Hill Country BBQ Market

This place was awful. Everything was overpriced. The restaurant itself is a tourist trap. The meat was heavily salted and almost inedible. The baked beans were undercooked and crunchy. All around terrible.

We wanted to go somewhere fast, delicious, and hearty. What we discovered was exactly that and more. The smoked brisket is incredible, as is the cornbread, the cucumber salad, and the corn salad. Let me emphasize how delicious the smoked brisket is — I’ve never had better, period. Huge portions of iced tea and iced coffee topped off a wonderful meal.

this Texan is disappointed. I will say one thing, the brisket was tender, and the collard greens were on point!
There were no pickles and onions with my meat. I ordered a hot link, and it was beef! no ma’am. Sausage in Texas is most of the time, made of pork.
The worst offender was the sauce. it was not a Texas sauce at all because it was way too vinegary and pretty sure it was ACV. blech! Texas sauce is either sweet and spicy with ketchup, molasses, etc OR made almoat entirely from the meat drippings. keep your vinegar in the Carolinas please!
Lastly, the baked beans were anything but Texas style. we use small white beans for baked, and not pintos. We also put bacon, not beef in our baked beans.
I’m wondering if the people that own this place have been to the hill country?

I know anyone from famed BBQ cities are gonna hate; remember, this is D.C.
Happened to find this place walking thru the city when I was hit with the wonderful smell of BBQ… like Tucan Sam… I followed my nose. (reading other reviews, seems to be a trend)
The atmosphere is casual and the cafeteria seating is actually enjoyable. Noise levels aren’t off the charts; at least at lunch. Can’t speak for Happy Hour and beyond.
The ordering process reminded me of my time in TX. If you’re not used to it, it can be a little intimidating but the staff is more than happy to explain it to you. They are also happy to show you the portion sizes; it’s easy to over order if you don’t know your food measurements.
The sides are good but the main courses steal the show.
The meats are smoked on premises, you can’t miss em’, the smokers are right in front of you.
They tend the fires thru the night keeping an eye on the meaty goodness.
My favs… smoked prime rib and jalapeño sausage.

I’ve eaten there exactly five times over the past three years, and I have yet to be disappointed!
I’m fairly sure I first discovered this remarkable restaurant about three years ago. I was walking North in Washington DC when I smelled something delicious and backtracked a few steps to find the entrance. At first I found the method of placing food orders there to be alien, but I overcame that difficulty almost immediately, and came away thinking I’d just found heaven.
I next returned about one year later, (two years ago at this time), when my partner’s family had an outing at The Newseum, after which everyone was hungry and looking for good eating. Naturally I recommended this restaurant. It was such a hit I’ve been hearing about it for the past two years!
Most recently I went there for dinner all three days of AwesomeCon 2016, Friday, Saturday & Sunday, and I was pleased on all three occasions. By fortunate coincidence my guest and I found ourselves chatting with the assistant manager for about an hour the third night. It’s just like me to have observations and suggestions for any restaurant I actually like, and this was no exception. As I told her, I don’t expect every idea I have to be a winner, but if one in ten is a winner, that’s ONE, and I’d sooner share it than keep it to myself. Besides who but a customer is most qualified to share such observations which may make the venue more appealing to customers?
As regards my reviews, there are a few basics I like to touch on. My favorite dishes. The suitability of the restaurant for gatherings such as those I currently operate on a weekly basis. This is slightly complicated due to the abstract menu, and the unfortunate fact that the restaurant has unfortunate acoustic properties which make conversation difficult, although not entirely impossible. To be fair, the typical Ruby Tuesdays is actually louder, and I’d never try to hold a meeting at one. This restaurant is not entirely impossible, and in fact the manager has offered to accommodate my club in a section which is largely disused until 9pm when the live music starts. I’m seriously considering holding such an event. In addition I expect this venue to be extremely popular with my club for the simple reason that the food is unbeatable. On the other hand, if there are sufficient food options for vegetarians, I’m unaware of it.
In sequence of preference, my three favorite foods offered are:
1) Smoked Brisket.
2) Pork Ribs.
3) Smoked Chicken.
I tend to get the $ 22 meal there which includes all of the above, and I order the Potato Salad as the one side dish. Included also are two small-​but-​delicious cornbread muffins. I love this cornbread which is saying a lot as I’m not ordinarily a big fan of cornbread. The whipped sweetened butter served with it is also amazing. It is vaguely brown and tastes like honey-​butter. A friend suggested it is made with brown sugar, but I have not attempted to verify this.
When you order the brisket, I have two recommendations:
1) Order equal amounts moist and lean brisket. Both are good but best in equal ratios.
2) Ask for a couple of rolls.
About the rolls: I saw them taking them out of the packaging. I’m not certain, but I believe they are Martin’s Potato Rolls. They harmonize perfectly with the smoked brisket and the BBQ sauce found at the table. You’ll be glad I made this suggestion.
I would add that the desserts are also tasty, but don’t plan on getting any as you’ll likely be so stuffed that the dessert will likely go mostly uneaten.
It is important to mention that this restaurant is temporarily closing the restaurant section early, 10:30pm due to the early closing hours of the Metrorail system, and as a kindness to their employees who would otherwise have difficulty getting home. However, if you are unable to get there before 10:30pm, please be advised that for just $ 6 you can order delicious «smoked brisket sliders» from the bar as well as other food offerings as well as alcoholic beverages.
It is also worth mentioning that although it is true that the average employee of this venue is surprisingly friendly, the latest guest I brought there made the observation that FOR THAT PART OF DC the staff is actually remarkably friendly, having observed that, at least in her experience, that region of DC appears to employ people who don’t appear to appreciate their jobs.

