Style
Modern Barbecue
Contemporary, boundary-pushing global smokehouse cooking.
Big Lee's BBQ
Ocala, United States
Big Lee's Serious About BBQ operates out of Ocala with the kind of quiet confidence that comes from knowing what matters. The place has drawn attention from both Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives and Food & Wine's Best BBQ in America — the sort of recognition that arrives when the work speaks for itself. Open Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. No fuss, no pretense. Just barbecue done right.
Burnt Ends
Singapore, Singapore
Burnt Ends opened in 2013 as a modern Australian barbecue operation, cooking over wood fire on Teck Lim Road. The restaurant has held a Michelin star since 2018 and ranks #93 on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list and #38 on Asia's 50 Best — recognition that speaks plainly to what happens when craft and conviction meet in the kitchen. This is barbecue that answers to no one but itself.
Billy's Smokehouse
Bangkok, Thailand
Opened in 2020, Billy's sits in Mahatun Plaza on Phloen Chit Road and does what it says on the sign: barbecue, cooked the American way. No pretense, no fusion compromise. Open daily from 11 to 22:00. If you're after proper smoke and meat in Bangkok, this is where it lives.
Botto's Craft BBQ
Portland, United States
This is a craft barbecue joint on Portland's Southeast side that does the fundamentals: brisket, pulled pork, ribs, turkey, sausage, all cooked low and slow. Sides are made from scratch — mac and cheese, potato salad, coleslaw, pork and beans. The operation runs lean enough that next-day ordering is suggested; they move through what they make and don't linger. Ordering is straightforward: call or go online. They're closed Mondays and Tuesdays, open Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m., Saturday from noon, Sunday until 6 p.m. Expect to plan ahead.
Breakwater Barbecue
El Granada, United States
Breakwater is a smoked-meat market and barbecue joint on the Cabrillo Highway in El Granada, on the San Mateo coast. The rule is simple — all wood, no gas, first come first served — and the meat moves fast enough that pre-ordering is the sensible move. A working coast-side pit, not a scene.
BubbaQue
Tucson, United States
BubbaQue runs Tex-Mex barbecue in Tucson, and the dino ribs are the reason to show up — the kind of plate that argues its own case. Meat and fire, no fuss about what it is or isn't. A newer South Campbell address for a pit that's been at it a while.
City Barbeque
Dayton, United States
City Barbeque has been smoking meat low and slow since 1999, and this Dayton outpost on Miller Lane keeps the tradition going with hickory and no shortcuts. The smokers are on-site — what comes off the pit is what goes on the plate, cooked the way competition pitmasters do it when the judges are watching. It's a smokehouse that treats barbecue like a craft worth doing properly, and the hickory does most of the talking. No pretense, just smoke and time.
City Barbeque
Charlotte, United States
The smokehouse runs on-site smokers low and slow, the way the brand has done it from the start. Local hickory fuels the pits; the meat comes off when it's ready. This is the University Place location — one branch of a multi-state operation that treats barbecue like a craft worth repeating properly. No shortcuts, just smoke and time.
Cue Point
London, United Kingdom
Cue Point is a British-Afghan fusion smokehouse and grill in Notting Hill, London, specializing in Texan-style low-and-slow BBQ techniques adapted with Afghan spices and flavors. Halal-certified with no pork, it offers brisket, chicken, burnt ends and other smoked meats alongside sides in a pub garden setting with indoor and extensive outdoor seating. The venue opened its first permanent home in April 2026 as The Garden Bar Grill & Smokehouse by Cue Point.
Dayne's Craft Barbecue
Aledo, United States
Post oak, offset smokers, and the kind of early success that comes from knowing what you're doing. Order online for pickup — it sells out early, which tells you what you need to know. Open Thursday through Sunday. Cash or card accepted.
Drinking Pig BBQ
Coconut Grove, United States
This is a slow-smoked operation that takes walk-ins only, no reservations, no exceptions. Open evenings mid-week and weekend afternoons, it runs until the pit empties — plan accordingly. Find it at 3444 Main Hwy #16 in Coconut Grove. The website and Instagram have what you need to know before you go.
Edge Craft BBQ
Oklahoma City, United States
Edge Craft BBQ runs a tight operation: open 11am to 3pm, Thursday through Sunday, and when it's gone it's gone. Zach Edge slow-smokes brisket, ribs, pulled pork, turkey, and sausage over oak. No online ordering — you show up, you order, you eat. It's straightforward work. The menu is the menu. Get there early if you want your pick.
