Fette Sau — Restaurant in New York

If I could give this a 4.5 I would. So to start, the atmosphere/vibe is immaculate. Love the walls, the bar area, the employees, everything is just awesome. Service is super good, I should've asked for the guys name but he was super nice and chill.

Let's talk about the food/alcohol now:

The alcohol was good. I had the "around the town" whiskey flight (local stuff). Was super good and happy. Was $30 with pretty good pours. My favorite by far was the straight malt interboro whiskey (see pictures). If you don't want to get a flight. Get that.

Beer selection, they have a pilsner at the the top of the list that's made for them. DEFINITELY get that. Goes super well with the bbq and just tastes super good. Tried the hefe as well and that was alright. Stick to the pilsner, trust.

The tap handles are pretty cool and their alcohol selection overall was good. I went during lunch and they didn't have a bartender at the moment so only simple drinks could've been made so I decided against their cocktail stuff but I can imagine their smoked drinks being really good, especially with their whiskey selection.

Food: My wife and I got a pretty good selection (wish I had a bigger stomach for more). We got the ribs, brisket, pork belly, broccoli salad, burnt ends baked beans, half sour pickles, sausage, rolls came with everything.

My wife and I differ on the order of these but since I'm writing the reviews... You get my list! I'd say stick with the brisket, (despite some other reviews) the burnt ends baked beans, and the sausage.

I'm a big pickle fan and knew what I was getting into with half sour pickles and they are good for what they are but I like more of the vinegar bite with the savory bbq. They have a good crunch and a salty taste.

Brisket is solid (both the top thing for my wife and I), especially with the spicy bbq and the sweet bbq sauces. Bark is good, smoke flavor, just a solid pick.

I'm a big fan of broccoli salad (but a different style) which I did ask him what it was like and knew it was different than what I was used to. I like the mayo style with onion, bacon, cheddar, and some apple cider vinegar. This is more vinegar dressing (pretty light) with some red pepper, garlic, and I think coarse salt (my wife didn't like that part because there was a bit of a brunch/grind with certain bites) although it didn't bother me at all.

I liked the snap and flavor of the sausage, I could see some people saying it was a bit dry but again, it is a smoked sausage, and I ended up alternating dipping it in their sauces or having it plain. I loved it honestly.

Beans were awesome. Sweet, savory, and just super good. This might be a hit or miss depending on the review that you read.

Overall, this seems to be the place to go for NYC, at least for what I looked up. And it's solid. Only reason I think it's not a 5/5 for me is because I've been to a lot of places in Los Angeles, Texas, and I smoke a lot of meats myself so I know what it can be.

It's still definitely worth going though in my opinion. Grab some bbq (brisket, beans, and maybe some ribs), a beer, and a whiskey if that's your thing and have a good time.

Hope this helps, cheers...

In my opinion, The 4 pillars of good barbecue are the following: quality raw ingredients, seasonings/sauces, proper cook time/temps, and correct cooking technique.

Fette Sau seriously missed the mark on more than one of these pillars when I went there last Saturday. For reference, I ordered ribs, brisket, pulled pork, cornbread, burntend beans, coleslaw, potato salad, and homemade pickles.

The most disappointing thing about the food was honestly the sides. Firstly, the beans and the potatoes in the potato salad were severely undercooked. It’s sad because the beans actually had a great flavor, but they were ruined by the hard beans. The potato salad was overall very disappointing with not even a decent flavor, in addition to being undercooked.

The pickles tasted like they sat in murky sea water for a week. All I got flavor wise was slightly funky brine. They need to adjust their pickling juice to include some vinegar, peppercorns, dill…anything to give it more depth other than just saltiness.

The cornbread was OK. The flavor was decent, but it was dry. Not much else to say about it. The coleslaw was too sweet for my liking but maybe others would enjoy it.

Finally, for what was supposed to be the star of the show, the meat - it was pretty disappointing as well.

The brisket had a bark that was much too hard and thick. On the thinner parts you needed to chew it for a really long time in order to swallow, and on other parts, it was inedible. Strangely enough, it also had a odd smell about it when I first got it in the car. I had to check the bottom of my shoes it was so potent, and it was definitely coming from the brisket.

The pulled pork was overdone and pretty dry. it was also sitting in a pool of grease at the bottom of the container. The ribs were probably the best thing in the order, but even then they were nothing special. The dry rub on them was pretty plain and they were not that juicy.

I know that decent barbecue will be very different up here as compared to someplace in the south, but even going through the doors with that knowledge…all I can say is I will definitely not be returning, and I cannot make a recommendation in good faith for anyone else to spend money here unless they have substandard expectations of what good...

So, I like this place. My drinking buddy and I drop by here when we can. Its not affordable BBQ, but if you're ordering the right food, its worth the bred. The ribs and pork belly cuts are probably the best proteins on the menu. Very tasty and tender. No sauce of any kind needed. The beans are amazing. Rich and very thick with brisket bits. You cannot come here without gettin some beans. Some of their other items are nice too. The pulled pork and spicy sausage are great. I always order one or the other when I visit. My buddy has tried the broccoli salad and thought it was great. I haven't yet, but I suppose its worth a try. The setup is very southern feeling. Stained wood makes up almost all of the tables, counter tops and walls. Country music is typically playing at a reasonable volume, and it has never been too busy while I'm there. Just a very chill, and welcoming spot, with great food, a great whisky bar, and bar tenders that know what they're talkin about. Now, why does this place have 4 stars instead of 5? Why does their average google user rating sit at a 4.3? The brisket. Its not "bad" brisket, but it isn't "good" either. I'd probably score it a 2.5/5. Its worth keeping in mind, I always visit Fette Sau after 5:30pm. This is typically when the pit master is gone, and the sous chef steps in. Since the first time I've visited until now, I've seen two or three sous chefs. I can't say whether or not this is a contributing factor, but maybe it is. I don't know. If you want to make sure you have a great experience worth the money, I strongly recommend you do not order the brisket. It really sucks I have to say that, because otherwise, this is a great BBQ spot. If they get the brisket right, this would be a 5/5 without question.

I will include pictures soon, but can't right at the moment. Hope this review helps both future customers and Fette Sau's management. I wish this place great...