Your ultimate guide to the best barbecue in Charlotte — based on your favorite spots
The South has perfected the art of making barbecue. From the beef brisket in Texas to the pulled pork in North Carolina, eating barbecue can be nearly an out-of-body experience.
We asked you to tell us your favorite barbecue spots in and around the Charlotte area. You provided so many restaurants that had our mouths watering.
So, grab your second best shirt and a handful of napkins because no one leaves a good barbecue joint without getting a little messy. Enjoy learning about, and maybe visiting, each of these barbecue spots in the Charlotte-area.
[READ NEXT: Our ultimate NC Barbecue Bracket is down to the final 2. Vote now for the winner.]
521 BBQ & Grill
Location: 6257 Carolina Commons Dr, Fort Mill, South Carolina 29707
Neighborhood: Indian Land/Fort Mill
Location: 123 S Main St, Lancaster, South Carolina 29720
Neighborhood: Lancaster
Location: 1135 Stonecrest Blvd #101, Tega Cay, South Carolina 29708
Neighborhood: Tega Cay
Each 521 BBQ & Grill location has a different owner with a slight variation in the menu. However, each restaurant features hickory smoked pork, brisket and chicken. You’ll also find vegetarian options at the Lancaster location such as the Grilled Portabella – a seasoned, large portabello mushroom topped with Provolone cheese.
.jpeg "image1 (2).jpeg")
Alston Bridges
Location: 620 E Grover St, Shelby, North Carolina 28150
Neighborhood: Shelby
Alston Bridges serves chopped and sliced meats, plates and trays. The Q for 4 packages come with one pound of meat, one pint of barbecue slaw and one large order of hush puppies or eight buns. The Q for 6 packages come with 1.5 pounds of meat, 1.5 pints of barbecue slaw, one large and one small order of hush puppies and 12 buns.
Barbecue Center
Location: 900 N Main St, Lexington, NC 27292
Neighborhood: Lexington
If you’re looking for classic Lexington-style barbecue, Barbecue Center is the place for you. The restaurant is the oldest barbecue restaurant in Lexington that still cooks on pits. Try the chopped barbecue tray served with red slaw and hush puppies or rolls. If you’re in a sandwich mood, you can get the chopped barbecue sandwich served with red slaw.
Bar-B-Q King
Location: 2900 Wilkinson Blvd, Charlotte, North Carolina 28208
Neighborhood: Ashley Park
Since 1959, Bar-B-Q King has been serving West Charlotte with classics like barbecue chicken and minced and sliced barbecue. The drive-in also offers daily specials, and Thursday is Bar-B-Q Day. You can get a quarter Bar-B-Q Chicken — served with coleslaw, french fries and dinner rolls — or a Bar-B-Q Tray — served with sauce, Bar-B-Q Beans, coleslaw and hush puppies.
Big Tiny’s BBQ
Location: 179 N Main St, Mooresville, NC 28115
Neighborhood: Mooresville
Big Tiny’s BBQ is a fast-casual restaurant located in Mooresville’s historic downtown area. The restaurant serves barbecue classics like brisket, pulled pork, barbecue ribs, and smoked chicken. If you want something different, try the Friday special — a Pig Out Dinner for Two complete with 1 pound of pulled pork, four small sides of your choice and two 20 ounce fountain drinks.
Blue Smokehouse
Location: 1500 Fort Mill Pkwy #111, Fort Mill, South Carolina 29715
Neighborhood: Fort Mill
Blue Smokehouse is a newer restaurant that serves barbecue essentials including brisket, pulled pork and wings. The restaurant also offers a brisket burger, made with sliced brisket, lettuce, tomatoes, pickled red onions and Blue’s Signature Barbecue Sauce. Pair your meal with baked mac and cheese, smoked brisket baked beans or smoked pork collard greens.
Bobbee O’s BBQ
Location: 9401 Statesville Rd, Charlotte, NC 28269
Neighborhood: North Charlotte
Bobbee O’s BBQ serves barbecue that will remind you of grandma’s cooking. All of the dishes are made from scratch, and all of the meats are slow cooked to perfection. Look for the Barbecue Pulled Pork Sandwich, made with slightly spicy pork that you can eat on a bun or Texas toast. You can also choose to swap out your bun for hush puppies or a cornbread muffin.
