Eric T.
Yelp
LeRoy and Lewis is currently, and at the time of our visit, #2 on Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ Restaurants List and holds a One Star distinction on the Michelin guide. While I can understand where these accolades come from, this BBQ joint was not my personal favorite.
We arrived around 9:45am on a Saturday morning and we were roughly 15th in line. LeRoy and Lewis opened a hair after 11am, and we were seated and eating by 11:30am--Not a bad wait at all for a very highly touted BBQ restaurant in Austin of all places. The line gets pretty long closer to 10am and the service and meat slicing is generally much slower than other top BBQ places that I have visited.
We tried the brisket, flat iron, beef cheeks, 3 different kinds of sausage, kale caesar slaw, grain-bow salad, the burger, and corn bread (last two items can be ordered at the anytime eats / bar area). Ok--so what do I think L&L does well and why was this place not my favorite? In my personal opinion, their technique and the level of cook on all of the meats is second to none. The fat in the beef cuts were perfectly rendered and all of the beef was tender, juicy, and wonderfully smoky. The flat iron in particular has a large tendon that runs down the middle, and it was silky and gelatinous--a welcome texture in my books. Of the three beef cuts we tried, I enjoyed the flat iron and beef cheeks the most. The flatiron is a bit more lean and the beef cheeks provide a more rich experience. Where L&L doesn't meet my personal preferences, however, is in their seasoning. LeRoy and Lewis use a very traditional seasoning blend of salt and coarse ground black pepper. Lots and lots of black pepper, and too much pepper for my own personal preference.
Their pork-hop sausage was our favorite of the three that we tried (pork-hop, jalapeno cheddar, and their daily special sausage). This is not a must get at LeRoy and Lewis, but a classic item nonetheless. We also tried the bacon rib, which is a pork spare rib with the belly section still attached. The bacon rib is a special offered on Saturdays. We were warned beforehand that the rib is quite rich and fatty and they were right. Unfortunately, the melty fat of the belly part was delicious but the slightly more lean portions of the rib were overcooked, dry, hard, and almost inedible.
The two famous veggies, cauliflower burnt ends and miso glazed carrots, were unique items that we couldn't resist ordering. I loved the concept of these items and they had good flavor. My only gripe is that some of the pieces of cauliflower or carrot were too burnt and tasted like charcoal. I understand a bit of char to give the veggies a smoky flavor, but a bit of the cauliflower that we received was just burnt.
The kale caesar slaw is a side that I would not order again. To me, it is run of the mill and not acidic or refreshing enough for me to enjoy with the rich and salty meats. The grain-bow salad on the other hand was a joy to eat. Vinegary, sweet, and each individual grain perfectly cooked and distinct. Loved having bites of the salad in between bites of beef cheek paired with pickled onion.
Items from the anytime eats section should not be ignored. The burger that we had was a favorite at our table. The patty was very juicy, a bit smoky, and the pickles were great! The cornbread was a star of our meal. I believe that they use some heritage varietal of corn to make their cornbread, and the appearance (dark blue-ish) and taste benefit. I would order this as soon as you are close enough to see the meat cutting as the cornbread is not to be missed.
LeRoy and Lewis is not my personal favorite BBQ restaurant, and that's ok--everyone has their own style and preferences! They still have a lot to offer and demonstrate smoked meats mastery.