We've visited Fette Sau every time we've visited NY. This is a place to get some good bbq and beer. All meats are priced by the half pound. Solid choices are the brisket, pork ribs and sausage. Come early as this place can get quite busy. read more

Went in for pick up and got the brisket sandwich lunch special. i think the lunch specials appeared to be in person only and not on any online or delivery menus, and those seemed like solid deals. Sandwich was super solid, their spicy BBQ sauce was awesome, and the kicker was their awesome BBQ pork and beans. Curious to try out other parts of their menu, and looks like a fun spot when it can fully re open capacity-wise. read more

Fette Sau - Brisket - Barbeque Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

See all

Only stopped in for drinks but this is a location with an incredible interior and the food looked amazing. The whiskey flights are top notch and plenty of beers on tap and a few cocktail selections. read more

As always, the food was amazing. Staff was friendly and very helpful and know their meat! All forge food was juicy and super tender and the star of the meal was the spicy pork sausage narrowly beating out the pork belly. read more

Fette Sau - The available Menu on Sunday evening at 6:00 pm - Barbeque Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

See all

I felt in the mood for some BBQ and arrived 1 hour before closing. I ordered burnt ends, ribs, and the pork belly with some coleslaw and a sweet tea. The burnt ends,coleslaw and sweet tea was delicious. The ribs and pork belly was inedible. I complained as was told it's the end of the night and it's going to be tough. I said don't you think you should have said that before I purchased. This is deceitful business practices. I would never return and won't recommend. I left all the inedible food there and not even offered a solution. There are better bbq places in the neighborhood and city. Food should not be served if quality is not there. Customers are not here to purchase the dried up leather boot straps. Not even the sauce could help. 2 stars for the coleslaw, burnt ends and sweet tea. O stars for service. Ambiance gives a backyard vibe. I wish the food matched. read more

It's delicious but I feel the portion is too small. They should be a little more generous with the ribs and brisket read more

Fette Sau - It's delicious but it's a small portion - Barbeque Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

I am NYC local, Fette Sau used to be one of my favorite restaurants, but my experience today is not that happy. Food is great as usual, I ate there first and decide to bring some take out for 3 other friends, so I ordered take out for 3 people. Fette Sau offered 4 different types of sauce, I assume for 3 people, they should get one of each, unless Fette Sau thinks people should use each other's sauce container to double dip with each other, if Fette Sau really thinks this way, I would say this is gross. I know one of the friends doesn't like vinegar and spicy food, so I didn't get those 2 sauces for her, I ended up got sauce for 2.5 people. However the women who was standing behind the sauce counter and providing side/bread was very rude to me. She looked at me with an angry face and said "I don't have any sauce left". I was very speechless, I don't even think I took unreasonable amount of sauce. First, Fette Sau still has enough amount of sauce in those bottles, if 2.5 people's amount sauce = no sauce left, I have to ask, why don't you provide enough sauce to every customer? Second, I clearly bought 3 people's amount of food, how much sauce do you expect me to take? Third, if Fette Sau doesn't want each customer to take one of each type of sauce, then you can do following: 1, charge extra fee for sauce 2, hand sauce to each customer by your employee 3, increase the price of your food All of above options are better than hiring a stingy women to blame the customer take too much sauce. This is not professional and it is very disappointing. read more

Really cool and unique spot in Williamsburg, perfect for whiskey and meat lovers! My gf and I stumbled across this place a while ago when we were looking for interesting bars in Williamsburg. Unfortunately back then, we weren't able to get a table, so we just had a drink at the bar. The whiskey selection is amazing and the flights give you some good samples. We were finally able to come back recently and give the food a chance, and man it's so tasty. The pork shoulder and brisket were delicious, and the sauces at the table perfectly compliment them. We also got the rye whiskey flight, which I really enjoyed. One of the darker ryes was out, and so the bartender chose a different one and gave us a generous pour to make up for the missing one, which I really appreciated. I'd definitely come back to try some of the other meats and a different flight. Id say the only downsides here are that you have to get lucky with a table or you can end up without a place to sit and eat, and that your clothes will inevitably smell very smokey after leaving. But that being said I still strongly recommend! read more