Embers
Brighton, United Kingdom
Embers is a wood-fired restaurant on Brighton's Meeting House Lane where the sharing plates come off an open flame — no gas, just wood and time — and the menu shifts with what the fire allows. Cocktails alongside. Closed Tuesdays; open from five most evenings, nine at weekends. Book ahead or chance it.
From The Ashes BBQ @ The Five Points Brewing Company
London, United Kingdom
The taproom and courtyard of The Five Points Brewing Company, an East London brewery operating in Hackney since 2013. Features brewery-fresh beers alongside a residency from London smokehouse From The Ashes, serving inventive, sustainable barbecue focused on British-reared meats with techniques including smoking and asado-style cooking. Open Thursday to Sunday with indoor and covered outdoor seating.
Goldies London
London, United Kingdom
Goldies London is a live-fire restaurant in Kingly Court, Soho, specializing in wood-fired grills and famous frites. The menu centers on a custom Ox grill with sharing platters of aged beef rump, pork chop, lamb merguez, and marinated chicken, served with corn, peppers, pickles, and house sauces alongside natural wines. It offers casual, energetic dining with outdoor seating in a peach-toned space just off Carnaby Street.
Hatch & Hickory BBQ
Centennial, United States
Hatch & Hickory is a craft barbecue operation on South Orleans Street in Centennial, cooking over hardwood and keeping the menu tight — a few things, done well. Follow their Instagram for what's ready and when, because it goes when it goes.
Home Team BBQ
SULLIVAN'S ISLAND, United States
Home Team BBQ folds classical kitchen technique into Lowcountry barbecue — a combination that reads fussy until you taste what happens when craft meets comfort food. The Sullivan's Island location sits on Middle Street, a few blocks from the beach, serving the full menu from eleven to ten and a late-night selection until midnight, seven days a week. No reservations — walk off the sand and find a seat.
Mike's BBQ
Philadelphia, United States
South Philadelphia barbecue, done the old school way — smoking meats without fuss or compromise. Thursday through Sunday, noon to 5:15 p.m., or until it's gone. Online ordering only; things move fast here. Get there early. They sell out.
MISSION BBQ
Greenville, United States
This is barbecue built for volume and patriotism in equal measure — a fast-casual model that runs on efficiency and a clear point of view. The brand was founded by two friends with a passion for barbecue, and it's grown into a multi-state operation that opens daily at 11:00 and closes when the evening's done. The Greenville location keeps the same hours as the rest: lunch through dinner six days a week, Sunday opening a half-hour later. No phone number listed — the website carries the menu and the mission. It's barbecue at the speed of modern life, and it doesn't pretend otherwise.
MISSION BBQ
Cherry Hill Township, United States
This is the Cherry Hill outpost of MISSION BBQ, a multi-location barbecue restaurant founded by two friends with a passion for the craft. The brand has grown since 2011; this location opened in October 2025. Open daily — 11:00 to 21:00 Monday through Saturday, 11:30 to 20:00 Sunday — on Route 70 West. The menu and approach are shared across the chain; what's here is what MISSION BBQ does everywhere else. If you're nearby and want barbecue without ceremony, the address is 2050 Route 70 West.
Moreno Barbecue
Austin, United States
Moreno Barbecue is what happens when Tex-Mex meets the offset smoker. Bo Moreno cooks brisket, spare ribs, sausages, pork belly, tri tip and prime rib over post oak, and the state's barbecue paper has taken notice. The menu runs until sold out most days; if you want whole meats, order ahead — three-pound minimum. It's a strip-mall operation on South IH-35, the kind of place that closes Mondays and opens Sundays at nine. No ceremony. Just smoke, post oak, and whatever's still on the board when you arrive.
Moreno Barbecue
Austin, United States
Moreno Barbecue runs offset smokers fueled by post oak, turning out brisket, spare ribs, sausages, tri tip, prime rib, and pork belly in a modern style that's earned mentions in Texas Monthly. Bo Moreno's approach is straightforward: good cuts, clean smoke, no detours. This Austin outpost opens Tuesday through Sunday — eleven to eight most days, an hour later on weekends — and runs until it's gone. If you're after brisket or pork belly, don't arrive late.
Roaming Buffalo BBQ
Denver, United States
Coy and Rachael Webb opened this place in 2015 with a simple idea: take the animals of the region and treat them the way barbecue demands. Bison back ribs, lamb shoulder, homemade bison and venison sausages alongside beef brisket and pork. Everything dry-rubbed, smoked low and slow, sauce on the side. They open at 11 and close when it's gone — which tends to happen early. Catering and pre-orders are available if you plan ahead. Otherwise, show up ready to queue and accept that some days you'll arrive to a sold-out sign. That's the cost of doing things properly.
Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q
Midland, United States
Rudy's has a foothold on Midland's east side, on the Loop 250 frontage road — oak-fired barbecue by the pound and a country store under one roof, open early to late, past nine Friday and Saturday. The format traces to Rudolph Aue's 1929 Leon Springs filling station, barbecue added in 1989.
Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q
Conroe, United States
Rudy's on Highway 105 West in Conroe fires the oak pits at 6:30 most mornings — barbecue by the pound, a country store attached, seven days a week. It's the format Rudolph Aue's 1929 Leon Springs grocery grew into once barbecue joined in 1989.
Smok'd
London, United Kingdom
The Britannia is where Smok'd — the multi-award-winning outfit that took Ribstock honours at the origin — planted itself in a proper London pub. There's a bar that opens at noon, an open kitchen turning out beef rib and burgers via smoking, roasting, charring and grilling, and Ram Jam Records' live music venue tucked at the rear. Modern British barbecue meets pints and gigs, all under one roof. The kitchen runs until nine most nights, later Thursday through Saturday. The bar stays open longer. It's the sort of place that doesn't ask you to choose between a proper meal and a proper evening — you can have both, in whichever order suits you.
Smok'd
Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom
What started as The Grey Horse became Smok'd — a multi-award-winning barbecue pub on Richmond Road that runs an open kitchen, a whisky bar, and Ram Jam Records, a live music venue at the rear. The kitchen smokes, roasts, chars and grills in the modern British style, turning out beef rib and burgers daily from noon until ten. They've won Ribstock, which is not nothing, and they've since opened other locations — but this is where it began. The bar stays open past the kitchen most nights, later still on Fridays and Saturdays. Takeaway is available if you'd rather eat elsewhere. It's a pub that happens to do barbecue properly, or perhaps the other way around — either way, the beef rib settles the question.
Smoke & Co
Margate, United Kingdom
A standalone operation built on the premise that barbecue needn't announce itself with ceremony. They take bookings, shift menus, and vouchers — the practical apparatus of a place that knows what it's doing. Reach them by phone or WhatsApp on 07481 344328. Open daily from noon, with extended hours on Saturday mornings and earlier closing on Sunday.
Smoked Pickle Barbecue
Knoxville, United States
Smoked Pickle Barbecue operates from a truck on Ebenezer Road in Knoxville, running on 100% hardwood and built around the fundamentals: brisket, pulled pork, ribs, sausage, half chicken. Eric Pickle started the operation in 2020. Hours vary by day and inventory moves fast — they close when it's gone. They take pre-orders for catering and events. Call ahead or check their website before you go.
Smokesmith Bar-B-Que
Sandpoint, United States
Sean and Katie Smith run Smokesmith on South Boyer Avenue in Sandpoint — live fire, low and slow, four-time winner of Best BBQ in Bonner County. Open Wednesday through Sunday, with a bar and music alongside the smoke.
Smoky Sue's Barbecue
Brookvale, Australia
Sydney-based American-style barbecue operation with a smokehouse in Brookvale offering dine-in, takeaway, pop-ups, food trucks and catering. Known for low-and-slow smoked meats including brisket and short rib platters prepared with a signature blend of classic American technique and French influences. Operates primarily on weekends with events and custom bookings available across the Sydney area.
Temper
London, United Kingdom
Temper opened on Broadwick Street in Soho in 2016, chef Neil Rankin's temple to live fire — a custom pit, open flame, and whole-animal cooking done in-house down to the butchery. Rare-breed British beef, dry-aged on site; smoked barbecue and smoky tacos alongside the steaks; a Sunday roast usually spoken for by Friday. Lunch and dinner most days, opening at five on Mondays. Book ahead or take your chances.
Temper
London, United Kingdom
Temper is a modern barbecue operation built around open fire — no gas, no compromise on method. This branch sits on Throgmorton Street in the City, a few minutes' walk from the Bank of England keeps weekday hours that suit the neighbourhood: open from noon through to 10:15 p.m., Monday to Friday, with Saturday service until 4 p.m. Sundays it's closed. The menu runs to steakhouse fare alongside barbecue, all cooked over open flame. It's a different register from the pit-and-queue model — more formal, more seated — but the commitment to fire and proper cooking remains the same.
