Cook’s Barbecue

Food is always good here and the service is fast & pleasant. Definitely one of my favorite BbQ joints in Lexington!

If you want great BBQ that’s not over priced like Lexington BBQ, you have to visit Cooks. Everything that I have ate here has been excellent. How can you beat a restaurant that is tucked away at the end of a residential street.

Cook’s Barbecue is a step back in time to the old «fish camp» ambiance. Chopped barbecue plate was excellent. Meat was moist and had a great wood smoked taste. Slaw and fries were also very good. Hush puppies were round and small, slightly sweet and great for snacking. Had a great vinegar/​pepper sauce and Texas Pete in a squeeze bottle. We will definitely be going back. Only open Wed-​Sun and has featured specials for each day. I have got to try all the types of barbecue and the fillet of flounder.

Every time I come through North Carolina I make it a point to try a new barbecue joint. Cook’s Barbecue is a the best example of Lexington-​Style I’ve tried. It may be the best bbq pork I’ve ever had. My wife says it’s the best she’s ever had.
Getting to Cook’s is a little bit of an adventure. It really says something about a restaurant if they are doing good business at the dead end of a residential street a few miles off the highway. I was driving and my wife had found Cook’s on Unilocal.As I drove I kept asking her: «Are you sure this is right?», «I don’t know, honey, this seems sketchy», «I’m supposed to turn here?!» She giggled the whole time. Trust me, it’s 100% worth it. (Once you get to the end of the street and see the actual restaurant, Cook’s is completely legit, no sketchiness at all.) Stepping out of the car you’re greeted with the incomparable smell of smoldering (not burning) hickory.
I got a coarse chopped pork plate with fries and bbq slaw. My wife got chopped pork with fries and white slaw. The pork was unbelievably good. It was perfectly tender, the coarse chunks just barely held their shape, but shredded apart with the lightest pull. The meat was rich and moist. It had great porky and smokey flavors. The dip (sauce) was the best Lexington-​style I’ve had. It’s not spicy at all, but it’s tart and balanced, not too sweet.
The sides were good. Fries were generic, but well cooked. If I went back, I’d try the homemade chips, missed those on the menu somehow. The hushpuppies are about the size of marbles and are delightful little crunchy nuggets of greasy corn sweetness. I like that they offer white slaw as an option. I felt obligated to get the traditional bbq slaw. But I definitely preferred the white. I think next visit I’d get the white and mix in some sauce. Get the best of both worlds.
Cook’s is pretty big and was full on a Sunday afternoon. (Bonus points for being open on Sunday.) It’s got a very homey atmosphere. Service was polite and pretty quick. Prices were good.

Try the beef bbq for something different. The tea is about as sweet as it gets and the service is outstanding.

It’s located remotely from the main streets but the staff is very welcoming. We had the salad bar, onion rings, chopped combo bbq plate with dark chicken, bbq slaw, baked beans, and the hush puppies along with some cheerwine and orange nehi. The salad bar is quite standard but they were out of carrots and tomatoes. The onion rings were perfectly cornmeal battered and were honestly priced. The bbq slaw is normal for the region while the beans were a little disappointing as the sauce was a little sweet and not well seasoned. The dark chicken was not oversmoked and very tasty. The bbq plate was great with plenty of smokiness, some bark, and quite tender. There was just too many hush puppies for anyone to handle on their own but it fit in with everything else. They have an open hearth with the wood keeping the seating area warm. I would definitely recommend for anyone doing a bbq road trip!

Not an easy place to find, but probably worth a drive if you’re nearby. Staff is great, and the best part is that you aren’t going to spend an arm and a leg on your meal (you may, however, need a few bucks on gas to get there).
Somewhat surprisingly, the barbecue itself is actually not the star here — they also have burgers and chicken sandwiches that are at least as tasty, and worth a try as well, and due to the excellent prices (and the drive), grab a couple for the trip home while you’re there.

