City: Lowell, NC

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (704) 824-8838

Address: 720 McAdenville Rd.

Description: Western-style barbecue cooked over an open flame using mesquite wood. This is about as good as it gets in the Charlotte area. Hillbilly’s is probably so tasty because it originated next door in Gaston County, where folks know their ‘cue. Gerald Duncan opened the first Hillbilly’s in 1989 at the Lowell-McAdenville exit off I-85, and added a second location two years later in Gastonia. Hillbilly’s came to Charlotte in recent years, taking over the old Carolina Country Barbecue location on Tyvola Road near I-77. The large or small pork plates come with baked potato, slaw, and the best hushpuppies around. They also have steaks, turkey, and a great salad bar, but you should be coming here for the barbecue. Open for lunch and dinner Mon through Sat, and lunch on Sun.