Openings

Now Open: Blue Belly BBQ, Serving Barbecue with a World View in Bella Vista

Blue Belly BBQ's spread.
Blue Belly BBQ’s spread. Photo: Collin Keefe

Blue Belly BBQ, the barbecue BYOB we told you Cochon’s Gene Giuffi and his wife Amy were bringing to the former home of Little Fish in Bella Vista, opened this morning at 11:30 a.m. Unlike most barbecue joints in these parts, which tend to focus on one particular regional style of smoking and grilling meats, Blue Belly presents a broader, more global approach. You still get American classics, like a pulled pork, but with that comes Mexican-style lamb barbacoa, Jamaican jerk chicken legs, and a Korean beef sandwich, topped with kimchi and a pear-ginger vinaigrette. “Yeah, it’s more of a world view,” Amy Giuffi told Grub. “Gene’s been studying barbecue for a long time, but didn’t want to limit himself with just one style, and we didn’t feel like we should have to.”

This League of Nations approach to barbecue brings a broad spectrum of globally-inspired dishes to the Blue Belly menu (check it out here). The new spot was a long time coming. The Giuffis had been kicking around several different concepts — barbecue among them — for quite a while. When the Little Fish space across the street from their Cochon became available, they sprung into action. The decision to do barbecue over the other ideas came naturally.

“Gene really enjoys cooking meat,” Amy explained. “He spends his days off smoking meat and grilling, and as I’m sure you already know, there’s a lot of meat at Cochon.”

The 19-seat corner spot will serve barbecue Wednesdays through Sundays, from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Blue Belly BBQ, 600 Catherine Street, (215) 238-0615

Earlier: What You Missed at Last Night’s Blue Belly BBQ Preview

Now Open: Blue Belly BBQ, Serving Barbecue with a World View in Bella Vista