Four Austin spots on Yelp's top 100

Yelp’s 2026 list of the 100 best barbecue spots in the country included four Austin-area restaurants, according to a KXAN report published May 20. Franklin Barbecue ranked No. 6 nationally, giving the Austin area its only top-10 entry on the list. Three other local restaurants also made the ranking: InterStellar BBQ at No. 21, KG BBQ at No. 52 and la Barbecue at No. 64. KXAN said Yelp compiled the list by identifying barbecue businesses and ranking them by the volume and ratings of reviews from Yelp Elite Squad members. ### Which Austin-area restaurants made the list? Franklin Barbecue, InterStellar BBQ, KG BBQ and la Barbecue were the four Austin-area restaurants named in Yelp’s 2026 top 100. KXAN listed Franklin Barbecue at No. 6, InterStellar BBQ at No. 21, KG BBQ at No. 52 and la Barbecue at No. 64. (kxan.com) Texas placed 13 restaurants on the national list overall, KXAN reported. Those 13 included four in Austin, two in San Antonio, five in the Houston area, one in the Fort Worth area and one north of Dallas. ### Which one cracked Yelp’s top 10? (kxan.com) Franklin Barbecue was the highest-ranked Austin-area restaurant at No. 6 on the national list. KXAN described Franklin as “an Austin classic” and said the restaurant has operated since 2009. The report said Franklin Barbecue was founded by Aaron and Stacy Franklin and began as a small trailer on the side of the interstate. (kxan.com) Aaron Franklin won a James Beard Award in 2015 in the Best Chefs in America Southwest category, according to KXAN’s summary of the restaurant’s background. KXAN also said Franklin Barbecue is designated as a Bib Gourmand establishment by the Michelin Guide. (kxan.com) ### What stood out about the other three Austin entries? InterStellar BBQ, ranked No. 21, is located in northwest Austin on Ranch Road 620 and has one Michelin star, KXAN reported. The station said the restaurant opens at 11 a.m., but its website advises customers to expect a line, with people arriving as early as 10 a.m. on weekdays and 9:30 a.m. on weekends. (kxan.com) KG BBQ, ranked No. 52, operates from a truck on Manor Road at Oddwood Brewing in East Austin, according to KXAN. The report said Michelin classifies KG BBQ as a Bib Gourmand establishment and identified owner Kareem El-Ghayesh, known as KG, as a former corporate finance professional from Cairo who moved to Austin in 2016 to pursue barbecue. (kxan.com) la Barbecue, ranked No. 64, is on Cesar Chavez Street in East Austin and also holds one Michelin star, KXAN reported. The station said the restaurant is owned by Ali Clem, who created it with her late wife, LeAnn Mueller. (kxan.com) ### How did Yelp say it built the ranking? Yelp said it “identified businesses in the barbecue category, then ranked those spots based on the volume and ratings of reviews given by Yelp Elite Squad members for each business,” according to KXAN’s account of the methodology. KXAN did not report any separate judging panel or in-person inspection process for this list. (kxan.com) ### Where can readers find the full list? KXAN published its Austin roundup on May 20, 2026, and pointed readers to Yelp’s national barbecue ranking. The Austin-area restaurants named in that report were Franklin Barbecue, InterStellar BBQ, KG BBQ and la Barbecue, with Franklin the only local restaurant inside the top 10. (kxan.com)