Famed Texas barbecue masters to open Brooklyn restaurant

Two renowned Texas barbecue masters, Chuck Charnichart of Barbs BQ in Lockhart and Johnny White of Goldee's Bar-BQ in Fort Worth, are bringing their styles to New York City. Eater talks about a new establishment.

A restaurant called Kirbee's will open in Brooklyn's Greenpoint neighborhood at 55 McGuinness Boulevard South, between Engert Avenue and Newton Street. The opening is scheduled for mid- to late summer.

Different Styles of Texas Barbecue

Kirbee's will feature two different approaches to smoked meat from Charnichart and White.

Charnichart's style is inspired by kitchen South Texas and Mexico. It uses vibrant spices and flavors.

White's approach is more modern. His signature brisket blend contains turmeric and paprika.

Restaurant menu

The menu will be divided into two courses restaurants — Barbs and Goldee's.

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Barbs Dishes:

• pork ribs with lime zest;
• Mexican spiced brisket;
• stewed pork;
• green spaghetti.

Goldee's Dishes:

• smoked turkey;
• brisket with classic seasoning;
• coleslaw salad;
• potato salad.

For dessert, they plan to combine the signature sweets of the two restaurants:

• Chocolate Pudding from Barbs;
• Banana pudding from Goldee's.

Kirbee's Concept

The name "Kirbee's" is a double reference: it's the name of Johnny White's dog and the pink character from the video game Kirby.

The restaurant plans to offer casual Texas barbecue. Orders will be processed in a cafeteria-style format. Meat will be sliced ​​as you order and served on red trays lined with butcher paper.

The establishment will be open for lunch on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Space and design

Kirbee's has 20-24 seats. It previously housed Peeps Kitchen, which closed last fall. The establishment is located between McCarren and McGolrick Parks.

The design is being developed by Bolt. The following are planned:

• checkerboard floors;
• wooden panels on the walls;
• red and white facade;
• A simple sign stating that this is a barbecue restaurant.

Features of cooking meat

According to Johnny White, the restaurant will use special smokers, rather than the classic offset-firebox smokers typically used in Texas.

"We're planning to use smoker ovens. The flavor will be exactly like it is in Texas. We're prepared to accept that some traditional barbecue enthusiasts might be dissatisfied," he suggested.

White added that this method will ensure more consistent quality of the food. Oak wood chips are used for smoking.

The History of Barbs and Goldee's Restaurants

Barbs Opened in 2023 in Lockhart, considered the epicenter of Texas barbecue, the restaurant quickly became known for its vibrant smoked meat dishes with Mexican and South Texas influences.

Institution:

• Named one of Eater's Best New Restaurants of 2023;
• was a finalist for the 2024 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant;
• received a rave three-star review in The New York Times.

In 2025, Chuck Charnichart received the Michelin Young Chef award.

Goldee's opened in Fort Worth in 2020, shortly before the pandemic. In 2021, the restaurant ranked number one on Texas Monthly's list of the best barbecue joints in Texas.

In 2024, the team expanded and opened Ribbee's, a restaurant specializing in ribs.

Later that year, Jonny White and co-founders Jaylen Heard and Lane Milne were named among Food & Wine magazine's Best New Chefs. They released a restaurant cookbook in October 2025.

White said he sold his stake in Goldee's in December 2025 to Zain Shafi, who previously ran the Pakistani barbecue food truck Sabar BBQ in Fort Worth.

Queues and plans for the future

Although Kirbee's is located a little off the main streets of Greenpoint, the owners expect lines similar to those in Texas.

In Texas, customers were sometimes given free beer while they waited in line. In New York, this is illegal, so Kirbee's plans to sell beer for $1—likely Lone Star and Shiner brands.

The owners are also considering adding an evening menu. Potential new items include burgers and avocado Margaritas.