Traveling from Galveston back to San Antonio, we decided to stop by and try the barbecue. Â We arrived at approximately 3:00 pm on Sunday afternoon. Â There are a lot of taxidermied animals on the walls, to be sure. Â My wife, son, and I decided to get the Sunday buffet. Â The buffet consisted of a bread dressing of some type, pork, beef brisket, beef ribs, sausage, beans, corn, sweet potatoes, green beans, turnips, English pea salad and several other items. Â
The brisket was moist and quite satisfactory as were the beef ribs. Â I was not very impressed with the sausage. Â It seemed a bit bland to me. Â The barbecue sauce was fairly bland as well. Â The barbecue beans were a bit salty and lacked the spice and zest one expects in good barbecue beans. Â They weren't bad; I guess "mediocre" is the most apt description. Â The coleslaw was okay, but in now way remarkable. Â The potato salad was equally unremarkable. Â If the peach cobbler had not become dried out from hours under a heat lamp, it probably would have been quite good. Â
The dining room was dirty, and the teenagers working there seemed very unenthusiastic about working there.  There was trash (discarded paper towels and other items) on the floor that should have been  picked up but wasn't.
I guess if you're really hungry for meat on a Sunday afternoon and want to gorge on it alone, this is a serviceable place to do it. Â However, any other day of the week, your time would be better spent going to Luling to the City Market.
First, I think the word "famous" should be taken off their sign and 2nd the word BBQ should be taken off as well. When you walk into a BBQ restaurant you expect to smell, ummm BBQ! I smelled something when I walked in but it did not remind me of BBQ let alone food! I should've went with my gut reaction and that was to turn around and run out the door. The brisket tasted like it had never touched a BBQ pit. Weird. This place is filthy and has dusty dead animals everywhere. Do not I repeat, do not eat here!
Review Source:Dang I was craving brisket and yelp'd this place enroute home to Austin. Oh my fellow yelp'ers you led me wrong! First turn off, we walked in and half the dining room chairs were upside down on the tables- 3 HRS TO CLOSING! something about looking at the dirty feet of chairs while I'm eating that turns me off but I carry on with hope for the "world famous" BBQ...after sitting with food I really take note of surroundings and surmise between the overall grime and cobwebs not sure why we didn't turn around! Ok now the food- sides ok, potato salad has chunks of brisket, greens were awesome, carrot salad good. Brisket had a corned beef taste to if I didn't care for. Sauce too thick. We won't be back-EVER
Review Source:This is the best barbcue I've ever eaten west of the mississippi. ans im so glad that texas doesnt allow video poker inside truck stops. I wish LA would not allow them. It is so addictive. It is sad. But on a better note, we love texas!!! Will be back here!!!!
And I loved the casual, country cabin feel I got in this place and all the wildlife hanging on the walls. A neat place! Thank you!!!
I had low expectations. Â
Recently I've switched from Austin to Dallas commutes for work to Austin to Houston commutes. Â I'm finding it hard to discover decent BBQ along much of the Austin - Houston route so far but I've only hit a dozen or less places so far. Â
I was pleasantly surprised to find this is one of the better stops. Â
Don't let the absurd amount of animals on the wall deter you, there is good BBQ to be had here.
I had a plate of ribs and brisket. Â The brisket was tasty and moist and the ribs were very good, better than the brisket even. Â
I also noticed an elderly gentleman going around thanking patrons for their business, after seeing a portrait on the wall of a younger gentleman with a remarkable resemblance I surmised it was the same owner at it after all these years, wow.
I would stop in here again for sure.
3.5 stars.
I got the double meat plate, with sliced brisket and sausage. Both were great, although I wish I had a little more bbq sauce and that the sauce was a little spicier.
Potato salad and corn were decent.
Not the best bbq I've had, but pretty close. The numerous mounted animal heads were awesome.
Servers were courteous and helpful.
Not the best bbq I've ever had, but damn good for the price. Â Sauce was a little too tomato-pastey for my liking but it was sweet and decent. Â Brisket was a little dry but not too much. Â chicken was awesome. Â chopped beef was pretty dang good. Â sides were good and plentiful. Â best of all - banana pudding counts as a side! Â my girl and i stuffed ourselves for $12. Â awesome.
Review Source:Warning! Â If you do not like taxidermy, your experience will not be as good.
Ok, now that we are done with the disclaimer, lets get to the food. I ordered a double plate with sausage, beef, and three sides (none of the sides were mind blowing, so we will skip those). Â The sausage and beef were absolutely amazing. This was my second time here (and second time driving from FL to CA) and almost want to stay a few hours so I can eat here again.
uh, YUM!
Driving back from NOLA, this was a welcome stop on a long 1-10 Texas drive.
I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Â The sheer volume of animal heads adorning the walls was nothing if not campy fun.
The service was very prompt, extremely friendly and hospitable. Â We had a bunch o' questions about the various meats, the sides, and all of the questions were answered in detail.
