It's a trek and a half to get to Monsey from Northshore LI in rush hour traffic for that matter but when a seasoned chef from a much adored and missed restaurant opens up a new joint how can you not go?! Beast BBQ's soft opening last night was anything but soft, and I mean that in the best way possible. Service was on point, their servers were on it like white on rice the entire night. Food was plentiful and delicious with a nice service flow from the kitchen, my dinner party table mates were the best of the best, and to top it off chef Moses cracked a huge smile! Stands outs of the evening for me were: ~ Boneless melt in your mouth sliced short ribs ~ Smoked tongue ~ Pastrami ~ Ridiculously crispy Chicken wings ~ Grilled corn ~ Onions rings with a herbed batter and french fries ~ Lemon Meringue (but wasn't lemon but a different fruit) ~ A meringue layered with a heavenly pawpaw fruit cream Also the delicious and inventive dipping sauces reminiscent of those days from his Pardes days were a memorable treat! Communal seating and an open kitchen concept make the space both warm and welcoming. Can wait to see this place get even better! Opening this Sunday at 5, be there! read more

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When we moved to MonseyLand a lifetime ago,we resigned ourselves to a few things; 1)When you hear terms like "walking distance" remember the focus is on "distance" not "walking" 2)Urban survival skills like parallel parking will atrophy faster than you can say "parking meter" 3)Monsey will never be home to the latest/greatest/newest/coolest kosher dining destinations--yes, there'll be nice places that deliver a respectable dining experience, but if you're looking for "the next" in terms of worth the trip from anywhere, intensely delicious, innovative fare, prepare to look elsewhere, because in THAT department(and this is just my opinion) Monsey follows (albeit rather respectably), rather than leads. Though based on our visit to the Beast BBQ, right here in scenic Wesley Hills, that's all about to change. Why? In terms of bona-fides, Beast BBQ is the creation of rockstar chef Moses Wendel aka the guy who gave us the legendary "worth the trip from anywhere even tho it's not a steakhouse" Pardes. Now with Beast, he's proving that Pardes wasn't a fluke, but a 1st act, with Beast BBQ being a 2nd act that's every bit as impressive and game-changing(plus WAY closer for his fans in 845). In short, a Moses Wendel-style total reboot on the "kosher-cue/smokehouse genre.The vibe? Unpretentious. The food? Unbelievable. While the menu is refreshingly straightforward, our group still asked the exceptionally friendly and knowledgeable staff for suggestions, which is why we ended up working our way through tongue, brisket pastrami, pastrami 'tater-tots, pulled beef, a stew, fries, baked beans, a kale-ish salad, jammed with an assortment of flavorfully meaty mushrooms and topped with a light as air donut-like savory crust that was "hiding" a monstrously moist chicken fillet. Before I get even more ahead of myself, let me share the basics--at least the way my tastebuds "see" it. Chef Wendel's brand is equal parts inventive--as in being able to coax awesome new flavors and textures from timeless standards, and inventor--as in coming up with spankin' new "from scratch" concepts, that cause your mouth to break into a sweat just from reading the menu and inhaling the heady tho not heavy aroma("Breath of the Beast" air freshener anyone?)In terms of inventive, his spin on classic deli one-upped(and then some) Shmulks, the Grand Deli, Hess and most every other deli-mecca of my quasi-misspent youth. His pastrami is the perfect mix of fatty & lean, which creates the perfect mix of "chewy-juiciness"--all wrapped in a smokey-spicey tang thats both familiar and fresh at the same time. The tongue was in a word epic. Soft enough to slice with nothing more than a cutting look, yet rich in bold and nuanced flavors, Wendlels take on tongue was simultaneously like and unlike my "best in class" tongue sandwiches/entrees/appetizers/etc. Or to put it another way, certain members of our group who weren't fans of the fine art of deli (let alone deli that's been tweaked craft-smokehouse/BBQ style), started with tentative tastings and ended up polishing off more than their fare share of Wendel's deli fare. Lucky for me, I was raised "Catskill style", so once I saw everyone deep-diving for deli, my instinct for self-preservation kicked in and I squirreled some tongue, pastrami, etc away "for later"--which turned out to be a good call. As we continued plowing through our version of a "sampling menu", I paused "mid-fress", to ask our server where they get their breads and rolls from, as their rye bread was far superior to every bakery classic I know and love. She told me that all baked goods, as well as sauces, toppings, creams, condiments garnishes etc are all created in-house by Moses and his massively talented crew. In short, no matter the menu item, everything from seasoning to smoking to slicing to serving(wanted to keep the alliteration going sorry) is all done on the authentically unpretentious premises. Like Pardes,at Beast BBQ every detail matters,from the bar's collection of liquors, custom cocktails and craft beers, to the desserts toppings(and bottomings)--which btw included the richest yet lightest "cocoalate" mousse I ever tasted, to the type of veggies in the stew, even the seasoning on the fries is so perfect, using ketchup is akin to blasphemy. Plus, his interpretation on classic BBQ joint "sides" like baked beans, coleslaw & potato salad, are a fresh step up from the standard. Bottom line? Chef Moses has created a gourmet "promised land" called Beast BBQ. As it's me, there has to be at least one kvetch & here it is; Re their remarkable, densely delicious rye-bread, be advised its slices are more crescent/biscotti-shaped vs the typical slab-like slices used in old-school deli sandwiches. Actually, the fact the place was busy after 9 pm on a Tuesday nite IN MONSEY, says it all. PS; to our friends in 212,718,516,201,973,908,914, etc,feel free to text us 'hello' when you're done experiencing the Beast BBQ in (believe it or not)Monsey read more

