Texas barbecue is incomparable. Hands down the best barbecue I’ve had in my life. So when I got multiple positive reviews for 4 Rivers Smokehouse, I was intrigued.
4 Rivers has a very nice exterior. At first sight, I thought it was an upscale restaurant. There is a To-Go window on the exterior that is also used for pickup orders.
I ordered a brisket sandwich with two sides. For my sides, I chose Mac & Cheese and Texas Cornbread. The Texas Cornbread has its name because it has peppers in it that give it a spicy kick.
To say I had high expectations is an understatement. I swore this was going to be the best thing since Texas barbecue (which is very delicious if I haven’t already stated this.) Sadly, 4 Rivers did not live up to the hype.
The brisket sandwich was the star of the meal. It was very tender and filled with flavor. The barbecue sauce was like the briskets soulmate and they came together beautifully.
The bread was soft and gleaming like there was some type of oil on it. It was probably the best bread I’ve had on a brisket sandwich. Although, this is coming from a girl who is used to having wonder bread with her barbecue.
Now for the negatives, the sides. The Mac & Cheese was a good effort. Honestly, I didn’t expect it to be good because most chain barbecue restaurants don’t have good mac & cheese.
It was a step above stovetop macaroni. Not Kraft but definitely not baked macaroni with breadcrumbs on top. Side note: If you want good macaroni from a chain restaurant, J. Alexander’s is the place to go. Their macaroni is so good that I’ve driven 2 hours to Jacksonville just for it. And no, I’m not ashamed.
The Texas Cornbread was not that bad. I don’t know why I ordered it because I’m a baby when it comes to spicy foods. Though, if it didn’t have peppers, it would’ve been perfect. It was similar to Jiffy cornbread but a bit sweeter and moist.
Altogether, 4 Rivers wasn’t bad. I feel I would go there just for the meat and possibly the desserts. I saw some photos of the desserts and they looked very appetizing. I won’t be able to provide a review on the ribs because I don’t eat pork but the brisket gets four stars from me.
I would advise making the sides a bit cheaper if they aren’t going to be that appetizing. No one wants to eat only meat (unless you’re an extreme carnivore,) so sides are kind of important. The other sides could be good but I will never know because I don’t plan on purchasing them in the future. If you want good brisket, 4 Rivers is the place for you. Want sides with the brisket? Whole Foods is in the same plaza. Maybe you can get a healthy salad or some vegan mac and cheese!
