Having both grown up in the area, Mark and Lyndsie Delong said they knew North Austin had a shortage of good quality restaurants, especially serving barbecue.

They said they saw an opportunity to change that in January 2017 when they opened Oakwood BBQ & Beer Garden.

“We just wanted to have a good home feel to our location but also be somewhere people could come drink in the backyard and hang out [and] have amazing barbecue at the same time,” Lyndsie said. “People will travel for good barbecue.”

Oakwood BBQ serves smoked meats by the pound—meat plates are $12-$17—as well as specialty sandwiches for $8-$10 and homemade sides for $2.50-$6, including macaroni and cheese, cream corn and potato salad.

“Some people will order three to four sides as their meal,” Lyndsie said.

In May, the Delongs began serving burgers made with smoked or grilled black Angus beef. Mark said what makes their sandwiches stand out—besides the meat—is using buns made fresh by a local baker.

The Delongs had a custom barbecue pit built that uses seasoned oak wood to smoke its meats at a low temperature for several hours. Mark said meat is seasoned with salt and black pepper, and they also make their own tomato-based sauce with Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar.

Meat is not the only focus at Oakwood. The restaurant serves Texas craft beers on draft, and the backyard—with picnic tables shaded by oak trees—features a live music stage. The Delongs have hosted several Austin acts, including the Peterson Brothers and Ty Grubb. Mark said they have a couple of shows a month and will have more when it cools off.

“We try to have good blues music, Texas country,” he said. “In [North Austin] there’s really not a lot of music and entertainment, and that was a lot of the reason I chose this location.”

Oakwood BBQ & Beer Garden

307 E. Braker Lane, Austin
512-520-5165
www.oakwoodbbqaustin.com
Hours: Tue.-Sat. 11 a.m.- 9 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-8 p.m., closed Mon.