Vera’s Backyard Bar-B Que

Reviews

• George F.

  star star star star star 20 July 2026

  What a place! We've wanted to go for quite some time and we finally made it today. We bought some cachete along with tortillas, onion/cilantro, and salsa verde. It was so amazing. Really rich but not so much that it wears you down. Absolutely luxurious. They've really got the process down.

• Eric R.

  star star star star star 13 July 2026

  Barbacoa...  Let's see, that's a very popular dish in southeast Texas.  It's a popular dish, especially on Sunday mornings and you see it available everywhere, you know, at places like convieience stores, gas stations and...  But, what is real barbacoa like?  Look to Vera's if you are hungry for real barbacoa.
  
  Vera's is, indeed, a family operation, as the business is operated by Adelita, Mando, Mando Jr., Meli and Mandy.   This is a rather unique operation in that they cook the barbacoa in a mesquite-fired pit, in the ground. There are only one or two other operations in the state of Texas that cook barbacoa this way. Since mesquite implants such a delicious taste into the meat, you may wonder why more barbacoa isn't prepared this way? The reasons:  It is labor intensive (Mando Jr. says they start on Thursday) and the health police don't think it's sanitary to cook food in the ground.  Mando Jr. is able to operate under a grandfather clause.  Most barbacoa in Texas is cooked in the oven or a crock pot, not in a brick-lined pit like Vera's is.
  
  The preparation of the food begins with the fire.  The smokehouse-annex is located In back of the main restaurant. It is a rather unpretentious building, constructed of corrugated metal. The annex portion of the complex is dedicated to the purpose of cleaning the meat, and wrapping the meat in aluminum foil before placement into the brick-lined barbecue pit.
  
  If you like good, uncomplicated food that is "local" in taste and origin and you enjoy patronizing a local, hard-working business, and like to get mucho "bang" for your buck, Vera's is for you!  Did I not mention that you'll get the best barbacoa that you've ever had?  When we visit this part of the country again, we will be back for more.

• Jeff Y.

  star star star star star 10 July 2026

  Vera's is not open that late and a lot of their food sells out, so come early!
  
  I ended up coming later in the day but still thoroughly enjoyed everything I got to try. The meat was succulent and the fresh tortillas and sauces great as well. I only wish I had come earlier to try more off of their menu!
  
  The interior has some seats for dining in but a lot of people also ordered to-go. Service was no-nonsense; order at the counter and pay. A lot of meats are sold by the pound.
  
  Would love to come again if I am in the Brownsville area!

• Smiley L.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 1 July 2026

  Ok Barbacoa really greasy but it's better than the brisket . For being around for so long they need to get back to the basics. Backyard bbq I think he needs to do a couple of Ibca competitions

• Melissa M.

  star star star star star 30 June 2026

  While I'm a native of Brownsville, somehow I had never had Vera's bbq/barbacoa. I didn't know what I was missing! Delicious barbacoa. We got a pound of 1/2 mixta and 1/2 cachete, accompanied by their homemade salsa mild and tortillas. We also chatted with Mr. Vera himself, who was a great storyteller. Overall, great experience!