Fette Sau
"Fette Sau, which means 'fat pig' in German, opened its doors in March 2007... [Owners] Kim and Joe Carroll transformed a former auto-body repair shop into industrial barbecue cavern with a whole wall of hand painted cuts-of-meat, a fake fire burning on the television screen and heavy picnic tables -- both inside and out," Free Williamsburg reports.
"Head chef Matt Lang, late of Pearl Oyster Bar, swaps surf for turf with a rotating menu of pork and beef ribs and shoulders, pigs’ tails, flank steak, leg of lamb, pork belly, and pastrami, all sold by weight and served on butcher paper, sauce on the side," writes New York magazine. Citysearch's Erin Behan says, "All the meat comes caked in char--thanks to the caramelized sugar and espresso-ground coating--which unfortunately overpowers the dry pulled pork and overcooked ribs. Try the rich, fatty Bershire belly and you may lose room for the savory must-order beans, cold German potato salad and tart Guss' sauerkraut."
And Peter Meehan of the New York Times suggests: "Drink less moderately than you eat. The ’cue isn’t bad by a stretch, but there are real rewards for the inquisitive imbiber... There are no bottled beers at Fette Sau, but there are eight offbeat wines — who knew Rhode Island made such a zesty vidal blanc? — that play well with the barbecue and as many as 40 American whiskies on offer." How would you rate this place?
Reviews (25)
PitbullNYC wrote a review on January 30, 2009 12:04 PM
Mmmmmm car exhaust on your pulled pork! yummay. what a weird looking setup, but it kind looks cool tho.
*r*
plgdude wrote a review on January 30, 2009 12:22 PM
only been once and thought it was perfect for what it is. my only complaint was that i end up spending more money than i thought i would.
bowl of dicks wrote a review on January 30, 2009 12:59 PM
pure perfection.
dirty_hipster wrote a review on January 30, 2009 1:04 PM
I live right around the corner so I've been here more then a few times. The food is really really good. Only complaint I have is that there is no real set menu. So you may go in looking for Pork Belly, which is not offered that day.
The food is also inconsistent. While still good, sometimes the food is a little dry. Also not a big fan of the seating. The communal picnic tables that are always jam packed - which is understandable I suppose as it is a destination spot for people that don't live in the neighborhood.
The beer and whisky selection is superb, which is why I usually end up leaving here with very little cash in my wallet.
11217 wrote a review on January 30, 2009 1:35 PM
I thought the meat was overly greasy, dry in the inside and relatively bland. Perhaps I'm just not a barbeque person, but I found the place totally overrated.
They seem to do well though, so what do I know.
Good whiskey, yes.
wine lover wrote a review on January 30, 2009 1:36 PM
i moved to NYC from Chicago and thought that the BBQ in NYC was just terrible. this was the first place that i went to that i thought was really really good.
love the atmosphere. it's fun and quirky. also, it's really nice right after work before it gets crowded. i guess the fact that is always very crowded is a testament to how good the food is.
11217 wrote a review on January 30, 2009 1:42 PM
"i guess the fact that is always very crowded is a testament to how good the food is."
Hate to pick on you for this wine lover, but the Olive Garden and Red Lobster in Manhattan are jam packed whenever I've walked by with people waiting 30 minutes for a table. McDonalds is one of the few companies to post a profit in the 4th Quarter.
I'm not going to argue about the quality of this place, because people do indeed seem to like it, but your assertion that crowded = good is just plain wrong.
There are nightly crowds at what I consider some of the worst restaurants in Park Slope.
dirty_hipster wrote a review on January 30, 2009 1:58 PM
The ribs always seem greasy, and the pulled pork was greasy once. Unfortunately this is how people judge a BBQ place. The pork belly is legit though. Flank steak was consistently good too
I think most NYC BBQ places are overrated due to the fact that none are really that great compared to the places in the south.
Seems like a southern could move up here and open a place and make a killing.
Eat It Brooklyn wrote a review on January 30, 2009 2:03 PM
Love, love, LOVE this place. Have posted about it, with photos, on my blog. Great atmosphere, great meat from great farms & great tractor seats at the bar.
