Arrogant Swine

“The meat is just right, collard greens remind me of home (from TN originally), and the Mac & Cheese waffle is genius.”

“I ordered the East Carolina Whole Hog, Pork Belly, Ribs, Mac & Cheese, Collard Greens, and Sweet Potato Waffle.”

“The Apple Mustard Slaw was excellent, one of the best slaws I have ever had.”

Arrogant Swine

Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes

Price range.

$$ Price range $11-30

8 reviews

  1. Friends, I've moved south, I've lived north, I've been to Europe and back again, and as an authentic southern woman and lover of all things bbq, this NC style joint has got it going on. Great selection of bourbon (order eagle rare for a great taste and cheaper bill) and their caramel glazed wings are out of this world. We just demolished our second plate. Come here. Sit outside. Ask for Jason. You won't be sad you did.

  2. I went to Arrogant Swine late one Friday because a co-worker in the ITV BBQ Champ said a well respected source said Arrogant Swine was 1 of 5 of the best BBQ places in the US.

    7 Hours Later there I was.

    Strong Recommendation to live up to.  Arrogant Swine's food was up there.  The Mac & Cheese Waffle was actually slamming.  I loved it every bite.  Crunchy and soft and chewy in the middle.

    We got the Whole Hog Menu, which included the Mac & Cheese Belgian Waffles, a side of your choosing, and 1/2 pound of pulled pork with cracklings on top.  Everything was great but the pulled pork could have used some bbq sauce which wasn't included.

    We got the pork belly which I really loved especially with the little sprinkles of cracklings on top with the sauce it was a perfect piece of bbq.

    I would say overall it's probably not top 5 in the US.  But I haven't eaten that much BBQ, it's definitely a 4/5 star on my pick

  3. When Arrogant Swine announced they'd be hosting the famous Danish brewer from Mikkeller, we had to go. The space is very nice with a ton of outdoor seating though the neighborhood is still on the up. Service was ok, but incredibly slow. They may have been overwhelmed by the demand, but it didn't feel especially busy. The crowd was very Brooklyn, but also somehow surprisingly arrogant. We were surrounded by loud talkers and snobs which detracted a bit.
    As a bar, it is good aside from the time taken to get a drink, and the beer was pretty good. The normal selection looked good as well and they often do this type of collaboration.
    As a bbq joint, it was just ok. The wings were the best part, properly crispy and not soggy, and didn't taste like they had been sauced after cooking like is often the case. The chef apparently loves to make things in the form of a waffle so the mac and cheese was pressed on an iron. This caused it to be a bit dry and not very cheesy. The gravy was good, but was totally necessary just to get past the dryness. The bbq was really pretty average which was a huge let down from the hype. There are far better BBQ places in NC and even in NYC and after reading everything about the attempt to bring authentic bbq to the north, it was disappointing for it to be so average.

  4. So sad, I wanted to like this place so much. Came for the mac and cheese waffle and the NC BBQ, left hungry and unsatisfied.

    Lexington style pork was alright but the East Carolina style pulled pork was not so great. Yes, Eastern style BBQ is supposed to be vinegary but it tasted like they just doused it in vinegar. the Mac and cheese waffle was dry and lukewarm. The only reason this place called 2 stars and not 1 was for the apple slaw.

    Arrogant swine has great outdoor seatings and beer selection. However, they are very lacking in the food. There is really no reason to trek all the way to Arrogant swine when there's so many delicious BBQ places in NYC now.

  5. A chill Williamsburg bbq and bar that serves amazing Mac and cheese waffle and average bbq.

    Very sweet and funny staff served us on a stormy Friday night.
    The clouds over Brooklyn had dumped buckets of water down. Every time a car drove by you, a stream of water would be displaced by its tires.
    I was VERY thankful to find Arrogant Swine.
    Warm and inviting, the heat from the kitchen dried us off in no time.

    We ordered:

    – Mac and Cheese waffle- amazing cheesy crisp crust with good mac and cheese. Definitely recommend.

