Baba Kevin's American Barbecue Co., Ltd. (Nanjing) — Restaurant in Songshan District

TL;DR: Outstanding. This is true American BBQ.

I must admit, I was pretty hesitant to order American BBQ in Taiwan. I was even more apprehensive given that I am in quarantine and this meal would be delivered by UberEATS. But thankfully, my risk was rewarded. This is the real deal. I ordered a two meat combo with brisket, pastrami, candied jalapeños, mac and cheese, all on a base of rice pilaf.

Brisket: I had to start here. This is truly the one cut of meat that separates the masters from the pretenders. I was served a moist, fatty cut. The smoke ring was decently thick. The bark was flavorful without being dry or bitter. I have not enjoyed the trend in BBQ over the last ten years to turn the smoke dial up to eleven and the pit master is thankfully restrained. The smoke flavors and aromas were present without being dominant. The texture was divine. All of the intramuscular fat was fully rendered and the fat cap was easy to chew and full of juice. This is not the best I've ever had, but it's not far from it either. In the US I would give it a A- , but with the location in consideration, I can't really hold it to those standards. I can't imagine the pit master here has an easy time sourcing his meat.

Pastrami & Sauerkraut: An unusual meat product to find at a BBQ joint, and I decided to give it shot instead of some of the more traditional offerings. This was both tender yet springy. The sauerkraut was mild which initially disappointed me, but it was actually well paired. This was not a black pepper dominated variety of pastrami like you find in the New England region and I found this to be a refreshingly subtle dish. The mustard sauce that accompanied it was sweet, tart, and surprisingly thick. My only complaint is the amount of meat for the price. That being said, I don't know the cost of ingredients here, so this may be a very generous offering.

An important note for both of these cuts is that neither required sauce to be fully enjoyed. I find that so many modern BBQ joints, (especially on the Eastern coast) rely too much on sauce to carry all of the flavor in their BBQ. Both of the meats I ate tonight we bursting with tastes and smells and I can still smell the fat that dripped down my chin.

Macaroni and Cheese: This is a light, creamy variety (which happens to be my least favorite variety). There aren't any strong flavors or aromas of any specific variety of cheese or ingredient. It really didn't have much going on, but it was well made. I probably would have enjoyed it more with additional salt, but I ended up mixing the candied jalapeños in. But again this is not my style of mac-and-cheese. For me it was enjoyable, but forgettable.

Candied Jalapeños: An absolute treat. These are pickled. Not too sweet. Not too tart. Moderately spicy as far as jalapeños go. I enjoyed them by themselves, with the meat, and especially as a mix-in for the mac-and-cheese. If these came in jar, they would frequently find a spot in my home.

Sauces: Excellent. I tried the Texas Red, the Texas Yellow, and the Carolina Yellow. Each fits their namesake and are high quality. I enjoyed the more restrained tang in the Carolina but I could see purists taking offense with it.

Rice Pilaf: Normally I wouldn't comment on the rice, bread, or whatever carb base the meal was served on. However, this was noteworthy. It soaked up much of the flavor from the drippings from the brisket and fantastic stand-alone portion of the meal. Don't ignore it.

Overall, I loved my meal. This is a core memory for my time in Asia. Not only did it remind me of my homeland, but also of my home growing up, my father's own BBQ, and our BBQ hunts across the US together. I hope I can find time on this trip to visit this joint in person. At the very least, I will be ordering it on...

Baba Kevin's American Barbecue Co., Ltd. (Minsheng)⠀ American BBQ⠀ ⠀ Highly recommended. Definitely one of the best American BBQ in Taiwan. And definitely the most authentic as well (tried American BBQ before in the States, as well as recommended by American friends in Taipei too). Modest American eatery whipping up classic comfort foods including ribs, pulled pork & smoked meats. Located very close to Exit 1 of Xingtian Temple MRT, this huge corner shop have 2 floors in total (with one in the basement, and the basement actually looks pretty new, more like got extended due to very good business I guess, haha).⠀ ⠀ Went very near to the closing hours of the afternoon session, and wow, it’s still packed with customers (talk about quality, bam!) The owner knows how to speak Mandarin too (he was talking very fluently to a group of customers when I entered the shop). The staff are friendly too, and definitely know what’s the best on the menu to recommend. The basement decoration is definitely much simpler than the first floor, but worry not, what’s important is the food! Wouldn’t say the wait was too long, but well, you can always order a beer and enjoy the wait.⠀ ⠀ 📝Ordered 「Full BBQ Salad (With Beef Brisket and Pulled Pork for the Meats) (And Sweet Potatoes and Brownie for the Sides)」 - Oh boy, awesomeness overloaded. The Texas Beef Brisket is cooked to perfection and you can even tear the meat without any effort. Glazed with the BBQ sauce, and I believe is BBQ on slow fire maybe, this beef brisket is definitely one of the must order whenever you’re here. The next superstar will definitely be the Carolina Pulled Pork. Tender, juicy, and perfect combo with the beef brisket. These 2 meats are definitely must-order, and I would return to try the ribs next time. Don’t miss out the brownie, definitely something to die for. Just too good. The only drawback I would say would be the sweet potatoes, not really to my liking (but it could be just my personal taste buds).⠀ ⠀ Overall taste wise is definitely slightly different with the one you taste in the States since the meats may not be exactly the same and it's harder to obtain due to pandemic previously, but I still love it, and like I said earlier, easily one of the best American BBQ in town. For them to be able to maintain the taste despite recent pandemic (which could be harder to get exact quality meats), this is really awesome. Easily...

If you're craving for a taste of American BBQ in Taiwan, you could just wet your palate with this once awhile or so. But it pales in comparison with the ones in the States of course.

Pulled pork was done nicely in texture but could be stronger in flavour. Louisiana sausages or the hot links were something different not like something I've tried in US. It was decent considering if it's suppose to be locally modified. Brisket and pastrami was my biggest disappointment though, I asked for a fattier slice for the brisket and I got it, albeit abit too fatty, but it's alright. So softness was no issue there but the flavour was too light for me. No smoky taste to it. Pastrami I was surprise they used the taiwanese bacon? Or I might be wrong but looks like it. A bit dry and tough. Lamb shoulder slices were too tough and taste again, not enough. Sides were good however, surprised with the mashed potatoes. Consistency, texture and taste all there. Mac and cheese could be saltier. But okay still. Coleslaw good too. I had their strongest IPA can't remember the name it was good.

Service downstairs was not very good as noone was downstairs to take our orders or anything, but if you're alright going up to get things done shouldn't be a problem. Service upstairs was way better after we moved.

Edit: Hi thanks for the reply, I think a good establishment is one that it’s owner takes positive feedback and is responsive.

Don’t get me wrong though I think this place is still worth the visit if you’re craving bbq in Taipei. However I cant help but to compare with my favourites such as Roegols , Killens among the others in Houston.

Oh on a separate note any chance you’ll be doing beef...