It’s hard if you live in the Greensboro area to get your barbecue fix on a Sunday, and it is doubly hard if what you crave is real Lexington Style Pork BBQ with the tangy red barbecue slaw.
Now, there are some pork barbecue options around on church day, and some of them are even pretty good — Smithfield serves up some very nice Eastern style BBQ, Darryl’s and Smokey Bones offer their own versions on the same block of the newly renamed Gate City Blvd, Harper’s has pulled pork barbecue, as does Big Burger Spot (fixed in house daily), and even the Village Tavern offers pulled pork in one form or another, and there are others, as well — but other than Smithfield none is traditional, authentic NC pork barbecue.
The closest place for decent Lexington style is Little Richard’s (not the original) in Walkertown, or Hill’s Lexington BBQ in Winston, which is a tad farther. While both are pretty good, if I’m traveling that far, I’ll go a bit more, and head to Lexington for the real deal, and so we did.
And even though Jimmy’s has permanently closed (the building has been torn down) and Speedy Lohr’s has not re-​opened after a fire, there still are three outstanding BB joints open on Sunday — Smiley’s, Backcountry BBQ, and Cook’s Barbecue. We chose Cook’s because both their pork and BBQ chicken are almost as good as it gets.
We chose the ½ BBQ Chicken ($ 6.99 with 2 sides) and a Coarse Chopped BBQ plate ($ 7.99 with 2 sides), and for $ 2.29 you can choose the salad bar as a side, which we did. The food was out in no more than 5 minutes, we had barely returned to the table from our trip to the salad bar.
Both the pork and the chicken were outstanding — tender, moist, smokey, and loaded with flavor — not many BBQ joints will top the quality of the smoked meat offered here. The Coarse Chopped Pork had a nice amount of outside brown, where the flavor really explodes. The chicken was falling off the bone tender, with a nicely browned skin, also loaded with taste. The sauce is a vinegar based sauced, no sweet tomato sauce here.
They also have beef brisket and ribs, and the Flounder plate is very nice. The Hush Puppies here are probably the smallest you’ll every see (remind me of the ones that Friendly Road Inn served) and they are excellent, with a great outside crust. The red BBQ slaw here is a bit milder than some, but I really like it with the pork here, and the FFs are very nice.
Notes Of Interest:
This place is, as they say, «out in the country», actually a mile or so off NC Hwy 8 in the little community of Southmont, Worth the effort to find.
They have Cheerwine in bottles in a cooler near the salad bar.
The bring a pitcher of tea or soda to your table, so an empty glass is not a problem.
This is a large rambling place, and you enter the dining area thru a maize like hallway. The smaller dining area has a roaring fire in a huge fireplace this time of year. Looks inviting but can get a bit sporty near it.
Slaw, either red or white, is offered as one of the two sides on plates, it does not come with the meat as with most places.
The service is generally good, especially with time out of the kitchen, but you can get hung up at the counter when paying your check — cashier also answers the phone and takes carryout orders.
Closed Mon & Tues.
You can buy a whole shoulder at $ 5 per pound. Most shoulders run 10 — 12 pounds.

Off the beaten path. it’s literally in a residential area. but worth the drive off the interstate. The bbq chicken was tender and juicy. The brisket was good. We needed a knife but no one ever brought one… so we pulled it apart with our fingers. that was the only down side to service. It was quick and polite. The pulled pork had a good smoky flavor. LARGE portions. baked beans were delicious. we had white slaw. bbq slaw. Potato salad also good. The hush puppies were little round balls of goodness.

