Go for the meat! The BBQ ribs and chicken fall right off the bone - the mild BBQ sauce with a bay leaf has such a good flavor. The fried options (chicken and fish) are so well-seasoned and crispy. 100% worth waiting in line, cash in hand, to take your food to the bar next door to eat. Service is kind and full of regulars. On the other hand.. those sides are not worth the trouble. Candies yams were undercooked, waited 45 minutes for macaroni and cheese, fries were nothing special, and they serve collard greens without any juice. read more

Royal Rib House - Rib dinner with macaroni pie and sweet potatoes - Barbeque Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

I went to Brooklyn today because I had to go to a funeral and then I said let me go to Royal ribs because I remember them 25 years ago they had the best baby back ribs. Today I went and it was the worst I ever tasted. The ribs were HUGE soaked in sauce. When I removed the sauce the meat was dry. when it comes to the fish all I tasted was SALT. The potatoes and collard greens tasted like SALT as well. The worst $45 I ever spent. They should not be called "ROYAL" RIBS because there is nothing Royal about it. read more

Apparently they're getting some kind of deal with the vendor cus the ribs are disgustingly OLD!!!! And inedible

Amazing! Pickup was fairly quick about 1 mins that's pretty standard for any place. Food is so so delicious will be coming back!!

Food was AMAZING!!! Chop BBQ dinner with MAC n cheese is insane. Blueberry corn was enough to push your grandma off the porch!! Love it!!! Definitely will be back!! Service was Outstanding! Made me feel at home. #Thanksgiving2024 read more

The ribs, Mac & cheese were good, and the candy yams were nice and soft. Not too sweet. If you like soul food, check this place out, Im sure you will be pleasantly surprised. read more

I recently went to an event where ribs, Mac & cheese were served. I took one bite of the ribs and stood up and asked, OK who went to Royal Rib House? I had not been there in years, definitely not since they reopened. The deliciousness is a taste that lingered with me over the years. It's still just as goooood! read more

I stopped in here with some friends after completing the Bedstuy house tour last weekend. I ordered the short ribs with yams and baked mac and cheese as my sides. My friends and I waited a bit while chatting up one of the Brownstoners, who ended up telling us some of the history of the Royal Rib House. Some of the folks working behind the counter would refer to patrons by name; the vibe made me think of a long-time establishment/ neighborhood staple. My friends and I waited a while, and we did so happily. We could tell we were in the right place and we getting ready to eat food. I jumped on the B26 to get home super fast to enjoy my meal in the comfort of home space. Let's just say everything was absolutely delicious! The ribs were well seasoned, slightly sweet and definitely falling off the bone. The mac and cheese was delicious and cheesy. The yams were just perfect! The Royal Rib House is not that close to me, hence my finally just checking out the spot despite frequenting Cocktail, right next door, over the years; but I will be walking my dog over for a walk and get something really good to eat moves one of these days. read more

Royal hmmmm what can I say. This place been around since the 80's and it's still cooking up the best of the best Black owned the workers there are very friendly and helpful. One time I was short a few dollars and one of the gentleman's let me go. I was shocked and very appreciative! I came back my next visit and gave him what I was short plus a tip. And every since then every time I go I tip them. The food never changes unlike some restaurants. I've been going here for years and the food taste the same way. I normally get the rib dinner with collard greens and mac n cheese. But I basically had everything they have at least once. The desert is also delicious. My fav is the peach cobbler. They also have the same workers for years I'm sure that plays a major part. They serve every type of soul food you can imagine. I try to stay away as much as I can now a days because I'm watching my weight. But man any time I'm in the area I have to stop by. If you ever try them out you will thank me later! read more

While in BK, I was directed to grab a bite here! Glad I did...Not a fancy place, no dine in area or frills, just a a down home southern/soul food carryout. There was a line to place order and the wait was about 15 minutes. I ordered bbq chicken, mac & cabbage! It was delish..my entire party enjoyed their selections as well. The service was great, friendly gentleman who seem to have their ordering system down to a science. This was one of the highlights of my trip to BK! After running a race earlier in the day, this meal was a nice treat!! read more

