Get Ready for Craft Beer & Texas BBQ at This Pearland Brewery

Saloon Door West in Pearland is now open. Photo by Mario-Sebastian Berry.

Webster-based Saloon Door Brewing recently expanded into Pearland with Saloon Door West at 1231 Broadway, the building that previously housed Bakfish Brewing. The new location opened in June and big plans are currently underway for its grand opening celebration next month. The new digs will sport a full kitchen led by executive chef Jason Hill, whose focus is on Central Texas-style BBQ.

Hill is an avid craft beer and barbecue fan who has years of experience as a food truck owner and operator, as well as a founding partner of Hugs & Donuts in the Heights, before overseeing the kitchens at Saint Arnold Brewing Company, Del Vista Local Bar & Grill, Kamp Houston and most recently at Scott Gertner’s Rhythm Room. He says when the opportunity arose to do what he loves at a local craft brewery, he was compelled to seize it. If all goes according to plan, the kitchen will be ready by mid-September. In the meantime, Saloon Door West rotates food trucks throughout the week.

He has brought on Humo Norte pitmaster Chuy Ortiz to consult on the project and help round out the menu. Ortiz, who Hill describes as his “secret weapon”, has an impressive resume that includes tenures at J-Bar-M Barbecue in East Downtown, which was voted as one of Houston Food Finder’s Best New Houston Restaurants of 2021 and featured in Texas Monthly as one of the 25 Best New & Improved Barbecue Joints in Texas — and Guess Family BBQ in Waco.

Familiar Texas favorites such as brisket, pork ribs, sausage, turkey and pork butt will be prepared in a 500-gallon offset smoker and served daily. Barbecue plates will be available on the weekends from noon until sell out with special items like pork steak, oxtails, lamb chops, bone-in beef shank (a.k.a. Thor’s Hammer) and beef dino ribs. During the week, Hill is planning to offer daily specials including Smoked Birria Tacos and quesadillas on Tuesdays, beer can chicken on Wednesdays and steak nights on Thursdays — which is sure to please fans of Hill’s Steak Kingz pop-ups.

Some highlights of the regular menu, which showcase Hill’s signature Tex-Cajun style, include Smoked Brisket Egg Rolls with pepper jelly dipping sauce, smoked chicken wings, Smoked Brussels Sprouts, smoked boudin and brisket queso, in addition to heartier handheld choices such as smoked burgers, sandwiches and tacos.

Jason Graham, his father Jeff Graham, brewmaster Josh Anderson and Austin Webber opened the original Saloon Door Brewing in Webster in April 2016. Webber is spearheading the Pearland location. Hill told Houston Food Finder that plans are also in place to add a traditional biergarten to the original location in the next year or two in order to better host weddings, large parties and corporate events. For these, Hill will be able to collaborate with guests on custom catering menus.

Both locations offer a wide range of food-friendly beer styles, including the refreshing Krispyyy Boyyy Pilsner, the balanced Pan Handler pale ale, high-octane I Must Break You Russian imperial stout and Tasty AF — its wildly popular peanut butter and chocolate milk stout. Guests can also choose from a number of rotating guest taps featuring beers from craft breweries such as Lone Pint, Back Pew and Real Ale Brewing Co. For non-beer drinkers, wine, cider, seltzers and non-alcoholic options are available.

Saloon Door West boasts a large, dog-friendly, covered patio with outdoor games like giant Jenga and cornhole, and a newly renovated, air-conditioned taproom that includes creative details such as a custom, herringbone-patterned bar that the owners built themselves from reclaimed wood. For entertainment, the brewery offers a weekend vendor market, Thursday trivia night, frequent live music and a pair of 75” televisions to watch the Astros, Rockets, Texans, Cougars and Friday night high school games. Following the kitchen kick-off, Saloon Door West will be celebrating the arrival of fall on Saturday, September 30 at its Oktoberfoostival bash.

Saloon Door West is open from 3 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to midnight Friday and Saturday (kitchen until 10 p.m.) and from noon until 9 p.m. on Sundays. Parking is available on-site.

Mario-Sebastian Berry is a wine and spirits vendor who has been in the hospitality industry since 2002. Currently, he represents Blanco, Texas-based Andalusia Whiskey Co. and multiple wine labels. Somehow, he also finds time to be Houston Food Finder’s associate editor and social media manager.