Hard Eight BBQ

Frisco family of 4 - I have eaten at the original Hard 8 and felt it didn't live up to the hype. Since we live in Frisco we thought we would try this one out, even after reading the reviews.

1. It is smokey getting your meat. Just like the original joint, it is exciting at first, feels like an authentic experience but honestly it is more irritating than ever.
2. Yes, the line is slow because the meat cutters are limited. (2 working when we were there.) So the are busy taking orders or explaining things to new guests, or they are just slow. So, they can only focus on 1 meat at a time and with a family of 4 ordering our food it takes awhile. Which brings me to my #1 complaint - cold meat!
3. Because it takes a long time to get your meat, then go inside and get your sides, pay, fill your drink then find a seat, your meat (that you paid $15 a pound for) has dropped in temperature and is drying out! It happened when we went to the original Hard 8 and it happened at this one. I WANT HOT BBQ NOT ROOM TEMP!
4. Hot Food Tip - If you want hot BBQ, then order your plate last if you are with more than 2 people.
5. Free sandwich bread (which my kids enjoyed)
6. Mac and Cheese - average
7. Jalapeño Corn - while temperature was nice and hot, my wife didn't like it because, as she described it - gelatinous. I stopped eating it after she said that.
8. No relish bar - so no pickles or onions
9. Free Pinto Beans
10. Good sauce
11. Brisket had a really good beefy steak flavor but had no bark and got dry real quick, so eat fast!

So all and all we are writing this BBQ joint off our list. For what the price is, it had too many drawbacks for us. Three Stacks BBQ is still our fav, plus they have fantastic sides.

It will do well with Nebraska Furniture Mart shoppers who will be drawn in like flies.

The food was absolutely delicious. We had the rib-eye. Which was delicious. We also had the ribs and sausage. Everything was great. They also have a side that is a jalapeño corn casserole and it was da bomb. We will get more before we head home. Very nice service and food.

My FAVORITE BBQ spot in Dallas!!
Between the huge variety of options, the fun interior  full of smokers and taxidermic animals, and everything being absolutely delicious - it's a crowd pleaser!
When you go inside, you'll see all of the smokers in action and walk into the line area with lots of savory smells. You can order ribeyes more up front, or walk up to the BBQ counter area and pick weights of the meats you want. My favorites are the sausages and brisket. You don't have to stick to the weights on the menu, you can have less or more. Everything is cut to order!
After picking your meats, walk through and start grabbing any sides you want to pay at the end! I recommend the okra and Mac and cheese  
I can't wait to come back!!

Well my friend & I went to Hard Eight yesterday & I must say I never expected to walk in to a smoky fire pit area! That was very unexpected! I'm not sure why they made it this way it was hot & the smoke made it hard to breathe! I don't like the set up at all! I went home smelling just like smoke smh...you would have thought I had been grilling!
Once we made it thru the fire pit area the meat looked so delicious it's hard to pick one meat so we both chose Brisket & Sausage. I got the grilled corn & we both had the potatoes salad.
Overall the food was good just needed more season.
I'll go back but in the winter when it's not so hot!

This bbq house is the Best!
Staff, food, service, cleanliness was amazing.
Thank you chef  Edric and Kenny for excellent hospitality!

Colony (North Dallas), Texas.

Hours: 10:30a-9/10pm.
Location: Plano Pkwy & Hwy 121 East.
Parking: Large, private lot.
Décor: Cluttered. Open Bench.
Estimate Cost: $25-35
Service: Non-existent. People are nice but not full service eatery.
Eatery Type: Self-Serve.
Food: Hearty, Bomb-BBQ.

Conclusion: I LOVE THIS SPOT =) OMG is my basic expression as I walked into the sweltering place & being in shock & awe at what my iddy biddy little eyes are receiving, what amazing scents my nose is gobbling up, the sweet music of grillings and chatter that ultimate concludes to salivating & thinking in my head for the massive crowds in front of me to hurry the hell up. Yep... For those whose are not used to Texan BBQ spots like Hard-Eight which is the majority of us from the west coast... OMG~!

Brisket, check. Pork RIbs, check.. Sausage, check... Spicy sausage, check.... Grilled corn, check.... Everything I ate was sweet succulence to the lips like the first kiss with a women you actually love. Amazing...

This is my favorite restaurant so far period. Just my favorite. Being a favorite also means it will stay that way since I can't eat this stuff too much for health reasons but also because Hard-Eight is currently 2000 miles away from home. A blessing & curse all in one... At least for the time being.

Price is by weight (per pound). Don't over-order since it's that just means massive leftovers. Let me try to put in context... One pound of meat is similar to four quarter pound burgers at McDonalds. That is a lot of food although one pound of ribs, sausages, and briskets don't appear that much. Oh but it is especially since getting some side dishes such as the grilled corn or sweet corn should be part of any balanced bbq meal. Some cold side dishes are available inside after getting your carnivorous plate. BBQ sauce is available like ketchup in the nice icebox called the dining room.

