Pok-E-Jo’s

These guys had trucks at COTA. Someone complained about how small their sandwiches were. They’re response-​seriously– was that F1 dictates the size, it wasn’t their fault. Really?!? Too funny, guys.

The one thing any person needs to know…
The employees wear black aprons, of which they cook you food in, WELL… they through out the trash in those same aprons. So all that garbage dump slime is on their apron and transfers to the food that you are consuming… Travis County health code directly prohibits any employee to leave the kitchen with an apron on due to this reason, whether it just be to clean tables, go to the bathroom or take out the trash…
EWWWW

This place is very commercial. If you are desperate and just can’t make it much further then grab a seat. However, do NOT compare this to Texas BBQ. This meat has no flavor and relies on the sauce to bring it out. Absolutely terrible and I will never return nor recommend.

Been coming here for years. Recent menu/​pricing change, at least that’s what the cashier told me. $ 35 for lunch for 2 adults and one child. 2 chopped beef sandwich plates and a kids plate. Seems way too much money for lunch.
Complaints: Not enough food choices for kids. According to the menu, only Chicken strips, BBQ sandwich or something else which I cant recall. How about, offering a small quantity of BBQ, like Turkey/​Chicken which is what kids eat and is healthier than Chicken Strips.
Then, a baked potatoe now is priced as 2 sides… per the cashier.
I can feed my whole family at Salt Lick for way less money, and better chopped brisket.
I did get a receipt and was going to look it over but my lovely wife threw it in the trash before we even started eating. I went to try and find it but could not. Maybe a case where I got overcharged, I dont know, but definitely not worth $ 35.

If you haven’t tried their chef salad it’s a must-​have add turkey and your set for a low carb lunch.

I had the two meat plate with the most delicious peach cobbler EVER!!! I usually go to the Pok-E-Jo’s on Parmer and they are just as friendly and the food is super tasty. from the Texas toast to the ribs and baked potato casserole… simply delicious!!!

Tender meat. Flavorful sauce. Turkey was so tender, I didn’t need a knife. Cole slaw was a little bland. Jalapeño corn bread was a little dry and crumbly.

I hired to provide food for my wedding. South Austin location. Alexis recommended Austin Wedding Helpers to pick up and cater to save money. Sounded perfect.
Friendly staff and timely responses and communication. They did misplace a few of my payments but were able to find after I showed confirmation receipts, i wonder how many clients don’t catch that. Overall, food was good. Tasting arranged before wedding.
The poor review is due to over half my guests receiving food poisoning at wedding. Pok-​e-​Jos were unapologetic and put all blame on Austin Wedding Helpers. Said that they don’t like working with other vendors, although it was Alexis recommendation that led me to them. Accepted no possibility of fault at all. This seems to happen quite often with Pok-​e-​Jos according to multiple reviews.
Would definitely recommend another catering company, nothing worse than your. «perfect day» being remembered as that wedding that «everyone got food poisoning» at.
REPLY:
I would like to add that no apology was ever issued from Pok-​e-​Jos to myself. I only ate food bought from Pok-​e-​Jos and was extremely sick for at least 3 days, along with many other guests. Due to the extreme lack of time with last minute details, your food was actually all I ate that day. I would not imagine the same batch of food was inspected the weekend after my wedding that was provided for my event. An error was made somewhere and it’s a shame because food was delicious. I left a fully honest review.

Pok e Joe’s has been in Austin forever. But unfortunately this location doesn’t seem to have a smoker. Everything was very bland and seemed to be oven baked. There was little to no flavor for the brisket or the ribs except for the sauce.
There are so many better choices. Unfortunately for me this experience cost me over $ 14 for lunch.
I gave it 2 stars because the staff was really nice. Otherwise it would’ve gotten one star.
So disappointed.

