Bark Barbecue started as a pop-up in Queens, turned into a food stand in Brooklyn, and is now ready for a bigger stage — pitmaster Ruben Santana will open his first full restaurant in Bushwick at 25 Thames Street, between Morgan Avenue and Bogart Street, on
Wednesday, July 1, where he focuses on Central Texan barbecue with Dominican touches, a nod to his own roots.
“Barbecue is headed in a way where people want a little bit more than what’s offered before,” Santana says of Bark. “New York is a melting pot for different cultures, different flavors, and a wider-ranging palette. This opens the door for a lot of people to do different things and attempt things they wouldn’t have before.”
The move comes at a time when American barbecue has been going through an evolution. Pitmasters are meshing American meat-smoking techniques with longstanding global traditions. Look at Puerto Rican Palmira Barbecue in South Carolina, Egyptian KG BBQ in Austin, Vietnamese-angled Khói Barbecue in Houston, and Mexican-influenced Barbs B Qin Texas’s barbecue capital, Lockhart (which is expanding into Brooklyn this year with Kirbee’s, a collaboration with Fort Worth joint Goldee’s). And Bark is continuing that movement.
“In the Dominican Republic, we’re big meat eaters,” Santana says. “Let’s be honest: This live-fire thing, in the Caribbean, this is second nature.”
Bark’s new location will serve classic smoked brisket and pork ribs alongside Dominican-style chicharrónes, longaniza sausages, cerdo a la Leña (pit-smoked whole hog), and carnitas fritas, Bark’s best-selling version of the Dominican beefy dish made with smoked and confited brisket trimmings on top of a fried plantain.
Sides will include spicy mac and cheese made with adobo chile, Dominican oregano, and a mess of shredded white and yellow cheeses and smoked gouda; fried plantains; arroz congri (rice and beans made using his Cuban uncle’s recipe); and Dominican tortas (made using his family’s cornbread recipe).
Not available at the food hall stand are new dishes such as Criollo-style barbecue beans (made with pulled pork) and batata asada (a smoked sweet potato).
The bar features beers, wines, and drinks made with wines and soju. The watermelon highball has sparkling wine, soju, and a raspberry puree; the espresso martini is made with port wine; and the Tamarindo Fizz features soju, sparkling wine, passionfruit and pineapple juices, and a tamarind extract.
The morning menu will include breakfast tacos, built with beef tallow flour tortillas and filled with toppings like chopped brisket and chicharrónes, smoked carnitas, or longaniza sausages. Other fillings include mashed plantains, soft scrambled eggs, pickled red onions, queso frito, salsa roja, and crema.
Santana’s excited about the coffee poured at Bark’s daytime service. While he waits for Dominican beans sourced and roasted by Westchester-based roaster Don Carvajal because of a shortage, he’s using beans from Brooklyn Roasting Company. Look for Dominican cortados, naranja dulce (sweet orange) lattes, and Coco Miel (a take on iced coconut Americanos).
The sprawling 8,000-square-foot counter-service restaurant showcases four smokers fueled by white oak wood, visible from behind glass walls in the 200-seat dining room. There are communal tables and leather booths. Outside, the 90-seat patio includes string lights and a stage.
Santana started smoking brisket on his own in 2020 at home in Ozone Park, while running his own HVAC business. He turned that into weekend pop-ups across from Vito Locascio Field. He debuted at Smorgasburg in 2021 and opened a stall in Time Out Market Dumbo in 2022.
While the restaurant opens, the Time Out stand will be closed through the opening date, but will reopen to run at least through the end of the year.
It’s been a long journey for Santana. When he was dipping his toe into the smoked meats waters, he was often told: “‘You can’t really do barbecue in New York,’” he recalls.
Years later, though, Santana realized he was doing it, and doing it successfully. “It’s big for me to be Dominican and to get acknowledgement in the culinary space as an individual,” he says.
Santana hopes he inspires others to follow him. “Sometimes, you have to stick with your guns, and that’s what determines what an artist is — chefs are artists, and it’s not about doing what’s trendy but doing what you feel is right and you’re passionate about and making people see that vision.”
Bark Barbecue’s cafe hours start at 9 a.m. daily, with lunch at 11 a.m. The restaurant closes at 10 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday and at midnight on Thursday through Sunday.
