Dinosaur BBQ

Cuisine: Barbecue
Location: 646 W 131st St @ 12th Avenue
Phone #: (212) 694 1777
Method(s): Eat In
Price Range: $$
Food: A
Value: A
Service/Atmosphere: A
Overall Rating: A

In terms of barbecue spots that I have had the pleasure of trying in NYC, I have yet to find a better place than Dinosaur BBQ. Originally started in upstate NY, with their only other locations in Rochester and Syracuse, this Harlem location is their closest restaurant within 250 miles of the City (in other words expect big crowds).
The place is worth visiting for their epic wings and fried green tomatoes alone (more on that below), but they also have great entrees and sides, not to mention their notorious Wango Tango and Garlic Chipotle BBQ/hot sauces, which you can take home for $5 a bottle if you haven't had enough by the time you're leaving. The atmosphere is always fun and rowdy, but the service stays great nonetheless. It's also important to mention that "Dino" is incredibly bicycle friendly, in that they have a bunch of outdoor tables with bike racks (which are always full of bicycles since it is located right along the West Side Highway bike path) and they even allow you to bring your bicycle into the bar area if you want to sit inside but don't want to risk getting your bike stolen outside. If you are a biker it is easy to stop by Dino, but if not I would definitely recommend taking the train up there next chance you get.

What I liked
In terms of appetizers, other than the below, if you're into Deviled Eggs ($3.95/3, $6.95/6, $10.95/12) then you should try the version that is served here, because it is a bit different (and better) than those I have tried in the past. As far as the sides go ($3.50 each), I typically stick with the Mac & Cheese, which is coated in breadcrumbs and delicious, and the Iceberg Wedge, which is awesome mostly because of their "house" dressing, which is the same as blue cheese mixed with wango tango BBQ sauce.....as crazy good as it sounds.

If you're going to Dino hungry then you're in the right place. I am always stuffed when I leave here. To maximize the variety of items you can try I would recommend ordering one of the combo meat plates. You choose between their sampler platters which contain any 2 or 3 of the following meats (you can't go wrong, they are all the epitome of amazing barbecue, especially the ribs and brisket): ribs, chicken, sausage links, texas beef brisket and barbecued pork. Prices range from $14-$17 for 2 meats and $18-$24 for 3 meats, so totally reasonable prices. Make sure you slather on your choice of BBQ or hot sauce. They have 4 flavors which vary in heat: the weakest is Honey BBQ (pretty plain BBQ sauce), Wango Tango is a little hotter than that (my 2nd favorite, BBQ sauce with a decent kick), Garlic Chipotle is spicy (my favorite, a cross between BBQ sauce and hot sauce) and Devil's Duel is super hot (closer to Habanero sauce, a bit too spicy for my taste).

I will only give one sandwich the honor of being mentioned as the headiest (although the Brisket Smothered ($8.95) and Pork-Sket ($13.50, brisket with pulled pork on top), are also unique and tasty), and it is the BBQ Brisket, Bacon & Swiss ($9.50). You just can't beat the combo of the tender Dino brisket with the saltiness of the bacon, topped off with the cheesiness of the swiss. Definitely order the fries on the side because those are crispy and well-spiced, as you would have imagined.

What Could Use Work
The Drunken Spicy Shrimp ($6.50/quarter pound, $12.95/half pound, $20.95/full pound) just left something to be desired. I have always been somewhat anti peel and eat shrimp out of principle. I find them to be too challenging and annoying to take the shells off, and there is too little payoff once you put in the work. The shrimps do have interesting spices, including my all-time favorite (Old Bay), but I would allocate your stomach space to the other items mentioned here if I were you.

Killed It!
The Jumbo Babecue Chicken Wings ($3.95/3, $6.95/6, $11.95/13) are the star of the show at Dino. I am officially annointing the Dino wings as the best wings I've ever had. Even though they aren't your traditional buffalo style wings in any sense of the style, these are massive and have a better flavor than any others I've had. I would recommend ordering half Garlic Chipotle and half Wango Tango, and once they come just enjoy every last bite of these wings, which taste as if they just came off an actual barbecue grill (as opposed to being deep fried like many buffalo wings are). Disclaimer: be careful if you are planning on ordering appetizers and entrees at Dino. You can easily get yourself into trouble filling up on the wings alone, because they are so big they truly live up to the name Dinosaur. They are extremely smoky and I just can't say enough about how ridiculously delicious they are. The first 10 times I came to Dino I kept my order simple: we just ordered the wings and famous Fried Green Tomatoes ($5.95/3 0r $8.95/5). The tomatoes come with a cayenne buttermilk ranch dressing, and are topped with lettuce and pecorino cheese. If you are feeling ambitious you can even pour the dressing on and mix everything up to make a fried green tomato salad. Make the trip up to Harlem to hit up Dino ASAP.