I stopped at Sweet Lew’s BBQ in Charlotte, North Carolina, a North Carolina barbecue joint, for a proper plate of smoked meat. It’s a no-frills spot with a lot of personality, which is exactly what you want when the food is the star.
How it works
You grab a seat and they come to your table to take your order. Drinks keep it simple, with sweet or unsweet tea, lemonade, and fountain sodas, plus beer and other drinks from the bar. There’s nothing fancy to get in the way of the meat.
The food
I went with the two meat combo, ribs and brisket, with a side of mac and cheese and a side of potato salad. The combo plates also come with hushpuppies, and they were a nice bonus on the tray.
The brisket, certified Angus beef smoked for 12 hours and seasoned with salt and pepper, was melt-in-your-mouth tender. I topped it with the brisket sauce, which had a yellow mustard taste that suited the meat well. The ribs had a dark, peppery crust and were tender, coming right off the bone. I paired them with the rib sauce, which was a bit more vinegary than what I’m used to, but it was really good.
The mac and cheese was also really good. The potato salad, on the other hand, wasn’t for me.
Sauces and by the pound
There is a wide variety of sauces to choose from, with bottles lined up and labeled for each meat, including Sweet Heat, Chicken, Brisket, Cherry Berry Bomb, and Rib. It’s worth trying a few with your plate. You can also buy by the pound, which makes it easy to bring some home or feed a group.
The room
Sweet Lew’s wears its personality on the ceiling. Ball caps hang from the beams all over the dining room, alongside string lights, vintage signs, and a neon Pabst Blue Ribbon sign on the brick walls. The bar is wrapped in corrugated metal and covered in stickers, with red and black stools, ceiling fans, and TVs showing the game. A small merch cabinet near the restrooms sells hats, shirts, and koozies.
Outside, a colorful mural of Charlotte scenes covers the building, a glowing pig head sign hangs over the entrance, and a neon “Got Meat” sign shines in the window. The big smokers sit parked right beside the building, which tells you everything about what’s cooking inside.
Tender meat, a sauce for every mood, and a no-frills room that lets the smoke do the talking.