I think I must be in the minority here, but Cook’s Barbecue is just not that good. I had this place bookmarked for quite some time and drove about an hour from Winston for a late Sunday lunch. I will say that is one good thing is that they are one of the only BBQ joints in the area open on Sundays.
Cook’s is hidden at the end of a residential road and if you don’t know what you are looking for or aren’t being guided by GPS, then you would never find it. We walked in and were told that we could sit wherever we wanted. The inside of this place is what you want from a BBQ place. It is old and just kind of has a local feel, the smell of hickory smoke fills the air, there is an inviting fireplace, an elk head on the wall, and a cooler full of glass bottle Cheerwine. Things couldn’t be much better.
We were greeted by our monotone server who under her breath asked for our drink orders. We both got Sweet Tea, which was above average. One of the great things about this place is that they bring the whole pitcher of tea to you, which is great for people like me who guzzle it down. Our waitress just seemed kind of bored and annoyed that we were there, which isn’t exactly something that you want from a server. The employees generally were just not very welcoming.
I knew what I was here for and ordered the coarse chopped BBQ plate with white slaw, potato salad, and hush puppies. My girlfriend ordered the Fried Flounder (the Sunday Special) and Baked Beans. The Coarse Chopped BBQ was disappointing. Again, as stated in other BBQ reviews of mine, I prefer Eastern NC style, but I try to give Lexington places a try. This BBQ, like so many other Lexington styles, was way too fatty and moist. There was a little bit of bark on the meat. This was about the only smoky part, which is surprising considering the hickory that I smelled when I came in. The sauce was just kind of bland and definitely had no spice to it. I was unimpressed.
The sides were better than the main dishes. The potato salad was good and the baked beans were even better. I think one of the best things were the hushpuppies. They were little doughy balls brought out in a basket. The worst thing that we tried by far was the flounder. It was huge, but it tasted terrible. Flounder, as a white fish, normally doesn’t have a «fishy» taste, especially when it is fried. This flounder tasted strongly of fish and had a terrible smell. We felt like we smelled like it for the rest of the day. My girlfriend couldn’t even stomach a quarter of it.
With all of the other BBQ places to try in the area, I don’t think that I will go back to Cook’s. The service was lackluster and the food was disappointing. The only thing that saves this place is the history and atmosphere.

We had an exceptional lunch here. It is a little out of the way. Just about the time you think you are lost, you will drive up on it. The beef brisket was great. We also enjoyed the hot chips. Our waitress was very friendly as well. We marked this place as one of our favorites.

Great meat. The course chopped pork, beef sandwich, pork skins, hot dog, were all excellent. The sides were just ok, the hush puppies were just ok. But, you’re there for the meat!

If there is a better place to eat on a dead-​end road in a small neighborhood in the middle of the boondocks, I would be surprised. I thought Jarvis had gone off the rails giving me directions to Cook’s, but there at the end of the road was a little country looking shack with the smell of burning wood wafting toward us. I had come in search of the very rare place serving BBQ beef in the land of pork shoulders.
I had the combo plate with pork and beef, house-​made chips and beans. Both meats had the nice smoky taste that cooking over wood imparts. They have the typical Lexington style sauce on the meat and Texas Pete on the table. I liked the pork more than the beef, which I was thinking would be brisket but was either top or bottom round. I would still get the beef again though.
The potato chips were hot, crispy and freshly fried. The beans were pretty standard, not bad but not great. The real stand out for me was the hushpuppies which were small nuggets that were light and fluffy. I’m not a fan of the big ones where the middle never really cooks well. Loved the service trick of just leaving a pitcher of tea so you didn’t have to wait for refills on a busy night.
This place is out there, and it’s well worth the trek, especially if you like some smoked beef to go with your pork.

Do yourself a favor and input this place on your Google maps of you are traveling past Lexington on I-​85. This place is out in the country off of highway 8 about six miles south of 85. I have tried several Lexington barbecue places and this place is clearly the best. The barbecue has that real smokey flavor and is chopped perfectly. You can use the sauce if you want and it comes warm in the bottle. I had the white slaw and it was good along with the hot chips. The hushpuppies were exquisite, the smallest I have had, but very good, a nice balance of crispy, soft and greasy. I had a hot dog on the side and it was a great example of a classic southern dog. Mustard, slaw, chili and fresh chopped onions. The ice tea is great and I loved the rustic country atmosphere. Again, divert your route slightly from 85 and jump on this great food!

