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Start a Top 5 for BBQEditor’s picks
Press picks, until locals rank their own Top 5s. Sourced from the local food press. As seen in This is CNY (Advance Media NY). Updated August 2026.
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que · Armory Square
John Stage turned an aging downtown dive bar into a smokehouse here in 1988, and the 246 W. Willow St. flagship remains the original Dinosaur, rooted in Southern barbecue and honored with national awards over the years. This is CNY's iconic-restaurants list credits it for slow-smoked ribs, pork butts and brisket served in a rowdy Franklin Square room. Order the ribs, brisket or pulled pork, and start with the fried green tomatoes.
Angry Smokehouse · Baldwinsville
A Baldwinsville smokehouse on the Seneca River that This is CNY named among the area's best restaurants of 2023. The owner trained with 11 pitmasters across five states before opening, and three smokers can turn out a collective 1,200 pounds of meat, drawing lines out the door from its first month. The wood is hickory. Come for the hickory-smoked ribs, brisket and pulled pork.
the Brickyard Tavern and Barbeque · LaFayette
This LaFayette spot made This is CNY's 2025 roundup of favorite Central New York restaurants, where Charlie Miller praised its Texas-style barbecue. Quality pitmasters run the pits, turning out pepper-crusted brisket, ribs and house-made sausage along U.S. Route 11 south of the city. Order the pepper-crusted brisket, a plate of ribs and a link of the house-made sausage, and expect a Texas-style plate rather than a saucy one.
The Angry Pig BBQ · Phoenix
Jacob Pucci highlighted this Phoenix smokehouse in This is CNY's 2025 best-restaurants roundup, praising its beef brisket and smoked chicken wings. The wings drew special note, and they run a dollar apiece on Wednesdays and Sundays. The smoker sits north of the city on Lamson Road in Oswego County. Order the beef brisket and a batch of the smoked wings.
Limp Lizard Lounge Bar & Grill · West side / Onondaga Blvd
Jared Paventi reviewed Limp Lizard for This is CNY in January 2026, writing that the West Side spot brings all the smoke to each dish. The kitchen on Onondaga Boulevard turns out smoked wings, pulled pork and barbecue plates with sides like cornbread and baked beans, and there is live music on the calendar. A second location operates in North Syracuse. Order the smoked chicken wings, pulled pork and a square of cornbread.