Pappas Bar-B-Q has nine standard sides, all priced identically at $2.95+ and all free in pairs with any plate: ranch beans, spicy rice, macaroni & cheese, candied yams, potato salad, cucumber salad, macaroni salad, coleslaw and green beans. Loaded baked potatoes are separate meals at $7.95 plain up to $13.95 with chopped brisket. Fresh-cut fries are $3.75, cheese fries $5.75, chili cheese fries $8.95 and chopped beef fries $10.95. A whole loaf of jalapeño cheese bread is $5.95. Salads run $5.75 to $13.95, and there is no upcharge for choosing brisket on the $11.95 meat salad.
The nine standard sides
Identical pricing across all nine. Family-size portions cost more and are what goes into the value packs and party trays.
Standard sides
Any of the nine below. Choose two free with any plate, platter or chicken combo.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Ranch BeansPinto beans in a thin, smoky, faintly spicy broth | $2.95+ |
| Spicy RiceTomato-based Spanish-style rice with a genuine chilli edge | $2.95+ |
| Macaroni & CheeseBaked, not stirred — the one kids always ask for | $2.95+ |
| Candied YamsHeavily sweetened; eats closer to a dessert than a side | $2.95+ |
| Potato SaladMustard-forward Texas style, served cold | $2.95+ |
| Cucumber SaladSharp and vinegary — the palate cleanser on a rich plate | $2.95+ |
| Macaroni SaladCold, creamy, mild | $2.95+ |
| ColeslawCreamy rather than vinegar-based; also goes on the pork sandwiches | $2.95+ |
| Green BeansCooked down soft with seasoning, southern style | $2.95+ |
How to pick your two
Because all nine cost the same, the only sensible strategy is to balance the plate rather than chase value. A brisket or rib plate is rich and fatty, so pairing two heavy sides — mac and cheese plus yams, say — makes the whole thing hard going by the halfway point.
- One hot, one cold. The most reliable combination on this menu. Ranch beans with cucumber salad, or spicy rice with coleslaw. The cold, acidic side resets your palate between bites of smoked meat, which is exactly why they exist.
- If you're taking it home: ranch beans and spicy rice. Both hold heat and neither degrades in the box. Mac and cheese sets firm and loses its texture within twenty minutes.
- With a lean plate (turkey, chicken breast): you can afford the mac and cheese or the yams, because the meat isn't doing the heavy lifting.
- Feeding a child: mac and cheese, obviously — and note it's also a $4.25 standalone item on the kids' menu.
- The one people underrate: cucumber salad. It sounds like filler and it is the side that makes a $17.95 Mixed Platter finishable.
Loaded baked potatoes
Not a side — a complete meal. Butter, cheese and sour cream come standard, then a smoked meat goes on top.
Menu item
Chopped Brisket
The one people come back for. A full potato under chopped brisket, cheese and sour cream.
Complete meal$13.95
Menu item
Turkey or Chicken
The leaner build. Same potato, same toppings, lighter meat.
Complete meal$12.95
Menu item
Pork or Beef Sausage
Sliced link over the potato. Holds its heat better than the sliced meats.
Complete meal$11.95
Menu item
Pulled Pork
Cheapest meat-topped potato and arguably the best texture match for the potato itself.
Complete meal$11.45
Menu item
Hickory Smoked Ham
Diced smoked ham. Mild, salty, straightforward.
Complete meal$10.95
Menu item
Plain
Butter, cheese and sour cream, no meat. Also what you get if you swap it in for two sides.
Single item$7.95
The potato substitution trick. A plain baked potato is $7.95 as a standalone item, but swapping your two free sides for one on a plate costs roughly $1.35. If you want both a plate and a potato, the substitution is the cheapest route by nearly six dollars — and it's the reason some regulars order the brisket plate with a potato rather than the $13.95 brisket potato.
Note on price variation: older store menus still list several of these potatoes one to two dollars lower (chopped beef at $12.95, sausage and ham at $9.95). The figures above are the current Houston-area pricing; if you're at a smaller or older store you may pay less.
