Is The Salt Lick Still Open? Best Thing I Ever Ate Update (Driftwood, TX)
Best Thing I Ever Ate, Season 1 Driftwood, Texas
Current status
As of October 2026, The Salt Lick is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed September 8, 2026.
What the source shows: The Salt Lick's own site (footer copyright 2026) still lists the Driftwood, Round Rock, and Austin Airport locations with active Resy reservation links and Goldbelly ordering, confirming continued operation. How we decide a status →
- Episode Season 1, Episode 2
- Address 18300 RM 1826, Driftwood, TX 78619
- Website saltlickbbq.com
- Show map
© OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO
What happened after Best Thing I Ever Ate?
Best Thing I Ever Ate, Season 1, Episode 2
The Best Thing I Ever Ate (Food Network) featured Texas Hill Country barbecue from The Salt Lick in the show's 'Bar-B-Que' episode. The Salt Lick is a barbecue restaurant chain based at 18300 RM 1826 in Driftwood, Texas, according to Wikipedia's August 2026 revision of its page. A September 8, 2026 check of the restaurant's website, saltlickbbq.com, found 2026 copyright and current-year content, a working online-ordering link through Goldbelly, and pages for three locations—Driftwood, Round Rock, and the Austin airport—along with reservations, catering, and recipe information. The site also listed a Driftwood-specific menu and reheating instructions for shipped barbecue, according to the same check. Google Places lists the Driftwood location's operating status as operational.
Food Paradise, Season 3, Episode 1
Food Paradise: Manliest Restaurants featured The Salt Lick, a Driftwood, Texas barbecue restaurant. According to Wikipedia (revised 2026-08-24), it is a Texas barbecue chain based in Driftwood. The business's own website (saltlickbbq.com), checked 2026-09-08, carried a 2026 copyright, listed Driftwood, Round Rock, and Austin Airport locations, and offered nationwide shipping and reservations, indicating the business was operating under the same name at the time of this appearance.
Man v. Food, Season 1, Episode 05 Aired
Man v. Food's "Austin, TX" episode (S1E05), which aired 2008-12-17, featured The Salt Lick's Texas Hill Country barbecue, served family-style with sides at the restaurant's original Driftwood location. The Salt Lick Bar-B-Que is a barbecue restaurant chain based in Driftwood, Texas, according to Wikipedia (revised 2026-08-24). According to the restaurant's own website (checked 2026-09-08), the business now operates locations in Driftwood, Round Rock, and at the Austin airport, ships barbecue nationwide through Goldbelly, and takes reservations online at all three; the site's 2026 copyright notice, 2026-dated page content, and active ordering widget indicate current operation. Google Places lists the Driftwood location's business status as operational as of the same date. The website also lists separate menu pages for the Driftwood and Round Rock locations and a recipes and reheating-instructions section for shipped orders.
The episodes
Also in Season 1
Season 1: 57 of 88 still open · 4 renamed, moved or under new owners
-
Ep 1Balthazar
Open - Open
-
Ep 2Daisy May's
Closed - Open
-
Ep 2North Main BBQ
Closed - Open
- Closed
-
Ep 2Yank Sing
Open
Nearest restaurants
-
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Open -
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives · Food Paradise
Closed -
Food Paradise
Open -
Mystery Diners
Closed -
Best Thing I Ever Ate
Relocated -
Food Paradise
Open
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
- saltlickbbq.com https://saltlickbbq.com/
- Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Salt_Lick
We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.
Record mvf-013 · checked by Cal Marchetti.