A Barbecue Family Legacy
Local News
Texas Monthly
"Like a number of multi-generational family businesses, the Bryans have experienced highs and lows, and the kindling for their business started just a decade after the historic Kreuz Market opened in Lockhart. Elias Bryan moved from Cincinnati to Dallas, where he opened Bryan’s Barbecue on February 13, 1910 in a small building at Jefferson and Beckley, in Oak Cliff."
Fort Worth Star Telegram
"While Fort Worth has a barbecue spot at practically every corner, these smoke shops are worth a taste. These five — “top five old-school spots” — are recommendations from Star-Telegram food editor Bud Kennedy.
Fort Worth Magazine
"It’s been over 100 years since Jimmy Harris’ great grandfather Elias Bryan opened the family’s first barbecue restaurant in Oak Cliff. Today, the family business is still thriving in the form of David’s Barbecue located at 2224 West Park Row in Arlington. Harris is now the patriarch in a lineage of barbecue masters that can be dated back 113 years."
The Shorthorn
For five generations since 1910, David’s Barbecue’s recipe has remained the same — it’s about tradition. “We still make all of our own products. We make our own sauce, all the vegetables, the meats. We still cook with all wood, no electricity or gas,” fourth-generation owner Jimmy Harris said. “This business is not hard. It’s a simple business.” At David’s Barbecue, they keep it old school. They don’t use a thermometer to check the meat, forks work just fine. Even the furniture, ceiling fans and trays used to serve customers date back to 1965.