Boss Hog BBQ
Location: 7564 NC-150, Sherrills Ford, North Carolina 28673
Neighborhood: Sherrills Ford
Boss Hog has been serving the area for 40 years. The restaurant focuses on barbecue chicken and ribs, along with six local favorites: Boss Hog BBQ Burger, Boss Hog BBQ Sandwich, Large Catfish Plate, Boss Hog Cheeseburger, Famous Fish Sandwich and 10 Jumbo Wings. The wings can be tossed in one of the many sauces, including BBQ, Garlic Parm and Nashville Hot.
Bubba’s BBQ
Location: 4400 Sunset Rd, Charlotte, NC 28216
Neighborhood: Slater Road/Hamilton Circle
Bubba’s BBQ has been serving the Charlotte area with juicy meats for over 30 years. The restaurant uses a 33-hour process to create some of the best Eastern Style North Carolina barbecue. Dishes on the menu include The Pitmaster Sampler — made with 5 ounces of beef brisket, 4 ounces of chopped pork and three chicken tenders — and the Beef Brisket — can be made into a 5 ounce sandwich or an 8 ounce pile of brisket .
City Barbeque
Location: 11212 Providence Rd W, Charlotte, NC 28277
Neighborhood: Ballantyne
Location: 15425 Hodges Circle, Huntersville, NC 28078
Neighborhood: Huntersville
Location: 1514 Galleria Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28270
Neighborhood: Matthews
Location: 8948 J.M. Keynes Dr., Charlotte, NC 28262
Neighborhood: University City
City Barbeque serves several types of barbecue. The Motherload Platter, which serves six, is made with brisket, pulled pork, turkey, a half slab of ribs, a half chicken, two sausages, six sides, cornbread and Texas toast. It’s a good way to try a variety of what the restaurant has to offer, and a good excuse to eat your weight in barbecue.
Courtney’s BBQ and Seafood
Location: 1166 Highway 55 E, Clover, SC 29710
Neighborhood: Clover
Courtney’s BBQ and Seafood has been serving Clover since 1989. The restaurant has its own farm, where it raises hogs to serve the best pork possible. The restaurant serves a Chopped BBQ plate and Chopped BBQ Chicken plate, both of which come with two sides and hush puppies.
Gary’s Barbecue
Location: 620 US-29, China Grove, NC 28023
Neighborhood: China Grove
Gary’s Barbecue in China Grove sells classic barbecue items like hush puppies, pulled pork sandwiches and Brunswick Stew. The restaurant offers Tuesday Specials — complete with a half or whole rack of barbecue ribs, fries, slaw and a roll — and Wednesday Specials — a whole or half barbecue chicken, served with fries, slaw and a roll.
Hillbilly’s BBQ & Steaks
Location: 305 S Main St, Lowell, NC 28098
Neighborhood: Lowell
Hillbilly’s Barbecue & Steaks is a locally owned barbecue restaurant in Lowell that serves all things barbecue — pork, chicken and turkey. The restaurant has three barbecue sauces: Original, Vinegar and Mustard. Along with barbecue, the restaurant offers soups, salads and steaks.
Jon G’s Barbecue
Location: 116 Glenn Falls St, Peachland, NC 28133
Neighborhood: Peachland
Jon G’s Barbecue is a small restaurant and food truck that serves Texas-inspired barbecue. The restaurant also has a food truck that does pop-ups around Charlotte. Some of the sandwiches served by the restaurant include Pulled Pork and the Porky Brewster (with brisket, pork, Fritos, slaw and pickled onions).
Kyle Fletcher’s BBQ
Location: 4507 Wilkinson Blvd, Gastonia, NC 28056
Neighborhood: Gastonia
Kyle Fletcher’s BBQ in Gastonia serves large quantities of barbecue classics like baked beans, barbecue pork and barbecue ribs. The restaurant also sells meals like the small or large pork plate, the fried chicken filet plate and the hamburger steak plate. Each plate includes baked beans, hush puppies and french fries with the option to substitute the french fries for onion rings or a baked potato.