Beast BBQ - 3 minutes earlier this platter was way fuller...taste for yourself and you'll understand why - Barbeque Near Me - New York, New York

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Arrived at 5 pm on a Sunday evening - just when they first opened so we understand they're still starting up. We ordered 2 sides, 2 mains, and an alcoholic beverage by 5:15. The first main came out about 5:40 and the first side a few minutes later. The second main didn't come until after 6 and the second side dish came after 6:10. We would have preferred to get our food later and together, but we were never consulted. We never got an apology, just an explanation when our last side was given, that a chef had not shown up. Too little, too late, because at that point a table behind us had been comped free fries for their wait (same wait as us) while we were not. Waitress never came by in the nearly 2 hours that we were there to ask us how we were doing. We only saw her when she was dropping off our food. At some point we asked for a dish to go and she said she would be back in a minute to take our order. I had to get up 10 minutes later to chase her down to place that order. She literally said "we're busy" when I asked her to take my order, as if reasoning me away would excuse bad behavior and a very obvious lack of apology. You should probably get out of the service industry if you can't even pretend to be nice. The food was absolutely delicious and redeemed this place from a "never return" to a "get it to-go." TL;DR Service was just as bad as the food was good. read more

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Personal opinion. Beast is still a new restaurant, so i'm sure it's still sanding out the kinks. If I were them, I'd focus on improving their brisket game, service, and on delivering main courses together to customers. We schlepped from Teaneck to check this place out. We agreed at the end it's probably not worth another trip, at least until they figure out the "killer" items i listed below. 1. Ambiance: Wood panel and white brick walls, black high ceilings, all a plus, but the shofar on the wall and the big picture of the Lubavitcher Rebbe are NOT contributing to the feeling of a Texas BBQ joint. and made me roll my eyes The bathrooms were clean and had a couple of Texas kitch that were a nice touch. tables and chairs are a nice wood that felt appropriate for a Texas BBQ, the place was small and had a lot of people but didn't feel overcrowded. Mood killer: a Man was allowed to roam from table to table interrupting diners trying to sell some sort of Jewish books. It was super awkward when he came over to us. How is this allowed? The staff walked right past him and none of them asked him to leave. 2. Food: We got the brisket which came with cole slaw and a biscuit, chicken and waffles, baked beans and meat fries: 2a. Brisket: Overdone and on the dry side, which is seriously disappointing since this is a Texas BBQ joint and the first thing I think of when I go to a Texas BBQ joint is brisket. The bbq sauce that came with it was one step away from ketchup. When i order brisket, I expect juicy, mouth watering meat that melts in your mouth. This was not it. 2b. Chicken and waffles: The chicken was really really good. The skin was paper thin but fried to perfection so that it was crispy but didn't dry out the meat underneath at all. the waffle underneath was good as well, soft and tasty, however there was too much bacon onion jam between the two that I found drowned a good portion of the waffle. I would have preferred half as much. 2c. Meat fries: Fantastic. big chunks of meat. long tasty fries. The only problem was there were too much for just two of us, which is probably why it is priced much higher than the regular fries. 2d. Baked beans: Served in a tin can, which i thought was cute. about 70 percent meat, 30 percent beans. Juicy and flavorful, and had a good smoky flavor. 2e. The biscuit came with the brisket (lol). I'm making this a separate item because it was hard, crumbly, room temperature and completely boring. Someone needs to scrap this and replace it with an equivalent sized piece of cornbread. 2F. The cole slaw was tasty and juicy and we finished it very quickly. Good stuff. Food Killer: My mom ordered the chicken and I ordered the brisket. The brisket came out first and the chicken didn't come out for another 30 minutes. After reading other reviews, this place has been notorious for not coordinating bringing out mains together, when we talked to the waiter, he said that's just how they do things. My mom was so hungry while waiting that she shared my main and the chicken didn't end up coming out until we had finished the brisket. The waitress apologized and actually took the chicken off our bill as an apology. 3. Service: This place clearly needed one more person working staff, either behind the counter or as a waiter. The staff was running around non-stop and didn't have the time to focus on the customers. It took an exceptionally long time for someone to take our order. the wait for the food was incredibly long , only to have our mains come out 20 minutes after each other. I think it took about 10 minutes just to get a fork. Service killer. It took a long time to flag a waiter down just to give them my credit card to pay, the waiter took the card but went to the back and just kept helping customers, after about 15 minutes we went back to the waiter and asked what happened and they apologized and rang up our bill on the spot. The bill also included a required 18% gratuity, so keep that in mind. read more