4 stars for Wednesday night live band karaōke. The band is hands down awesome. I’d estimate that 2 out of 3 singers are actually pretty good, but the third is usually an awesome train wreck. It can get crowded and the crowd is an eclectic mix, but it’s always a good time. The slider specials served downstairs are good but the bartenders are hit or miss in terms of speed. (The last two times they’ve been on point.) The drinks aren’t cheap, but they’re not outrageous.
Full disclosure: My opinion of the food /​restaurant upstairs is not 4 stars. The BBQ is okay, but not great (I’ve had good brisket here and terrible brisket.) While I’m willing to drop ²⁵⁄₃₀ on lunch, Hill Country just isn’t worth it.

I’ve been to counter service BBQ places in TX so I kind of knew what to expect but the ordering process is still a little intimidating. The BBQ was decent, on the «northern» rating scale. Something to note is that the meat prices are listed per half-​pound. Also, it says it comes with white bread (normal thing for TX bbq) but we were never offered or given bread. The sides were really good, especially the baked beans and green bean casserole. The server at the sides counter was really friendly and patient in letting me ask questions and even offered samples.
The restaurant is huge and is great to go with a group because each person can have their own check. It can get pricey quickly though — like $ 20 – 30 per person, which is high considering you’re serving yourself and eating on paper. However, if you are really craving smoky bbq, this is a good option.

Hill Country live band karaōke on Wednesday nights gives me LIFE which is why I am giving this place 4 stars even though live karaōke is always filled with loud douche-​y types in their business casual. It makes me so happy to see these talented middle-​aged musicians plucking away at their instruments while a drunk girl belts out Train’s «Drops of Jupiter» off-​pitch. That isn’t to say that Hill Country doesn’t have its fair share of talented singers, but for every decent singer, there are three to four drunk amateurs. This is DC, not Nashville, sadly. However, I just sing along to everything anyway so it doesn’t matter how good they are. It does get crowded and you’ll probably have to wait an hour or so to get to perform (I did «Pretty Woman» by Ray Orbison; it was hard to choose from their extensive song list), so you’ll have to be patient. What enrages me is when people sign up for two songs in a row — rude microphone hogs!
In terms of the BBQ upstairs, the food is pretty amazing. I weighed myself the day after I ate dinner there, and I gained two pounds, though this could be attributable not only to the meat but also to the sugar in the margaritas. It feels like a cheesy Disneyworld version of Texas inside, which made me initially dislike Hill Country, but I suppose the food makes up for the calculated Southern «look» of the restaurant. Lastly, I enjoy that the people at the meat counter mark up your ticket with how much you owe; it reminds me of my beloved dim sum.

