My husband and I traveled to Charleston for the first time over Memorial Day Weekend. It was a short trip, but we knew we wanted to experience the city’s booming food scene. High on our list: barbecue. With numerous places to choose from, we decided on dinner at Lewis Barbecue.

The industrial-chic building is located between downtown and North Charleston. We walked past the outdoor seating and bar to head up to the counter and order our meal. Our friends who live in Charleston joined us. There was five total, so we knew we wanted to order our dinner family style. Meats are sold by the pound and we decided to get a little bit of everything. We ordered pulled pork, ribs, turkey breast, sausage and brisket. Pickled and raw onions and pickles come on the side. We added coleslaw, mac and cheese and green chile corn pudding to complete our meal. We ordered some cocktails and beer and grabbed a table while waiting for our food.

Everything was incredible. While there were no weak links in the meal, my favorites were the ribs, brisket and green chile corn pudding. As we were enjoying dinner, the manager, Ben, came to check on us. He offered to show us the smoker after we finished eating. As we were wrapping up, Ben returned and led us to the back for an inside look. I don’t know much about the process, so it was interesting to see the large smokers and hear about the care that goes into each menu item.

If you find yourself in Charleston, a trip to Lewis Barbecue is a must.

— Katie Skrzek, vice president/digital director