Summary

If you have read my other reviews, you know I love barbeque ribs. Ummm-ummm good. As I so often say, the only thing worse than bad ribs is no ribs! So when I visited Ho Chi Minh city, I perused a local publication which listed local restaurants. To my surprise, I found a number of places that featured ribs. Being the highly experienced diner that I am, my guess was that some would be good, some would be bad, etc. How to choose?

And there it was, boldly listed as the only entry under "American Food" - the Texas Bar-B-Q. Now with a name like that, I felt I would be in good hands, culinarily speaking, and so I went. And was I glad I did.

Located in District 3, it is only a little bit off the beaten tourist track. The restaurant was easy to locate: a big sign, a Western-ish decor, and the decided tang of smoked meats in air. I was home!

Menu Favorites

The main course was decided almost before I got there - ribs. But they offered both Kansas City and Texas styles. Go with the home cooking, I thought, so a half rack of Texas-style ribs was ordered for about $8. In order to fully experience their cooking, I ordered a full set of side orders, which are all ala carte: cole slaw ($1), grilled corn ($1), and curly Cajun fires ($1.75), and some chips and salsa as a starter ($1).

When the chips arrived, I was disappointed, as they were like nothing I'd had in any southeastern border state. The salsa was lively but lacked the consistency I prefer. Not a great start, I thought.

And then the dinner started to arrive. Cole slaw that would make my mother jealous, then curly Cajun fries that were perfection. Next came the ribs: large, meaty, and ready to fall off the bone and onto my shirt, lap, and shoes. Finally, but not last, the grilled-to-order corn based with garlic butter, a full cob split into 4 pieces and put on individual skewers.

As I tasted the ribs and each dish, I immediately vowed to write this review, which is not my normal practice, because everything was simply excellent, tasty, delicious, etc., etc. It was a damn fine meal, so much so that I wished I had room for something from their dessert menu, their breakfast menu, their lunch menu, and some more barbeque. The beef brisket looked especially tempting. Alas, it was not to be, but I vowed that I would come again and sample everything that I missed.

Management

I met Wayne McCoy, the restaurant manager, and learned he is the inspiration for the restaurant. A former cook of the bar-b-q circuit from Dallas, Texas, he built the smoker, provided the recipe for the cole slaw and bar-b-q sauce and who knows what else, and has been the duty Texan in Ho Chi Minh City for the last 4 years. Well done, Wayne. Most evenings, you will find Wayne at the round table by the bar in the back right corner. Say hello to him and thank you lucky stars that his wanderlust brought him to Vietnam so you and I can enjoy what Wayne does so well: Texas Bar-B-Q.

How to Get There

Texas Bar-B-Q
206 Pasteur Street, District 3
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Tel: (84.8) 825 1142 or 823-1459
Fax: (84.8) 823-1468
Email: texasbbq@hcm.fpt.vn