The United States barbecue scene is once again proving its remarkable resilience and creativity. From Los Angeles to Oakland to Pennsylvania, beloved spots are reopening, new ventures are firing up their smokers, and diners are lining up for the comfort of smoky meats and shared meals.
This year, a wave of barbecue stories shows that no matter the setbacks permitting snags, fires, or even industry-wide collapse barbecue always finds its way back.
Baekjeong’s Grand Return
Few reopenings have generated as much excitement as Baekjeong, the Korean barbecue chain with a cult following. Having shuttered its Chapman Plaza outpost in early 2024, Baekjeong has returned to the fold with a brand-new flagship mere blocks away on Los Angeles’s Eighth Street.
Established in South Korea in the early 2000s by former wrestler turned TV personality Kang Ho Dong, the brand arrived in the U.S. in 2012 with Kijung Hospitality Group. Its first Koreatown opening established the tone: bustling tableside grilling, paper-thin brisket, sizzling short rib, and an atmosphere that was half feast, half party.
The new flagship delivers the same vibrancy, with a few additions. Expect same favorites such as beef tartare topped with an egg yolk, soft steamed egg, and kimchi pancakes. Combo sets are still the menu highlight beef, pork, or Hodong’s Favorite Combo (a bit of everything).
New additions are a dry-aging program headed by chef Samuel Kim, with the meats displayed in a glass butcher room. The dining area itself is eye-catching: 6,500 square feet of Korean-style architecture and Seoul night markets, red brick walls, tapestry-style mural, and smoke chimneys integrated into every table grill.
Koreatown is saturated with barbecue joints, but Baekjeong has always commanded its turf: quality meats in a raucous atmosphere. With its late-night schedule (open till 2 a.m. on weekends), the comeback of this Koreatown staple is sure to attract both loyal followers and curious newcomers.
AC Barbeque: A Star-Studded Smoke Show
While Baekjeong made a cautious return, AC Barbeque’s debut was rockier. The restaurant, launched by comedians Anthony Anderson and Cedric the Entertainer, debuted in May within Century City’s Westfield mall. A few days later, it was closed by the county due to permitting problems.
The shutdown was short only three days but long enough to stir up controversy. After the forms were re-submitted, AC Barbeque reopened, serving honey-glazed pork ribs with “gold sauce,” smoked brisket served with pickles, and banana pudding for dessert.
The restaurant expands on the duo’s A&E series Kings of BBQ, which sees them traveling throughout the country seeking out barbecue traditions and honoring Black culture’s place in the food. Their new location is also a love letter to that cause, with walls covered in rubs and sauce, menu screens detailing their journey, and a sign above the door reading, “Welcome to the cookout.”
Demand has been high so high that even with smokers running 24/7, they’ve struggled to keep up. With pitmaster Burt Bakman (of Slab) steering the kitchen, AC Barbeque has quickly carved out its place in LA’s dining scene.
Horn Barbecue: Rising from the Ashes
In Oakland, pitmaster Matt Horn is orchestrating a comeback of his own. His award-winning Horn Barbecue shuttered in 2023 following a catastrophic fire, but the chef didn’t give up. “The simplest thing to do is quit,” he said. “But in adversity, character is shown.”
Horn Barbecue returned this April in the space at Matty’s Old Fashioned, Horn’s vintage burger shop. The menu at this new version combines the classics such as brisket and ribs with Matty’s smoked wings and milkshakes. A full bar maintains the energy, although Matty’s no longer exists as a stand-alone restaurant, some of its dishes persist through delivery apps.
Horn has grander plans, though: a Horn Barbecue Shop coming soon next to his chicken stand Kowbird, and a new cookbook coming out in May. His journey hadn’t been smooth legal problems with business partners, employee grievances, and the pitfalls of Oakland crime but Horn’s devotion to the community is evident. “We don’t want to turn our back on Oakland,” he says.
For patrons, that means one thing: the brisket is returning.
Farewell to HomeTown Buffet
Every tale of American barbecue isn’t one of rebirth. The HomeTown Buffet chain, a family favorite once, has quietly faded into the past.
HomeTown’s corporate parent, Buffets Inc., had operated more than 600 restaurants across the country at its peak. But bankruptcies, shifting tastes, and ultimately the pandemic sealed its demise. By 2021, its brands Ryan’s, Old Country Buffet, and Furr’s were extinct.
Fans continue to take to social media about their missing endless trays of mac and cheese and fried chicken. Posts such as “I pretend like I’m fine, but secretly, I miss HomeTown Buffet” encapsulate the nostalgia. But when BBQ Holdings purchased the intellectual property for the brand in 2021, they made it official: the buffets were not returning.
It’s a testament that as barbecue continues to evolve and reinvent, some eating habits stay locked in the past.
Bonfire BBQ’s Spooked Crash
In Pennsylvania, Bonfire Old Fashioned BBQ demonstrated how rapidly a restaurant can rebound. Last April, a vehicle crashed into its brick facade at 2 a.m., sending debris strewn around the dining room. No one was injured miraculously.
Within a day of cleaning up, Bonfire reopened for business, maintaining catering orders and restoring its dining room in 48 hours. That sort of toughness answering pandemonium with smoked meat is right in the barbecue spirit.
Smokey Bones Shrinks, Twin Peaks Rises
While independents struggle to reopen, chain barbecue has another challenge: staying alive. Smokey Bones, which at one time was almost 130 locations big, now stands at around 45. Its new parent, FAT Brands, concluded the concept was pulling down profits and started converting most restaurants into Twin Peaks, a thriving Texas-based sports bar.
By 2025, Smokey Bones had spun off as a new chain with Twin Peaks, and conversions are in the works. Early figures are encouraging for Twin Peaks, albeit with winter weather putting the brakes on traffic. For barbecue lovers, the change is mixed: less smokers, more TV screens.
The Bigger Picture
All together, these tales frame a colorful portrait of barbecue in America:
- Comebacks such as Baekjeong and Horn Barbecue remind us that customers always will clamor for smoky meats and big flavors.
- New openings such as AC Barbeque demonstrate the force of celebrity influence and cultural narrative in bringing barbecue to new groups.
- Losses such as HomeTown Buffet demonstrate how the business changes, often leaving the old habits behind.
- Resilience is evident in Bonfire’s rapid rebounding and Horn’s perseverance to continue serving Oakland in the face of adversity.
- Barbecue, at its essence, is about more than brisket and ribs. It’s about creativity, community, and determination. Fires, closures, or permits might stand in the way but the smoke always finds a way back up.
As grills ignite from Los Angeles to Pennsylvania, one fact is certain: the future of barbecue remains hot, and the history behind every plate as rich as the flavors themselves.
