Let me start with BAD and end on a GOOD note. My younger daughter and I decided to try this place since we love Vault Brewing. We walked in at 5pm on a Wednesday, surprising there was only one person in the place.
We were greeted by a lovely young waitress who sat us and took our drink order. She made my daughter a Strawberry Lemonade and I ordered there Old Fashioned. The Old Fashioned was not great, to much fruit and the local bourbon was not highlighted.
I ordered their crispy pork belly, 3 meat platter (brisket, pastrami, kielbasa) and a half rack of ribs. We had two sides, street corn and Mac n cheese. Part of the order came out first which was fine. Let me start with the crispy pork belly: it was crispy but lacked any flavor, chewy and was not smoked.
Now, the pastrami was your average pastrami you get from a deli. You can tell we got leftovers because it was dry. It was also cold.
The brisket is probably the worst (non) smoked brisket I have ever had. You will see it in the pictures. No smoke ring and zero smoke flavor. Again, leftovers! This also came out cold.
The kielbasa was sliced, dried out and again, we got leftovers. This came out warm at least.
Lastly,, the (non) smoked ribs, yes you heard that correctly, came out ice cold. I had to send it all back with the exception of the kielbasa. When the ribs came back out, they were still not totally hot and were boiled than masked with sauce. Worst ribs I’ve ever had.
The Mac n cheese was from another day of service, reheated in a microwave. Dried out and terrible. My 6 year old even said it was terrible.
The street corn had decent flavor once it was reheated but I was done by this point. We didn’t touch any of the food for the most part.
Now, the good: our server (forget her name) was AMAZING! She was very attentive and I had ordered a beer prior (best part) and she came over with a 4 pack to go of that beer (compliments). She had the manager (bartender with a great beard) come over to our table. He was so professional and agreed that the food was way off. He comped the entire meal and had the server give us a $25 gift card. They both made a bad situation great, thank you!
I’m in Austin, TX every month for business and graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. I only say this because I know food and certainly know BBQ. We will be back one more time to hopefully get authentic REAL BBQ!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 5
William Watkins
Was there today . The wings were delicious and the bar tender service was good . The pulled pork was dry and burnt and the brisket was fatty and under cooked . The barbecue has been below par every time I’ve visited it . Also they never have any Ales on tap . IPAs aren’t the type of ales I’m talking about . Cooper , malty, scotchy flavor ales . Oktoberfest beers . Just a straight Ale minus the strong hops flavor . The vault seems to never have them on tap. Act on the feedback as it’s an opportunity to improve your selection
James Swope
Amazing BBQ… got the 2 meat platter with burnt ends and brisket. Brisket is the best I’ve had in a long time… very tender and juicy, right amount of smokiness and bursting with flavor! House made BBQ sauces and baked beans are awesome! Top it off with great house made beers. Everyone working are very friendly and attentive. Could use some music to boast the atmosphere. Will definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Matt Begley
The Vault Smokehouse has some of the best BBQ in the area. Great atmosphere with amazing beer!! All of the staff is super nice and I highly recommend this hidden gem to anyone!
Vegetarian options: Plenty of options for Vegetarians!
Kid-friendliness: Great atmosphere to bring the kids
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Extra Side of Smokehouse BBQ, Kielbasa, Tacos, Baked Beans, Nachos, Brisket, Pulled Pork, Pastrami, Smoked Salmon, Sandwiches, Corn Bread Pudding
David C. Leach
The Vault Smokehouse held a successful car show event. On this visit, the burnt ends sandwich and orzo salad (recommended by the bartender, Victoria) were terrific. In addition, the staff, particularly, Victoria were friendly and attentive, while very busy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Matt Begley
The Vault Smokehouse is one of the best BBQ places in the area!! Amazing food, great beer and an all around great atmosphere!! Highly recommend🙏🏼
Maggie Mae
This place absolutely never misses for me! They have great food daily & drinks. The events hosted there are always a great time too. I love that you aren’t limited to beer, they have a great mixed drink selection that’s frequently changing. Highly recommend the pastrami & street corn!
Adam N
Kielbasa is pretty good, pastrami is outstanding. Burnt ends hit or miss. Smoked Mac had 0 smokiness, run of the mill. Street corn was unexpectedly decent. Somehow they didn’t have extra BBQsauce available ?no extra queso fresco either. Didn’t have the pork belly either. Ribs were above average. Staff is friendly. Trendy spot to enjoy a drink and live music on a summer night
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Kielbasa, Pastrami
Claire Patire
Was excited to finally try the smokehouse since I love the vault so much, but was pretty disappointed. Beer was good of course, but the food was meh. The mac and cheese was terrible, definitely old and tasted weird. Otherwise, cool atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Pils
Kevin Long
Nonexistent service. Must have been significantly understaffed. Seemed like other clientele were also getting increasingly frustrated with the slow slow service. Disappointed.