Fries, bread & extras
The à la carte block — where the chopped beef fries hide.
Fries
Fresh cut in-house daily. These are the only items on the menu we'd tell you not to order to go.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Fresh Cut French FriesCut on site each day | $3.75 |
| Cheese Fries | $5.75 |
| Chili Cheese Fries | $8.95 |
| Chopped Beef FriesChopped brisket over fresh-cut fries — effectively a meal | $10.95 |
Bread & tamales
The jalapeño cheese bread is sold as a whole loaf and is the same bread used on the Brisket Patty Melt.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Jalapeño Cheese BreadFull loaf | $5.95 |
| TamalesPriced by the piece | $3.45+ |
Salads
Dressings: ranch, bleu cheese, thousand island, italian, honey mustard, fat-free catalina. All three appear on the gluten-free menu.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Chef SaladWith beef, ham & sausage | $13.95 |
| Tossed Salad with Any Sliced MeatPick your meat — brisket included at no premium | $11.95 |
| Tossed SaladSide portion | $5.75 |
Chopped beef fries at $10.95 are the sleeper order in this whole block. It is brisket — the $16.95-a-plate meat — piled over fresh-cut fries for less than a brisket po-boy. It won't survive a drive home, but eaten at the table it is the cheapest brisket on the menu that still feels like a meal.
The tossed salad with sliced meat at $11.95 is worth flagging for a different reason: you can specify brisket, and there's no upcharge for it. That makes it a genuinely reasonable low-carb order rather than the afterthought salads usually are at a barbecue counter.
The gluten-free menu
A parallel menu rather than a handful of substitutions — and priced identically to the regular one.
What's on it
- All eleven Bar-B-Q Specials, including the trios, House Special and Mixed Platter
- All nine rib platter configurations, including the Rib Combo and Rib Trio
- All six chicken combos
- All six baked potatoes
- All three salads with the full dressing list
- The nine standard sides, plus fresh-cut fries and tamales
- The Texas Dinner — three sliced meats at half a pound each with three large sides, $38.95+
What's not
- Every po-boy and sandwich — they're all on bread
- All six burgers, including the Brisket Patty Melt
- Jalapeño cheese bread
- The bread that normally comes alongside a plate
- Fried catfish (battered)
- Most desserts
Read this before you rely on it. A gluten-free menu describes the recipe, not the kitchen. Pappas Bar-B-Q runs a shared cafeteria line with shared utensils, a shared fryer and bread on the same counter, so cross-contact is realistic even on items that contain no gluten ingredients. If you have coeliac disease rather than a preference, say so at the counter and ask them to change gloves and serve from the back of the pan. This site is not a medical source and ingredient lists change — confirm with the restaurant.
Sides questions
How many sides come with a Pappas Bar-B-Q plate?
Two, free of charge, with every Bar-B-Q Special, rib platter and chicken combo. You choose from the same nine standard sides. Ordering those two sides separately would cost about $5.90, so they represent a real part of the plate's value.
What are all nine Pappas Bar-B-Q sides?
Ranch beans, spicy rice, macaroni & cheese, candied yams, potato salad, cucumber salad, macaroni salad, coleslaw and green beans. All nine are the same price à la carte ($2.95+ individual, more for family size), so there is no cost reason to pick one over another.
Can I swap my two sides for a baked potato?
Yes, at most locations, for about $1.35 extra. Given a plain baked potato is $7.95 on its own, that's the cheapest way to get one. It is listed explicitly on the gluten-free menu and honoured on the regular line at nearly every store.
Is the jalapeño cheese bread sold as a whole loaf?
Yes — $5.95 buys a full loaf, not a slice. It's also the bread used on the Brisket Patty Melt. For a table of three or four it is the best five dollars on the menu; for one person it is a lot of bread.
Which sides travel best for takeaway?
Ranch beans, spicy rice and yams hold heat and texture for a thirty-minute drive. Macaroni & cheese sets up and goes slightly grainy. Fries do not travel — order them only if you're eating in. Potato salad, cucumber salad, macaroni salad and coleslaw are served cold, so distance is irrelevant.