Who: Freedmen’s
What: A laid back lounge, beer garden, and smokehouse serving barbecue and retro-inspired cocktails in a historic Austin building.
When: Brunch is Sunday’s 11am – 4pm, Monday Closed, Tuesday and Wednesday 11am – 10pm, Thursday to Saturday 11am – 12am
Where: 2402 San Gabriel St, Austin, TX 78705
Why: The definition of a good meal by any Texan probably starts with the words barbecue and then anything else that comes out of their mouth better be brisket, sausage, and ribs with all the fixin’s please.
Barbecue, BBQ or ‘cue, can be served breakfast, lunch, or dinner. There’s not much that changes from meal to meal, other than the way in which you deliver the meat to your mouth.
What I like about Freedman’s is the deep, rich, Austin history that the building is built upon. The building was originally built in 1869 by a Freed slave, “and quickly became the center of Austin’s first “freed man community” known as Wheatville, in honor of its founder, James Wheat.” The building took over many different personalities ranging from a church to a grocery store. It now operates as a cocktail lounge, beer garden, and smokehouse. The name Freedmen’s is derived from the history that this building stands for and the opportunity that it created for so many who walked through it.
Sunday’s are also holy days in Texas, and going to brunch is just about as sacred as going to church. So every Sunday, Freedmen’s gets together a special menu showing off two special dishes. The jalapeno cheddar grits, and the Barbecue Benedict, which is pictured below. It’s a layered buttermilk biscuit, with your choice of meat, I went with brisket, and topped with a smoked tomato hollandaise.
To match the special benedict, we also went with a straight up meat plate, including brisket, jalapeno sausage, and some delicious fall off the bone pork ribs.
All of this can be served to you while sitting on their nice covered outside patio, with a cold beer in your hand, and a fork in the other. It truly is the best way to start Sunday Funday, and if you’re looking for a new barbecue place to check out, right in the heart of Austin, let Freedmen’s be your brunch guide.
When you go, please be sure to let them know Dine With Shayda sent you!