Royal Rib House - Royal Ribs entrance - Barbeque Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

This place is truly a hidden gem! The best bbq chicken I've had in years. The chicken was so juicy and cooked to perfection. I had it with the mac and cheese and collard greens. Soooo delicious. My friends and I sat and ate our food right there. I'll be back next week to try the ribs..... read more

Royal Rib House - Barbeque Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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When my mom suggested Royal Ribs for dinner, I was skeptical that they would measure up. The last time I had eaten anything from there was about ten years ago and I was sadly disappointed. The fried chicken was overcooked and greasy. Against my better judgment, I decided to try the ribs today as the store was empty. As Thursday is the first day of their week, I expected the ribs to be moist and meaty. NOPE!!!. OVERCOOKED DRIED OUT, SCRAWNY AND DRENCHED IN SAUCE. For 17.00/lb., you got bones added to make the weight. The sauce was very salty and not very well seasoned, although vinegar was strongly represented. They had no CORNBREAD!! I live a block away and I would rather drive to L.L. DENT'S in Hempstead to pay for decent soul food and excellent bbq ribs. AND CORNBREAD TOO!! read more

This place has been in Bed-Stuy 4EVER and part of the Bed-Stuy community. The food is and will always be the bomb! I never thought the collard greens could taste any better, but OMG!!!! I don't know who this new person is cooking those damn greens, but Lordt (yes, I said Lordt) have mercy on my taste buds! Just simply delicious. Get there early if you want peach cobbler. The staff is so kind. I like the way they treat regulars (I'm not a regular. Lol) like old family friends. read more

Wheeeew lord!! i finally found a spot that cooks black ppl food how it should be cooked!! my sister and i stopped in because i'm always hungry lol and we're going next door to Bed-vyne cocktail after we had dinner up the block. i ordered the fried chicken breast dinner with macaroni and cheese and cabbage and a side of potato salad. First of all, y'all was hella disrespectful on making that potato salad so good! i was in the bar smashing between drinks haaa. everything was really good, i ate the rest of my platter when i got home and was more satisfied with this dinner then i was at peaches up the street. sorry, not sorry. only 2 critiques: i wish y'all was open more, i just wanted a tiny bit more cheese for the mac n cheese, just a tiny bit lol. i'm coming back next weekend. have my potato salad bruh lol read more

There was a wait, but great food and affordable which is rare for Bedstuy nowadays. Has the BBQ with Mac and cheese with fries, as good as NC bbq. Good vibes workers doing a lot to get the food right read more

Great food Good Staff been Going to this Establishment for A very long time would Recommend to anyone in the Bed stuy area to Give them a try read more

My co-worker suggested we eat here for lunch. I was kinda in a McDonald's mood but what the hell, let's try something new. The place was so tiny, you could actually drive right past it. When we got to the window our food wasn't ready. WTF, we called in at 11 am and it was 12:15 pm when we got there. Slightly upset, we sat down and waited. Something told me to ask them if they accept credit cards and of course they didn't. Luckily we didn't have to look far for an ATM (it's literally right across the street at the pizza shop). We got money at the ATM, came back and still had to wait! By 12:35 pm we were walking out the door. Pros: The BBQ sauce was pretty good (and I'm not even a big fan of BBQ anything) The collard greens are delicious! The candy yams were good as well. Not too sweet Cons: - Long lines - Long wait (I called in my order an hour and a half in advance and still had to wait!) - Not sure what was in the macaroni and cheese but I'm convinced it wasn't cheese. - - Plus the BBQ sauce spilled into the mac and cheese section and the combination taste horrible. - The potato salad should be called potato soup. I've never seen potato salad soo runny. - I was under the impression that the cornbread was actually going to be CORNBREAD. Wrong! It's actually a blueberry muffin cornbread thingy. Soo disappointed. read more

