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Little Richard's Lexington BBQ
Category: Restaurants Barbeque Barbeque [Edit]
4885 Country Club RdWinston-Salem, NC 27104
(336) 760-3457
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 11 am - 9 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
35 reviews for Little Richard's Lexington BBQ
Review Highlights
"said, the ice and sweet tea is perfect as well."
(in 11 reviews)
"The standouts were the sweet tea and the hush puppies."
(in 10 reviews)
"...eater and had difficulty finishing the large chopped tray."
(in 3 reviews)
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35 reviews in English
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Review from Julie J.
Matawan, NJ
1/14/2012
I dream of Little Richard's Pulled Pork... it's good over salad with ranch dressing and yummy on their soft rolls with cole slaw... their tea is fab and so is the service! I can't wait for my next trip to NC so I can go fill my belly!
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Review from Andrew H.
Winston-Salem, NC
10/6/2011
Pros:
Little Richard's was my first experience with North Carolina barbecue and boy and am impressed. Succulent tender meat, perfectly crunchy yet soft hush puppies, and flavorful and fresh cole slaw. Their prices are excellent, their staff is friendly, and (as one of my friends commented), the crushed ice is a step above normal crushed ice.
Cons:
Their BBQ chicken is mediocre. Skip it. Don't expect fancy tables or even real plates and the "rolls" they give you are just white-bread hamburger buns.
Summary: Little Richards is a great place and I whole heartily recommend Little Richards to anyone who loves delicious BBQ Pork. I've heard it's the best BBQ in Winston-Salem and I believe it.
Food: 5 stars (ignore the BBQ chicken)
Service: 5 stars
Environment: 3 stars
Value: 5 stars -
Review from Bonny C.
Rural Hall, NC
1/15/2012
In my ten plus years moving here from TN, I have tried a lot of NC BBQ trying to adapt o my new home. This is my favorite. I don't make it here as often as I'd like but this is the closest I've found to real downhome BBQ in NC.
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Review from Melinda C.
Manhattan, NY
1/31/2012
Think this place is fantastic! I'm from the northeast so I don't get a chance to have Carolina bbq a lot but what a great place to have it. The restaurant is unpretentious and has lots of character--- red and white covered tables, with tobacco ads everywhere. The pork, cole slaw, hush puppies and bread are all delicious and come at fantastic prices. Highly recommend and a must-try.
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Review from Joe F.
Tucson, AZ
1/7/2012
I chose to eat here due to the many positive reviews on Yelp. I must say this just didn't "cut the mustard" I did not like the slaw at all. It may be that Lexington style BBQ ( ketchup, vinegar, water, sugar) was just not enough to make the pork tasty and i felt like i was eating unflavored pork with over flavored slaw. The salad is a joke and the dressing are cheap pre packaged ranch. This place has a friendly service. I just felt like this is way over rated.
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Review from Anne K.
12/3/2011
Little Richard's serves true North Carolina Barbeque. Their sauce is really really good! My uncle recommended this restaurant to us as an introduction (in contrast to the classic bbq that we had the night before). The restaurant is very low key even though it is so well known in the area. In addition to the meat, I also enjoyed the side of hush puppies and cole slaw.
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Review from Patrick P.
Raleigh, NC
1/4/2012
Great lunch spot. Excellent barbecue with equally good hush puppies. Cash only!
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Review from Jane D.
Washington, DC
10/18/2011
Little Richard's opened the doors for me who, prior to coming here, hasn't had Lexington-style BBQ before. I got the small plate and the meat was very dry but the place redeemed itself when I tried their Memphis-style BBQ. The sauce was great and made the meat tender and very delicious. I didn't like the Lexington-style BBQ, it was very soupy and didn't enhance the meat. The flavor is also something that is acquired I guess. I do like their sweet tea and hush puppies, though neither were phenomenal. They're good but they don't make me want to slap-your-momma. Oh, and their cole slaw! I don't like cole slaw but their slaw is slap-your-momma-good! BTW, they are closed on Sundays, cash only, very friendly staff, and great prices. There is another Little Richard's that is open on Sundays.
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Review from Jon T.
Winston-Salem, NC
5/15/2011
Let me start by saying that I am not huge on Lexington-style barbeque. As a matter of fact, I probably wouldn't have gone to this restaurant if I had known better. I like my barbeque Memphis-style.
