Ryan Cunningham

New Orleans’ favorite BBQ restaurant may be newer to the city than some, but its time-honored recipes were honed through decades of dedication to the craft of BBQ. Central City BBQ became a reality thanks to a decades-long friendship between Aaron Burgau — award-winning chef and owner of Restaurant Patois — and his Jesuit classmate Marc Bonifacic, a third-generation restaurateur whose grandfather ran a family-owned BBQ shop and passed his passion for, and expertise in, the art of BBQ on to him. Aaron and Marc had talked about opening a restaurant together since the late ’90s, and 20 years later the perfect spot at 1201 Rampart St. finally opened up — giving them the chance to make their long-time dream a reality. They opened the doors of Central City BBQ in 2016 with a simple intention: serve up unmatched BBQ in a fun, funky setting that would also become one of the coolest and largest outdoor venues for concerts and events the city had to offer. Nearly a decade later, we’re proud to be approaching our 10th year — and we’re still chasing all of those goals and then some. Ten years in, we’re just getting warmed up. Stop by Central City BBQ today to taste how a passion for pork that just won’t quit culminates in the best damn smoked BBQ you’ve ever had, bar none. For catering and events email [email protected] or call Catie Beth at 504-427-4335.