[image-1]A barbecue joint will soon join the quickly burgeoning bar, restaurant and entertainment scene along Lorain Avenue in Ohio City. Next up for the strip that includes Platform Beer, The Grocery OHC, Herb’n Twine, the Plum, Jack Flaps, Ohio City Provisions (and the forthcoming Forest City Shuffleboard and Xinji Noodle Bar) is Ohio City BBQ.

Owner Nav Singh is on track to open Ohio City BBQ (3829 Lorain Ave.) in the former Ohio City Tattoo spot by late April, he says.

“I bought the building to open a Marco’s Pizza, we did the training with Marco’s, I went to Pizza University in Toledo… We were all set to go but then I tried Ronnie’s barbecue,” says Singh, referring to his pitmaster partner, operator of the barbecue food truck Cofield’s. “I’m from Toronto, Canada, and we really don’t have American-style barbecue there. Once I tried her food I was like, Wow, you can really taste the wood and meat and smoke. She really knows what she’s doing.”

Singh describes the spot as a “Memphis-themed restaurant with a ’60s décor.”

It will be largely takeout to begin but he hopes to transition to a dine-in eatery with a liquor license down the road. Out back will be the custom-built 12-foot barrel smoker that sits beneath a corrugated roof and chimney.

“We’ll be doing real smoked Southern-style barbecue like ribs, brisket and sides like coleslaw and mac and cheese,” Singh notes.

This article appears in Mar 1-7, 2017.

For 25 years, Douglas Trattner has worked as a full-time freelance writer, editor and author. His work as co-author on Michael Symon's cookbooks have earned him four New York Times Best-Selling Author honors, while his longstanding role as Scene dining editor has garnered awards of its own.

4 replies on “New ‘Southern-Style BBQ’ Joint Heading to Ohio City”

  2. Please don’t be arrogant like Mabel’s BBQ. Offer several BBQ sauces. That mustard based one Mabel’s has looks so repulsive although in tiny amounts, it’s not terrible. But mustard based, tan color BBQ sauce is not what people expect. It’s ok to offer the mustard based sauce but also offer a regular deep red sauce and a hot version.

    Anyway, BBQ is always in. The anti meat crowd killed BBQ for a few years but it’s back!

    Of course there’s always corky and lenneys sliced brisket with a side of open pit BBQ. That works in a pinch to satisfy a craving and you won’t go broke.

  3. Mabel’s is arrogant for creating a unique sauce? It’s Carolina style : tangy, vinegar spiked, with stadium mustard dear to clevelanders hearts.
    If you want some sticky sweet bullshit, go basically anywhere else.
    I’m sure the music is too loud for you as well.

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