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The Swinging Door

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3818 Fm 359 Rd (at McCrary Road)
Richmond, TX 77469

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(281) 342-4758
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The Swinging Door - Richmond, TX
The Swinging Door - Richmond, TX
The Swinging Door - Richmond, TX
Reviews
( 24 )
( 14 )
( 3 )
( 2 )
( 2 )

Best

I have been going to The Swinging Door for years. I always feel welcomed by the staff, managers, and by the owner. The owner is super friendly. I love all of the meats, but the sm...

Worst

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 foo...

NO..it is NOT the best BBQ around-are you kidding? 11/13/2011

Please see my review on B4ueat (Houston)..as I have Carpal Ttunnel and can't write much..but here to say my experience on 11.11.2011 was awful. Brisket was dry and old as was the Chicken...sent it back..the second serving was better but still no cigar. ON the way out visited the prep area and saw them cutting up a beautiful fresh steaming Brisket...I let them know that is what I had expected....I have been to this place before with the same results...you have to be there when they are bringing the good stuff out...not to eat yesterdays left overs. Why even serve me a piece of Brisket that was dried and hard as a rock. I won't give them a third or fourth shot at me. Pros: null Cons: null more
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The best BBQ around town :) 5/12/2010

I have been going to The Swinging Door for years. I always feel welcomed by the staff, managers, and by the owner. The owner is super friendly. I love all of the meats, but the smoked turkey is my favorite. The potato salad is amazing and the fresh green beans are delicious. I do not mind paying 12 dollars for a great homemade tasting meal. I am always treated with respect by the waitstaff and have never recieved bad service. The Swinging Door is know across Texas. I met someone in Denton, TX that raved about The Swinging Door. The Swinging Door is going on 35 years of great food, entertainment, and customer satisfaction! Pros: geat BBQ, homemade sides and desserts, friendly staff more
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Good BBQ dive that's casual and family friendly. 7/30/2008

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! more
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sloppy and slow 6/14/2008

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 more
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Don't Waste Your Time! 6/1/2008

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. more
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The Quest for the Best 5/31/2008

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. Pros: captures the local defintion of Q Cons: the drive more
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SERIOUSLY??????? 5/8/2008

I can't believe people think this could be anything even close to the best BBQ. Pros: Nothing Cons: PRICES ARE RIDICULOUS!!! FOOD IS SUB PAR!!! more
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worth the drive 1/26/2008

The Swinging Door serves very good smoked meats out of Richmond. The smokey brisket was moist and Pros: brisket was excellent Cons: way too expensive more
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LOVE THE BBQ!!!!! 6/10/2007

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 more
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Best BBQ In Katy/Richmond/Rosenberg area 6/1/2007

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 more
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Good BBQ, but far from the best 5/25/2007

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 more
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best barbeque 5/10/2007

The food was great especially the ribs. The atmosphere was unique with Willie Nelson singing more
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best bar-b-q in Texas 3/23/2006

I eat there all the time and the service is great. And yes, the wait staff is incredibly hot. I love all the food there. I usually dont eat potatoe salad but i love theirs. Prices are pretty cheap considering all the food you get. And i recommend the root beer to drink. Their own rootbeer is the best ive ever had!! Excelent all around! Service is great. Pros: Food, Service, Atmosphere Cons: Can't eat it all, No chain more
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HOT WAITSTAFF! AWESOME FOOD! 3/18/2006

WOW! all i can say is THE BEST BBQ EVER! The all you can eat buffet is well worth the money because dessert is included. The waitresses are gorgeous and always seem to have a beautiful smile for you as soon as you enter the door. The new band DAVID BRAKE AND THAT DAMN BAND is amazing. The only problem is trying to save room for the delicious dessert! A MUST-SEE ATMOSPHERE... Pros: waitresses, decor, prices Cons: only one...no chain more
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I miss it so much 7/25/2005

Recently moved out of Texas. Boy, do I miss the Swingin Door! Best BBQ around! Sure which I could get it in So. Cal! more
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One of my favorite lunch spots! 6/4/2005

The food is always great and I like the atmosphere. Pros: food more
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Great food and large servings for a low price. 3/13/2005

Have been here a couple of times and while the food is always great the service can be lacking. Waitstaff seems to have no clue and the next time around they are on top of everything. Order up and enjoy the q. Pros: Food, Price, Loacation Cons: Waitstaff Service more
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Very nice place to go 1/27/2005

Went there to listen to a nice concert on Friday night. Pros: food, cowboy style, cheap beer Cons: Far from Houston, No good heater more
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Great! 1/11/2005

The Swinging Door is great!! They don't need to change a thing, except maybe fewer pot holes. Everything there is delicious! Pros: food , services, atmosphere more
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If you want RIBS... 7/3/2004

We are lucky to only live a short distance from the Swinging Door. That way we can eat there at least once a week! The ribs are incredible. Meaty and tender. The turkey is my son's favorite, and their garlic Czech sausage is a regular on our plate. They have a single, double, and triple meat plate. The triple, which goes for about $13, is enough food to feed my son, husband and me, with an extra baked potato on the side. We are often too full to have their INCREDIBLE cobblers (peach, apple, blackberry, and cherry with pecans). Most people love the potato salad, but with our triple, we get 3 servings of the cole slaw! Just wish they had green beans! Pros: ribs, cobbler, variety of meats more
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Menu for The Swinging Door


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

Owner Message

  • Established in 1973 by Steve and Ward Onstad. The restaurant had seating for 12 and Bar-B-Q on weekends. The "original" burns to the ground in 1974...
    1974 -- The "New Original" was rebuild, bigger, better, seating expands to 75 or so. In 1979, we entered the Bar-B-Q cook-off at The Houston Live Stock and Rodeo Show. We Won!! The rest is history. People started coming to us from all over the whole wide world to taste our wonderful Texas Bar-B-Q. Now people ask us to ship our great-tasting BBQ all over. And you know what, we ship it to them! The Swinging Door is a family owned restaurant serving the finest quality 100%, pecan smoked Bar-B-Q at reasonable prices in a pleasant, rural, family atmosphere.

Editorial

  • 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...

  • 7/1/2007 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Wed-Thu 11am-9pm; Fri-Sat 11am-10pm; Sun 11am-9pm
  • Payments: Discover, Master Card, American Express, Visa
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