    -Collard Greens- well cooked, it wasn't too salty or greasy. Sometimes we just need vegetables
    -Pork belly with crispy shallots. This was definitely the better protein dish of the two. Tasted more like a pork tenderloin with a small strip of fat, it was well seasoned, well done and had a generous layer of sweet fried shallots.

    – Half pound of East Carolina Whole Hog with crackling. I gladly devoured all the cracklings but I was not a fan of the East Carolina Hog. Very dry and overcooked. I could taste some seasoning but most of the taste was overwhelmed by cracklings and vinegar. Very disappointed. This was the dish that I looked forward to.

  6. How frustrating.  So much potential, if only they did all of the little things, simple things, right.

    It's true Carolina barbecue. You're not likely to find better, more flavorful, vinegary, lovely whole hog.  The slaws are amazing.

    How do you screw this up?

    You serve it in a space that has no air conditioning, and jumbo, industrial fans that do nothing more than blow your napkins off of the table.

    You have half of the items crossed off of the menu as sold out before 5 PM.

    You serve your barbecue on flimsy, paper boats, with plastic utensils and no napkins at the table.  For that? Charge $9.  At least plastic plates and silverware, with a basket of napkins and wet naps at the table… It is a barbecue joint, after all.   $15 for a combo sounds like a great deal, until you see the size of the portion.  Those lovely pork cracklings, should not be placed on top of that steamy pork.   Crispy and steamy are an unhappy teamy.

    The macaroni and cheese waffle is pre-made, left on a rack, and plated out, at room temperature.  Dry and ordinary and desperately needs that extra cheese sauce.  Serve it hot or don't bother.  

    The server will bring your tray and items will be missing. Where is the sauce? Where is the coleslaw?  A thimble of sauce for all of that barbecue? The staff seems confused, but you can't help but feel for them, working in that heat and realize it's not their fault.

    My greatest peeve: unkempt, disorganized restrooms. If they're going to be coed, you have to care if the seat is broken. Chicks do not pee standing up. Ah, the line for the restroom, or is it the line to order food? Dunno, it traverses the service station, so you can't tell if the people are waiting online to order, or use the bathroom, until you get a lot of dirty looks when you accidentally cut the line.

    I'm not a fan of a DJ station at a restaurant.  I prefer to dine and have a conversation, so if you are going to have music, it should be at an audible level, not something something loud and thump-thump awful.

    Your bbq is pretty damn good. But know this: When you don't care about the little things, whatever was good quickly follows suit and declines. It's about care. Show some.

  7. In the hinterlands of Bushwick. Think Wild West- where no one is from the  'hood nor knows where any streets are- amazing to me. Arrogant Swine is not arrogant and has more than just swine. Its North Carolina style so lots of emphasis on pork. Like Fette Sau, they have picnic tables outside next to the smoker.
    Ordered:
    Chic wings w/ Vietnamese caramel sauce
    Collards
    There are lots of interesting beers on tap and a distinct local feel. The wings were sticky sweet on the outside and super smokey on the inside. Collards had s'mores bite & nice pieces of pork.  Amazing mustard sauce, Bushwick baby even if it is a mission from Manhattan- it's worth it!

  8. Love this spot! Great beers and great food. I tried the Vietnamese coffee flavored stout, the milk stout and the Horny Devil. All great beers. It is a very big space. There was a baby shower here when I went so this space have hold parties.

    For food, I tried their hog sandwich and Vietnamese glazed wings. Very hearty portions for the cost and very delicious!

    Would recommend this spot!

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Morgan Avenue 173
11237 NY US
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Tuesday, 4:00 pm - 2:00 am
Wednesday, 4:00 pm - 2:00 am
Thursday, 4:00 pm - 2:00 am
Friday, 4:00 pm - 4:00 am
Saturday, 10:00 am - 4:00 am
Sunday, 10:00 am - 2:00 am