Hello. I need your help.

[Guest]

I love food and I love good barbecue. However, I have been informed on several occasions that since I have never visited the "South", it is not possible that I have ever had Real Southern Barbecue™, which, I understand, is the best barbecue. Well, I happen to be flying to Charlotte, NC next week, which, I am told, is in the "South" and I would like to experience this Real Southern Barbecue™. Unfortunately, being unfamiliar with the area, I have no idea where to find Real Southern Barbecue™ in or around Charlotte.

And so I come to you, the great collective minds of fans of the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers being located in Charlotte, I was hoping someone could point me in the right direction. I will be arriving Sunday evening (I was unable to get a flight early enough to catch the game, unfortunately--Go Panthers! Beat the Bears!), and that will pretty much be my only time in Charlotte as I must drive North into Virginia (near Wytheville) for a business meeting the following day. I have looked around the internet for information, but the most recommended restaurants are closed Sunday and Monday (as an aside, why Monday?)

TL;DR: I am looking for a good representation of Real Southern Barbecue™ in or around Charlotte for Sunday evening, and/or Wytheville, VA for Monday evening. Any suggestions?

[PanthaSan]

I hear Ranuccis is teh bestest...

[Darth Biscuit]

Yep, everybody says Ranucci's is awesome but I've never had it. If u were coming to Wilmington I could hook u up.

[PanthaSan]

Uh oh...

Hey nc, you do know they were looking for food, right? I don't think it's code for bewbies....this time.

[Jangler]

I got family in Wytheville, so you might want to try their house.

[Goosfraba21]

Always had good food here

http://www.outlawbbqshack.com/

In Matthews, NC Pretty much in Charlotte

[Guest]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I wonder if posting this in The Lounge or elsewhere might get more attention.... I should have thought of that before.

I hear Ranuccis is teh bestest...

I see they do catering. By chance is there a restaurant as well? After a brief search, I was unable to find one.

Yep, everybody says Ranucci's is awesome but I've never had it. If u were coming to Wilmington I could hook u up.

Hmm. Wilmington appears to be a little out of the way.... (-:,`

Uh oh...

Hey nc, you do know they were looking for food, right? I don't think it's code for bewbies....this time.

Hold on, now. Just because I'm currently looking for food doesn't mean I'd turn down some nice bewbies. I need food to live, but I need breasts to live. (-:,`

I got family in Wytheville, so you might want to try their house.

Heh.

*knock-knock* "Hi. Some stranger on the internet said I should come by and you would feed me. So... when's dinner?"

I have heard good things about Southern Hospitality, but I'm not really comfortable doing that. Though, as is usually the case with most cooking, I am sure that the best barbecue is made at home.

Always had good food here

http://www.outlawbbqshack.com/

In Matthews, NC Pretty much in Charlotte

Hmm. It does look good, but it says they're closed on Sunday and Monday. (Seriously, why is everything closed on Monday? That seems so odd to me.) The Monroe location is open for lunch on Sunday, but that's after I land. That's too bad. $10 for the buffet sounds like a good deal, if their food is that good.

I have heard good things about BBQ King (Closed Sunday-Monday), South 21 Drive-In (Closed Sunday-Monday), Dish (Closed Sunday), and The Penguin (I don't know operating hours--perhaps I should call). What about Copal Grill or the Carolina Family Restaurant? They are close to the airport, and therefore convenient if they are open, but I don't know about the quality of their food, and it looks like they don't really specialize in barbecue, they just happen to have it on the menu.

I fly out of Charlotte at noon on Tuesday, so that doesn't leave me any time for lunch that day. It will be quite frustrating if I spend two days in the South and still not have the opportunity to try good barbecue while I am there.

[Darth Biscuit]

Uh oh...

Hey nc, you do know they were looking for food, right? I don't think it's code for bewbies....this time.

I thought that one of the B's in BBQ stood for Bewbies??? Who knew?

[HPPantherzfan]

Not sure how much "free" time you will have while you are in town but if you really want the best of North Carolina take a trip I85 to Lexington, NC.

BBQ is a hobby for those people, they even have the BBQ festival where they shut Downtown off and have nothing but stand after stand of different BBQ's. They say its some of the best BBQ in America

[Delhommey]

Lexington blows anything you'll find in Charlotte away. This is true.

[Guest]

Lexington doesn't look too far out of my way. I'll have to see if I can get there for lunch and still make my appointment in Virginia.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

:cheers2:

[HPPantherzfan]

Lexington doesn't look too far out of my way. I'll have to see if I can get there for lunch and still make my appointment in Virginia.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

:cheers2:

Oh, if you are flying into Charlotte and driving to Virgina you will (Can) go right through Lexington, shouldn't be hard at all to stop and have you some BBQ! I recommend Speedy's BBQ (http://speedysbbqinc.com/)on HWY 8 . If thats to far out of the way, just stop at any store and ask someone, they will point you in the right direction.

I do have to ask, though, if you are going to Virginia why not fly into something a lot closer for the drive like Greensboro? It's only like 30 mins, to the Virgina line.

[Jangler]

Lexington doesn't look too far out of my way. I'll have to see if I can get there for lunch and still make my appointment in Virginia.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

:cheers2:

Yeah, if you are driving from Charlotte to Wytheville, it would be nothing but a right.

[Guest]

Oh, if you are flying into Charlotte and driving to Virgina you will (Can) go right through Lexington, shouldn't be hard at all to stop and have you some BBQ! I recommend Speedy's BBQ (http://speedysbbqinc.com/)on HWY 8 . If thats to far out of the way, just stop at any store and ask someone, they will point you in the right direction.

I do have to ask, though, if you are going to Virginia why not fly into something a lot closer for the drive like Greensboro? It's only like 30 mins, to the Virgina line.

This trip was set up just this week, and on such short notice, not a lot of decent flight options were available, and our travel department just set me up with the best option available for a reasonable price. To where I am heading, Greensboro is only 30 miles closer than Charlotte (Charleston is even closer, with Roanoke being the closest), and the time and cost difference was enough to select Charlotte.

A possible problem with stopping in Lexington on my way to Virginia is that I have to be in Bland no later than 2:00, and it is a 2 hour drive. I'll have to get to Speedy's close to the time they open (amazingly enough, they are open on Monday) and hope I don't make a wrong turn on the way. Assuming Real Southern Barbecue™ is as good as I've heard, I'm sure it will be worth it, though. Is anyone familiar with Aunt Bea's Barbecue in Hillsville, VA? That's further up the road and not too far out of the way so I would have fewer concerns about timing.

I just wish I could find a decent place to eat Sunday evening in Charlotte when I land so I don't have to worry so much about timing on Monday. I may have found a few places to try in Wytheville, but they're not BBQ-specific restaurants, as far as I can tell. I'm looking at Troy's Philly Cheese Steak for a good sandwich (though I've also been told that I can't get a good Philly Cheese Steak sandwich outside of Pennsylvania--maybe I can go there next). Bob-B-Market shows up when I google "barbecue" in the Wytheville area, so they might have something worth checking out. And Grayson Restaurant & BBQ might be worth looking into, though I can't tell if they're actually in business (Google Maps street view shows a for sale sign in front of an abandoned-looking building).

So, another question, if I can't find any good barbecue Sunday night in Charlotte, and I still want some local cuisine, where do I go? Is fried chicken big in this part of the country, and should I seek out a good fried chicken establishment? Any other recommendations?