These Top 2 Charlotte area barbecue restaurants bring the fire. Vote now for the best
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. If there’s one food Southerners can be extremely passionate about, there’s no question that it’s barbecue.
Luckily for us, restaurants around Charlotte are serving up plenty of delicious slow-cooked, smoky flavors. So many, in fact, that when we asked for your favorites, we received nearly 50 nominations — including many an hour or more outside of the city.
Who can blame you? A good plate of barbecue is well worth the drive, even if you’ve got to make a day trip to get it.
But which is the best of the best across the Charlotte area? It’s time to put it to the test and let you decide.
Here are the details:
The final round will determine the winner. It is now live and will be until noon on Sept. 3.
*Note: This is not a scientific poll or survey. If you have more than one favorite, you are welcome to refresh the poll and submit a second vote. Chain restaurants that have more than 100 locations worldwide, as well as past CharlotteFive Readers’ Choice winners, are excluded from winning the poll. (Shoutout to past poll winners GGC Smokehouse and Boardwalk Billy’s Raw Bar & Ribs for getting nominated here, too!)
You can get to know a little more about the Top 2 barbecue restaurants here:
The Smoke Pit
Location: 796 Concord Pkwy N, Concord NC 28027
Location: 421 Cox Rd, Gastonia, NC 28054
Location: 1507 W Roosevelt Blvd., Monroe NC 28110
Location: 509 Faith Rd, Salisbury NC 28146
The Smoke Pit — which grew out of co-owner Joey Graham’s backyard barbecue hobby — is now approaching its 10th anniversary with four locations.
The restaurant is known for serving heaping portions of pulled pork, Texas brisket, pork spareribs, chicken and more.
“You get a lot of food, and there’s plenty to take home with you to eat later,“ general manager Daniel Tucker told CharlotteFive.
“It’s North Carolina style,” he said. “But not your traditional vinegar-sauced pork.” Whole Boston butts and other proteins are cooked in five smokers that can collectively handle 5,000 pounds of meat per day.
“It’s a blessing to have everybody come in here and to continue to come support us and show their love for us,” Tucker said.
Red Bridges BBQ Lodge
Location: 2000 E Dixon Blvd, Shelby, NC 28150
Red Bridges BBQ Lodge, a barbecue staple in Shelby for decades, was opened in 1946 by the grandparents of current owners Natalie Ramsey and her brother after their grandfather came home from serving in World War II as a cook.
Now, 78 years later, the original recipes for wood-fired chopped barbecue, slaw, baked beans and hushpuppies are still hitting the tables. The dining room is packed with regulars who show up at the same time every week, sliding into the same booths.
“We pit cook our meat, and so that’s where all the flavor comes from. A lot of places have walked away from that,” Ramsey told CharlotteFive.
“We don’t change much around here,” she added, noting that the restaurant’s brisket is an exception to that original menu. “That’s a new adventure. So, little steps.”
Even the staff remains largely the same as when Ramsey was born, she said. “It’s a huge family out here.”
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Top 4
- The Smoke Pit
- Midwood Smokehouse
- Union Barbecue
- Red Bridges BBQ Lodge
Top 10
- The Smoke Pit
- Union Barbecue
- Midwood Smokehouse
- Stallings Rock Store Barbecue
- Red Bridges BBQ Lodge
- Jon G’s
- Mac’s Speed Shop
- Kyle Fletcher’s Barbeque & Catering
- Fumar Foodtruck
- Bubba’s BBQ
Top 20
- Midwood Smokehouse
- Union Barbecue
- Lexington Barbecue
- Jon G’s
- The Smoke Pit
- Noble Smoke
- Red Bridges BBQ Lodge
- Sweet Lew’s
- Fumar Foodtruck
- City Barbeque
- Mac’s Speed Shop
- RayNathan’s
- Bubba’s BBQ
- Hillbilly’s BBQ & Steaks
- Alston Bridges
- 521 BBQ & Grill
- Kyle Fletcher’s Barbeque and Catering
- Stallings Rock Store Barbecue
- Gary’s Barbecue
- Lancaster’s BBQ
Top 40
521 BBQ & Grill
Location: 6257 Carolina Commons Dr, Fort Mill, South Carolina 29707
Location: 123 S Main St, Lancaster, South Carolina 29720
Location: 1135 Stonecrest Blvd #101, Tega Cay, South Carolina 29708
Alston Bridges
Location: 620 E Grover St, Shelby, North Carolina 28150
Bar-B-Q King
Location: 2900 Wilkinson Blvd, Charlotte, North Carolina 28208
Big Tiny’s BBQ
Location: 179 N Main St, Mooresville, NC 28115
Black’s BBQ
Location: 2902 York Hwy, Gastonia, NC 28052
Blue Smokehouse
Location: 1500 Fort Mill Pkwy #111, Fort Mill, South Carolina 29715
Bobbee O’s BBQ
Location: 9401 Statesville Rd, Charlotte, NC 28269
Boss Hog BBQ
Location: 7564 NC-150, Sherrills Ford, North Carolina 28673
Bubba’s BBQ
Location: 4400 Sunset Rd, Charlotte, NC 28216
Char Smoke Fire BBQ
Location: Varies
Chefry’s Blue Smoke BBQ
Location: 134 Mooresville Commons Way, Mooresville, NC 28117
City Barbeque
Location: 11212 Providence Rd W, Charlotte, NC 28277
Location: 15425 Hodges Circle, Huntersville, NC 28078
Location: 1514 Galleria Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28270
Location: 8948 J.M. Keynes Dr., Charlotte, NC 28262
Courtney’s BBQ and Seafood
Location: 1166 Highway 55 E, Clover, SC 29710
Crazy Pig Davidson
Location: 402 S Main St, Davidson, NC 28036
Ernie’s Smokehouse BBQ Inc.
