Dinosaur BBQ
$$ • Barbecue Restaurant
Most Recent Reviews
These are the best ribs on the planet. The original location in Syracuse is “best” but all the outposts of Dinosaur BBQ have better ribs than anywhere else. And I travel for a living…St Louis is the closest I’ve come to “almost” as good. Austin was top-5. Dinosaur is still #1 and never disappoints.
Waitress was very nice about my celiac and made sure I knew the fries were made in a shared fryer so I could order a different side. BBQ Beans are excellent and GF. Secret tip - mix a few drops of devils duel habanero hot sauce (have to know to ask for it) into a bunch of the regular Dino bbq sauce. Use more if you like spice. It adds a great flavor to the sauce.
Keep in mind that the Dinosaur website is explicit that they can't guarantee no cross-contamination and they're not responsible for any issues a diner may experience. I've been to this location many times and usually have felt safe as a celiac and enjoyed the bbq but unfortunately this time left me less supportive. The waiter was thoroughly clueless about celiac and I had to be forceful to impress upon him how serious celiac is and that the kitchen needed to be careful. He was polite and appeared to listen but I was nonetheless worried.
The real disappointment was that the quality of the food has gone down. The brisket was loaded with globs of fat, the greens were mushy, and the coleslaw loaded with unmixed mayonnaise.
To be clear, I didn't have any reaction so my rating is based on the poor quality of the food and the fear of possible contamination. There is better and safer bbq in NYC.
They had a gluten free menu but cornbread came on top of rack of ribs. Explained need for gluten free. My son ate ribs ( no cornbread) and had severe reaction 5 hours later.
Notes
Barbecue sauce is gluten-free
Photos
More Reviews
Went tonight for dinner based on recommendations on FindmeGF. I have celiac. Pros: food was delicious and plentiful, prices were very reasonable, dedicated GF menu, waiter was friendly, helpful and seemed responsive and knowledgeable about GF. Cons: despite making my celiac and GF needs abundantly clear, our food came with cornbread on top. We sent it back immediately - waiter was very apologetic - and they brought us our meal again quickly, but it was instantly apparent that the kitchen had only just removed the cornbread, and had even left cornbread crumbs on top of the meat. We sent it back again and expressed frustration, and finally got a new meal without bread, but walked away feeling that this place just doesn't get it. While they do have a GF menu, they do not have any GF dessert options. May work for non-celiacs, but I would not recommend as safe for celiacs.
Great place to get a bbq meal! The gf menu is a bit weak though. It’s pretty much just their regular menu except half of it is missing because you can’t eat it. They have a section called “bunless sandwiches” which kind of felt like a rip off. It would have been great to have a gf roll or Cornbread or something. Overall I had a great meal, but I think they could do more with the options.
I placed a takeout order over the phone and told them I was ordering from the gluten free menu and that my daughter had celiac disease. When we brought the food home we saw they put cornbread on top of my daughter's entree. We called the restaurant and they told us the cornbread wasn't gluten free. Won't be going back.
Great food and great service. Beware of the sides, though. My gluten free beans were full of gluten macaroni. They must be very close together in the kitchen. Just keep this in mind when making your side selection.
Great food, lots of options, and very friendly staff!
So amazing! Our server was lovely and knew about other items that were gluten free that weren't on the gluten free menu. Would definitely come back again!
Great GF food but this place gets ridiculously crowded. I went on a Monday night but we had to wait 2 hours for a table. if you're lucky, you might be able to sit on the bar without waiting.
Dinosaur BBQ was our first restaurant outing after our kids were diagnosed with celiac disease. We could not have had better experience. The management and wait staff were knowledgable, kind and accommodating. The food was good though what i really remember is how nice they were which was exactly what I needed that day. I'm a fan.
Reviews of this Chain
They have a gluten free menu! Just ask!
Waiter immediately got me a dedicated gf menu. Lots of good options. They brought my food out attesting it was gluten free. And it was delicous! The smoked chicken was tender and flavorful. The mashed roasted sweet potatoes were buttery and tasty. Excellent!
Went here with my family and ordered a BBQ impossible burger with a gluten free bun along with beans and mash potatoes on the side. Came out a bit late because the manager brought it out, but had no issues! They changed gloves and took precautions when handling the food. Overall was a good experience.
They’re very knowledgeable about gluten intolerances, they have a separate menu and bring food out separately. I had ribs, brisket, applesauce and mashed potatoes. Would go back!!
My husband had brisket and pulled pork and said it was delicious. We would visit again.
