A new era begins at Pizzitola’s Bar-B-Cue
In its nearly 90-year history as a continuously operating barbecue joint, Pizzitola’s BarB-Cue has seen its share of changes, reinventions, successes and setbacks. This history was tragically borne out in January when owner Willie Madden died unexpectedly.
It was a sudden and heartbreaking loss for the restaurant’s staff and customers alike, as reflected in the announcement of his passing: “Willie was a great man, a proud father and lived with a servant’s heart. He never went anywhere in Houston where he didn’t run into a friend, because he had many.”
A veteran Houston restaurateur, Madden had purchased the barbecue joint from previous owner Jerry Pizzitola in November 2019 and set about upgrading and reinventing the historical restaurant to reflect the changes brought about by the craft-barbecue movement of recent years.
Madden also became the welcoming face of the restaurant, greeting and seating customers and visiting with its many regulars. A native Houstonian, Madden’s hospitality experience, business connections and friendships made him particularly well suited to continuing the long tradition of Pizzitola’s Bar-B-Cue.
And it is certainly a tradition like no other in Houston barbecue.
In 1934, John and Lela Davis opened Shepherd Drive Barbecue Stand in a small wooden structure on Long Street where Shepherd crosses Interstate 10 today.
At the time, the neighborhood was known as the West End and considered “mixed” in that African American business owners such as the Davises worked side by side with a diversity of immigrants for which Houston became known. Sicola’s Food Market, owned by
an Italian American family, was a prominent neighbor of the Davises.
In the early years, John and Lela started a family and accumulated property in the area, where they built houses and lived adjacent to their business.
One of the first big challenges occurred in the 1950s when the construction of Interstate 10 resulted in the razing of the
original barbecue stand. Undeterred, John and Lela literally picked up the whole operation and moved it a few blocks south to its current location on Shepherd.
The move included disassembling and reassembling brick by brick the original barbecue pits that are still in use at the restaurant today.
The business was a family affair. John chopped the meat and tended the cash register, and Lela worked the pits. Son Lynwood and daughter Lois helped out any way they could. Another son, Melvin, died tragically in a drowning accident at the age of 12.
In the following years, Shepherd Drive Barbecue Stand became one of the most lauded and best-known barbecue joints in the city.
When John Davis died in
1983, longtime customer Jerry Pizzitola took over the business and renamed it Pizzitola’s BarB-Cue with the family’s blessing. To this day, the Davis family still owns the property where the restaurant is located and is involved in the business. And Jerry is still a frequent visitor.
Upon Madden’s passing, longtime general manager Tim Taylor shepherded the restaurant through the inevitable changes over the past few months. Also, Madden’s business partner and investor in the restaurant, James Maida, has committed to keeping the restaurant and tradition alive while continuing to honor the memory of Madden’s tenure as owner and proprietor.
One of the most important changes Madden had implemented was hiring a new, upand-coming pitmaster. Twentyone-year-old Robert Quiroga, a veteran of Truth BBQ in Houston and Brenham, has taken the reins of the big brick pits and set about updating the smokedmeat offerings as well as adding menu items including a smoked fish po’ boy (Fridays only) introduced for the Lenten season.
He is joined in the pit room by chef Eudel Hernandez, previously of Last Concert Cafe, who is also helping to revamp the menu by adding items such as brisket enchiladas (also Fridays only).
On a recent visit, I sampled the upgraded, meatier pork ribs for which the restaurant has been known since its earliest days. I also sampled the enchiladas and po’ boy, which are welcome additions to the otherwise classic menu. It is a taste of the old and the new at one of Houston’s most venerated barbecue institutions.