Lancaster’s BBQs
Location: 9230 Beatties Ford Rd, Huntersville, NC 28078
Neighborhood: Huntersville
Location: 515 Rinehardt Rd. Mooresville, NC 28115
Neighborhood: Mooresville
Lancaster’s BBQ offers ribs, barbecue pork, burgers and more. The restaurant serves 10-25 piece jumbo wings that can be tossed in one of the various sauce options available such as BBQ Jamaican Honey, Lemon Pepper and Garlic Parm. The restaurant also has three seafood options: Fish Dinner — available in plain, salt and pepper, Cajun or Key West — Shrimp Dinner — comes in crispy fried or grilled shrimp — and Fish & Chips — beer-battered fish filets served with crispy chips.
Lexington BBQ
Location: 100 Smokehouse Lane, Lexington, NC 27295
Neighborhood: Lexington
Lexington Barbecue has been serving up the best barbecue in the Lexington area since 1962. What sets the restaurant apart from other barbecue spots is how it prepares the pork. The restaurant roasts pork shoulders for nearly half a day over oak or hickory coals. The restaurant also serves plates of hamburger steak, fish or chicken with french fries, slaw and rolls or hush puppies.
McKoy’s Smokehouse and Saloon
Location: 4630 Old Pineville Road, Charlotte, NC 28217
Neighborhood: Collingwood
McKoy’s Smokehouse and Saloon serves Nooner Specials, which are a different entree on each day of the week. The Nooner Specials are as follows: Meatloaf on Monday, Pit Pot Roast on Tuesday, Hamburger Steak with Mushroom Gravy on Wednesday, Pulled Pork BBQ Plate on Thursday and Fried Shrimp Basket on Friday. The restaurant also serves salads, sandwiches, burgers and barbecue platters.
Mac’s Speed Shop
Location: 8021 Concord Mills Boulevard, Concord, NC 28207
Neighborhood: Concord
Location: 19601 Liverpool Pkwy, Cornelius, NC 28031
Neighborhood: Cornelius
Location: 142 E John St, Matthews, NC 28105
Neighborhood: Matthews
Location: 2414 Sandy Porter Rd, Charlotte, NC 28273
Neighborhood: Steele Creek
Location: 2511 South Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28203
Neighborhood: South End
Since 2005, Mac’s Speed Shop has been serving the Charlotte area with great beer and even better barbecue. The restaurant offers barbecue platters including Hickory-Smoked Pulled Pork, Beef Brisket and St. Louis Ribs. Each platter is served with two sides, bread and Mac’s Sweet Pickle Blend.
Midwood Smokehouse
Location: 12410 Johnston Rd, Charlotte, NC 28277
Neighborhood: Ballantyne
Location: 16710 Birkdale Commons Pkwy, Huntersville, NC 28078
Neighborhood: Huntersville
Location: 702 Cross Hill Rd, Columbia, SC 29205
Neighborhood: Columbia
Location: 540 Brandywine Rd, Charlotte, NC 28209
Neighborhood: Park Road
Location: 1401 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205
Neighborhood: Plaza Midwood
Midwood Smokehouse is a staple barbecue restaurant in the Charlotte area recognized statewide. (It made the Top 2 in the News & Observer’s North Carolina Barbecue Bracket and could take the win.) There are seven Classic Barbecue Plates: Barbecue Seasoned Salmon, Burnt Ends, Carolina Pork, Chicken Barbecue, Prime Beef Brisket, Saint Louis Style Ribs and Smoked Half Chicken. The restaurant also offers a gluten-free menu that includes items such as Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeños, Collard Greens and the Carolina Pork Plate.
Noble Smoke
Location: 2216 Freedom Dr, Charlotte, NC 28208
Neighborhood: Freedom Drive
Location: 1115 N. Brevard St. Charlotte, NC 28206
Neighborhood: Optimist Park
Noble Smoke is a locally owned and operated barbecue restaurant that serves pork, chicken and beef from three local farms: Creekstone Farms, Joyce Farms and Cheshire Pork. The restaurant offers the classic barbecue sides like Zack’s Collards, Mac & Cheese and Anson Mills Hush Puppies. The restaurant has five sandwich options: Chopped Cheshire Pork, Joyce Farms Pulled Chicken, Chopped Creekstone Chicken, Sliced Creekstone Brisket and Hot Turkey Sandwich.
