Vaqueros Texas Bar-B-Q
Vaqueros cooks cochinita pibil and birria tacos off a Texas barbecue pit, which is what got it onto the New York Times's list of the country's best new barbecue in 2023.3
Why go
Arnulfo Sánchez III was a James Beard Foundation semifinalist for Best Chef: Texas in 2024, which is a rare thing for a barbecue kitchen.1 D Magazine's judged panel places the room fifth in North Texas.6 José R. Ralat put the Tlaquepaque on Texas Monthly's fifty best tacos in Texas in 2024.2 Misti Norris, a Food & Wine Best New Chef, was asked to choose between Tex-Mex and barbecue and named this room for both.5
Order this / avoid
- Order: the Tlaquepaque, the taco Texas Monthly's taco editor argues for here.2
- Order: the cochinita pibil or the birria tacos, the two dishes the New York Times named.3
What locals & experts say
- Misti Norris, asked to pick Tex-Mex or barbecue and name a place:
Both. Vaqueros BBQ in Allen.
5 - The New York Times:
Vaqueros Bar-B-Q, a Grapevine spot that serves barbecue-influenced takes on Mexican dishes such as cochinita pibil and birria tacos.
4
Good to know
- Check the town before you drive. The Beard Foundation and both New York Times syndications site this room in Grapevine; Misti Norris names Allen. I haven't confirmed whether there is a second address.15
Verdict
should-visit — Barbecue cooked into Mexican dishes rather than served beside them: cochinita pibil and birria off a Texas pit, under a chef the Beard Foundation put up for Best Chef: Texas. Order the Tlaquepaque taco and the cochinita pibil, and check which town you are driving to before you set off.