Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
About
What It Is
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is a restaurant, blues venue, and biker bar chain with locations concentrated in upstate New York, plus a branch in New York City [1]. The chain originated in 1988 with its first location on Willow Street in downtown Syracuse, and has since expanded into buildings of historical significance across several cities [1]. The Syracuse location itself previously served as a tavern and a Cadillac dealership [1]. The chain is widely recognized for its barbecue, having been voted America's best barbecue in an ABC Good Morning America poll in May 2009 [1].
Activities & Experiences
Visitors come primarily to eat barbecue in an atmosphere that combines a restaurant, live blues music venue, and biker bar [1]. The menu includes signature items such as the Pork-Sket sandwich, which features a half pound each of brisket and pulled pork [1]. The chain's bottled sauces, produced by Private Label Foods, are also available for purchase in grocery stores and online [1]. A cookbook titled Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: An American Roadhouse, containing many of the restaurant's recipes, was published in 2001 [1].
Practical Access
The original and flagship location is in downtown Syracuse, upstate New York, with additional current locations elsewhere in the state [1]. No specific information on hours, admission fees, parking, reservations, or typical visit duration is provided in the available sources.
Restrictions
No specific restrictions noted in the sources.
What Makes It Distinctive
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que occupies historically significant buildings at each of its locations: the Rochester restaurant is a former Lehigh Valley Railroad station overlooking the Genesee River, and the Buffalo restaurant is a former Universal Pictures film storage vault [1]. The combination of a barbecue restaurant, live blues venue, and biker bar identity sets it apart from conventional dining establishments [1]. Its national profile was further raised by a feature on the Travel Channel's Man v. Food in 2010, and it has a long-standing association with the New York State Fair [1].
Sources
Things to do
- dine on barbecue
- live blues music
Amenities
- bottled sauces for purchase
Features
- 5 locations currently open
- chain founded 1988
- cookbook available
- featured on man v. food
- flagship in downtown syracuse
- historic building locations
- restaurant, blues venue, biker bar
- voted best us barbecue