Baba Kevin American BBQ is top-notch BBQ food in Taipei. As stated on their website – “Imported hickory, mesquite, cherry, and oak hardwoods bring out a nostalgic taste of real American BBQ flavor that only comes from a natural smoking process. Cut into our BBQ meats and you’ll even see the flavor.”
Before coming here you need to prepare your taste buds for a finger-licking, mouthwatering journey through the heart of BBQ culinary tradition. BBQ is really an art form steeped in smoky flavors, succulent meats, and tangy sauces. From fall-off-the-bone hickory smoked pork back ribs to juicy pulled pork, Baba Kevin’s creations showcase the diverse regional styles that define American BBQ. This is a rite of passage for any American craving that classic BBQ style from back home.
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Baba Kevin’s Menu
The menu is bilingual and reads like the who’s-who of classically American-styled BBQ that you may have come to expect in an establishment like this. Don’t look further than the Full Platter if you’re hungry, and settle for the Half Platter if you aren’t quite as hungry. Of course, feel free to go for anything on the menu, but they’re my strongest recommendations even if you’re a seasoned veteran of eating here.
What we ordered
Full Platter
It almost felt rude to come to Baba Kevin American BBQ and not get the Full Platter. I mean, it’s almost a Taipei rite of passage for all of those BBQ meat-craving Americans out there.
I have had most of the menu here at Baba Kevin’s and it’s all really good. But I haven’t had the Hot Link before, so this was my first and I was excited when it was put down in front of me. I will inevitably get the pulled pork, as it’s one of my favourite things on the menu here.
But it’s not always all about the meat when you go for an authentic American-style BBQ experience. You should also pay attention to the sides, of which I went here for the coleslaw and the sweet potato mash. Top tip – when you see coleslaw on a menu, order it. Seldom will you see it on many menus across Taipei, so it is worth gorging on when you do see it. Top tip No.2 – get this sweet potato mash. Flavoured with some cinnamon and some brown sugar, it is legit delicious.
Hot Link
Paprika-laden and deliciously smoky, the hot link was a quality order. It was juicy, it was meaty, and it was packed full of the inevitably craved American-style BBQ flavour that you have likely come here looking for. The sauce wasn’t necessary, I don’t think. I don’t think it added much to the flavour of the meat, but rather it just cut through some of the denser flavours or fattiness with the vinegary acidity of it.
Pulled Pork
I will go out on a limb here and say that the pulled pork here is the best I have tried so far in Taipei. The deep smokiness comes out, the sweet stickiness of the mildly crunchy skin gives way to a juicy fattiness within, and it all just melts together into a mouth-full of wonderful flavours that will leave your American BBQ cravings satiated.
The Half Platter
We also had to get stuck into this beef shank. It had been a while since I had slow-cooked beef shank like this in an American-style BBQ kind of way. As a through-and-through Brit, the beef shank is more likely to find its way into a winter-warming casserole at home, rather than done American BBQ style like this here. But, I was just as happy to see it done this way here, especially as the mercury is at a point in Taipei right about now where one of the last things on my mind is a winter-warming casserole…
The sides we went for with this were again the coleslaw (obvs) and also the mashed potatoes. As I said about coleslaw above when you see coleslaw on a menu, order it. Seldom will you see it on many menus across Taipei, so it is worth gorging on when you do see it.
As for the mashed potato, it was fine. I think the reason why I felt a little deflated by the mashed potato is that I had just had a spoonful of my favourite sweet potato mash, so in comparison, the flavours were lacking. If sweet potato isn’t your thing, then maybe we cannot be friends, but also maybe this mash is for you. But I am all for sweet potato.
Beef Shank
The beef shank was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The fatty textures gave way to the effortlessly delicate deep and rich flavoured beef, lashed with that tangy sauce on top. After combining a fork full of beef shank with some of that great mashed potato, you’ll find that the inside of your mouth is coated with delicious fatty-beef flavours. I am all about this.
The bottom line
Is it worth it?
BBQ food is difficult to get consistently high-quality results from. You can go to a range of places throughout the world and get what they term to be ‘True American-style BBQ‘, but seldom will it match your expectations like this place right here. Right here, you’re going to get unadulterated consistent top-quality BBQ that you have been craving for so long.
What are the ‘must orders’?
You got to get that pulled pork. But I would also strongly recommend their coleslaw and their sweet potato mash. Honestly, you’re not going to go wrong with anything on the menu, though.
What other American-style BBQ is there in Taipei?
- Ed’s Diner
- Bogart’s Smokehouse – This place is my top pick for a place that could rival for the best American-style BBQ in Taipei. Their brisket is incredible, but their hot link is far too expensive.
- Tony’s BBQ Smokehouse