My stomach was sending a four alarm signal that it needed food: head pounding, heard to breathe, heart racing, colds sweats starving.
I recalled this Pok-E-Jo’s cause it’s near TJ Maxx, and deciding something protein heavy over pastry or fast food was a smarter decision, I headed here and shakily made my way to the counter. It’s beef plate day. Got the beef and the least unhealthy sides I could find, broccoli salad and cole slaw, and an ice tea. $ 13 and some change later, I sit and take a hungry bite of what could only be described as sliced sawdust, but somehow tougher than sawdust. Maybe shoe leather is what I’m thinking, but leather would definitely have more flavor.
Barring the possibility that I have developed a neurological disorder that is ruining my sense of taste, this is the most tasteless brisket I have ever had. Even the sugary BBQ sauce did not to help. I forced myself to eat all of it and a couple bites each of the equally tasteless sides. It seems like Poke-E-Jo’s might be a place where only their _​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​is good with the _​_​_​_​_​_​_​sides and _​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​, but really, a customer should be able to freely order from the menu and all the quality be relatively the same, especially on the day of the week dedicated to said menu item. Though PEJs saved me from starvation this time, I think next time, I’d rather starve.

Great ribs, great sides, awesome food.

The meat wasn’t that great. I just like the super large cup sizes for soft drinks. It’s a nice family environment.

Best way I could sum up the quality of their food is like eating dry week old food… Nothing special at all and terrible idea if your looking for «texas bbq»!

I have now tried this place 3 times and once with other family. ALL 3 TIMES I got food poisoning and when my family went EVERYONE got food poisoning. Their BBQ isn’t great and their sides are not great either. Especially for the price (it’s expensive for not much food and not good food.) I see no reason to ever go back.

Price to quality is a good ratio, friendly staff, cool interior; best of all it’s not very crowded. About $ 10 for a plate and you get some delicious brisket or sausage.

BIg Fan of the sliced Bar-​B-​Q sandwich. Great sauce and all the sides rock!
Always very clean, friendly staff and nice atmosphere.

I Drove by and thought I would try it out
I had the Texas 4 meat plate. I was amazed at the amount of meat I was getting. I ordered brisket chicken sausage and pork loin Potatoe casserole and green beans. Well I was a little disappointed. The meat looked smoked nice smoke ring but it lacks the flavor of good bbq. The meat was moist but flavorless. I think I could get a lot better somewhere else.

Pok-E-Jo’s brisket makes me sad. It’s usually dry, hardly has any red ring, hardly has any bark, and often needs salt!
Their sausage is usually dry too and mostly one note, black pepper.
Their turkey is meh. Sometimes it’s not too dry, it’s rarely close to moist.
Their BBQ sauce is on the sweet side, but given the low quality of their meat, it’s not a surprise heh.
Sides wise, nothing special either, and most things need salt. Mac & Cheese needed more cheese and salt. Their beans are boring and not worth eating. The cole slaw couldn’t be much more generic. The green beans were on the mushy side and needed salt too lol.
It’s sad how many locations they have, such mediocrity.

Solid BBQ. Nothing earth shattering but you could do worse. I generally refer to this as a good lunch option. You will never go out of your way to have it for dinner but as a work lunch item it is a good choice.
The winner here are the sides, I am not big on sides at most BBQ places because they are an afterthought to the food but Poke E Jos makes pretty good sides. Potato Salad has a good mustard flavor and reminds me of a traditional BBQ potato salad. Mac N Cheese is gooey and just an overall cheesy mess (in a good way). Add a bit of salt to the potato salad and a bit of pepper to the Mac N Cheese and you are ready to go. Broccoli and Rice casserole is better here than probably anywhere else I have had it. They actually give it some flavor and it doesn’t come out bland. Because I am very happy with these 3 options I have not tried anything else.
Now that that is out of the way lets get to the real meat of things. Pun intended. The brisket runs lean similar to the cuts you would get at Rudy’s. I like a lean brisket so I am ok with this. The pork ribs are tender and have a nice flavor. Nothing memorable but they do go well with the sauce. Always my second meat with the brisket.
Pro Tip: Get the sweet tea. Seriously some of the best tea anywhere.

Do you like brisket? If you answered yes to that question you probably don’t want to come to Pok-E-Jo’s. Rudy’s has much better brisket (and I am not exactly a Rudy’s fan).
Do you like chicken? If you answered yes to that question you probably DO want to go to Pok-E-Jo’s. It’s no El Pollo Regio, but it is a solid chicken.
Do you like more than beans and slaw with your bbq? If you answered yes to that question you definitely want to go to Pok-E-Jo’s. The Mac & Cheese is pretty solid.
Do you like this review? Probably not. I am not really a fan either.
A-​OK about sums this whole experience up.