Franklin Barbecue

Top choice in East Austin

LoginSave

This famous BBQ joint only serves lunch, and only until it runs out – usually well before 2pm. To avoid missing out, join the line – and there will be a line – by 10am (9am on weekends). Treat it as a tailgating party: bring beer or mimosas to share and make friends. And yes, you do want the fatty brisket.

A few tips? Look for handy fold-out chairs near the front of the line. While you wait, you can buy beer from a cooler-toting server. And when your moment of glory arrives, go for the two-meat plate, or nab all you can for a feast to enjoy later. (Just be quick about it. The people behind you are starving.)

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Congress Avenue Bridge bats in Austin during sunset.

    Bat Colony Under Congress Avenue Bridge

    1.02 MILES

    Austin is known as the capital of Texas quirk, so it shouldn't be surprising that it's a city tradition to sit on the grassy banks of Lady Bird Lake and…

  • The Texas State Capitol with flower garden. It was completed in 1888 in Downtown Austin. It contains the offices and chambers of the Texas Legislature and the Office of the Governor.

    Texas State Capitol

    0.64 MILES

    Completed in 1888 using sunset-red granite, Texas’ state capitol is the largest in the US, backing up the familiar claim that everything’s bigger…

  • Aerial view Downtown from Barton Creek in Greenbelt at Zilker Metropolitan Park south Austin with summer blue cloud sky. Located at eastern edge of Hill Country, Austin the state capital of Texas, US.

    Zilker Park

    2.66 MILES

    This 350-acre park is a slice of green heaven, lined with hiking and biking trails. The park also provides access to the famed Barton Springs natural…

  • University of Texas Tower, Statue of George Washington, Austin, Texas, USA

    University of Texas at Austin

    1.18 MILES

    Whatever you do, don't call it 'Texas University' – them's fightin' words, usually used derisively by Texas A&M students to take their rivals down a notch…

  • Huge

    Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum

    0.85 MILES

    Big, glitzy and bursting with high-tech interactive exhibits, this showcase museum celebrates the story of the Lone Star State, from its earliest…

  • Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

    Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

    10.32 MILES

    Anyone with an interest in Texas' flora and fauna should make the 20-minute drive to the wonderful gardens of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center,…

  • Waterfall in Hamilton Pool Preserve grotto.

    Hamilton Pool Preserve

    24.21 MILES

    How gorgeous is the pool beneath Hamilton Creek, which spills over limestone outcroppings just upstream from the Pedernales River? Let's just say…

View more attractions

Nearby East Austin attractions

1. George Washington Carver Museum

0.42 MILES

On 19 June 1865, slaves in Texas were freed pursuant to the Emancipation Proclamation – 2½ years after it was signed by President Lincoln. This day is now…

2. Texas State Cemetery

0.46 MILES

Revitalized in the 1990s, the state's official cemetery is the final resting place of key figures from Texan history. Interred here are luminaries…

3. Museum of the Weird

0.5 MILES

Pay the entrance fee in the gift shop, then step inside Austin's version of a cabinet of curiosities. It's more of a hallway of curiosities, really, lined…

4. Texas State Capitol

0.64 MILES

Completed in 1888 using sunset-red granite, Texas’ state capitol is the largest in the US, backing up the familiar claim that everything’s bigger…

5. Contemporary Austin

0.68 MILES

This museum operates two separate sites. The Jones Center, downtown, features rotating exhibits representing new artists, spreading through two gallery…

6. Mexic-Arte Museum

0.74 MILES

This wonderful, eclectic downtown museum features works from Mexican and Mexican American artists in exhibitions that change every two months. Many are…

7. Blanton Museum of Art

0.82 MILES

A big university with a big endowment is bound to have a big art collection, and now, finally, it has a suitable building to show it off properly. With…