See all

A tasty BBQ joint when you need your Texas BBQ fix. The location of the restaurant is unassuming, almost like an alleyway. As you walk in, the open outdoor concept reminds me of BBQ places in Texas and also adds to the dining experience. I was invited here for an impromptu dinner with my BFs family. We ordered a variety of meats, from BBQ ribs, pulled pork, brisket & burnt ends. I have to say, aren't burnt ends everyone's fave? I really enjoyed the burnt ends mixed with beans, delicious! The BBQ ribs & brisket were on par and the sides complimented well with the meats. Ironically, I have dined at their Philadelphia location when I lived in Philly for graduate school and it is as good as I remembered. Consistency is A plus for me. read more

Fette Sau - Yummy! - Barbeque Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

See all

Get the brisket...that's what the bf said. Went to Fette Sau on Sunday evening upon arriving at Williamsburg. He had remembered the restaurant from past visit to serve up good BBQ up in NYC. Fette Sau does not disappoint. He had gotten the brisket, ribs, sausages and coleslaw. The ribs and sausage paled in comparison to the brisket. The latter has a nice bark, great smoke flavor albeit a little fatty if you had gotten the end piece but he proclaimed it especially flavorful. There are outdoor seatings at the restaurant and you can also order your food inside the restaurant or via delivery app. Prices are a little steep but understandably so as it is NYC. We've paid more for mediocre food in some restaurants in NYC. Overall this place is a solid BBQ place and definitely worth stopping by of you are in the area. read more

Fette Sau - Barbeque Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

See all

Very average, very expensive for what you get. I ordered 3 meats and 3 sides and the total was over $70 with no drinks. The highlight of the meal were the burnt end beans $7.50 for a small cupful. Delicious!! The pork belly, ribs and brisket were all ok. Being a master KCBS judge I might be a little more critical than most, but that's how I felt. The potato salad was good and the cornbread decent. Better than Boston Market if that means anything for you The place filled up quickly. Its a shared bench/table for eating which I enjoy. read more

It blows my mind that this place has 4 stars. Over priced, meat is dry, sides are bland, food is served cold, service is below par. I won't be here again, and I'm shocked that anyone else would be. read more

If you love bbq, this is the place to go. The food is always great, and you feel the atmosphere tired to a bbq pit. There's always a friendly crowd and it's an easy place to go in, sit down, enjoy a wonderful bbq meal. Only thing I desire are French fries from here, other than that, it's awesome! Their spicy sauces and meat cut is AMAZING. Don't even get me started on the pork belly, I've never tried it until I came here and now I want it everywhere I go hoping for the same exact taste presented at Fette Sau. Looking forward to stopping by again, for my 4th visit! read more

I have been trying to get here for the pastrami since I saw this place on the Food Network. Well today Thursday no pastrami; I was told they only have it on weekends. We got Niman Ranch Beef Brisket it was as dry as it looked and it was cold. This was a surprise since it came out of the warmer. I am so disappointed in this visit. I was hoping to hire them to cater an event. Well on to another location. I don't know if it was an off day but after this first visit I doubt that I will return. The brisket being so dry took away from the other foods we tried. Having said this I can not join the wagon and say the food was great because it was not. read more

Fette Sau - Apologies for the pickings in the photo, but I wanted to show how dry the brisket was. - Barbeque Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

