The newest Rudy’s “Country Store” and Bar-B-Q location has opened its doors in Scottsdale, Arizona, just in time for the 27th Annual Arizona Bike Week, April 3-7, 2024. For Texans needing a taste of home, Rudy’s is only a six-minute drive (for anyone driving the speed limit) from bike week headquarters at Westworld of Scottsdale. They have ample parking and a spacious indoor setup for you and your friends.
For 35 years, Rudy’s has been serving up delectable barbeque in Texas. Recently, Rudy’s has expanded to other states, including Colorado, Oklahoma, Florida, New Mexico, and Arizona, where I currently live. I couldn’t be more thrilled. The cure for my Texas homesickness is a quick trip to Rudy’s, which now has five restaurants in Arizona.
I grew up in the Hill Country by the original Rudy’s when it was a one-stop gas station and grocery store, established back in 1929 in Leon Springs just north of San Antonio. My brother would walk over, buy a package of chewing gum, and resell individual sticks to his school friends. He didn’t become a millionaire selling gum, but he did eventually become a keen businessman. In 1989, barbeque was added to the operation, and the name changed to Rudy’s “Country Store” and Bar-B-Q.
The inside of Rudy’s in Scottsdale is spacious with long picnic tables that’ll hold large groups. Menus are posted on the wall. As you loop around the line to order, you’ll come to a lineup of colorful bottled drinks you don’t often see, like Jarritos Mango and Grape Fanta. Beers are also served by the bottle, including Shiner in their Bock, Peach, and Sea Salt and Lime varieties.
You pick up your cold sides, such as coleslaw and potato salad, then order your meats and hot sides at the counter. Everything is sold à la carte, meats by the pound and sides by the ounce. It’s a fun place to eat family-style to share a menagerie of meats and sides like cream corn, beans, and green chili stew, eating to your heart’s content.
After cutting off a long piece of butcher paper to line your table, go to the self-service bar to load up on their yummy accompaniments, such as pickled carrots and cherry peppers so large and juicy they may squirt your neighbor when you bite into them. At the handwash station, an industrial metal sink outside the restroom, brown, scratchy paper towels serve as napkins. Who needs white cottony fluff?
Prime rib and moist brisket are the most popular dishes on the menu Rudy’s “Country Store” & Bar-B-Q. The top part of the moist brisket is marbled with fat, so it’s much juicier than the lean cut. Rubbed with Rudy’s seasoning, the beef is smoked in oak wood, so the intense flavor melts in your mouth. With the first bite, you’ll close your eyes, savor, and say, “Oh, that’s good!”
(photo courtesy of rudysbbq.com)
Rudy’s uses strictly beef for their brisket. However, for pork lovers, they have pork ribs and pork loin. The sausages are a pork and beef mixture. They serve regular, jalapeño, and cheddar-and- jalapeño sausage. Rudy’s doesn’t sauce the meat, unlike other barbeque chains. Instead, they leave their popular “sause” on the table to use as much or as little as you like. (You can buy Rudy’s Bar-B-Q and “Sissy” Sauses online or in the restaurant to take home.)
Don’t forget dessert. They make banana pudding fresh daily and bake the peach cobbler with a filo dough crust.
For anyone visiting Arizona Bike Week and craving downhome Texas flavors, head on over to Rudy’s in Scottsdale. You can also find Rudy’s in Chandler, Gilbert, Goodyear, and Tucson, AZ.
Rudy's "Country Store" and Bar-B-Q in Scottsdale 15257 N. Northsight Blvd. Scottsdale, AZ 85260 (602) 613-5105 rudysbbq.com Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 6:00 AM - 9:00 PM Friday-Saturday, 6:00 AM - 9:00 PM
