Last Friday, I was walking on 44th street toward 8th Avenue when I noticed Sammy's House of BBQ, a new restaurant in the heart of Times Square. I love BBQ so I could not resist and convinced Jodi that we needed to go there for lunch the next day. I thought the place would be busy, even if we went at around 1:30pm, as Times Square is always packed with tourists, but was surprised to see that place fairly empty. It is a big place with three main dining rooms: one in the front, one in the back and one upstairs. The bar was not yet busy as they did not have yet their liquor license that should, apparently, be granted soon.

I love the decor there: simply rustic, with burlap used for the banquettes, making you think you are away from the city, in Texas. And also, when you go to a BBQ place and they have rolls of paper towel on the table, you know it is going to be messy and messy for a BBQ means good! Ever better are the various sauces, my favorite being the Saint Louis style BBQ sauce.

Sauces and paper towel at Sammy's House of BBQ in Times Square, NYC

To start, we decided to go with fried green tomatoes, a dish that is not that often proposed in New York, except at Southern Hospitality not too far from there. Unfortunately, they came back few minutes after our order to let us know that they did not have any and we decided to go with the fried pickles that were quite good, especially dipped in a hot chipotle sauce.

Fried pickles at Sammy's House of BBQ in Times Square, NYC

For her main dish, Jodi went for the mahi mahi tacos that were delicious: three tacos that were made perfectly, especially the fish that was well cooked and moist. It could have had a bit of crunch, but even without, it was worth trying it.

On my side, I decided to go with one of their samplers that comes with corn bread and two sides: you can choose between a choice of 2, 3, 4 or 5 meats that comprised of brisket, pulled pork, baby back ribs, smoked chicken and sausage. As I am a reasonable guy, I went for only 3... There, I chose the brisket (melting in my mouth and deliciously fatty), the pulled pork (fantastic, moist and with burnt ends that gave an even better taste) and the ribs (disappointing as they were dry). For the sides, I chose the tater tots (just ok) and the mac and cheese that was pretty good and very cheesy.

We left the restaurant full, with no space for dessert (although I do not know if they have any). Sammy's House of BBQ is a good place, not as good as Brother Jimmy's or Southern Hospitality, but much better than Virgil's, located a couple of block away. Their brisket is fantastic as is their pulled pork. I will probably go back there to try some other specialties such as the wings that I was close to order...

Enjoy (I did)!

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Sammy's House of BBQ

I Just Want To Eat!