Joe Allen's Pit Bar-B-Que

Come in and enjoy the comfortable atmosphere, excellent service, and flavorful food. My chopped brisket sandwich was smoky, tender, peppery and slightly sweet. I requested to try the Joe Allen's pepper sauce and bought a bottle for home. This place is a must try!

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!!!

Amazing barbecue spot where all the meat is prepared early in the day, so make sure you arrive before everything sells out. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, and you can really feel the family spirit behind the place. We even happened to catch a live acoustic performance, which made the experience even better. Every staff member is attentive and always checks to make sure you’re taken care of. Highly recommended! From Russia, with luv!

I ordered the three-meat plate—moist brisket, ribs, and sausage—and everything hit the mark. The brisket was tender and well-seasoned, the ribs were so flavorful they practically fell off the bone, and the sausage had a solid smoky bite. You rarely find barbecue that’s seasoned this well and cooked this tender. Portions were a good size, the smoke ring on the meats was exactly what you want to see, and the overall flavor showed real skill behind the pit. Service was fast and friendly, and even with a to-go order, everything came out fresh and satisfying. All around, this place delivered some of the best barbecue I’ve had in Texas. Props to the pit master—they earned it.

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!

Came into town to visit our kids at Dyess. We were told about this place by a friend. They did not disappoint! We sat down, had our order placed and had food within minutes. The fried mushrooms were huge and delicious. We split a steak and each had our own baked potato. The steak was cooked perfectly. I did my happy dance almost the entire meal! After a long drive, we were starving. Within 20 minutes of sitting, I was so full and happy! And the tea was soooo good! Thank you for a very enjoyable meal!!

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.

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.

We are new to Abilene and this was literally our first experience. We didn't want to spend TOO much money, but were in the mood for a hearty meal. Joe Allen's fit the bill. A fun casual (almost raucous) environment, this place will fill you up (but I wouldn't go there on a diet). What I found really interesting is that you can choose how thick you want your ribeye. We are big ribeye people, so that made it a hit. To give you a sense of the atmosphere, there is a longhorn head on just about every wall, and if you are wearing a cowboy hat here, you won't stand out. I would recommend it! I only gave it 4 stars because the cuisine isn't the healthiest or most contemporary. But hey....this is Abilene!

I'm not from Abilene. I'm here from the Gulf Coast area working on a large construction project and after finishing my first week of work, I wanted a steak! Joe Allen's is on my way to work so I figured I would try it out. I went all in and ordered the porterhouse. The steak came out and it was quite large! That's all fine and good but let's cut off a bite and see how it tastes... First of all, it had to have been at least an inch thick, maybe more. I took that first bite and it all but melted in my mouth. I was in cow meat heaven! I don't like bloody so a good medium is how I ordered it...and it was perfect. Overall, the steak was delicious and I'll be going back very soon to try something different....or....I might just get another porterhouse! I highly recommend this restaurant

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!"

This place was perfect!! From the food, to the atmosphere, and the service! It was exactly what we were searching for.

Coming through Abilene and staying at the hotel where the front desk said Joe Allens was the place for some good food. Well, that was incorrect. I had the chicken fried steak, pintos and steamed vegetables. Ther was more seasoning on hospital food. The gravy was bland too. The wife had the senior meal with chicken thighs, coleslaw and green beans. How you cook chicken thighs dry, I have no idea. She is a coleslaw lover and took on bite of theirs and just shook her head no. She did manage to choke down most of her green beans. Portions are small too, very small. I told her I have no idea how this place stays in business. I'm not here to beat the place to death, just here stating the facts. headed to southeast Texas in the morning where they season their food. Oh. 40 something dollars for this meal with iced tea and a tip.

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 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.

Joe allens bbq.. has to be the most disappointing place Ive ever ate at. this spot was highly recommended, by white folk. It is disgusting. The corn bread is pretty good, but the meats? For being slow cooked, they are dry and distasteful. I ordered a medium rare rib eye with potato salad and cabbage. I got beans and saur kraut. Wtf. My waitress was rude and rushing. Theres nothing from this experience that was worth the wait. Food was bland or gross, service was rushed and hurried. Im very disappointed

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!

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.

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.

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!

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!!!

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.

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

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!

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 .

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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

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!

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!!

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.

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

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!

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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!