Location: Lexington
Top Restaurants in Lexington
Top Things to do in Lexington
Best Barbecue food near Lexington, North Carolina, United States
Reviews on Barbecue food in Lexington, North Carolina, United States. Lexington is the county seat of Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 18,931. It is located in central North Carolina, 20 miles (32 km) south of Winston-Salem. Major highways include I-85, I-85B, U.S. Route 29, U.S. Route 70, U.S. Route 52 (soon to be I-285) and U.S. Route 64. Lexington is part of the Piedmont Triad region of the state.
Things to do in Lexington
10. Smokey Joe's BBQ
Overall Ratings
3 based on 47 reviews
Family owned for 45 years. We still Pit Cook we specialize in Barbecue, Barbecue Chicken and Baby Back Ribs. We also have a large variety of other items including home made vegetables and casseroles and desserts. We also have Beers and Hard Ciders!
Reviewed By L9510VZjamesa
In search of good Lexington style BBQ, we stopped by Smokey Joe's on a Saturday afternoon. The restaurant was clean & bright. We dined on pork BBQ sandwiches, ribs, BBQ chicken & a chopped pork BBQ pork plate. The ribs were tender & flavorful, but I prefer fall off the bone ribs. Ribs are only served twice a week (Sat. & Sun.). The chicken was fall off the bone tender with a smokey flavor. The BBQ was wet & had a hint of smoke. It was tender & almost a little too juicy. It was good, but had a little more fat than I like. The house sauce was excellent: a vinegary ketchup/tomato thin sauce with spices.
9. Lexington Style Trimmings
Overall Ratings
4 based on 46 reviews
Reviewed By pjkiss
Stopped in for dinner one evening last week, but sadly, we were not impressed. Ordered a hamburger steak plate with potato salad / sliced tomatoes and a BBQ sandwich with fries. Hamburger steak was overcooked and very dry. Potato salad was pretty good. BBQ sandwich was not the best bbq we have ever tasted. Sitting at the table and looking around we noticed that place was not the cleanest restaurant we have ever sat in. Inside needs a very good cleaning.
8. Randy's Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4 based on 44 reviews
Reviewed By krkoeval
Interesting experience today. I will get to the food later, but I want to start with the show. The place was occupied by about ten locals whose banter was pretty amusing. But the baby stole the show. What baby? The one who was passed around by several members of the waitstaff(in the midst of serving food mind you), and then was placed on the bar counter and spoon fed by her mother, a waitress who was standing behind the counter while she fed her child. Pure country. As for the food: The home fries, though they needed salt, were excellent (crispy exterior and beautiful peppers and onions), the fried bologna was very good, and the eggs were good. The biscuit was just ok. But the remainder of my experience took a sharp decline from there. The tenderloin was thin, tough, and devoid of seasoning. The coffee was weak, and the creamer was non-dairy. The grits were among the worst Iâve ever hadâvery dry and grainy.
7. Speedy Lohr's Barbecue
Overall Ratings
4 based on 33 reviews
Reviewed By FellowTraveler732529
I have been eating wood smoked pork since I was a little Chopper I'm now 54. So that gives me 50 years experience I grew up in the Salisbury barbecue area of North Carolina. Live here now I have had Mooresville Statesville Mocksville and everywhere in between barbecue this place even beats College barbecue and Winks of Salisbury North Carolina. The prices are reasonable and the service is excellent. Hush puppies are good red slaw and white slaw or homemade. And they have awesome baked beans. If you're not in a barbecue mood I recommend the hamburger basket or cheeseburger basket. They also have excellent hamburger steak. And the owner Prides herself on the daily specials. Stew beef is awesome so is the country style steak and meatloaf. Probably best hot dogs around. Nice crinkle fries to go with everything. Try their homemade desserts they won't disappoint. All together the best barbecue joint around Lexington Award winner! Don't care what the papers say go by your gut feeling. Your gut will taste the wood smoke and fall in love like I did. Don't waste your time with the ones downtown they're overpriced and don't hold a candle to this stuff. Goodbye monks and all you people trying to overcharge People based on your reputation. Gary's BBQ did that in China Grove and I haven't eaten BBQ since he started using a machine instead of wood smoke. All you got to do is go to Speedy lohr's on number 8 and you will be in hog heaven!
