THE BEST BBQ RESTAURANTS IN EACH U.S. STATE
WARNING! You may start salivating as you tour through this list of legendary BBQ restaurants in the United States.
My list of the best BBQ restaurants by state was accumulated through a mix of my own travels, devouring every "best BBQ in..." magazine or blog article I could find, and studying thousands of restaurant reviews on Google Maps, Tripadvisor, Yelp, and other sources.
If you are serious about BBQ, you absolutely have to visit places like Kansas City (in both Kansas and Missouri), Memphis (Tennessee), North Carolina (especially Lexington), and Texas (especially Austin and Lockhart). However, there are great BBQ restaurants to be devoured just about everywhere. My hope is that the lists below help you find some great places both locally and for your next trip or vacation.
To help keep this page current, please email if any of these establishments move or permanently close. To keep improving this page, I also encourage you to email if you know of any other well-established, top-tier BBQ restaurants in the country that I may have missed. This list isn't perfect (and never will be), and so it's likely I am missing a few of the classic spots. Lastly, take note that I have purposely excluded Koren BBQ restaurants as I don't have much experience eating at those establishments.
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GREAT BBQ RESTAURANTS IN EACH U.S. STATE
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You can find great BBQ pretty much anywhere in the United States. Here are many of the best BBQ restaurants in each of the U.S. states:
♥♥♥ = generally regarded as one of the very best BBQ restaurants in the U.S. (and typically worth driving many miles out of the way for)
ALABAMA
✮ Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q (Decatur) ♥♥♥
✮ Boarhog's Barbeque (Huntsville)
✮ Bob Sykes BAR-B-Q (Bessemer)
✮ Dreamland Bar-B-Que (various locations)
✮ Lawlers Barbecue (various locations)
✮ Saw's BBQ (Homewood)
ALASKA
✮ BlackJaxx BBQ (Homer and Soldotna)
ARIZONA
✮ Bobby-Q BBQ Restaurant and Steakhouse (Phoenix)
✮ Caldwell Country BBQ (Gilbert) ♥♥♥
✮ Eric's Family Barbecue (Avondale)
✮ Joe's Real BBQ (Gilbert)
✮ Little Miss BBQ-University (Phoenix) ♥♥♥
ARKANSAS
✮ McClard's Bar-B-Q Restaurant (Hot Springs)
✮ Reid's Hometown Barbecue (Booneville)
✮ Sim's Bar-B-Que (Little Rock)
✮ Whole Hog Cafe (North Little Rock)
✮ Wright's Barbecue (Bentonville, Johnson, Little Rock, and Rogers)
CALIFORNIA
✮ Aptos St. BBQ (Aptos)
✮ Baby Blues BBQ (Venice)
✮ Bludso's BBQ (Los Angeles)
✮ Chubby Cattle (Rowland Heights and Monterey Park)
✮ Coop's West Texas BBQ (Lemon Grove)
✮ Copper Top BBQ (Big Pine) ♥♥♥
✮ Craft by Smoke and Fire (Anaheim)
✮ Gus's BBQ (Claremont, Porter Ranch, and South Pasadena)
✮ Heritage Barbecue (San Juan Capistrano)
✮ Phil's BBQ (San Diego)
COLORADO
✮ Georgia Boys BBQ (Frederick, Greeley, and Longmont)
✮ Post Oak Barbecue (Denver)
✮ Ragin' Hog BBQ (Denver)
✮ Serious Texas BBQ (several locations)
✮ Smokin' Dave's BBQ (several locations)
✮ Smokin' Yard's BBQ (Denver and Idaho Springs)
CONNECTICUT
✮ Bear's Smokehouse BBQ (Windsor)
