Considering I loved the original Cooper's in Llano (great memories there, it was always a destination for us) this one in CS was disappointing. We first came here soon after opening and thought they had some kinks to work out. Just went back yesterday and those same problems still exist. While the flavors are excellent (lots of smoke, pepper, and spice, just like you want for Texas BBQ), half our food was very dry (even after baptizing everything in the sauce pot). Given it was Friday at 6 there's no excuse to overcook prime rib, pork chops and chicken. The beef rib was exceptional; brisket, one of the half chickens and jalapeno sausage were fine. Sides are also good but nothing you'd crave to come back. When dinner is $200 (including one pitcher of beer) for 4 adults, food should be cooked properly.Things could have been made right had anyone asked us how our food was. I even went back up to ask for a to go box and the guy who checked us out didn't ask. Some other minor things that dampened the experience include plastic bags that don't fit the metal platters meat is served in (our bag ripped through the corner when carrying it) and at check out the recommended tip amounts are 15%, 20%, & 25%. Given there is literally zero service whatsoever (we even busted our own table) a $40 tip before you've even sat down is pretty shady. With all the problems and no confidence any of them will change we just can't come back. I do hope this is seen and management can implement some changes for future patrons.
1st timer!! Yum yum yum!! This place came recommended and we had to try it. Second barbecue restaurant I’ve had been to Texas and this one was also kind of buffet style. I tried the beef rib and beef brisket with macaroni, green beans and apple cobbler. It was a little slow when we got there so the meat was not hot/fresh. The beef rib was good and well seasoned but a little tough. The beef brisket was also well seasoned but tough and dry. Yikes. The macaroni-I’m a little disappointed in given the restaurant seems to make everything from scratch and somehow fell short on this one. The macaroni tasted like stouffer‘s Mac, Smh. The green beans were ok; too many onions and bacon. The apple cobbler needs a review for itself! The apple cobbler was homemade, fresh and perfectly made! Absolutely delicious. Overall 7/10 for me. Definitely would recommend-maybe try asking for fresh meat if it isn’t already. Will be back. Thank you Coopers!
Okay bbq, amazing peach cobbler! We got 2 pork chops, one was juicy and one was tough and dried out, so make sure they give you a fresh one because they’re not all good. The brisket was delicious: moist and flavorful. The sides were okay, but the really great thing about the sides is the beans are on the condiment bar, so no one has to leave hungry. Also on the condiment bar is their “dipping sauce.” Don’t expect the usual bbq sauce, but definitely try it. I didn’t love it, but I liked it simply because it was so unique. The absolute best thing here was the peach cobbler. The crust was just the perfect combination of buttery and crispy. I’m getting hungry just writing about it. So try the brisket and peach cobbler, but beware of the pork chops!
Prime rib is outstanding. Rich seasoning - a little heavy on the pepper, which is how I like it. Potato salad was great. Turkey was a bit bland by comparison - but, then again, I'm comparing prime rib and turkey. Jalapeno Mac and Cheese seemed like an interesting idea, but I didn't absolutely love it. Traditional would surely have been delicious. Remember to get some beans (and onions) by where you pour your drinks. They are terrific.
Great family atmosphere! Brisket had a unique and delicious flavor. Chicken was moist and portions were fair. Great pitcher beer with ice cold glasses. The owner came by and spoke with us and told us some of the Cooper history.
Have eaten at the original Coopers in Llano several times over the years - always top-notch. Have been noticing "new" Coopers popping up and decided to give this one in College Station a try on a return trip from Glen Rose. Menu was a tad different than in Llano - but wife and I ordered "feast for two" that include 1/2# brisket and 1/2 ink sausage and one side for $30. Decided to add 1/2# of turkey as well. First guy asked if we wanted marbled or lean brisket - I told him lean and wife blurted "extra lean". He cut off a hunk from a whole brisket and asked "you wanted an extra 1/2# of brisket right?" Told him no - add turkey. He sawed off at least half of the brisket and then put the sausage and turkey on his tray and said "they'd" slice it for us down the line. Brisket on the tray had a big slab of fat on it - the "slicer" asked us "do you want this good fat?". We were disgusted and said to him 'sure". If you're gonna ask if the customer does or doesn't want fat - and then ignore the request - why bother. Anyhow our 1/2# of brisket rendered two slices with a a little thermo-nuclear burned end the go with it. Tasted like roast rather than smoked brisket. Took three of em to get the turkey ready - they were standing around a digital scale and then asked if we wanted the "tag" - I am guessing it was a weight on the turkey?? Told we were good to go without the tag. We were able to split the side order in two and got potato salad (german-style - it was good) and jalapeno bacon mac and cheese - nothing special. Pinto bean, onions, pickles, bread and sauce were available at the condiment bar. Beans were mostly broth with tons of whole jalapenos floating in 'em - a few beans were able to be dredged up. The sauce - that poor sauce - had a label "Dipping Sauce" on it - I started to wonder if I'd ordered chicken nuggets - it tasted like vinegar shaded with a little ketchup - and had the consistency of water. We checked the other condiment bar and found the "thicker" dipping sauce which was only a very slight improvement. I don't recall this to be what Coopers in Llano provided - and I would have remembered - it was that bad. All in all we spent $50 bucks (with a couple of beers). It was a very poor quality meal - Texas BBQ has gone to hell in a hand basket with this and the crap HEB / Killens is troweling out. My guess is somebody bought Coopers in Llano and decided to "chain" it off their good name - and that's too bad. There are still good spots out there - but seems like everybody thinks they can BBQ - not easy to do it well.
Most fat I ever had on a brisket, if you eat there ask them to trim it. Still has greasy taste at 2:00 in afternoon.
A bit pricy but good, beef tips, jalapeño and cheese sausage, brisket, cole slaw, creamed corn, Mac n cheese. Like everything but the Mac n cheese, unlimited bean was a nice touch. Good atmosphere. Strongly recommend they adopt a 1,2 , or 3 plate option so there are no surprises at check out.
I walked in with high hopes and left a little disappointed. The best part of the meal was the pinto beans and the iced tea. I ordered some brisket and burnt ends as my meat. Everything looked pretty good sitting on the tray they serve the food on. But in all honesty, the brisket had very little smoke flavor, or any flavor at all, and was undercooked for my liking. I didn't even finish. It was chewy and not fork tender as it should be if cooked long enough. The burnt ends were way to salty.During my meal, all I could think about was how I make a better brisket and for what I paid for the meal, I could have bought a brisket flat at the store.
Great service and atmosphere. This was our first time at Coopers and the staff went above and beyond to explain their process, ingredients (food allergy) and where items were in the dining room. All food items, including dessert, were delicious. We will be back!