The 6 Best NYC BBQ Joints with Great Outdoor Spaces
Pig Beach’s outdoor space is the best one of its kind in New York City.
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It’s the middle of summer and as such, it’s a great time to eat barbecue outside with friends and family. While there are many good barbecue joints in the NYC metro area, not many have large outdoor spaces that are suitable for events or hanging out.
Here are six of the best barbecue joints in the NYC metro area with outstanding outdoor spaces.
The Jeff Michner BBQ Benefit at Pig Beach earlier this year showed off the outdoor space well.
Pig Beach - Gowanus, Brooklyn
Ever since Pig Beach opened in Gowanus in 2015, it has had the best outdoor space of any barbecue joint in the NYC area. It’s expansive and there’s a full bar, games, and plenty of room to eat outside with friends and family. It was used to great effect earlier this year for the Jeff Michner BBQ Benefit.
Juicy Lucy BBQ’s outdoor area is great for groups.
Juicy Lucy BBQ - Ocean Breeze, Staten Island
The new barbecue joint Juicy Lucy BBQ is a great option for those living in Staten Island or beyond, if you're willing to travel for good barbecue. On top of the high-quality food, it also has a comfortable outdoor area for regular seating and large groups. During the cold months, most of the outdoor space will be converted into insulated space.
Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue’s outdoor seating is great for people watching.
Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue - Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
In Brooklyn, space is at a premium. So when the weather gets decently warm, Morgan's Brooklyn Barbecue takes over their front-of-store space with ample seating and umbrellas. It makes for a fun time that's perfect for group outings and is dog-friendly.
Arrogant Swine’s outdoor seating is great for large groups.
Arrogant Swine - Bushwick, Brooklyn
Another Brooklyn barbecue joint with ample room outdoors is Arrogant Swine in Bushwick. The joint is best known for being the only authentic Carolina-style joint you’ll find in NYC city limits but the outdoor space is good too.
There is plenty of room for outdoor parties and groups at Mothership Meat Company.
Mothership Meat Company - Long Island City, Queens
The relatively new Mothership Meat Company in Queens was designed with much more outdoor space than indoor space, so it's a great place to have drinks and Texas-style barbecue. Mothership's sister barbecue joint John Brown Smokehouse has a small outdoor space as well that sometimes hosts concerts, so keep your eye out for that too.
Ruthie’s in New Jersey has a great outdoor space with regular concerts.
Ruthie's Bar-B-Q & Pizza - Montclair, New Jersey
Finally, Ruthie's Bar-B-Q & Pizza in Montclair is a wild card you may not know but I highly recommend it. It has a good-size outdoor space that regularly hosts concerts to pair with the barbecue, pizza, and barbecue pizza. If you're in or around Montclair on a Friday or Saturday night, be sure to check it out.
Did I miss any great outdoor spaces at barbecue joints that you love? Please let me know.
Sean Ludwig
Founder, NYC BBQ
EAT ALL ABOUT IT
Kimchi Smoke opened a new location called Kimchi Smoke KTX inside the H-Mart in Paramus.
This week, Kimchi Smoke — one of the top barbecue joints in New Jersey — opened a new location called Kimchi Smoke KTX inside the H-Mart in Paramus, NJ. The menu includes new items like adobo chicken (gochujang-braised chicken with potatoes) and KTX Dogs (cheese-filled hot dogs with panko crumbs). Kimchi Smoke’s famous “Chonuts” will be available on Fridays and Saturdays. Pitmaster and owner Robert Austin Cho said he hopes to open more KTX locations in other H-Marts throughout the Northeast.
The Tribeca-based “meat speakeasy” Holy Ground NYC was profiled recently by Washington D.C.’s WJLA. You can read all about their process and what sets them apart from other barbecue joints in the story.
If you are interested in trying out plant-based meats, you’ve probably had the meaty-but-not-meat Impossible Burger. Restaurants in NYC are preparing it in different ways, so check out Grub Street’s full listings ofwhere you can eat the Impossible Burger in NYC, including Bareburger, Franklin Park, Dutch Boy Burger, The Trestle, and more.
Astoria has yet to open a large food hall with tons of options, but that will change this fall with the opening of World Artisan Market. The market will have Korean barbecue, Indian cuisine, a gelato shop, an Italian restaurant, a French-Scandinavian bakery, and more.
The Lucky Well, a Memphis-style BBQ restaurant launched by Food Network star Chad Rosenthal and Philadelphia barbecue pioneer Chris McHugh, has opened a second location in Warrington Township, Pennsylvania. A third Lucky Well restaurant is expected to open in Philadelphia in October.
Barbecue master Steven Raichlen released three new coleslaw recipes in the New York Times this week. He suggests giving cabbage the barbecue treatment to ensure that all three slaws have smoky flavors.
IRL BBQ
Thrillist's Savor The Summer event is next week and will be one of the top NYC food events this month.
Here are the top BBQ (and related) food events coming soon to the New York metro and the Tri-State area:
August 11: Pig Beach in Brooklyn will be hosting The BBQ Angels, an organization that cooks whole hog BBQ with women for various community oriented needs. The BBQ Angels will be cooking whole hog with South Carolina collard greens, and cornbread. Buy tickets here.
August 15: The Thrillist Savor the Summer event next week will feature BBQ and other joints from around NYC at Pier A Harbor House on Thursday, August 15. You can come and judge some of NYC’s best bites, sip on drinks, see live music and more. Vendors include Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue, The Nugget Spot, Black Iron Burger, Ho’Brah Tacos, Harlem Shake, Schaller's Stube Sausage Bar, & Burger & Lobster. Buy tickets here.
August 16-18: When it comes to barbecue festivals north of New York, Hudson Valley Ribfest 2019 is one of the top events. RibFest will be held at the Ulster County Fairgrounds in New Paltz and it will feature family activities, live music, and more. More info here.
August 24: One of the last summer barbecue events held in NYC is the Hudson River Park Blues BBQ Festival, which is held annually at Pier 97 at Hudson River Park on the west side of Manhattan. Admission is free and there will be five different blues acts throughout the day and BBQ vendors selling grub. More info here.
September 7: For those that love all things pork and barbecue, the 10th annual Pig Island NYC will be a can’t-miss affair. Held outdoors at beautiful Erie Basin Park in Red Hook, Brooklyn, this all-inclusive event will feature a ton of great food, beer, cider, and liquor. Read my full preview here and then when you are done with that, buy early bird tickets here.
September 7: The USA TODAY Wine & Food Experience will be taking place on September 7 at LeFrak Center at Lakeside Prospect Park. Attendees will be able to taste, savor, and explore the Brooklyn culinary scene, from local trends to regional traditions. Chefs and speakers include Antoni Porowski (Queer Eye), Alex Guarnaschelli (Chopped), and Dom De Marco (Di Fara Pizza). Buy tickets here.
September 20-22: The Oinktoberfest 2019 event in Clarence, New York (outside of Buffalo) is the longest continuously running barbecue competition and festival in New York State. It attracts many competition teams and also features music and food for families who want to hang out. Admission on Saturday and Sunday is $8/person. More info here.
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