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New York City may not have invented barbecue, but we’ve gotten pretty damn good at it.
Our updated ranking of the best barbecue restaurants in NYC covers everything from Texas-style brisket to Kansas City-style burnt ends—and one Brooklyn institution smoked the competition. Hometown Bar-B-Que in Red Hook is officially Time Out's pick for the best barbecue joint in New York City.
If you’ve been, the result probably won’t shock you. Hometown has been feeding hungry New Yorkers from its Van Brunt Street home since 2013, and the restaurant has long been one of the city’s standard-bearers for serious barbecue. The warehouse-like space feels like it could have been airlifted from somewhere far beyond the five boroughs, with split oak stacked outside and a pit cranking out smoky meat inside.
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So, what should you order? Start with the brisket, obviously. The smoky bark gives way to tender, fatty meat, while the pulled pork is another must. Add a couple of sides and a drink and prepare to leave considerably less mobile than when you arrived. On weekends, Hometown also serves a Reuben sandwich that, according to us, “goes toe-to-toe with the best delis.”
Hometown wasn’t the only smokehouse to make the cut. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Morningside Heights took second place, followed by Williamsburg’s Oklahoma-style Mable’s Smokehouse and Banquet Hall at No. 3. The wonderfully elusive 9 Bells BBQ (better known as the Eastern Parkway BBQ Man) landed at No. 4, despite the fact that actually tracking it down can require some serious dedication. Kosher barbecue destination Izzy’s Brooklyn Smokehouse rounded out the top five.
One pro tip before heading to Hometown: Skip the schlep from the subway and take the ferry to Red Hook instead. From the dock, it’s only about an 11-minute walk to 454 Van Brunt Street. Your future brisket-filled self will thank you.