Lexington, NC

Lexington, NC is a town of 17,000 people that proudly boasts the title “Barbecue Capital of the World”. The reason they can get away with this claim is that they have 17 barbecue restaurants in Lexington proper, and at least four more within spitting distance of the city limits. Every October they hold a barbecue contest and festival that draws over 100,000 people, which puts it on par with the Memphis and Kansas City events.

When we walked into the chamber of commerce to get a map, we were met by some really nice folks. They handed us a map of all of the barbecue places in town, and generously told us about the town’s history. But when we asked them to name the best places, they froze up like a parent asked which is their favorite child.

While they wouldn’t answer which is the best, we were able to get enough info by asking “which place do you go to most often” and “if you had friends in town, where would you take them”. That seemed to be an easier way for them to give their personal opinion. I had known coming in that Lexington #1, the most famous restaurant in town, would be a definite stop, so we headed there first.