First time here, was tricky to find, so when google maps tells you when you have arrived, turn into the driveway there are no signs of the restaurant. Started with the crispy chicharrons which were fried perfectly, delicious. I had pulled pork and burnt ends. Pulled pork was spot on. The burnt ends on the other hand was not was expected. I have had burnt ends all over the US and it's usually dry rub end pieces of meat. This was some pieces and shredded all in bbq sauce. This could be their style, just not what I was expecting, I was tasty though, so I am not deducting anything from them. Wife had the pastrami, that was really good as well, 2 nice thick slices. All the sides we had were very good. The peach ice tea was very tasty. There was live music by a father and daughter duo while there who were great, playing some 80's music. We will definitely be going back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brendan Teeley
The beer is good. The food was all cold and cooked atleast 2 days in advance. First, there was no smoke or sign of actual BBQ anywhere. 2nd the food was tough and cold. The burnt ends were like shredded beef jerky doused in sweet, heavy sauce. The ribs were cold and tough, plus only 10 bones in a full rack. The brisquet was like cold, old, eye of round. Not sure who though the mac cheese was good. Frankly, they should have been embarrassed to seve it. No one finished their meal. I would have sent it back if the server bothered to check back after dropping the food. Server was aloof to say the least, there were 8-10 guests and 3 servers. And service was slow and inattentive, although they were young.
Kid-friendliness: Not especially kid friendly.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
Jonathan Johnson
My wife and I were looking for somewhere different but new. This place was quite pleasant. The waitresses and Mike were engaging and very kind, and great conversationalist. I found this to be a great comfort and enjoyed our experience. Pat and J.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Mr Les
First time here for pickup and was blown away by the bbq and sauces. Outstanding on every level. Service was also super friendly and efficient. Will definitely be back
Perry Aidelbaum
First time here, was tricky to find, so when google maps tells you when you have arrived, turn into the driveway there are no signs of the restaurant. Started with the crispy chicharrons which were fried perfectly, delicious. I had pulled pork and burnt ends. Pulled pork was spot on. The burnt ends on the other hand was not was expected. I have had burnt ends all over the US and it's usually dry rub end pieces of meat. This was some pieces and shredded all in bbq sauce. This could be their style, just not what I was expecting, I was tasty though, so I am not deducting anything from them. Wife had the pastrami, that was really good as well, 2 nice thick slices. All the sides we had were very good. The peach ice tea was very tasty. There was live music by a father and daughter duo while there who were great, playing some 80's music. We will definitely be going back.
Let me start with BAD and end on a GOOD note. My younger daughter and I decided to try this place since we love Vault Brewing. We walked in at 5pm on a Wednesday, surprising there was only one person in the place.
We were greeted by a lovely young waitress who sat us and took our drink order. She made my daughter a Strawberry Lemonade and I ordered there Old Fashioned. The Old Fashioned was not great, to much fruit and the local bourbon was not highlighted.
I ordered their crispy pork belly, 3 meat platter (brisket, pastrami, kielbasa) and a half rack of ribs. We had two sides, street corn and Mac n cheese. Part of the order came out first which was fine. Let me start with the crispy pork belly: it was crispy but lacked any flavor, chewy and was not smoked.
Now, the pastrami was your average pastrami you get from a deli. You can tell we got leftovers because it was dry. It was also cold.
The brisket is probably the worst (non) smoked brisket I have ever had. You will see it in the pictures. No smoke ring and zero smoke flavor. Again, leftovers! This also came out cold.
The kielbasa was sliced, dried out and again, we got leftovers. This came out warm at least.
Lastly,, the (non) smoked ribs, yes you heard that correctly, came out ice cold. I had to send it all back with the exception of the kielbasa. When the ribs came back out, they were still not totally hot and were boiled than masked with sauce. Worst ribs I’ve ever had.
The Mac n cheese was from another day of service, reheated in a microwave. Dried out and terrible. My 6 year old even said it was terrible.
The street corn had decent flavor once it was reheated but I was done by this point. We didn’t touch any of the food for the most part.
Now, the good: our server (forget her name) was AMAZING! She was very attentive and I had ordered a beer prior (best part) and she came over with a 4 pack to go of that beer (compliments). She had the manager (bartender with a great beard) come over to our table. He was so professional and agreed that the food was way off. He comped the entire meal and had the server give us a $25 gift card. They both made a bad situation great, thank you!
I’m in Austin, TX every month for business and graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. I only say this because I know food and certainly know BBQ. We will be back one more time to hopefully get authentic REAL BBQ!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 5
Was there today . The wings were delicious and the bar tender service was good . The pulled pork was dry and burnt and the brisket was fatty and under cooked . The barbecue has been below par every time I’ve visited it . Also they never have any Ales on tap .
