A smokehouse in Seguin just landed on a very different kind of list. Burnt Bean Co., already crowned Texas' No. 1 barbecue joint, is the only barbecue restaurant included on the New York Times' newly released ranking of the 41 greatest Mexican restaurants across the United States.
The distinction comes down to what's on the menu alongside the brisket. According to MySA, Burnt Bean serves weekend specials like menudo, barbacoa tacos and brisket huevos rancheros, plus a regular menu that includes brisket tacos and tortilla soup. The New York Times described the Seguin smokehouse's food as Tex-Mex barbecue, and the paper noted that a culinary renaissance over the past 15 years has expanded the American palate, pointing to Texas' more than 1,200-mile border with Mexico as a backdrop for that shift.
Co-pitmaster and co-owner Ernest Servantes has said the combination isn't a gimmick — it's how he grew up eating. Servantes was raised in Uvalde eating barbecue with guacamole, pico de gallo and tortillas, a habit that now shows up on the plates at his own restaurant alongside dishes like marshmallow sweet potatoes, per the same MySA report.
From Pop-Up Rivals to Award-Winning Partners
Servantes and co-owner David Kirkland opened Burnt Bean Co. at 108 S. Austin St. in Seguin in 2020, after the pair had faced off against each other on the Texas barbecue competition circuit. Servantes won a 2012 episode of Food Network's Chopped Grill Masters before he and Kirkland launched a sold-out pop-up in 2019 and eventually opened the brick-and-mortar restaurant, according to Texas Legislature Online. Kirkland had previously managed restaurant kitchens and catering operations in St. Louis, while Servantes served as executive chef for Sodexo at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, according to Made By, which noted the duo spent 18 months planning the concept before opening.
The recognition has piled up fast. Burnt Bean climbed from No. 4 on Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ Joints list in 2021 to the No. 1 spot in 2025, a ranking built after a 26-member evaluation team visited 319 establishments statewide. The Texas Senate formally commended the restaurant, Servantes and Kirkland in Senate Resolution No. 10 during the 89th Legislative Session after that top ranking, per the same Texas Legislature Online document. Burnt Bean is now one year into its reign as the top barbecue joint on the list, and visitors have waited upwards of three hours in line at the Seguin location on weekends, MySA reports.
National and International Recognition Keeps Coming
Burnt Bean's rise hasn't stopped at the state line. Co-owners Servantes and Kirkland earned national recognition as semifinalists in the Outstanding Chef category for the 2026 James Beard Awards, marking their third consecutive year receiving a nomination in that category, according to KERA News. The Michelin Guide also awarded Burnt Bean a Bib Gourmand designation during its inaugural Texas selection in November 2024, recognizing the smokehouse for serving high-quality cuisine at moderate price points, per reporting on the Michelin Texas guide.
This isn't the first time national food writers have taken notice of Burnt Bean's approach. The New York Times previously featured the restaurant in a July 2023 piece spotlighting 20 “new generation” Texas barbecue establishments that expand beyond traditional smoked meats by incorporating Mexican-American and multicultural flavors, as CultureMap Austin reported at the time.
Seguin's Growth Mirrors the Restaurant's Rise
Burnt Bean's ascent has unfolded as its hometown booms. Seguin reached an estimated population of 38,789 in July 2024, a 31.7% increase since 2020 that made it the fastest-growing city in the San Antonio metropolitan area, according to figures reported by Seguin Today. The Guadalupe County city sits roughly 35 miles northeast of downtown San Antonio.
Burnt Bean wasn't the only Texas name on the New York Times' 41-restaurant list. Taqueria Elemi in El Paso, Garcia's Mexican Food in San Antonio, Nixta Taqueria in Austin and Hugo's in Houston also earned spots, per MySA's report on the national selection. Those inclusions place Burnt Bean's smoked-meat menu alongside more traditional Mexican fine-dining and taqueria concepts on a list the Times says was curated to highlight culinary diversity across the country.
Where to Catch the Pitmasters Next
Fans looking to sample the menu in person will have another chance this fall. Burnt Bean is set to join more than 30 top pitmasters at Texas Monthly's Top 50 Picnic at Lockhart City Park in November, an annual festival held in a city long designated the Armadillo Capital and BBQ Capital of Texas. Between the Lockhart picnic and the ongoing lines in Seguin, Burnt Bean's blend of brisket and borderland flavors shows little sign of slowing down.