Now, with that being said, Little Richards isn't ALL bad. The sauce is definitely not for me, but the meat itself was tender. I could see actually enjoying this place if I could get past the sauce.
I will say that they capitalize on an uncelebrated piece of Winston-Salem history with their old cigarette sign decor. I think that Winston-Salem takes a shameful approach to their tobacco roots. Cancer and heart disease aside, I see reasons to celebrate it. It have a neat look to this restaurant. It gave it the true decor that an old barbeque place should have.
All this being said, I probably won't return to Little Richard's. I'll hold off and only have barbeque when I'm further west where they make barbeque the right way. Lots of people like this Lexington-style stuff, though. If you are one of those people, Little Richard's might just be for you. -
Review from Larissa S.
Philadelphia, PA
2/25/2011
Oh my so good! I am not used to Lexington style barbecue but wanted to check out this place while passing through Winston-Salem.
I ordered the small sliced plate which came with hush puppies, a side order of potato salad and my mom and I split a basket of the sweet potato fries to try.
First, SO MUCH FOOD. I am so glad I got the small plate. The sliced pork was delicious, especially topped with the famous sauce. In retrospect I should have tried the coarse chopped plate as a like those carmelized brown pieces mixed in with my barbecue, but the sliced was very light and satisfying. Didn't have as much smoke flavor as I anticipated, though.
My mom got a fish sandwich (go figure) and said it was standard.
The bbq slaw is delicious with the meat, the hush puppies were yummy, and we loved the sweet potato fries. Potato salad was gross (yellow mustard, no onions/veggies) but that's ok. Didn't really need it anyway.
Sweet tea was incredible. Bill came out to $20 for all that food! -
Review from Christopher M.
Charlotte, NC
6/29/2011
I am salivating as I write this review! I love love love the food here. It is not healthy but it is ohhhhhh so good! If you ever feel like some good BBQ, you have to visit Little Richard's. As you can see from pictures in other posts here, the place is simple in an inviting sort of way with checkered table cloths, old signs and advertisements from the area, etc. To me, this place is all about feeling relaxed while enjoying good food. Bring the whole family if you like and just enjoy!
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Review from Brian W.
Brooklyn, NY
8/26/2010
It was a Monday afternoon and we needed a cheap lunch. For that, we went to Little Richard's BBQ.
For a whopping 8 bucks, we got the large plate and a bunch of hushpuppies. it was tasty and got the job done. -
Review from Theo S.
Chicago, IL
8/16/2010
There is not much that I can say about Little Richard's that probably not been said. The only thing I can think of is, you know you are in a great place when the entrance says cash only and people are eating at tables outside the restaurant.
Who needs a visa machine when you have good food. The place was great and the chopped pork sandwich was more that I could expect. PLUS: The BBQ slaw was a great accent to the sandwich.
Very affordable food too! -
Review from Ree N.
Winston-Salem, NC
10/11/2010 5 photos
The restaurant is tiny, the portions are HUGE.
After almost two months in town, we finally went to a true blue BBQ joint. We live off Country Club Rd, so we're constantly driving by the neon sign of the running porker, then we finally gave in and came in.
We were not disappointed. This was exactly what we had imagined a BBQ would look like: red and white checkerboard table cloths, nostalgic artwork/advertising on the wall and good ole, no frills eatin'. The old tin Winston/Salem/Camel cigarette ads were Kool (Haha, get it? Because Kool is a cigarette brand too).
Luckily we came in on what looked like a relatively slow night and had no problems finding a table for two. My wife and I both ordered plates and sweet tea. And as soon as our food came out, we quickly realized that we should've order just one plate. The foam Plates were Pack full of Piled Pulled Pork!
The meat was tender and nicely seasoned. We were new to the vinegar based BBQ of NC, but really liked what we had.
A Wap Baba Loo Bop, Wop Bam Boo! -
Review from Paul G.
Jacksonville, NC
5/24/2008
Great spot for Western NC BBQ. Highly recommended to all. Great amount of food for price. Nice casual setting.
This BBQ is tomato based. My favorite is vinegar based.
Western NC BBQ is better for the weak at heart.
Very affordable/family atmosphere. Go there, you won't be disappointed. -
Review from Fred B.