I came here because I always see a line outside. I bought 2 plates of food bc I just knew that the food must be good. I was soooooo wrong. The bbq was bland. Not seasoned. Like basic bbq sauce from the bottle. The greens weren't seasoned either. What kind of southern bbq is this if you can't even get the basics right. I was so disappointed even the corn bread was dry and tasted like the box it came from. I wasted my money on 2 plates and won't be going back !!!! read more

I was pleasantly surprised by this local soul food institution. Took me awhile to try it. I had been eyeballing this spot for the last year since moving into the area. I would go back and forth between the idea of a local rib shack that people claim is a bedsty icon and some of the comments about oily food and the place going downhill after the founder passed. It is not open that much so I let it pass. Well a cabbie encouraged me to try it and I have been on a ribs kick and so I finally made it. The vibe of the place feels like and event as people are lined up and I suppose wait most of the week for it to open. Friendly folks man the take out window while another handful can be see cooking in the back. The kitchen is causally pretty open and kicks out a lot of heat. The front is like the waiting area at a barbershop with a few chairs. Most people are ordering big meals to take home to there families. So the food a North Carolina style bbq. I had a rib dinner with cabbage abs string beans. It was a large portion of reasonably priced pile of rich but distinct tastes in a styrofoam box. Came with a piece of blueberry cornbread which was a nice dessert treat. The sides were both flavorful and cooked to well done. The string beans had a noticeable meat flavoring. The cabbage was cleaner. The ribs surprised me. They were both moist and dry. Served covered in the house sauce. No smoke to be found. I am not sure if these are even cooked with wood. I suspect they get fried at the end to brown them and add some crunch. I didn't feel like the meat or the technique was the star here but I enjoyed them like I like American Chinese food. People do recommend the chicken more often, which I will have to try. There were plenty of ribs going out the door. The sauce was remarkable though. A sweet vinegar sauce that is very balanced and not too sweet. The vinegar notes cut the fried feeling. They sell bottles of it and apparently it is distributed in some stores in Brooklyn. I might buy a bottle. Soul food goes bad in my opinion when it becomes too sweet and fried. Like the trash Chinese food take out that infests this area. It doesn't have to be junk food if done with care. This spot has some care in there, plus community spirit and lots of nice touches. So I'm gonna go back. I think this spot is worth a occasional stop. If you are a soul foodie of a bqq head you might make it a destination but mostly I think this place holds a perfect position as a neighborhood star. I hope as this area gentrifies that people continue to appreciate its charms. read more

2 stars only for customer service. These men were actually really awesome and clearly you can see how hard they were working. Running a business isn't always easy. The line was out the door Friday at 3pm. I waited about 45 minutes just to stand at the gate and order my food. My husband couldn't get his order because they had ran out of beef ribs and to wait on chicken or regular BBQ ribs, was an additional 45 minute wait. The guy did apologize for that and he seemed very polite. There doesn't seem to be any structure here on ordering. You just order and they tell whoever is in the back, on what meat selection you want. It was very clear to me, that these were only local residents that ordered here, because somehow everyone knew one another by name. So this place must get it raves, by locals supporting family owned businesses. The food was not that great! I was craving mac n cheese so badly and by the pictures/reviews, I thought this would be amazing. I give the Mac n cheese 2 stars because it was not flavorful at all and it was super mushy. To think I was going to order a large, I'm glad I didn't!! The potato salad was really good, I enjoyed it, 3/5 stars. The collard greens were not the best I've had but they weren't bad so I'd rate the greens on a 3/5 scale. The yams were very sweet and delicious just how I like them. I think that's the only 5/5 I'd give them. The fried chicken was just off on texture and rough. Not what I was expecting. Good tasting soul food has Been very hard to find these days and I think I'm giving up. My search is over, these places are overrated and the food just isn't what it's supposed to be. I decided to heat my kitchen up for Labor Day weekend and make the best soul food anyone's ever had. My husband is from the south so I know what real down south meals should taste like. Great people, just not so great food. read more