IPAs aren’t the type of ales I’m talking about . Cooper , malty, scotchy flavor ales . Oktoberfest beers . Just a straight Ale minus the strong hops flavor . The vault seems to never have them on tap. Act on the feedback as it’s an opportunity to improve your selection
Amazing BBQ… got the 2 meat platter with burnt ends and brisket. Brisket is the best I’ve had in a long time… very tender and juicy, right amount of smokiness and bursting with flavor! House made BBQ sauces and baked beans are awesome! Top it off with great house made beers. Everyone working are very friendly and attentive. Could use some music to boast the atmosphere. Will definitely be back!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
The Vault Smokehouse has some of the best BBQ in the area. Great atmosphere with amazing beer!! All of the staff is super nice and I highly recommend this hidden gem to anyone!
Vegetarian options: Plenty of options for Vegetarians!
Kid-friendliness: Great atmosphere to bring the kids
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Extra Side of Smokehouse BBQ, Kielbasa, Tacos, Baked Beans, Nachos, Brisket, Pulled Pork, Pastrami, Smoked Salmon, Sandwiches, Corn Bread Pudding
The Vault Smokehouse held a successful car show event. On this visit, the burnt ends sandwich and orzo salad (recommended by the bartender, Victoria) were terrific. In addition, the staff, particularly, Victoria were friendly and attentive, while very busy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The Vault Smokehouse is one of the best BBQ places in the area!! Amazing food, great beer and an all around great atmosphere!! Highly recommend🙏🏼
This place absolutely never misses for me! They have great food daily & drinks. The events hosted there are always a great time too. I love that you aren’t limited to beer, they have a great mixed drink selection that’s frequently changing. Highly recommend the pastrami & street corn!
Kielbasa is pretty good, pastrami is outstanding. Burnt ends hit or miss. Smoked Mac had 0 smokiness, run of the mill. Street corn was unexpectedly decent. Somehow they didn’t have extra BBQsauce available ?no extra queso fresco either. Didn’t have the pork belly either. Ribs were above average. Staff is friendly. Trendy spot to enjoy a drink and live music on a summer night
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Kielbasa, Pastrami
Was excited to finally try the smokehouse since I love the vault so much, but was pretty disappointed. Beer was good of course, but the food was meh. The mac and cheese was terrible, definitely old and tasted weird. Otherwise, cool atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Pils
Nonexistent service. Must have been significantly understaffed. Seemed like other clientele were also getting increasingly frustrated with the slow slow service. Disappointed.
Restaurantji Recommends
First time here, was tricky to find, so when google maps tells you when you have arrived, turn into the driveway there are no signs of the restaurant. Started with the crispy chicharrons which were fried perfectly, delicious. I had pulled pork and burnt ends. Pulled pork was spot on. The burnt ends on the other hand was not was expected. I have had burnt ends all over the US and it's usually dry rub end pieces of meat. This was some pieces and shredded all in bbq sauce. This could be their style, just not what I was expecting, I was tasty though, so I am not deducting anything from them. Wife had the pastrami, that was really good as well, 2 nice thick slices. All the sides we had were very good. The peach ice tea was very tasty. There was live music by a father and daughter duo while there who were great, playing some 80's music. We will definitely be going back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The beer is good. The food was all cold and cooked atleast 2 days in advance. First, there was no smoke or sign of actual BBQ anywhere. 2nd the food was tough and cold. The burnt ends were like shredded beef jerky doused in sweet, heavy sauce. The ribs were cold and tough, plus only 10 bones in a full rack. The brisquet was like cold, old, eye of round. Not sure who though the mac cheese was good. Frankly, they should have been embarrassed to seve it. No one finished their meal. I would have sent it back if the server bothered to check back after dropping the food. Server was aloof to say the least, there were 8-10 guests and 3 servers. And service was slow and inattentive, although they were young.
Kid-friendliness: Not especially kid friendly.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 2
My wife and I were looking for somewhere different but new. This place was quite pleasant. The waitresses and Mike were engaging and very kind, and great conversationalist. I found this to be a great comfort and enjoyed our experience. Pat and J.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
First time here for pickup and was blown away by the bbq and sauces. Outstanding on every level. Service was also super friendly and efficient. Will definitely be back
First time here, was tricky to find, so when google maps tells you when you have arrived, turn into the driveway there are no signs of the restaurant. Started with the crispy chicharrons which were fried perfectly, delicious. I had pulled pork and burnt ends. Pulled pork was spot on. The burnt ends on the other hand was not was expected. I have had burnt ends all over the US and it's usually dry rub end pieces of meat. This was some pieces and shredded all in bbq sauce. This could be their style, just not what I was expecting, I was tasty though, so I am not deducting anything from them. Wife had the pastrami, that was really good as well, 2 nice thick slices. All the sides we had were very good. The peach ice tea was very tasty. There was live music by a father and daughter duo while there who were great, playing some 80's music. We will definitely be going back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pulled Pork, Pastrami
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