We swooned at the first bite of delicious brisket, smoked and lean, accented with a just hot enough bbq sauce. Â The salads and sides are prepared on site- all of them served just right in terms of seasonings and temperatures. Â The pea salad was a delicious option; the bean salad extra cold and yummy, and green beans a standard good side dish.
5 stars for stellar food right off the interstate; for super friendly service, and for a unique dining room. Â If you are driving through and need a bite, definitely stop here, and enjoy the brisket!
A postscript:
I would love to know where they got all of the animals decorating the room.  I surmise that many of these taxidermied specimins were donations from  widows, happy to get these "decorations" off of their living room walls.
BBQ at its best.  My wife and I each ordered the rib plate which came with three sides.  The sides were all good and on the side bar there were free onions, jalapenos, etc.  If you're on your way between San Antonio and Houston, plan to stop here.  Their sign  is an eye-stopping yellow and big as a barn.
Review Source:The bbq beef brisket is very good at this popular 1-10 stop! Their sauce.....not so good which prevents me from putting anything more than 3 stars. the BBq ribs were good. The sides are ok. The service line to order was slow and could use some upgrades. The tea was EXcellent!! Â Its a strange shaped building with multiple animal heads on the walls. If you hungry on the way out west , the portions will satisfy your appetite.
Review Source:If you're a frequent commuter from Houston to Austin via I-10, you know the feeling I'm talking about. Oh man, why oh why didn't I eat something before I left? The hunger pangs strike, and you quickly realize you're not going to make it the remaining 100+ miles.
When that situation hits, you could do a lot worse than stopping at Mikeska's. It's nestled at the I-10/71 interchange in Columbus, and it's open until 8 every day. Going inside will really put you in "gone huntin'" mode, but luckily there's a drive-thru if you just want easy access.
My go-to is the chopped beef sandwich, but if you're feeling particularly adventurous, try picking up a loaded meat baked potato and eating that puppy as you zoom along 71. Good times.
Lunch (January 8, 2011) - BBQ ribs- my type of BBQ (Memphis style, smokey, firm, full of flavor). Â Maybe just a wee bit less salt...
The ribs I got was very meaty with very little fat,
You will have to get use to all the animals on the walls looking at you while you eat!
Well worth the trip from Tomball, TX to give it a try!
In a word: YUCK.
It has been a few years since I have been to this place, but it burned such a bad experience in my mind I couldn't leave it unreviewed.
I remember walking in and seeing just about every shoot-able animal ALL OVER the walls, which was already gave me a strange feeling about the place.
But what topped it off was the brisket I ordered---- it was so unappetizing that to this day I still don't crave brisket anymore due to what I had here. A few bites and my appetite was gone... Sorry Mikeska's, I just don't get what all the supposed hype's about.
Sometimes you find a place that does one thing right, and that is enough to leave an impression on you. Â This place did my sausage right, and I'm still thinking about how good it was.
A quick trip to Houston brought me by here on the way back to Austin on a warm Sunday. Â I was pleased to see they had a very affordable buffet, but the dog in the back seat meant we were ordering and eating in the car. Â First and foremost, I want to point out that they have a drive through, and like many drive through they had a drive through menu. Â The one big difference came from the fact that this drive through menu had beer listed on it. Â I didn't dig to much deeper into the situation, but I still found it humorous. Â
So I got brisket and sausage with 3 sides, and my traveling companion ordered a chop beef baked potato. Â Brisket was the definition of average. Â Was a bit bland but not bad flavor. Â Was cooked fine and the fat had a nice rendered glen and flavor too it, but not buttery or super tender. Â Faint smoke ring with faint smoke flavor. Â Basically it was hard to judge this, it wasn't bad at all, but it was great either, just normal what brisket should be. Â I will say I had another piece that was more lean, and it was not very good. Â Too tough and lacking in flavor. Â Sausage on the other hand was a fantastic example of a well cooked and innovative tasty meat. Â Great snap with fantastic flavors and spices. Â It was moist inside with the snappy case, and full smoky flavor with a strong kick. Â I loved it. Â The beef baked potato also was a decent meal (of course it was covered in butter, and there aren't many things that are bad covered in butter), and at $5 a great price.
Sides were a bit bland and boring, and sauce a bit to watery and lacking in flavor or spice. Â Still a decent stop and a fun place with great service.
On a trip from Houston back to Austin, we were looking for some place new and along our route. Â We checked yelp and this place had an average of 3.5 stars.
The food was terrible. Â There was hardly any flavor to the brisket sandwich. Â The chopped sandwich wasn't any better. Â I asked for extra BBQ sauce on the side. Â It looked like BBQ colored gravy and had almost no flavor.
The interior decor was interesting. Â There maybe 100 or more animals that had been stuffed and mounted for display. Â I counted at least 8 squirrels.
I will not be going back, and I would feel guilty giving this establishment anything other than 1 star.
