"A Michelin star for confit beef cheeks in South Austin — make the detour and order them by the pound."
A Michelin star for a barbecue joint that started in a coffee-shop parking lot in 2017. LeRoy and Lewis earned one in the 2024 Texas guide and kept it in 2025, a rare smoke-and-butcher-paper operation to manage it. Pitmaster Evan LeRoy and partner Sawyer Lewis traded the food truck for a 150-seat brick-and-mortar at 5621 Emerald Forest Drive in South Austin in early 2024. The dish that built the reputation is the confit beef cheek.
Evan LeRoy came up on the pits at Freedmen's before launching the truck with Sawyer Lewis in 2017, and his "new-school" approach is what sets the place apart from Austin's brisket purists. The signature is beef cheeks, smoked then confited in beef fat until they collapse, served with a beet barbecue sauce and house kimchi. Beyond that there is dry-aged brisket, smoked quail and a rotating board of vegetables given the same pit treatment. Barbecue is sold by the pound, and most diners spend $25 to $40 a head.
The accolades stack up: Texas Monthly's Top 50 Barbecue Joints in 2021, Southern Living's South's Top 50 in 2023, the Michelin star in 2024, and a 2025 James Beard "Best Chef: Texas" semifinalist nod for LeRoy. The kitchen runs until it sells out, which on weekends can be early afternoon, so the food is cooked in finite batches rather than held.
The brick-and-mortar seats about 150 across an indoor hall and a shaded yard, a big step up from the trailer years but still firmly casual: order at the counter, carry your own tray, sit at communal tables. Sound is loud and cheerful, the lighting is daylight and string-lights, and there is no dress code at all. It is built for groups and walk-ins rather than a quiet table for two, with a bar pouring local beer and frozen drinks.
Bring a team to LeRoy and Lewis because barbecue by the pound is the easy way to feed a group with range. Order a few pounds across the board, let people graze, and the confit beef cheeks settle any argument about what to get. The yard handles big parties and the pace is relaxed. See our best restaurants for a team dinner, the global best barbecue worldwide, and our Austin dining guide.
Not for a formal or late dinner. This is counter-service barbecue that can sell out by mid-afternoon on weekends, so a white-tablecloth occasion or an 8 p.m. table is the wrong call.
Yes — LeRoy and Lewis is one of a handful of Texas barbecue joints with a Michelin star, and the confit beef cheeks alone justify the trip to South Austin. It is casual, counter-service and sold by the pound, so the spend stays reasonable at $25 to $40 a head. Go hungry, go early, and order beyond the brisket to see what the new-school pit does.
Easy if you time it right; there are no reservations. The kitchen cooks finite batches and sells until it runs out, which on busy weekends can be early afternoon. Arrive close to opening for the full board, especially if you want beef cheeks or smoked quail. Weekdays are calmer, and the 150-seat space absorbs walk-in groups better than the old truck did.
There is none. This is a casual barbecue hall with an indoor counter and a shaded outdoor yard, so come as you are. Expect communal tables, trays carried from the counter, and a loud, relaxed crowd. Dress for Texas heat if you plan to sit outside; comfort beats polish here, and nobody is checking what you wore.
Barbecue is sold by the pound, with brisket in the low-$30s per pound and beef cheeks and quail priced per item, so most diners spend $25 to $40 a head. A group ordering several pounds across the board lands in a similar per-person range. Add a local beer or frozen drink from the bar and sides, and it stays well below a tasting-menu night.
Start with the confit beef cheeks — smoked, then cooked down in beef fat with beet barbecue sauce and kimchi, they are the signature. Add the dry-aged brisket and smoked quail, and whatever vegetable is on the board that day. For more Austin tables, see our Austin dining guide.
Walk-in · order at the counter until sold out
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