Lockhart Chisholm Trail BBQ

My #1 choice for Lockhart bbq. The sides here are the best in Texas, but then...the brisket. The brisket here is fan-freaking-tastic. It's how I describe it and that likely doesn't do it justice. Really awesome as are all of their other meat options. Catholic friendly during Lent, too. They have fish options. Come check it out for yourself. .

We read that Lockhart was the best place for BBQ in Texas. We then read that Chisolm Trail BBQ was the best BBQ in Lockhart, if you wanted to go where the locals go. It is buffet style, and you can choose 1 to 3 meats and all come with 3 sides. The gentleman that came in behind us explained it to us and told the gentleman cutting the meat that we were newbies. They were so friendly and helpful, even someone as shy as me felt relaxed. The sides were amazing, with several choices. The pork ribs, smoked chicken, and fajita steak were the best I've had. Would return!!

Undeniably that good old Texas BBQ! The flavor was delicious. The ribs and brisket did not need the sauce too brighten the flavor profile, but because it was dry. I was tremendously disappointed by this. The black eyed peas had an overwhelming taste of garlic and I couldn't eat them. The Mac and cheese however was creamy and very tasty. The fried squash was a bit salty for my liking. If they can fix these issues, I will definitely be a repeat customer as the prices were very wallet friendly.

I made a special trip for lunch with a friend and I. It’s worth the drive we made from Austin, Texas. The people & the food is amazing!!!

Never disappoints! I appreciate consistency and that it is all tasty. I've had most of the meats, sides, and desserts, and I can't say that I've had a bad bite. More than that, for me, it's the staff that makes the difference. Always friendly with a smile. Always asking is this piece good? And they always ask can I get you this? Can I explain that? Just lovely.

If I want bbq in Lockhart I go to Chisolm Great combination options Best peach cobbler in Lockhart Quick food, good chicken. Brisket on the fatty side but it never disappoints.

Food is served cafeteria style. However, the food was cold and old. The potato hash had no salt and was at least a couple of hours old. The okra tasted like it was fried in old/dirty shortening. The idea of serving homemade bread is good...but only if it is a bit fresher. I don't think I will be returning to this place. Worst $53 I ever spent...

Brisket was amazing!!!! I could not travel here and not visit Lockhart the barbecue capital of Texas. Amazing food!!!!

The only reason I stopped at Chisholm Trail BBQ is a matter of serendipity. I was stopped at the light and noticed they were offering BBQ via drive thru! I know, you can get a lot of stuff through drive thru but haven't seen such a thing in my travels...so I made a U-turn and willed myself to be hungry and ordered some BBQ through the drive thru. I ordered: 1/2 pound of brisket and two pork ribs and small peach cobbler. There is nothing about the drive thru menu that didn't look like a regular menu...everything was available from the meats to the sides. The brisket was good in terms of flavor but wasn't as juicy or tender as I've had despite ordering the juicy/fatty option. The pork ribs were on point, very tender and falling off the bone. The sauce was not to my liking, which wasn't sweet or sour just tomato-y and otherwise blah, again not my favorite. Overall, the drive thru was awesome like any other drive thru and these guys do it well. The meats were wrapped in such a way so that if you had a long drive to home/hotel they would keep. The BBQ was good but considering this location is a stones throw for the Original Terry Black's...I feel there is room for improvement.

Well, I can't say that I am a huge fan of their meats. The only thing that I even order here anymore is their baked potato. THAT I will admit is very tasty, and a great price as well. I've never been inside the restaurant, just in the drive thru. Have always been greeted with a smile every time I've been, so no complaints there. Can't speak much of the ambiance being I haven't been inside, however, it definitely seems fairly loud in there just based on what I can hear at the drive thru window. Still waiting to try their chicken fried steak as they are always out on the day it's available. I'll be back!

This place just gets better and better! The loaded baked potato with the lean brisket is becoming one of my favorites!!

Best bbq I have ever had & that's says alot here in Texas. The long wait is worth it. The brisket was moist & delicious and the ribs were falling off the bone. We have the loaded mashed potatoes (Devine) and the green beans, flavorful and piping hot. My new favorite bbq joint!

