The Oldest BBQ Restaurant In Texas Has Been Around Since The 1800s

If you know nothing else about the American South, then you'll still probably know just how deeply ingrained barbecue is in the region. In Texas, things are no different, and that has apparently been the case for quite some time now. Not only does Texas currently boast two of the best barbecue cities in the whole country, but it also has a barbecue restaurant that has been around since the 1800s.

Southside Market and Barbecue, which sprouted up in Elgin, Texas, has been serving barbecue since 1886, when its founder William Moon opened his first physical store after a few years of selling his butchered meats. While at the time the smoking and preserving methods were more or less done out of necessity, Southside Market evidently gained a reputation for smoking high-quality meats. Now, it has several locations around the state, so it's still very possible to get your hands on some historic Texas barbecue! As always, head to a barbecue restaurant early to take advantage of all it has to offer.

Southside Market and Barbecue may not be one of the oldest restaurants in the world, but the oldest operational barbecue restaurant in Texas still has almost a century and a half of history. The business is quite proud of this history, too, as evidenced by the fact that it still makes its beef sausage with the same recipe founder William Moon used back in the 1880s — not to mention that the restaurant's hometown of Elgin is known as the "Sausage Capital of Texas." Southside Market also maintains a similar business practice of offering restaurant grub as well as take-home smokehouse specialties.

Moon may have started Southside Market, but as it turns out, he didn't hold onto it for a terribly long time. After opening in 1886, Moon kept operations running until 1908, when he sold off the business. Since then, it has changed hands a few times — supposedly having switched ownership multiple times over games of cards in the 1930s and '40s. Finally, the Bracewell family assumed ownership in the 1960s, and they continue to own the establishment to this very day. With some of the most iconic Texas foods on its menu, Southside Market deserves a bucket list addition for any barbecue lover or culinary history nerd.