The Pit Room

Image: Cooper + Ricca
Remember when the rest of Texas said Houston wasn’t much of a barbecue powerhouse? Take remaining naysayers to the Pit Room and watch them change their tunes. Every flavor pops as if it’s been placed under a microscope and magnified 50 times. The mustard-spotted Czech-style beef sausage, tallow-fried jalapeño-vinegar potato chips and cinnamon-smacked cherry pie each more flavorful than you’ll find just about anywhere else. But executive chef Bramwell Tripp’s greatest gift to ’cue lovers may be his uncommon tacos. In one tortilla made using brisket trimmings, charred garlic cloves stick to a haystack of pulled chicken and green chiles thanks to a layer of griddled cheese. It’s the best of barbecue and Tex-Mex in a single $4.25 package.