I'm heading south and will be traveling right through the Center of the Texas Bar-B-Que Heartland. I didn't want to stop but,wanted a life affirming dose of Central Texas Q. I have passed Chisolm Trail dozens of times on my way to The place. However,I thought this is it. The timing is perfect. I think " "I'll hit the drive thru taking about 10 mins and keep going". That's exactly what I did and I have to give my Buddy Emmett T. from San Diego credit. I thought,if this guy can come all the way to Texas in search of,then I can give Chisolm Trail some respect and my business today. I went with the sliced beef sandwich and turkey stuffed backed potato. Everything was about what I expected,maybe slightly better. It did the trick and I drove on down the road. Anyplace that's been holding its own for decades in " The" BBQ town must be doing something right. Give'em a shot if you need to drive thru .

I had the chicken with cucumber and tomato salad, fried squash and Mac and cheese. It was really good! The chicken was some of the best bbq chicken I've ever had! Also the sides are self serve, so you can get a healthy portion. The sides were yummy. The fried squash was definitely unique. Also the price of this place really can't be beat for the flavor. Especially when comparing it with some of the other bbq places in town. Also everyone was super friendly here as well so that made our experience even better. We will definitely be back!

Are you kidding me? This place should only have 5 stars! This place is my staple for Texas BBQ when I go home. These are you rustic picnic table seating but you can find some tables with chairs if that is your comfort spot. I love the cafeteria style line to get your food inside. It gives you some time to see what you want. I was born and raised in central Texas and we all know Lockhart is the home of the smoked brisket. Chisholm Trail is your Sunday church potluck or fellowship meal with their sides. Dang! So many to choose from and I love them all. My family of three grabbed two plates and filled each one with three of their different sides. One plate had the cold salads and the other had the warm stuff. Carrot salad, broccoli salad, Cole slaw, fried okra, Mac n' cheese, fried squash.....oh my.....so so good. Then you get to the BBQ. That board was so juicy from all those cuts. WOW. Delicious! We told the guy what meats, he cut them, weighed them and put them on our to-go plate. Texas meats, Texas BBQ-It just can't be beat. We got the juicy brisket because lean just doesn't cut it. You need that juicy seasoned fat to help that brisket just melt in your mouth. That crust of seasoning on my brisket.....just oh my!!!! Homemade sausage and a huge beef rib!!! Dang. I also think that their bbq sauce is the some of the best. It's just classic. They don't try to be extra with it....just original flavor. I mean who needs bbq sauce on their bbq anyway but it's there if you need it and it's tasty. White bread for the win because it is just the perfect compliment along with onions and pickles to the bbq. Southern Sweet tea and we are a happy family. I was excited about the brisket tamales and will definitely have to try next time I am in town for Christmas. I'll be singing gospel favorites every time I dream of Chisholm Trail! The best ever and every time!!!

Disappointed with the service in drive thru with Bon/Von whatever his name is . We have a dog with a heart murmur and we've taken him here since a puppy. It's never been an issue with them giving me a little bit of scraps for free but this time that guy decided to tell them to charge me $6 for the tiniest amount that he'd probably throw away. I've grown up here and to see how one person can make a business seem stingy is upsetting. Pic will be posted of scraps "worth" said amount

Did the drive thru. Got a trailboss sandwich a side of beans and an order of fries. The trailboss is a brisket and sausage combo w some pickles and onion thrown in . This had some pretty good flavor to it. The beans were good but I thought the amount for the price was off. The fries just fries not bad but nothing crazy. Would like to come back and try just the brisket.

Food was good customer service was great would recommend and they were funny the best restaurant around Lockhart

always good place to get barbecue I love their giant size Chernobyl potatoes with sausage and all the fixings

Went in to pick up pounds of meat to take home. Excellent customer service. We ordered 2 pounds of brisket. They asked if we wanted lean or fatty. We got one pound of each at their recommendation. It was excellent very good smoke and great flavor. I wouldn't be afraid to order either again. We also picked up 3 pounds of pork ribs. They were well trimmed. They were a little bit chewy, but not bad. As for the flavor, I am salt sensitive and they were too salty for me. My husband is not salt sensitive and thought the flavor was very good. He would definitely reorder them. This is the 4th BBQ place in Lockhart we've tried and this is the happiest we've both been. We will certainly come back. We didn't eat in the store but the area where we were and what we could see behind the counter looked clean neat.