✮ Hoodoo Brown BBQ (Ridgefield)
✮ Pig Rig BBQ (Wallingford)
DELAWARE
✮ Mission BBQ (Dover)
✮ Russell's Quality Foods (Wilmington)
FLORIDA
✮ 4 Rivers Smokehouse (Winter Park)
✮ Big Lee's (Ocala)
✮ Butt Hutt Smokehouse (Jacksonville)
✮ Captains BBQ (Palm Coast)
✮ Pig Floyds Urban Barbakoa (Orlando)
✮ Shiver's BBQ (Homestead)
✮ Woodpeckers Backyard BBQ (St. Augustine)
✮ Yellow Dog Eats (Windermere)
GEORGIA
✮ Bigun's Barbeque (Talking Rock)
✮ Community Q BBQ (Decatur)
✮ Fat Matt's Rib Shack (Atlanta)
✮ Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q (Atlanta)
✮ Fresh Air Barbecue (Jackson)
✮ Heirloom Market BBQ (Atlanta)
✮ Smokin Pig (Midway)
✮ Southern Soul BBQ (St. Simons Island)
HAWAII
✮ Sunset Texas Barbecue (Honolulu)
IDAHO
✮ BBQ4LIFE (Boise)
✮ Goodwood BBQ (Meridian)
✮ Grandpa's Southern BBQ (Idaho Falls)
ILLINOIS
✮ 17th Street Barbecue (Murphysboro)
✮ Beast Craft BBQ Co. (Belleville)
✮ Chicago Q (Chicago)
✮ Smoque BBQ (Chicago)
INDIANA
✮ Big Hoffa's Smokehouse (Westfield)
✮ Hank's Smoked Briskets (Indianapolis)
✮ Rusted Silo Southern BBQ & Brew House (Lizton)
✮ Squealers Barbeque Grill (Mooresville)
IOWA
✮ Hickory Park (Ames)
✮ Smokey D's BBQ (Des Moines)
✮ Whatcha Smokin BBQ & Brew (Luther)
KANSAS
✮ Biemer's BBQ (Lawrence)
✮ Joe's Kansas City BBQ (Kansas City) ♥♥♥ - this is my choice for the #1 BBQ restaurant in the U.S.
✮ Jones Bar-B-Q (Kansas City)
✮ Roscoe's BBQ (Edwardsville)
✮ Slap's BBQ (Kansas City) ♥♥♥
✮ Station 8 BBQ (Wichita)
Generally speaking, Kansas City style BBQ includes a sweet tomato-based sauce that has a tangy taste. The area is especially famous for its excellent ribs and burnt ends.
Joe's Kansas City BBQ is the best BBQ I've ever had (anywhere). It's the type of place that you dream about for years after visiting.
See below for several additional BBQ restaurants in Kansas City, Missouri, which is adjacent to Kansas City, Kansas.
KENTUCKY
✮ Bucky Bees BBQ (Cave City)
✮ Momma's Mustard, Pickles, and BBQ (Louisville)
✮ Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn (Owensboro)
✮ Old Hickory Bar-B-Q (Owensboro)
✮ Pop's Southern Style BBQ (Morehead)
✮ Red State BBQ (Lexington)
✮ Smokey Pig Bar-B-Q (Bowling Green)
LOUISIANA
✮ Cou-yon's Cajun Bar-B-Q (Port Allen)
✮ Johnson's Boucaniere (Lafayette)
✮ Joint, The (New Orleans)
MAINE
✮ Noble Barbecue (Portland)
✮ Salvage Barbecue (Portland)
MARYLAND
✮ Andy Nelson's Southern Pit Barbecue (Cockeysville)
✮ Chaps Pit Beef (Baltimore)
✮ Jake's Grill (Cockeysville)
✮ Pioneer Pit Beef (Catonsville)
MASSACHUSETTS
✮ B.T.'s Smokehouse (Sturbridge)
✮ Firefly's BBQ (Marlborough)
✮ Goodstuff Smokehouse (Blackstone)
✮ Kinfolks BBQ (Taunton)
✮ Rusty Can (Byfield)
I personally didn't enjoy B.T.'s Smokehouse (Sturbridge) or Rusty Can (Byfield) all that much, but several of my friends are huge fans. However, I've only been to each of them once, and so perhaps I should try them again. And while they are quite popular,
I think Blue Ribbon BBQ and Redbones in the Boston metro area are extremely overrated (especially on a national scale). I also need to try Blackstrap BBQ in Winthrop at some point to see if it's worthy of inclusion in the last above or not.
