Go to Salt Lick for the BYOB or for the atmosphere; don't make that trip for the food, though. Salt Lick is not on Texas Monthly's most recent (2013) list of
Top 50 BBQ joints. Several places in Austin (in addition to Franklin) do make the list--and that list was compiled before three heavyweights opened here (Black's; Terry Black's; and Cooper's). If your goal is to find great BBQ, a trip to Driftwood should be pretty far down your list.
Back in the day we used to say that in Austin you can get "both kinds of food in the world: BBQ and Tex-Mex." It was always in jest, and new locals of cosmopolitan Austin would probably be completely puzzled to hear it. Still, any short-term visitor should make BBQ and Tex-Mex (or interior Mexican, something quite different), their first and second priorities.
The
Fearless Critic website's current "Most delicious in Austin"list (regardless of cuisine type):
9.7 Congress
9.7 Uchiko
9.6 Uchi
9.5 Franklin Barbecue
9.4 Louie Mueller BBQ
9.3 Snow’s Bar-B-Q
9.3 Teji’s Foods
9.3 Taco More
9.2 Justine’s Brasserie
9.2 Olivia
Scores are for "food" only. See the website for other scores and price categories.