From flavorsome ribs to juicy briskets, these authentic barbecue restaurants across the country are sure to tingle your tastebuds.
From delicious ribs to flavorsome beefsteaks, the U.S. is famous for its countless BBQ restaurants, having plenty of toothsome dishes on its menu. However, with so many exceptional restaurants, pinning down the best of the best becomes a challenging task.
This article lists some of the best restaurants in the U.S. for BBQ to never fall out of options wherever you travel. Whether you are a BBQ junkie or an occasional eater, this list of authentic BBQ joints across the country serving scrumptious cuisines is sure to tempt your taste buds.
10. Gatlin’s BBQ
There may be various great barbeque restaurants in Texas, but Gatlin’s BBQ stands out with its authentic and flavorful taste. People from all over the U.S. visits Texas to devour the restaurant’s famous slow-smoked dishes such as briskets, pork, and sausages. Besides its delicious savory dishes, Gatlin’s BBQ features a diverse range of desserts and cocktails to enhance your meal. With a relaxed seating arrangement and a warm ambiance, the restaurant is the ultimate destination for a wholesome dining experience.
9. Peg Leg Porker BBQ
Nashville’s best BBQ restaurant, Pegleg Poker, is an authentic award-winning joint famous for its mouth-watering chicken and pork barbecue dishes and calm atmosphere. From slow-smoked briskets and fried pies to pulled pork sandwiches and juicy ribs, the restaurant serves a variety of scrumptious options, best enjoyed with a cold bucket of beer. Apart from the food, the restaurant offers a rustic interior adorned with brick walls and beautiful wooden ceilings to give a relaxed vintage vibe and calm your nerves.
8. Hometown Bar-B-Que
Hometown Bar-B-Que is among the most popular restaurant in Brooklyn, New York, for BBQ. The use of the finest quality ingredients and smoking techniques is what sets them apart from all the others. The restaurant uses a blend of unique spices smoked gently over flavorsome wood to impart the signature Hometown flavor to the meat. Briskets and pork ribs are some of the most popular dishes on the menu. Additionally, the restaurant also offers some delicious side options, including mac and cheese, fresh collard greens, and a variety of beans, to add to your HomeTown experience.
7. Lexington Barbecue
Lexington Barbecue, being in the business since 1962, is now a staple for barbecue cuisine in North Carolina. The restaurant offers a variety of meat, including chicken, beef, and turkey, cooked over hickory woods in flaming hot pits. However, the Lexington-style BBQ cooked with a blend of tangy flavors and spices remains the specialty of the place. Additionally, the dish is served with the restaurant’s popular side dishes i.e., coleslaw, hush puppy, and baked beans, to make your meal even more enjoyable.
6. Lewis Barbecue Charleston
Established in 2016, Lewis Barbecue offers a warm and peaceful ambiance, perfect for laid-back lunches and dinners with friends and family. The restaurant specializes in slow-smoked authentic Texas-style barbecues packed with wholesome bold flavors. They also serve a variety of side dishes and other condiments like coleslaw spicy vinegar sauce to enhance the flavors of your meat.
5. B.T.’s Smokehouse
B.T.’s Smokehouse, Massachusetts, is a highly acclaimed name for its delicious slow-smoked meat. From juicy briskets to savory pork ribs and pulled pork, cooked with a blend of bold flavors, the restaurant menu covers all classic barbecue dishes. Besides its vast selection of sides, the restaurant is famous for its tangy and spicy sauces, adding a flavorful bite to your spicy barbecue adventure. They also offer aesthetic indoor and outdoor seating to add more to your dining experience.
4. Franklin Barbecue
Franklin Barbecue, TX, is well known for its delicious briskets, ribs, and smoked meats. The restaurant never runs out of the crowd. Customers often have to wait long hours to receive their orders. Due to their unique and flavorful taste, famous travel and food publications also endorse them. Coleslaw, potato salad, creamed corn, and jalapeno cheese grit are some of the most sought-after sides of the restaurant. They often collaborate with local brewers to create unique cocktails and drinks for their customers.
3. Rodney Scott’s BBQ
Rodney Scott’s BBQ is a pit-smoked BBQ joint currently operating at two locations in the U.S.; Charlotte, South Carolina, and Birmingham, Alabama. The restaurant is acclaimed for its whole hog BBQ style involving overnight slow cooking of the meat in a barbecue pit, giving the meat a flavorsome and tender texture. They also serve traditional barbecue dishes such as ribs, pulled pork, and briskets, along with typical sides i.e., coleslaw, baked beans, and mac & cheese.
2. Pappy’s Smokehouse
Pappy Smoke House, located in St.Louis, Missouri, was founded in 2003. With slow-smoked barbecue meat and years of substantial experience, the restaurant has successfully made its mark in the barbecue industry. The menu features some of the most delicious briskets, pulled pork, and juicy ribs made over hickory wood to induce a smoky and tender texture. The popular sides offered by the restaurant include coleslaw, baked beans, and mac & cheese, all prepared from secret recipes involving some of the finest ingredients.
1. Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que
Last but not least is Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que restaurant, located in Kansas City, Missouri. Firstly opened as a gas station BBQ stall in 1996, gained fame overnight because of its finger-licking barbecue dishes and friendly ambiance. The restaurant offers various sorts of delicious barbecue meat, including briskets, ribs, and pulled pork, prepared over a blend of oak and hickory wood to make them more flavorful. These dishes are served with a few typical sides, such as coleslaw, baked beans, and cheese, to complement your meal.