Greensboro, NC
9/12/2010
I like the Lexington style BBQ this little place produces, and though the sauce is a little more vinegary than most in the piedmont, it does contain ketchup and that's Lexington. The meat is not chopped too finely, and has some brown bits in it, and is a little moist coming out of the kitchen - I never feel the need to add any more sauce to it.
The BBQ chicken served Friday & Saturday is very, very good. The slaw is a white slaw, and goes well with the pork. The fries are only so-so, the hush puppies very good, and the Brunswick stew is ok. They make a very good hamburger, it used to be even better before they changed the bun, too much bread now. And finally they make a good hot dog.
The place is small, crowded at peak, with some outside seating. No credit cards, so cash is needed. This place has no current connection with the Little Richard's in Clemmons, though they do have another place in Wallburg. -
Review from Steph A.
Winston-Salem, NC
5/29/2011
I recently moved to North Carolina and this was my first bbq outing. While I could have done a lot worse, it also didn't blow me away. The coarse chopped tray with bbq slaw was good. The pork was fork tender, and the sauce was decent (but too thin, in my opinion). But without the sauce the pork just didn't have much flavor. It wasn't particularly smoky. So I kind of had to drown it in bbq sauce and hot sauce to get some flavor into it. Bbq slaw was good and something I've never had before. The standouts were the sweet tea and the hush puppies. But at a bbq place the meat should really be the standout, and while there was nothing wrong with it it also didn't really sing for me. I think I'll have to continue on with my bbq tour.
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Review from Hubert S.
Grosse Pointe Park, MI
3/22/2010
If I only ate the hushpuppies, this place would be 5-star. They are silly scrumptious. Okay? Good.
I am a BBQ junkie. I am really particular about my meat. Don't read into that too deeply. Please. Really? Come on, stop chuckling. Let's mentally mature and continue, shall we? *rolling eyes*
Anyway, I was in Winston-Salem to visit my sister, when I drove by the Country Club Road location. I thought, "Sweet! I could go for some southern 'Q." Mind you, I totally forgot I was in North Carolina and while I had never had BBQ in NC proper before, the renditions I've had back at home never really excited my palate. I was reminded of this when I got some of their coarse chopped pork.
The true test of good BBQ, at least for me, is how it tastes and chews without sauce. Luckily, the coarse chopped pork comes sauceless, so I was able to test Little Richard's mettle. Unfortunately, I immediately wished I had asked for some sauce after gnawing on the meat (HEY! Grow up!) for longer than I would prefer. Actually, I remembered I don't like the vinegar-y NC-style sauce, so yeah, this was not an ideal situation for me.
And those not familiar with food in NC, that cold, red diced stuff is not meat, it's coleslaw. Someone I know thought we brought raw BBQ home. That's the only reason this.
The service seemed to be great and you definitely feel like you are getting an authentic Southern experience, which seems weird in the town of Winston-Salem. There's so many expats there, I forgot I was in the south. -
Review from John C.
Winston-Salem, NC
4/12/2010
Little Richard's was pretty busy on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.
I sat down and knew immediately what I was ordering. Sweet Tea. Chopped Plate with hushpuppies, fries, and BBQ slaw.
The BBQ had a great smoky flavor with the tart bite associated with this regional style. It was very good even without additional sauce. The BBQ slaw was a nice compliment. A finely chopped cold scoop of cole slaw that mimiced the sweet/tart interplay with the BBQ. The fries are standard crickle cut but I appreciated the cajun seasoning provided on the table. The hushpuppies really are delightful. Light balls of dough fried to a perfect crispness. They are excellent for soaking up that extra bit of sauce on your plate or with a little bit of butter on them (granted, they are pretty good plain as well.)
The service was quick and my waitress was very attentive. I swear she had the sweet tea jug attached to her hip because my cup was always full.
The entire was just as you would expect from a BBQ place. Red checkered table clothes with old soda, cigarette, and alcohol signs on the walls. They do have some outside/curbside seating for those beautiful North Carolina days.
I will return to Little Richard's and may even look into them catering a party or two for me. They are a great combination of cheap, convenient, and yummy.
Remember, Cash only. -
Review from Jameil W.
Winston-Salem, NC
4/9/2011
I've been eating BBQ all my life. I had heard great things about this place and it was packed when I got there so I was really excited. I got a chop plate. The hushpuppies were yummy! The slaw was pretty good. The BBQ was just okay. :/ The lemonade? Abysmal. How does a BBQ joint use powdered lemonade? Unacceptable.
