Black Gold Blends Elevated Austin Barbecue with South Texas Heritage
Pitmaster Memes Davila brings a fresh take on barbecue, combining Texas flavors with Mexican influences at his new restaurant in Crestview
Mems Davila has barbecue in his blood. He was raised around weekly fire pits with his Mexican American family in the Rio Grande Valley, smoking skirt steaks and briskets. After ten years at the helm of Wünder Pig Barbecue food truck, he’s opened Black Gold in Crestview, an elevated barbecue restaurant with three patios, craft cocktails and signature Central Texan flavors.
Davila, who moved to Austin as a working musician in 2001, has always considered himself a craftsman and wanted to bring that sense of artistry to his first brick-and-mortar restaurant.
“It’s hard to make money in this town (playing original music),” says Davila, who still reveres traditional Texas barbecue spots like Vera’s Backyard Bar-B-Que in Brownsville. “Growing up in South Texas, I was heavily influenced by my parents, my father, my grandfather. And ultimately, my secondary art (of barbecue) became my primary art.”
Blues and BBQ
Black Gold, pitmaster’s slang for the perfectly blackened rub on a piece of meat, opened in a 40-year-old space that used to be an auto garage. Davila worked with 3 Fold Design Studio to transform it into a stylish but warm dining spot that maintains that classic Austin feel. Cement floors, leather-accented furniture and sconce chandeliers create an inviting ambiance inside, where the 80-seat interior is designed to showcase a full view of the cutting station and craft cocktail bar. Outside, three patios include a space to watch the big game on the weekends, and, of course, a stage for live music.
The restaurant’s locality stretches to its menu, its team members and even its smokers. Black Gold’s two colossal, custom smokers are named Stevie Ray and Jimmy (as in Vaughan), two of Davila’s musical heroes, and were built by Luling-based Cen-Tex. Davila has been playing music with Food and Beverage Director Wally Sanchez (former Uptown Sports Club bartender and Ale House’s head chef) since the two were 14 years old, and General Manager Clay Garrison brings years of experience from two of Austin’s famed barbecue joints, Terry Black’s BBQ and LeRoy & Lewis.
And when it comes to Black Gold’s food and drinks, Davila says he “wanted to represent my heritage.”
Texas barbeque with Mexican influences
“I grew up with lengua,” he says. “Sunday mornings my dad would go to the tortilleria. He’d grab these cups of barbacoa — super delicious, soft and tender done. So bringing those elements to Austin and the style that we did it, but also adding that Central Texas barbecue smoke component is the vision of what we’re doing here.”
The menu maintains barbecue mainstays like BBQ pulled pork sliders and hot links, but also throws in some Mexican twists, like cornbread with cotija cheese and crema and Norteno (a Mexican region) brisket tacos. Then there’s some fancier picks you’d usually see at a steakhouse, like filet mignon, crispy duck (melt-in-your-mouth soft with bright mango habanero sauce), and Brazilian-style Picahna steak.
The meat comes from Texas-raised cattle at 44 Farms, and even the microgreens are sourced from local purveyors. Desserts include Big Red ice cream, a sweet Texas treat originally made with Big Red soda, smoked seasonal cobbler, and banana pudding cheesecake.
Creative craft cocktail offerings
For the thirsty, Black Gold offers an array of mezcals and tequilas, spiked refrescas, Mexican beers and a Mexican spin on cold brew. Plus, the seasonal cocktail menu features The Oaxacan, a Rosaluna mezcal take on an Old Fashioned, a spicy margarita named The Karen and takes on gin martinis and bee’s knees.
Though Davila takes pride in leveling up the barbecue space with some fine dining touches, he wants to welcome people looking for a date night, a home base for tequila shots and football and a quick, casual bite on your way home from work.
“I don’t want people to confuse this place as a white tablecloth place, and you got to wear a blazer,” Davila says. “No, this is Austin, and we want to keep it Austin. You can walk in here with flip-flops and a T-shirt and still get fine dining elements on our menu.” From a perfectly cooked 8-ounce steak to a cheeseburger, alongside options like a coffee martini or a cerveza, the menu offers something for every craving.