Pappas Bar-B-Q does three things no other barbecue chain covered on this site does: it serves breakfast from 6:30am, it publishes a full parallel gluten-free menu, and it sells beef ribs by the pound. It is also Texas barbecue in the proper sense — beef-forward, sold by weight, and priced accordingly.
Pappas Bar-B-Q prices at a glance
Every price quoted in this guide, collected up front. Prices vary by location and change without notice.
| Meat | Price |
|---|---|
| Beef Ribs | $31.95 / lb |
| Pork Ribs | $29.95 / lb |
| Baby Back Ribs | $22.95 / lb |
| Whole Brisket | from $22.95 |
| Whole Chicken | $15.95 |
| Jumbo ½ Chicken | $10.95 |
| Beef (sliced or chopped) | from $7.75 |
| Chicken Breast | from $7.25 |
| Turkey Breast | from $7.25 |
| Pulled Pork | from $6.25 |
| Pork or Beef Sausage | from $6.25 |
| Ham | from $5.75 |
| Plate | From |
|---|---|
| Mixed Platter | $18.95 |
| Beef Trio | $17.95 |
| House Special | $17.95 |
| Beef | $16.95 |
| Pork Trio | $15.95 |
| Two Sliced Meat Combo | $15.95 |
| Chicken Breast | $14.95 |
| Turkey Breast | $14.95 |
| Pulled Pork | $12.95 |
| Pork or Beef Sausage | $11.95 |
| Ham | $11.95 |
| Combo | Price |
|---|---|
| Rib Trio | $22.95 |
| ½ Chicken & 1 Beef Rib | $19.95 |
| Baby Back Ribs | $18.95 |
| Beef Ribs | $17.95 |
| Rib Combo | $17.95 |
| 2 Pork Ribs & Beef Brisket | $17.95 |
| Pork Ribs | $16.95 |
| ½ Chicken & 2 Baby Back Ribs | $16.95 |
| 2 Pork Ribs & Turkey | $16.95 |
| ½ Chicken & 1 Pork Rib | $15.95 |
| ½ Chicken & Pulled Pork | $15.95 |
| ½ Chicken & Link Sausage | $14.95 |
| 2 Pork Ribs & Link Sausage | $14.95 |
| 2 Pork Ribs & Pulled Pork | $14.95 |
| ½ Chicken | $13.95 |
| Pack | Price |
|---|---|
| Family Board | $42.95 |
| Value Pack 1 | $71.95 |
| Value Pack 2 | $98.95 |
| Value Pack 3 | $121.95 |
| Value Pack 4 | $142.95 |
| Value Pack 5 | $199.95 |
| Value Pack 6 | $229.95 |
| Pappas | Dickey's | Sonny's | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Style | Texas | Texas | Southern |
| Beef ribs | $31.95/lb | Not sold | Not sold |
| Cheapest plate | $11.95 | $16.50 | $14.99 |
| Two-meat plate | $15.95 | $18.50 | $15.99 |
| Breakfast | Yes, from 6:30am | No | No |
| Gluten-free menu | Full parallel menu | No | No |
| Guests | Meat to order | Approx. cost | Per head |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1.5 lb mixed (beef, sausage, pork) | ~$32 | ~$8.00 |
| 10 | Family Board + extra sausage | ~$55 | ~$5.50 |
| 25 | Value Pack 4 + extras | ~$165 | ~$6.60 |
| 50 | Bulk at $14.55/lb, ~19 lb | ~$277 | ~$5.54 |
| Feature | Pappas | Any other chain here |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast service | From 6:30am | None |
| Full gluten-free menu | Yes, parallel pricing | None |
| Beef ribs | $31.95/lb | None |
| Tamales | From $3.45 | None |
| Agua frescas | From $2.85 | None |
Meats by the pound — the Texas way
This is the section that matters, and it is priced by the half pound with a full-pound option:
Note that Pappas quotes the lower figures per half pound, which is how Texas counters usually work — always confirm the weight you are being quoted. Beef ribs at $31.95 a pound are the most expensive item on the menu and the most authentically Texan thing Pappas sells.
Bar-B-Q specials — the plates
The Two Sliced Meat Combo at $15.95 is the value pick — a dollar less than the single beef plate at $16.95, with two meats on it.
