Tony DeMaria’s Bar-B-Que

Came here on the recommendation of some locals I was working with on a business trip. We came for the $ 10 all you can eat ribs for lunch on a Wednesday. Line was to the door when we showed up and we were told it wasn’t uncommon for the line to wrap around the building. Ribs were great and the sausage that came with them was amazing. Truthfully, everything was fatty and terrible for you but tasted so good. Be prepared to leave feeling guilty but so full and satisfied. Only downside is the fact the business is in the sketchy part of town. Would go back in a heartbeat.

The brisket with the gravy was delicious. I didn’t want the gravy at first but the staff just brought it over to us. Everybody in the restaurant dip the brisket sandwich in the gravy. The sausage was tasty and crispy. Potato salad was my favorite. Not only do they have good food, the staffs are very friendly too.

Great bang for your buck! The brisket was on point & they gave us a side of delicious au jus! And Wednesdays they offer an all-​u-​can-​eat rib special for $ 10!!! Are u kidding me?! Will be back!!! :)

Stopped in on a whim after seeing it on Unilocal (along with the $ 10 for $ 5 offer). Had the «plate» with brisket and two sides. Everything with great. Brisket was wonderful — just right level of smokiness and super tender. Help was very friendly. The place was very basic — a metal building with picnic style indoor seating, but it works for a BBQ joint. Seemed to be full of locals. Great value too. I highly recommend it.

Good reviews plus a great Unilocal deal brought me here for the first time. Waited in line 10 – 15 minutes but easily worth the wait.
Got the XL plate combo with brisket, sausage, beans, potato salad and cole slaw (not on menu but offered). Brisket was excellent! Sausage good but unremarkable. Sides were all good. Bonus was two sauces: bbq and hot. Excellent combined together!
Will definitely return. Very good food in classic Texas bbq environment.

Delicious all around! My father-​in-​law loves this place, and has been coming for years. Be sure to arrive early because the line gets long pretty fast.

I always know Unilocal has led me to the right place when I walk into a place and the line is almost out the door. This place was delicious! The brisket was tender and the sausage had a great flavor. The sides (potato salad and baked beans) were on point as well. The only complaint I have is they don’t offer a combo plate, you have to ask for it and they happily oblige. That said, I wanted more!

Awesome Brisket and beef sausage. The gravy was more like an Au Juis but still very tasty to dip the brisket and sausage in. I could definitely tell this was a local favorite due to how many people were here on a midweek day, and I don’t really see Waco being a big travel destination haha. I hope to catch a Baylor football game next time I am in town, but either way will definitely be coming back for some of that brisket.

Friendly staff. Quick service. Fairly run down interior and BBQ was not good.
Sorry, I’m not a Texan — I also tend to think most BBQ in Texas sucks. Kansas City, OK BBQ, much better. I guess people haven’t left Texas will like this place?
Texas. Great state. Terrible bbq.

Best of the Best. Food was excellent, service great, atmosphere is happy and relaxed. The only place in Waco to eat BBQ. The place was packed and had a line all the way outside. Got our food and was looking a table and all were taken! 2 ladies cleared 2 spots at their table and let us join them! This is the best of the best!

This is another dive I have been coming to for over a decade. I would like to clarify for BBQ aficionados that this place only serves beef brisket, sausage (Slovacek’s), turkey and ribs on Wednesday (all you can eat for $ 10 currently). They have a quick smoke style with very little to no bark.
The brisket is very moist and mild in taste, and is much more like a beef potroast cooked fireside with pecanwood smoke. The ‘gravy’ is au jus that has been skimmed. Beware, the gravy is served scalding hot. If you dunk bread into a bowl of it shortly after it arrives at your table, you will be tempted to plop it into your mouth before it disintegrates and cause a painful scald.
The Large order gives you 12oz of meat in any combination of what is available. A great deal for $ 8.70. The prices here are very low, and currently, there is a Unilocal!deal $ 10 for $ 5 that makes eating here even more affordable!
What are you waiting for?!!
(Look – I even paused to tempt y’all with a photo)

