A BBQ-filled Day Trip Guide to Lexington, North Carolina

Continuing our efforts to visit at least one destination in the Southeastern U.S. each month, Michael and I decided to make the quick trip up to Lexington, North Carolina, one Saturday in early February.

This wasn’t our first visit to the small, Piedmont town just south of Winston-Salem. We made the trek almost exactly one year earlier in search of the town’s namesake barbecue.

Why would we drive an hour out of Charlotte just for barbecue? Because the BBQ scene in Charlotte is sorely lacking. Yes, there are good places to eat barbecue here in the Queen City, but if you ask anyone local, you’d hear that there are no great places. Lexington considers itself the “Barbecue Capital of the World” and boasts fifteen different BBQ joints across the city.

But barbecue is barbecue, right? If the barbecue spots in your hometown are fantastic, there’s no reason to travel for it, right?

Wrong.

Lexington-style barbecue is typically pork shoulder cooked over hardwood, sliced or chopped, and served with “dip” (i.e., sauce). Hushpuppies and red slaw are non-negotiable, and you’re unlikely to find mac and cheese on the sides menu (sorry Michael).

This style of barbecue is in complete opposition to Eastern Carolina BBQ – which is typically a chopped whole-hog affair served with a mayo-based cole slaw and cornbread. And of course, this is a completely different beast (sometimes literally) than the barbecue you might find in Texas, Alabama, St. Louis, or Memphis.

Looking for more great day trips from Charlotte? Check out my guide to Every Essential Day Trip from Charlotte, North Carolina.

On our first visit, we chose two highly-rated spots and ordered one meal from each to share at a nearby park; a practice we repeated on this trip as well (I’ll link all four spots in the guide here so you can decide where you want to eat!).

If you’re local to Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, or any other nearby cities, a quick day trip to Lexington is a very good idea. And while you’re primarily here to eat, you may as well explore a little. Here’s what to see and do (and eat!) in a day:

WHERE TO EAT & DRINK IN LEXINGTON, NC

Red Donut Shop

Red Donut Shop | 117 N Main St, Lexington, NC 27292

With BBQ for lunch in mind, you’ll want to eat something on the lighter side for breakfast. I know what you’re thinking – in what world is a donut a light breakfast? Well, have you ever noticed that you feel like you’re starving within an hour after eating a donut? That’s why. (But if you’re looking for something a bit more filling, Red Donut Shop fills donuts to order!).

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Speedy’s BBQ

Speedy's BBQ | 408 Piedmont Dr, Lexington, NC 27295

We didn’t call ahead to order at Speedy’s because we couldn’t find the menu or a website (although to me, that’s usually a sign of a good hole-in-the-wall local place). And by the time we walked inside, we realized that we could have placed a curbside order. Not a big deal, we thought, BBQ is usually fast, and this place is called Speedy’s. Well, dear reader, we were sorely mistaken. But eventually, we received our order of a Chopped Plate with slaw and beans (and hushpuppies!), and headed for our second destination: Lexington Style Trimmings.

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Lexington Style Trimmings

Lexington Style Trimmings | Now Closed

Not only does Lexington Style Trimmings (now closed) not include a menu on their website – they don’t even have a website. So, once again we headed over to order inside. We landed on the Chopped BBQ Plate (I suspect if you called any of Lexington’s barbecue places and ordered a “chopped plate” they would know what you were talking about, menu or no menu), which came with hush puppies, slaw, and fries.

Once we received our order, we drove around the corner to Finch Park to enjoy a barbecue feast from Lexington Style Trimmings and Speedy’s. So, with both side-by-side, who won? Lexington Style Trimmings, hands-down. The barbecue didn’t come with any dip, but it’s okay because it didn’t need it. Mixed into the meat were crisp pieces of skin, and the chop was a little coarser. The slaw was crunchier and tangier, and the hushpuppies. Oh my goodness, these may just be my favorite hushpuppies ever.

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Lexington Barbecue

Lexington Barbecue | 100 Smokehouse Ln, Lexington, NC 27295

I wish I had a better photo to share of this stalwart, but we visited during my blogging hiatus and I just have the one! Pictured is the Chopped BBQ Tray, served with red slaw. I regret that we didn’t order hushpuppies, as those are homemade and rolls are usually not (please forgive me for my sins). On this particular visit to Lexington, we paired this meal with one from B-B-Q Center (below) – and the BBQ from Lexington Barbecue won the match.

