Willie’s Joint

There is something about this place that just plain speaks to me. I love the food and dig the atmosphere. Perfect addition to the Buda area.

Stopped there first time today to try the happy hour pulled pork sliders. They are delicious. Jalapeño Mac N Cheese good also. Not much seating inside, but the music was great. Buda lucky to have them.

Really cool music theme, lots to look at, BBQ is pretty good, we come down this way every month, and we will sure to come back.

What a great place! It’s hidden and very chill. We had my husband’s birthday party here with over 45 people and Adrian was so accommodating and friendly. It was a cold night but they had outdoor heaters and huge fire pits. It really is a great place to hang out with friends, grab a drink and not feel pressured to rush. Fun place to enjoy «hanging out in the backyard». None of our party had been to Willies Joint before and everyone said they’d be back!

Awesome atmosphere. Great location. Food was great. Overall a great experience! Can’t wait to come back and being friends!

Great atmosphere. Awesome outdoor seating with fire pits and plenty of picnic tables. Service was solid. But the food was NASTY. I seriously get sick to my stomach writing this review days later. Who the hell messes up queso? They use something like concession stand cheese (which I love when I need a good stadium-​food fix, btw) but this was like the third cousin twice removed of the off-​label brand… something with a white label and plain black print. I also got the brisket nachos. This is where I still get waves of nausea. Every bite was pure fat. And I have never met nachos and queso I didn’t like, whether it be velveeta or a 5-​star restaurant… and I can even tolerate crummy BBQ… point being, I’m not a food snob. Come on guys. You’ve got fantastic ambiance going on. But you’re gonna destroy your reputation with the food.

Very cool, off the path Texas joint. We stumbled across Willie’s just driving around town. On weekdays they are just open in the evenings but it looks like they are open for lunch on the weekends. We did not sample the food selections, which smelled delicious, but we did have some local brews. There is a bar inside as well as outside. The inside area is very small but the outdoor section is very spacious. There is a variety of seating ranging from picnic tables to beach chairs around fire pits. There are outdoor games set up such as jumbo jenga and bean bag toss. Live music at night and daily specials.

Atmosphere was really good. Cool place, fun location. Food was far from good. Brisket sandwich was all fat. I didn’t even complain. Just picked the tiny amounts of edible meat among the fat. I know brisket. I grew up in Texas and I know how to cut meat and the welcome amount of fat and bark. What I received was a fat sandwich. Frito pie my girl ordered was really weak. I do not recommend Willies Joint for anything other than drinking, it’s almost like they are a bar that is forced to sell food to keep license.

This place is the worst BBQ I’ve ever had. I’ve eaten gas station BBQ that was better. Hell the pre cooked HEB brisket is Franklin’s quality compared to this place. I ordered the Brisket grilled cheese sandwich and all the meat in the sandwich was fat. I also ordered the frito pie and for $ 4 you get the smallest scope of basic chili that barely covered the top Fritos and not much else. This place could really be cool but maybe they should just stop serving food.

Queso tasted like government cheese. ordered a pound of sliced brisket and half of it was FAT. Spent almost $ 40 including a couple of beers and sides. Good outdoor atmosphere and music.

You have great service and we have been here several times and it’s great for the most part. (Brisket is the only thing. Way too salty, tried it three times and we learned our lesson.) otherwise food great. Atmosphere is great. Bands are pretty bad… not necessarily y’all’s fault tonight guitarist great, a chick named Peacock. You rock. The chick after her I guess the lead… Lexi. Sorry step back. Peacock is the voice. Don’t put a kick butt singer with soul in her voice up and then put a (not bad) but run of the mill bubble gum pop on after.:(no clue how she’s at the helm. once again not really on Willies.

Great atmosphere, excellent brisket, and favorable jalapeño sausage! Will definitely return soon.

Willie’s joint has an awesome outdoor space which takes up most of the property. They have an outdoor bar that’s sometimes open with a stage for live music. There are no shade structures other than an incredible oak tree so it will be perfect during the fall and spring.
Indoors is small but they have a full bar. They serve bbq which the bites I stole from my husband were really good.
On Thursday’s they have bike night with cowboy Harley Davidson which I frequent

Meh. Owners still don’t get it. Food was not good. Had the pizza, Frito pie and brisket sandwich. Brisket pizza was not edible, brisket Frito pie was barely passable and the sandwich was mediocre. I’m not a picky eater either. Sat outside and the waiter brought our food, but told us to go back inside to get condiments and silverware. Lazy. Went to use the bathroom and there is a door in the men’s bathroom that strangely leads to the beer storage. The beer delivery guys were in and out which just felt awkward.
Atmosphere and ambiance is excellent. Music was great. Had my kids there and they were told to stop playing with the beer pong trash cans and then corn hole. Hey Willies, thanks for making my family feel welcomed. This place seems like it is a hangout for the owners and their friends more than a community bar/​restaurant. Same complaints and bad reviews since they opened, so it doesn’t seem like they have any intentions of making changes. Too bad.