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Review from Rebecca D.
Framingham, MA
10/9/2007
I was recently down in North Carolina for the first time & the two foodie things that I wanted to do were real BBQ and go to Sonic (damn those TV ads, they are such a tease being played up North...but it's worth the trip...but that's another review).
The friend that I was visiting said that Little Richard's would be the best Southern BBQ experience around. Now, I didn't go anywhere else, so I can't compare...but damn if this place wasn't amazing.
I'm not really even sure where to start. The service was unbelievably fast & definitely ringing with Southern hospitality. The food was delicious. The servings were ENORMOUS. And four of us ate (with food left on the table) for $21!!! Insanity! -
Review from Jefferson S.
Winston-Salem, NC
3/23/2010
Hard to believe I hadn't officially reviewed Little Richard's in Winston... but I hadn't. Until now. I'd pretty much reviewed all the major BBQ offerings in W-S (Bibs, Mr BBQ, Hills, etc) and somehow forgot Lil Richards.
For my money, it's the gold standard for Lexington-style BBQ in this area.
Bottom line: if you like Lexington style BBQ (vinegar based with a touch of tomato), this is the place to go. Smokey 'cue, good pups, and sweet tea.
You might be able to do better, but you're likely to drive 30 minutes south to one of the Lexington joints... -
Review from Storm W.
San Francisco, CA
11/15/2007
My favorite BBQ restaurant in Winston Salem. The food is top notch and they will take your order from your car! Just park and leave you headlights on and a waitress will be with you in a short period of time.
It is in an odd location and making a safe LEFT turn out of the parking lot is not advised. It is a high accident location due to the traffic and very steep driveway. Do yourself a favor and make a right hand turn out of the parking lot and go up a block to turn around. -
Review from Ed D.
Round Rock, TX
5/6/2010
Be warned: Little Richard's is always packed, and there isn't really a place to stand while waiting for a table. Another warning: they only take cash. Every time I come back to North Carolina, I have to stop here. Last winter, I drove through a snowstorm to get to it.
For as busy as they are, the service is always great. When you think of a classic BBQ joint, this place is what will come to mind. It's a very old school place.
They simply have some of the best BBQ I've ever had. My wife loves their sweet tea (I don't drink tea), and we both really like the hushpuppies as well. The meat is always cooked perfect, and the sauce is better than anything I've had here in Texas.
All in all, this is one of my favorite restaurants. I couldn't get enough Little Richard's when I went to Wake, and I hate to be so far away from it now! -
Review from Kris B.
Salt Lake City, UT
9/1/2010
I guess I don't understand NC BBQ. Maybe the sauce is too vinegary? The nice upside were the hush puppies and sweet tea
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Review from Geoffrey E.
Winston-Salem, NC
7/3/2008
Little Richard's is great if you happen to be in the area, but don't drive out of your way for it.
If you're going to drive out of the way for bbq, drive a few more minutes south to Lexington.
I've always found the meat at Little Richards to be a bit on the dry side. Sure, it's served with a squeeze bottle of sauce, but this is NC bbq - I shouldn't have to wet it down - it should come moist.
It's decent enough, though not the best by any stretch of the imagination. -
Review from cathy s.
Winston-Salem, NC
5/8/2011
Love this place! The bbq is delicious. They have crinkle cut fries which I love & the hush puppies are outstanding. Really good Southern Sweet Tea. On Wed they have ribs, & they are very good - lots of smoke flavor. Try it out!
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Review from P. P.
Winston-Salem, NC
5/21/2008
I have tried quite a few barbeque joints in Winston Salem. Little Richards is the best barbeque in the local area! When you visit you will see a clean well lighted place with friendly competent waitresses. The place is showing its age but is still attractive with lots of original cigarette signs on the walls. The menu choices are similar to other Winston Salem barbeque places but the portions and prices are very competitive. Try the chopped tray. I'm a big eater and had difficulty finishing the large chopped tray. You'll get lots of Lexington style barbequed pork, barbeque sauced slaw and golf ball sized hush puppies. It's a bargain especially with the unlimited refills on drinks.
Pros: The food, service & prices. Cons: Cash only, no cards and they tend to be crowded (for a good reason) -
Review from Wes N.
