Virgil's Barbecue

I thought the food and drinks were pretty good. The service was just okay. The waiter we had was very slow and we were probably waiting for our check for a good thirty minutes when he saw us just sitting there. I do prefer Southern Hospitality on 9th ave but this is good for second place. more

a friend had been urging me to go here for 15 years, but i resisted, too touristy. i took my 20 year old son this week and it was fabulous!! the atmosphere was fun, lots of sports on tv. our waitress, elizabeth, was delightful and informative. she even showed us pictures of the food on her phone. the food was great, huge portions. my son had a two meat combo and i had the bbq salad, perfect for my low carb diet. i would go back again, for sure!! more

The place was packed for dinner on a Friday night. We shared the Pig Out and an appetizer of onion rings. The meat was dried out and the onion ring salty. Even though it was crowded, service was brisk. We did have to wait a bit to catch our waitress's eye for the bill. more

I used to frequent Virgil's often during the mid-late 90's -- it was a favorite pre-theater dinner destination. The food was delicious, affordable, courteous & efficient waiters -- you could throw a dart at the menu and not go wrong. Fast forward a few years and the place is a tourist trap, complete with skyrocketed prices, lazy & ignorant waiters, and the food? Every recipe was revamped to taste like fast food crap. The ribs were not the original recipes. They were low-quality ""meat"" covered in jarred garbage sauce. Between the crap food and what must have been a gas leak, my friends and I got sick while we were there. When we told the waiter we couldn't breathe, that there had to be a ventilation problem or gas leak, we got a blank look and asked if we wanted our garbage to go. Needless to say, an NYC barbecue legend has gone down the crapper -- where its food belongs. Cons: slow wait staff, tourist trap, pricey more

Stopped by today for my third or fourth visit in as many years. The food has never disappointed. Portion size leaves a bit to be desired, and the prices are somewhat high (but typical for New York). Waiter was nice but didn't spend much time at the table, just doing the minimum needed although it was relatively slow during my mid-afternoon meal. Still, he got the job done. Overall a very good visit. Pros: Deliciousness Cons: Pricey more

While the food was very good & the ambiance was nice the service was lacking. Not very attentive, never smiling & a bit cold. It was a birthday dinner & our server was unfortunately not ""connected"" to our celebration, Pros: ambiance,food Cons: service more

The best and most authentic southern quisine I have ever had north of the Mason Dixon line. I recomend the biscuits and gravy appetizer and pulled carolina pork sandwich. You'll think you died and went to heaven! The cornbread and collard greens are delicious. As far as cocktails, try the frozen peach bellini, Outrageos! The margeritas are also outstanding. You won't find better food than here!!!!! more

Take it from a Texas boy who never expected good barbeque in NYC this place us great! Low price tasty food - very genuine flavors and service! more

My boyfriend and I are constantly eating at BBQ places everywhere we go and no one has beat out Virgils yet. We have even been down south and eaten the ribs there, where supposedly BBQ is the best, and we still found that Virgils has them beaten. Now as far as other people saying its crowded and you have to wait long, well this is what happens when your a popular restaurant. They do take reservations and that is the only way you get seated faster. Also, there are a variety of ways to eat ribs, the most popular are dry or wet rubbed. Virgils likes to serve dry rubbed ribs but they do have sauces to slather on if you like them wet. They have never disappointed me or my friends that i take there. So in conclusion, if you want to eat ribs at a chain restaurant like Dallas, by all means go ahead. But that only means you don't know what true BBQ is supposed to taste like. p.s. it doesn't hurt that their beer selection beats out probably any restaurant in NYC Pros: Great Ribs, Large beer selection Cons: Crowded, due to popularity more

As a lifelong NYer I try to avoid the Times Square area on a Saturday night, but sometimes you have to do what the group wants. Any how Virgil's is by no means bad and if you are someone who really must have dry-rub BBQ you might still consider. I went with a party of 5 there was about a 45 minute wait which was within the expectations of time and area (although we called earlier and they said they were no longer taking reservations which was irritating). The service was mostly good, although our waiter seemed to disappear when we were trying to get the check. The BBQ was on the dry side. I understand they do a dry rub but pulled pork and ribs should still be moist. Not terrible not worthy of being sent back but definitely not up to par. Then when you combine the fact that the prices are high for what you get it was a mild dissapointment. I would definitely recommend Dallas's as a much better value (but does lack on atmosphere) or if you have the chance visit RUB further downtown (on 23rd if you can get in the place is on the small side). I would give it 2.5 stars but since only whole stars are possible I rounded down because I felt this was slightly below average. Pros: Mid-town location Cons: over priced more

I've been to Virgils now a couple of times and am not impressed. The salad was just OK, and the Chicken wasn't worth the price. Ribs are good. I felt that the crowd was very touristy and loud. I've eaten alot of BBQ and I would say Dallas BBQ and Jimmy's are as good if not better (and everyone should try Dinosaur). I must say the drinks are delicious and good sized. Pros: Good drinks Cons: mediocre BBQ more

