Tex Howard’s Pit-Smoked Bar-B-Que

Went there on Thursday only find out there is nobody there. The guy who worked next door told me Howard is probably sleeping in the RV. And the other lady obviously came earlier than I do has the same encounter. Tried the cell phone but no one picked up. Not sure why there is a «no-​show» for the owner.

Pros: Best Ribs I ever tried. My parents thought «these ribs are soo much better than Costco’s» lol.
Cons: It is only open 1 day. Its not close to my work in Sunnyvale. I wish I can eat it everyday. When I use to bring it work, it made the whole office smell likes ribs and made people hungry.

When I first tried their ribs, I was pretty impressed. Tasty dry rub, with meat falling off the bone. Like most, I started to order them fairly regularly. Then 2 things happened that disappointed me.
1. Just before the weekend of 4^th of July, we had family visiting from out of town and told them about these awesome ribs. Ordered the ribs and chicken and something was off. The ribs weren’t as good and the chicken tasted odd. Earlier the business had texted us saying that they anticipated getting a ton of orders so they had to use an additional old smoker to accommodate the orders. I didn’t think much of that info until the food turned out to be sub-​par. I was bummed because my visiting family didn’t enjoy the meal that I had raved to them about.
2. They also messaged all their customers that they would be raising their prices from $ 20 per rack to $ 25. They justified this by explaining that it should actually cost more. My personal opinion: No matter how good your food is… you NEVER raise prices by 25%. You can raise it gradually once or twice a year but not 25% at one go. Its an insult to loyal customers who already patronize the business regularly.
I do like the two owners and respect this good thing they have going. They run a successful catering business and do the retail thing only once a week. However, if you increase production to earn more revenue but end up compromising the quality of your food… then announce that you’re raising prices by 25%… it changes my impression of your business greatly. As a result, I have not come back since. Bummer.

Another victory for Unilocal.These guys have earned all of the 5 star reviews that they have received. You come to these guys and they will show you that good BBQ does not require sauce, just a little seasoning and a whole lot of smoke. I was tempted to deduct a star because they are only available to purchase from on Thursday, but I realized that if they were open on any other days of the week, I would be eating there every other day. So thank you for only being available on Thursdays, my waistline and wallet appreciate it. Seriously, check these guys out.

Awesome BBQ! PRE-​ORDERING IS A MUST!!!
Call ahead on Wednesday, the day before their pop-​up on Thursdays, and place your order! Otherwise, you’ll be disappointed when you go on Thursday and they’ve already sold out of everything. All the ribs and chicken they have on Thursday will have been spoken for, rarely if ever will they have any extras.
Also note that they are a catering company, so they may sometimes Not Be There on Thursdays due to them working an event, so calling ahead the day before will help too.

Amen! I met Mr. Howard outside of his work and asked him how he can tolerate living in the bay area for 8 years and not miss the Texas BBQ?! (He is from Texas). He directed me to have a meal delivered and I am impressed! I am impressed not only with the half rack of ribs that fed 3 ladies at a good price, but also with the small business attention that he gave me. They will bring the BBQ to the peninsula, no problem. I highly recommend this establishment as good BBQ is hard to come by in the bay area. Thank you Mark and Mark!

Doesn’t need sauce. Excited to try their brisket and sausage fridays.

In 29 years of life, these were the best ribs I hAve ever had. If I could give this review 10 stars I would

So these guys know there Bar-​B-​Que! This is the Texas style which is a dry rub, no sauce to cover a lesser quality of meat! Really hope they get a store front so they can offer complete meals. I’ve ate ribs all over the Bay Area and these are the Best! Tex Howards Rocks…

Every bit as good as the reviews say! We got the baby back ribs. Didn’t try the chicken because they were out of it pretty early. We plan to call ahead for the chicken next time. The ribs were really tender. Not drowned in sauce. They had only rub, and it was really good.
Being Texas BBQ, they need to be smoking some brisket, too!

Ive had TeX Howards on my Radar for a while .
Then Recently one of My Unilocal friends Anna D reminded me of them again .
So Since I got off of Work Release early today .
I called Tex Howards to see if they had any Ribs left .
Luckily they did so, I reserved a Rack Of Baby Backs .
So I jumped into My Whip and rolled to Hayward and Tex Howards .
Tex Howards is Right Off of Industrial Blvd on 880 on Tripaldi Way .
Just follow your Nose. You Can smell the Meat Smoking !!!
Yummy !!!
I rolled up and parked my Whip on the Street .
I could see the Smoker Going Full Blast keeping the BBQ warm
I talked to the Cook /​Cashier.
The BBQ is Texas Style and is only available on Thursdays .
From 12– 5 P.M.
Its Best to Call and Reserve your BBQ.
While I was there quite a lot of Customers Picking Up their BBQ.
I took my Rack To Go since my Ankle Bracelet was going off.
When i got home I opened my BBQ and it Smelled So Good !!!
The Ribs had a Nice Smoke Ring and the Bones pulled out of the Meat it was so Tender!!!
The Ribs tasted so good it was «Pimp Slap Your Mama Silly Tender, Fall Off The Bone Biatch Good !!!
Probably the Best BBQ Ribs in the East Bay!!!
Review #1400 Ya Baby!!!