The White Hart
Witley, United Kingdom
The White Hart in Witley hosts Dirty Sixth BBQ, a barbecue operation born from Sam Daffin's vision in 2013. It's housed within a working pub — a straightforward setup where barbecue and beer coexist without fuss. Order through their website or find them on Instagram. They're at Petworth Road, Witley, Surrey, and they answer to 01428 683695.
Third Wave BBQ
Moorabbin, Australia
Third Wave's Moorabbin outpost, at 20 Station Street, cooks the way the brand always has: over wood, without shortcuts. Beef brisket leads — twelve to sixteen hours over hickory until the bark sets dark and the fat turns to silk, Texas thinking in Melbourne's south-east. The rest spans the American traditions: dry-rubbed pork ribs, pulled pork, and a flavor-forward, Kansas City-style house rub with more going on than most, rounded out with maple and applewood smoke. Then the Thor's Hammer lands — a huge bone-in smoked beef shank, carried out to turn heads. It is barbecue for people who understand that the good stuff takes time, and is worth every minute.
Third Wave BBQ
Ascot Vale, Australia
Third Wave's Ascot Vale room, on Mt Alexander Road, runs on the same conviction as the rest: barbecue is a thing you cannot hurry. Beef brisket takes twelve to sixteen hours over hickory, emerging with a dark, peppery bark and fat rendered soft — Central Texas in spirit, Melbourne in postcode. The rest of the board travels the American South and Midwest: pork ribs finished with a dry spice rub, pulled pork, and house rubs built thick and flavor-forward in the Kansas City manner, with maple and applewood folded into the smoke. And the Thor's Hammer holds court — an outsized smoked beef shank, bone and all, carved at the table. It is the sort of dish you order once and talk about long after.
Third Wave BBQ
Melbourne, Australia
Third Wave BBQ built its name on patience. At the Albert Park flagship on Victoria Avenue, beef brisket goes over hickory for the long haul — twelve to sixteen hours of low, steady smoke until the bark turns dark and the fat renders to butter. It is Texas thinking, cooked in Melbourne. The menu reaches across the American map. Pork ribs come dry-rubbed in the Southern manner, pulled pork alongside, and everything carries the mark of a flavor-forward, Kansas City-style house rub built from more spices than most kitchens bother with. Maple and applewood round out the smoke. Then there is the Thor's Hammer — a single, enormous smoked beef shank on the bone, hauled out like a trophy. It is the dish people come back for, and the clearest statement of what this kitchen is about: big, honest, wood-fired cooking with nothing rushed. Come hungry, and come ready to wait for meat worth waiting for.
Third Wave BBQ
Applecross, Australia
This is Third Wave's Perth outpost, carrying the same patient craft across the country to Canning Highway in Applecross. Beef brisket is the headline, smoked over hickory for twelve to sixteen hours until it gives with a nudge — Texas method, Western Australia address. Around it sits a tour of American barbecue: dry-rubbed pork ribs in the Southern style, pulled pork, and the kitchen's flavor-forward, Kansas City-leaning house rubs. Maple and applewood do the quieter work behind the beef's hickory. The showstopper travels too — the Thor's Hammer, a colossal smoked beef shank on the bone, is as much spectacle as supper. It is barbecue that rewards an unhurried table and a real appetite.
Third Wave BBQ
Officer, Australia
Third Wave gives Melbourne's south-east the full low-and-slow treatment from its Officer venue on Siding Avenue — brisket smoked over hickory for twelve to sixteen hours, pork ribs in a dry Southern rub, pulled pork, and house rubs in the Kansas City vein. The centrepiece is the Thor's Hammer: an enormous smoked beef shank on the bone, equal parts meal and spectacle. Bring an appetite and a little patience.
Third Wave BBQ
Hawthorn East, Australia
On Riversdale Road in Hawthorn East, Third Wave keeps to the long game. The brisket is the argument: hickory smoke, twelve to sixteen hours, a bark you can hear crack — Texas technique, cooked in Melbourne's east. From there the menu ranges wide. Pork ribs come dressed in a dry Southern rub, pulled pork alongside, and the house blends run flavor-forward and layered, the Kansas City way, with maple and applewood shading the fire. The Thor's Hammer is the flourish — a giant smoked beef shank on the bone, theater and dinner in one. Come with time on your hands; this is meat cooked to its own schedule, not yours.
Wildfire Craft BBQ
Newcomb, Australia
A barbecue venue in Newcomb that keeps a tight schedule—open Friday and Saturday lunch and dinner, Sunday lunch until sold out—and takes orders through the website alone. No phone calls, no walk-ups. This is a place that knows what it wants to be and isn't interested in being anything else. Find it on Watsons Road. Plan ahead.