If you like to order BBQ by the pound cafeteria style, then this is the spot for you! Prime rib, brisket, sausages, shoulder, ribs, you name it, they got it. We may have came on a bad day, but some of the shoulder and brisket were dry, but pouring over BBQ sauce helped with it. The flavors were there, but I wish they were a bit more juicier.
Other then that, plenty of drink options, and a great Texas vibe.
I’d give Hill Country BBQ Market a 3.5÷5.

The bbq is pretty darn good. I’ve brought people here from Texas and they’ve been impressed. However, y’all will need to hang onto your hats and glasses as you may be in shock when you get the bill. A meal for two… meats, a couple sides, dessert, and cokes add up to $ 75 real quick. Hill Country is quite pricey, but in a bbq-​challenged region, it’s still a solid choice.

We just ate here and we loved it. We love the way you get your food and the atmosphere of the place. Drinks are fantastic and the staff was super friendly ! I will say the only downside was we had to wait twenty minutes even through they had seats. Because they have an inefficient seating system. But it’s worth it.

I seriously hope heaven smells this good. Smokey smokey goodness will hit you the second you walk in. The food is very hearty and if you try to walk out of here feeling like you made healthy choices, you are doing it wrong. Go hungry because you need all of the sides. Trust me.
I also can’t recommend the karaōke downstairs enough. People here are legitimately talented singers and it’s a live band, so don’t stumble up there white girl wasted to do «Lose Yourself» unless you want to kill everyone’s vibe.

«Kai O.» wrote a great review back in August 2015 that pretty much sums it up. I like the variety of meats offered. The fact that they have both pork and beef ribs is outstanding, since most place have one or the other. I have never been to a barbecue joint that imports meat from another one, but Hill Country BBQ Market sells sausage from Kreuz Market in Texas. It doesn’t get any better than that. If you’re hankering for sausage, don’t bother with the local one. The sausage from Kreuz Market beats the sausage Hill Country makes themselves.
The only negative thing about Hill Country is the price. It cost me $ 13.50 to order a large draft beer, three sides, pork ribs and sausage at Railhead Smokehouse — Fort Worth’s most highly rated barbecue restaurant. And100% authentic with its «Life’s too short to live in Dallas» theme compared to Hill Country’s corporate Texas kitsch. Three sides, a beer, a sausage link and prime rib was $ 53.57. Even conceding that the portions of meat were bigger and that prime rib is a higher grade of meat Hill Country is easily more than twice as expensive as a real Texas barbecue restaurant.

