Lexington Barbecue

Lexington Barbecue — known locally as Lexington #1 or 'the Monk' after founder Wayne Monk — is the anchor restaurant of what many consider North Carolina's barbecue capital. Operating since 1962 at 100 Smokehouse Lane in Lexington, NC, the restaurant defines the Lexington style of barbecue: pork shoulders slow-smoked over hickory coals for up to twelve hours, then hand-chopped or sliced and served with a thin, lightly tomato-tinted vinegar-and-pepper dip sauce. This regional tradition is distinct from the whole-hog, purely vinegar-based style practiced in eastern North Carolina, and Lexington Barbecue is its most famous practitioner. The chopped pork BBQ sandwich — served on a plain bun with red slaw (cabbage dressed in the same tomato-vinegar sauce) — is the definitive order. Sides are traditional and unpretentious: hush puppies, baked beans, coleslaw, and Brunswick stew in cooler months. The restaurant is a no-frills institution: linoleum floors, formica tables, and pitmaster efficiency define the experience. The pits have been operating continuously for over sixty years, and the smoke is often perceptible from the parking lot on arrival. Lexington Barbecue draws long lines on weekend afternoons, particularly during the annual Lexington Barbecue Festival in October, when tens of thousands of visitors descend on the town. No reservations are accepted; the kitchen serves until the meat runs out, making an early arrival the prudent strategy. The restaurant is closed on Sundays.