Service worse than the DMV but BBQ is on point. This place is a mess. There is no system in place whatsoever. Customers mill about the lobby with no idea who's in line or who's already ordered. With only a handful of customers in front of me, I waited two hours for a simple order. The order wasn't even right in the end. The lobby was full of visibly annoyed customers, and the kitchen staff had that lost look in their eyes as if it was everyone's first day. After about one hour, a large man who I assume is the owner, arrived to wander around and look proud. When a customer politely suggested that the kitchen begin preparing her order of fried fish, the man who I assume is the owner fired back with some really silly reasons why he wouldn't do that--because "what if someone in front of her ordered fish?" Well then give that person the fish and save some people the wait time. Or just ask the room "Who's ordering fish, we'd like to start frying that for you, so you don't have to wait so long". I imagine that sort of thick-headedness is why his employees look like they can't think for themselves. The BBQ is delicious, like seriously, best I've had in NY, (I happen to like vinegar sauces a lot) but it's not worth the wait. People's time is valuable. You need to care about that, big guy. Delicious BBQ is only half of the equation. Just get a number system. Take more than one order at a time. Train your employees. Actual quote from another customer "I thought the long lines were because the BBQ was so good, but now I see it's because everyone is so slow." I heard the big fella say to a customer that was annoyed with the wait that "when they ate the BBQ it was gonna make everything ok." No. Not ok, buddy. Your customers should leave smiling. If the owner does happen to read this, don't just bounce off this feedback, friend, think about it. When the hype cools off and no one wants to sit around waiting, frustrated just to get a sandwich, let this advice haunt you and use it to improve. My advice to the big guy... hire a front of house manager so you can sit back and do what you do best, be proud of your delicious BBQ. read more

Was a customer for at least 20 years. Last time I went, I was on line before the store opened and waited until after 2pm to receive my food. When I asked politely if the food was ready, they started to talk about me. Sad to say but they are unprofessional and rude. The food is not worth the enormous wait or the attitude. If you go, eat dinner before because you'll be on line for at least 5 hrs. No meal is that serious. read more

Chicken diner was not good. Chicken wasn't seasoned and tasted like it was cooked in old grease. I had Mac and cheese and collard greens as sides. The cheese was melted. The collard greens was ok. A little sweet. Was not worth the 18.50 read more

keep in mind, there are no tables gonna have to take food to go service is nice bbq chicken is good fried chicken has good reheat value they're catered food is awesome bluberry cornbread ftw! green beans don't taste that unhealthy read more

No, this is not a sit-down restaurant. No, they don't accept credit cards. No you won't find them on Uber eats or seamless. However, if you want a no frills delicious soul food meal with true soul from a place that's been open atleast 25 years (that's as far back as my memory goes to this place) then you have found it. Chopped bbq meal with a side of Mac n cheese and collard greens along with cornbread does great things for my stomach and my soul. Don't let the line that may go outside of the store intimidate you. It's well worth the wait. And the staff is super friendly once you finally make it to the front. read more

Like a lot of People, We were surprised to Find out Royal Rib House Had Reopened!!! Food is excellent!!! Ling waiting Lines are The Worst!!! I came one late afternoon and Stood on Line waiting to get in to place a order (I like mist people called first, but never got a answer on the phone. After a Hour wait standing outside, when I got through the door, Their were still 20 people inside waiting to order!!! I had to leave without getting Food! I came Back the next day and saw the lines were still long outside and when I did get through the door had to wait to place a order. I waited and received my Food. The Food was great, In all my Waiting on Line cane out to 2 and a half hours. Hopefully This issue has been cleared up by Know!!! read more

I expected more due to the 4 star rating and ended up with a very unsatisfying dinner. I ordered ribs - a bit tough but very meaty, but it was smothered in some sauce that has too much vinegar. Just wasn't my style... chopped barbecue - lacked flavor, and even less satisfying than ribs, and smother in sauce as well. cole slaw - descent at best, atleast this wasn't drenched in sauce. candied yam - pretty good, just a tad too sweet for my taste. mac - you can taste the cheese, but it wouldn't be a mac and cheese that you woudl crave for again. potato salad - personal preference, I just didn't like eggs in my potato salad as the taste of egg was overpowering the potato. blueberry cornbread - probably the best thing in this meal. read more

