Bark Barbecue‘s first standalone restaurant is open at 25 Thames Street in Bushwick, and the one thing you cannot order there yet is a beer. The restaurant announced its 8,000-square-foot flagship opened on Wednesday, July 1 with beer and wine service held up by what it called an unforeseen delay in the licensing process, leaving its coffee program and non-alcoholic drinks to cover the beverage menu while final approvals are completed.
The drinks list waiting on that license was designed to pair with the smoked meats, according to the announcement: a rotating selection from New York craft breweries alongside Presidente, the Dominican lager, a wine list picked to match the barbecue, and wine-based takes on classic cocktails, including a Tamarindo Fizz and an Espresso Martini made with port wine.
Pitmaster Ruben Santana, who taught himself to smoke meat through YouTube tutorials and started Bark in 2020 as a backyard project in Ozone Park, blends Central Texas technique with the flavors of his Dominican upbringing, the restaurant said. Meats smoke over live fire fueled by white oak for up to 48 hours. Brisket, pork ribs, smoked carnitas, pulled pork, chicharron, and rib tips are sold by weight, alongside sandwiches like the Tres Golpes, built on pulled pork, fried cheese, and maduros. Sides include arroz congrí, criollo-style barbecue beans with pulled pork, and batata asada, a smoked sweet potato prepared over live fire.
The space seats nearly 300 and puts four custom smokers behind a full glass wall, with a lounge inspired by colmados, the neighborhood bodegas of the Dominican Republic, stocked with imported Dominican goods, according to the restaurant. A cafecito counter at the front bar serves a Dominican cortado and breakfast tacos until 11 a.m.
A ribbon cutting on opening day brought together Kenny Minaya, commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services, Jeffrey Garcia, executive director of the New York City Office of Nightlife, longtime Bark manager Julio Logrono, and Hector Garate, founder and pitmaster of Palmira Barbecue in Charleston, South Carolina, the restaurant said. Bark grew through Queens pop-ups, Smorgasburg, and a residency at Time Out Market before opening in Bushwick. The cafecito opens at 9 a.m., lunch starts at 11 a.m., closing time is 10 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday and midnight Thursday through Sunday, and the restaurant is closed on Tuesdays and takes walk-ins only.
Featured image: Bushwick Daily archive
