Cafe Mueller at HEB

Amber and I were going to grab some Vietnamese food for dinner, but it seems like all the restaurants in that genre close at 9 pm. We live in Kyle so we were looking for a new place to try in Austin at this point. We have had heard good things about the cafe at the new HEB in the Mueller development. Some of our friends have gone as far as saying it is the best barbecue they have ever had. What?!  Whole Food does decent barbecue, but how about HEB? It had opened recently. The cafe at Central Market is pretty good, but Central Market is a step up from HEB. I was not sure what I was getting myself into.

Amber ordered a Cuban sandwich, and I got the three meat plate. I got the usual hat trick of moist brisket, pork ribs, and sausage with sides of potato salad and creamed corn. I bit into the brisket and was surprised. What is this? Good brisket from a grocery store? The bark was nice with a good smoke ring. The brisket was tender and tasty. I feel like the brisket could have been even better if I went there much earlier in the day. I bite into the ribs and was even more confused. Good ribs from a grocery store? They had a nice sweet glaze and smoky. The meat resisted a little bit coming off the bone but still tender. I bit into the all-beef sausage and was brought back to earth. It was just okay. It was very meaty and did not have enough fat content. The grit and casing was ideal though. The creamed corn was okay and not to be confused with the kind you would find at Rudy's. The potato salad was creamy and yummy. As you can see there is a lot of food on the plate, and I could not finish it off.

It was a pleasantly good dining experience. The prices are very reasonable here. You are not just limited to barbecue. They have pasta, sandwiches, pizza, Asian, and the list goes on. There is so much going on here. They have various Texas brews on draft as well. There are flaws for me to review Cafe Mueller after one visit, but their Q is definitely legit nonetheless. Considering my first visit was surprisingly good, I will definitely be back to make sure this is no fluke. Grade: B+

Until next time, happy smoking...

Address: 1801 E 51st St, Austin, TX 78723
Phone: (512) 474-2199
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cafemuellerheb