Mystery Diner in Algonquin: Texan Barbeque offers rustic ambience for smoked specialties

Located in the heart of downtown Algonquin, The Texan Barbeque is an ideal spot for dinner or a Sunday afternoon meal, offering a variety of different barbecue selections, as well as other options.

We chose to visit The Texan Barbeque for its pork and beef barbecue dishes. The business has made that cuisine its specialty for the past 34 years.

The dining room holds about 90 people, and takes you back to a time when wagon wheels and horses were the transportation of choice. The wooden seating and gingham table covers pay homage to the Old West and set the mood.

You place your order at the front counter where the menu is displayed.

The lunch menu, in which every entree comes with a potato side and either beans or coleslaw, runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. The regular or dinner menu can be ordered anytime.

The beef brisket sandwich ($12.99) was one of the dishes we chose to start off with. We paired it with a side of curly fries and baked beans. The brisket sandwich was piled high with meat, and slathered with the restaurant’s barbecue sauce.

The side of curly fries came hot, crispy and well-peppered.

The regular or dinner menu has some larger portions for customers. The barbecue options come with your pick of chicken, pork or beef.

Once you’ve placed your order, the drinks are self-serve from a soda fountain with Coca-Cola products.

The brisket was tender, and carried the flavor of the hickory smoke very well. The bun was firm but fluffy on the inside, and complemented the meat nicely.

We also made it a priority to order the rib tips ($10.99). The meat was so tender that it literally fell off the bone. We went with the garlic-mashed potatoes as the potato side, and then the small cup of the baked beans.

The earthiness of the baked beans and the garlic-mashed potatoes accented the sweetness and spiciness of the barbecue sauce that glazes the ribs.

Some of the other items on the menu included a half chicken ($15.99), which the customer can order in either hickory or spicy Cajun; and a half or full slab of ribs ($21.99 or $27.99, respectively).

The Texan Barbeque also provides a tasty selection of sides for your meal, including jalapeño poppers (89 cents a piece), a stuffed potato ($4.99) and corn fritters ($4.99).

And as its main attraction, the restaurant offers signature fare such as barbecue pork shoulder ($17.99), beef brisket ($22.99), smoked real turkey breast ($17.99) and smoked prime rib ($22.99).

The myriad sauces include hot, spicy, regular and many others if the customer would like to get playful with more of the restaurant’s artfully smoky variations.

• The Mystery Diner is an employee at the Northwest Herald. The diner’s identity is not revealed to the restaurant staff before or during the meal. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a story.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: The Texan Barbeque

WHERE: 101 N. Main St., Algonquin

PHONE: 847-658-2130

INFORMATION: texanbbq.net