MICHIGAN
✮ Molasses Smokehouse and Bar (Midland)
✮ Ricewood (Ann Arbor)
✮ Slows Bar BQ (Detroit)
✮ Union Woodshop (Clarkston)
MINNESOTA
✮ Animales Barbeque Co.(Minneapolis)
✮ Ted Cook's 19th Hole BBQ (Minneapolis)
MISSISSIPPI
✮ Hog Heaven BBQ (Laurel)
✮ Leatha's Barbeque (Petal)
✮ Memphis Barbecue Company (Horn Lake)
✮ Murky Waters BBQ (several locations)
✮ Shed Barbeque & Blues Joint, The (Ocean Springs)
MISSOURI
✮ Arthur Bryant's (Kansas City)
✮ Bandana's Bar-B-Q (several locations)
✮ Bogart's Smokehouse (St. Louis) ♥♥♥
✮ City Butcher and Barbecue (Springfield)
✮ Gates Bar-B-Que (Kansas City)
✮ Gettin' Basted (Branson)
✮ Jack Stack Barbecue (Kansas City)
✮ LC's Bar-B-Q (Kansas City)
✮ Little BBQ Joint, A (Independence)
✮ Mann Meats (Florissant)
✮ Pappy's Smokehouse (St. Louis) ♥♥♥
✮ Q39 (Kansas City) ♥♥♥
✮ Salt + Smoke (St. Louis)
✮ Shaved Duck Smokehouse, The (St. Louis)
✮ Sugarfire Smoke House (St. Louis)
✮ Sweet Smoke BBQ (Jefferson City)
✮ Tin Kitchen (Weston)
See above for several additional BBQ restaurants in Kansas City, Kansas, which sits right on the border of Missouri and Kansas.
MONTANA
✮ Cherries BBQ Pit (Polson)
✮ Follow Yer' Nose BBQ (Emigrant)
✮ Notorious P.I.G. BBQ (Missoula)
✮ SMOKED (Great Falls)
NEBRASKA
✮ Canyon Joe’s Barbecue (Lincoln)
✮ Smokin Barrel BBQ (Omaha)
NEVADA
✮ John Mull's Meats & Road Kill Grill (Las Vegas)
✮ Rollin Smoke Barbeque (Las Vegas)
NEW HAMPSHIRE
✮ Goody Cole's Smokehouse (Brentwood)
✮ KC's Rib Shack (Manchester)
✮ Smokeshow Barbeque (Concord)
I also think the brisket at Moat Mountain Brewing Company in North Conway is pretty good. The rest of their BBQ food is meh though.
NEW JERSEY
✮ Brothers Smokehouse (Ramsey)
✮ Henri's Hotts Barbeque (Hammonton)
✮ Local Smoke BBQ (several locations)
NEW MEXICO
✮ Mad Jack's Mountaintop Barbecue (Cloudcroft) ♥♥♥
✮ Watson's BBQ (Tucumcari)
NEW YORK
✮ Dinosaur BBQ (a small chain in Brooklyn, Buffalo, Harlem, Rochester, Syracuse, Troy; the original location is in Syracuse)
✮ Hometown Bar-B-Que (Brooklyn)
✮ Mighty Quinn's Barbecue (NYC)
✮ Nickel's Pit BBQ (Watkins Glen)
✮ Virgil’s Real BBQ (NYC)
Although Dinosaur BBQ is turning into a small chain, it's absolutely top-notch.
NORTH CAROLINA
✮ 12 Bones Smokehouse (Asheville)
✮ Allen & Son Bar-B-Que (Pittsboro)
✮ Camel City BBQ Factory (Winston-Salem)
✮ Grady's Barbecue (Dudley)
✮ Haywood Smokehouse (Waynesville) ♥♥♥
✮ Lexington Barbecue (Lexington)
✮ Midwood Smokehouse (various locations)
✮ Old Colony Smokehouse (Edenton)
✮ Pik N Pig (Carthage)
✮ Pit, The (Raleigh)
✮ Prime Barbecue (Knightdale) ♥♥♥
✮ Skylight Inn BBQ (Ayden) ♥♥♥
✮ Speedy's BBQ (Lexington)
✮ Stamey's Barbecue (several locations)
Generally speaking, North Carolina BBQ uses vinegar as a base for its sauces. This often make the sauces less sweet than BBQ from other regions of the country.