I don’t think I am in DC anymore! …YeeHaw!
«God blessed Texas with His own hand.
Brought down angels from the Promised Land.
Gave them a place where they could dance.
If you wanna see Heaven, brother, here’s your chance. Well, I’ve been sent to spread the message. ‘God blessed Texas.’»
I walked in & wasn’t sure this was something I would like. I was with a Unilocal guy pal that I absolutely trust w/​any food decision. I am particular, but he is one of the few that I am confident knows his stuff (he knows the world & good food). If he says, «This is THE right place to eat.» I’ll listen to HIS selection. I am beyond happy I did & can thank this wonderful place & my friend for getting me here! It got better & better without a single flaw our whole visit!
Service: ⁵⁄₅
The hostess seats you & explains how ordering the food works here. The server then brings drinks & takes care of your needs (also made great recommendations, helpful & led me to the delicious moist brisket). The staff in the entire place upstairs, downstairs, from seating, ordering, meat counter, sides, bartender downstairs ALL were kind & knew their stuff serving w/​Friday night smiles. They like their jobs & were happy to help the customers making the experience delightful.
Food/​Drinks: ⁵⁄₅
— Moist beef brisket was freshness before my eyes.
— Cornbread w/​flavored whipped butter, yum!
— Sausage (it wasn’t mine), I let my guy pal know his sausage tastes so good & I how much I liked his sausage. It had to be said incase he doesn’t share the fun dinner conversions resulting from our amazing food! *wink*
–Red Sangria & Margarita were my two drinks here, both refreshing and tasty. Also, priced a little lower than other places around DC, so double bonus!
Atmosphere: ⁵⁄₅
I didn’t know when I walked in (shame on me again!) After ten minutes I was positive this was a great place & the business culture of the team is present. Welcome to Texas kinda feel & country food, music, people, & fun. I wanted to go out after dinner, but that ended up being me saying, «Let’s stay right here! This band, music, & area downstairs is like a little country dancing/​drinking hangout fun sorta place.» So much for being like, «ok, let’s eat & leave.» Always trust traveling Unilocaler if they choose somewhere to eat. ( Unilocaler Helper Friends!) They KNOW from experience & can pick the best gems on a simple walk down a street, like the one in the Chinatown DC area!
Late night: ⁵⁄₅
I was wondering where the awesome country music was coming from & commented a few times about it getting louder & louder as the restaurant was clearing (which more of the music was what I wanted! Lol). The bathrooms are downstairs, so on the way we just led ourselves to more gold! A live band that was incredible, dancing, and more drinking. The bartender was kept busy, but was skillful, fast paced, pleasant, & helpful. Not rude in the mad rush like most experiences are I don’t even notice. Here I noticed a positive vibe by a busy bartender. Twinkle in his eye perhaps even. He had the «it factor» to serve delicious drinks!
Overall: ⁵⁄₅
I can’t wait to return. Food AND experience were delivered here on all of my levels. I am so happy my guy pal wanted to eat here. He is pretty chill but was clearly getting excited & pumped up even about eating here (prior visit with his buds years back & he remembered and shared). He was SO excited, I just KNEW I had to try this place! Thank you to my guy pal for choosing here. You are truly a Unilocal Ninja! Awesome place on every level with awesome company to share it with.
«There might be a little dust on the bottle.
But don’t let it fool ya ’bout what’s inside.
There might be a little dust on the bottle.
It’s one of those things that gets sweeter with time. You’re still with me, and we’ve made some memories, after all these years there’s one thing I find… Some say good love well it’s like a fine wine,
It keeps getting better, as days go by!!!»
Don’t pass this place up! It keeps getting better the LONGER you stay even! I can’t wait to go back! Cheers!

This is where I go to get my fix of Texas style barbecue! It’s pretty good for being around the DC area. It’s doesn’t stack up against the best places in Texas but then again it is a multiple hour flight to get down there.
Their lean brisket and smoked turkey are really nice, their corn bread is delicious, and their potato salad is really nice. Their best offering, in my opinion, is their sweet potato mash.
It’s a good place to watch sports or come out for a live music night as they feature some good county music artists.

Finally, finally got to try the food here. For real dinner time. I enjoy the interactive part of the dining experience there (as in you get a cool little card and you can pick up all kinds of food). All of the meat is great – I had the spareribs, and they were fantastic. Two of my friends got the brisket; it was also amazing. The chicken got good feedback as well – the friend who ordered it said it was very tender and well-​marinated. The prices were fair, and the portions are flexible.
The honey cornbread is also good, but it took a long time to come out when we were there. Out of the other sides, I tried the burnt end beans, which were also very good. I like that they have XS small size (it’s called something cute like lil’ taste).
In terms of the service, it’s pretty much self-​serve, so the waitress doesn’t really come around too often. Ours was good about refilling water and bringing extra utensils, etc. All in all, this is a place I will be going back to.

So, my review won’t mean much to people because I went here on a Lenten Friday (meaning I wasn’t gonna eat meat) and most people come to a BBQ market for its meat. BUT if anyone out there is solely looking for a review on the sides, I at least got that. And for those people, I will tell you that the sides were delicious!
The green beans were my favorite — they were surprisingly flavorful, light, and earthy. The cornbread was aromatic and moist, paired with a savory butter. The creamy, not-​too-​decadent mac & cheese also satisfied my belly.
From the raving reviews from my friends about the brisket, I do hope to go back and make a more thorough review :)

Amazing! My Texan friend calls this the «Texan Embassy» and I can see why. My other friend who is a vegetarian also loves this ppace, simply for the sides, so she made me a reservation as we chatted at work and I headed here on a busy Saturday.
I do mean it was BUSY. There had just been a Villanova-​GTown game (yaaaas Nova won) so the crowd was huge. We settled in and got to it. We ordered the item that had a little bit of everything — chicken, spare ribs, brisket, and hot sausage. It was delicious! The sausage especially was unlike any other sausage from, well, anywhere, really. The brisket was probably my favorite (I prefer beef or chicken to pork) and it was really well-​done. My bf said the spare ribs were the least impressive out of the whole platter, but that it was still the best he’d had. So for being unimpressive, not knocking it down at all.
One last thing — their lemonade is DELICIOUS. I think I want to stop back in sometime soon just to grab a lemonade.

