Austin barbecue joint fun, not fancy
History meets hardwood at Austin’s Iron Works BBQ, which started life as an ornamental wrought-iron foundry in 1935. That family business closed when the last owners retired in1977. A year later, it opened as a barbecue restaurant that’s still decorated with some of the equipment and iron from the original company. Price: In addition to a daily special, the Iron Works offers up sliced or chopped beef, ribs, pulled pork, chicken, sausage and turkey. Sandwiches range from $3.05 to $7.25 (U.S.), or get a plate, from $9.65 to $18.95, which includes salad, beans, pickles and bread. Meat is also sold by the pound. Location: Find it at 100 Red River St., at the intersection with Cesar Chavez St. It’s one of the closest barbecue spots to the Congress Ave. Bridge, where crowds watch 1.5 million bats fly out from underneath each night at dusk from about March to November. Dining: Like most of Austin’s favourite smokehouse joints, the Iron Works is fun, not fancy. The tables are covered with vinyl, your food comes on a paper plate with plastic cutlery and the napkins are rolls of paper towels. Comfort and design: The chairs are hard. The ceiling fans only nudge away a little of that famous Austin heat. The floor is creaky and it slopes. None of this will matter once you have a plate of ribs or several slices of brisket in front of you. Service: Read the wall-mounted menu when you’re in line, and the folks behind the counter will take your order and hand over your food. On route to the cash register, grab your beer out of the ice-filled vintage Coke coolers, and pick up a piece of pie or banana pudding. Stars out of five: 3.5 Downside: It’s not the absolute best barbecue in Austin. It can’t hold a candle to the legendary Franklin Barbecue, for example. But it’s still damn good. Because it’s closer to the city’s business district than the tourist areas, it closes at 9 p.m. and isn’t open on Sundays. Jil McIntosh is a Canadian auto writer.