TV Restaurants

Is Green Mesquite Still Open? Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Update

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 5 Austin, Texas

Current status

Open

As of October 2026, Green Mesquite is listed open on kut.org, reviewed by our team on September 21, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

What the source shows: Yelp listing for the Barton Springs Rd location, updated Sept 2026 with 788 reviews (up from 786), confirms continued operation; the April 2025 employee-rent-rescue reporting remains the primary sourcing for the ownership context. How we decide a status →

What happened after Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives?

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives featured Green Mesquite BBQ & More in Austin for the 'BBQ & More' episode (S5E10), which aired 2009-02-09, highlighting the restaurant's Central Texas barbecue plates. Green Mesquite has operated on Barton Springs Road for over 37 years, according to KUT, Austin's NPR station. According to KUT, owner Rick Garcia fell behind on rent and the restaurant faced closure in April 2025, until employees pitched in thousands of dollars to cover the shortfall and keep it open. Garcia brought back weekly live music and open-mic nights as part of reviving the restaurant, according to KUT. According to Yelp, whose listing for 1400 Barton Springs Road was updated in August 2026, the restaurant has posted 786 reviews and continues to operate.

The episode Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 5

Episode 10
Aired
Title: BBQ & More · What was featured: Central Texas barbecue plates and sides
How Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives restaurants have fared: 27% closed →

Also in Season 5 Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Season 5: 26 of 39 still open · 1 renamed, moved or under new owners

All 13 Season 5 episodes →

Nearest restaurants By distance from 1400 Barton Springs Road

All 304 TV restaurants in Texas →

Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources we checked 3 references

  1. kut.org https://www.kut.org/business/2025-04-11/austin-tx-green-mesquite-bbq-open-employee-owned
  2. Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/green-mesquite-bbq-and-more-austin
  3. greenmesquite.com https://greenmesquite.com/
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Record ddd-0191 · checked by Cal Marchetti.