This Plain BBQ Restaurant in Texas Is Like a Picnic with Strangers Turned Friends

Barbecue is about getting down to the basics. It’s meat, sliced, chopped. On wax paper. With your favorite sauces and sides.

Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que in Fort Worth, Texas, agrees with you. Wholeheartedly.

They serve up meats on long sheets of paper, with no fancy baskets or anything. It’s closer to the food itself and less about presentation.

You do have your typical sides, sauces, and drink cups.

But the star of the show is there: The meats.

Getting settled at Cooper’s

This location of Cooper’s is near the famous Fort Worth Stockyards.

Expect to spend about $20–30 per person here. It’s not the kind of place you’d pop into every Sunday — it’ll add up fast.

But it’s a great place to take a coworker, a friend, or a family member who’s in town and visiting the Stockyards.

Pairing a trip to the Stockyards with Fort Worth barbecue is one of those quintessentially Texan experiences. It’s an iconic thing to do in Texas.

Seating inside is set up like picnic tables. Very long tables. Benches. You’ll rub elbows with the folks next to you, when times are busy.

That also makes it a place of community. You’re not sectioned off into square or rectangular tables in a restaurant.

You’re sharing the same table as strangers who’re about to become friends. Barbecue’s too good not to spark a conversation.

Cooper’s has outdoor seating that’s perfect for good-weather days. In Texas, summers get pretty hot for sitting outside and eating hot food.

But for many Texans, the heat is another part of what we love about our state, and what makes us Texans by nature.

Sitting outside is a good way to let the young ones blow off some steam and take in some fresh air.

Friends can sit outside and chat as the afternoon stretches on and the sun sets. Couples on a date lean in closer as they eat and talk under a wide, open sky.

There’s also a private dining room, if you’d like to host a birthday party, wedding rehearsal dinner, engagement party, or retirement party at Cooper’s.

Just like everything else at Cooper’s, the menu keeps things simple and unpretentious.

Cooper’s is also happy to customize a menu for you, too, so that it’s served buffet style, family style, or off the pit.

At the Fort Worth location, they have a Llano Room that seats 250 people. It’s a flexible space, so you can adapt it to your needs.

There’s also a patio area that’s an indoor/outdoor space. There’s room for up to 150 people. It’s got a shaded beer garden, too.

If neither option is to your liking, or you have a venue or a house already selected, you can bring Cooper’s to you!

Their managers will get in touch with you after you fill out the event form about catering on their website. You’ll need to enter your email address, phone number, the location of the event, the number of people, and the event date. Be ready!

On Friday and Saturday, they’re open from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The rest of the week is the same opening time and a slightly earlier closing time, at 8:30 p.m.

Make sure you don’t get your wires crossed and think they’ll be closing later than you’d planned. Leave time for late-night chats!

Saturday night is their busiest time, by far. During the weekdays, it’s very quiet. You’ll get a table all to yourself most weekdays, if you like the peace. If you want the hustle and bustle of a full crowd, pencil it in for Saturday night.

Parking is not an issue here. There’s plenty of parking spaces.

Well, how does it work? Inside? They’re true to their tagline: “No frills, no fuss. It’s all about the meat.”

Since the 1960s, they’ve been cooking barbecue pretty much the same way. They call it “cowboy style.”

It basically means they cook all their barbecue over live mesquite coals and serve it right off the pit.

That’s the “Pit” in their name! And it’s part of the theming inside as well.

When you’re in line, as soon as you get up to the person who’ll take your order, there’s the pit right there. It’s part of the experience.

You choose your meats at the pit. They’ll grab whichever meat you choose, cut and slice it for you, and send it on down the line. You’ll follow your meat as you get further along.

You’ll select sides, then grab a seat at one of the long tables. It’s a huge dining room, and a very open-air concept. It doesn’t feel crowded or packed, even when it’s busy. The dining room is designed like a giant community room.

Don’t forget to go get your beans, bread, sliced pickles, jalapenos, and onions. Those are free! You get them after you go through the line, pick your meats and sides, and pay at the cash register.