So, being a true Southerner with roots in Tennessee and Alabama, I am qualified to say that this place rocks. From the buttery soft dry rub brisket with a vinegar kick sauce to a short rib that would make Fred Flinstone full, I couldn't find anything to complain about. But by far the most incredible side was the end burnt baked beans. Let me tell you, HEAVEN! Our server Terry was attentive and informative. If you don't go try it then you don't believe in real Southern BBQ. By the way the Muddy Waters and other Blues made the ambiance delightful. Can't wait to come back! read more

When we walked in we smelled the delicious smoke aroma in the air, but thats as far as the excitement went, the service was not bad, but the food was a complete disaster im not sure if the chef knows what hes doing or not but from what came out of that kitchen was crazy overpriced dry pieces of brisket,short ribs... we we're shocked that they ask such ridiculous prices for such crappy food, it was a huge disappointed, and will probably never return unless the prices drop dramatically and the quality of food rises greatly. We really hope that Beast BBQ does change and we can come back and actually enjoy the food and time there... read more

1st off there was a sealing leek right by our table and kept splashing me. I mention it to the waitress like 3 times to maybe put a bucket or something down so it stops splashing but of coarse they couldn't be bothered so I had to put paper towels down to at leased absorb some of the water. I ordered the lamb shoulder, came out mildly warm and got cold pretty quickly. You think for the price of that dish it would at leased be fresh? maybe even heated up? I also ordered the hush puppies which I think universally means those hot dogs in mashed potato rolls. With no exact description on the menu, that's exactly what I thought they were but oh no! They were just fried corn bread balls. I tried to send them back since they were not what I expected and wayyy over priced for just fried corn bread and the waitress says "sorry we don't allow returns on food" in what restaurant on earth is that ever ok? 2 drinks + 2 mains + 1 side= $109. and for what? poorly made BBQ food? No thank you. Next time I will go get some really good food for my $100. Think twice before visiting this mediocre ( and that's just being nice) establishment. read more

