the person's name but she was quick. FOOD Complimentary Bread - This was a variety of jalapeño cornbread, regular cornbread, and white bread. The jalapeño cornbread was tasty as it had a little bit of spice to it. The sweetness of the bread balanced it all out. The regular cornbread was fine but nothing outstanding. I did not try the white bread as it just looked like sliced white sandwich bread. Grilled Salmon - This was difficult for me to eat because it was very fishy. It did not smell or taste too fresh. After having the salmon from Copper Creek, this one did not compare. Beef Fajitas - You can get the extra toppings (peppers, onions, cheese) for an additional price but my husband just wanted the meat and tortilla. He smothered the meat with the BBQ sauce and it was tasty. They give you big slices of beef so it was good. Steamed Veggies - This was literally just steamed veggies. No seasoning or any flavor. I dipped mine in BBQ sauce. Sweet Potato Fries - These were not crispy at all. Just limp potatoes that were soaked in oil. Baked Potato - This was good. I feel like you cannot mess up a baked potato so I enjoyed this. Fried Okra - These had a nice crispy batter to them. Overall, I cannot say this would be a restaurant that I would want to return to. It was a great experience to try a place my husband used to go to but I think one time was enough.

Ordered sliced brisket sandwich with fries. Sandwich was not good. Meat must have been cooked days....s before. French fries were the worst fries I have ever eaten! Must have been cooked several times. Burned and could not bite through the French fry. I am 70 years old and I am not complaining just to complain. Too expensive for no quality at all. They must Have cooked the fries 2-3 days ago. Employees and owner must not give a hoot. They should close down.

The atmosphere is a little rustic but don't let it fool you, this has to be one of the best places in town! Services is always friendly and on top of things. Their homemade sourdough is fantastic and their jalapeño cheese sausage is the perfect way to start your meal (the bbq sauce is excellent) their steaks are always cooked to perfection and well worth the price! And you absolutely HAVE to get the peach cobbler!

Love the western ambiance. Always great service and awesome barbecue. We're relatively new to Abilene and happy to have found this cool restaurant.

Long time since we ate here. New York strip was cooked perfectly, flavor excellent. Service spot on thank you Shelby. Sides were excellent this will be our new go to spot!!

Great place to go when your are in Austin. No need for BBQ sauce every bit is delicious. The most tender and juicy Brisket I have ever eaten. Go when you are in town

Favorite bar b q for my hubby. Delicious sides. The service was good. Easy refills and extra attention if needed. Portions are very generous.

Great food and friendly service! Nice size parking lot if you have a hard to park vehicle

My family and I were in town visiting and came here for an early dinner. What a cool place. Rustic decor. We were seated immediately. Our waitress Molly was very nice. We all ordered something different. Hands down their steak, brisket and turkey were the absolute best. Their BBQ sauce was excellent as well.

OH MY GOSH! I'm in town on a work trip and a customer recommended this place. I'm glad they did because the food was freaking amazing! I had the TBONE and one the size of the steak HUGE and it was seasoned to perfection. I asked for A1 and they put some in the bag for me but said I wouldn't need it ‍ but you know how places are they all say that right lol this one no joke A1 not needed. Atmosphere was friendly and inviting as well!

Really good BBQ. Stopped for lunch and had a chopped brisket sandwhich. Sweet potato very tasty. Would certainly come back again.

Mega delicious steaks for reasonable prices! Go crazy and get a thick ribeye and you won't regret it. :)

We are in town to visit our son. Found Joe Allen's on the top 10 places to eat. They should be number 1! Loved the ambience, service was great, people friendly and the steak melted like butter it was so tender!! The ribs and brisket were just as good!

Their steaks, brisket, and ribs are the best!! Love many of their sides too. This is REAL TEXAS BBQ!

Food is phenomenal. Undeniable flavor. However the children workers are rude and incompetent. Coming in for dinner and they act like it's the biggest inconvenience to get up from the tables to take your order. -Are your fries home cut or frozen? -Uh idk. It took me asking 3 different people to answer a simple question. BTW they're frozen. So be sure to get the onion rings. Talk LOUD and SLOW to the walk up employees and pray they get it right

the first time we ate here it was one of the best bbq restaurants we've had but the last 2 visits have been a major disappointment. didn't eat more than a bite of anything besides the okra

Oh My Joe! Ignore any review that isn't a five for this amazing place! It is my favorite steakhouse in Texas! It's better than all the places in down town FDub (sorry CowTown), and will make your mouth water! You actually get to order your ribeye by thickness! Are you serious?! This is Steak Heaven, where every steer reaches its full potential = Lying on a platter in front of my grill, giving my belly a spectacular thrill! Bam! Go! Now!

Came here for lunch while traveling to work. Like this place because it has great food. You can sit down and have table service or you can go through the lunch line. Food is great either way. Team is always good. It takes a little effort to come to town if on I 20 but it is worth it.

This place is great. I eat here every trip thru Abeline. This trip was pork ribs. Probably the best I have ever had. The service was top notch! Try them. You won't be disappointed!

Overpriced and overrated BBQ and steak joint for decades. Sizzler had better steaks at far cheaper prices and Harold's BBQ had all the town's BBQ business until it mysteriously burned down years ago. Hmmmmm.

Very disappointing to see none of the staff wearing masks and no attempt at social distancing with the tables. Basically giving zero attention to COVID. I will not be going back now or in the future.

Absolute disappointment. Served me what looked like a half size CFS (that was anything but memorable) they charged me full price for. Lumpy gravy. No baked potatoes or mashed potatoes. Bagged lettuce salad served in a styrofoam bowl. Gave me another styrofoam bowl I'd never seen in such a small size to get my baby new potatoes in...which looked like they had been sitting for at least 3-4 hours. Overpriced food they take no pride in. No idea how they're still in business. Will never go back and will definitely not recommend...

Came here solely for the old Cahoots hush puppies! Don't live in Texas anymore, but have been dreaming about the hush puppies for years! Got them as an appetizer and they are exactly the same! Also for the ham bbq plate which was awesome. Service and food were great, will definitely return when I'm back in Texas!

One of my favorite bbq places of all time. First went there when I was stationed there in the Air Force back in 1985. Their steaks are awesome. Always cooked to perfection, tender, juicy and flavorful. My favorite is their Ribeye steak. Stopped by this last time on a trip that took me through Abilene. Joe Allen's is always a must stop when ever I'm going through. Glad to see they've survived this long and hope they're there for years to come.