Bark Barbecue now cooks only on Thames Street. In its November closings roundup, Eater NY reported that the Dominican-Texan smokehouse would close its stall inside Dumbo's Time Out Market on Saturday, November 7, after three years there. The brisket, ribs and pulled pork stayed in Brooklyn, at the 8,000-square-foot flagship at 25 Thames St. in Bushwick.
That's why this year's Thanksgiving order belongs to the neighborhood. Bark's holiday menu takes the same meats served in the Thames Street dining room and sells them whole: a full brisket, two racks of ribs, a whole hog. All of it gets picked up at that one address on Thanksgiving morning. With the Dumbo counter gone, any smoked turkey Bark sells this year comes out of a Bushwick smoker.
From Ozone Park to one Bushwick address
Bark took a winding route to get here. As Brooklyn Paper told it in July, pitmaster Ruben Santana started smoking brisket in his Ozone Park garage during the pandemic. He served customers curbside outside Vito Locascio Field in Queens, then moved on to pop-ups, Smorgasburg and the Time Out Market before opening his first standalone restaurant on Thames Street. The Dumbo stall was the brand's first permanent location, and Eater's report included a video message from Santana to followers that said "All good things must come to an end."
The Bushwick flagship started with a handicap. Bushwick Daily reported that Bark opened dry on July 1 because its liquor license was delayed. Once the State Liquor Authority gave final approval, it began serving beer, wine and cocktails, including a Tamarindo Fizz meant to go with the smoked meats.
The room is set up for groups. Brooklyn Paper described exposed brick, white oak paneling and polished concrete floors, plus a glass wall where diners can watch four custom smokers at work. It also has a raised performance stage, communal seating and an outdoor patio. Santana described the space in his statement to the paper this way:
"a place where people can come together, share a meal and feel at home."
The holiday menu is the dining room, by the whole
Bark's Thanksgiving preorder runs through its Tock page. The listed pickup location is 25 Thames St., Brooklyn, NY 11206, and the only pickup date is Thursday, November 26, 2026, at 11 a.m., noon or 1 p.m. Here is the protein list from the preorder menu, with the sizes Bark gives:
| Item | Size | Feeds | Comes with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole Smoked Turkey | 14 to 16 lbs | 8 to 10 | Chicharrón gravy |
| Whole Turkey Breast | 4 to 6 lbs | 5 to 7 | 8 oz chicharrón gravy, pickled veggies |
| Whole Prime Brisket | 4.5 to 5 lbs, smoked 16 hours | 10 to 12 | 8 oz Bark sauce, pickled veggies |
| Full Rack Spare Ribs | 2 racks, 11 to 12 bones each | 6 to 8 | 8 oz Bark sauce, pickled veggies |
| Full Rack Beef Ribs | 3 bones, oak smoked | 6 to 8 | 8 oz Bark sauce, pickled veggies |
| Cerdo a la Leña | 10 to 12 lbs | 12 to 16 | 8 oz vinegar sauce |
The whole turkey is the only item with a published price. The Infatuation's Thanksgiving guide, dated November 6, lists it at $120 for a bird that serves 8 to 10, for pickup on Thanksgiving Day. That comes to $12 to $15 a person before sides. The guide also suggests adding brisket, ribs, mac and cheese and arroz congrí.
Bark's Dominican side shows up most clearly in the gravy and the hog. The turkey comes with chicharrón gravy instead of a standard pan gravy. Bark describes the Cerdo a la Leña as a South Carolina style whole hog with Dominican flavors, marinated in house-made sofrito and finished with crispy skin. Brooklyn Paper said the pit-smoked whole hog was one of the new dishes introduced at the flagship, inspired by Dominican celebrations. So the holiday hog comes from a dish that started in Bushwick.
Building a table around the pickup window
The serving counts on the menu make planning fairly easy. One whole turkey covers 8 to 10 people. For a bigger group, the brisket feeds 10 to 12 on its own, and the hog feeds 12 to 16. Ribs work for smaller tables of 6 to 8, and the turkey breast covers 5 to 7.
Sides come in half pans, and the descriptions are Bark's own:
- Mac n Cheese, made with three cheeses and the house seasonings
- Spicy Coleslaw, chopped cabbage with cilantro, a mayo base and sriracha
- Arroz Congrí, which Bark notes is also called arroz moro negro in the Dominican Republic, cooked in a 24-hour house beef broth
- Torta Dominicana, Bark's sweet cornbread with a hint of cinnamon and a honey butter drizzle
The pickup times shape the day. Every slot is between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Thanksgiving, so the food arrives already smoked and ready for an afternoon meal. Your oven only has to handle reheating and whatever you're making yourself.
What to eat at the counter the week before
If you haven't been to Bark since it moved into a full restaurant, the week before Thanksgiving is a good time to try the meats before committing to an order. The Infatuation's October 5 review picks the Tres Golpes sandwich if you order one thing: chopped smoked chuck, cubes of queso frito, maduros and ají verde. The same review says the brisket has a thick, peppery bark, recommends the carnitas over the standard pulled pork, and lists a smoked-then-fried half chicken at $15. It also mentions longaniza with Dominican spices, which rotates.
The brisket you'd order whole for Thanksgiving is the same one on the dining-room tray. Bark smokes over white oak for up to 48 hours and seasons with imported Dominican oregano, high-mountain honey, house-made adobo, sofrito and naranja agria. The regular sides include the arroz congrí, mac and cheese and torta from the holiday menu, along with maduros, smoked sweet potatoes and criollo-style barbecue beans.
Mornings are run by Cafecito, Bark's coffee program built around Dominican and Latin American coffee traditions. It serves Dominican cortados, coconut-infused espresso drinks, fresh juices and breakfast tacos until 11 a.m. When the flagship opened, Brooklyn Paper listed Cafecito opening at 9 a.m. daily and lunch starting at 11 a.m. The restaurant then stayed open until 10 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays and until midnight Thursday through Sunday, closed Tuesdays, and took walk-ins only. Those were the opening-month hours, so check with Bark before you go. Its homepage at barkbarbecueny.com still lists the old Water Street address in Dumbo and that location's hours.
A Georgian bakery on Morgan Avenue
Bark has a neighbor for the rest of the table. Chama Mama's Bushwick restaurant is at 81 Morgan Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11237, and it serves Georgian food built around shared tables and house-made breads. The location includes Let's Chama, a bakery that its own site lists as open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The restaurant's posted hours are noon to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 11 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. Weekend brunch runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and reservations are on Resy.
Between Bark's smokers and Let's Chama's bread counter, both in Bushwick, you can cover a lot of a holiday spread. You can try the brisket and the Tres Golpes on Thames Street one weekend, then stop at Morgan Avenue for brunch and bakery goods on the way back.
If you're hosting at home this year and the Bushwick place you're hosting in has you wondering what it's worth, the Sorensen family at Parkview Terrace Realty can tell you with a straight answer and no pressure. Get a free home valuation before the turkey's out of the smoker.
