The Swinging Door

07/30/08

Good BBQ dive that's casual and family friendly.

by VonHall1 at Citysearch

Well, I've grown up in Houston and now live in Katy, Texas. We eat at the Swinging Door atleast once a month. The "Q" is good but my favorite on the menu are the RIBS. Here's a little secret you all should know if you're worried about price. If two of you are dining, order the 3 meat plate and get what you want. My wife and I usually order this and get all ribs or two ribs (6 large ribs) and a quarter chicken. Order two extra sides and you're in business for under $20.00! They will bring fresh bread, pickles, and sauce before the meal. I've never experienced bad service here and the food is prompt and fresh. I prefer my BBQ to be smoked in Pecan Wood and this is what the Swinging Door is known for. It's a keeper in my book.

• Pros: Good Pecan Smoked Meat
• Cons: Ice Cream on Blackberry Cobble should be Blue Bell!

06/14/08

sloppy and slow

by digzy at Citysearch

I have been there three times and I am dissappointed everytime.Owner is rude,plates are dirty,menus stained.The wait staff is friendly though and it it is not their fault the food comes out of kitchen slow.Chicken is very good but sausage is poor and brisket is average at best. If you want good Q go to Fulsher or Hilje .

• Pros: Dance Hall on certain nights
• Cons: Food

06/01/08

Don't Waste Your Time!

by vanamm at Citysearch

Years ago this place was be pretty good, not as good as Bakers Ribs or Shepherd Drive B-B-Q in Houston, but fairly good. Now the brisket is tough and stringy, the service is slow and it's a lot more expensive than better bar-b-q places that charge less. Don't waste your time or money on this place. Twenty years ago it was fairly good but not any more. I considered giving it an "average" rating but in good conscience a "poor" rating is really all it deserves.

05/31/08

The Quest for the Best

by mtwa at Citysearch

I am a Q connoisseur. I know that is sort of an oxymoron, but don't get me wrong. I don't like it fancy 'cause that is not what good BBQ is all about. I have been smoking whole animals for years, toured the country experiencing regional differences from FL to KC to Memphis, SE Ohio to Carolina, and now TX. I justify this as field training...learning the way of the pit-master. Overall, this is the best I have had in Houston so far and I would rate this as worth the drive. What I like about the Swinging Door is that it captures the local style, specific points below.

1) It is not in town (+),

2) they use pecan for wood (+++ ) high marks for using the local fuel

3) their meat can satisfy without sauce (++)

Brisket-- good rub, moist, good flavor, a bit soft, not like competition standards, but appeals to me.

Ribs--pork, this is beef country, but ribs really should be pork, firm meat competition style, mild rub, great pink color, mild pecan infused smoke throughout

4) Sauce--they have a decent sauce (+) if you want it, although it is a bit vinegary a la southeast style (- - 'cause it is not typical of the region)

5)sides were good--small but adequate portions on the 2 meat plate

Potato--good size cooked well

green beans were outstanding (crisp and well seasoned herb salt), slaw had raisins, odd, but good. German style potato salad was good.

Drinks--sweeten your own tea (was pretty good), did have lemonade and Dr. Pepper (required in my book)

6) Desserts were good

Cobblers--not as good as Mom's, but passable, nice selection of berries. No banana pudding?

7) I know others have complained about the price, but I will pay for good Q and this is not out of line with other houses offering good Q around the country.

• Pros: captures the local defintion of Q
• Cons: the drive

05/08/08

SERIOUSLY???????

by days_crazed at Citysearch

I can't believe people think this could be anything even close to the best BBQ.

The sausage seems nothing greater than some Eckridge sausage thrown on the grill. I would rather go home and make some Chapel Hill rather than eat this sausage. The brisket was okay - no complaints I guess, but also no raves.

The sides were PATHETIC.

The prices were ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS!!!!!! This place is so overpriced its not even funny!!!!!!

1 meat plate was somewhere around $10.00-$12.00

2 meat plate was somewhere around $15.00

3 meat plate was near $20.00

YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!!!!!!

And the bbq baked potatoes were nothing beyond good. Not great but not bad. Nothing to rave over. The service is decent (had better but had worse).

Sorry, but this is nothing more than an overpriced, below average bbq joint.

• Pros: Nothing
• Cons: PRICES ARE RIDICULOUS!!! FOOD IS SUB PAR!!!

01/26/08

worth the drive

by txbbqman at Citysearch

The Swinging Door serves very good smoked meats out of Richmond. The smokey brisket was moist and

very tender, it was well above average and the best meat that I was served. The sausage was pretty good, nothing special but good as most places. The ribs were meaty but were also a little fatty I think mine needed to be smoked a little more. The sides were pretty good. They have beans were excellent, they were thick and had a heavy BBQ flavor. I also ordered the green beans, they tasted very fresh. The potato salad was plain and average. Overall it was very good Q but its not served cafeteria style so you cannot see the meat when you order it and thats the way BBQ should be served.

• Pros: brisket was excellent
• Cons: way too expensive

07/02/07

Take a short road trip to Fort Bend County for Texas-famous barbecue with deep smoke flavor.

by Contributor at Citysearch

The Scene
Smart city slickers steer to Richmond to escape the grind and chew on some of the best 'cue in the county. Creaky, country and family-friendly, the Door is the quintessential Texas barbecue experience and it's been that way since 1973. The aroma of pecan wood smoking from the pit, Southern-sweet service and funky cowboy decor keep it genuine.

The Food
Thick slabs of pink, vigilantly smoked turkey breast and moist chicken with peppery burnished skin make patrons cheer. Pork ribs are also gnaw-worthy, with the necessary gilding of fat--flavorful and meaty. The only downer: Brisket is occasionally chewy. Saddle up to sides like egg-packed potato salad, a baker with real bacon bits and all the fixings or crunchy coleslaw fortified with raisins. Don't pass up warm blackberry cobbler topped with ice cream.

06/10/07

LOVE THE BBQ!!!!!

by lovesbbq at Citysearch

THE GREAT BBQ IS WORTH THE DRIVE. I WORKED THERE FOR 3 AND HALF YEARS, ATE IT EVERYDAY, AND I STILL LOVE IT!!!!!

• Pros: GREAT FOOD!!
• Cons: NOT ONE CLOSER

06/01/07

Best BBQ In Katy/Richmond/Rosenberg area

by mherrold at Citysearch

This is what a BBQ reataurant should look like and the food is as good as any other BBQ in Houston. I wish they had more sides, but you really don't go to a BBQ restaurant to eat the sides. The meat on the ribs fall off the bone. I've tried all the meats and they are all prepared very well. The sauce is tangy (Think arby's sauce tangy) but is just sweet enough to compliment the meat. It is a bit pricey but worth it.

• Pros: Meats, Sauce, Atmosphere
• Cons: Desserts, Location

05/25/07

Good BBQ, but far from the best

by thebestcritic at Citysearch

I've been eating at The Swinging Door for 25 years, and it's good, really good, but certainly not the best around. The prices have gotten out of line over the years. Average prices are 25-30% higher than average. Service is poor at best. Meats are good, but sides are very lacking. Potato salad is sub par; raisins in slaw?? Where did that come from...New York City?? Brisket is the best choice; ribs are really fatty and greasy. The atmosphere and location is what really makes the place. Biggest draw is their custom cooking, bring your meat and they will smoke it for a reasonable fee.

• Pros: Brisket; Ambience; Sauce
• Cons: Price; Service; Parking