Rib platters and chicken combos
Pappas builds most of its plates around a half chicken or a pair of ribs plus a second meat, which is unusual and generally good value:
½ Chicken & 1 Beef Rib at $19.95 is the most interesting order here — a whole beef rib is a $31.95-per-pound item, and this is the cheapest way onto one.
The gluten-free menu
Pappas publishes a complete parallel gluten-free menu — chicken combos, rib platters, plates, baked potatoes, salads and sides, all at the same prices as the standard menu, plus a Gluten Free Texas Dinner at $38.95 (three sliced meats, half a pound each, three large sides).
No other chain covered on this site does this. If you are eating gluten-free, Pappas is the single easiest barbecue chain in America to order from — see the general allergen approach for how much harder it usually is.
Barbecue breakfast
Pappas opens at 6:30am and serves breakfast, which no other barbecue chain here does:
- Breakfast Tacos ($1.89) — the cheapest item on the entire menu
- Premium Breakfast Tacos ($3.65)
- Breakfast Sandwiches ($3.39)
- Breakfast Plate ($6.49)
- Side Orders ($0.95)
A breakfast taco at $1.89 is the cheapest thing at any barbecue chain covered on this site, by a wide margin.
Po-boys, burgers and baked potatoes
Po-boys run $8.95 to $14.95 — ham $8.95, pulled pork, turkey, chicken and sausage $9.95, sliced or chopped brisket $11.95, and a Two Meat Combo Po-Boy at $14.95.
Burgers: hamburger $10.95, cheeseburger $11.95, bacon cheeseburger and brisket burger $12.95, brisket patty melt $12.95, pulled pork burger $11.95.
Baked potatoes run $7.95 to $13.95 depending on the topping — a Texas staple and a filling cheap meal.
Family boards and value packs
For larger orders Pappas prices by volume: 10–19 lb from $14.95/lb, 20–49 lb from $14.55/lb, 50 lb and up from $14.25/lb. Party trays run $11.75 (one or two meats), $12.25 (three) and $12.75 (four) per person.
The Family Board at $42.95 is the best entry point for four people. Portion planning is in the BBQ catering guide.
Sides, salads and desserts
Sides start at $2.95. Fresh-cut fries $3.75, cheese fries $5.75, jalapeño cheese bread $5.95, chili cheese fries $8.95, chopped beef fries $10.95.
Salads: tossed $5.75 small, $11.95 large; chef salad $13.95.
Desserts: praline $2.25, brownie $2.95, bars $3.45, chocolate cake $3.95, parfaits $3.95, pecan pie from $5.95, carrot cake and cheesecake $6.95.
Kids' menu: macaroni and cheese $4.25, corn dog bites $4.75, grilled cheese $5.25, kids' plate $6.25, chicken tenderloins $7.75.
How Pappas compares
Pappas is cheaper than Dickey's on plates, it is the only chain selling beef ribs, and it is the only one you can eat at before 10am. For anything Texas-adjacent, see the Texas BBQ guide.
What to order
First visit: ½ Chicken & 1 Beef Rib ($19.95) — the cheapest route to a beef rib, which is the thing Pappas does that nobody else does. Best value plate: Two Sliced Meat Combo ($15.95). Cheapest real meal: a breakfast plate ($6.49) or two breakfast tacos ($3.78). For four people: the Family Board ($42.95). And if you eat gluten-free, order anything — the parallel menu covers it.
The Pappas family group
Pappas Bar-B-Q is one arm of a much larger Houston restaurant family that also runs seafood, steak and Greek concepts. That matters for two reasons you will notice as a customer.
First, the operational standard is higher than the price suggests — the group has been running restaurants since the 1970s and the barbecue arm inherits that infrastructure. Second, it explains the oddities on the menu: the breakfast service, the parallel gluten-free menu and the agua frescas are all things a barbecue-only operator would be unlikely to bother with.
Ordering by weight properly
Pappas is a Texas counter, and the by-the-pound section is how Texans actually order. The etiquette matters:
- Order by weight, not by plate. "Half a pound of sliced beef and one sausage link."
- Confirm whether the quote is per half or full pound. Several items are listed both ways.
- Ask for it unsliced if you are taking it home. A whole piece holds moisture far better.
- Take the bread and pickles. They are structural, not garnish — the Texas BBQ guide explains why.
At $5.50 to $6.60 a head for a proper group order, Pappas is among the cheapest barbecue caterers covered on this site. The full portion arithmetic is in the catering guide.
