Artz Rib House

Artz Rib House is a South Austin landmark. Art Blondin started out in an old caboose barely north of the river and immediately began winning awards for his ribs in competition, both baby back and country style. He then moved to his present location on South Lamar.

 

A view inside Artz on a Sunday afternoon. Artz is a classic example of down home, laid back South Austin funk. If you come on Sunday be prepared for live bluegrass music playing live all around you. There may four or five different jams going on at various tables, inside and outside on the patio. A number of years back I saw David Grissom play here to an audiance of about twenty lucky customers.

One of my favorite dishes at Artz is the baby back pork ribs. The brisket is not to missed, although I didn't have room for any this day. Artz also serves sausage (not my favorite), country style ribs ( award winning, but not my style), chicken (my wife never has anything else), and what may well be, one of the best hamburgers in Austin. He does not serve pork sparerib. That ommission is unusual for a central Texas BBQ joint and a minor disappoint for myself, but his baby backs do make up for it - tender, almost fall-off-the-bone, but with enough firmness to meet my rib criteria, and a delicious hint of smokyness that does not overwhem the meat combined with a very tasty rub make these ribs first rate.

 

My wife prefers the always juicy chicken. The sauce is excellent and one of her favorites. The sides tend to vary in quality each vist. The pepper in the beans is usually way too heavy for our taste. The coleslaw was fairly bland, however it should be noted that I am not a fan of any slaw and very few potato salads. My wife, who does like slaw and potato salad, says the sweet potato salad is usually very good. She has never thought too highly of slaw, as it is very inconsistant in its mix and can be too dry. She likes to finish the meal with a piece of Artz coobler. It doesn't even look like coobler to me, but she likes it.