Lambert's, Downtown
8 people recommend, 1 warns against itvia r/austinfood12 comments cited below
What people say, in short
Lamberts is recommended for a more formal downtown barbecue meal, with visitors describing an upscale setting and enjoyable food. Diners bringing out-of-town guests praise the overall experience and cocktails, with one also highlighting live music. Another recommends it for dinner rather than a midday smokehouse visit. The barbecue itself draws a more qualified response. One diner enjoys the ribs and brisket but would not return, other commenters prefer dedicated barbecue spots, and a critic strongly dislikes the meat.
Address
Lamberts, 401 W 2nd St, Austin, TX 78701
At a glance
- Price
- Premium
- Best for
- Visitors
- Opinions divided
- Yes
Nearby on this map
Other places on this map closest to Lambert's, Downtown, as the crow flies.
The evidence
Every point below is paraphrased from a real public comment, ordered by how much the community engaged with it. Caveats and negatives are kept in — follow any link to read the original for yourself.
- Mixedu/mrcrude in r/austinfood · Oct 2025
Notes Lambert's is upscale with barbecue on the menu but not a barbecue place like others.
- Caveatu/Civil_Squirrel_3615 in r/austinfood · Jun 2025taste
Tells visitor to stay away, calling its barbecue shoe leather.
- Recommendsu/Zenumare in r/austinfood · Oct 2025ambience
Recommends Lambert's as upscale and good for out-of-town visitors, noting the cocktail bar and live music.
- Recommendsu/gooseinaus in r/austinfood · Feb 2025
Delicious, takes reservations, though not like the main BBQ places.
- Recommendsu/slamminsalmoncannon in r/austinfood · Oct 2025taste
One diner brings out-of-town guests here and finds the food reliably tasty with a well-curated cocktail menu.
- Recommendsu/Ok_Formal2199 in r/austinfood · May 2025
Names Lamberts as a BBQ answer.
- Recommendsu/waldo_the_bird253 in r/austinfood · Oct 2026variety
Recommends Lambert's at 8pm for a full set menu and formal dinner dining when other spots sell out.
- Mixedu/gotty2018 in r/austinfood · Jul 2025taste
Friendly service, ribs and brisket nice, didn't love the sausage, wouldn't return.
Show all 12 cited comments
- Mixedu/IAmSportikus in r/austinfood · Jun 2025
A repeat visitor has never had a bad experience, though feels it falls short of true barbecue spots.
- Recommendsu/MiracleMaia in r/austinfood · Apr 2024
An underrated barbecue spot in town that deserves mention.
- Recommendsu/Creative_Jellyfish40 in r/austinfood · Sep 2026taste
Recommends the mac and cheese.
- Recommendsu/jenilyntx1 in r/austinfood · Mar 2026
Notes Lambert's and Coopers are not far from the bats.
Also on
Lambert's, Downtown is on another map too, with what people said about it there.
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Freshness
Details last checked 9 Nov 2026. Recommendations reflect what people said at the time; confirm current details before you go.