Walter's BBQ Southern Kitchen

Texas Vibes in Lawrenceville

Aahh, summer in Pittsburgh: Swimming pools, Pirates games, and the outdoor patio at Walters. The sun doesn’t so much set as it slinks away, embarrassed it has to leave the party early.

Walter’s feels like your Uncle Jesse’s—if Uncle Jesse had a smoker the size of a Buick, carved out his slab of central Texas with a backhoe, flew it north, and dropped it, unbothered and fully operational, onto a corner lot in Lawrenceville.

You always looked forward to visiting uncle Jesse. You’d wake up early on Sunday morning, bug your parents until they gave in. By the time you arrived, Jesse was already at it, fiddling with the smoker, prepping the games, setting the stage. There’d be cornhole, giant Jenga, sweet tea for the kids, and sweet tea with a wink and a shot of bourbon for the adults. The cousins would show up. Dogs roamed freely. You could smell the fire from the street.

Follow the smoke around the house and you’d find Jesse in his overalls, poking at a steel box that looked more like a sarcophagus than a grill. When the lid creaked open and the smoke cleared, there it was: the real star of the show.

Because Uncle Jesse was a pit boss. And in Texas, brisket isn’t just dinner—it’s gospel. And if you’re gonna preach, you’d better do it right.

IRL, the actual bosses are Joel and Chris, and they bring decades of experience from both Texas and New York City. They made Walters feel like home, a backyard party with picnic tables and party games and a laid-back attitude.

You can order their brisket lean, but you shouldn’t. Opt for the fatty version, and feel free to cut off some of the excess if you must. But don’t get too trim-crazy. Remember: eating fat won’t necessarily make you fat, but it does taste sooo goooood.

What else can I tell you? Don’t sleep on the pork belly. it’s fantastic. The ribs are crusty with pepper and attitude, the sides are good-not-great, the beer is cold, the cocktails are proper good. And everything is priced right. On the patio you can use a QR code to order, and your food and drinks will appear as if from nowhere.

On Summer nights Walter’s goes from simmer to sizzle, overflowing with young folk looking for whatever it is young folk look for: A buzz, a story to tell, each other.

In colder months they throw up a tent and keep the fire burning, but the magic is muffled, the chaos moves on.

Service can be hit or miss. Is there a manager? Who cares. Mosey on up to the bar (or amble, whatever it is they do in Texas), order yourself a sweet tea with bourbon or a pint of cold beer and relax, you’re down south for the afternoon.

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Your online concerns, addressed (they won’t do it, but we will):

Edited for the sake of brevity:

My friends and I recently chose Walter’s in Lawrenceville expecting a pleasant evening of drinks. Unfortunately, our experience was anything but enjoyable.

We were asked for our IDs at the bar, and we all complied without hesitation… However, about ten minutes later, the bartender demanded to see our IDs again. We obliged, but she immediately targeted my boyfriend, rudely accusing him of having a fake.

To settle the matter, we looked up the regulations on our phones and confirmed that my boyfriend's ID was indeed legitimate. Despite presenting this evidence to the bartender, she stubbornly continued to accuse him, refusing to admit her mistake.

Determined to stand our ground, we called the non-emergency police line to verify the validity of the ID. The police confirmed that we were correct and stated that we were being discriminated against. Despite this, the staff's hostility only intensified.

Even after proving that the ID was legitimate and involving law enforcement, the staff at Walter’s displayed a blatant disregard for fairness and customer service. No customer deserves to be treated with such disrespect and disdain, especially when they are in the right.

One Star.

You called the police? And then stayed to order more drinks? How long does it take to realize that you might have a better time elsewhere? It’s Lawrencville, for crying out loud. There’s plenty of places to get a drink. But no matter, YOU WERE RIGHT, we all know it now, and that’s what’s really important to you here, isn’t it.

Food was just...meh. Wasn't busy at all and food arrived 5 minutes or less after ordering so that was perfect since we needed to get going to a concert. Waitress didn't charge us for drinks so dinner ended up being only $25. However the food wasn't yummy, it was just blah food so we won't be returning or recommending.

Translation: Waitress made a mistake and instead of pointing it out because we care about independently owned businesses and want them to succeed in our neighborhood, we said, “woo-hoo, free drinks! Let’s get outta here!”

They’ll miss you, I’m sure.

Walter's BBQ Southern Kitchen

4501 Butler St

Pittsburgh, PA 15201