Little Miss BBQ

Little Miss BBQ is a popular barbecue restaurant — a very popular barbecue restaurant. It is the kind of joint where, while waiting in line, a piece of tape may get slapped over an item on the large displayed menu, exacerbating your order anxiety. But that's all part of the experience. If you're not on your feet, standing with strangers waiting patiently to order, your nose filled with the fumes of grilling meat, your stomach sucking up against your spine — well, you're not doing it right. Little Miss BBQ was started by a competitive barbecue team inspired by the barbecue joints of the Texas Hill Country. Sides range from the expected to the inventive — anything from creamy mac and cheese and coleslaw to jalapeño cheddar grits and a cold roasted vegetable salad — but the meat is straightforward and top-tier. When you finally get to the counter, you speak first with your meat man, ordering your chopped brisket or pulled pork or turkey breast or the like-butter beef short ribs (only on Fridays and Saturdays). Then it's on to sides and add-ons, such as slices of white bread. Spot the blue-and-yellow midcentury modern sign of the original restaurant off University Drive, and you know you'll soon be in barbecue heaven.