Slow Smoked
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Texas Craft BBQ

From the creator of the beloved Alamo Biscuit Company, Texas BBQ & Barstools was born from a passion John Vale had been proving for years: that real Texas craft barbecue deserved a place of its own.

Long before there was a restaurant, there was a ranch. John Vale was born and raised in South Texas, growing up around livestock and raising cattle alongside his father and brother — a true South Texan through and through. That upbringing is where his love of barbecue actually took root, not in a professional kitchen, but at home, firing up the pit and inviting friends over just to eat well and be together.

Texas BBQ & Barstools started from a passion for serving meats. John Vale built his name in San Antonio running the beloved Alamo Biscuit Company, earning a devoted local following through handcrafted food and genuine hospitality. But alongside the biscuits, his slow-smoked barbecue kept quietly stealing the show.

The rave reviews for John's BBQ grew until the answer became obvious: the smoke deserved its own home. In 2026, he opened Texas BBQ & Barstools on the San Antonio River Walk — a restaurant built around the same principles that made Alamo Biscuit Company great, applied entirely to the art of Texas barbecue.