Definitely off the beaten path. Definitely worth the trip. We got the course chopped pork with red slaw. It was fantastic! We will keep this place in mind for next time.

If it wasn’t for Unilocal,we wouldn’t have found this little treasure trove of BBQ meaty-​goodness. It’s definitely «off the path» but ABSOLUTELY worth it. Bring a motorized scooter to wheel your food coma butt out to the car!

Tucked away off the beaten path, Cook’s barbecue is a standout in a city famous for barbecue. Extremely affordable, with quick polite service and clearly a local favorite. Cook’s is a pleasant surprise and worth stopping in if you are in the neighborhood.
I have a personal weakness for hush puppies and they do not disappoint on that front either. In fact, a side of hush puppies is enough for two people to share. Free refills are left on the table in pitchers and they even sell a few select beverages in old school glass bottles. The barbecue itself is very tasty and moist.
Furthermore, my son was extremely excited to order a corndog off the children’s menu and devoured it promptly.
Their hours are odd, so see the pictures of the store front I posted so you don’t show up at the wrong times and otherwise in enjoy a nice meal with real small town southern charm.

Two NCHP Dodge Chargers were in the parking lot.
Most of the NC Forestry Service employees from the area were here.
The local rescue squad was in attendance…
…as well as two of the most beautiful, black, Harley — Davidson motorcycles that I’ve ever seen.
I won the lottery and drew Susan as my waitress.
She was busy, and not in a talkative mood.
I ordered my usual… Coarse Chopped Barbecue Plate (Brown), White coleslaw, French fries, Hush puppies, and Sweet Tea. $ 9.33.
The outside brown barbecue was intensely smoky, and slightly salty from the smoke — just like I like it. Today’s coarse chop pork lunch was in my top five, best ever, barbecue meals.
Barbecue? Perfection. (There were some «oohs and ahs,» and sighs of satisfaction.)
Fries? Blistering hot. Crisp. Perfect.
White Coleslaw? Perfect.
Hush Puppies? Perfect.
Sweet Tea. Perfect.
Dessert? Fresh homemade cherry cobbler with vanilla ice cream, which by the way, was free on Wednesday. Not perfect, but very, very good. The other two choices were homemade peach cobbler and banana pudding.
Service? Perfect.
Price? Extremely reasonable @ $ 9.33.
Tip? 33%.
Cook’s Barbecue is my Lexington Barbecue Mecca. Nirvana. My Happy Place.
The meal that I had today would make a confirmed, life long vegetarian — a barbecue fanatic.
Key words? Coarse. Chopped. Brown.
PS: Free desserts on Wednesdays.

This is BBQ nirvana. The gold rush of all things dear to rural North Carolina BBQ traditions. I’m expecting spontaneous banjo playing to begin any second. With interior décor by Popcorn Sutton, it’s impossible to walk in and not immediately fall in love.
This is Lexington, where BBQ ranks somewhere near God and country. That said, the people here are down to earth, like you’d expect from all good country folk. Parking is in abundance and I wouldn’t be surprised if the locals come here to hang out and gossip.
And the food. Oh, sweet Heavenly Father of all things pork related, this is where He orders takeout when the angels are hungry. Tender, smoke kissed BBQ. Beans that make you luck the plate. And hush puppies that bring on a hush of serene calm.
Go. It’s worth the drive.

Talk about more bang for your buck! Lunch at Cook’s is the best deal around, especially on Wednesdays. They offer FREE dessert at lunch on Wednesdays!
Cook’s is open Wednesday-​Sunday and offer $ 5 lunch specials. My favorites include the chicken pie (or chicken and dumplings) and hamburger steak. The meal specials come with two sides — like green beans, mac-​and-​cheese, french fries, baked beans — plus a basket of hushpuppies! And then, of course, on Wednesdays there is the free dessert — lots of pies to choose from, like key lime, chocolate, apple, etc and sometimes cake.
The service is always fast and friendly. If you’re down at High Rock Lake in Southmont, be sure to stop in and grab lunch or dinner.