Location: 3500 Latrobe Dr, Charlotte, NC 28211
Fumar Foodtruck
Location: Varies
Gary’s Barbecue
Location: 620 US-29, China Grove, NC 28023
Hillbilly’s BBQ & Steaks
Location: 305 S Main St, Lowell, NC 28098
Improper Pig
Location: 9855 Sandy Rock Pl A, Charlotte, NC 28277
Location: 204 Main St STE 102, Fort Mill, SC 29715
Location: 1600 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205 (opening soon)
Jon G’s
Location: 116 Glenn Falls St, Peachland, NC 28133
Location: Varies
Kyle Fletcher’s Barbeque and Catering
Location: 4507 Wilkinson Blvd, Gastonia, NC 28056
Lancaster’s BBQ
Location: 9230 Beatties Ford Road, Huntersville, NC 28078
Location: 515 Rinehardt Road, Mooresville, NC 28115
Lexington Barbecue
Location: 100 Smokehouse Ln, Lexington, NC 27295
Little Pigs Barbecue
Location: 226 Brookdale Dr, Statesville, NC 28677
Mac’s Speed Shop
Location: 2511 South Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28203
Location: 2414 Sandy Porter Rd, Charlotte, NC 28273
Location: 142 E John St, Matthews, NC 28105
Location: 8021 Concord Mills Boulevard, Concord, NC 28027
Location: 19601 Liverpool Pkwy, Cornelius, NC 28031
McKoy’s Smokehouse and Saloon
Location: 4630 Old Pineville Road, Charlotte, NC 28217
Midwood Smokehouse
Location: 12410 Johnston Rd, Charlotte, NC 28277
Location: 16710 Birkdale Commons Pkwy, Huntersville, NC 28078
Location: 540 Brandywine Rd, Charlotte, NC 28209
Location: 1401 Central Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205
Noble Smoke
Location: 2216 Freedom Dr, Charlotte, NC 28208
Location: Optimist Hall, 1115 N. Brevard St., Charlotte, NC 28206
The Q Shack
Location: 10822 Providence Road, Charlotte, N 28277
Randy’s BBQ
Location: 213 Salisbury Road, Statesville, NC 28677
Location: 103 North Main Street, Troutman, NC 28166
RayNathan’s
Location: 4571 S New Hope Rd, Gastonia, NC 28056
R&R BBQ
Location: 755 Pitts School Rd NW, Concord, NC 28027
Red Bridges BBQ Lodge
Location: 2000 E Dixon Blvd, Shelby, NC 28150
Resident Culture Brewing Co.
Location: 332 W Bland St C, Charlotte, NC 28203
Smithfield’s Chicken & BBQ
Location: 5121 Trojan Drive, Charlotte, North Carolina 28278
The Smoke Pit
Location: 796 Concord Pkwy N, Concord NC 28027
Location: 421 Cox Rd, Gastonia, NC 28054
Location: 1507 W Roosevelt Blvd., Monroe NC 28110
Location: 509 Faith Rd, Salisbury NC 28146
Stallings Rock Store Barbecue
Location: 3116 Old Monroe Rd Stallings, NC 28104
Sweet Lew’s
Location: 923 Belmont Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205
Union Barbecue
Location: Varies
Whispering Pines B-B-Q
Location: 1421 US-52, Albemarle, NC 28001
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This story was originally published August 21, 2024 at 6:00 AM.