Dinosaur BBQ was where we found ourselves trying out some new food. The Food Bros. went down to 224 Market Street right here in Newark. Walking into the restaurant gives off a very casual feel. The employees dress in their favorite sports teams’ shirt, the walls are colored with chalk and have booths all along the wall next to an old school wooden – fully stocked – bar. There is entertainment all around broadcasting mainly sports highlights and games, with alternative music playing in the background. The room is dimly lit but not too dark to leave the customer in a fog.
As we sit down, we are taken care of promptly and given two tall glasses to drink. The menus had so many choices that we were stumped with what to try out! The dishes were very creative, however, since it is in the name, BBQ sauce is present in most meals. Our appetizer was the dish of BBQ chicken wings with the wango tango sauce on top. Definitely worth noting.
Food Bro 1:
For me Dino BBQ had a very relaxed feel and is definitely a place to go to wind down after a long day. Our appetizer of BBQ chicken wings were good, however, their spice ratings might be a little skewed. We got the “hot” wings but I tasted no spice whatsoever. If you’re looking for a little spice, I recommend that you go higher than the hot wings.
For my entrée I ordered the Big Pork Platter which came with a choice of two sides, so of course I got beans and mashed potatoes. The pulled pork was fairly good for up north barbeque, if not a little dry. The beans had a weird taste that I could not place which ruined them for me. I liked the mashed potatoes; they were drenched in gravy, and therefore good.
Lastly, a little added bonus to the platter was the corn bread, which definitely reminded me of the southern cooking I am used to. All in all, the food was a little better than expected and I will probably be returning sometime in the future.
Food Bro 2:
I ordered from the sandwiches section of the menu. I placed an order for “The Original,” a chicken sandwich that is loaded with barbeque sauce but not enough meat to fit the bread it was served on.
Not only that, I had to pay extra for fries. The chicken itself was very good, cooked well enough to have the meat fall apart in my mouth. It’s just that it was overpowered by the sauce smothering the chicken. The sauce was good don’t get me wrong, there was just a lot of it on the sandwich. Certainly, if you are a fan of BBQ sauce give it a try.
As we were leaving there was a quarter of the bread left with just sauce and some melted cheese. Fries were good though!
Price: $$$–
Distance: light rail to Newark Penn Station with a small walk down Market Street
The Food Bros: Matthew Dwyer, Damian Priestner
