The County Line on the Lake

I went there to the 5200 ranch road 2222 location last night on July 10th. IT was a horrible experience due to our BAD waiter. He was very an older tall guy who looked unshowered. H also wore a heavy bearded chin maybe brownish hair. He had a very very nasty attitude!!Without a doubt he was by far the rudest waiter of all time. If I didn't have friends with me I would of complained to manager. Moreover, the food wasn't worth the price. We spent over a few hundred dollars trying to have an enjoyable dinner and I've been throwing up all night. The waiter was the seriously evil and disrespectful!!! He shoudl get fired!! I DO NOT recommend this restaurant to anybody wanting to eat good and have a good time. Also, my graituity was already applied to the check because we were a large party for which is why the waiter was disgustingly rude!! I left my negative feedback on several websites hoping to deter anybody wanting to enjoy themselves from experienicing what I did. I strongly recommend this guy get fired!! He is not GOOD for your eating establishment!! more

I found this place shortly after moving to Austin in 1994. I've been going there ever since. It is my go to place when I have company or I want to do a group out!! Absolutely the best baby backs and cole slaw!!!! My mouth is watering now! I love hanging out on the deck listening to the live music and watching the turtles. This place is good for photo's also. Nice background scenery especially nice at sunset. more

I've been going to County Line since 1987. I have never seen the kind of chaos I saw there last night. Empty tables full of dirty dishes, people stacked up everywhere, having waited over an hour and a half for tables. One of the waiters dropped a tray of glasses and dishes -- the broken glass was on the floor for anyone to step on for 45 minutes!!! On the way from the lobby to the deck, you had to kick it aside with your foot. Incredible. The 20-somethings manning the chaos were seating people with no method, neither with the lists nor those little digital pagers. They were completely at a loss, and typical, felt very put upon by the families who had been waiting and waiting and waiting and complaining. Even the ""top-shelf"" margaritas we had were watery and stale tasting. By the time we finally gave up after about an hour and forty minutes, even the restaurant itself smelled old and tired, like the smoke was long gone from the food. The management at County Line has taken a great dive and turned it into a useless dump. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME! more

Best BBQ sauce in Austin! more

11/11/11 I have an hour for my lunch for the first time so i go here to eat. I ask for my bread toasted and my sausage sliced, and my bread was NOT toasted nor my meat sliced. since no one was coming out to check on us i had to go in to request that my meat be sliced. 5 min later it comes out and its completely diced. i let it go. My co worker had to go inside to request bread. at the time they told him ok, but when the server comes out he comes with pumpernickel. when they could of told him inside that they dont serve bread by the slice. Its now time to go and NO ONE has come to check on us, we had to go in our selves to get our own to-go container. That when i felt the need to adv the Manager, Donny that my service was unacceptable. he then comps the meal but has to apologize for the service. The server comes out and to give us a bag for our food and THROWS it in our faces. I asked to him to come back and he continues to walk off. I go inside to adv the Donny of the situation and once again DONNY has no urge to apologize. Not one time did the server HANK and the Manager Donny come out at the same time until i asked for it to happen. It turned into a HORRIBLE situation and let me know that the county line only gives great service to the customers that look like the employees. WHITE! I have NEVER been so embarrassed and looked down upon in my life. more

Just cannot begin to tell you just how wonderful, great, fantastic,delicious the County Line On The Lake is. We always take our out of town guests there to eat and we have had our sons rehearsal dinner there quite a few years back. Really wanted to have a Birthday party/ reunion party there on Oct 9th but it was already taken.being ACL weekend. The next best thing was to have a order picked up for 30 people who were at our house the next day. The girl I put my order with was the greatest. She told me the best for my guests would be the"" Emergency Kit"". Well let me tell you she was not kidding. Ribs, ribs, ribs and more ribs.Chicken, sausage, brisket, slaw, potato salad , sauce and bread.\r Holy Cow!!! it was enough to feed a army!!!! \r It really blew my guests away and I was more than surprised by the amout of food. You guys are the best, taste wise, and for being so kind and friendly. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Claudia more

This is the best bbq in the world. I can't say enough nice things about this place. I love it. Always amazing food, amazing service. I just wanted them to get the recognition they deserve! Pros: Amazing atmosphere and food Cons: Too Good! would get fat if I ate here as much as I wanted :) more

A friend of mine bragged about this place so I took her and her family out to eat here. I ordered a deluxe combo plate on a busy Saturday night expecting to be drooling after tasting the food. To begin with, the bread was awesome. Anything further was a complete disappointment. It took more than 35 minutes to receive our order after it was taken, the ribs were dry and tasteless, the sliced beef was only slightly better AFTER having to add lots of sauce and pepper to it, the beans had way too much chili powder in them (I usually like beans too) and the sausage looked MUCH better than it tasted. In all fairness, the potato salad was reasonably good and our female server was a sweetheart that was very attentive. There are much better choices than The County Line if you want good barbeque. Pros: Nice Server & Excellent Bread Cons: Overpriced and very mediocre meat & beans. more