Tried the top 4 Lockhart BBQ spots today: Chisholm Trail BBQ, Black's Smitty's, and Kreuz Market. Chisholm Trail ranked 3rd for me. I got ribs (pretty good, but kind of tasted like turkey leg), brisket (bark was good, rest was a little tough and different consistency throughout), dark chicken (dry not much flavor). I wasn't greeted or even acknowledged until it was time to order. I had forgotten I went two years ago.

Food was delicious! Mashed potatoes were so good we forgot to take photos. Server was nice. What more do you want from a steakhouse?

Surly meat cutter. Just went thru there, after getting the self serve veggies, waited at the meat cutting station for a few mins until the meat cutter decided to grace us with his presence. Once he was there, he seemed annoyed to answer any questions and rushed us as we had meats cut. Food was good but his attitude ruined the entire experience.

Our first stop in Lockhart was here and it was packed with locals. Great setup filling your sides yourself and the pea salad was great!

Food flavor was great! Service was fast Buffett cafeteria style but no one helped! I drove 200+ miles for BBQ as a day trip and was almost hungry leaving! First visit. I ask for brisket 1/4 pd automatically I could have done 1/2 pd. The tea was great. Was good visit just could have used help getting menu items. Or how the items worked. Felt a little rushed. Price was good for amount of food. 3 sides brisket and sausage less then 20$ just wished they asked 1::4 or 1/2

This is the worst bbq place I have been to in this area. From the sides to the meat, everything tastes so old. The sausage in the sauerkraut just crumbled and no longer tasted like sausage. The sauerkraut had a texture and taste like it was sitting in a slow cooker for weeks. The beef short rib was inedible. It was like chewing on an old shoe. The pork ribs were pretty close to that too. The brisket sandwich was awful. Terry Black's and Blacks, less than a mile away knows what bbq is. This place is worse than a Dickey's. The Mac and cheese is beyond tasteless and the beans were even worse. They don't season any of their sides. This place is an embarrassment to bbq.

You serve yourself, and they ask for a tip, oh hell no. Yes they have a vegetable bar but their brisket was burnt. Worst BBQ joint in the BBQ Capitol of Texas. When the original owners sold out, it went to hell in a hand basket. One star because there is no zero star rating.

The sausages were amazing !!! The barbecue was also great !! I stopped by twice once the brisket was a little dry the second it wasn't ! I'm not sure if I got the leaner meat either but still definitely recommend

I used to come all the time because it truly was the best, but I don't think i will be coming back due to all the changes they have made- prices went up (understandable) but they put less meat in the sandwiches, they changed the regular buns to thick buns. Not good when there is not enough meat inside the sandwiches. Potato salad recipe changed also. Sweet tea is the same so that's a plus! -I'm still craving a brisket sandwich

Brisket was decent but underseasoned. Sausage texture is WEIRD. Sides were quite good. Staff was SO friendly except for the chick at checkout. Rude does not begin to cover it - and it colored our entire experience. Better places for our rare BBQ forays.

This barbecue was delicious! I ordered the 1 meat plate with 3 sides. Definitely, pick the corn bread muffin over the sandwich bread and get your meat moist. It was so scrumptious, I cannot wait to go again. Also the employees were so helpful and accommodating. This is probably the best BBQ restaurant I have tried.

Tried other BBQ here in Lockhart and definitely the best brisket! Mac n cheese was pretty good but sausageand turkey was just o.k.- not impressed BUT--- Homemade bread was good, and even though the cornbread wasn't sweet, it was also good!