Thru the mid 90's, the only source for kosher ribs & authentic kosher deli, was Shmulka Bernstein. This review is an apology to them Dear Shmulk, It's been almost 20 years(give or take) since you closed your doors and left us open-mouthed...reeling in shock...wondering how we'd cope with a sino steak-less future, a world where the term "big Shmulk" would more likely than not be misconstrued as profanity instead of a endearing reference to one of the finest examples of "deli as an art form" that has ever graced out tastebuds...your departure was a loss that impacted us all...and while our minds attempted to process a world where Murray, Phil, Ira & Stan(among others)would no longer be there to greet us & feed us...our aforementioned tastebuds went into a sort of permanent shiva...wistfully welcoming newcomers and "old comers"... always hoping that one would come close to filling to filling the void in our hearts...and our stomachs as well... While many were well intentioned...and with the results to prove it... especially when it came to Deli...none came close to recreating the magic of your more destination-defining dishes... Like your ribs. While "pretenders to the throne" were many(and all were disappointing), a few like the Grand Deli, Smokey Joe's, Milts & others, did earn our attention and dare I say it, perhaps even a modicum of respect...not for ribs even mildly reminiscent of yours, but for ribs that blazed (and bbq'd) mouthwatering new ground in their own right. Though when the last bone was gnawed clean and the last wet-nap finished restoring our hands and faces to a somewhat human level of presentability, as good as those ribs were, they "just weren't Shmulks". Meaning, they just weren't close to the standard you set from that non-descript storefront at 135 Essex Street...aka the deli/sino/american fans equivalent 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue...aka the place that all these years later, still causes our mouths to break out in a sweat every time we pass it. Shmulk, as you can hopefully tell from the preceding, the place reserved for you in our hearts & the "tastebuds of our minds" are as strong and vibrant as ever...which is good, because we finally found an heir with ribs good enough to join yours in that exclusive, exalted ether of rib-making perfection...an ether that until now had only one occupant,YOU. Well Shmulk, it seems you've finally got company. Fortunately, it's very good, very well-deserving, exceptionally well-crafted company. Company that you'd admire and dare I say it, if this was 20 or so years ago perhaps even worry about (just a bit), because your legendary expertise would tell you that anyone capable of creating ribs this good, is also capable of creating other inspired stuff as well. Anyone whose ribs are so perfectly chewy and simultaneously juicy, with flavor so perfectly balanced between savory/smokey/spicey and subtly sweet that it'll inveigle your senses in ways you never imagined, is also capable of elevating deli to an even more admirable art form. Shmulk, I'm not asking you to believe me as much as I'm asking you to drive up to to Monsey and experience the Beast for yourself. Don't let the authenticity smokehouse bbq vibe fool you, what Chef Moses "Moshe" Wendell has created is a way to show his thousands of Pardes fans that Pardes wasn't a fluke(albeit a game changing one) but a "first act", and despite its authentic bbq/smokehouse boba-fides, Moshe's vision for the Beast is to redefine; 1) kosher bbq/smokehouse(case in point, the Ribs I've dedicated this review to) 2)classic deli (case in point the pastrami, brisket, tongue and all else) ..much as he "re-fined" glatt kosher, seriously fine dining for a generation bored of steakhouses, sushi and all else associated with the status quo. Shmulk, trust me, Chef Wendell could coast on reputation alone, but that's not how he rolls (even though he bakes all his own rolls...not to mention breads, biscuits, cakes, etc). And speaking of rolls Shmulk, check out the spareribs and see for yourself. Marvel at how the meat is so soft, it literally rolls off the bone... and into your mouth, where Chef Wendells rub works it's magic. The result? A whole new level of appreciation of the word "mouthwatering". Shmulk, even though it's been like 25 or so since you left us rib-less and deli-less, we don't expect you to forgive us. Hey, we're Jews and galus/loss of our "promised land" is no reason to lose our faith let alone "worship other gods". Rest assured, dear Shmulk, you'll always be the one we'll worship, after all, you gave us our first "temple" right there on Essex street. What Chef Moses Wendell has finally given us via the Beast bbq is a "second temple"...one that while special and dare we say it, "holy" in its own right, was meant to FOLLOW King Solomon's original temple...NEVER G-d forbid replace it. Besides who better to trust with leading your people to the new "promised land" than a remarkably gifted chef named Moses? read more

While I am personally not a smoked food guy, I had to try it and chef Wendell did not deny my palet! The tongue was great, the brisket even better then we had the pastrami was by far the best i ever had. And then there was more....the chicken...omg....white meat juicy...tell me how! Was the best chicken ever. Now smoked isn't for everyone but I have become a lover....highly recommend it...and the waffle chicken too! Will be back again and again! read more

Bad experience. Short ribs and burnt ends wasn't good at all. Left a bad taste in mouth. Only good thing on my order was the wings and the water. Customer service was horrible. Waitress had no idea what's on the menu or what items on menu were. My lemonade only showed up after waiting for it 45 minutes and me asking for it 3-4 times. I asked for forks, same thing. I ordered 1/2 lb brisket I still didn't get it. They're working now 10 minutes to take it off the bill since it was on the bill despite not getting it. Won't return here read more

Food = C. Some dishes are OK. Some are awful -- meat is too fat, disgusting onion rings. Prices = D. Too expensive for this kind of restaurant (no while tablecloth; spartan seating). $4 for a can of coke? Service = F. Really worst service I've had in a restaurant in a very long time. They don't care about your complaints. read more

We went last night, wow!!! The food was phenominal, Chef Wendel really knows his stuff! The brisket and pastrami were juice and fatty but not overly so, the chicken and waffles were just amazing, the cocktails were so different and delicious (a little heavy handed on the alcohol I must say but who's complaining?!) and the bergamot meringue dessert special was right up my alley. One of my friends that were there doesn't love smoked meat that much, but she tried some of everything and left feeling full. The service was spot-on and we loved the ambiance. We will definitely be back! read more

The hard lemonade was perfect, not too sweet, & the paw paw cake was addictively sweet and salty.

Really enjoyed our meal-tried 3 specials (smoked turkey leg, lamb riblets and fried chicken breast) and 2 desserts (peanut butter mousse and strawberry shortcake) and the flavors were original but still true to the roots of BBQ. We will definitely be back and shout to Terry for being a fabulous server and making our experience that much better! read more