The quest for quality NYC BBQ led a group of us from Queens and various parts of Nassau County to make the trek to Brooklyn to (finally) check out this well-reviewed spot. Having previously lived in Texas, I'm no stranger to quality BBQ but I've had a difficult time finding one in the Greater NYC area that stacks up to those down South. Accordingly, I have always graded non-Southern BBQ on a different curve but have been longing to locate local places worthy of being graded on the same curve. After much searching, I can say that Fette Sau has come perhaps the closest to stacking up. As when checking out any other establishment on Metropolitan Ave. in Williamsburg, parking was an adventure. As luck would have it, we located a spot within a short walk from the restaurant...even if it took like 15 turns to fit into the spot. Beware of this and maybe commute in or cab it over, depending on where you're coming from. When you approach the address, you may not immediately see the restaurant. That's because it's recessed from the sidewalk and marked with a little black sign with pink neon lettering "floating" just overhead. Just as you enter the walkway up to the building, you will see a handful of simple picnic tables lining the wall to your left. When you reach the building, hang a sharp right then left to get to the entrance. When the garage door is open, you can always walk in that way as well, if you so choose. As you approach, the strong smell of smoky BBQ fills your nostrils and immediately amplifies your appetite. As your get closer, you will notice the dark, simple seating area inside. Lighting is fairly dim. Music is loud. We opted to dine al fresco and grabbed a picnic table out front. That also enabled us to converse more easily with the music inside being as loud as it wa. While waiting for our entire party to arrive, we ponied up to the bar to pass the time. There is seating for just over a handful of people. The back wall of the bar is chock full of whiskeys to the left, about 10 taps of beer in the middle, and a variety of other spirits to the right. The layout is simple and the beer taps are actually cutlery. Slightly medieval looking but also cool. As with many quality BBQ places, meats are served/priced by the lb. Most are between $25-29/lb. and a couple of items (including the chicken) are $23. Traditional sides are around $6-7. Being that this was our 1st time here, we decided to order several items to share and the server guided us on how best to do that. All totaled, we ordered a pound and a 1/2 of brisket, a pound of pork belly, at least a pound of ribs, a few sausage links, 2 orders each of the burnt end baked beans and German style potato salad. They also threw some rolls on top for good measure. As for the food, everything we had was decent but I think the brisket was the clear winner for me. It was tender, moist, and flavorful. The other meats were okay but nothing that made me craving more. The sides were pretty good, esp. the beans. Now this is where I have to compare Fette to the aforementioned Southern BBQ. While Fette is approaching that curve, in retrospect, I'd say it still falls a little short due to the overall quality of all the meats we tried. The brisket comes the closest to being competitive but even it could benefit from a little BBQ sauce. For me, when BBQ is "that good", no sauce needs to be added. My search continues but Fette is not a bad option up here. I'll continue my quest by looking to check out Hometown BBQ (BK), Mighty Quinn's (various), Butcher Bar (QNS), and Hill Country (NYC)...among others. Fette, I'm rounding my 3.5 stars up to 4 stars here and I'll see you again though. read more

See all

It is hard to believe that there used to be a time when Fette Sau was the best Texas BBQ in NYC. Then came Hometown BBQ, and Fette Sau is almost uneatable for me now. Before I had Hometown BBQ, Fette Sau didn't seem so bad, but after Hometown BBQ, there is no going back eating dry ass brisket from Fette Sau, and countless other BBQ joints. As you might have noticed, I judge a Texas BBQ joint by how good their brisket is, because it is so damn hard to cook a good brisket! It's a cheap cut that is extremely prone to drying out, and most restaurant f it up royally. And Fette Sau is no exception, I mean why would you ever leave your brisket exposed, basking under a freaking lamp?! and not surprisingly, DRY brisket. This, plus the price is almost the same as Hometown, there is no reason to come here, unless you can't make it trek out to redhook or industry city. read more

My boyfriend and I stopped in on Memorial Day for dinner. The food was really good. The issue was they were sold out of most items by time we went. I get the first come first serve philosophy of some restaurants but there's also something to be said for having 6 menu items and being sold out of half of those items. Anyway , we got the ribs and pulled park. They didn't have very many side choices so we got a bag of potato chips which I thought were gonna be homemade but were not. The cornbread was ok, it feel apart mostly. The regular bread rolls that just naturally came with the meal were delish!! Both the meats were excellently cooks and seasoned, I can't knock the food at all. The seating was communal with long picnic style benches. Thank god for nice people or we would have never found a seat. At the end of the meal the person attending to the dining room implied we should clear our own plates which was fine but was actively cleaning up after everyone else that just eat and left. Overall not the best experience but good BBQ. Would want to go back to try the brisket but not sure if I actually will go back. Forgot to take pictures of this one sorry!! read more

Overpriced. Lots of BBQ options in the same area with just as good or even better meats & 100% better prices & sides! I payed $6 for a small can of soda- should've just got a beer with a shot for less! Also the sides were underwhelming and only about 3 to choose from, only one size available. Just very mehh overall. Also the dude at the cash-wrap had an attitude. read more

