Dallas BBQ Menu

Dallas BBQ Sides Ranked: What to Order and Skip

Nothing in the core side list crosses five dollars, which is why the sides are the best value on the Dallas BBQ menu.

The side list is where a Dallas BBQ bill stays sane. Seven of them come in at $4.99 or less, and the one most regulars order first — yellow rice — is a straight tell that this is a New York chain wearing a Texas name. Here is the whole list, ranked, with what each one is actually like.

Dallas BBQ prices at a glance

The prices referenced on this page, collected up front. They vary by location and change without notice.

SidePrice
8oz Ranch$3.00
Cornbread$3.50
Corn on the Cob$3.99
Cole Slaw$4.99
Baked Potato$4.99
Side of Fries$4.99
Yellow Rice$4.99
Side Avocado$4.99

The under-five-dollar tier

Eight items, none over five dollars, in Manhattan. That is the reason people keep coming back to a chain that has never pretended to be a barbecue destination.

The ranking

  1. Yellow Rice — $4.99. Saffron-colored, loose, savory, and the single most sensible thing to put under a half chicken. It is not a Texas side and it is not trying to be. It outsells the fries in most rooms and it is the best $4.99 on the menu.
  2. Onion Loaf - Small — $6.99. A compressed brick of fried onion strings that arrives before anything else and is usually gone before the entrees land. The Large at $9.99 is the better buy for four people. Eat it hot or do not order it.
  3. Cornbread — $3.50. The cheapest item on the entire menu and sweet enough to work as dessert. Order two.
  4. Mac & Cheese - Cup — $6.49. Baked rather than stirred, properly cheesy. The Bowl at $11.99 is close to double the price for less than double the food, so take two cups if you need more.
  5. Chilli Mac - Cup — $5.99. Mac and cheese with chili ladled over it, and it is cheaper than the plain version. The more interesting dish costing fifty cents less is one of the odder facts on this menu.
  6. Cole Slaw — $4.99. Cold and sharp, and the only thing on the table that cuts the sticky glaze. Order it with wings, not instead of them.
  7. Corn on the Cob — $3.99. A buttered cob. Fine, cheap, and the lightest hot side going.
  8. Side of Fries — $4.99. The most ordered side in the chain and the most replaceable. Standard cut, standard result.
  9. Baked Potato — $4.99. Whole, plain, with butter. Reliable and dull.
  10. Steamed Veggies — $8.99. The virtuous option, priced like an entree because nobody orders it alone.

The fried oddities

No other barbecue chain in the country runs a tempura station. Dallas BBQ does: Veg Tempura at $8.99 half and $12.99 full, and Tempura Broccoli at $9.99 half and $13.99 full. The broccoli costs a dollar more than the mixed vegetables, which looks like a pricing error until you eat it — the broccoli is the better dish by a distance, fried to order and still crisp when it hits the table. It is one of the few things here you will not find at a smokehouse chain like City BBQ.

Buffalo Cauliflower at $12.99 is priced as an entree and functions as one, which matters because vegetarians are otherwise thin on options here. Texas Summer Sausage is $6.99 for one piece and $9.99 for two — griddled, salty, and better as a table snack than a side.

Chili and soup by the quart

Three sizes each, and the quart is always where the value sits. Chili runs $6.99 a cup, $8.99 a bowl and $12.99 a quart — a quart is less than two bowls. White Chicken Chili is $7.99 / $11.99 / $14.99, and Chicken Veg Soup is $5.49 / $6.99 / $9.99, the steepest quart discount on the menu. If you are buying for more than two people, the quart is not a close call. It is also the reason the soups anchor most large orders — see the Dallas BBQ group ordering guide for the per-head math.

What to skip

Skip the Mac & Cheese Bowl at $11.99 in favor of two cups. Skip the plain mac entirely if the Chili Mac is available, since it costs more for less. Skip Side Avocado at $4.99 unless something on your plate genuinely needs it. And treat the 8oz Ranch at $3.00 for what it is — a tub sized for a table of wing eaters, not a personal dip. Full pricing for every side sits on the Dallas BBQ menu.

Dallas BBQ Sides Ranked: What to Order and Skip — FAQs

What is the best side at Dallas BBQ?

Yellow Rice at $4.99. It is the New York tell on a Texas-named menu, it outsells the fries, and it is the right thing to put under a $12.99 half chicken. The Small Onion Loaf at $6.99 is the best thing to put on the table while you wait.

How much is mac and cheese at Dallas BBQ?

$6.49 for a cup and $11.99 for a bowl. Two cups cost $12.98 and give you more food than one bowl, so order cups. Chili Mac — the same mac with chili over it — is cheaper at $5.99 a cup and $10.99 a bowl.

Does Dallas BBQ have vegetarian sides?

Yes, more than most barbecue chains. Buffalo Cauliflower ($12.99), Veg Tempura ($8.99 / $12.99), Tempura Broccoli ($9.99 / $13.99), Steamed Veggies ($8.99), Corn on the Cob ($3.99), Baked Potato ($4.99) and the Guacamole in two sizes. Check how the yellow rice is prepared at your location if that matters to you.

What is the Onion Loaf at Dallas BBQ?

A compressed brick of battered, fried onion strings, sold at $6.99 small and $9.99 large. It is the first thing most regulars put on the table, and it needs to be eaten hot — it goes soft fast, which makes it a poor choice for delivery.

Looking for the full Dallas BBQ menu with every item priced?

See the complete Dallas BBQ menu & prices