On our way from Dallas to Austin, we planned on stopping by at this old skool bbq joint in Waco because of the great reviews on Unilocal.It was pretty close from the freeway exit so it was the perfect lunch layover. The place is nothing fancy, simple menu and super friendly service. You walk in, go to the counter, pick your meats, pay & enjoy killer bbq!
I ordered the Dagwood Sandwich. Double decker filled w/​brisket and side of slaw. The brisket was so tender, perfectly marinated w/​the right amount of juicy fat :) My friend got the large meat plate and it came w/​2 sides. He opted for brisket and sausage. The sausage was excellent as well. Juicy, not salty with the right amount of snap. The potato salad and slaw were of course homemade. The best part was this entire feast was about 15 bucks w/​drinks!
Bbq done right, mom & pop friendly service and very affordable. So glad that we got to try this legendary Waco bbq! Almost forgot, they have all you can eat bbq pork ribs for 9 bucks on Wednesdays :)

Best brisket i have ever had. Right off 35 in waco. If you are in the area stop and get ready to be happy.

Beef brisket and sausage were excellent! Not sure what to expect from Texas BBQ as Kansas Citians have high expectations.

When I lived in Waco, this place was one of my regular stops for BBQ and it was ALWAYS the ribs. Most of the time I did not even get any sides…
I am glad to see you guys are still making great BBQ from the reviews I am reading!

I came here purely because of the rave reviews by Jocelyn and other Unilocalers. She and everyone else did not let me down. This is down home bbq at its finest. I came here on the worst day possible to try it. You see, Wednesday’s is all you can eat ribs. I got here at 11:30am and the line was out the door already. I waited in line for 30 minutes.
The staff is friendly and helpful too.
I ordered the XL Brisket plate, which was brisket, 2 sides and a drink all for $ 9.45 including tax. (I added the infamous gravy)
The food did not disappoint at all. The gravy really makes the brisket here. It makes it different, good different. Because otherwise, I think Rudy’s is still better. The sides of beans and cole slaw were very good though.
I would definitely come back though, just not on a Wednesday.

No frills, super affordable, and absolutely awesome. This place reminds me of a country song– small town feel with people just tryin’ to get by, and the guy at the counter knows your name.
One of my favorite things is how the line moves fast… At Gatlin’s Barbecue in Houston we waited for 1.5 hours to get our food (silly me, see review for how not to be basic). Here there are also plenty of seats for you to grab your grub and eat. They maximize space by having rows of picnic tables instead. The guys working the counter are so nice.
Brisket was fantastic bang for the buck. Not melt-​in-​your-​mouth status, but still juicy while toothsome. Doesn’t have a crazy heavy smoke flavor like other places, but still yum and fast.
— Make sure you get the gravy! I love putting sliced brisket on a piece of white bread, giving it a slurp of barbecue sauce, and dunking it into the gravy.
— Cake– they actually don’t make this in store. I saw a lady in the back packaging them individually off a pre-​sliced cake. (I’m kind of glad I saw this so I didn’t end up buying a piece and hurting my waistline unnecessarily…)
— Self-​serve pickle bar with onions, pickles, jalapenos, and banana peppers.
— Drinks are Coke products and Dr Pepper– after all, this is Waco!
Right now you can purchase a $ 10 deal on Unilocal for $ 5. Perfect for lunch and for the working (wo)man or broke college kid. $ 10 can get you a LOT here, except that it’s $ 5!
I’ve included a picture (current as of January 2015) of their menu, as the prices have gone up a little since they last updated their website.

Summary– This is the first place we stopped when we got into Texas, and I think I just peaked on my first visit to a TX BBQ place. Great BBQ, cheap, and down home atmosphere.
Food– 5 Stars
Great BBQ Brisket. We didn’t try the sausage but I noticed they will split your order if you ask, so I wish I had. The brisket was everything it should be, flavorful without being over smoked, tender without being disgustingly fatty. The sides were also damn good basics. They had two sauces, a regular BBQ and a BBQ hot, they were both very good.
Atmosphere– 5 Stars
Order and receive at counter, sit where ever you want. Seems like it hasn’t changed since forever.
Value– 5 Stars
Lots of great BBQ for not much $.
Service– 5 Stars
We went mid-​week and it was fast and friendly. They were very nice about my questions on what wood they use, etc. which isn’t always the case.