One of Austin’s Best Barbecue Trucks, Kerlin BBQ, Is Closing Because of Development Again

East Austin barbecue truck Kerlin BBQ is closing permanently at 2207 East Cesar Chavez Street this month. Its last day of service will be this weekend on Saturday, September 10.

Co-owners Bill and Amelis Kerlin are closing the truck because of a planned development project at the truck’s lot. They noted on Instagram that there are no plans to reopen the truck elsewhere, hence the permanent closure. However, they still plan on making barbecue for catering and large preorder orders via email at orders@kerlinbbq.com. Eater has reached out for more information.

Recently, the Kerlins had been on their regular summer vacation in July and August, with the intention of reopening over Labor Day weekend, but because of the forthcoming closure, they pushed that off. For its final day of business this week, the truck will be closed on Friday, September 9, but open on Saturday, September 10.

The Kerlins also operate a kolache-dedicated truck, Kerlaches, at a different address in East Austin at 2505 Webberville Road. That truck will remain open.

This isn’t the first time Kerlin has had to close and move due to development. They closed the original home on 1700 East Cesar Chavez in 2019 because the landlord wanted the lot empty for sale. They had shared space with Veracruz All Natural too. That’s when they relocated to the new East Cesar Chavez address.

The Kerlins opened the barbecue truck in 2013, with the first iteration of the kolache truck in 2017. The newer Kerlaches truck opened in April 2022.