The Absolute Best Spots For BBQ In New York City

If you had to name the best cities for barbecue off the top of your head, New York probably wouldn't make the cut. It's too far north to be part of the great American BBQ belt, and it's not associated with any particular regional variant, technique, or type of sauce.

But New York actually does have a ton of great BBQ if you know where to look. The city is a microcosm of America's melting pot, bringing people from all over the world to one big, communal picnic table. That includes talented BBQ chefs, who faithfully import their traditional and regional techniques when they move to the Big Apple.

Below you'll find recommendations for the best places to get BBQ in New York City, spanning multiple regional styles, price points, and boroughs. These nine NYC barbecue restaurants are a combination of the best that I, a BBQ enthusiast, amateur cook, and born-and-raised New Yorker have tried, alongside some recommended personally by trusted friends. A full description of the methodology used in selecting these restaurants can be found below.

Even though it occupies a massive storefront in the industrial part of Astoria, Queens, Pig Beach will make you forget you're in New York. It's a no-frills experience: long wooden picnic tables, a line that wraps around the BBQ counter, and a great local crowd will transport you to BBQ heaven. Weather permitting, Pig Beach opens up its beer garden-esque outdoor section, which gets especially lively when they break out the projector for major sporting events, or on nights with live music.

As far as what to order, Pig Beach is beloved for its brisket, which comes with a simple salt-and-pepper crust. I'm also partial to the baby back ribs, which use an irresistibly tacky honey and peach glaze. For something different and decidedly local, you may want to try the smoked lamb shoulder, which comes with a halal cart-style white sauce and generous hunks of pita bread.

The real star of the show at Pig Beach, though, is the sauces. They have something for everyone: tangy vinegar sauce for a mild kick, Ocean Front for those who like it hot, Rob's Righteous for a classic red BBQ sauce — but the star of the show is the World Champion mustard BBQ sauce, two-time winner of the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. This Carolina-style sauce always keeps me coming back for more, and it is the perfect pairing with Pig Beach's brisket.

Hometown Bar-B-Que opened its Red Hook location in 2013, while the historic industrial area was undergoing a massive facelift. Many neighborhood staples have come and gone in the years since, but Hometown has remained a staple, dishing out quality smoked meats to BBQ lovers from far and wide. Come during peak hours, and you'll find a line that stretches out through Hometown's double doors and around the block.

Smoking everything with real oak wood and tried-and-true Southern techniques, Hometown offers both classic BBQ favorites like brisket, pulled pork, and beef ribs as well as more unique menu items with diverse culinary influences: Korean BBQ-style sticky ribs, Oaxacan marinated smoked chicken, Vietnamese lamb banh mi, and Jamaican jerk ribs. It's also known to get inventive with barbecued veggie options for the non-meat-eaters in your group. In fact, the smoked mushroom taco is unlike anything else I've tried.

There's a lot of variety, which makes Hometown the perfect place for a big group. Order many different dishes and make your own tasting menu. For me, though, nothing beats their unique southern twist on a New York favorite: the smoked pastrami sandwich, served on rye bread with deli-style mustard. It's only available on the weekends, which means you'll have to brave both a long commute to Red Hook and what could easily be an hour-long line, but it's well worth the wait. Don't forget to tack on a mini key lime pie, which Hometown sources from Brooklyn staple Steve's Authentic right across the street.

If Hometown is Southern BBQ with a New York twist, Dinosaur is Southern BBQ in its pure, unaltered form. With its exposed brick, weathered booth seating, and dented trays piled high with homestyle BBQ, Dinosaur has become a local favorite for its laid-back, unpretentious attitude.

Dinosaur has two locations — one in Gowanus, Brooklyn, and one in Harlem. Each of them has a massive, chain restaurant-sized menu full of everything you could want from a BBQ joint: St. Louis-style ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, USDA Prime brisket, and more. If it's your first time, order the Tres Niños sampler to try a small portion of all three.

As much as I love going to Dinosaur Bar-B-Que for a portion of brisket, though, what really gets me through the door is the sides. They do the classics, like mac and cheese, cornbread, and simmered greens, exceptionally well, but their BBQ fried rice and Creole deviled eggs are also worth trying. As a bonus, the Gowanus location of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is right around the corner from some of New York's best local breweries, so their bar serves a rotating menu of seasonal drafts from Wild East and Strong Rope, as well as staples from other local taprooms.

If you're the kind of BBQ fan who knows exactly what you want, then Johnson Bar-B-Que in the South Bronx is the place for you. There are only three options on the menu for main courses — pork ribs, fried chicken, or fried fish — with a handful of options for sides. Everything comes piled high in takeout containers, in huge but reasonably priced portions.

The BBQ ribs are some of the best in the city, perfectly tender with a generous drizzle of Johnson's own tangy-sweet mustard BBQ sauce on top. With each entree, you get a choice of two sides: the candied yams, collard greens, or black eyed peas and rice make a perfect pairing.

Part of the charm of Johnson, though, is its neighborhood feel; it's been a family establishment since 1954, and it shows. It's a local legend, having served the same part of the Bronx for two generations, and it's well known by everyone on the block.