I LOVE ROYALS!! My dad has taken me here for years! Their cabbage and Mac is simply the best on earth! Don't forget to ask for s blueberry corn bread... pure heaven. Royals has lasted through all adversity-- first the recession and now gentrification, which makes it a historically delicious cultural gem. Royals is simply the best in the business. PS: Don't forget the mild sauce! Opened Thurs-Sat. Call ins accepted, if you don't call in be prepared to wait briefly. You can't rush perfection. Royals, don't ever leave me. read more

Oh man! Awesome meal...the ribs at deliciously southern, not smoky bbq, authentic southern. The Collard greens were surprisingly done perfectly. My greens are otherworldly so I'm rarely satisfied with others, but damn...woo. The Mac and cheese was pretty good too. I find most places skimp on the cheese but not here! It's a small place with the line to order out the door..and the waiting area was like the doctors office with a guy in the window space entertaining our hungry masses with some R&B selling cd's. I don't often come to Bed-Stuy but often get soul food cravings and will travel to find good food and this was sooo worth the wait....I will be back very soon! read more

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First time in Brooklyn so I had to hit up the Royal Rib house! BBQ ribs were BOMB AF!!! Slides right off the bone! Mac N Cheese was lit too! Also really enjoyed their cornbread! It had blueberries baked in it, which I've never had!! I would for sure recommend this to a BBQ rib lover! Only downside is, no seating! Take out only ! Still super bomb! read more

Great first experience for ribs in Brooklyn. The ribs were tender and still crispy, but I must say the collard greens were on point and definitely hit the spot tonight; loved the unexpected heat. As others have mentioned this business definitely is a staple, but I have to say, we didn't wait much longer than 20 minutes for 2 BBQ rib dinners. So walk right in, say hello, make a friend and take home a delicious meal read more

Nah. Repeat customers are bugged out. Ribs were undercooked. Greens like wet Kleenex. Mac and cheese, zero. However, the fried fish was on the money. read more

Food was amazing. I love soul food but I love good soul food. Some places don't season the food enough and u have to use tons of hot sauce to help but this place did everything just right. I ordered the chopped bbq with Mac and cheese with collard greens and everything was amazing. read more

Royal Rib House - Full menu - Barbeque Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Whoah! Props to the lady who took a cab from flatbush just to get the collard greens. She said that they have the right amount of kick and BOY WAS SHE RIGHT!!! I came here for fish because it was Good Friday..The fish was good. They gave me so much fish for the fish dinner. I ordered it with mac n cheese and the collards. The greens stole the show! Theyre so good!! They changed the way I look at collard greens. They really do have just the right amount of kick in them. If a lady is gonna take a cab to get here, this place is LEGIT. Can't wait to come back for the fried chicken. read more

All I will say is Definitely worth the wait on the line...long line.. they are long for a reason... The food is delicious. The rotisserie ribs and chicken with their homemade sauce are Tender and delicious. The sauce is so good people used to take jars and buy it so they decided to bottle it. It is hard to get... its like gold ...it sells out quickly but you can get extra with your food if you want. The sides are delicious ...the yams mac greens but that cabbage is my fave. The fried chicken ..fish ... The cobblers the banana pudding the cornbread... Everything from the rooter to the Tooter is good and yummy. I am so glad they reopened A short distance from the original location that was at 303 Halsey St. read more

I've given up on Soul Food restaurants in Bed-Stuy. Gonna buy a few cookbooks, download some recipes, do a little free styling from memory and try to invoke the spirit of my dearly departed grandmother in my cooking. Royal Rib House used to be an excellent place to eat from. My grandfather would bring us here for tasty take-out ribs and baked macaroni and cheese after my grandmother died in 1989. Desperately missing Minnie's good cooking, we were always so satisfied when dinner was from this place. That was then and this is now. The family younguns at Royal Rib House are running the joint and running it into the ground! Long lines, stanky, janky attitudes from the staff and undercooked, under seasoned everything is what this restaurant is presently made of. I mourn the passing away of all the big mamas and aunties who knew how to barbeque, season and fry food so good it made you want to hug them. These are the type of cooks that Royal Rib House used to have and need to find again. read more

