Riscky's Barbeque & Deli ~ North Richland Hills, Texas

Latest visit: Jun 2015 (North Richland Hills)

First visit: Mar 2007 (Fort Worth)

As of May 12, 2022 there are 6 BBQ locations in the Fort Worth region.

We first visited this location of Riscky's in March of 2007. It was a cold dark evening, and the place was dreary / ready to close. Probably not the best idea to try the BBQ, but we were hungry, and ultimately walked away disappointed. I never felt we gave Riscky's a fair shake, and so I refrained from further comment or rating, until I had a chance to go back and give it a proper tryout. I never intended that to be 8 years later, but finally I made it back. And I'm glad I did.

Well, it's barbecue and all that goes with that. In the past, I would always get a 3 meat platter so I could try as many cuts as possible. And then walk out bloated for the rest of the day... No more doing that! I've taken on a love for smoked chicken, so as I visit various barbecue joints in the area, that will probably be my first test dish. And then I'll move to other meats as I go. With that in mind, I had the smoked chicken basket which comes with fries at the very reasonable price of $6.99. The taste possessed the requisite smoky flavor and was excellent, though perhaps a bit dry overall, so guessing this isn't one of their strength areas. The fries were hot and flavorful, nicely sliced potatoes but not too soggy. I dipped the fries into the BBQ sauce so I could try it. The sauce itself is a bit thin and lacks distinction. I'm a firm believer that sauce is unnecessary at a great barbecue joint, though it can be a great enhancer if they so choose. To my tastes, it seems an afterthought at Riscky's. Overall, a place I look forward to trying over and over, each with a different meat and side(s).

Drinks/Desserts: Soda fountain, teas, etc... No alcohol. Desserts is limited to Banana Pudding.

Location: On the south side of Hwy 26 between Harwood and Davis. Despite being in the middle of suburbia, the location feels like you're in small town Texas, with the standalone wood building and painted specials on the windows. It's counter service and plenty of booths and tables to sit and enjoy the 'cue. The building has been fortunate in that no development has taken place around it. A throwback to an earlier era, and an oasis amongst the chaos.

Notes: Riscky's is a legendary name in Fort Worth barbecue, and they started in the Stockyards all the way back to 1927, serving out of a grocery store. Today they have multiple locations in the Fort Worth area including Trailboss Burgers and Riscky's Steakhouse.

3/10/07; 6/4/15 (new entry)