Located on Webster Avenue in the Bronx, Webster's Kansas City is another great option for KC-style BBQ in New York. Near Fordham University and the New York Botanical Garden, it's a relatively new arrival to the neighborhood, but Webster's has earned a reputation for excellent BBQ in a bustling part of the Bronx.

The brisket is a highlight here, as are the St. Louis-style ribs, all slathered in one of its in-house sauces: Kansas City-style, or hot and smoky. The smoked half-chicken is thoroughly seasoned, with deliciously smoky skin. They'll also put pulled pork, pulled chicken, or chopped beef into a taco, or spread it over a dish of nachos, if you want a finger food option.

Besides its BBQ, Webster's also offers some standout sides: in addition to the usual mac and cheese, greens, and cornbread, they also have things like cassava fries, tostones, dirty rice, and Syracuse salt potatoes.

Authentic Kansas City-style BBQ can be hard to come by in NYC, but John Brown BBQ — situated a short distance away from the high-rise luxury towers of Long Island City — delivers on just that. Named after the pre-Civil War hero, who fought for abolition during the Bleeding Kansas crisis, John Brown BBQ brings all the best Kansas City has to offer to a little, unassuming corner shop in Queens.

The menu at John Brown's is massive but uncomplicated, hanging over the bar on a faux-chalkboard, and offering a variety of meats by the third, half, or whole pound. The burnt ends, slathered in the sweet-and-tangy Kansas City BBQ sauce, always go over well at the table, but again and again I find myself coming back to its John Brown Reuben — thick-cut slices of house-cured pastrami piled high on rye with Russian dressing, coleslaw, and cheese.

John Brown's is also a major hub for Chiefs fans in the city, so it gets a good crowd during games. Whether you're feeling homesick for Kansas City, or you just want a plate of delicious barbecue, John Brown's is worth a visit.

But if you want something from the other side of Missouri — St. Louis-style ribs, to be exact — you'll have to check out Mable's Smokehouse, located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Pork spare ribs that have been trimmed into a flat, rectangular slab, they're one of the more unique offerings at Mable's.

Even better, though, are its smoked wings, which come in just two classic flavors: BBQ or Buffalo. These are fall-off-the-bone tender, and coated with the rich, sticky, flavorful sauce of your choice. I also swear by the savory smoked kielbasa, extra creamy mac and cheese, and sweet candied yams.

Mable's is also known for its generous brunch, and all-you-can-eat deals: on Saturday and Sunday mornings, you can get a brunch entree and bottomless drinks for $40 per person. Every Wednesday is all-you-can-eat ribs for $35 per person, and every Thursday is all-you-can-eat wings for $25. In other words, it's a great place to go with friends and a good appetite.

With three locations, two in Harlem and one in the Upper West Side, Charles Pan-Fried Chicken, a James Beard Award semifinalist in 2023, has become known around New York for its namesake: the fried chicken. Crispy, juicy, and tender, the chicken has earned its reputation — but Charles is stealthily one of the best places in the city to pick up a good plate of BBQ.

In addition to fried chicken, Charles also serves BBQ chicken, pulled pork, and ribs, all of which are cooked with the same care, and to the same tender, delicious result. Founder and chef Charles Gabriel uses the same authentic North Carolina BBQ techniques he was raised with for a taste of the south uptown. You can order all of it with a side of regular or jerk-style BBQ sauce for a bit of an extra kick.

Besides the barbecue meats, you have to try Charles' sides: the generous portions of creamy baked mac and cheese and the perfectly textured, well-seasoned okra are special favorites. Even though most people come for the chicken, you really can't go wrong with anything on Charles' menu, especially the authentic North Carolina BBQ.

Located in the heart of Astoria's 30th Avenue bar and restaurant district, Butcher Bar stands out from the pack with high-quality barbecue and creative preparations. It always gets a good crowd, and maybe it's just my local bias showing, but it's my go-to whenever I'm craving a good cut of brisket or a pulled pork sandwich.

On special occasions, though, I splurge for the "Meat Candy" twice-smoked burnt ends. They're served dry, but don't even need sauce; they're perfectly seasoned and melt-in-your mouth tender. Order an appetizer portion to split with the table, or keep them to yourself with a Butcher's Bowl, which comes with mashed potatoes, corn, and pepper jack cheese.

For something different from the usual BBQ fare, though, I can't recommend Butcher Bar's BBQ sandwiches highly enough. There's nothing wrong with a classic, fully loaded pulled pork sandwich, but the brisket Philly Cheese or PBLT (that's pork belly, lettuce, and tomato) are unique offerings you won't find just anywhere.

As a barbecue enthusiast, amateur cook, and native New Yorker, I have either personally tried and enjoyed every barbecue restaurant listed above, or it's been highly recommended by trusted friends. Although there are a few national BBQ chains with locations in New York, I gave special consideration to local chains and family-owned BBQ restaurants you won't find anywhere else in the world. 

I also chose to focus on places with unique menus that reflect a regional BBQ variant that's hard to find in NYC, and those that offer creative variants on barbecue classics, especially when they incorporate elements of New York food culture. I considered not only the quality of the food, but also the liveliness and at-home feel of each location, as all good BBQ is comfort food. And, just to make sure my personal bias didn't get in the way, only restaurants with an average Google Review rating of four stars or more made the final cut.