BY JAMES PAUL and PARKER MILNER Lewis Barbecue , one of Charleston’s top restaurants for smoked meat, temporarily closed on June 13 ahead of Father’s Day weekend. Lewis Barbecue is temporarily closed as of June 13, 2024. A sign on the door reads “closed for unforeseen maintenance.
” No one responded when a Post and Courier reporter knocked on the door around 8:45 a.m. June 13.
The restaurant’s lights were on, and a ladder was pitched inside. Pitmaster John Lewis opened his namesake eatery in 2016. He serves his signature brisket, house-made beef sausage, smoked turkey and sides at the 464 N.
Nassau St. counter-serve barbecue emporium. In 2023, Southern Living ranked the restaurant No.
8 on its list of best barbecue restaurants in the South. Story continues below Lewis is also the owner of Rancho Lewis in Charleston and operates a second Lewis Barbecue location in Greenville. The restaurant announced the closure of the Charleston original on social media June 12.
“We hope to reopen as soon as possible,” the restaurant said in a statement. “We hate to miss the opportunity to serve our guests this week but look forward to welcoming them back to the shop soon.” A spokesperson for Lewis Barbecue told The Post and Courier they hope to have a reopening date by June 14.
In the meantime, the restaurant’s staff is working out of the Greenville location to fulfill pre-placed catering orders for the busy weekend ahead..
