BBQ In The Texas Hill Country

On Highway 71, between Marble Falls and Austin, Texas, sits a BBQ restaurant ready for the next customer. Opie's BBQ is located in Spicewood, Texas. Saturday afternoon, my husband and I were driving the hill country back roads looking for patches of wildflowers. The smell of BBQ lured us into the famous restaurant parking lot.

Since our last visit, the owners have constructed a new building. Except for the sign, we might not have recognized the establishment. It is large, bright and welcoming.

As we entered the front door, the open BBQ pit filled with an assortment of smoked meats greeted us. Their fanfare included sausage, chicken, pork, brisket, etc. We picked out our meats, which they slapped onto a tray of waxed butcher paper and passed to a cashier behind the counter. They weighed our purchases, sliced the meat, and finally wrapped the sliced meat in paper for us.

There was a nice selection of salads on the way to the checkout. We chose some craisin-slaw and pea salad to accompany our meal. The desserts were very tempting: cobblers of all types, cakes and puddings. They totaled our purchase and sent us to find silverware, fill our drinks, and find a place to sit. The free condiments are placed in the center of this very large restaurant. Pickles and onions, bread, jalapenos, BBQ sauce in large vats, pinto beans, and an assortment of spicy sauces were there for the picking. The drink bar was filled with tea urns and a soda fountain.

The tables were unique, well made and each was well supplied with paper towels for a messy meal. We opened the salad containers and meats, placed portions on our butcher paper, and enjoyed every morsel of food. We didn't finish the meat. In search of a bag to carry my leftovers in, I found a table complete with foil, bags, plastic ties and anything else you might need for your food transportation.

The dinner was delicious. There were plenty of customers on this particular Saturday afternoon. Shortly after we sat down, the line of customers was out the door. Departing for our journey home, we decided that Opie's was a great place to eat. Try it, you will like it!