Shannon B.
Yelp
Southside Market & BBQ out of Elgin (that's "ELL-gun" with a hard "g" sound, emphasis on the first syllable, located about 30 miles east of Austin on Highway 290), est. 1882, has recently opened up in the Shops at the Arbor Walk center across the way from Spec's and JoAnn's just east of Mopac and Capital of Texas. It's a surprisingly large space for a strip mall, with barred, zig-zag line control at the BBQ counter, 2 self-serve drink & garnish stations, tons of tables, a gift & to-go meat market shop up front, and parking & entrances on both the south and east sides. We gave them a try for walk-up take-out the other night and really enjoyed our meal, even with a couple of hiccups on the service.
We dropped in on a whim at dinner time, realizing Southside was now open, having just been across the lot at the Skecher store picking up the ever more gigantic shoes my now 13 year-old son apparently requires every 4 months. :-/
I wanted a savory assortment to test, so we stepped up to the counter and began rattling off about 7 things. As a native Texan, I've been trained from an early age to have my order ready when reaching my turn with the meat cutter, so as to not inconvenience the large line behind me or annoy the knife-wielding professional before me. Well, this particular gentleman seemed new to the task, as he asked me to slow down and repeat myself so he could write up the ticket on a pad of order paper, and he needed some assistance from the other team member next to him to find the menu items I'd requested. He also missed that this was a to-go order, so some repackaging was needed at the end. No biggie - I'm sure this will get better with time as the new team finds their groove.
We ordered the following items, plus fountain drinks:
1 Sausage Slammer ($4), a sausage enrobed, cheddar-stuffed jalapeño, wrapped in bacon & smoked to perfection.
This was an easy-to-split appetizer for 2, providing about 3 bites for each person. I love jalapeño poppers, bacon, and sausage, so this one was a no-brainer. Tasty if a little dry overall, but that's preferable to flabby bacon.
1 lb Original Beef Sausage ($14)
Not bad, not bad. We've always preferred Meyer's sausage to Southside's when we are stopping for BBQ in Elgin over the years, but this long, snappy link with a natural pork casing and a bit of black pepper bite was a-okay. I just finished off the last of the leftovers on that one and I enjoyed every bite even after a few days in the fridge and a microwave reheat.
1/2 lb USDA Prime Brisket ($10.5), no menu option of distinction for moist, lean, or house-choice.
When I made my order, I'd asked for "Moist Brisket" and there was no correction back to me to let me know that they don't do that (apparently). It was a bummer to unwrap this meat at home 20 minutes later & see the total absence of juice or fat - this was definitely a too-lean-for-me cut. I wouldn't order this brisket again.
1 Chopped Brisket Baked Potato ($10), entrée-size with chopped brisket and all the fixins.
OMG, I am a sucker for every possible preparation of the humble spud, and I've been known to order hundreds of Chopped Bakers (with smoked chicken) over the years from Smokey Mo's. The Southside version is huge, like one of those Jason's Deli full-sized baked Russets, only covered in lightly sauced chopped brisket like you'd get on a sandwich, plus cheese, butter, green onion tops, and sour cream. Yes, this may hasten my death date, but - worth it!
1 Ranch Hand ($9), layered bowl of cut-to-order brisket, beans, cheese, & diced white onions served w/ Fritos on the side.
Imagine the most decadent Frito pie you ever had. The onion level was a bit much for us, but they were easy to push to the side. Delicious!
I was disappointed to find that no bread was included in our bag (not sure if we needed to request it or what), so we had to make do with our hippie 8 grain wheat bread at home to make our sausage wraps and next-day brisket sandwiches. I was also bummed that pickle offerings are limited to ridged sour hamburger dill slices - Pokejo's has spoiled me with their superior fermented offerings.
The pluses at Southside - Arbor Walk that will likely keep me coming back:
- easy online pre-ordering for pick-up
- excellent bowls for $10 that could make 2 meals for me (dinner tonight, lunch tomorrow)
- close to the Domain area where I live & work
Check out the menu & daily specials online:
Menu https://www.southsidemarket.com/arbor-walk-menu/
Online Order: https://www.toasttab.com/southside-market-austin/v2/online-order#!/
Specials: https://www.southsidemarket.com/austin-daily-menu-specials/
Holiday meals (including smoked turkey, ham, or pork loin, with sausage dressing as a side option): https://www.southsidemarket.com/holiday/
Protip: Save 10% on the first online (shipped) order by subscribing to their email list. This could be a nice way to send a batch of oak smoked beef jerky to a homesick Texan on your Xmas list.