As of November 2026, Lewis Barbecue is #1 in TasteSignal's Barbecue ranking for Charleston, SC, followed by Palmira Barbecue and King BBQ. Critic recognition from Michelin Guide, Condé Nast Traveler and 4 other outlets in the last five years.
Charleston is a serious barbecue city. Barbecue restaurants compete here, ranked on critic recognition, diner ratings, momentum and staying power.
← 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.
Hours, prices and booking details are from our 2026 checks. Confirm with the restaurant before you go.
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 November 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 Michelin Guide, Condé Nast Traveler 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. Our confidence in this category's data is 95% this month. Rankings refresh monthly.