Counter Culture.

Mac's Serves Up Old School Texas Barbecue.

Mac's Barbecue
3933 Main St
Deep Ellum

Food: 3.5 out of 4 ribs
Service: 3.0 out of 4 ribs
Ambiance: 2 out of 4 ribs

Down on Main Street in a pretty nondescript little building sits Mac's Barbeque. The place is family-run — has been since 1955, when they started serving made-from-scratch barbecue.

You've no doubt heard of the place. Every publication in town has heaped praise upon the joint. It's even earned a write-up in The New York Times.

But is it worth all that praise? Yes. Yes, it is.

The restaurant interior is as nondescript as the exterior. Wood panelling covers the walls and a collection of Dallas nostalgia photos sit on top of that. The menu posted up on the wall looks like it was printed 10 years ago. It's hard to imagine that all that much changes in the place — like ever.

But that, of course, is a good thing. For starters, the service is great — just as you'd expect from a family-run spot like this. Meanwhile, the pit runs on hickory smoke, and you can definitely taste in in the meats. And the two-meat plate is probably more like two meals, so at 13 bucks, it isn't too bad of a deal.

The brisket is moist, has a great smoke flavor and some nice fat marbling. The sauce, which has a great blend of sweetness and tang, cuts into the fatty brisket just enough for a great balance. The hot links are pretty fantastic, too. It's a nice medium grind on the meat, and not an abundance of fat filler. The sausage is cooked just right — and it has to be without extra fat to keep it juicy.

Don't forget to order the ranch style beans when you hit Mac's, either. They happen to be pretty awesome, too.

Point is, Mac's is a great old-school Dallas joint, and if you haven't experienced it you definitely need to try it out. Or try it out again. We plan on doing so this week, if only to check out their Frito Pie.