With its central location and its position as a barbecue hot spot, Taylor would have to be considered the rodeo-sized belt buckle in the Texas barbecue belt. To reach the pinnacle of pits, head north from Austin on I-35 to Round Rock. Turn east on US 79 and then continue for 17 miles.
Taylor’s biggest claim to fame is its International BBQ Cook-Off in August. Held in Murphy Park, this annual event draws some of the state’s best pitmasters.
Taylor also was the hometown of former Texas governor Dan Moody as well as Bill Pickett, an African-American cowboy born in 1860. Pickett originated the practice of “bulldogging”—throwing a bull by twisting its head until it falls.
The well-known cowboy also had a habit of biting a steer’s upper lip, a trick called “biting the bull” that he practiced on the rodeo circuit.
If you visit the Fort Worth Stockyards, you’ll see a statue of Pickett performing his signature maneuver.
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Where to Go
Moody Museum. 114 W. Ninth St. Governor Dan Moody was born in this 1887 home, which today is filled with his furniture and personal belongings. He went to law school at the University of Texas, served in World War I, then returned to become governor at the age of 33.
Murphy Park. 1600 Veterans Dr. This 120-acre park is right in town but a quiet retreat for a picnic or a little birding on the shores of City Lake–but is packed during the annual International Barbecue Cook-Off.
Where to Eat
Louie Mueller Barbecue, Taylor
This restaurant is housed in a barbecue joints so authentic it could be a movie set, one complete with a slamming screen door, smoke-covered walls, and giant fans that provide the only cool breeze on a hot summer day. The walls are streaked with smoke and dotted with local business cards now as dark as brown grocery sacks thanks to the smoky haze.
Not one to waste money on fancy gimmicks like plates, Mueller’s serves their barbecue on a piece of white butcher paper. Don’t waste time looking for a menu here either. There’s a moveable letter board on one wall with the offerings. (A few letters are missing, but everyone knows what Louie Mueller’s has, and everyone knows what he wants.)
Pick from brisket, served regular or extra lean, sausage, pork ribs, chopped beef, or steak. Grab a tray, step up to the counter, and the cook will carve off a slice of meat to satisfy your own proportions.
For a side dish, opt for coleslaw, beans, or potato salad, a flavorful mixture of mashed potatoes spiced with onions and celery.
Meats are served with a cup of sauce on the side; the tomatoey broth is spiced with a Texas-sized helping of black pepper. Not hot enough? Look for bottles of homemade vinegar and chili pepper sauce on every table.
Can’t make it to Taylor? Louie Mueller also ships nationwide. (See our Texas Gift Foods for more BBQ you can order from home.)
Davis Barbeque
Taylor native James Davis Jr. founded Davis Barbeque after a career in the grocery industry. Choose from brisket, pork ribs, beef or pork sausage, mutton and pork steak at this eatery, all served with Davis’ top secret “Come Back Juice” BBQ Sauce.
Gone But Not Forgotten
Taylor Cafe, Taylor
This no-frills joint was known locally as “Vencil’s” for owner Vencil Mares, who opened for business in 1948. The World War II veteran landed in Normandy and also fought at the Battle of the Bulge. Mares passed away in 2019.
You really shouldn’t call this place a cafe. Or a restaurant. Or a diner. It’s a dive. A joint. A hole in the wall.
And that’s what makes a trip to the Taylor Cafe so much fun. That and a plate topped with some great barbecue.
The Taylor Cafe would be easy to miss, located beneath an overpass by the railyard. But thanks to the red exterior, the hand lettered “Taylor Cafe” sign, and the row of cars around the joint, you can’t miss this barbecue hot spot. And, if it’s lunchtime, just look for the police cars. Seems the Taylor Police Department hangs out here, at a table around past the pool table and the juke box.
Inside, the Taylor Cafe is dark and filled with the sound of ceiling fans and conversation. There’s no air conditioning here, just a screen door that pops shut as another local enters to place his usual lunch order. You can have your lunch at the counter or at one of the mismatched tables, but wherever you sit, have a look around. This is the hole in the wall look that others try to imitate but never get quite right. The ceiling is plywood, the walls are unpainted chipboard, the decorations are neon beer signs and mounted deer trophies.
Pickin’s are slim here. The menu is simple and posted on the wall by the counter. You can have a brisket or sausage plate or a mixed plate with some of both. The brisket is lean and full of smoky flavor, good enough to make Taylor proud. The sausage is coarsely ground and full of peppery taste. Plates come with a dollop of tangy potato salad and pintos plus a basket of white bread and some soda crackers. There’s no barbecue sauce served here, just unlabeled bottles on the tables filled with a red peppery liquid that will perk up any taste bud.
You can also opt for the sliced beef or chopped beef sandwich. (Go for the sliced beef; the chopped beef is too fatty for most tastes.) Pork ribs and turkey sausage are also for sale by the pound.
Wash it all down with a cold beer or iced tea. The tea is served sweetened, and you get a whole pitcher at your table.
Rudy Mikeska’s Bar-B-Q
During his lifetime, Rudy Mikeska was the dean of Texas pitmasters. If there was a political function to be held, whether it was a policemen’s fundraiser or a governor’s inauguration, Rudy Mikeska and his barbecue meats were there.
In Texas the Mikeska name is synonymous with barbecue, thanks to Rudy and his brothers, Maurice, Clem, Jerry, Mike, and Louis. Each man founded his own barbecue restaurant, spread throughout the state in Taylor, Temple, El Campo, Columbus, and Smithville (that location has now changed hands).
This accomplishment made Texas Monthly proclaim the brothers “The First Family of Texas Barbecue.” Their restaurants were no chain of pits, however; each man had his own preferences and his own way of preparing barbecue. “We’re a very close family,” explained former CEO Tim Mikeska, “but we all do things a little different.” You may visit all the locations, but don’t expect to see identical menus or taste identical food.
Rudy died in 1989, but he left a legacy of legendary barbecue that his children Tim and Mopsie continued. When you stepped inside the bright red building in downtown Taylor, you were met by dozens of pictures of Rudy Mikeska and the wheelers and dealers of Texas. Politicians on every level here posed beside Mikeska at various events he catered. Plaques of appreciation and awards from barbecue contests like Taylor’s International Barbecue Cookoff also filled the room.