All in all, for any of you in the (North) Dallas region... Give Hard-Eight a shot as the food, service, ethos, environment makes for one helluva meal that will conclude with smiles, a lighter wallet & bigger waist line. Okay, generally, a bigger waistline since I am blessed with this amazing ability to get carnivore heavy diet and shrink my waist line (I lost four pounds on my last Texas trip which is not good for my 150lb/63kg frame).

I can't wait to try the rib eye next time... If I can wait the ten minutes or so waiting for it.

As an added bonus to my fellow BOTL/SOTL, the infamous Cigar International Lounge is in the same lot =D

Eating meat is an instinct.
cleeshyun.com
@cigarcpa

This place was much better than what I expected. The brisket here is really good. They were moist and cooked perfectly! The ribs were okay only and sausages only okay too. My husband really like the jalopenos poppers. Me not so much. Like all good bbq places, if you come here during the weekends then it's super busy. But if you come during a non busy weekday, then you'll get your food fast. I'd recommend this place over some of the more popular bbq places here in Texas. This one is cheaper and taste pretty good.

I don't know why I haven't reviewed this place until now but I easily place them in my top 5 BBQ joints in the area. They have your typical selections of meat but also offers Prime Rib on weekends and they do ribeyes as well. My typical go to times here are the hot sausage, pork ribs, and brisket. They also have a multitude of sides to pick from and have a great Mac n Cheese.

This most recent time around I got the ribeye and gotta say that it was good but over cooked for sure. I ordered medium but it came out closer to well done. This was probably due to them serving it on a hot plate so what I would recommend is to order one temp lower than you normally would as it will continue to cook some on the plate giving it won't get to rest.

Overall it's definitely worth a visit.

Great food and place but you and your clothes will likely smell like smoke after. The setup they have has patrons getting their meat and waiting in line in the midst of all the meats smoking. It's pretty cool but also very smelly.

Tried many of the items this visit: brisket, pulled pork, chicken, sausage, bacon wrapped chicken, bacon wrapped shrimp, mac & cheese,  jalepeno corn, sweet potato and pinto beans. All was great!

Pork Ribs,Pulled Pork,Smoked Sausage, Corn on the Cob, Apple Pie.  I love this place, tools tow co workers with me and they were instant fans. This place is a must when in Plano.

I hate that I did not take pictures to provide this review.  I ended up having to ask one of my grandsons if he had any pics from this visit, and the only one he had was this, becasue he was showing how my other grandson had destroyed his steak.

My daughter lives here in the area and suggested going to the Hard 8 BBQ, because the food is great.  I took her suggestion and brought the family here.  

The experience starts from the time you enter the door. The smokey smell of the meats on the BBQ Pit invite you inside and seemly yell "Come and Get It!" ( Like from a Western, Chow call).

From the time we landed at DFW, one of my grandsons shared with me that he had a craving for a steak for a long time now, and I said, while we are here, Nana would try to make sure that happened, and by the look of the steaks already on the grill, it appeared that we would....I only hoped that he wouldnt be disappointed.

My daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter come here often, so they already knew what they wanted and proceeded in stacking up the delectables inside the restuarant. One grandson, got the chicken and my other grandson waited until the Grill master could take our order on the steaks.  I wanted mine medium well and my grandson wanted his medium. Our orders were taken and we were given instructions on where we could pick up our steaks.  Afterwards we proceeded to join the rest of our party picking up sides, paying and then finding a spot to sit.

We found a great spot near the TV screens, where I could continue viewing the Olympics games...BONUS!!!

There was a mixup on the grill and the steaks did not come out.  I went back to the cashier to inquire about the steaks and she immediately contacted the manager, who came to the table and informed that the original steaks had been left on the grill longer then they should have.  The manager, Edric, was extremely professional, and appoligized for the mishap.  He personally took the time to cook both steaks, to perfection, himself and discounted a portion of the bill for our inconvience.  I have found that since COVID, customer service in all industries has taken a steep decline, however I was thoroughly impressed by Hard 8 BBQ's demonstration of what good Customer Service looks like.  Accountability is extremely important to me, because I understand that not all customer expectations can be satisfied all the time, but when a customer service provider gets it wrong, they should be compelled to fix it and make it right.  The Hard 8 BBQ's management made it right and now have a repeat customer in me.  When I travel back to TX, I will be sure to eat here.

It would be remissed if I didnt end this review with what we thought about the steaks.  My grandson says that his steak was hands down the best steak he has had in his entire life (14years); and my steak was top five of the best steaks that I have ever had, in my travels throuighout the world and my own kitchen, which is extremely impressive to me.  Thank you Hard Eight BBQ and Thank you Edric, for a perfectly great steak and great family experience!