My uncle Ryan brought a rack of ribs over. That shit was delicious!
Fall off the bone.
Seasoned to excellence.
Full of that awesome meaty smokey flavor I love more than handsome men.
This is like the limited edition special for meat.
Can’t wait to try the chicken.
Thanks Uncle Ryan!!!
and thanks Tex Howard’s!!!

Never been to Texas and I have never tasted their bbq so I cannot compare this bbq to anything, so this is solely on the experience and the taste of the food.
Ordered half a chicken and a full rack of ribs Wednesday for Thursday pick up. Didn’t really know what to expect, so we got to the location and there was a tent and a smoker set up in a lot by a plumbing store. The 2 men (one being Tex) greeted us and asked what we ordered, chitchatted a bit as they wrapped up the delicious smelling meat, took payment, and we took the smoked meat home to eat
The taste — ribs were good, fall off the bone, smokey; seasonings may not be impressive to some but it was simple — salt and pepper standing out the most; chicken was falling off the bone but the white meat felt dry (but it is what meat) and it was overly peppery (but I like pepper)
Overall — super nice and friendly service. These guys care a lot about their craft. Smoker is from Texas so I will say there is some authenticity to this bbq. As for the meat, I would order the ribs again but pass on the chicken. I hope to see that they will have some brisket for the Thursday sales sometime in the future and not just for their catering events because I really want to try it

Best ribs I’ve ever had. Fall off the bone tender and well-​seasoned. The chicken was pretty good too but the ribs are incredible.
Ordered 3 full racks of ribs and 2 half chicken for about 6 meat lovers. There were all but 4 ribs and a half chicken left over. Great value for the amount of meat you get.
Mark & Mark are friendly & clearly passionate about their BBQ.
Will be back for the ribs again and again!

After hankering for good BBQ, and seeing great reviews on Unilocal, we made the hike over to Tex’s popup location (which is basically set up in the parking lot of some industrial offices). We chatted with the owner, who was really nice and obviously loves his BBQ, which is what you want from a guy selling BBQ!
The ribs WERE excellent. Dry rub BBQ is a subjective taste, though, and this was one that, while we couldn’t complain about, didn’t stick with us as anything we’d need to go out of our way to get again. And finding this guy’s location is out of the way. The price was a bit high, too, so you really want to love something when you spend that kind of time and money on.
So, good guy, good product, some people will probably see it worth the effort to get, but not me.

Just a few tips since it’s more of a popup location… hopefully a storefront soon.
1. Make sure to call or text to place your order.
2. They’re only open on Thursday’s at 12pm or 5pm for pickup (afaik)
3. When you arrive you’ll see the HUGE smoker in the parking lot.
4. If you’ve ordered ahead your bbq will be foil wrapped and ready to go.
Prepare for some of (if not) the BEST bbq in the Bay Area. I’ve tried their full rack of ribs which is pretty good price ($ 20 plus tax). The meat was simply fall off the bone tender, deep smokey richness, and simply so awesome that you’ll want to eat more of em. I’m not a sauce fan so the dry rub worked quite well for my taste buds. Everyone else enjoyed em too.
Got to meet (Tex’s smokologist) Mark there. seems like a nice guy that cares about delivering the best bbq to his customers. Definitely looking forward to their brisket in February.
I’ll be back for damn sure.

They still continue to make the best BBQ ribs and chicken. Everyone is right, no sauce is needed whatsoever.
I can’t wait until they start making their side dishes and brisket.
I love Thursdays!

Ordered another 5 slabs for a get together and it was a hit! i almost wanted to take credit for perfecting the flavor, the tenderness and smokiness of these ribs but couldn’t and had to fess up it was Texas Howard… i guess next time i’ll have to get it catered so we can get our hands on some of the infamous brisket! ;) Thanks again!

I’ll put it like this, I don’t eat BBQ without sauce… UNLESS it’s from Tex Howard’s. Yes, it’s that damn good! The chicken and ribs are seasoned to perfection and the meat just falls off the bone.
I never get a chance to meet the cooks who prepare these succulent slabs of meat because my BF picks them up after work, but I know they have some mad skills on the grill. I usually don’t get to eat them until an hour after they’ve been picked up, but the meat is still piping hot like it came fresh out the smoker. Thursdays are awesome.

Well deserving of a 5 star rating, in my opinion. Their smoked chicken, baby backs and brisket are all tender, moist, and full of flavor. I love that they share my philosophy of NO BBQ SAUCE. And thanks guys for not over-​salting!
When — not if — you get the brisket, make sure to eat it warm like they tell you to. It’s tender and juicy as can be that way. Yeah, it’s a big hunk a change. But well worth it if you split it amongst family, friends, neighbors, um, coworkers. Yeah, I did that.
Although this is not a walk-​in type of establishment, you just text them (or call in) your order for Thursday pickup. Easy!
If you’re a BBQ fan, this place is a MUST TRY. You’ll fall in love at first bite.
Enjoy!