The Hog Pit
22 9th Ave; (@ 13th St); 212-604-0092
The more the Meat Packing District changes, the more this roadhouse style bar/restaurant stays the same. Bikers and hipsters alike stop by to dirty their hands with these $16.95 ribs and a macaroni and cheese side dish that many will tell you is the city's best. The pool table in the back of the room and Sweet Home Alabama playing overhead, you may forget the SoHo House is only a crumpet throw away.

Virgil's BBQ

152 W. 44th S; t(bet 6th & 7th Ave); 212-921-9494
Smoky, spicy and saucy, Virgil's Memphis pork ribs have a definitive Southern flavor that's matched by this pretention-free slop-spot's fried catfish, po' boys and Georgia chicken fried steak. As one might expect, Virgil's fixins seem to inspire a sometimes rowdy and often noisy family style hoedown. Authentic? Maybe. Delicious? Yessiree.

Duke's
99 E. 19th St; (bet Park Ave S. & Irving Pl); 212-260-2922
When you see neon beer signs all covering every inch of a restaurant's front window, you know that you're probably not walking by a Vegan joint. Such is the case with this Southern-fried sports bar. A long bar that's primarily stocked with beer drinkers also offers a colorful helping of $8.50, 16-ounce specialty drinks like the tequila based "Duke-A-Rita." A sloppy-good rack of very tender ribs goes for $17.95 and for $13.95 you can mix barbecued ribs with some matching chicken.

Havana Central
22 E. 17th St; (bet Broadway & 5th Ave); 212-414-4999
While this festive and family friendly room feels like a slightly upscale high school canteen, the muy powerful mojitos are strictly R-rated. The $12.50 half-rack should prove meaty enough for Padre, but for $18.50, the whole family can feast on a full-rack of Latin spiced ribs. While the ribs mark Havana Central's strongest suit, the pulled pork and Ropa Vieja (shredded beef) are often praised by homesick Cubans for their authenticity.

Tennessee Mountain Restaurant
143 Spring St; (@ Wooster St); 212-431-3993
There's a definitive family friendly theme restaurant slant to Tennessee Mountain, which makes it a standout in its posh SoHo neighborhood. There are five different flavors of these pork and beef ribs and they're all heavily soaked in barbecue sauce. Tennessee mountain also offers a serviceable selection of brews. The bar at Tennessee Mountain's entrance sees its share of tourists, but it works in a pinch.