Mighty Quinn's Barbeque
Barbecue restaurant · Upper East Side
1492 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10075
Highlights
Wood-fired BBQ classics & sides, plus craft beer
Wood-fired BBQ classics & sides, plus craft beer
"Did someone say Brontosaurus Rib? On a menu in NYC? You now have our undivided attention. As we’re all well aware, barbecue isn’t a game we play on home ice here in New York (hockey reference?). It’s not native to this land, and try as we may, there are only a few smoked meats in this town that can hang with the good stuff south of the Mason Dixon line. Mighty Quinn’s is one of them. Mighty Quinn’s got their start at Smorgasburg. A former drummer from Houston was smoking meat in Pennsylvania and driving it in to Brooklyn every weekend. Soon people started lining up for it. What started as a personal obsession for the pit master suddenly got the attention of people Brooklyn. Mighty Quinn’s would sell out of food every weekend, and quickly became the most popular vendor at Smorgasburg. Now, having fine tuned their craft as a pop-up, they have unleashed their Texas meets Carolina “Texalina” BBQ on the East Village. Get excited. Because Mighty Quinn’s first brick-and-mortar home is the real deal. The reason you should be so excited is that the food at Mighty Quinn’s is most definitely not the “good by New York standards” kind of BBQ that you’ll find in so many other places. Mighty Quinn’s meats are so juicy and tender they sweat beautiful little fat droplets, and it’s so smoky and flavorful that no sauce is necessary. The sides are great, and the good selection of craft beer and simple design and layout of the restaurant make this place highly conducive to stress free, unrestrained BBQ smashing. There’s even a garage door ready to be lifted once the weather turns. Food Rundown Brisket It’s a beautiful brisket. If you’re lucky, you’ll get some of the ends as that’s the best part. The moisture of the meat sings in perfect harmony with the simple, yet insanely flavorful salt, pepper, and paprika rub. Did I really just write that? Sorry, I’ve been reading too many Ruth Reichl Tweets. The bottom line is, this brisket is ridiculous. It’s better than Briskettown in Williamsburg, which we’ll be weighing in on soon. Pulled Pork Possibly the best thing on the menu, and that’s saying a lot. Again, it’s the perfect storm of meat flavor, meat texture, and meat love, which make Mighty Quinn’s meats a pleasure to eat. The dark, thick bark at the top is the best part. Make sure that crispy layer mixes in with the softer pork to get an awesome texture contrast. Pulled Pork Sandwich Everything that’s great about the pulled pork, but on a soft brioche bun. You win. Brontosaurus Rib Beef ribs in New York generally suck. They usually have too much rub on them, and require an awful amount of much work for an unsatisfying amount of meat. Not at Mighty Quinn’s. There is no question in my mind that this is the single best beef rib that’s ever crossed the George Washington Bridge. It’s literally a monster short rib, with fatty, mouth watering meat falling off the bone, begging to chomped on like a hyena on a zebra. Get your Fred Flintstone on and drop $23 on one of these suckers. You won’t regret it. Spare Ribs You know a rib is good when it doesn’t need any sauce. This is one of those rare pork ribs. Not as good as the beef rib, but good enough to go back for seconds. Pickled Red Onions, Cucumbers, Chiles We love all things pickled, so clearly we loved this. Bonus points for how nice the colors look on our Instagram. Did I say Ruth Reichl? Just kidding. I’m turning into Ina Garten. Burnt End Baked Beans These are incredible. Order some. Edamame & Sweet Pea Salad A different and refreshing way to get some greens in the mix. Maybe you’ll only have to run five miles tomorrow instead of six. Slaw Very solid. Not too much mayo and lots of vinegar. Just the way we like it." - Andrew Steinthal
"The Mighty Quinn’s chain was started in the East Village in 2012 by Houstonian Hugh Mangum, and now does a great job of smoking brisket from a central kitchen and distributing it among its currently open locations. The $11.75 “portion” is one of the best barbecue deals in town, including a good quantity of sliced meat, brioche roll, and your choice of small quantities of various pickles and slaws. Though there’s a branch nearer to my apartment on Greenwich Avenue, I have a sentimental attachment to the original place." - Robert Sietsema
"Baked beans are an often overlooked BBQ staple. But the burnt end baked beans from Mighty Quinn’s taste like their sole mission in life is to change that. We recommend ordering them with a full slab of ribs, some sweet potato casserole, and lots of extra BBQ sauce. Plus, the East Village, West Village, UES, and New Jersey locations are also offering refrigerated meats for takeout and delivery that you can freeze for later." - Nikko Duren
"Pitmaster Hugh Mangum’s Mighty Quinn’s has become known for the “Texalina style” — a fusion of the barbecue traditions found in Texas and the Carolinas — served at each location of the chain. The style is apparent in the show-stopping brontosaurus rib. Vaguely reminiscent of the Flinstones, the long slab of tender meat is rubbed with spices and smoked for 12 hours until it falls off the bone. Along with the brisket, it’s a defining menu item at Mighty Quinn’s." - Alexandra Ilyashov
"Another place you can eat well for less than $10 is Mighty Quinn’s. Its classic sliced brisket sandwich rings in just shy of that amount. Thick slices of smoked meat, rimmed with fat and crusted with black pepper and salt, are sliced and place on a brioche roll." - Robert Sietsema
