"Austin's Michelin-listed post-oak brisket at $20 a pound — worth the East Cesar Chavez queue for a weekend team lunch."
The brisket sells out by mid-afternoon, and the line for it forms on East Cesar Chavez before the smoke clears. la Barbecue has been one of Austin's defining barbecue joints since LeAnn Mueller opened it in 2012, post-oak smoke and a Mueller-family name behind the counter.
The brisket runs $20 a pound, the beef ribs are the splurge, and the Michelin Guide and Texas Monthly both put it among the state's best. After Mueller died in 2023, her wife Ali Clem took over the pits.
The Mueller name is the lineage that matters here: LeAnn Mueller was the granddaughter of Louie Mueller and daughter of James Beard-winning pitmaster Bobby Mueller, and she opened la Barbecue in 2012 with Ali Clem. The meat is smoked over post oak, low and slow. The brisket, sold by the pound at $20, is the benchmark order, fatty end if they offer the choice.
The beef ribs are the indulgence, the chipotle sausage the thing to add, and the pulled pork and turkey round out the tray. The Michelin Guide named it to the inaugural Texas guide in 2024, and Texas Monthly placed it in the 2025 Top 50. Clem has run the pits since 2023. The Austin dining guide maps the wider scene.
There is no dining room in the white-tablecloth sense. la Barbecue is counter service at 2401 East Cesar Chavez: order at the window and carry your tray to picnic tables under a covered patio. It is loud, casual and communal, often with live music and cold beer, and there is no dress code beyond comfortable. The experience is the queue and the trays, not table service. Go early, because the best cuts go first.
Bring the team here for lunch because barbecue by the pound is the easiest group order going: trays of brisket, ribs and sausage down the middle, no menu negotiation, no formality. The picnic tables seat a crowd, the pace is fast, and the bill stays reasonable at counter-service prices. Send someone ahead to hold the line, or order online for pickup. For a solo visit, a half-pound of brisket at the counter is one of Austin's great cheap lunches; the team-lunch guide has more group tables.
Skip it for a sit-down date night or anyone who will not queue — this is counter service on picnic benches, the line forms before opening, and the brisket sells out by mid-afternoon.
Arrive before opening or by early lunch on weekends. la Barbecue smokes a finite amount of brisket and beef rib each day, and the most popular cuts sell out by mid-afternoon. Lines form ahead of the doors, especially Friday through Sunday. To skip the queue entirely, order online for pickup, which lets you reserve meat in advance.
Brisket first, because it is the benchmark, smoked over post oak and sold by the pound at $20. Add the beef ribs if you are splurging, the chipotle sausage, and the pulled pork or turkey to round out a tray. The sides and the homemade pickles are worth the add. Order by the pound for a group and share.
la Barbecue was named to the inaugural Michelin Guide Texas in 2024 and placed in Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ Joints in 2025, among the highest recognitions in Texas barbecue. The restaurant carries the Mueller barbecue lineage and has been an Austin fixture since 2012. It is consistently ranked among the city's best brisket.
la Barbecue is at 2401 East Cesar Chavez Street in East Austin, its permanent home since 2021. It is counter service with no reservations: order at the window and sit at the picnic tables under the patio. You can order online ahead for pickup, which is the way to avoid the line for a group or a weekend visit.
Yes. Barbecue by the pound is built for groups: order trays of brisket, ribs and sausage to share, and the picnic tables seat a crowd. It is casual, fast and affordable for the quality. Order ahead online for a team so the meat is ready, and aim for an early lunch before the popular cuts run out. See the team lunch guide.
Counter service, no reservations. The line forms before opening and brisket sells out by mid-afternoon. Order ahead online for pickup to skip the queue.
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Where la Barbecue's post-oak brisket ranks among the tables worth gathering the team around.
See the team-lunch guide →