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Home > Restaurants > Wildwood Barbeque

Wildwood Barbeque

Critic's Pick Critics' Pick

225 Park Ave. South, New York, NY 10003
nr. 18th St.  See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
212-533-2500 Send to Phone

    Order Online

  • Price Range: $$$

    Key to Prices and ratings

    Upscale
    • Almost Perfect
    • Exceptional
    • Generally Excellent
    • Very Good
    • Good
    Cheap Eats
    • Best in Category
    • Excellent
    • Delicious
    • Very Good
    • Noteworthy
    • Very Expensive
    • Expensive
    • Moderate
    • Cheap
  • Critics' Rating: *

    Key to Prices and ratings

    Upscale
    • Almost Perfect
    • Exceptional
    • Generally Excellent
    • Very Good
    • Good
    Cheap Eats
    • Best in Category
    • Excellent
    • Delicious
    • Very Good
    • Noteworthy
    • Very Expensive
    • Expensive
    • Moderate
    • Cheap
  • Reader Rating:

    6.2 out of 10

      |  

    6 Reviews | Write a Review

  • Cuisine: BBQ
View Slide Show
Courtesy of Wildwood Barbeque

Hours

Mon-Thu, 11:30am-11pm; Fri, 11:30-midnight, Sat, noon-midnight; Sun, noon-11pm

Nearby Subway Stops

4, 5, 6, L, N, Q, R, W at 14th St.-Union Sq.

Prices

$12-$32

Payment Methods

American Express, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Special Features

  • Good for Groups
  • Hot Spot
  • Lunch
  • Notable Chef
  • Take-Out
  • Teen Appeal
  • Online Ordering

Alcohol

  • Full Bar

Reservations

Accepted/Not Necessary

Delivery

Profile

Stephen Hanson’s big-box venture occupies the same vast hangar space that once housed his failed Spanish experiment, Barça 18, and it operates according to the same well-rehearsed, volume-oriented principles. The room is ribbed with wood beams, which make it look less like a juke joint than a giant Viking hall, and fitted with a cocktail bar that’s longer than a good-size passenger jet. The well-trained, unfailingly cheerful wait staff are dressed in snappy charcoal-colored T-shirts and come at you in never-ending waves. "Big Lou" Elrose, a former cop from Ozone Park who learned his craft at the great brisket mecca Hill Country, operates two belching smokers in the back, which turn out those three mainstays of the barbecue canon—here, “Carolina” pulled pork, “Memphis-style” baby backs, “Texas smoked” brisket—by the truckload.

Quality is tricky when you’re dealing with this kind of volume, and many hard-core barbecue hounds have dismissed Wildwood on account of that. But Wildwood is more of a big-money New York restaurant and bar than a hard-core barbecue joint. And for a big-money New York restaurant and bar, the barbecue isn’t so bad. My 8-year-old daughter, Jane, gave thumbs down to the dry, spicy-sweet baby backs (“The ones at school are better, Dad”), but she liked the crunchy chicken wings and the fatty, “all-natural” Denver lamb ribs. I wouldn’t recommend the shanky, semi-smoky pulled pork to anyone from North Carolina, but it doesn’t taste bad in sandwich form, buried under pickles and cole slaw. Big Lou’s brisket is the best of the barbecue facsimile on the menu, but his signature sauce (flavored, tragically, with raspberries) needs retooling. The best of the industrial-size desserts is the carrot cake. But beware: Coming on the heels of all this meat, just the sight of this towering, Bunyanesque creation could tip even the most hard-bitten barbecue hound into a deep food coma. — Adam Platt

Note

The bar offers an impressive 32 varieties of bourbon.

Ideal Meal

Chicken wings, Texas smoked brisket and/or Denver lamb ribs, carrot cake.

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New York Magazine Reviews

Featured In

6.2 "Mixed Reviews"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10		 Write Your Own Review
66% Would you go back?
66% Would you take a date?
16% Would you take kids?
50% Would you go on business?
33% Would you go on a special occasion?
Food: 6.2
Service: 6.8
Décor: 7.7
Value: 5.3

Not to shabby

bp9451 from 10604 | Posted on 10/17/08

Overall Rating: 8 (Recommended)
Food: 7
Service: 8
Décor: 8
Value: 7

I have been to many BBQ joints from Blue Smoke to Rub and i have to say that WWBBQ is pretty good. I work in the area and have been there over 8 times since its opening. The food is quailty and the staff is very friendly. I decor is perky/Barn like and gives a nice enviornment that is quiet even when full. The dessert menu still needs some work but the ribs are a pleanty and the taste is just as good. Try the onion rings or the home made salt and vinegar chips (YUM)

Go for the drinks!

LZA from 07302 | Posted on 8/27/08

Overall Rating: 8 (Recommended)
Food: 8
Service: 10
Décor: 7
Value: 8

The barbecue was all well and good - no complaints. But the truly excellent part of the night was having a few drinks before dinner at the bar. They have a staggering 32 kinds of bourbon and about 7 ryes, and the bartender really knew his stuff. I had the best Sazerac I've ever had, and all of the specialty cocktails are really great, not the usual crappy fruity 'martini' for $15 schlock. I especially liked the mint julep and the Macintyre (?)Swizzle, which was sloe gin and muddled strawberries. For the quality of the cocktails it was very underpriced. Kind of a Wall Streety/ touristy crowd but it's such a big, loud place that you can tune it out.

Read All 6 Reviews >>

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