Charleston is a serious barbecue city. Barbecue restaurants compete here, ranked on critic recognition, diner ratings, momentum and staying power.
Updated October 2026
← Back to all rankingsCentral Texas-style pitmaster John Lewis brought Austin's brisket gospel to Charleston, slicing to order from custom-built smokers in a sprawling industrial space with a full bar. Order at the counter: brisket, beef ribs, hot guts sausage, pulled pork, and house sides. Sliced to order, so arrive early on weekends. Popular cuts sell out by mid-afternoon.
Hours, prices and booking details are from our 2026 checks. Confirm with the restaurant before you go.
Left the podium this month: Home Team BBQ (Sullivan's Island) (was #2, now #5); Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint (was #3, now #10).
Where the top-ranked spots in this category are, from downtown to the islands. The number is each restaurant's overall rank in Barbecue this month.
Each card shows the evidence behind the rank: critic and local-guide coverage (linked), diner ratings, recent news and staying power. We log every list, award and rating with its date and source, apply the same rules to every restaurant, and refresh the ranking monthly. Arrows compare each restaurant with last month. Read how TasteSignal ranks restaurants.
As of October 2026, Lewis Barbecue is #1 in TasteSignal's Barbecue ranking for Charleston, SC, followed by Palmira Barbecue and King BBQ. Why it leads: critic recognition from Condé Nast Traveler, Michelin Guide and 4 other outlets in the last five years.
Every restaurant in the category is ranked from named, dated evidence: critic and local-guide coverage, diner ratings on Google, Tripadvisor and Yelp, recent news and how long it has stayed on critics' lists. The data behind this category is still developing, so next month's update could reorder the top 3. Rankings refresh monthly.