I feel compelled to post this review due to The County Line's popularity. I gave it four stars because the first time I went, I ordered ribs and they were terrible and the service was slow. But I have been back twice since and enjoyed the food much more. They have certainly redeemed themselves, so I can only guess that the first visit was a fluke. I have only been to the one on 2222 and enjoy the location on the water and the atmosphere of the interior. One of the most ingenious things they have outside is a neon sign indicating no wait or a short/long wait. What a great concept for a restaurant! Pros: atmosphere Cons: hit or miss with ribs more

The County Line on the Lake is surrounded by hills and green sites and faces Lake Austin. The food is very good and in good quantity, the staff is fun and helpful, and the prices affordable. County Line is definetely a good place where to eat after or before an afternoon spent hiking or walking for hours in the Hill Country. more

I want to love this place, i really do. Close to my house, great back porch, live music and good happy hour...but we just don't like the food. BBQ is iffy, oversmoked and just not that good. Not just us, we have friends who feel the same. \r Service is fine, usually crowded and they do a fair job of getting to you (albeit allow extra for outside). I'd stick to drinks and the appetizer menu. Have yet to find anything on the menu the we really enjoy. Wish we could say different! Pros: great setting Cons: the food more

I have visited the county line many times, seeing as it is absoloutely my favorite BBQ joint in austin. My fiance and I went back for lunch yesterday, and were reminded why we love this place so much. Between the fantastic scenery, the friendly service, and the outstanding food, you really can't go wrong. In fact, we love the place so much we decided to have our wedding there next march! Pros: quality, location, service more

Being born and raised in Austin I have sampled all the famed BBQ places around central texas. Overall The County Line clearly takes the top spot in central texas. Not Southside Market, Black's, Meyers, Salt Lick, Stubb's, and certainly not Rudy's. Sure some nights the brisket might not be as tender or other items might not be the usual but any place that really barbecues won't taste exactly the same every night. McDonald's McRib is for those people. Reading the negative reviews I can only think of 3 explinations for them... 1. you don't know real bbq 2. you don't really know The County Line or 3. you have some ulterior motive\r \r All that aside if you want the best overall BBQ Restaurant in central Texas go to The County Line at either location. Pros: Food, Scenery Cons: Touristy more

Sorry Skeeter.. I'd do the prime at Rudy's any day over your Q.\r Greatsight seeing for the out o towners, but the Q is just Q. Pros: Austin must do more

We were there on Sunday from noon to 3pm, perhaps because it was father's day weekend, there were a lot of people there waiting to be seated. We got our table in an hour but time flies by when you and your friends could sit outside to enjoy the view and have some appertizer to start with. The homemade bread is addictingly soft and butterly! Brisket and Turkey are not as moist as Rudy's but the ribs are done perfectly -- especially the pork ribs. Food came in huge portion but also a little more pricey than other bbq joint I have been to. If you are not into slaws and beans you can always substitute them with baked potato for your side. My dining experience was great I will definitely go back again or try the one by the hill. Pros: Great food and good view Cons: long wait more

My wife and I tried to like County Line. We've eaten there twice. Both times I've found the brisket, chicken, turkey, and ribs to be overdone and dry, dry, dry. My jaw got worn out chewing the brisket. You have to soak the meat in sauce to keep it moist. The one exception is the sausage. Excellent flavor. Their potato salad and cole slaw are great, but you don't go to a top of the line barbecue joint just for side items. Lastly, their mens room was filthy and smelled of urine. Not good! This place has no business being in the top ten list. more

Where to start? Well, how about if I simply leave you all with this. If there isn't a County Line in heaven, I'm suing God for false advertising. Pros: Great food and service Cons: can't think of one more

This is hands down my favorite barbecue in Austin. The quality and taste of the food is outstanding, and the portions are enormous. I have a pretty big appetite, and I usually have two full meals worth of food when I eat here. The atmosphere is great. This place can get pretty busy on the weekend nights, but they have a lovely outdoor waiting area where you can sit by the river and order drinks while you are waiting. They are also quite large so the wait is not perhaps as long as it would be elsewhere given how many people go. You should note that this resteraunt is of the full sit down barbecue style and is therefore sometimes a bit more expensive than other barbecues in Austin, but it is also a nicer overall experience and better food. I highly recommend it. Pros: Top of the line barbecue, great atmosphere Cons: one of the higher priced type of barbecues, but well worth it more

First place I ate BBQ when I moved to Austin from Iowa...It was so good! When someone visits, I take them here! more

Austin and the surrounding areas have great BBQ. This is OK but not exemplary by any means, especially given the prices. more