Austin Ex-pat Spreads Gospel of Texas BBQ, One Plate At a Time
That dish to the right looks pretty damn amazing, but you're not gonna find this particular establishment anywhere near Town Lake: Bubba's Texas-Style Bar-B-Que & Saloon just opened last month in Shanghai, China, and our intrepid brethren at Shanghaiist went over to have a looksee.
The verdict? Possibly the best BBQ joint in China ("... there is really no competition"), if you're able to throw down anywhre from 75 kuai for a pulled pork sandwich or 250 kuai (roughly $31) for their Triple Meat Combo with Beef Short Rib. Even more awesome, native Austinite Ken "Bubba" Walker rounds out his restaurant's menu with Texas-themed cocktails like the Hill Country Sunrise (Cuervo Gold, orange juice, and grenadine), Alamo City Slammer ("One for the River Walk, great Tex-Mex food, the Spurs, and the historical landmarks"), and the Longhorn Rita. There's even a handy guide of key Texas terms (Fix’n – a word Texans use to indicate something is about to happen, or someone is about to take action. As in, “I’m fix’n to eat some bar-b-que.”) so folks in the Hongqiao can order properly.
Bubba (real name Ken Walker, a native of Austin, Texas) knows what he is doing. He has set up shop out in expatville, a horseshoe's throw from the Hongqiao Marriott. And, conveniently, smoke from Bubba's kitchen wafts right up toward the Marriott's front door. Many a disoriented American businessman have already followed the scent to Bubba's, and ended up cocooning themselves in a home away from home between meetings and Chinese banquet meals. [read more]
Bubba’s Texas-style Bar-B-Que and Saloon
2262 Hong Qiao Lu
Shanghai, China, 201103
(86 21) 6242 2612
Photo from Shanghaiist Editor Dan Washburn's Shanghai Diaries.
