Lewis Barbecue - Greenville, SC

After 30 plus years, a Greenville staple, Tommy's Ham House closed it's doors. As a local, I was definitely disappointed to see it go, but as a BBQ lover, I was instantly incited at the news of a new BBQ restaurant coming to town.

While South Carolina is given credit as the birthplace of BBQ, that's pretty close to where our recognition with BBQ ends. Yeah, I know, "but we have mustard sauce." Thank you for proving my point. Outside of about 10 people, nobody likes mustard base sauce. Deep down in side you know you don't either, you just eat it because that's what you great up with.

Until recently, Greenville has had few options when it came to BBQ, and even fewer options for really good BBQ.

In recent years, Moe's Original opened up on Stone Ave, followed a few years later by Home Team BBQ just a mile or two down the street. Each instantly shot up my list of not just favorite BBQ joints, but restaurants in all of Greenville.

After months and months of anticipation, Lewis Barbecue finally opened and I was not going to let it go a full weekend before I stepped through their doors.

The outdoor seating area, is one of not only the best in Greenville, but that I've been to.

If you're ever stopping by and the line is to this point below, expect to wait an hour and 15 to 30 minutes, because that's what it took us. But again, we expected a long wait.

The whole surrounding area was very well done. They even built a place for the kids to run around and scream.

Once inside, there's absolutely no remnants of Tommy's Ham House and they did a great job.

Wait time update, to get to this point took just over an hour.

Getting so close, but a solid 15 minutes away.

While waiting someone had gotten the nachos, so I tried to sneak a pic, but my camera decided to focus on the ropes instead. I do like the pepper smiley face on the right.

I'M NEXT!!!!!

What would you like? "One of everything! One of each sausage, 2 slices of brisket, 2 slices of turkey, 2 ribs, and a quarter pound of pulled pork."

We also got for sides; baked beans, green chilies corn pudding, mac and cheese, and fries.

Hey Rhett.

When you love BBQ the way I do, you cheers the brisket.

People always think I'm joking when I say Rhett's my son. I mean, just look at how he looks at BBQ. It's literally the exact face I made when I was ordering.

If I didn't get some banana pudding too, I would have been the worst husband ...

... and dad ever.

So how was it and how does it rank to others in Greenville?

Baked beans - Dawn loved them, but they weren't my favorite. I think they were made at least with some pinto beans and they're just not my favorite.

Corn pudding - I don't eat it, but D absolutely loved it. Her words were, "I'm coming back and just ordering a platter of this."

Fries - These things are delicious. I've had them at a few restaurants now and they're just so crispy and just good.

Mac and Cheese - You only get two types of mac, delicious or not good. You can't really rank it any other way because there's just so many different ways you can make it. This is of the delicious variety.

Sausages - Both were great. Super juicy and the skin just snaps when you bite through it. Absolutely nobody in Greenville compares to Lewis here. These are in a class of their own.

D calls me the "BBQ Snob" and forbids me to order ribs anywhere that isn't a BBQ restaurant and supposed to have great ribs, because she knows I'll basically throw a fit the whole time and not be happy. Moe's Original has the best restaurant ribs in Greenville, hands down, it's not close, and I'll fight you over it.

Ribs - A little tough to get off the bone. Tastes good, but were definitely a little under on temp that made them tough. I'll give them a try in the future to see if it was just opening week that caused them to not be perfect, but Moe's still owns this crown.

Turkey - Really good. I liked the smoke, rub, and tenderness. If you like smoked turkey, this is definitely worth ordering. Unfortunately for them, Moe's is taking this one too.

Pulled Pork - This is where they're going to win a lot of people or lose a lot of people. They're pork is in a Vinegar sauce, and as for me, I loved it. I thought it was super tender, great flavor, and I will be getting a sandwich when I get tired of their brisket. I think Home Team has better pulled pork than Moe's. Lewis is definitely giving Home Team a run for their money. I'll have to try each again to pick a favorite between the two ... oh darn, poor me.

Brisket - Best in Greenville! Boom, done, end of discussion. There's some places that have really good briskets around, but this is just another level.

Lewis Barbecue is going to make it awfully hard to take a turn onto Stone Ave to go to Moe's or Home Team. All 3 still have certain things that I rank as my favorite, but I was really impressed and borderline miserably full when we left.

The ribs were the only major disappointment, and the main thing keeping them from a full 5 Spurs Up.