This might be the prettiest barbecue in the state, with its flower-filled pots on a Westchester street that slopes down to the Hudson River. The St. Louis ribs are nicely charred (compare them to Blue Smoke’s), the brisket smoke-ringed, and the pork sausage cross-hatched and made in-house. Vegetarian salads on display are particularly colorful, an oddity in good barbecue.

Founded in Syracuse in 1988 and still boasting upstate flourishes, John Stage's Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is one of the more established barbecues in NYC. Rather than concentrating on a single style, it offers a menu that evokes several different places around the state and country. Go for the pork ribs, baked beans, and, best of all, Syracuse salt potatoes. Located on the edge of Columbia University’s new north campus, Dinosaur is a great spot for dining with kids. There are other locations in Park Slope and upstate New York.

This Mott Haven newcomer via pitmaster Robin Hudson does a spectacular job on fundamentals, including a solid brisket sandwich and passel of smoky pork ribs, matched with a local beer selection and a comfortable dining hall. Hell, this place might as well be in Texas. Lots of quirks keep the menu interesting, including pork belly, a smash burger, chorizo, and jerk chicken. Beef ribs and pastrami available on Saturdays only.

Virgil's Real BBQ in Times Square makes real hardwood barbecue more accessible to tourists than any other place in town, with the possible exception of the Mighty Quinn’s chain. It’s owned by the same hospitality company as the Italian restaurant Carmine’s. The barbecue is surprisingly good despite the corporate feel, with decent brisket, pulled pork, and barbecue beans bobbing with little tidbits of meat. Another branch can be found on the Upper West Side.

Now describing itself as Kansas-City style, John Brown BBQ moved into the Long Island City location of Mothership Meat Company, another Josh Bowen establishment. The menu is more eclectic than the Kansas City designation suggests, featuring brisket, pulled pork, smoked turkey, and house-cured pastrami. There’s also a beguiling array of invented sandwiches such as the John Brown Reuben, which deploys pastrami along with Swiss cheese and coleslaw. The glorious fenced and decorated backyard is another lure.

Don’t you love a quirky barbecue, where the level of the output sometimes rises to exemplary, while other things are mediocre? This new pit right on Hoboken’s main drag is run by Myron Mixon, a veteran of the competitive barbecue circuit who’s also a food TV celebrity. Pulled pork is a highlight, especially when doused with the vinegar sauce; the beef and pork sausages are nicely dense and smoky; and as over-the-top as it sounds, a sandwich of brisket topped with mac and cheese is probably the best thing on the menu.

This barbecue in Jersey City, a few blocks from the mouth of the Holland Tunnel, was founded in 2016 by brothers Michael and John Gondevas. In addition to great beef brisket, pork ribs, and pulled pork, find uncommon items such as sausages made from brisket, crusty and chewy lamb belly, and tacos filled with various forms of barbecue, squiggled with complementary sauces. The fenced-in side yard is an added plus, about as close as the metro area ever comes to Austin.

Mighty Quinn's serves up what pitmaster Hugh Mangum describes as “Texalina style,” a fusion of the barbecue traditions found in Texas and the Carolinas. But what really emerges is a uniquely NYC iteration: Maldon salt is sprinkled atop the meat as it’s served, and some dishes make use of a deep fryer (smoked chicken wings). The gargantuan beef rib, smoked for 12 hours, is a defining menu item.

If a down-home barbecue were recast as a cocktail lounge, this Forest Hills establishment is what it would look like. Indeed, the menu strays into normal bar food like pretzel bites, fried chicken and waffles, and wings in a dizzying number of permutations. But the barbecue, running to chicken, ribs, brisket, and — not neglecting vegans — smoke jackfruit, is solid. Some regional sandwiches are also showcased, including po’ boys and Nashville-style hot chicken sandwiches.

While the original branch of barbecue pioneer Blue Smoke closed during the pandemic — along with its associated jazz club — the Battery Park City outpost motors on under chef Bret Lunsford. This branch has always been known for its ribs in the Memphis and St. Louis styles smoked over cherry wood. The Texas-style brisket sandwich, piled high, is good too, and so is the barbecued chicken, smoked and then grilled. From there the menu wanders needlessly off to things like fried chicken and chips with queso.

Early on, this 15-year-old barbecue spot tucked in a Williamsburg alleyway established itself as a maverick operation with a broader range of barbecue options than usual. In the early days, the chalkboard menu at Fette Sau (“fat pig”) often ran to pork belly, beef tongue, pork chops, and, yes, pig tails, in addition to ribs and brisket. The quality has always been high, with a much more aggressive drink program than most barbecue spots, including shots of premium whiskies in addition to beer.

The founders at Pig Beach are Balthazar alum Shane McBride and Del Posto vet Matt Abdoo. The barbecue is eclectic there’s red hot sausage, and a perfect cheeseburger), bringing together numerous culinary influences. On the banks of the Gowanus, the backyard is a delightful place to hang with some ribs and pulled pork, and kids and pets are welcome. A new branch recently appeared in Queens.

Hometown is pitmaster Billy Durney's vision of NYC barbecue. While it leans toward Texas-style, it is at its heart and soul a New York restaurant. It was previously declared the best barbecue in the city by Eater critic Ryan Sutton, and many aficionados agree. The move here is to order everything on the menu — but especially the short rib, brisket, Jamaican jerk ribs, and spare ribs. A new branch in Sunset Park’s Industry City may be more accessible and offers specialties all its own, including smash burgers and cheese fries.