SC has 11 of the 50 best BBQ restaurants in the South, Southern Living says. One of them is no. 1

Southern Living just released its list of the 50 best barbecue restaurants in the South and 11 South Carolina spots made the list — including the number one spot.

Charleston accounts for nearly half the South Carolina eateries on the list, but City Limits, a unique, family-owned joint in West Columbia topped the entire list.

Crowned the best barbecue restaurant in the South, City Limits operated as a food truck for seven years before opening in its permanent location in 2023. The restaurant is known for its Carolina and Texas-style barbecue served with southern sides made from scratch.

The popular spot opens only on Saturdays and Sundays — just nine hours a week. But that hasn’t stopped City Limits from garnering fans and critical acclaim. Among City Limits menu offerings, Southern Living raves about the brisket, pork shoulders and pork belly burnt ends.

“All told, City Limits is an exercise in obsessive passion and the meticulous pursuit of quality … That over-the-top intensity, though, is what takes City Limits from good to great and makes it my pick as the very best joint in the South,” Southern Living contributing barbecue editor Robert F. Moss writes.

Lewis Barbeque in Charleston also cracked the top 10, coming in at number seven overall. Southern Living praised the sliced brisket and house-made green chile cheddar sausage, declaring the eatery a “well-oiled barbecue machine in motion.”

At number 12 overall, Scott’s Bar-B-Que was the third-ranking restaurant in South Carolina. Just outside the small town of Hemingway in Williamsburg County, the no-frills spot earned a shout out as “the quintessential Pee Dee South Carolina barbecue experience” for its whole hogs slow roasted over a burn barrel.

The complete list of the 50 best barbecue restaurants in the South is available on the Southern Living website.

Best SC BBQ joints in South

11. King BBQ

• Located in Charleston
• Ranked number 44 overall

10. Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ

• Located in Charleston
• Ranked 41 overall

9. Melvin’s BBQ

• Located in Mount Pleasant
• Ranked number 39 overall

8. Elliott’s BBQ Lounge

• Located in Florence
• Ranked number 36 overall

7. Home Team BBQ

• Located in Charleston
• Ranked number 34 overall

6. McCabe’s Bar-B-Q

• Located in Manning
• Ranked number 33 overall

5. Hite’s Bar-B-Que

• Located in West Columbia
• Ranked number 22 overall

4. Palmira Barbecue

• Located in Charleston
• Ranked number 16 overall

3. Scott’s Bar-B-Que

• Located in Hemingway
• Ranked number 12 overall

2. Lewis Barbecue

• Located in Charleston
• Ranked number seven overall

1. City Limits Barbeque

• Located in West Columbia
• Ranked number one overall

This story was originally published September 18, 2025 at 5:30 AM.