Vinton, VA
7/29/2011
Fell in love with this place when I lived in Winston Salem. For years after we moved away my wife and I would drive 2 hours to have lunch and dinner at this mecca of pork. Little Richards excels at both the bbq and the sides. The tea is so sweet that my teeth hurt (thats a good thing) while the slaw (I'm a white slaw guy) and hush puppies are great too. There can be a wait at lunch on Saturday and gets crowded with the dinner rush too. The waitresses however do a good job of keeping people moving in a friendly manner.
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Review from Ben H.
Atlanta, GA
1/28/2009
Possibly the best food I've had in town (head to head with La Botana) and the best barbeque I've had in the city. I love visiting Winston-Salem because that means I can feast at Little Richard's!
I get the same thing every time: coarse-chopped pork plate with hushpuppies, baked beans and fries. I love the course chopped pork because it's something that a lot of other places don't do and you just get this plated heaped with huge, juicy chunks of tasty pork. It's just fantastic. Shake some of their sauce on it and you are golden. The hushpuppies are also phenomenal and you get quite a lot of them. The baked beans are pretty good. The fries are boring bag fries unfortunately. I'm not really a slaw person, but they have a red and a white (the red comes on sandwiches so don't let that catch you by surprise if you don't love slaw). The sweet tea is great and they have that awesome pellet ice which is great. I've also had the banana pudding before - I'd say it's pretty average. Aside from bbq, there is a quite an extensive array of other options, but why go for those? Service is usually good and the food comes pretty quickly.
It's a bit hard for me to come up with criticisms. Sometimes it's a bit crowded so it can be hard to get a table. They also only accept cash which is unfortunate, but usually not a problem since it's not expensive to eat here. I also wish they had a few more side items as their selection is a bit on the small side. Anyway, those are pretty minor things.
In short, go here - it's the best barbeque in the city!
4.5 -
Review from Tony G.
Clemmons, NC
8/23/2009
This is my favorite bbq joint in town. It has a great flavor (smokey; vinegar with a little tomato base - don't forget to add the Texas Pete) and decent prices. My wife and I can split a large chopped tray which comes with bbq slaw, and the best hushpuppies EVER for about $7. Add a couple of Cheerwines (one of the few restaurants in town that serves it) and tip for about $12. Not too shabby. And as Michael M. said, the ice and sweet tea is perfect as well.
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Review from Mike M.
Dallas, TX
5/31/2009
We stopped at Little Richard's on our way from Virginia to Asheville for lunch and it was awesome! It isn't right next to the interstate, so the GPS is helpful and you have to know where to look for great BBQ! Here is what we ordered:
- 2 Coarse Chopped plates which came with a pile of chopped pork, hushpuppies, slaw, and fries. We also got a tea and a lemonade to wash things down.
The pork was GREAT - tender, definite smoky flavor. Some reviewers said it was a tomato based sauce - that is only half true - the ingredients are vinegar, ketchup, and spices (peppery!) - it is like a mix between eastern and western NC BBQ, but definitely not like a very red memphis style sauce!
We also LOVVVED the hushpuppies which were slightly sweet, perfectly fried, and a little oniony.
I thought my tea was amazingly sweet and came with the little granulated ice cubes that it is SUPPOSED to! The service was quick and super friendly - "sweetheart" service as my girlfriend calls it.
The only things we didnt love were the french fries which just seemed to take up space and the slaw which was a little too peppery and tasted like the BBQ dip.
Overall a great stop along the way for some DELICIOUS BBQ - we would definitely go back! also - CASH ONLY!!!!Listed in: BBQ Tour USA
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Review from Josh R.
Orlando, FL
1/16/2010
Great, small barbecue place. The hushpuppies are awesome and a little sweet. The Lexington style BBQ dip is very unique and flavorful. The pork was extremely tender and I enjoyed the coarse cut.
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Review from Jack S.
Clemmons, NC
1/14/2011
As good as it gets for Lexington style BBQ!! You won't be disappointed! This place is small, and almost always busy, so be warned. No matter though, service is always exceptional, and the food speaks for itself! Just one taste and you'll be a believer!! ENJOY!!
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Review from David L.
11/19/2009 1 photo
I prefer Texas barbecue, but of the Carolina variety, this is the best Winston has to offer. Their pork is good as is their sauce, which they keep on the tables. It's a local establishment through and through. The inside has a family-style feel to it, and it is tastefully decorated with old cigarette ads. Remember to bring cash because that's all they take.