Fette Sau - 35$ not sure why - Barbeque Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Drove all the way from NJ for this BBQ and was very disappointed. The brisket was dry asf and the burnt end beans were burnt. This place usually hits the spot. Wasted my money and time for this meal. read more

Pretty much the best BBQ in NYC. Fette Sau has the right casual atmosphere and the right approach to smoking meats. Stand in line, order by the pound, and then grab a picnic table. As BBQ should be. Lines can get pretty long at peak times, but weeknights are pretty darn chill. I've been several times over the years. The food leans toward the Texas style of dry-rub beef and sausage, but it's not particularly stuck on any one regional style. The pulled pork is good, the specials are good, and the sides are good too (although I wish they had some more of the traditional BBQ sides in addition to their excellent beans and sort of untraditional broccoli). There are several different sauces as well, so you'll definitely find something to suit whichever preferences you might have in terms of meat and regional style. Vinegar-based thin sauce for Carolina pulled pork? Check. Sweet sticky sauce suited for St Louis ribs? Check. Yellowish mustardy sauce for the sausage and whatever else? Check! How does it stack up to other places around NYC? Well you *could* go to Blue Smoke for some really good meat, but their atmosphere is all wrong, it's like an east coast steakhouse or something. It just ain't right. There's that place in Red Hook too, some people swear by it, but I can't remember what it's called, and it's not worth looking up because the meat isn't anything special. Most other places just give you oven-cooked meats slathered in sauce, which is honestly an insult to BBQ lovers everywhere. You can trust me. Fette Sau rocks. I grew up traveling around the northeast to check out BBQ competitions around with my family as a kid. My parents were BBQ fiends and we did plenty of backyard smoking ourselves as well. I live in Texas now, where BBQ is a religion. Fette Sau is up there with the best. read more

Delicious food with a casual smokehouse ambiance. I suggest dressing comfortably because you will eat as if you're at a BBQ. The sides are delicious and this is a pick it up with your hands type of food even though they do offer you silverware. Though on the outside it looks small or narrow, the inside is more spacious where the owner utilized their space well. read more

We were on our way to another restaurant but as we were walking by Fette Sau, the environment drew us in. The decor and feel of the place is great. We also heard about Fette Sau before and we were excited to randomly pass by and eat some bbq! We got 1/4 lb servings of pork belly, brisket, and chicken wings. Also got the baked beans, cornbread, and a coke. Our total came out to around $40, but it didn't look or taste like $40. Pork belly and brisket weren't tough, but were cold. The chicken wings were both tough and cold. Baked beans, cornbread, and coke were good but still overpriced. Now for the sauces, no labels to say what the bottles contain. Personally, I thought the sauces tasted much better mixed together rather than by themselves. The yellow and brown sauce mixed and the red and dark red sauces mixed were tasty. tl;dr - sadly underwhelming read more

Fette Sau - 1/4 lb Brisket, Chicken Wings, Pork Belly. Cornbread. Baked beans. - Barbeque Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Have been to this place few times before. It was ok and the meat was delicious. But this visit was horrible. Meat was completely nothing special taste and have many fat inside (brrrrr) , and I have bad after taste for many hours. The old cashier lady at counter have very mean and not friendly attitude. Like she even almost push me to give a tips(I never saw that before nowhere) and buy their boring sides. Really when you have like this overpriced self service place, at list you can provide friendly and nice workers, like I don't want to pay my money to mean people. So sad that this place is like this now. Never will come back and it's many opportunities in Williamsburg and LES. read more

See all

I feel like this place may be overhyped. Despite the sausage being excellent everything else was rather average. I'd choose the mission bbq chain over this place. For entrees the bacon ends were basically just thick cut bacon. The pork and brisket were moist and decent but required you use their sauces. their sauces were nothing rememerable. Their yellow Georgia mustard like ayce was the best. The other two bbq sauces were meh and the vinegar too dark and thick to be anything like nc eastern style. The potato salad was okay. I wish it would have been creamier and cut into smaller potato chunks. The baked beans spoke of burnt ends. There was no meat that I could see in our side. They were just okay. Would I go back? For the price and location, Probably not. read more

