The 10 Best Barbecue Joints in Charleston – March 2026

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Note: This list has been updated from February 2024. To see the original post, click here.

Monk: In the two years since I first published a Charleston barbecue list, there has not been too much in the way of big barbecue openings. The one main addition to my list in 2026 is King BBQ which opened in late 2023 but which I did not visit until earlier this year.

To make way for King BBQ, I removed Sweatman’s BBQ in Holly Hill which has switched to gas since my one and only visit in 2019. I could no longer vouch for their quality until I revisit, but I have not heard good things so we’ll see if I ever do.

In alphabetical order by tier, here are the ten best barbecue restaurants in Charleston. Thoughts? Am I missing your favorite joint?

Tier 1

NEW: King BBQ Where Chinatown meets southern barbecue. This pork-focused barbecue joint in North Charleston also includes Chinatown favorites duck as well as noodle dishes incorporating barbecue. 2029 Carver Ave, North Charleston, SC 29405 eatkingbbq.com

Lewis Barbecue John Lewis brought legitimate Texas barbecue to Charleston in 2016 and instantly became a must visit for any serious barbecue fans visiting the city. Between this restaurant, another on this list, and his annual Hatch Chile Fest in October, Lewis has certainly put his imprint on the city. 464 N Nassau St, Charleston, SC 29403 lewisbarbecue.com/

Palmira Barbecue Palmira’s the new kid on the block in this top tier. Hector Garate started with popups before moving to a stall at the now shuttered Port of Call food hall. His long-awaited brick and mortar finally opened up earlier this month and is a must stop now. 2366 Ashley River Rd Building 1, Charleston, SC 29414 palmirabbq.com/

Rancho Lewis John Lewis’ other restaurant is not a barbecue restaurant per se, but the mesquite smoked beef back ribs is one of the top barbecue bites in the city. 1503 King St, Charleston, SC 29403 rancholewischs.com/

Rodney Scott’s Barbecue Every day is a good day when you get to try the whole hog and ribs from Rodney Scott at his flagship restaurant. 1011 King St, Charleston, SC 29403 rodneyscottsbbq.com/

Tier 2

Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint The Martin’s Bar-B-Que restaurant group has nine restaurants located in Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, and South Carolina, and is one of the better (if not best) regional chains for barbecue in the southeast. Their Charleston location on James Island opened in 2019 and gave a great option for locals as well as folks on their way to Folly Beach. 1622 Highland Ave, Charleston, SC 29412 martinsbbqjoint.com/charleston

Melvin’s Barbecue Melvin’s should be applauded for seeing the light and moving back to wood from gas back in 2015, and my visit vindicated that decision for the 80 year old restaurant. 538 Folly Rd, Charleston, SC 29412 melvinsbbq.com/

Tier 3

Home Team BBQ Home Team has above average barbecue in their restaurants primarily located in South Carolina (with one in Aspen!) but based on my experience they are more of a sports bar that happens to serve barbecue. Not a bad option, but there are certainly better if your focus is barbecue versus drinks and catching the game. Multiple locations hometeambbq.com/

Swig & Swine Swig & Swine has a Thursday whole hog special across their 3 restaurants in the Charleston area, and I loved their hash and rice the last time I visited while finding the pulled pork to be average. multiple locations swigandswinebbq.com/

Tier 4

Poogan’s Smokehouse Poogan’s is a pricey barbecue option off East Bay Street aimed at prying money from Charleston visitors. I found the meat to be average but the sides amazing. 188 E Bay St, Charleston, SC 29401 pooganssmokehouse.com/

What is your favorite Charleston barbecue restaurant? Is there any place that I missed?

Barbecue meets Chinatown at King BBQ in North Charleston

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Name: King BBQ
Date: 1/25/26
Address:  2029 Carver Ave, North Charleston, SC 29405
Order: Pork combo with BBQ red rice with yum yum sauce and slaw (link to menu)
Pricing: $$

Monk: King BBQ is the collaboration of husband and wife team Shuai and Corrie Wang and pitmaster Brandon Olson, who worked for them at their other restaurant Jackrabbit Filly not far from the location of King in North Charleston. Even if you haven’t been there, you may still recognize Shuai from his finale run on the most recent season of Top Chef Destination Canada.

King BBQ takes inspiration from Shuai’s upbringing in Queens, NY, Corrie’s upbringing in Buffalo, and Olson’s NC Piedmont roots (he grew up outside of Charlotte). There’s not a lot of beef to be found in those places, and thus there is not at King BBQ. However, in addition to the pork, there is duck, chicken wings, and occasionally fried fish taking cues from Queens and Buffalo.