This is the third of the big 4 in Lockhart we have tried. This is more on the edge of town as opposed to the other 3 that are clustered near the center of town. Their catch phrase is where the locals eat. Immediately noticed a line for the drive thru. Wanted to dine in to get the full experience. It is set up like a cafeteria where you go thru the line and pick out what you want. I definitely knew we were there for some brisket and anything else was a plus. The plates came with 3 sides. That is ok but anybody looking to get some some cue is not there for the sides. I opted for the beef and sausage plate. Sadly the portioning on the brisket is a mere 4 ounces which is not even a lunch or dinner portion. I believe the standard needs to be around 8 ounces of brisket plus the 1/2 ring of sausage they give you. I'd rather they remove one of those sides and give some more meat. Overall the flavor and tenderness of the brisket and sausage were spot on however the potato salad had a different flavor which I wasn't used to more of a tang flavor than I wanted. The drinks were about 2 bucks a piece for the soda fountain that was flat. Need to take a look at the CO2!! To top things off don't sell something you call banana pudding and sell it at room temperature and not have any bananas in it and use vanilla pudding! I wanted to like Chisholm trail but overall wasn't impressed. The pros were the brisket and sausage and sauerkraut. Don't recommend at this time due to several things.

The brisket is great. Nice flavor. Pretty thick fat pieces. The sausage is greasier compared to other places I've tried. The potato salad was average, sorry to.say. just something an aunt would bring for a visit and not nearly as good as my Mom's or Granny's. Banana pudding was tasty. You can get a 1, 2, or 3.meat plate, and either way, it comes with 3 generous sides you can scoop in your own. The black-eyed peas were delicious. The okra was good, too. I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to come out of my way as we did back, but it was a fun adventure & overall glad we went.

This restaurant don't know how make your they let thing out order. I want be coming back. Go cheap and get cheap services. Third time charm. Bye

Stopped in Lulling to get a yellow meat watermelon for hubby and went through Lockhart to try bbq for lunch. Trying the spots on our list so we thought we would try Chisholms this time. I got ribs since it is my favorite with a side of slaw and hubby tried 3 meat plate with black eye peas, green beans, and okra. The meats he chose were brisket, chicken, and ham. Sorry but we were not impressed with anything. Spent $50 so we take it home and doctor it up for dinner.

Tried the Macaroni and Cheese, Potato Salad, Pea Salad, Carrot Pineapple Salad, Macaroni Salad, Ham, Quarter Chicken, Turkey, Brisket, Sausage, Dill Pickles, Onions. I couldn't choose so I went overboard on the sides! I loved everything but the pea salad, which was weird. Potato salad was maybe skip-able. Other than that, it was worth this splurge!

A/C doesn't work but the food was good. Food: Brisket - very good Sausage - ok Chicken - delicious Steak - delicious Mac and cheese - bland Cole slaw - very good Blue bell ice cream - delicious; can't go wrong with any of these

All of first, the gentleman behind the counter is so handsome and polite. And the woman behind the register was very kind. Secondly, we got some complimentary fajita that was AMAZING! Delicious and tender. The beans on the other hand are VERY lackluster. They taste like nothing. The potato salad is pretty yummy. The Mac and cheese is different. Kind of like velveeta but a tad different. The kraut was nice and tart but I'd like a little more of a crunch to it. The sausage wasn't my favorite- it needed more pizazz. The brisket was a bit bland but the barbecue sauce jazzed it up a smidge. All in all the fajita was the best thing on my plate. DELICIOUS! And the customer service was amazing.

loaded plates of brisket and sausage and sweet tea, can't go wrong w chisholm trail. .

This is where we go when we want bbq on a more budget friendly scale. The place locals mostly go to. They have a large variety of options on the menu. There is even a drive through.

Went thru the drive thru and they got our order wrong. When I told the girl at the window she slammed the window closed and started throwing a fit to another employee. Will never go there again.

Just had the breakfast tacos here on the BBQ crawl through Lockhart. Highlights were the sauce and the sausage. Surprised by the sauce. Kinda sweet, thick and a little pepper to it. The lowlight. The brisket. Wow awful rubber texture and almost no smoke or flavor. Glad we got this one outta the way. Hopefully on to bigger and better things.

I want to start off saying that the customer service provided by Bri was great but did not get a reply with I texted her asking about the things we did not receive but the food was ! My office placed a $650 order. And with that kind of order you would think they would provide plates, plastic serving utensils, plastic ware and more than 2 loaves of bread. We ordered 10 whole BBQ chickens that was supposed to be cut into quarters but was cut down to 8 pieces per bird and was left on in the pit too long and was dry, along with brisket (I did not hear anything bad or complaints), sausage, the sausage was very good, potato salad, beans the beans were good but mostly juice in the tube, banana pudding (I did not hear anything bad or complaints) these items we had to serve with cups and some brownies, the brownies were dry and did not taste like a brownie but more like a very dry cake. On to our next place to try for the 4th of July!!