See all

Came on a Sunday night. The restaurant is smaller than I imagined, especially since the gate is down and there is no outdoor seating (winter). The food was good not great but the service and general friendliness of the staff makes up for it. The beans and ribs were the best things on the plate, the meat literally slid off the bone. All in all the food lacks seasoning. I expected to have my mind blown away after the first bite but unfortunately it never happened. I didn't care for the food presentation (sitting in oil). We also had the lemonade which was strong and got the job done. Overall it's a nice place to go before a movie or just to get out of the house. I won't say I would voluntarily go again. BUT THE STAFF ARE EXTREMELY NICE!! read more

I don't know. Not sure I would go back. There was nothing offensive about the food. But I certainly would not wastey time there. It was average. Not much flavor. Disappointed. read more

4.5 stars - the best bbq we've had in NYC. SUBWAY - it's a little walk from the L train, but it's near where my husband gets his hair cut so we went right after. WAIT - came on a snowy January Saturday at 12:15pm and there was NO wait. Probably only 1 other group in the restaurant other than us. ATMOSPHERE: Feels like a bar/bbq joint with communal tables (both inside and out) and it's a little hard to see from the outside because there is a small hanging sign, you have to walk in to get to the door. It's dark, they play music and there's a beer/bar area to get drinks. You order first then they give you your food right away. I like that it has a display case of all the food. FOOD: Everything is sold by the pound, so you just tell them how much you want and what sides. BRISKET - 1/2 a pound was enough for 2 of us (probably 5-6 slices of brisket) it was pretty fatty, without the sauce it was SLIGHTLY flavorless but the ratio of fat to meat was good and it wasn't tough or dry at all. PORK RIBS - probably the best pork ribs i've had. they always tend to be dry or hard or stringy but they were soft, literally fell off the bone, fatty and tasty/juicy. Very good flavor, didnt need any sauce at all. We got 4 ribs which amounted to about a pound. BROCCOLI - good side to help cut through the grease, it's a little spicy and on the pickled side - so it tastes like the pickled broccoli ban chan at korean restaurants. there is a lot. BURNT ENDS BAKED BEANS - so flavorful, the baked beans almost had a chili like taste to them and the burnt ends added some meat. very delicious. BACON ENDS - also very good, a little on the salty side but tasted like thick cuts of bacon with lots of fat. highly recommended. 1/4 pound was like 5-6 pieces of bacon. Overall, very impressed and would recommend this. The plate comes with free bread and sauces on the table. I didnt try any of the sauces because they have beer in them (I'm trying to be gluten free) but my husband said they tasted good. read more

See all

They have a ton of seating and great food options. Some of the meat is too rich for me to eat but my partner adores it.

Sometimes the food here is amazing. 5-star worthy. Sometimes it's awful. Zero star worthy. Dried out and nearly inedible. How can you possibly dry out pork belly? It makes no sense. There's no way the staff can't see that the meat is dried out and overcooked and yet they serve it anyway. I wish management would address this issue and develop some basic quality control and consistency of their product. Also, the meats are generally served room temp and it gets cold by the time you bring your tray to the table. read more

Fabulous spot and probably my favorite BBQ spot I've had in New York. Everything here is delectable and tastes straight from the south, with a good variety of different barbecue sauces and meats. I usually get some kind of sampler with multiple options but the brisket is my favorite. It's got a fun ambiance and is a great spot to bring a friend (when covid is over, anyway). I haven't been here during the pandemic so I can't speak to if they have outdoor dining/what the situation is here but I always look forward to coming back. read more

