Fette Sau

Arguably the best barbecue in all of New York City. Do not be surprised if the line is out the door. The decor is as though Southern Hospitality and Industrial Brooklyn had too much bourbon, and after nine months threw a fedora on the baby that came of it. In all seriousness, their pay by the pound, almost cafeteria style servings on butcher's paper are dollar for dollar some of the best food you can get. The brisket will literally melt in your mouth. I cannot wait for my next trip!

There was a time when I thought Dallas BBQ near Times Square was the best New York had to offer in the way of barbecue, and I may have been right. Since then barbecue has exploded in New York, becoming a hipper alternative to their native deli, which also specializes in meat-laden sandwiches and passing nods to vegetables (e.g. pickles). Fette Sau was even serving their three-day-brine pastrami in lieu of brisket when we visited. (The menu rotates daily.) At both Katz's and Fette Sau we dined at communal tables with strangers. Housed in a repurposed garage, Fette Sau's atmosphere is appropriately Williamsburg, though having football on the television reminded me of Texas. They have a wide selection of craft brews and spirits. Their meats come from organic family farms. They even have a firewood guy that supplies them with locally-sourced, kiln-dried firewood. I enjoyed the pastrami, pork shoulder, and collard greens. I favored the pork. They use a dry rub on their meats and don't recommend using sauce. I also don't recommend the three sauces I tried. One was ketchupy, another tasted too strongly of chilis, and the final was an au jus. I was disappointed that there were no other condiments (e.g. pickles, onions, jalapenos), though there are whole pickles for sale.

Fette Expensive.

I'm from the south and been living in NYC for over 2 years (Yes, typical transplant sentence). But this place is ridiculous. I've had better BBQ from hole-in-the-wall places that charge less than half of what they're charging. The food is RIDICULOUSLY overpriced. I couldn't enjoy my meal without thinking about how much I spent. Skip this and go anywhere else.

Note: it's a self-service restaurant! I didn't know that coming in. You need to wait in line and order your food, you can also just sit at the bar and have drinks.

The atmosphere is nice. Loud but not too loud, and the food is really good. I especially liked the brisket and the baked beans.

Finding good BBQ in NYC isn't easy. If you're looking for something remotely close to Hill Country quality, you won't find it here. You'll still find decent meats and pretty great beers (no Lone Star though) but if you want the real deal you're gonna have to go to Texas.