City Barbeque — Wilmington

The smokers run on-site, burning local hickory low and slow the way the brand has done it from the start. What comes off the pit is competition-standard barbecue — the kind judged by people who know the difference between smoke and seasoning.

This is the Wilmington branch, a few miles inland where Carolina Beach Road cuts through the city. The menu is the same one that built the name: brisket, ribs, pulled pork, all of it cooked proper and served without ceremony.