'Hottest' Queens' Eateries List Includes New Astoria BBQ Joint

ASTORIA, QUEENS — It might have only opened a couple of weeks ago, but critics say that a new barbecue joint in Astoria is already among the 'hottest' restaurants in Queens.

Pig Beach BBQ, a barbecue restaurant that opened at 35-37 36th Street in Oct. following over a year of pandemic-related delays, was named among the 15 "hottest new restaurants in Queens" by Eater editors this month.

The barbecue joint, which is located at the once-site of a large event space, is one of many restaurants that's opened its doors to vaccinated indoor diners in recent months, as the city's begun to enforce its indoor vaccine mandate.

Eater editors said that Pig Beach BBQ is impressing Astoria diners with its "signature classics," which are already beloved in Brooklyn, where the restaurant opened its flagship location.

Among the food offerings, the editors call out the restaurant's peach- and honey-glazed ribs, smoked pork shoulder with hatch vinegar sauce, and their "famed" Pig Beach burger.

The Brooklyn-based restaurant is also paying homage to Astoria's immigrant history in its move to Queens, Eater editors say, pointing out new specials like a Greek-style smoked lamb shoulder.

And it's not just the food that makes Pig Beach BBQ a worthwhile place to dine out at — editors specifically note the spot's large, dog-friendly backyard beer garden, which is equipped with picnic tables, a stage for music, and a 28-foot jumbotron.

The restaurant is usually open from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and noon to 10:00 p.m. on the weekend, but it plans to adjust it hours to "accommodate the barbecue needs of the people," so the eatery suggests checking its website to make sure that it is open.

And, this isn't the first time that Eater editors recognized a northwest Queens restaurant as one of the borough's best new spot: editors recommended Carla, a Long Island City gastropub, as one of the summer's hottest new restaurants.

Read Eater's list of "The Hottest New Restaurants in Queens, November 2021" here.