Sweet Lew's BBQ
Barbecue restaurant · Belmont
923 Belmont Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205
Highlights
Wood-smoked BBQ meats, ribs & fried chicken plus beer
Wood-smoked BBQ meats, ribs & fried chicken plus beer
"If you were dropped blindly into Sweet Lew’s, you’d think you were in a small-town BBQ joint, not a restaurant in North Carolina’s largest urban city. It’s small and humble, with Coca-Cola, Cheerwine, and RC Cola memorabilia on the walls alongside vintage photos from when the building used to be a Texaco service station. Order the Sweet Lew Sampler at the counter from a menu scrawled on a chalkboard. You’ll get brisket, chopped pork that tastes great doused in classic Eastern North Carolina vinegar BBQ sauce, and ribs, plus two sides (the best being the mac and cheese and meaty collard greens). When the weather’s nice, take your metal tray to the patio’s picnic tables and enjoy your ribs in this quiet neighborhood." - tess allen, g clay whittaker
"The newest addition to the Charlotte dining scene from co-owners Lewis Donald and Laura Furman Grice, Sweet Lew’s offers a “real North Carolina barbecue experience” in the Belmont neighborhood. The barbecue joint is housed in a flipped old service station, with a smoker burning a blend of hickory, pecan and peach woods, serving smoked meats including Lexington-style chopped barbecue made with North Carolina pork shoulder, dry-rubbed ribs and smoked chicken. Other options range from brisket, to fried chicken, to fried fish. Don't overlook the classic sides: baked beans, collards, mac and cheese, boiled peanuts, and Carolina boiled potato. Top it off with a sweet serving of banana pudding." - Katie Toussaint
All-wood, old-school Carolina ’cue served until it runs out. Celebrated by Charlotte Magazine and Axios Charlotte, pitmaster Lewis Donald’s Belmont joint is community-rooted and lunch-perfect—pork, ribs, and sides that taste of smoke and patience.
A converted service station with wood-only pits turning out Lexington-style pork, ribs, and smoked chicken that sell out. Celebrated by Thrillist nationally and praised by Charlotte Magazine and the Charlotte Observer, it anchors Belmont’s barbecue identity.
Pitmaster Lewis Donald smokes over hickory, pecan, and peach wood at this no-frills spot near Uptown. Editors and barbecue writers praise the brisket, chopped pork, and sides like collards and mac.
