Best BBQ Restaurants in America

Barbecue is a way of life for many Americans. While some people like to barbecue in the comfort of their backyards, others prefer to let the professionals handle the cooking. The following list includes some of the best BBQ restaurants America has to offer. Whether you live close to one of these legendary eating establishments or will be in the vicinity of one sometime soon, do what you can to stop by and experience the meal of a lifetime. We’ve picked one restaurant for each type of barbecue style: Kansas City, Texas, Carolina, and Memphis, along with one wild card.

Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que – Kansas City, MI

After opening as Oklahoma Joe’s back in 1996, this BBQ mecca quickly earned a sterling reputation despite being located inside a gas station. The restaurant was appropriately re-named as Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que in 2014. Still serving the same great barbecue, the three Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Ques within the Kansas City area continue to satisfy customers who travel far and wide to experience the brilliance of Kansas City style barbecue. The restaurant has garnered rave reviews and won several awards—including:

-USA Today’s “Tastiest Ribs in America”

-Yelp’s No. 3 ranking on its top 100 places to eat in the U.S.

-A spot on Anthony Bourdan’s list of “13 Places You Must Eat Before You Die”

-The No. 2 spot on TripAdvisor’s top 10 BBQ restaurants for 2015

-Men’s Health Magazine’s “Manliest Restaurant” title

Joe’s Kansas City is perhaps best known for its Z-Man Sandwich, which features brisket, smoked provolone, and two onion rings—all in a Kaiser bun. Other favorites include burnt ends, pork ribs, and smoked chicken. Gumbo is available year-round, and a bean-free chili is served during winter months. Even though you can get the same great barbecue at any one of the three Joes Kansas City Bar-B-Que locations, the original gas station / convenience store restaurant offers a truly unique experience.

Franklin Barbecue – Austin, TX

Franklin Barbecue is famous throughout Texas for its mouth-watering brisket and infamous for its long lines that put patron patience to the test. Aaron Franklin, owner and chief firestarter of the restaurant, has won several awards for his dedication to excellence—including a coveted ‘James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Southwest’ in 2015. Franklin is the only barbecue chef to even be nominated for the award. He arrives to Franklin Barbecue at 2am each morning to prep meat for the 11am opening—for which hungry customers line up hours in advance.

Although the brisket is Franklin Barbecue’s most renowned dish, the walk-in restaurant’s pulled pork, Tipsy Texan Sandwiches, and beef ribs are also transcendent barbecue. Using only hormone- and antibiotic-free meat, Aaron preps his meat Texas style—some dry rub and no sauce. The meat is then barbecued over oak wood that provides an optimal smoke-to-heat ratio.

Since it was declared the best BBQ in America by restaurant authority Bonappetit.com in 2011, Franklin Barbecue has become a pilgrimage of sorts for barbecue enthusiasts. The restaurant opens Tuesday-Sunday at 11am and is usually sold out of meat by 2 or 3pm. While the hundreds of people waiting in line on Saturday can lead to waiting times upwards of 3 hours, less busy days like Tuesday and Wednesday usually only have a 60 or 90 minute wait. 

B’s Barbecue – Greenville, North Carolina

While it’s not the most elegant or aesthetically pleasing BBQ joint, this legendary family-owned operation has been satisfying barbecue lovers in eastern North Carolina since it was founded by Bill and Peggy McLawhorn the 1970s. A decidedly old fashioned type of operation, B’s Barbecue still does not have an official website and only just had a telephone installed in 2016. Instead, the renowned restaurant thrives by focusing entirely on preparing and cooking the most delicious Carolina-style barbecue in the region.

Open Tuesday-Saturday from 10am until whenever it runs out of food (usually 2pm or so), B’s barbecues its meats over an open pit with charcoal. Meat is lightly seasoned, and a traditional Carolina vinegar- and pepper-flavored sauce is available—though not much is needed. The chicken and chopped pork are both highly recommended and can be eaten in an indoor dining area or on outdoor picnic tables. Determined to keep B’s Barbecue a small, intimate experience that’s entirely theirs, the daughters of Bill and Peggy McLawhorn don’t anticipate upgrading to a more capable building anytime soon.

Central BBQ – Memphis, Tennessee

Consistently ranked among the top barbecue restaurants in the States, Central BBQ has 3 locations in the Memphis area. The restaurant has been featured on TV shows like, “Pitmasters,” “The Best Thing I Ever Ate,” and “BBQ with Bobby Flay.” Following their meticulous food preparation, Central BBQ chefs rub a top secret combination of dry spices on their meats before marinating them for 24 hours. Once fully infused with juicy flavor, meat is slow-cooked to perfection without the addition of sauce.

While Central BBQ offers delicious ribs, pork, chicken, turkey, brisket, sausage, and bologna, it’s the restaurant’s innovative pulled-pork barbecue nachos that arguably deserve top billing. This BBQ joint also offers highly addictive homemade potato chips that are topped with a secret blend of seasoning. Featuring an outdoor patio that often hosts live music on the weekends, Central BBQ fosters a celebratory atmosphere that’s ideal for people who are passionate about barbecue.

Hometown Bar-B-Que – Brooklyn, NY 

While barbecue is certainly more popular in the south, some northern barbecue joints can also hold their own. Widely considered the best BBQ in New York City, Hometown Bar-B-Que is the creation of Bill Durney—a man who learned to barbecue in his backyard and has no formal training. Bill’s menu includes brisket, pulled pork, lamb belly, turkey, and ribs. You can’t go wrong with anything, but the beef rib, pork ribs, and moist brisket are all next level. The beef rib and moist brisket both feature mouth-watering caramelized crust that will make you rethink everything you’ve ever known about barbecue.  

The restaurant has plenty of seating and is equipped with a bar that enables you to drink while waiting for your meal. Stop by during the baseball season, and you’re sure to catch the Yankee game on one of three flat screen TVs that line the walls. Open every day but Monday, Hometown Bar-B-Que can get busy and sometimes sell out of certain meats—so be sure to get there early.

These are only a few of the thousands of excellent barbecue restaurants scattered throughout the United States. If none of these are close to where you live, there’s sure to be a more local option. Another alternative would be to eat barbecue the old fashioned way—cooking in your backyard with a grill, turner, and tongs. Master the art of barbecue, and maybe someday you’ll open your own BBQ joint!