TV Restaurants

Is The Salt Lick Still Open? Best Thing I Ever Ate Update (Driftwood, TX)

Open verified

As of September 2026, The Salt Lick is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed September 8, 2026.

Primary source
saltlickbbq.com ·

Last verified

What the source shows: The business's own website (checked 2026-09-08) shows a 2026 copyright, 2026-dated page text, and a working Goldbelly ordering widget, and Google Places lists the Driftwood location as operational the same day.

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What happened after Best Thing I Ever Ate?

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: 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'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.

Featured on Best Thing I Ever Ate

Season / episode
Season 1, Episode 2
Original air date
Not confirmed
Episode title
Bar-B-Que
What was featured
Its Texas Hill Country barbecue featured in the 'Bar-B-Que' episode
Role
Revisit episode
Name on the broadcast
The Salt Lick
Season / episode
Season 3, Episode 1
Original air date
Not confirmed
Episode title
Food Paradise: Manliest Restaurants
What was featured
Central Texas-style barbecue at a sprawling Hill Country pit
Role
Revisit episode
Name on the broadcast
The Salt Lick
Season / episode
Season 1, Episode 05
Original air date
Episode title
—
What was featured
The Salt Lick's Texas Hill Country barbecue
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
The Salt Lick

Frequently asked questions

Is The Salt Lick still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, The Salt Lick is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed September 8, 2026.

What happened to The Salt Lick after Best Thing I Ever Ate?

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. As of September 2026, The Salt Lick is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed September 8, 2026.

Where is The Salt Lick located?

18300 RM 1826, Driftwood, TX 78619. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate featured The Salt Lick?

Season 1, Episode 2 of Best Thing I Ever Ate. The episode is titled “Bar-B-Que”.

Is The Salt Lick still using the Best Thing I Ever Ate menu or branding?

The site also listed a Driftwood-specific menu and reheating instructions for shipped barbecue, according to the same check. Anything newer than our last check on September 7, 2026 may not be reflected here.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
18300 RM 1826, Driftwood, TX 78619
Venue type
restaurant
Official website
saltlickbbq.com

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