Pinkerton's Barbecue Claim this business

Joe Keilon Google

a month ago

I had a great meal at Pinkerton and would recommend it! The line is about a 45 minute wait from the corner outside to sitting down with food. I was surprised they only had one person slicing brisket and one slicing pork ribs given how busy they were. A few more hands back there would really help keep things flowing. Once I sat down, the food did not disappoint. The mac and cheese was outstanding — creamy, velvety, and honestly one of the best I’ve had. The brisket was moist and packed with flavor, a fantastic start to the meal. The pork ribs were also excellent: very skillfully cooked, extremely tender, and delicious. I did try both the dry-rubbed and candied ribs back-to-back, and I was surprised how similar they tasted — I had a hard time telling them apart. Still, the ribs themselves were wonderful. The coleslaw was solid and above average, though a little on the mayonnaisey side and not super distinctive in flavor. The banana fosters was good but also lacked a distinct special flavor. I liked how they swithed up the sauces and made the original sauce, tha carolina gold which is different from the traditional texas bbq way. Overall, the meats and mac and cheese were fantastic. Pinkerton is doing a lot right, and I’d go back if I was a local!

David Lon Google

a month ago

We visited this place early on the Friday before July 4th, 2026. As expected, the queue was already long at 10:30AM with no parking space in front of the restaurant. We ended up parking on a street about a block away. While waiting to get in, a friendly server named Jerry brought cups of cold water for everyone outside when the temp reached 96F. After about an hour wait, we finally reached the counter to order 1lb of prime brisket, 1lb of pork ribs (1/2 glazed, 1/2 dry rub), 2 jalapeno cheese smoked sausages, 1 large cup of tangy coleslaw, and dessert. The total bill was ~$88 for 3 people, which is about average cost in Houston. The glazed pork ribs were very tasty and fulfilling, but the dry rub ones were mild, which needed more BBQ sauce to enhance the taste. The prime brisket and smoke sausages, on the other hand, were very juicy (lots of fat) but super salty. We couldn't eat them alone without mixing with bread, coleslaws, or water to dilute the salt content. Overall, the atmosphere was cozy and friendly but super noisy due to a packed crowd. Other than the delicious glazed pork ribs, the other salty protein items we ordered were a bit overhyped for the taste and price.

Jenna O'Donnellon Google

a month ago

My husband and I visited Houston last week from England and visited Pinkertons on the first night of our trip. I was super excited for proper Texas bbq food so it was one of the first things I researched after booking our trip and Pinkertons came highly recommended. Everything about our visit was fantastic (just gutted the brisket was sold out - we went quite late). The place itself was great. We loved the layout and the vibe of the place. There was no queue when we went so we were greeted straight away at the counter. As it was our first time visiting a bbq place we had no idea how it all worked / how to order and the staff were so friendly in explaining everything to us. The food itself was absolutely delicious and the bones just pulled straight out of the pork ribs as the meat was so tender. I was really pleasantly surprised by the prices as well - a lot more reasonable than I was expecting. If we ever find ourselves back in Houston again then we would return here without a doubt.

Sebastian Taveraon Google

3 months ago

Came for lunch with some friends as one suggested this place had amazing barbecue. The line was long about an hour, but it was totally worth it. An employee works through line selling mini beers, red dollar, which was amazing for the heat outside. Once inside you start cooling off and seeing the menu. We order some brisket along with beef rib, and a bunch of sides. Let’s talk about the important part of the food which was the rib and the brisket. The beef was so tender and delicious that I didn’t even want to try the brisket. Flavor was perfect, it was so tender that it came off the bone like nothing. The brisket was tender, moist with an amazing flavor. The barbecue sauce that was spicy was also very good. I’m not sure if he was a manager, but somebody kept walking around asking people if they needed anything and hyping up tables which I thought was cool. Good place to come eat with friends and family.

Arianna Ton Google

a month ago

Everything was delicious. Juicy brisket we loved the bark , tender pork ribs, creamy Mac n’cheese and juicy chicken. The only thing we weren’t too crazy about was the jalapeño cheese rice it needs seasoning ours was bland. The staff were all amazing. Be ready to stand in line it was around the corner when we left but it is worth the wait. 💖