Life got in the way, as it does, but when Southern Junction signed on for Eat Local New York Restaurant Week, I wasn’t going to let that opportunity pass me by a second time.
I’m glad I didn’t.
This visit was something else. I was treated to more food than four people could reasonably think about finishing, and I left with a very clear opinion: Southern Junction is the best BBQ joint I have tried in the entire state of New York. That’s not a statement I make lightly.
Let’s start with the accolades, because they tell you something. In 2024, chef Ryan Hernandez was nominated for Best Emerging Chef. In 2025, he was nominated for Best Chef in New York. And Southern Junction was named the 6th best Texas-style BBQ restaurant outside of Texas by Texas Monthly Magazine — one of the most respected publications in the BBQ world. I don’t know of another BBQ spot in New York State that can say the same. If we were just going off credentials alone, the case is already made. But let’s talk about the food.
First, let’s all agree on something. Proper Texas-style BBQ must be served with white bread, pickles, and onions. That’s not a suggestion, that’s the rule. If you’re putting brisket in front of someone without those three things on the plate, you’re doing it wrong. The standard move is Wonder Bread or something close to it — soft, simple, there to soak up the juices and balance the smoke. Southern Junction isn’t using Wonder Bread. They’re making their own white bread from scratch, and it is absurdly good. We’re talking a huge, pillow-soft slice with real substance to it. It’s the kind of bread that makes you reconsider everything you thought you knew about what white bread could be.
Then there’s the cardamom cornbread. A brown butter cornbread infused with fresh cardamom — take the moistest cornbread you’ve ever had, the kind with a slight crust on the outside, and then layer in these warm, aromatic cardamom flavors. Now add a generous dollop of butter melting over the top. It holds its structure, it doesn’t crumble on you, but it’s still rich and buttery all the way through. It’s one of those sides that could easily be the main event somewhere else.
The house-made kielbasa is the kind of thing that makes you stop mid-conversation. It’s so juicy that it literally oozes when you pick it up. But the texture is what gets you — soft and supple on the inside with a strong casing and a satisfying snap on the outside. Made in-house, and you can tell.
And then the brisket. The brisket is tender in a way that’s hard to describe without sounding like you’re exaggerating. You can pull it, stretch it, and it holds together — it doesn’t just fall apart into mush — but it’s still completely delicate. There’s a real skill in getting brisket to that place and Ryan Hernandez clearly has it dialed in.
What pushed it over the top for me was their coconut curry sauce paired with the brisket. On paper it sounds like an unexpected combination. In practice it’s one of the smartest flavor pairings I’ve come across at a BBQ restaurant. The brisket is peppery and heavily smoked, bold and assertive. The coconut curry comes in with sweetness and warmth, these comforting aromatic flavors that wrap around all that smoke and spice and bring everything into balance. It just works.
Southern Junction is doing something genuinely special in Buffalo. The accolades are well-earned, the food backs it all up, and if you haven’t made the trip to Connecticut Street yet — make it soon.
One more thing… Southern Junction is participating in Eat Local New York Restaurant Week, running April 13–26, presented by our friends at Summit Federal Credit Union.
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