Calories: our estimates, not Pappas's
Pappas publishes no nutrition information — no counts on the boards, none on the website, nothing in store, which is a real gap alongside a gluten-free programme this detailed. The ranges below are our own estimates, built from comparable smoked-meat portions at chains that do publish. They are not Pappas's data. They are also less reliable here than at most chains, because Pappas sells by weight: what lands on your tray depends on what the counter cuts, so two identical orders can differ meaningfully.
| Order | Our estimate (not brand data) |
|---|---|
| Breakfast Taco | 250–350 |
| Breakfast Plate | 550–750 |
| Pulled Pork Po-Boy | 550–750 |
| Sliced Beef Po-Boy | 600–850 |
| ½ Chicken plate | 650–900 |
| Two Sliced Meat Combo | 800–1,100 |
| Beef Ribs (1 rib) | 700–1,100 |
| Chopped Beef Fries | 900–1,300 |
| Jalapeño Cheese Bread | 350–500 |
| Sides (each) | 150–320 |
The comparisons hold even where the numbers do not. Chopped beef fries are the heaviest thing on the menu and they are listed as a side — they run somewhere near a full two-meat plate on their own, so treat them as a main rather than an addition. A po-boy is roughly half a combo plate, since the plate adds two sides and bread to the same meat. Fat content in the cut is what moves the number most: fatty brisket and pork ribs sit well above sliced turkey breast or chicken for the same weight. Among the sides, the creamy and fried options cost you roughly 150–200 more than the slaw or beans, and a breakfast taco is the lightest real meal on the menu by a wide margin.
If you need exact figures — for a medical diet, or anything where being wrong matters — ask at the counter. A chain this size is not covered by the federal menu-labelling rules that force the largest national chains to publish counts, so asking how a dish is cooked and how much meat is being weighed out is the only real source available.
What Pappas does that nobody else does
That list is the argument for Pappas. It is a Texas chain serving Texas things — beef ribs, tamales, breakfast tacos, jalapeño cheese bread — rather than a national chain's idea of Texas barbecue.
Where it falls short
- Menu presentation is confusing. Several items appear at two price points depending on size and location, and the plate sections overlap heavily. Ask rather than guess.
- Only ~20 locations, nearly all in the Houston area.
- No published nutrition data, which is a real gap given the gluten-free programme.
- Sides are basic. Nothing here matches Jim 'N Nick's creamed corn or Mission BBQ's mac.
Best time to go
| Window | Why |
|---|---|
| 06:30–09:00 | Breakfast. Cheapest food of the day. |
| 11:00–12:00 | Brisket at its best; before the Houston lunch rush |
| 12:00–13:30 | Busiest |
| 14:00–16:30 | Quiet; order chopped rather than sliced beef |
| 17:00–19:00 | Second batch; ribs available again |
Beef ribs are the item most likely to be gone by evening. If that is what you came for, go at lunch.
Practical notes before you go
- Confirm the weight on every quote. Several items list both half-pound and full-pound prices, and the counter will assume you know which you asked for.
- Go at breakfast at least once. Breakfast tacos at $1.89 are the cheapest food at any barbecue chain covered here.
- Beef ribs sell out. If that is what you came for, go at lunch rather than dinner.
- Say if you need gluten-free. The parallel menu is genuinely complete and priced the same — no other chain does this.
- Order bulk above 10 lb. The price drops from $14.95 to $14.25 per pound as you scale.
For someone new to Pappas: the ½ Chicken & 1 Beef Rib at $19.95. A whole beef rib is a $31.95-per-pound item and this is the cheapest route onto one — it is the thing Pappas does that no other chain on this site offers at all.
A note on Texas chain barbecue
Pappas sits in an awkward but useful middle ground. It is not a Central Texas destination pit — the bark is lighter, nothing sells out at noon, and the brisket has not spent sixteen hours over post oak. It is also not a national chain applying a Texas label to a generic menu. It is a Houston operator selling the things Houston actually eats: beef ribs, tamales, breakfast tacos and jalapeño cheese bread.
Judge it on that basis and it does well. Beef ribs at $31.95 a pound are the real article, the by-the-pound counter works the way a Texas counter should, and the breakfast service is something no competitor offers at any price. Judge it against a Lockhart pit and it will lose, as every chain does — the Texas BBQ guide sets out exactly what that gap consists of and what it costs.