Owners Jeremy Archer, Lonnie Wendling and Brandon Reinoehl came together and established Agape BBQ following the closing of Archer’s barbecue shack due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Agape means “God’s unconditional love” in Greek, and Archer said this is the motto and purpose that the restaurant stands on.
“The mission of Agape Java was to be a part of the community and just show God’s love,” Archer said. “And that was in line with our vision for what we wanted to do as a business, also, and so we decided to keep the name.”
Agape BBQ serves staples such as brisket, ribs, sausage, pulled pork, turkey and chicken with sides such as beans, mac and cheese, potato salad, corn casserole, and green beans. The restaurant recently added barbacoa tacos, salads and spuds to the menu.
Archer said there are not many places in Texas where customers can go and hang out for hours, but at Agape BBQ, they can. He said the barbecue joint has a large, shaded backyard and offers ax throwing, games, live music on the weekends and a variety of Texas craft beers, creating a unique experience for customers.
“This is literally a place where people can come and hang out for hours at a time—kind of turning [our] backyard into their backyard for a short period of time,” Archer said.
Since opening, Agape BBQ has become an integral part of the Liberty Hill community, and its customer base has expanded with a large number of regulars coming weekly, Wendling said.
With Agape BBQ’s purpose being to “show God’s love to the community,” the restaurant has had a hand in many local events. Archer said the restaurant hosts community events and participates in spirit days with Liberty Hill ISD, often giving back a percentage of proceeds to the schools.
Agape BBQ has a few goals to reach in the coming years before focusing on expanding to additional locations, Archer and Wendling said. One of the goals this year for the restaurant is to make it in Texas Monthly’s Top New 25 for barbecue joints and then in the following year to be listed in the Top 50.
“We’re aware of other barbecue restaurants that have chosen to go the route of location expansion, and it’s impacted their food quality and food consistency,” Wendling said. “If we were to go to a second location or maybe a third in the future, it’d be based on making sure we’re fully positioned to maintain the standard of customer service and food quality.”
While there is no current timeline on any future expansions, Wendling said, the only focus is perfecting the current location. In the future, he wants Agape BBQ to be known as a Central Texas destination location.
“Come hang out and enjoy top notch Central Texas barbecue right in your own backyard,” Wendling said.
Dill pickle-brined chicken recipe
Agape BBQ features dill pickle-brined chicken on its menu. The chicken is brined in dill pickle juice overnight and ready to serve to customers the next day.
- Step 1: Use a leg and a thigh combined.
- Step 2: Brine the chicken in dill pickle juice for 12-24 hours.
- Step 3: Take chicken out to pat dry.
- Step 4: Trim excess fat.
- Step 5: Sprinkle a 2-1 ratio of pepper and salt on the top and bottom of meat.
- Step 6: Cook for 60-90 minutes on 325 degrees.
- Step 7: Put it on a plate and serve.
3610 RM 1869, Ste. B, Liberty Hill
512-548-6230
www.agapebbq.com
Hours: Tue.-Thu. 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., closed Sun.-Mon.