It took me a fair bit of Googling to discover that Fette Sau is German for 'fat pig'. Now I'm wondering if they're referring to their product or just to me for freely accepting a prison tray of meat without a plate. I only heard about this place when a twenty-something former co-worker raved about it ad nauseum a couple of years ago, so I decided to bookmark it thinking I'd make it here someday. That day came sooner than I expected when I found myself on a business trip working with someone who happens to live in Williamsburg. When I mentioned I wanted to try Fette Sau, off we went. From Manhattan, it was an easy ride on the L-line to Bedford Avenue and just a few more blocks on Metropolitan Avenue in what looks to be a burgeoning gourmet ghetto. It was raining pretty hard, so no one was out on the front patio, but the industrial-looking cinder-block building was already getting packed at around 6:30PM on a Monday evening (see photos). It's community eating with rows of picnic tables and a few stools at the well-stocked bar. The chalkboard menu was hard to make out under the dim lights, but we noticed everything is sold by the pound. With a heavy-duty smoker in prominent view, clearly this is a carnivore's paradise as I couldn't wrap my head around such manly measurements, so I let my female colleague take control. We ended up getting quite a tray of food (see photo) starting with a half-dozen of the Duroc Pork Spare Ribs ($22 per lb.), chock full of tender, smoked meat that fell right off the bone when I touched them. The Duroc Pulled Pork Shoulder ($18 per lb.) was equally good with the moist shards of pork bursting with flavor. However, the standout, meat-wise, were the $4 Berkshire Spicy Pork Sausages, very juicy with the seasoning inside the casing providing a nice little kick. We got four of their warm dinner rolls which along with a heaping pile of Sauerkraut allowed us to make our own hot dogs. Perhaps out of guilt, I ordered the Broccoli Salad, which was perfectly fine but hardly a comparable offset to the avalanche of meat on the tray. My most ignorant order came in the form of the Burnt End Baked Beans, deliciously sweet with the added, unintended indulgence of pulled pork thrown into the mix. I could feel my arteries hardening with every mouthful of pig in my mouth. Indeed I am the fat pig of which they speak. While we had a couple of pints of the Hitachino Nest White Ale to down all the food, the true ambrosia came when we ordered some of their specialty bourbon, a couple of fingers of a local distillery called Widow Jane which turned out to be soothing balm to our barbecue sauce-saturated throats (see photo). The hipsters were packing the place by now, so it was time to head out into the rain. I am Fette Sau. FOOD - 4 stars...pork, pork and more pork...very tasty, nicely smoked and slapped on a prison tray AMBIANCE - 3 stars...dimly lit but bustling with free seats at a premium SERVICE - 3 stars...serviceable enough if a bit jaded TOTAL - 4 stars...for the Fette Sau in all of us read more

See all

Laid-back, backyard bbq type of vibe. Paper towels on each table, food comes on trays and no table service. The focus is on the meat and not the frills. You order at the small counter and can see the meat in a glass display. They're known for: beans and brisket. The prices aren't the cheapest but it's still worth it. Between 3 people we ordered beans, pork ribs, brisket, and pulled pork. You order by the pound and it also comes with potato rolls. Our favorite by far was the pulled pork and brisket. The brisket has a black crunchy outer layer (it's not burnt it's just beautifully charred!). All the meat was super tender and flavorful. I feel as though a lot of bbq places have the flavor but not the texture. This place has both. read more

I love this place and have been coming for 15 years! But to my massive disappointment the brisket was super dry tonight. I can't explain how let down I was after having so many good meals here. Dry brisket for a bbq place is like tough steak at Luger's. Hopefully this changes the next time I come but it might be a while because I'll head to Hometown with my high expectations. The sausage, pork loin and corn bread were great but what can I say, I yearn for that tender , perfectly cooked brisket that melts in your mouth. Always great ambiance and drinks here. read more

Nice beer list and juicy fatty brisket. Kelso on tap, soft rolls, and brisket sitting at bar late at night in an almost empty place. It was a joy. That being said I am not one to drink the Kool Aid and jump on the bandwagon to gush about this place. I still think it's a bit overrated and don't get the wonderous appeal that people seem to have with it. I have always avoided this place because I refuse to wait on long ass lines that can take close to an hour just to order. Then, you have to order drinks seperately at the bar. Even though they have a good beer and whiskey list this just doesn't make sense to not be able to set up a system to order all at once. Then there is the deal with fighting the crowd to find a spot to eat. I got there last night around 10pm after a Yelp event close by and it was so nice and empty. During normal hours this place is a zoo. It always seems crowded which attests to it's popularity with the hipster locals. Plus, in summer warm weather it becomes a sweat box as it is in an old garage. Sure, it has a cool grungy character to it, but if I am going out to eat and pay top dollar for a meal I prefer to eat hot bbq in the comfort of air conditioning. Still, they do make some pretty good brisket here. A bit pricey though. Had a plate of it last night. Theirs is more on the fatty side, and very juicy. Along with some soft supermarket bought rolls and a mason jar of Kelso beer I sat at the bar and filled up. It was a good way to end the night. I would definitely come back again as long as there were no lines like last night! To each their own I guess. I still prefer Mabel's Smokehouse a few minutes away. read more

