Each table setting at the newly opened MockingBird BBQ in downtown Eugene comes equipped with disposable towelettes, hinting at the juicy meats that promise to make a mess.
Co-owner Sebastian Price is a sixth-generation Texan who’s ready to bring on the smoke. Although there’s a debate over where barbecue originated, Price and many others claim it started in Texas. He said it’s rare to find traditional Texas barbecue in Eugene.
“I grew up eating the best of the best,” Price, 39, said. “Barbecue may not be the road to world peace, but it’s a start.”
MockingBird BBQ, which officially opened Sept. 4, offers an array of smoked meats, including beef brisket, pork and chicken, served in sandwich form, incorporated in salads, filling tamales or sold by the pound. Apart from the main menu, Price said he likes to play with different flavors and seasonal produce, so there will often be new limited-time specials to check out.
Sebastian Price, owner of the newly opened MockingBird BBQ, seasons ribs at his Lowell kitchen on Sept. 8, 2026.
On Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., the joint adjacent to the Farmer’s Market Pavilion serves up breakfast tacos filled with combinations like brisket, egg, cheddar and Hatch chiles or chorizo, potato, cotija cheese and cilantro, as well as drip coffee.
Mockingbird also has a slew of vegetarian and vegan options like the sweet and spicy mushroom mole tamales.
Many of the dishes are served with Price’s signature sauces that he developed years ago and has continued to refine. The red sauce is a tangy vinegar-based beet sauce and the yellow is a pear-based honey mustard sauce. He said the idea for the inspired flavor combinations came from the book “Culinary Artistry” by Andrew Dornenburg, which Gabriel Gil gifted to him.
Gil, who died in 2015, was a local chef known for his heavy influence in the Eugene food scene, including restaurants like Tacovore.
The book lists food pairings. Price said there wasn’t much that paired with brisket, likely because it’s a common meat found in fine dining. However, one pairing, the first thing on the list, stood out to him — beets.
“‘I’ll play with that,'” Price recalled. “Then it just grew from there.”
A Brisket Dip at MockingBird BBQ on Sept. 10, 2026, in Eugene, Oregon.
MockingBird BBQ itself is a love letter to Texas. The vibrantly colored walls are decked out with nods to Texan culture: a woven flag, artwork of native flora and references to the classic Western miniseries Lonesome Dove.
The very name of the restaurant pays tribute to Price’s roots. The mockingbird is Texas’ state bird. The logo, which Price designed himself, pays homage to beading techniques created by the Indigenous Huichol people in central and northwest Mexico.
Despite its ample character, Price’s big barbecue dreams didn’t align with the tiny kitchen space in the downtown Eugene restaurant. Instead, he found a former daycare in Lowell, which serves as the off-site kitchen and property that houses his industrial smoker. Price plans to open the Lowell location as a full-blown restaurant that can seat around 100 people in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, barbecue lovers can swing by the downtown Eugene location at 45 E Eighth Ave. for a lunchtime bite, pick up a by-the-pound orders ahead of gameday or set up catering for large events.
Sebastian Price, owner of the newly opened MockingBird BBQ in Eugene, adds a thermometer while checking on a smoker at his Lowell kitchen on Sept. 8, 2026.
From quick service in Texas to fine dining service in NYC to a Eugene storefront
A first-generation American, Price’s mother was born in Mexico City and his father was born in Texas.
Price grew up immersed in barbecue culture. His grandfather was one of the largest cattle ranchers in the state for many decades. He learned to barbecue from greats like Barbecue Hall of Fame Roy Pérez and “Father of Southwestern Cuisine” Dean Fearing, both of whom were close family friends.
Despite his career trajectory, Price never went to culinary school.
Price began working his first food service job at age 15. He started in Braum’s, a regional fast food staple in Texas and neighboring states. Then rotated into several Mexican restaurants, working both front of house and back of house. He earned his undergraduate degree in business and anthropology at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, then traveled to the East Coast, where he studied film in at St. John’s University in New York. While in graduate school, Price dove into New York’s fine dining sphere, cooking at restaurants that had 18-month wait lists. Price then lived to Chicago briefly, before moving to Eugene.
As to how he ended up in Oregon, Price said he came to town as a wedding guest and “never left.”
“There was a vortex here,” Price joked. “Honestly, the weather’s great. Politics are great. Community’s good … I felt really at home and just comfortable.”
Sebastian Price, owner of the newly opened MockingBird BBQ, toasts marshmallows for a Campfire Shake on Sept. 10, 2026, in Eugene, Oregon.
He likened the tight-knit community feel in different neighborhoods to that of New York City.
Price started working at WOW Hall, then bounced around several locally-renowned restaurants including Izakaya Meiji and Tacovore, where Price said he pioneered the brisket taco.
He eventually decided to go out on his own. Price started out with food trucks, the first in Eugene across from Ninkasi Brewing, then a second in Newport. He later moved to Ashland where he opened Lady Bird Barbeque, with a similar concept to MockingBird. But when the mother of his daughter offered him the opportunity to have full custody if he returned to Eugene, Price closed his Ashland restaurant to return to town two years ago.
Taking over a local jazzy spot
The small restaurant at the corner closest to the Farmer’s Market Pavilion seats about 30 people and used to be home to Jazzy Sammies, which originally opened in 2015 as Jazzy Ladies Cafe & Coffeehouse. The owners opened a second location, Jazzy Ladies Cafe & Club on Oak Street, in 2022, and rebranded the Eighth Avenue spot as a casual lunch eatery in 2023.
Price said when talking with Jazzy Ladies co-owner Michelle Reid, she questioned why he hadn’t opened another restaurant. That’s when she suggested Price join forces with her husband Dave Reid. The duo partnered to found MockingBird BBQ, taking over Michelle’s old restaurant.
Price is honoring the tradition of the Jazzy enterprise by focusing on gluten-free options. All of the bread is housemade so Price can ensure the quality. As long as they can keep up with demand, all their bread will remain gluten-free.
“I try not to make bad food,” Price said.
The kitchen also still has the milkshake machine that was a Jazzy staple. MockingBird BBQ has a host of milkshake flavor combinations that range from simple pairs like vanilla and blackberry to palate-pleasers like banana, peanut butter, honey and bacon.
A Brisket Dip and Campfire shake at MockingBird BBQ on Sept. 10, 2026, in Eugene, Oregon.
The menu has eight mainstay flavors and eight more “boozy” options that incorporate bourbon, tequila or other spirits.
But the boozy services don’t stop there. MockingBird has a fully stocked, bourbon-focused bar, fitted with a rainbow of colorful barstools. Alongside a curated list of cocktails, MockingBird also offers several mocktail options.
Price wants his restaurant to act as a gathering place, welcome to all who enter to fill their stomachs and bask in the Southern hospitality. Food, especially barbecue, acts as a unifier in Price’s eyes.
“It doesn’t matter what your beliefs are, what your political stance is — the goal is to provide a space where people can have open conversations, and nobody’s at each other’s throats,” Price said. “I’m trying to create a space for everybody. And barbecue tends to do that.”
Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on X @mirandabcyr.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: New barbecue joint brings authentic Texas flavor to downtown Eugene
Dining and Cooking