Let’s settle this: Which Lexington joint has the best barbecue? Vote now in our poll
A Western Kentucky barbecue joint is again in the spotlight, making an annual list of where to find good ’cue.
Southern Living named Old Hickory Bar-B-Que in Owensboro among the best in the South, in 24th place, up from 28th last year.
But as good as as Old Hickory is, the rankings might have overlooked some spots closer to Lexington. So we’re giving readers a chance to set the record straight.
Blue Door Smokehouse, 226 Walton Ave., was singled out in 2021 as the best in the country, based on ratings and reviews on Tripadvisor. Blue Door was highlighted for its excellent service, as well as high-quality food, which is much sought after for football season tailgates.
Another local restaurant that has a lot of fans: J. Render’s Southern Table & Bar, 3191 Beaumont Centre Circle, is more upscale, but also does all its own smoking (including the cheese for its mac and cheese.) And people rave about the cornbread salad made with Sweet Jalapeno Cornbread using local Weisenberger Mill cornmeal.
Red State BBQ, 4020 Georgetown Road, also has a big following and has won lots of Readers’ Choice awards.
The location is a bit out of the way unless you’re driving to Georgetown and then it’s perfect. Just the kind of off-the-beaten path place to attract someone like Dennis Quaid, who stopped by in 2018 when he was in town for the annual Harry Dean Stanton Fest. (Quaid and Stanton played in a band together.)
But for laid-back atmosphere, it might be hard to beat Proud Mary BBQ, 9079 Old Richmond Road, on the Kentucky River next to the Clays Ferry Bridge. Besides great barbecue and Cajun food, Proud Mary has an outdoor stage and sandpits where you can chill and chow down.
What’s sort of sad is Lexington used to have a lot more local barbecue. A 2015 Herald-Leader story noted there were “now at least 10 barbecue restaurants in Lexington, with at least six more in surrounding counties.” But many of those have closed (Billy’s Bar-B-Q, Lyles BBQ) or moved out of Lexington (Bradford BBQ in Lancaster). Now it’s mostly chains.
But which local joint is the best? Vote for your favorite, using whatever internal criteria suits you because, whether you like brisket, pulled pork, mutton or smoked chicken, barbecue preferences are personal.
You must use the polling feature below to cast your vote, but if you feel we’ve forgotten something, shoot us an email at ask@herald-leader.com.
Our poll is not scientific, it’s just for fun, and you can vote as often as you’d like. We’ll give you until Monday afternoon (you know, in case you need to go test a couple spots this weekend), then report back on readers’ top pick.
