Premium Texas style BBQ at TBBQ
Looking for premium Texas style American BBQ in Melbourne? We were invited to experience TBBQ in Brunswick St, and we were impressed.
TBBQ offers an indulgent dive into premium Texas-style American BBQ with funky leather booths, platters with signature dishes featuring high quality meats, and generous portions. 
TBBQ is the brainchild of Tao Ding, a former Software Engineer who swapped coding for cooking after a snowboarding trip to Mt Buller ignited his passion for BBQ.
Tao’s approach is purist and precise. Each meat receives a unique dry rub. Crucially, Tao only uses vinegar spray and doesn’t apply sugary glazes or mopping, and keeps the sauces on the side to let the high-quality meat (Black Angus with a 4/5+ marble score and Wagyu with an 8/9+ score) shine. Impressively, Tao handles all the butchering in-house.
The smoked Angas brisket, cooked over 10 hours, was a standout—tender and bursting with smoky flavor. The Smoked meaty Pork ribs, cooked for 6 hours, was a highlight featuring melt in your mouth pork with almost no bone. Smoked Angas beef short rib, cooked over 8 hours, was equally divine, with a stunning crust, and once again super tender.
The Smoked-and-fired chicken wings featuring a garlic honey coriander aioli was smoky and succulent. Sides hit the spot with zesty coleslaw, fries, house made sweet corn bread with strawberry jam-cream, classic BBQ pickles (cucumber and jalapeno), and house-made sauces.
Panna Cotta dessert was delicious and a perfect end to our (David and Zoe) meal.
Drinks are also a feature and we enjoyed Pabst Blue Ribbon American Lager (great selection of beers on tap), Langmeil Blacksmith Cabernet and Japanese Suntory Whisky.
Tao’s passion is palpable, helming the kitchen himself and stoking up the smokers at 5am. The centerpiece smoker at the back of the restaurant is a testament to TBBQ’s dedication to slow-cooking perfection.
At TBBQ, it’s clear: there are no shortcuts, only a steadfast commitment to delivering an authentic, mouth-watering BBQ experience that leaves you craving more.