Love Hill Country BBQ.
This is a really great to have authentic BBQ. They have a large selection of smoked meats that way anyone can have something.
My personal favorite is the smoked turkey and the corn pudding, those two are a must have in my book.
The only downfall is that sometimes they run out of turkey on some nights.

Bottom Line: A cafeteria that serves BBQ. Some items are good, some not so much.
I’ve walked by Hill Country BBQ Market many times so I was excited to finally try it. From the outside, it looks like a normal restaurant, but soon you find out its more like a cafeteria. Here is how it works:
— The host/​hostess gives each person in the party a «meal ticket» and seats you at a table
— A waiter takes your drink order and explains the logistics of the restaurant
— After reviewing the menu, you take your meal ticket up to the cafeteria line and get your meats. They employees will mark on your meal ticket what you ordered.
— Then you get in another like to get sides
— Then there is another line for desserts
— You return to your table with your tray and chow down.
— The waiter will take care of drink refills and will bring your check based on your meal ticket.
After walking around DC for the day, I really just want to sit and relax and be waited on but that only happened here because BF was nice enough to go stand in line while I rested my dogs and rehydrated. Anyway, on to the food…
In the spirit of being indecisive, BF and I ordered the Pitmaster Meal for Two which I think could have easily fed three. The meal included brisket, pork spare ribs, sausage, chicken and two sides. The brisket and sausage were good. The chicken was bad and the pork spare ribs were really bad. The chicken barely had any meat on it and I’m not even sure what cut it was — maybe the keel or back. The pork spare ribs were super fatty and didn’t seem to have any meat on them either. For sides we did the sweet potato mash which I didn’t really care for and the mac and cheese which was very good. The only BBQ sauce on the table was super sweet, Texas style, which isn’t my taste.
What I liked about Hill Country BBQ Market is the interior and décor. I thought it was very fitting for a barbecue place and I like that they used old fashioned refrigerator handles for door handles on the restroom stalls. Yes, sometimes it’s the little details.
The closet Metro stop (about a block away) is Archives (Navy Memorial-​Penn Qutarter) on the Yellow and Green lines but there are several other stops that are close by too.

Personnel très peu accueillant qui fait la grimace à chaque étape du service, malgré un restaurant très peu rempli ! Lorsque vous rentrez dans le «market», les serveurs vous remettent une carte sur laquelle ils cocheront les viandes, accompagnements, condiments choisis lorsque vous passerez aux différents stands avec votre plateau (principe similaire au self).
Les différentes viandes sont peu savoureuses et grasses (graisseuses et non juteuses!). Les accompagnements sont vraiment limites: la purée de pomme de terre aux lardons passé encore mais les pâtes imbibées de fromage sont écœurantes. Tarifs élevés par rapport à la qualité (48 dollars pour 2!) alors que l’on peut trouver bien mieux pour moins cher ! Dommage le cadre était sympa…

Service here is a little bit different. You get seated by the hostess and there is a server. However, you need to order your food at the counter, similar to cafeteria-​style. Our server was very kind and explained the how-​dos at Hill Country.
Sadly, the brisket we had was dry, dry, drrrryyyyy :(We were disheartened about it. We even ordered the fatty brisket just in case to avoid this kind of situation. Otherwise, the other meats (ribs and chicken) were okay. Sausage was bit on the pricey side.
The sides were were tasty, but the green bean casserole was definite the show stopper. Wishing about Thanksgiving sides when it’s not even November yet? Hills Country’s got you covered with a green bean casserole side here will solve that problem for you.