Drinks are also in the community room, so you can get refills, straws, and so on.

Cooper’s menu

Just like everything else at Cooper’s, their menu is much of the same. It’s down to earth, simple, and to the point.

They have about 14 different cuts of beef, pork, and poultry on the pit every day. One of their popular items is the Big Chop, which includes signature beef ribs. Another crowd favorite is the Texas Trinity, with brisket, sausage, and pork ribs. They also have steaks, if you’re craving one.

Now that you’ve heard this restaurant is all about the meats … bring on the meats!

At Cooper’s, you’ll have your pick of beef ribs, brisket, regular sausages, jalapeno cheddar sausages, chicken, ribeyes, and sirloin.

They also have pork chops, pork loin, pork ribs, prime ribs, turkey, chopped beef, and pulled pork. 

If you’d rather have a sandwich, Cooper’s has chopped beef sandwiches or pulled pork sandwiches.

Sides at Cooper’s include potato salad, coleslaw, grilled corn, steamed corn, and green beans.

They also have mac and cheese, jalapeno/bacon mac and cheese, and a tossed salad. You’ll also find sour pickles, regular cheese, and chips, too.

How will you wash it all down? They’ve got iced tea, sodas, draft and bottled beers, Topo Chico, Big Red, wine, and bottled water.

Desserts are where they shine. Cobblers might just be the best part of a barbecue meal done right.

At Cooper’s, they have blackberry, pecan, peach, apple, and cherry cobblers. And ice cream, of course!

Tips about Cooper’s

Cooper’s is a great spot for happy hour after work with coworkers.

Inside, the noise is a little loud when it’s full of people. Because it’s all in one room, the sound is louder than a restaurant that would have sections of rooms.

They don’t take reservations or offer delivery, but they have take-out options.

Vegetarian choices are limited at Cooper’s. It’s mostly about the meats, which doesn’t leave a lot of options to make up a meal. Definitely ask about some of their sides, if they have meat in them.

The main entrance is ADA-compliant, and there’s bike parking nearby.

They have TVs inside and free WiFi. Cooper’s accepts credit cards but doesn’t take Android or Apple Pay.

The location is a bonus — you’re right in the heart of it all, steps from the Stockyards and a short trip from Billy Bob’s Texas if you’re in the mood for dancing.

Portions are large at Cooper’s. It’s structured to mainly feature the meats.

But you can customize the meats that you get.

So, you can order less if you’re not that hungry or if it’s a little expensive. Or you can ask for more meat if you’re going to take some home or share with members of your group.

Being able to customize what you get (and the refills you do) is a nice way to complement a group of friends or family going out to eat. Everyone can eat a little or a lot, and they can go back for more beans or refills on drinks.

The queue line, right from when you walk in the doors, is overwhelming for first-timers. You’re directed straight into a line where you’ll be expected to make decisions about what and how much meat you want, which sides, which desserts, and so on.

Do your research ahead of time, if you can. Know what you’ll order, and have some options for the kids in your party, too.

When you’re in line, you’re in the middle of the big room already, which contributes to feeling how huge the place is. But it’s also great to get a sense of what a table, space, and flow looks like as you’re waiting in line.

Be prepared to accidentally spend more than you’d planned. That’s the sneaky part about customizing what you’d like to eat.

You’re likely coming in hungry, and ordering reflects that mindset.

To get there, plug ‘Cooper’s Old Time BBQ Fort Worth’ into your Maps app.

Where: Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que, 301 Stockyards Blvd, Fort Worth, Texas 76164

Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que is like having a picnic with 100 of your closest friends. It’s on wax paper. It’s not very polished. Everyone has wads of napkins in their hands.

They’re going back for more beans. And refills on drinks.

While rubbing elbows with strangers isn’t for everyone, it’s one of the ways we Texans get to know each other.

We’re different because we can’t help but grin and hand an extra napkin to the teen next to us.

Find them online at coopersbbqfortworth.com, follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and pull up directions on Google Maps before you head out — because the pit’s always going, and the meats won’t wait.