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B-B-Q Center

 B-B-Q Center | 900 N Main St, Lexington, NC 27292

Well, while Lexington Barbecue won the match for best BBQ, B-B-Q Center took the win for best accompaniments. The red slaw and dip were far superior to the ones from Lexington Barbecue, and the hushpuppies won by default. Although you can’t really see it, this was the Chopped Plate, served with red slaw, fries, and hushpuppies. To me, the fries from BBQ places are always a waste – I find that they are usually fried from frozen, and the least appealing thing on the plate.

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Goose and the Monkey Brew House

Goose and the Monkey Brew House | 401 S Railroad St, Lexington, NC 27292

Just a ten-minute walk from the heart of Uptown (yes, like Charlotte, Lexington’s downtown is called Uptown) is Goose and the Monkey Brew House. The industrial space houses not only the brewery but a coffee roastery and pizza truck as well. Predictably, we ordered both IPA options – but they also brew a lager, wheat ale, stout, porter, and amber ale.

WHAT TO SEE & DO IN LEXINGTON, NC

Davidson County Historical Museum

Davidson County Historical Museum | 2 S Main St, Lexington, NC 27292

This small museum inside the old Davidson County Courthouse is a hidden gem (well, a gem that’s hidden in plain sight!). It’s clear the museum staff take great pride in curating their exhibits and maintaining their permanent collection. The museum features artifacts from all over Davidson County – and it’s free to visit. Best of all we had the place to ourselves, so we could really linger.

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Shopping in Lexington, NC

Second Glance Consignment Boutique

Second Glance Consignment Boutique | Marble Alley, Lexington, NC 27292

This little consignment shop tucked away off of Main Street somehow feels a lot like every other small-town consignment shop I’ve visited: filled with lots of cat sweaters. But just a few minutes of poking around netted me a wonderful find: a short trench that feels tailor-made for me!

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The Candy Factory

The Candy Factory | 15 N Main St, Lexington, NC 27292

Hi, my name is Alyssa, and I have a sweet tooth. Great, now that I’ve got that out of the way, The Candy Factory is a dangerous spot for me. But I went in with blinders on, looking for one particular locally-made treat: Red Bird candies. These delicious, melt-in-your-mouth peppermints are made right in Lexington – and The Candy Factory sells various sizes and flavors. Just consider yourself warned: one is never enough.

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Conrad & Hinkle

Conrad & Hinkle | 6 N Main St, Lexington, NC 27292

Story-time: on our last visit to Lexington, we noticed the large cooler of pimento cheese inside Conrad & Hinkle’s, and I promised Michael we would return again that day to buy one on our way home. Well, we arrived about five minutes after closing, and he was heartbroken. So this time around, I made sure to note the shop’s closing time, and we brought along a cooler. He was very excited to finally take home this tub of cheese.

Unfortunately, a year’s worth of yearning can lead to sky-high expectations, and we both thought the pimento cheese just didn’t hit the mark (the culprit: sugar). No matter, there are plenty of other delicious local items to be found in the store, like Moravian cookies and chicken pies.

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SML Retro Gaming

SML Retro Gaming | 17 W 2nd Ave, Lexington, NC 27292

I wasn’t expecting Lexington to have a retro video game store, but there’s one right in the middle of Uptown. Even though we had already visited a candy store, Michael was even more like a kid in a candy store at SML Retro Gaming. According to him, the selection and prices at this locally-owned shop are good and fair.

WITH MORE TIME IN LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

Visit Lexington’s Local Wineries

Childress Vineyards is the closest to Lexington, and also probably the most well-known in the area. Yet only ten minutes away are Curran Alexander Vineyards and Native Vines Winery. I haven’t visited the first two, I have previously visited Native Vines and really enjoyed my visit. Fun fact: it’s the first American Indian-owned winery in the country.

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Take in Lexington’s Art Scene

You can find art high and low in Lexington. The town is the home of Bob Timberlake Gallery, which houses the artist’s iconic paintings and furnishings. Walking around Uptown, you can’t miss Pigs in the City – because there’s one on almost every corner!

FINAL THOUGHTS ON TAKING A DAY TRIP TO LEXINGTON

A day trip to Lexington is a trip everyone in the region should take at least once in their lives. With a cute, walkable downtown core, ultra-tasty barbecue right from the source, and enough to fill the hours between meals, Lexington is perfect for a day or half-day away. Just be sure to arrive hungry!

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Pit-Stop Paradise: A BBQ-Filled Day Trip Guide to Lexington, North Carolina