We haven't been here in sometime. I had the chicken plate. It was good. The chicken was moist and the sides were delicious. My hubby had the sausage. It was mealy and lacking in flavor. They seem to nickel and dime for small things like bread and butter pickles and jalapeños. It's not what we remember this place to be.

This was my first visit to Lockhart, the bbq capital of Texas. So I knew I had to try some bbq while here. I asked a local resident for some suggestions on where to go. She recommended Chisolm Trail BBQ with no hesitation saying it was family owned and the prices are very reasonable. I got the 3 meat plate, which is a beef rib, a sausage link and brisket. This way I got to sample 3 kinds of meat. The meats were all amazing and my expectations exceeded with all 3. So happy I went with this selection. All of the plates come with 3 sides (you serve yourself). I selected the potato salad, pea salad and fried okra. When the sides are this amazing at a bbq place that is a extra unexpected bonus. The potato salad was some of the best I've ever had. Pea salad is something I never see enough of. Whenever I'm in Lockhart this will be my go to place for awesome bbq and sides.

Was driving home from a family trip and hadn't been here before on the Lockhart BBQ trail. I was not disappointed as I could tell by the long line of cars in the drive thru. I was happier to go inside and get my food to go even in the rain. The family package of meat is the best option. Lots of meat and sides for a fair price. Broccoli salad, Mac and cheese, tomato and cucumber salad to name a few. The beef rib fell off the bones as did the pork ribs. Ham, brisket, sausage, or smoked turkey...you really can't go wrong with anything here. Definitely my new favorite place in Lockhart with easier access to get to and find thn most the other stops on the trail. I'm a huge fan. Can't wait to go back someday for the salad bar.

I took food to go. It was well packaged for travel and arrived home hot and fine. What else can I tell you?

We've been to this establishment before and it usually is pretty decent. I used to come here in the early 90s and early 2000s fairly regularly and I can remember just how really great the barbecue was. Back then it was a 4 to5 star joint, but I heard it changed hands a number of years ago and it just isn't what it used to be. I would say they tend a hover around 2 to 4 stars now due to some inconsistencies. First the pros concerning our 1pm visit today: The ribs, brisket and turkey were well seasoned and not dried out. One thing to take note of is that ribs are not part of their 1 to3 meat plate price like many barbecue places, instead they are sold by the pound. So I was charged for the two meat plate and 10 additional dollars for two pork ribs. My wife enjoyed the cucumber salad mix as well as the broccoli salad sides. Now the cons: every customer had the pleasure of watching no less than half a dozen flies taking off and landing on the cutting board and meats that are being sliced for you. Just placing an order seems to be a somewhat chaotic experience. I had the corn, coleslaw and beans for the sides and they were basically OK, but nothing special. We decided to get our order to go and so they put 2 of the sides in Styrofoam drink cups. We also ordered the peach cobbler which was smashed into a styrofoam cup. For five dollars it definitely was not worth it since it was basically just canned peaches baked with a lot of corn syrup and pulverized crust in a cup. And since you can't see what you're being charged at the time of checkout we did not realize that they had added on a large tea which we did not order and thus left without. There was also no barbecue sauce included in the bag. So one star for the decent meat, half a star for the sides and another star for the friendly folks behind the counter, but the cons outweigh the pros and this was definitely not worth $64. After several visits over the years I'm afraid this was our last.