Some of the reviews weren’t favorable but my experience was pretty good. Came here after driving to salt lick where there was a 2 hour wait. Not doable with 3 kids.
Other reviews noted small meat portions but ours seemed to be the ½ pound promised. I got sliced brisket and jalapeño sausage combo. I also got 3 ribs and a quarter of chicken. My husband and son shared with me. We had meat left over. My girls ate grilled cheese and chips.
The bbq sauce was really good.
The meat was not dry as reported in other reviews which I was glad.
Overall it was tasty.

We will NEVER go back here! We wanted some chopped and slices brisket for takeout. $ 7 per pound is reasonable I guess, but only got about ¼ pound of each…$ 14 later! This was barely enough for a sandwich for one person! Also, it was extremely dry. First impressions count and my impression is I’m not returning.

I would of loved to give 5 stars! This is our first time coming and we absolutely love it.
All the kids playing together. Everyone just listing to music and relaxing spending with family.
The reason I gave 4 stars was because of the brisket. We ate here around 4pm. And it was completely dried out. The only thing that made it edible was the delicious bbq sauce!
I hope they can get the food issues fixed.
This kind of place is exactly what Buda needed!
We will be back

I wanted to really love this place. The outdoor area is great for entertainment. They have fun games like ping pong and picnic tables to enjoy good conversation & BBQ. I do like the small menu, but the food itself didn’t really standout. The brisket had too much extra fat on it and the portions are a little on the small side. The indoor seating is very oversized for the space. The memorabilia is pretty cool and it’s decorated with several of Willies signed guitars. The parking can get tight as well. It’s in a great location off Main St. in Buda.
Since it opened not that long ago maybe it’s going through growing pains. It definitely has potential, just need better planning. I still say give it a try and support your local business. It’s a good place to just grab and beer and chat with a few buddies while you play washers.

Oh Willie’s Joint… I really really really wanted to love you. But, right now, I only kind of like you. I was STOKED for a BBQ joint to open up here in Buda — one that has the outdoorsy flair of Salt Lick but the convenience of only being 5 minutes from my house. Alas… no such luck. The BBQ here is something you should really — at the moment — avoid all together. I can’t really say I’d eat anything here again except the sausage… maybe… after I’ve had 2 – 3 (not very cheap unless you get Bud Light) drinks.
The two star rating comes from the outdoors atmosphere — the inside is really just a bar where you order food, so we didn’t spend too much time in there. Outside is where it’s at. Great glow from the large balloon lights and string lights is pretty nice on a Texas Fall evening. The picnic benches bode well for larger groups. Loved the yard games — corn hole, jumbo jenga, etc.
I was anticipating this being a place I would want to bring out-​of-​owners so they could feel the Hill Country BBQ vibes, but we’re going to avoid doing that altogether. The music was a bit odd — Usher cover band? «In da club wit my homies»… Not so much. Flashing lights you’d see from a wedding DJ? Also, not so much.
From my Unilocal Tip:
If you come later in the evening for food (after 9p) just get the sausage… The other meat will have been sitting under a heat lamp for a long time by then. Our «pulled pork» was more like jerky — shouldn’t have been served.

If you’ve ever been to a HandleBar or Kung Fu on a Sunday then you may have tasted this fine bbq for free! I first discovered the amazingness that is now known as Willie’s Joint at HandleBar one Sunday Funday. Greg would pile up a combo of his delicious mac ‘n cheese and chopped brisket topped off with his intoxicating bbq sauce. It’s a salivating combination.
I’m so excited that now there is a brick and mortar restaurant to experience this every day. The back yard is gigantic and will be great once the summer heat dies down. They have lawn games and lots of chairs and tables to relax and enjoy a nice night out.
The inside is a lot smaller but we live in Texas after all so the outdoors is where it’s at. I do agree with other reviews that they probably should get rid of the piano and oversized tables and chairs to fit more moderate seating. To place your order, you go inside and head straight to the bar where one of the bartenders will take your food order and drink order if you’re feeling up to one of their unique cocktails.
The food menu is limited but what they make is done well. My favorites are the mac n’ cheese, green beans and the chopped beef — with the light bbq sauce. The prices may be a little high for Buda but the quality is definitely there. I will definitely be back and look forward to seeing how this place grows.