NYC has proven to be the worst place ever for any traditional soul food or BBQ. But I am always down to give a new place a try. When I found out there was a rib shack in the area, I got very excited. It was extremely hot inside, and I had to in line for 35 mins just to order when there were only 2 people ahead of me! Then another 20 mins to get the food. I tried to relax and ensure myself that this food would be worth the wait. Mainly because it has that " hole in the wall" atmosphere....which where I am from...usually means the best food. The food was not worth the wait at all...... read more

Well I returned the following week after my last review and I must say, my experience was great. I was adviced to call and order, so I called after 4pm on a Friday. I ordered 2 dinners one with ribs, rice and peas and potato salad and the other fried chicken with the same sides and also 2 pieces of bbq chicken. The person who took the call was very polite. I reached the spot like less than 20 minutes. The food was ready, I was so surprised. I HAD NO WAIT TIME!!! I just paid, took the food and left. When I went home to eat, omg, food was great even the rice and peas. I'm Jamaican so I'm very skeptical about eating rice and peas outside of Jamaican restaurants, but I was not disappointed. I continue to recommend and will be going back soon. read more

The food here is amazing! Make sure to try their greens. Go early and keep in mind they are only open Thurs-Sat.

Conventional wisdom says that any place with extremely limited hours is likely to be very good (see Shopsin's). Unfortunately, conventional wisdom can often be wrong (would anyone like to start a land war in Asia?). This may be the case with Calvin's Royal Rib House in Bed Stuy. It's only open three days a week-- Thursday, Friday and Saturday until the food runs out-- but these limited hours don't necessarily translate into a meal worth seeking out. That's a shame too, since I'd love to be able to find authentic Southern barbecue in New York City (beyond the Big Apple BBQ). I admit that East Carolina barbecue, with its signature tangy vinegar sauce, is far from my favorite regional style. When I lived in Georgia, the local barbecue was similar, but (much) lower quality. Maybe that clouded my perception (you can see how hard I'm trying to be nice), because in my experience (and in many other's) the vinegar sauce completely overwhelms the flavor and smokiness of the pulled pork. This results in a sandwich that tastes like meaty vinegar with cole slaw. At least where I frequented in Georgia, this meat-vinegar was served on "Graecian Bread" (essentially extra-buttery Texas toast), which mitigated things somewhat (along with copious boiled peanuts). The tiny, take-out only restaurant sits on a quiet block of mostly brownstones. While it was empty when I visited at 1:30 on a recent Thursday, lines are allegedly usually out the door. I focused on ribs and a chopped barbecue sandwich and placed my order. While waiting, I chatted a little bit with the proprietors, who were as friendly as someone who's behind a bulletproof wall (with iron bars!) can be. Once home, I tore open the bag and got to eating. The ribs pulled easily off the bone, but were completely overwhelmed by that vinegar sauce. It's obvious from the picture how much of it is in the container. Also, I got the hot version, so I can't speak for the mild (which seems to be the favored choice). Mac and cheese was overcooked and mushy (I'd call it meh-caroni and cheese, but I'm sure that's been used before). Collard greens were much better, but you don't go anywhere just for collards. The chopped barbecue sandwich was much better than the ribs, but still not something I'd seek out. I ceded the saturated bottom bun to the barbecue sauce and attacked the rest with a fork. Royal Rib House is not necessarily a "cheap eat" as advertised. The rib dinner and sandwich set me back nineteen bucks. I could have easily spent that crisp twenty dollar bill many other ways, but it's too late. While admittedly there's a lot on the menu I didn't try (convince me otherwise, what's good?), let's just say the limited hours aren't the only reason I won't be going back to Royal Rib House. read more