6. Backcountry Barbecue
Overall Ratings
4 based on 47 reviews
Reviewed By Elaine C
I know everyone has their favorite barbecue restaurant but backcountry is mine. There is something about the barbecue that is just perfect and it never has little burnt pieces. The hush puppies are the best. They have white and red slaw. The baked beans are unique. The service is fast. They have a 20 ounce sirloin for two that is legendary. The staff is nice and sweet. Did I mention the barbecue? I recently tried another bbq restaurant and just couldnât help but compare it to back country. Anyways, give it a try. You wonât regret it
5. Smiley's BBQ
Overall Ratings
4 based on 105 reviews
Reviewed By Courtney G
One of the last places in Lexington that still Pit Cook their BBQ and you can really tell a difference. Growing up in Lexington I'm not a big fan of BBQ but this place does it right and if you are like me and you don't like BBQ all that much they have great burgers and homemade specials. Breakfast is great and super cheap here and the deserts are homemade and phenomenal. Make sure you visit soon because it's possibly on the chopping block for a road widening project in the next few years which is a shame because it's one of the few places left that still do things right.
4. Cook's Barbecue
Overall Ratings
4 based on 83 reviews
336-798-1928
Reviewed By ClaimsMachine
We enjoyed the ribs, the burgers, and the fries. The barbecue was great as well. The staff was friendly. The only concern was the salad bar looked meager. Otherwise it was great!
3. Speedy BBQ Incorporated
Overall Ratings
4 based on 167 reviews
Reviewed By R4030GHcindys
My husband and I stopped in for lunch. They have $5.00 Lunch Special, today it's a Cheeseburger, fries, and a drink. You can't go any place else and get a lunch this good for that cheap price. They give large portions. The Cheeseburger was really good, I got mine with mustard, chili, and slaw. So many fries, shared with my husband, and we still had fries leftover. The Lunch special changes every week.
2. Lexington Barbecue
Overall Ratings
4 based on 618 reviews
Reviewed By Jobo14
Planned a family dinner here since it used to be great and is conveniently located off the highway between Salisbury and Greensboro. Disappointed all âround. Our server/waitress was overtly rude and in a hurry to take our order. She even interrupted us as we were talking to ask if âwe had decided yet what to eatâ...said loudly âsirs, are you ready to order yetâ with an attitude, and no we had not been sitting there for long. She definitely had an attitude. Then the food arrived and we had a different server for a brief time so not sure what happened there but we were glad. Bbq was not flavorful, beans tasted canned, portions small. Desserts looked tasty but we were not offered or asked about dessert so wouldnât know. Not at all what I was remembering from the past. Poor service and food quality, then to top it off she had overcharged us, writing on the ticket that we had more drinks than people at the table. What a shame this place has deteriorated so badly. Wonât be back.
1. Barbecue Center Inc
Overall Ratings
4 based on 232 reviews
Reviewed By GerardsofNC
Of the wonderful Barbecue places in Lexington, I believe The Center has captured the best mixture of barbecued pork, red slaw, and sauce. The taste, texture, and moisture of the pork, when mixed with the sauce and red slaw that contains a bit more than a hint of horseradish that screams, "Make us into more than one sandwich and eat us!" Of course the wait staff never met a stranger or heard a silly question -- they all fell over us with service and kindness. Other restaurants might have more variety (sausages or brisket or mayonnaise-slathered slaw), better hush-puppies, or better outside aroma from its on-premises outdoor pit, but The Barbecue Center has the BEST slaw, sauce, and pork combination -- and that's what we came for. And once you are there, if there are four or more of you, you can't pass up the banana split. The only way we could justify our indulgence was to not eat again for the rest of the day. This place is great for friends who want to eat and catch up or families who feel comfortable with each other.
Top 10 American food in Lexington, North Carolina, United States
