‘Business closed’: A Watauga barbecue restaurant has quietly served its last slice

The sign on the door at Pickles BBQ & Icehouse in Watauga is pretty succinct: “Business closed.”

It’s not clear yet why or exactly when the closure took place at the restaurant, which was on Rufe Snow in Watauga at a location very close to parts of Keller, North Richland Hills and North Fort Worth. It does appear that the closing happened in late July.

Keller-based Texas Blaze News, which posted about the closure on Facebook, notes that the Pickles Facebook page is still live, but the most recent post on that page is from July 22.

The Star-Telegram drove by the restaurant Thursday morning, and behind the “business closed” sign on the door is still a lot of restaurant furniture stacked up in the interior. We sent messages via the Pickles Facebook page and website, which is also still live. The phone is still connected, but a call only resulted in a lot of unanswered rings. We’ll update if we hear anything.

Pickles opened in October 2013 in a small strip near the north end of Watauga, in a space formerly occupied by Papa G’s Sports Bar & Grill. In his December 2013 review of the restaurant, Star-Telegram contributor Malcolm Mayhew described it as “more of a sports bar, less of a ‘cue joint.” The restaurant offered table service instead of the order-at-the-counter service familiar at many barbecue spots.

The restaurant was also known for its dog-friendly patio and even had “Lappy Hours” for canine customers, including a menu of gourmet dog treats. Pickles also frequently featured live music along with the food.

This story was originally published August 2, 2018 at 12:03 PM.