Fette Sau - Barbeque Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

(Still) Waiting For Godot's Bar-be-cue Yes, my title may throw you for a loop, but I'll get to that a bit later (I promise it's relevant, guys!) I want to take a moment to thank my dad, Rick S, for diligently researching places in the greater NYC area that specialized in serving smoked meats. Like the father of a true blue Elite squad member, he went on Yelp and filtered BBQ restaurants by rating & location. Lo and behold, he discovers a place on the north side of Williamsburg with over 1,900 reviews (!) and a very solid 4-star rank. On my family's first night in New York, we hop on the subway and head to this place that had existed as a garage/chop shop in a previous life. Nowadays, they chop brisket instead of cars, but the giant sliding metal door and tool racks still remain. It's pretty cool inside, and they've added some nifty touches like a virtual fireplace and a wall detailing all the various parts of a pig and cow. Here, the meat is ordered by the pound and there's plenty to choose from: beef brisket, spare ribs, pulled pork shoulder, pork sausage, pork belly, pork pork. Also, pork. Vegetarians should avoid this place like Eric S avoids kale (i.e. keep your distance). Beer taps featured a nice selection of local stuff, although a brew in a glass mason jar will run you a steep $7. The selection of sides was underwhelming. Burnt ends baked beans, cold potato salad, broccoli salad, sweet 'n' sour pickles (the bread & butter variety), sauerkraut or chips are your options. No mac'n'cheese. No corn. No coleslaw (what da fuq?!?) For a barbecue place not to have these absolutely essential side items boggles the mind. Now here's where my title comes into 'play' (hah, rimshot!)....... Much like the famous theatrical production by Samuel Beckett, customers at this Brooklyn BBQ joint are left to wait endlessly for a meal that may or may not ever actually arrive. And this is why: Fette Sau uses literally THE STUPIDEST SYSTEM I have ever witnessed in my entire life. I hate to use this word, I really do, but there's no other adjective to describe the foolishness of ONE DUDE doing all of the carving, all of the weighing, and all of the serving onto trays himself -- borderline retarded. Whether by choice or by scheduling, there was no assistant carver or side dish helper to move things along faster than a snail's pace. You tell Mr Carver Man what kind(s) of meat you want, he picks up the slab of beef/pork, carefully slices it, weighs it, places it on a tray, puts the slab of meat back....and then does it all over again. Since most people get a variety of things, the process becomes an infuriating exercise in patience. The only thing CarverGuy *didn't* do was ring up the register and take your $$. From the moment we got in line until the time we sat down with our tray of food at the communal bench-style seating, 45 minutes had elapsed. Fourty five. Mind you, the line wasn't all that long when we arrived, so during busier times I imagine you could be stuck standing in line upwards of an hour. No BBQ on the planet is worth that kind of oppressive wait, especially with all of the tremendous smells tempting your tastebuds. All those gripes aside, the meats were pretty tasty. Far from the best I've ever had, but the ribs and brisket were standouts. Beans were definitely overrated and needed a boost from maple or brown sugar, or both. Sh*t wasn't cheap, as dinner for 3 hungry Chicagoans totaled something like $80. Bread = 4.5 Circuses = 2 Were it not for my rumbling stomach and parents (aka meal ticket), I would've very likely given up and walked out on these fools. I don't care if you serve the world's finest pork products, if your method of getting food to customers is this insufferably slow, you need to seriously reconsider streamlining the operation, or hiring more people. Something. ANYTHING. Please. Dinner was good, but given the 'udder' lack of efficiency I can't in good conscience give Fette Sau my seal of approval. For those that seek barbecue with quality sides that doesn't involve spending your entire evening waiting in line, I'd recommend that you keep mooooovin'. read more

See all

The place is awesome! Staff was very friendly and helpful if you don't know what to order. Brisket and chili were amazing, great vibe at the back of an alley way. Definitely would come back another time. read more