The Q Shack
Location: 10822 Providence Road, Charlotte, N 28277
Neighborhood: Providence Crossing
The Q Shack serves slow-cooked hickory meats, homemade sauces and fresh sides made daily. The restaurant offers classic barbecue sides like barbecue baked beans, mac & cheese and fried okra. If you want something a bit healthier, there are two salad options: the BBQ Salad — romaine lettuce topped with tomato, hard-boiled egg, shredded cheese and your choice of pork or chicken, served hush puppies — and the Q Cobb Salad — romaine lettuce topped with smoked turkey, beef brisket, avocado, hard-boiled egg and tomato served with hush puppies.
Randy’s BBQ
Location: 213 Salisbury Road, Statesville, NC 28677
Neighborhood: Statesville
Location: 103 North Main Street, Troutman, NC 28166
Neighborhood: Troutman
Randy’s BBQ is a small, family owned and run restaurant that offers classic barbecue sides like seasonal Brunswick Stew, a cup of baked beans and potato salad. The restaurant also offers barbecue plates, each served with slaw or salad, fries and a roll or hush puppies. The plates include a Bar-B-Que Plate, a Chicken Tender Plate and a Chicken Wing Plate.
Ray Nathans
Location: 4571 S. New Hope Road Gastonia, NC 28056
Neighborhood: Gastonia
Ray Nathans serves eight barbecue plates that come with two sides. Some of the plates include the Pork Plate, the Smoked Andouille Plate (smoked Cajun sausage links) and the Sliced Brisket Plate. The restaurant offers four smaller plates, called “Ankle Biters,” that each come with one side: Ankle Bitter Pork or Chicken Sandwich, Ankle Bitter Brisket Sandwich, House Corn Dog and Chicken Fingers.
Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge
Location: 2000 E Dixon Blvd, Shelby, NC 28150
Neighborhood: Shelby
Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge is a small, family owned barbecue restaurant. The restaurant offers several plates including the BBQ Plate — served with barbecue, coleslaw, baked beans, french fries and hush puppies or buns — the BBQ Chicken Plate — served with a half barbecue chicken, coleslaw, french fries and hush puppies — and the Chicken Tenders Basket — five chicken tenders, hush puppies and fries.
R&R BBQ
Location: 755 Pitts School Rd NW, Concord, NC 28027
Neighborhood: Concord
R&R BBQ is a local barbecue restaurant that serves classic barbecue items such as BBQ trays, Brunswick Stew and beef brisket. The restaurant also serves combo plates that come with a choice of two or three meats, rolls or hush puppies and Texas Toast. The wings come in orders of six, 12 and 24 tossed in mild, hot or barbecue sauce.
Sauceman’s (temporarily closed)
Location: 215 Southside Dr, Charlotte, NC 28217
Neighborhood: Lower South End
Sauceman’s is closed while it moves to its new location at Sugar Creek Brewery in Lower South End this fall. The restaurant normally serves three samplers: South End Combo — your choice of three meats including pork, chicken, brisket or sausage served with two sides and four hush puppies — Pitmasters Experience — your choice of four meats including pork, sausage, brisket, chicken or pubs served with four sides and four hush puppies — and Quesadillas — with one side.
Shane’s Rib Shack
Location: 5220 New Fashion Way Ste. 400, Charlotte, NC 28278
Neighborhood: Steele Creek
Location: 3660 E. Franklin Blvd, Gastonia, NC 28056
Neighborhood: Gastonia
Location: 4891 Old York Rd., Suite 102, Rock Hill, SC
Neighborhood: Rock Hill
Shane’s Rib Shack first opened in Georgia in 2002, using a secret family recipe to make delicious barbecue ribs, wings, chicken and more. Make sure to try the Shack Sampler — complete with a half rack of ribs, two chicken tenders, barbecue pulled pork, two sides and Texas toast. If you’re in the mood for something lighter, try one of the baskets or plates that come with one meat and two sides.
