Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
646 W 131st St, at 12th Ave
(212) 694-1777
Pricing: Not Cheap
Venue: Sit Down
Cuisine: BBQ
Favorite Dish(es): Wango Tango Chicken Wings (appetizer), Sweetheart Deal Ribs for Two ($27.95)
In a city where almost anything is readily available (for a price), a real down-and-dirty BBQ joint is actually very hard to find. There are a few spots worth mentioning that do a proper ‘cue, but they mostly specialize in Cajun / Soul Food, which tend to focus more on a secret fried chicken recipe than BBQ. Not here. This place does ribs – the real deal, smoky, finger-suckin’, crispy and juicy ribs. There’s also some BBQ chicken, pork, appetizers, and burgers, but you won’t see too many people ordering anything but ribs here. Dinosaur’s ribs are seasoned with a dry rub and slow-cooked instead of being basted in a wet BBQ sauce. This yields a crispy and zesty bark, which is perfect for dredging in a generous pool of their trademark BBQ sauce. Their bottled sauce, btw, is a mighty fine, smoky, vinegary, slightly sweet, and sassy sauce. These spare ribs are super flavorful and are about as good as anything you’ll ever get this far north of the Mason-Dixon.
Make Reservations! Be warned that the crowds flock here on the weekends, hungry for grilled meats, and the wait can get up to two hours anytime after 6 PM. Your best bet is to make a reservation well in advance, or make the trek out to the west side for lunch. The bright side is that bar and outdoor seating is first-come-first-serve, and the dining room is super spacious and accommodates big groups. Even with a reservation you’ll probably have to wait a bit at the bar, so make sure your guests come thirsty.
country atmosphere in a concrete jungle
serious about beer
note, it's not Southern, it's a "rib joint".
Wango tango wings are worth getting your fingers dirty
ribs for two, the Sweetheart Deal for $27.95
the magic is in the rub...
Filed under: American, BBQ, Good for Groups, Harlem, Not Cheap, Sit Down Tagged: | barbecue, barbeque, BBQ, Cajun, dinosaur bbq, ribs, soul food, southern, texan, texas bbq
[...] Ribs: Sauce – Red, sweet and sour, tangy, sticky and translucent, like the red Chinese sweet&sour sauce. Very sassy. Lemon slices and vinegar pack a punch. Meat – Big, succulent, moist slabs of pork that come off the bone very easily. Some good caramelized bark on the ends. Very juicy and well-marinated, but not very smoky (unlike Texas-style ribs, a la Dinosaur BBQ). [...]
[...] Ribs: Sauce – Red, sweet and sour, tangy, sticky and translucent, like the red Chinese sweet&sour sauce. Very sassy. Lemon slices and vinegar pack a punch. Meat – Big, succulent, moist slabs of pork that come off the bone very easily. Some good caramelized bark on the ends. Very juicy and well-marinated, but not very smoky (unlike Texas-style ribs, a la Dinosaur BBQ). [...]