12 Bones Smokehouse in Asheville has amazing blueberry chipotle BBQ ribs, and I think about them about once a month.
NORTH DAKOTA
✮ Spitfire Bar & Grill (West Fargo)
OHIO
✮ Eli's BBQ (Cincinnati)
✮ Pickles & Bones Barbecue (Milford)
✮ Ray Ray's Hog Pit (several locations)
OKLAHOMA
✮ Billy Ray's Catfish & BBQ (Broken Arrow)
✮ BurnCo Barbeque (Jenks)
✮ Butcher BBQ Stand, The (Wellston)
✮ Leo's BBQ (Oklahoma City)
✮ Leon's Smoke Shack Barbeque (Tulsa)
OREGON
✮ Matt's BBQ (Portland)
✮ Podnah's BBQ (Portland)
PENNSYLVANIA
✮ Federal Hill Smokehouse (Erie)
✮ Jesse's Barbecue & Local Market (Souderton)
✮ Sweet Lucy's Smokehouse (Philadelphia)
RHODE ISLAND
✮ Becky's BBQ (Middletown)
SOUTH CAROLINA
✮ Bobby's BBQ (Fountain Inn)
✮ City Limits Barbecue (West Columbia)
✮ Dukes Barbeque (Walterboro)
✮ Henry's Smokehouse (Greenville)
✮ Lewis Barbecue (Charleston and Greenville) ♥♥♥
✮ Maurice's Piggie Park (West Columbia)
✮ Midway BBQ (Buffalo)
✮ Mike and Jeff's BBQ Restaurant (Greenville)
✮ Rodney Scott's BBQ (Charleston)
✮ Scott’s Bar-B-Que (Hemingway)
✮ Shuler's BBQ (Sellers)
✮ Smokin' Pig of Pendleton, The (Pendleton)
SOUTH DAKOTA
✮ J.R.'s Rhodehouse BBQ Pit (Summerset)
✮ Squealer's Smoke Shack Bar & Grill (Tea)
TENNESSEE
✮ Bar-B-Q Shop, The (Memphis)
✮ Central BBQ (Memphis)
✮ Corky's Ribs & BBQ (Memphis)
✮ Cozy Corner BBQ (Memphis)
✮ Delauders BBQ (Gatlinburg)
✮ Edley's Bar-B-Que (various locations)
✮ Elwood's Shack (Memphis)
✮ Marlowe's Ribs & Restaurant (Memphis)
✮ Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint (Nashville)
✮ Outpost, The (Savannah)
✮ Payne's Bar-B-Que (Memphis)
✮ Peg Leg Porker (Nashville)
✮ Puckett's 5th & Church (Nashville)
✮ Rendezvous (Memphis)
✮ Ridgewood Barbecue (Bluff City)
✮ Scotts BBQ (Lexington)
The most famous type of BBQ in Memphis is ribs. Some of the best in the country!
TEXAS
✮ Big Bib BBQ (San Antonio)
✮ Black's Barbeque (Lockhart)
✮ Brisket House, The (several locations)
✮ Cattleack Barbeque (Farmers Branch)
✮ City Market (Luling)
✮ Cooper's Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que (Llano)
✮ CorkScrew BBQ (Spring) ♥♥♥
✮ Dayne's Craft Barbecue (Aledo)
✮ Franklin BBQ (Austin) ♥♥♥
✮ Gatlin's BBQ (Houston)
✮ Goldee's BBQ (Fort Worth)
✮ Hard Eight BBQ (several locations)
✮ Hickory Stick Barbeque (Everman)
✮ Hutchins BBQ (Frisco, TX and McKinney, TX) ♥♥♥
✮ Killen's BBQ (Pearland)
✮ Kreuz Market (Lockhart)
✮ la Barbecue (Austin)
✮ Louie Mueller Barbecue (Taylor)
✮ Meat U Anywhere (Grapevine)
✮ Micklethwait (Austin)
✮ Opie's Barbecue (Spicewood)
✮ Pecan Lodge (Dallas)
✮ Pody's BBQ (Pecos)
✮ Rooster's Roadhouse (Denton)
✮ Salt Lick BBQ (Driftwood)
✮ Smitty's Market (Lockhart)
✮ SMOKE: Texas BBQ & Watering Hole (Harlingen)
✮ Smoke Shack BBQ (San Antonio)
✮ Snow's BBQ (Lexington)
✮ Terry Black's BBQ (Austin and Dallas) ♥♥♥
✮ Truth BBQ (Houston and Brenham)
✮ Tyler's Barbeque (Amarillo) ♥♥♥
Texas is stacked with amazing BBQ restaurants (especially in Austin and Lockhart). Texas is perhaps best known for its outstanding brisket. Cardiologists do very well there.