If your staying in Times Square you definitely have to go try this BBQ. A very cozy place where the BBQ has a good kick to it. If you enjoy spicy B... more

My Husband & I were cold & drenched looking for coffee & dessert when suddenly this fantastic smell of tangy BBQ sauce went wafting by......I needed to find the source of that delightful smell! So we found it: Virgil's. My Husband was concerned, because we were going to a BBQ place, and I'm a vegetarian, but I can always find something to suit my fancy. Upon entering, there was no wait, although it was VERY busy, and on a dismal Sunday night as well. The hostesses were extremely friendly, and showed us to our table. \r The atmosohere was comfy & welcoming. The menu had alot to choose from. My husband chose a spicy chicken sandwich, and I chose a sandwich that was called a ""Brisket"" (Yes, I know that is meat) but the description said it was grilled cheese on rye with fried onions. Next to that was a grilled veggie sandwich that explained that was grilled veggies & mustard vinagrette. So I thought even though the name was questionable, the description says it all. SO......we recieved our food, and sure enough, mine contained meat. I explained to the waitress that the description was confusing? And she was confused as well, but very gracious in taking it back and having them grill me up a new one, sans meat. \r My Husband loved his sandwich, and mine was kick a$$ especially when I dipped it in the Virgil's mild BBQ sauce! We ordered the peanut butter pie (to die for!) and the Key Lime pie for dessert, they were both phenomenal. I topped it off with a tasty hot chocolate to get nice & warm to brave the elements, and off we went. I would totally reccomend this place, although my Husband said the men's room was absolutely nasty, but maybe just save that experience for thr end (lol) The staff, food, music & atmosophere was terriffic! :) We had also eaten at Bubba Gump's for lunch, and that was equally wonderful! Pros: Great atmosphere, service, food, music Cons: Nasty bathroom more

Heard great things about the restaurant and decided to give it a try with my friend. We ordered - the pork ribs were very flavorful and the schrimps were cooked perfectly and practically melted in my mouth. It was on the pricey side but the presentation and taste were well worth it.Overall, it was a great experience the only thing that was lacking was the presentation by our wait staff.\r \r Pros: perfect ribs,ambiance Cons: staff more

good BBQ, authentic more

Overrated.. pretty good but was very salty. If you want a taste of time's sq. come here. more

Ate here for lunch on a Sunday and was immediately seated. I ordered a 2 meet plate (ribs and pulled pork) with mac and cheese and collard greens and my wife ordered the Brisket with roasted veggies and mac and cheese.\r \r THe rib were extremely good. Best i have had in NYC. Unlike most places they were served dry and were cooked perfectly, meet still firm but not jerky like (aka blue smoke). The pulled pork was ok, it wasn't drenched is sauce like most places do it but it didn't have much flavor.. The sides were excellent, the mac and cheese is probably the best I've had period and the collard greens were well balances (most places have it too vingerery or too smokey)\r \r My wife's brisket was ok to thinly sliced for my taste. the roasted vegetables must have been good since i couldn't get a sample of it.\r \r The only reason i gave this 4 start is the price. It is very pricey and while you get a lot of food for the price it still doesn't justify the high price. However it is cheaper than many other note able BBQ places in the city so i guess I'm expecting too much price wise. BBQ in NYC just costs a lot period. Pros: best ribs in the city Cons: price (as allways) more

It's hard to find good bbq in the city and Virgils really hits the spot! They know how to make some delicious meat. The pulled pork and brisket is the best I've had. The ribs could be better though, that's why I'm taking a star away. Ribs are a crucial part of a bbq joint. While the ribs here were nice and smokey, they really could use a little more flavor. If you're in the mood for a nice heavy meal, I'd definitely recommend this place! Pros: Great Service, Great Barbeque Cons: Usually takes a little while to be seated more

Went to Virgils the other night to meet up with a friend after work, and all I can say is WOW!! We shared a HUGE plate of Hush puppies with maple butter- I could have eaten the whole plate, but since there were so many, and more food for me to try, I took some to go.\r \r I had the pulled pork platter which came with 2 sides. I got the greens and the mac and cheese- again- wow!! I do love me some pulled pork and this was nice and moist and not fatty at all. My friend had the Brisket which she loved and took her leftovers to work today and said they were still good.\r \r I highly recomend Virgil's- so good. And for being in the middle of times square- the prices are reasonalble. The service was a little slow- and that is the only bad thing I have to say about the place.\r \r Pros: HUSH PUPPIES!!! more

We had read about Virgil's in many books and couldn't wait to try it. We were seated promptly. After I used a plunger in the bathroom to stop an overflowing toilet, we ordered ribs and pulled pork. We were both disappointed in the ribs which were dry, fatty, and overcooked. The pulled pork was slightly better. The potato salad tasted liked it had hot sauce in it. Neither of us cared for the cole slaw. The best thing was their corn bread, and I don't usually like corn bread! I would rate this restaurant as mediocre and not advise anyone to choose it. more