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| - It's no secret, Charlotte isn't know for the best BBQ in the South. Meanwhile, Midwood does a great job at raising the bar in the Queen City. It's the top BBQ joint in town, by a lot. Many will debate that. However, I'm sorry Mac's Speed Shop, while your portions are much larger than Midwood, the quality, sauces and flavor are a notch below Midwood. Midwood succeeds at providing more than just good BBQ. They dish out great service, in an upbeat atmosphere complete with TVs and a full bar. It's a great place to come for a work lunch, on a date, with friends or for a celebration. They have plenty of local beers on tap, too, which bodes well with good BBQ.
I travel for a living, eat out three times a day more than 300 days a year and have been to more than 300 BBQ restaurants in the country (it's probably more like 500) so I'm holding a high bar comparing Midwood to the country's best. It's very good. And, when we're in Charlotte it's where we take friends and family if the word "BBQ" is mentioned. Hands down, if you're from Charlotte and haven't eaten BBQ consistently elsewhere, you'll definitely be blown away here. Everything is done well. From the meats, to dessert and sides, there's nothing that disappoints. In fact, even the hush puppies impress, which is hard to do.
Nevertheless, to be a 5-star, it must be one of the best BBQ places in the US and while it's darn close, it's one notch away from reaching the amazing BBQ you'll get a the Pompous Pig in Anderson, Smokin Pig near Clemson, Melvin's in the Charleston area, Louella's in Asheville, etc. I believe it's slightly better than a known Southern chain such as Jim N Nicks and blows away places like Smokey Bones and Sticky Fingers. Don't even bring up Sonny's and Dickey's. Midwood owns those places. In short, you need to eat here. It'll become one of your favorite places in Charlotte.
Deciding what to order isn't a chore, as long as you choose a combo platter, where four meats wind up on your plate. I'm not a big rib guy, so we normally split the Well Fed (feeds 2) or the Pig Out (feeds 3) and opt for the brisket, Hickory Smoked Sausage, Carolina Chopped Pork and Chopped Chicken BBQ. Consider that you are splitting this with another or two others and it's a great deal. Don't be discouraged, the St Louis Style Pork Ribs are good. I took my friends on a BBQ tour through the Carolinas and they enjoyed these ribs almost as much as a few of the above mentioned places. Another thing to consider is they do daily specials, too, such as Pork Burnt Ends, yum.
The two sides can be a challenge to pick. All are good. But, we are partial to two: smoked veggies and bacon wrapped jalapenos. Damn, these are good! If you've been to the Smokin Pig, the sweet potato fries here aren't as good, but they are much better than any you'd order at a normal restaurant and the greens are top-notch.
Another thing I like about Midwood is the range of available sauces. Rather than solely vinegar, like many places in Carolina they offer an assortment, which keeps everyone happy. All their sauces, South Carolina Mustard, Eastern NC Vinegar, Midwood Signature & Spicy Habanero are tasty and done well.
As for dessert, we've only tried the banana pudding. If you can fit any in your stomach after the large portions you ate already, give it a try. While Alabama's Dreamland continues to serve the best banana pudding, theirs is memorable, too.
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