Bark Barbecue blends Texas smokehouse classics with vibrant Dominican flavors atop Time Out Market’s rooftop, offering juicy brisket, crispy chicharrón, and killer sides with a killer city view.
"For those who couldn’t keep up with this lauded Queens barbecue pop-up from Ruben Santana, there’s now a permanent location on the spacious fifth floor of Time Out Market. For perhaps the first time, great barbecue offers Dominican side dishes like plantains and an enthralling form of cornbread, and a few less common BBQ meats, such as chicharron and pernil. Only as much meat as can be sold in one day is smoked, meaning the selection varies and the product is as fresh as can be." - Robert Sietsema
"Bark Barbecue started during the summer of 2020 as a roadside Ozone Park pop-up serving smoked meat by the half-pound, sticky maduros, and thick arroz con leche. Now this Central Texas-style spot accented with Dominican flavors is selling its excellent barbecue and sides in the Timeout Market in Dumbo (and at Smorgasburg on the weekends). Get the 12-hour smoked brisket and some luscious pulled pork, which is moist enough to star in a skincare advertisement." - neha talreja, hannah albertine, bryan kim, matt tervooren, will hartman
"If eating fatty brisket with a craggly bark on the fifth floor of a building with a view of the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges isn’t up your alley, you better have a damn good reason why (and maybe that reason is you don’t eat meat). Bark Barbecue, which started as a roadside Ozone Park pop-up-turned-Smorgasburg staple, now has a stall on the roof of the Timeout Market in Dumbo, where you can get their black pepper-forward, Texas-style barbecue with slight hints of the pitmaster’s Dominican heritage. Go for both the salty and sweet stuff here, like juicy, smoky brisket with sweet maduros, or some peppery ribs with torta, a cakey Dominican cornbread with a warm spice-infused honey syrup. Food Rundown Brisket This is no bullshit barbecue, and undoubtedly one of the juiciest, smokiest, and best-executed briskets in New York. It tastes pretty much only like beef, salt, black pepper, and smoke. Just as it should. photo credit: Will Hartman Pork Ribs Peppery. Glazed. Rosy. Sometimes these aren’t cooked completely evenly, but you should get one for each person you’re with. photo credit: Will Hartman Pulled Pork We love pulled pork that doesn’t hide behind a sweet sauce. This pulled pork isn’t embarrassed by who it is, and we appreciate it for that. A worthwhile way to pad out your meats. photo credit: Will Hartman Cole Slaw This rendition is the exception that proves our unwritten rule of green cabbage cole slaw superiority. Somehow, the color of the cabbage doesn’t bleed, and the crunch and pepperiness holds its own against the rich meats. Torta Cakey and dense, this cornbread is heavy and we’re here for it. The warm spices work nicely when double-dipped in Bark’s mustard-based gold sauce. photo credit: Will Hartman Maduros These sticky and sweet pieces work really well with your pulled pork. Make a freaking sandwich." - Will Hartman
"Pitmaster Ruben Santana is one of several chefs helping to pioneer a Caribbean style of American barbecue. He started Bark Barbecue in his backyard during the pandemic and slowly expanded: He sold his meats from a street corner in Ozone Park, and later at the Smorgasburg food festival. He landed on the fifth floor of the Time Out Market in 2022, where he’s become known for Texas-style barbecue with Dominican sides, like chicharron and fried plantains." - Eater Staff
"Merging Texas barbecue and Dominican cuisine, possibly for the first time, Bark took the city’s barbecue scene by storm this when it opened late last year at the Time Out Market." - Robert Sietsema
