Evie Mae's Barbecue

CITY GUIDES | TEXAS

Lubbock’s Essential Restaurants for Barbecue, Steaks, and Date Nights

By Rebecca Thompson | Feb. 10, 2026

AUTHOR BIO: Rebecca Thompson has held many jobs over the years, from daily newspaper writer to middle-school math teacher. As a restaurant critic, she’s reviewed Michelin-starred fine-dining to gas station barbecue.

Like many people, I’d guess, Lubbock began with Texas Tech weekends. Then I started defining trips here with a much better purpose: eating well.

I’m talking barbecue that sells out because the pit crew is disciplined, chef-driven dining rooms that can pull off a blue corn churro without turning it into a stunt, and spots in the Depot District where tapas and wine make an ordinary weeknight feel like a small occasion.

I built this list the only way I know how: by returning, ordering the signatures, and paying attention to what each place does better than anyone else. These are the best restaurants right now in Lubbock, Texas, and they cover the city from morning pastries to late-night tacos.

The Brewery LBK

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I like this place best because it acts like two places at once: a downtown brewery pouring IPAs, and a kitchen that clearly cares whether anyone eats. The green chile pork tacos are the move, because they taste like somebody in back has cooked in West Texas long enough to know the difference between “spicy” and “actually flavorful.”

Best for: A long, lazy hang that turns into dinner

Cocina de La Sirena

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Jessica Fultz runs this “slow food” bistro with seasonal plates that come out precise instead of fussy. Start with the pulled quail empanadas with green chile and manchego, then move on to the tequila-brined pork chop or the striped bass with golden beet purée, because this is one of the few places in town where dinner feels intentionally built.

Best for: A date-night meal that always impresses

Dirk’s

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This is chef Cameron West doing fried chicken with a point of view, which means the crust shatters instead of sogging out, and the whole thing lands closer to “serious” than “basket-of-regrets.” The fried chicken sandwich comes with house-made pickles, and the room nods to the restaurant’s namesake—Dirk West—without feeling like a museum for local nostalgia.

Best for: Fried chicken that still feels like a chef cooked it

Evie Mae's Barbecue Lubbock Best Restaurants

Evie Mae’s Pit Barbecue

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Arnis and Mallory Robbins built this thing the hard way—backyard smoker obsession, reverse-flow rigs, and the kind of barbecue routine that happens while everyone else is asleep. The brisket is the headline, but the green-chile thread running through the menu (including the sausage and the grits) is the tell that this is West Texas barbecue with a specific accent.

Best for: A sell-out lunch that feels like a local sport

The Funky Door

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Lubbock has plenty of places to drink wine; this is the one that makes a whole evening out of it, starting with fondue, moving on to steaks, and ending with “one more pour” two or three more times. The list is legit deep, and the self-serve tasting setup turns the night into a choose-your-own-adventure—down to the kind of cheese fondue that tastes like it was designed by someone who has opinions about tequila.

Best for: Date night that does not require a speech

La Diosa Cellars

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This is where the Depot District goes when it wants dim lighting, Spanish-leaning small plates, and a glass of something that did not come from a corporate wine program. The menu plays the hits—patas bravas energy, meatballs with real sauce, paella as a weekend “chef’s feature”—and the whole place runs on the simple idea that wine should be the main character.

Best for: Tapas and wine in the Depot District

Las Brisas

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This is the rare steakhouse that does not act allergic to fun: filet mignon shows up flash-fried in street tacos, and lobster mac & cheese sits on the menu like it owns the place. The rest of the room leans classic—big proteins, seafood, and the sense that a “Southwest steakhouse” in Lubbock should still know how to show off.

Best for: A celebratory dinner with surf-and-turf confidence

Midnight Shift

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Inside Cotton Court Hotel, this is a downtown restaurant-bar that leans into craft cocktails and a menu designed for sharing. Chef Kate Diehl leads the kitchen, and the food hits that modern hotel sweet spot—West Texas wings, gochujang-glazed pork belly “slammers,” and the Daymaker Burger—while the courtyard and live music keep the night moving.

Best for: Cocktails and a long hang that turns into dinner

The Nicolett

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Chef Finn Walter runs one of the most ambitious kitchens in town, the kind that can make “Texas-meets-French” sound like more than marketing. The blue corn curro with caviar has local-legend status for a reason, and the rest of the experience hits that sweet spot where the plating looks expensive but the mood stays human.

Best for: A night out that feels like Lubbock showing off

Ninety-Two Bakery & Café

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This place looks like it was designed for a “one pastry becomes three” morning, and the execution backs it up: warm butter croissants, seasonal specials, and coffee drinks that get named like they are on a playlist. The team leans into the French-café idea without making it precious, which is harder than it sounds in a city full of pickup trucks.

Best for: Pastry-and-coffee therapy before the day starts

Teddy Jack’s Hub City Grill

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Teddy Jack’s is proudly unfussy, the kind of menu that can bounce from Tex-Mex to comfort food. The green chile cheeseburger and chicken fried steak are the obvious orders, and the patio setup makes the whole thing feel like a place built for families, groups, and people who plan to stay awhile.

Best for: An easy crowd-pleaser with big portions

West Table Kitchen and Bar

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Chef Cameron West’s more buttoned-up side lives here, with a menu that includes goat cheese croquettes with berry-jalapeño jam, crab hushpuppies, and bobwhite quail. It’s a downtown restaurant with big-city pacing, but it still keeps one boot planted in West Texas ingredients and appetites.

Best for: A “let’s do a nice dinner” night that still feels relaxed