Durk’s Bar-B-Q Reopens on Aborn Street in Providence

We were lucky enough to get a sneak preview of the space and sample menu items before the official reopening.

Jamie Coelho | RI Monthly | November 12, 2020

Durk’s Bar-B-Q has finally reopened in its new location at 33 Aborn Street in Providence offering dining in, takeout and catering. We were lucky enough to get a sneak preview of the space and sample menu items before its official reopening. The restaurant is owned by Steve Durkee with partners Jay and Stefanie Carr, who also run the Eddy craft cocktail bar.

The building is famously known as where the Satin Doll gentleman’s club used to be, which was later purchased and used by AS220 for its arts programming. The Aborn Street location has been completely renovated to transform into an expansive restaurant with room in the kitchen to accommodate “Stella,” the nicknamed Ole Hickory smoker. Garage door windows open wide to let in the cool breeze and the brand new HVAC unit is a Nu-Calgon i-wave air filtration system that has a UV/ionizing filtration function that kills airborne pathogens as the air recirculates through the restaurant. Before you even enter the dining room, the host will take your temperature, check for mask-wearing and complete a questionnaire screening with each guest that highlights Covid-19 precautionary measures that are taken to increase guest and staff safety. The restaurant is open at only 25 percent capacity with socially distanced tables, and tables are sanitized between customers. Hand sanitizers are also provided at each table.

The chef is still Ed Davis (formerly of birch and Oberlin) and the menu includes some of the same Durk’s Bar-B-Q favorites from the original Thayer Street location, including the fork-tender beef brisket, smoky pulled pork and ribs, with a bunch of new additions. Make sure to order the pulled pork sammy stacked on a Dutch Crunch housemade bun, which chef Davis spent a lot of time perfecting. We also sampled a lot of other menu items, including the corndog, poutine with housemade chicken liver gravy and smoked cheese curds and crispy Brussels sprouts with bacon. Those spicy pickles are amazing too. We also sipped a grapefruit cocktail with Deep Eddy vodka, housemade grapefruit cordial and soda made by Jen Davis. Margaritas and cocktails made with mezcal are also popular highlights.

The space was designed by Libby Slader with expansive artwork by Mark Freedman. The menu is available for dining, takeout and catering. Book a reservation here.