11216 wrote a review on January 30, 2009 2:09 PM
The atmosphere is nice. and the meat is ok. but the sides were horrible. so horrible that i won't go back.
dirty_hipster wrote a review on January 30, 2009 2:11 PM
the beans rock man
GoGoMrPoPo wrote a review on January 30, 2009 3:56 PM
Perfection. I love the sauce on the side approach. I love the pork belly. I love the brisket. I love the pickles. I love the beer. I love the bourbons. I love the counter people. I love the bartenders. I love the look of the place. I love the communal tables. This really is my ideal restaurant.
wine lover wrote a review on January 30, 2009 4:02 PM
11217 you are a d*ck. are you kidding? like new yorkers and specifically people in williamsburg with great restaurants don't know food. you hate wililamsburg, i get it, i don't why, and i don't care enough to guess. i do know that you are insulting. have you even been to fette seu? no, then shut up.
for crissakes you like the piece of total sh*t prospect avenue house? that is the worst street - it's awful and inconvenient. what do you judge anything by?
11217 wrote a review on January 30, 2009 4:12 PM
Sorry wine lover, but I stand by my assertion that your statement that if it's packed, it must be good is totally false. Walmart is always packed too, but that doesn't make it good in my opinion.
Your defensive nature and use of expletives shows just how desperate you are to hold onto your property value in Williamsburg and tell everyone how every single thing about it is the very best. It's so old.
I'm glad you like Fette Sau.
I didn't, but I've heard that many people do like it.
Enjoy.
spnder wrote a review on January 30, 2009 4:19 PM
Love this place and have only had good experiences there. It is a little pricey though. The only real gripe I have is that I *wish* they had some crap beer there... I'm just not used to BBQ and craft microbrews.
dwarbi wrote a review on January 30, 2009 4:58 PM
I love this place. My only problem with is it is that it's not closer to where I live.
The menu is not set because they get what's good and sometimes run out (better than having stuff sitting around for ages just to make sure it's always available.)
I also sometimes spend more than I intend, but it's not because of the costs, it's because I say... a 1/4 pound this, a 1/4 pound that, a 1/4 pound this, a 1/4 pound that...
Yes, the beans are great. The pickles (I believe) are from Gus's.
Fette Sau, I think you will be where I introduce my baby girl to solid food. Pork belly sounds about right.
And yes, the beer and whiskey selections are spot on. Perfect match.
EliDManheim wrote a review on January 30, 2009 6:28 PM
the food is inconsistent, but usually it's degrees of 'good' we're talking about ... at its worst, it's still pretty good. the beans are outstanding.
my biggest problem with it is the seating. you can stand forever with your full tray in hand, waiting for seats to open up. people tend to sit forever after they're done eating, nursing their oversized jugs of beer. everyone is jockeying for seats, you have to ask people to move over, or scrunch together ... i find it stressful.
i think management needs to get involved in seating people.
Heather wrote a review on January 30, 2009 8:11 PM
When we lived closer we did take-out here once a week or so. It was actually cheaper than buying the same quantity of meat ourselves. (Let alone cooking it.)
I never minded the ambiance, but I never tried to eat here either. Too crowded to bring kids.
I still miss it.
sixfoursixth wrote a review on January 31, 2009 5:43 PM
Just thought the potato salad wasn't so hot. Everything else was pretty ace. Homemade sausages are delightful. Sauces are delicious, and great brew selections of course.
Service is kind of irrelevant since it's a buy at the counter fare.
miss priss wrote a review on February 1, 2009 11:41 AM
yum!! love this place on every level. it's perfection.
southslope wrote a review on February 2, 2009 2:20 PM
Never tried the food- but the beer was quite righteous. I was told that the owner and a brew master came up with the recipe together. Never had anything quite like it- nor will I it was the last keg.
superstooper wrote a review on February 3, 2009 1:33 PM
I really love this place in theory. I dig the whole vibe. It should be better than it is though. The meats are tasty enough but the bread and the sides are weak.
Heights Hustla wrote a review on February 11, 2009 9:58 AM
Having sampled nearly every BBQ place in the City, I can say that Fette Sau is about avg--right in the meaty part of the bell curve. Decent pulled pork and beef ribs, the pork belly was pretty much a BBQed hunk of fat. Good beans, the rest of the sides were barely edible.
I'd recommend it if the location is convenient for you. Otherwise, head to Dinosaur for the best BBQ in NYC fo sho.
janelle wrote a review on April 30, 2009 4:52 PM
meat, beer and bourbon. what more could you ask for?
hazenyc wrote a review on October 7, 2009 3:50 PM
The best BBQ join in the city!
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