WOW- this brisket tops them all- fatty flavorfull damn delicious........Bare bones interior....put off by the lines many times, but ventured one late weekday afternoon. Meat- brisket perfection Sides- chipotle sweet potatoes, baked beans with burnt ends, broccoli salad The Parker rolls were a nice touch, better than the white bread at Hill Country. The spicy, sweets were a home run as were the deep, dark baked beans- freakin' amazing. The brisket is pricey- whole meal cost $30 and that was for 4 slices of brisket, but it was worth it for the soulful barbecue. Summer chow outside on the picnic tables beckons... Best brisket! read more

Fette Sau - "The brisket" - Barbeque Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

The name of the game here is "upsell." The boy decided to repark his car over in Williamsburg to avoid having to move it before driving up to Boston. We found a parking spot near the L stop, and I realized that Fette Sau was a few blocks over. Banking on the horrifically heavy snowfall to curb other diners from going, we veritably skied our way into this meatery. We started off by ordering a quarter pound each of brisket and pork belly, along with large sides of beans 'n' burnt ends, potato salad, and slaw. Eyeing the key lime tart on the dessert menu, I requested one of those for good measure. Clearly, that wasn't going to be enough food, because the gent manning the till informed us that we definitely needed to double our meat. Really? So I added another quarter pound of pork shoulder on top of all that. According to him, that still wasn't enough. Now, this is getting silly. So we make it a third pound of each meat. Even with wintry mix coming down sideways, it was a full house up in this piece. It turns out that the renown of Fette Sau is enough that starving carnivores are willing to brave broken legs and frostbite to dine here. I think we managed to grab the last two seats next to one another on an otherwise packed bench and dove into our grub. Oh. And about the food... I think it goes without saying that we consumed far in excess of what we should have. The sides absolutely blew the meat out of the water. The beans and burnt ends alone would have been enough to constitute a meal. Pass on the dry shoulder, although the mustardy sauce sure made it palatable. I'm glad I had the opportunity to try the (supposedly) best barbecue in the city, but I can't imagine dealing with the crowds or the wait for a return. read more

The line is insane and the whole experience was super claustrophic. That said, if you don't mind being squished up against people for an hour while you wait and then while you sit and eat, you have good company and you are in search of good barbecue, you should check it out. The selection rotates, so you might not get what you come for (maybe call ahead? though sometimes it just sells out ... so good luck). I've heard the links are really great, but I haven't had a chance to try it. Rule of thumb: no matter how much meat you think you can handle and how much bone is on what you order, 1/2 lb meat should be good. Remember that. Brisket is always my favorite - tender and fatty (not the lean one though lol), though the ribs were really great as well. The rib comes as a whole rib, but thankfully we came in a party of 6 so we were able to split that amongst all of us. Overall, I enjoyed my meal, but I can't help but think that I love Delaney (just a few blocks over) more. Then again, I haven't been there in a while so I'll have to revisit. :) read more

Fette Sau - Barbeque Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

See all

I give this place a 3.5. Bf was craving some BBQ, and a quick Yelp search landed us upon this place. Pretty easy to find, and it's nicely decorated. Because it's been so hot and muggy, both my bf and I were praying for there to be AC. Sadly there wasn't..but..it was night time with a slight drizzle, and we ended up eating outside. For food, you tell the butcher which meats you'd like, and they price it by the pound. The cool thing is is that you can request .5lb and less if you wanted to. We got the: BLACK ANGUS BEEF BRISKET Sliced beef brisket, is slow smoked in house and coated with our house made dry rub blend. $29/lb -This one was GREAT. Super moist and juicy. Flavorful AF. DUROC PORK RIBS Our ribs are smoked in house and coated with our house made dry rub blend. $25/lb - Fall off the bone, but a little too grainy on the outside for my liking. & BURNT END BAKED BEANS The burnt ends of our smoked meats (contains pork and beef) are added to the beans for smoky flavor and then slowly cooked over night. (8 oz portion) $7 -It was a hefty portion and it was pretty good! Loved the addition of the meats inside. They also provide bread for free, which is cool. Water dispenser and paper towels on deck for your pleasure. It's not a bad place at all..I'm just not the biggest BBQ fan, and I also found that there weren't many options..especially for sides. read more