There’s a new boss hog in town, and he’s delicious.
After a successful 2-year run of West Palm Beach weekend popups, two years of delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the often-heard supply chain issues, NYC’s famed Pig Beach BBQ has its first permanent smoke pit in Florida–Pig Beach BBQ Palm Beach.
Already a successful brand, Pig Beach arrives fully cooked with a deluxe hardcover cookbook and a line of sauces, hats, and shirts. That’s all due to pitmasters Shane McBride, a West Palm Beach native, and Matt Abdoo. The two top-shelf chefs left Michelin-starred restaurants to pursue their passion for meat smokin’ finger licking BBQ. They are dishing up cherry and hickory-smoked briskets, peach and honey-glazed ribs, and their SOBE Wine and Food Festival Burger Bash championship Double Smash Burger.
Pig Beach BBQ’s first Florida outpost is located in the former El Cid mechanics shop on West Palm’s popular South Dixie strip just north of Belvedere Rd. The restaurant is the brainchild of Pig Beach cofounder Rob Shawger, a Palm Beach County resident, and is run by local partner and General Manager Vince LaPapa (The Breakers), a South Florida hospitality veteran.
Pig Beach Palm Beach is spacious and airy with relaxed indoor seating for up to 166 guests, plus a 60-foot wraparound oak topped bar with a built-in chill rail, three very large multi-screen Jumbotrons, and a SONOS sound system for the ultimate game day experience. The open kitchen concept offers guests a front-row seat to watch the meat-smokin’ action, while a takeout window will offer a quick and yummy option for lunch and dinners on the fly.
There is plenty of off-street parking in the lot behind the joint and next door. The bright high ceiling of the 4,000-sq ft. space has the original glass garage doors that let in lots of light. The cement flooring captures the signature Pig Beach BBQ Americana vibe, and there are nautical accents, vintage ship lights, and repurposed portholes. Lots of roadside memorabilia too, with vintage signs and posters.
We got down to business with a spicy margarita from the bar and then ordered from the Q-code printed on the tabletop napkin holder. Get used to this – it’s being used in everything from takeout to high-end dining.
After you order online a server brings over the meal while other servers bring water and clear the paper plates when you’re done. Clean and efficient service all around. Our only issue was the excessive use of single-serve plastic cups and tableware. The manager said it is more of a labor issue, but the environment needs a break from so much plastic.
So many juicy choices here. We settled on the Brisket Sandwich that came with pickles. The sauce options on the table were both delicious – the tangy vinegar BBQ sauce and the World Champion Mustard BBQ sauce. The brisket was tender and warm with a pleasant char on the outside. Three generous slices made for a hefty meal.
Sides of baked beans featured an unexpected mix of red beans and black beans with some pork tips for added smoky flavor. The red cabbage cole slaw was creamy and crunchy in all the right ways.
A real standout was the Key Lime Pie. There’s some secret ingredient here in the super flavorful crust and the whipped cream topping was so delicious.
Additional menu highlights include smoked pork shoulder with a hatch vinegar sauce; cult-favorite sandwiches, from pulled pork to fried chicken; classic BBQ sides and fixin’s—from cornbread to smoked jalapeno & pineapple slaw—and more homemade comfort desserts like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies for the kid in all of us.
If you really like the food you can try the recipes in the cookbook, but it’s hard to duplicate real pit-smoked BBQ at home.
A fun and lively addition to the West Palm dining scene, this little piggy at the beach is worth the trip.
Pig Beach BBQ Palm Beach | 2400 S. Dixie Highway | West Palm Beach, FL 33401 | www.pigbeachnyc.com
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