UTAH
✮ 5 Star BBQ Company (Orem)
✮ Bam Bams BBQ (Orem)
✮ R&R Barbeque (several locations)
✮ Torrey Grill & BBQ (Torrey)
VERMONT
✮ Bluebird Barbecue (Burlington)
✮ Prohibition Pig (Waterbury)
VIRGINIA
✮ Alamo BBQ (Richmond)
✮ Barbeque Exchange, The (Gordonsville)
✮ Buz and Ned's Real Barbecue (Richmond)
✮ HogsHead Cafe (Richmond)
✮ Monk's BBQ (Purcellville)
✮ Pierce's Pitt Bar-B-Que (Williamsburg)
✮ Scoot's BBQ (Gloucester Point)
✮ ZZQ Texas Craft Barbeque (Richmond)
WASHINGTON
✮ Brileys BBQ and Grill (Lake Forest Park)
✮ Moose Creek Barbeque (Arlington)
✮ My 4 Sons BBQ (Tacoma)
✮ Pecos Pit Bar-B-Que (Seattle)
✮ Wood Shop BBQ (Seattle)
WASHINGTON D.C.
✮ Hill Country Barbecue
✮ Rocklands Barbeque and Grilling Company
WEST VIRGINIA
✮ Dee Jay's BBQ Ribs and Grille (Weirton)
✮ Dem 2 Brothers and a Grill BBQ (Charleston)
WISCONSIN
✮ Bob's Bitchin' BBQ (Dodgeville)
✮ BP Smokehouse BBQ (Tomah)
✮ Double B's BBQ (West Allis)
✮ LD's BBQ (East Troy)
✮ Smoky Jon's #1 BBQ (Madison)
WYOMING
✮ Fat Racks BBQ (Cody)
✮ Firehole Bar-B-Que Co. (West Yellowstone)
Both Cody and West Yellowstone are recommended gateway towns to Yellowstone National Park, and so if you are approaching the park from either the east or west, you might as well stop and try one of these restaurants.
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When it comes to BBQ, these states rule them all:
✮ Alabama
✮ Kansas (e.g. Kansas City)
✮ Missouri (e.g. Kansas City, St. Louis)
✮ North Carolina (e.g. Asheville and Lexington)
✮ Tennessee (e.g. Memphis and Nashville)
✮ Texas (e.g. Austin and Lockhart)
If I had to choose one state, I would say Texas is the ultimate king of BBQ.
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TOP U.S. TOWNS/CITIES FOR BBQ
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Here is a list of many of the best towns and cities in the U.S. for BBQ. If I had to choose just one as the best, I would say Kansas City (MO/KS).
✮ Asheville, North Carolina
✮ Atlanta, Georgia
✮ Austin, Texas
✮ Greenville, South Carolina
✮ Kansas City, Kansas
✮ Kansas City, Missouri
✮ Lexington, North Carolina
✮ Lockhart, Texas
✮ Memphis, Tennessee
✮ Nashville, Tennessee
✮ Owensboro, Kentucky
✮ St. Louis, Missouri
I believe Kansas City (in both Kansas and Missouri) and Austin (Texas) are the two best cities for BBQ in the country. The other cities listed above aren't far behind these though.
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Some of the restaurants listed above offer a BBQ mail-order service. These services aren't cheap, but the quality is excellent. Here are a few highly recommend BBQ restaurants that offer a mail-order service:
✮ Franklin BBQ
✮ Jack Stack BBQ
✮ Joe's Kansas City BBQ
✮ Pappy's Smokehouse
✮ Snow's BBQ
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LEGENDARY BBQ RESTAURANTS
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Here are the most famous and/or historic BBQ restaurants in America. These don't always represent the best-of-the-best in BBQ, but they are all classic BBQ establishments. Of these, Joe's Kansas City BBQ is my favorite.
✮ Arthur Bryant's (Kansas City, MO)
✮ Big Bob Gibson's (Decatur, AL)
✮ Central BBQ (Memphis, TN)
✮ Franklin BBQ (Austin, TX)
✮ Gates BBQ (Kansas City, MO)
✮ Joe's Kansas City BBQ (Kansas City, KS)
✮ Maurice's Piggie Park BBQ (West Columbia, SC)
✮ Moonlite Inn (Owensboro, KY)
✮ Rendezvous (Memphis, TN)
✮ Skylight Inn BBQ (Ayden, NC)
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