This is a generous 2 Stars. Â I didn't have a terrible experience here, but the food is just awful. Â For the amount of clout that the Mikeska family gets around Texas - including a visit from Anthony Bourdain - I was shocked at how awful their food was. Â
I had the pork loin - something I rarely order - because everything else I could see was coagulated and stiff. Â The chop looked untouchable, the sausages looked inedible and the vegetables looked bland as all get out. Â Turns out most of these assumptions were correct. Â The pork loin itself was okay, which moved this meal up from 1 star to 2. Â The potatoes were cold and bland, the corn tasted like it was just poured out of a can onto my plate, and the beans were hands-down the worst beans I have ever had at a bbq joint. Â To top all that off, everything was cold. Â By Texas standards, this is piss poor. Â Jerry Mikeska needs to spend less time goofing it up in his bow ties at the taxidermist and more time figuring out how to make a good plate of BBQ.
I'm not a PETA representative by all means, but I hate seeing the animal I'm about to consume staring back at me! Specially if this animal has been mummified/taxidermy, not just one but about 100 all standing around the cafe of this establishment just stare at the guest as you consume your food. As soon as I walked in and saw them, I couldn't even concentrate on the menu. I felt like I was on a Twilight Zone episode gone bad and they would soon come to life and point at me for eating them! I decided to order the Sliced Brisket Sandwich. Â To be all honest, upon walking out I was holding my stomach and ready to vomit before any bite. Will not return
Review Source:"Oooooooooh! Mikeska's!"
That was my two college roommates and myself screaming out the car window as we approached Columbus, Texas during each trip to and from Austin (circa 2003-2005). It was force of habit. Each drive required a stop at Mikeska's for a pleasant sit-down dining experience followed by embarrassingly large to-go orders that we prayed would last through the week ... or however long as possible without making us sick.
Just like Cory O's review says (which also beat me to this FTR by a few years!), every inch of the round building is covered in animal mounds ... deer, fishes, elk, rabbits, birds .... all once happily living in a forest somewhere and now there to watch and judge as we fat Americans stuff our chubby little faces with their furry friends.
But in all honesty, the aroma of the smokey barbecue, sweet sauce and steaming sides sedate any saddened thoughts of Bambi's mother. I dunno how they do it, but it happens. I recommend going for the loaded baked potato with chopped beef. The chicken is also plump and juicy, so you can't go wrong there either. I can't give much feedback about the sausage 'cause I don't eat it, but from the looks of it piled high on patrons' plates, I'm sure it's a winner too. I remember once swinging by, perhaps it was a Saturday, and they had a huge buffet. You heard right: endless barbecue and all the fixins.
If you ever head west on I10 for a trip to Austin, San Antonio or wherever else the way takes you, I highly suggest leaving the house hungry and stopping by Mikeska's. And please bring me a plate back upon your return. Please.
A few weeks ago, I opted out of a conference in San Antonio, but everyone else in my office went. Â Ever since then, they've been raving about a barbecue joint on the highway that is evidently to die for. Â We drove by it on the way to Austin this weekend and promised ourselves to stop by on the way back. Â After hearing all the stories, I was salivating at just the thought of good barbecue, so I was game.
We saw the signs, pulled into the parking lot (they also have a drive through) and the moment we walked in the door, our vision was accosted by three stuffed polar bears. Â Now, being from Alaska, I was more than a little shocked--I mean, why polar bears? Â Do they like barbecue? Â Do they make good barbecue? Â Nevertheless, we walked by, patted them on the head, and stole one of their peppermints that they offered us in their baskets. Â Then, we met the rest of their friends.
I kid you not, pretty much every square inch of the walls were covered in come kind of animal. Â Birds, deer, squirrels, exotic cats, you name it. Â Since I've been in Texas a while now, I was somewhat mentality prepared for this, but beware if you're faint of heart or a vegetarian--this may freak you out a bit.
We go to the line and look at all the food options. Â I end up with the chopped beef potato (basically a baked potato with all the dressing and chopped beef on top--all of it smothered in barbecue sauce). Â I also grabbed a pound of ribs to go, cause I'm a good wife.
We sat down and were instantly in heaven. Â The beef was so tender. Â The potato was HUGE (and most definitely not good for me since it had sour cream and cheese all over it). Â The barbecue sauce was nice and tangy without being tart. Â In short, I loved every single bite. Â And when I was full, I kept eating. Â I mean, you can't let good food go to waste.
Barbecue is more than the sauce and I think that is important to keep in mind. Â Their meet was tender and delicious--it basically melted in my mouth. Â It is in the middle of nowhere and makes for the perfect stop on a trip. Â They also had some sausage, though my coworkers said that it was dry sausage (evidently there's a different between dry sausage and wet sausage?!) and that it may not be my cup of tea. Â Check it out as a way to fill up the kids for cheap and have them happy in the car.
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