Smithfield’s Chicken & BBQ
Location: 5121 Trojan Drive, Charlotte, North Carolina 28278
Neighborhood: Steele Creek
Location: 3578 Davis Drive, Morrisville, North Carolina 27560
Neighborhood: Morrisville
Smithfield’s Chicken & BBQ is a chicken restaurant chain that offers barbecue chicken and pork. The plates come with hush puppies, coleslaw and potato salad and include one meat: pulled pork, fried chicken or shrimp. If you want something lighter, the restaurant offers “snacks”: fried chicken tenders, shrimp and white or dark meat chicken each with a side of fries.
.jpg "Photo 6 (3).jpg")
The Smoke Pit
Location: 796 Concord Pkwy N, Concord, NC 28027
Neighborhood: Concord
Location: 421 Cox Rd, Gastonia, NC 28054
Neighborhood: Gastonia
Location: 1507 W Roosevelt Blvd, Monroe, NC 28110
Neighborhood: Monroe
Location: 509 Faith Rd, Salisbury, NC 28146
Neighborhood: Salisbury
The Smoke Pit is a small chain restaurant that serves Texas-style barbecue and won the Tripadvisors’ 2021 Traveler’s Choice Award. The barbecue is made fresh daily, cooked low and slow for up to 18 hours over Hickory wood and butchered in house. If you want something a little different, each location other than Concord offers barbecue tacos, including the Southern Taco — made with hickory pulled pork, Sweet Sauce, coleslaw, pico de gallo, cilantro and cheddar cheese topped with jalepeños — Smoked Buffalo Chicken Taco — made with smoked chicken, hot sauce, cheddar cheese, scallions, blue cheese crumbles and jalepeño crema — and Barbacoa Taco — made with chopped brisket, Sizzling Sauce, jalepeño crema and homemade guacamole.
.jpg "Tray (1).jpg")
Sonny’s BBQ
Location: 7820 Lyles Ln NW, Concord, NC 28027
Neighborhood: Concord
Location: 2781 Cherry Rd, Rock Hill, SC 29730
Neighborhood: Rock Hill
Sonny’s BBQ’s Signature Barbecue includes Baby Back Ribs, the Half Chicken and Pulled or Sliced Pork. Each signature plate is served with barbecue baked beans, coleslaw and garlic bread. If you want something a little different, the restaurant offers BBQ Pulled Pork Egg Rolls — filled with pulled pork, homemade coleslaw, Pepper Jack cheese and served with Smokin’ Ranch dip — as one of the appetizer.
Stallings Rockstore Bar-B-Q
Location: 3116 Old Monroe Rd, Stallings, NC 28104
Neighborhood: Stallings
Rockstore Bar-B-Q is a small convenience store that also serves barbecue. The store serves three barbecue sandwiches: Pulled Pork, Chopped Chicken and Chopped Beef Brisket. Each sandwich is served with one side and a fountain drink. The restaurant serves classic barbecue sides such as Brunswick Stew, Macaroni and Cheese and Barbecue Baked Beans.
Stamey’s Barbecue
Location: 2812 Battleground Ave. Greensboro, NC 27408
Neighborhood: Greensboro
Location: 2206 W Gate City Blvd. Greensboro, NC 27403
Neighborhood: Greensboro
Stamey’s Barbecue has been serving Greensboro with quality barbecue for 92 years. Try the pork barbecue or quarter chicken plate, which both come with Stamey’s slaw and hush puppies. If you want something a bit smaller, try the Sliced Pork Barbecue Sandwich topped with Stamey’s slaw. The complete sandwich combo comes with a regular drink and one classic side.
Sweet Lew’s
Location: 923 Belmont Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205
Neighborhood: Belmont Charlotte
Sweet Lew’s Barbecue serves North Carolina-style barbecue cooked with a blend of hickory, pecan and peach wood. The barbecue sandwiches include three choices: Pork, Brisket and Turkey. The restaurant also has four sauces that are named after the meat they go best with: Pork — for classic North Carolina vinegar — Brisket — a vinegar sauce with a dose of mustard — Ribs — tangy red sauce — and Chicken — Alabama-style Duke’s mayo-based sauce.
This story was originally published September 13, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