I used to love this place back in 2008. Now it's meh on a good day. I recently had the opportunity to revisit while in Lockhart on personal business. Yes, it was on a Friday evening when people were getting BBQ for the weekend. The drive-thru line was long, so I chose to go inside instead to order take-out. The staff is friendly, but service is chaotic. Unlike most restaurants post-pandemic, plenty of workers, but there seems to be too much division of labor to coordinate getting orders out in an orderly and timely fashion. It was challenging to shout my order over the din of their staff and other patrons, and it wasn't always clear who was responsible for assembling my order. I had several checkpoints by different staff asking the same questions repeatedly due to the lack of process. One of the most confounding and frustrating parts of the ordering experience was that I wanted a family pack with turkey instead of brisket. Same price per pound, but they refused to sell me turkey without brisket as a family pack. I should have walked it at that point, but, instead I played along and added turkey to the brisket. Shame on me. All food is still displayed cafeteria-style behind sneeze guards. Unfortunately, at the time I visited, the place was overrun with flies. Flies don't respect sneeze guards much. And if you don't know how flies digest food, Google it sometime. Hint: it's not so much about where they've been as HOW they eat. As to the food itself, the beans were nothing to write home about. The fried okra was sadly only average--almost any fried chicken place turns out as good or better. Their potato salad was still pretty decent. This is sad because their sides used to be the draw for me here. The lean brisket I requested was 1/4 to 1/3 fat (just put your thumb on the scale next time and give me half the meat--LEAN). Turkey was good, although cuts on the turkey were--how do you say--"chonky". I'll have to give them credit for the 5 slices (yes, for two pounds of meat) of store-bought sliced bread being very fresh. The price out the door for a family pack that included 1 pound of fatty, mediocre, brisket I didn't really care for and 1 pound of turkey chunks, three sides, 5 slices of bread and a gallon of tea was just under $50. Next time I'm driving through? Solid pass. Sorry, Chisholm trail. You dropped "the bomb" on yourself.

We did their drive-thru. Caution as to how you enter the line. It's a bit wonky at first so be patent and go slow. The BBQ was solid but nothing to be crazy impressed about. It holds it's own with the locals nearby keeping the competition going. So, you will have fairly solid Texas BBQ, whatever you decide to go with.

Overall best value for bbq in the state. Brisket is always on point and so many homemade sides to choose from. Sausage is also really good and not greasy like most others.

Holy sausage and smoked beef fajita meat! We were camping up the road at Lockhart and decided to try out some of the local barbeque since we were in the "BBQ capital of the world". I'm so glad we did. The teen got the loaded fries with sausage, I got the loaded chopped beef Baker, and the kiddos got ham to share. We also got fried okra, black eyed peas, and the Mac n cheese. When I was checking out, the guy assisting me (Fabian) was incredibly nice and helpful. I mentioned that it was our first time there, and he hooked us up with the fajita meat on the house. It was INCREDIBLE! We may be stopping for breakfast tacos on the way out in the morning just for that meat. As I said, the sausage was so well seasoned and cooked...I don't think I've ever had smoked sausage that good. And the Mac and cheese...wow. it was thick, creamy, and probably some of the best Mac n cheese I've had before too. Make sure you stop in if you're in town!

I took a trip to Lockhart for a week and you know that BBQ was a big part of it. Lockhart Chisholm BBQ is considered by most to be the fourth most popular BBQ joint in town behind Smitty's Market, Kreuz, and Black's. I stumbled upon Chisholm for lunch during the great snowstorm of 2021 and I'm happy I did. They were doing takeout only but since I walked, they were nice enough to accommodate. I got two two meat plates which come with your choice of two sides, bread, pickles, and onions. They didn't have all of the sides but I went with the brisket, sausage, chopped beef, ribs, fries, mac and cheese, potato salad, and green beans. The BBQ was solid all-around. My favorite meat was the chopped beef which was so flavorful with the infusion of the tender meat and some BBQ sauce. Also, most BBQ places don't have fries so that was a nice treat. While the experience is a notch below the heavy hitters in town, it's still quality BBQ and worth a visit.

Absolutely loved this place! I even want to go out of my way weekly to try this place too. The service and was food were both immaculate. I had zero complaints when tasting the brisket sandwich as well as zero complaints with staff. I didn't get to go inside since I was going through the drive thru, but it appeared to be clean inside from what I can see. Over all Lockhart has many good bbq places but this one was a great choice! Don't hesitate.

Maybe I was hungry but I loved this place...The brisket was very moist....The sausage was very good and tasty....The sides were tasty...Maybe the beans were better because they were in the same compartment as my brisket.... They even had cheese sliced up ... the potato and broccoli salad was excellent.. a very good barbecue experience ...you won't be disappointed ... the only thing that would make this place better would be more soot on the walls :) - James

Here's a pic of a real BBQ sandwich from people who care and want to produce a good product. Chisholm Trail has become the BBQ past. Go elsewhere.