On this day, I stuck with pork – chopped pork topped with fried pork skins and pork spare ribs. The barbecue items are smoked in Lang offset smokers but while I did not detect a ton of smoke from the chopped pork, the texture and taste were nice, particular when paired with some crunch from the pork skin or the creamy chopped slaw I selected as one of my sides.

The spare ribs were slathered with a char siu barbecue sauce, which added a slight sweetness to the rib that wasn’t overpowering. The flavor was great but to a certain extent the sauce masked any smoke on the ribs. They were cooked nicely with each of my bites coming clean.

The BBQ red rice was a highlight as well, and came recommended by the server as I was ordering at the register. Paired with a homemade yum yum sauce, I would consider even going a double side of them next time.

There’s so much more to King BBQ than what I tried on that day: duck, sausage, noodle bowls, shrimp toast, a play on crab rangoon, and more. I hope to find myself back in Charleston again soon to check them out with a bigger crowd.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 4 hogs
Pork – 4 hogs
Ribs– 4 hogs
Sides – 4 hogs
Overall – 4 hogs

Enjoy a side of bluegrass with your ‘cue at Old Hampton Store

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Monk: I’ve previously reviewed Old Hampton Store & Barbeque in early 2024 but if you need a refresher its a true ‘cue joint located in Linville, NC. The mountains aren’t typically a place where you find wood smoked barbecue, but Old Hampton Store is one of the standard bearers.

You’ll Find True ‘Cue at Old Hampton Store

On a recent November 2025 trip to the NC mountains to get our Christmas tree, we once again stopped for lunch at Old Hampton afterwards and were treated to a side of bluegrass music with our barbecue. First, some photos:

Now, enjoy a brief taste of the music that day:

The 6 best things I ate in 2025

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Monk: Closing the book on 2025 with a round up of the best things I ate last year. As it turns out, the list is equally weighted between barbecue from the first half of the year and the second. On to 2026!

6. Smoked brisket burger from Dampf Good BBQ (review)

While there was a lot to like at Dampf Good BBQ earlier this year, the smoked brisket burger took the cake over the brisket, ribs, and sausage. So much so that I forgot to take photos of it until I had taken a few bites of the delicious burger made from smoked brisket trimmings and topped with cheese, pickles, and mayo on a potato bun. It was a special on that day, but be on the look out if you are checking them out in Cary.

5. Chopped Lexington-style barbecue from Real Q (review)

It’s always good to strike a classic style Lexington barbecue off my longtime list. Real Q blends old school Piedmont dining with a decor that is unmistakably Winston-Salem through its depictions of Texas Pete and the tobacco industry that once drove the economic engine of the town. The chopped pork even turned the youngest Monkette into a believer.

4. Smoked Berkshire pork chop from Slow Bone (review)

The smoked Berkshire pork chop from Slow Bone in Dallas is a Sunday/Monday special that takes 3 weeks of prep work from initial seasoning to two separate stints of brining with a smoking between them before being finished on a flat top once they are ordered. While the complexity of that process may be lost on a lot of patrons who enter the door, I’m sure at the very least they can appreciate the juicy, flavorful pork chop placed before them.

3. Beef cheek from Owens & Hull (review)

I live by a simple rule: if I see beef cheeks on the menu, I’m going to buy it. Maybe I’ve been lucky but the two places I’ve tried – Palmira Barbecue in Charleston and Owens & Hull in Smyrna – have put out some seriously tasty renditions that are must orders at their respective restaurants.

2. Whole hog from Wilber’s Barbecue

A somewhat unexpected pop up brought some delicious eastern NC whole hog from Goldsboro to Charlotte just before Christmas. Wilber’s rented a Penske truck with coolers full of barbecue, brisket, ribs, turkey, slaw, hush puppies, Brunswick stew, naner pudding, and sides and set up a pick up spot behind the old Manor Theatre. For anyone who took advantage, they got a taste of whole hog barbecue that you just don’t get here in Charlotte.

1. Chopped pork with crispy skins from City Limits Barbeque (review)

Robbie Robinson mixes in pork belly with his whole pork shoulders and then chops in some crispy skin to finish it off. As I predicted back in June, it was going to take a lot to knock this sandwich from the West Columbia restaurant off its perch as my favorite bite of barbecue in 2025. And as it turns out, nothing did. Can’t wait to get back to City Limits soon.