Jimmy’s Barbecue

******* CLOSED! ********
I drove down to Cook’s Barbecue for lunch today.
I pass Jimmy’s Barbecue near the intersection of exit 91 and Hwy. 8S.
I was very shocked to see a «Closed» sign in front of the business and no cars there.
I resolved to research this upon arriving home.
What I found was that indeed Jimmy’s has ceased operation at the end of December 2014. The reason cited was the age of the building and the estimated $ 500K that it would cost to construct an updated restaurant. Supposedly, a sale of the business and location are in progress, but the new owners of the property have not been disclosed.
Jimmy’s Barbecue opened for business in 1970, and they were a highly regarded family barbecue restaurant in the Lexington NC area. They will be missed.
Here is the newspaper article outlining the closure:

BEST BBQ I have ever had. I moved to California 7 years ago and still crave this every time I hear the words BBQ. Nothing compares. Next time I visit I will definitely go get some REAL BBQ. Well done Jimmy’s!

Came as an out of stater, and treated the best way possible. Funniest waitress an remembered us the 2^nd time we came and our drink orders.
The waitress MADE our trip incredible but the food was amazing. We got chopped BBQ, wings, hush puppies, coconut cake, and chicken tender sandwich. A lot of food and LOVED it all.
Wasn’t familiar with Lexington style BBQ but wow this waitress talked us through an was incredible. Dip instead of sauce but so peppery and delicious.
Less than a week and we’ve been here twice. Coming back before we leave.

I’ve only been to Jimmy’s a few times. I’m not a big BBQ person, the reason why.
However, if you are, you will enjoy Jimmy’s. The BBQ is good, as well as the service.
The prices are reasonable and it is an established local eatery.
My wife says it is the best BBQ place in Lexington (she is from Lexington, originally).

Good BBQ (chopped pork), delicious slaw (BBQ slaw), fried okra, and hush puppies. Right off the interstate, simple and delicious. Use the «hot» sauce!

Stopped in for lunch today on the way back to Gboro. Nothing has changed here in the 30 plus years I’ve been eating here — except the folks are getting older, and the inside is getting more worn — a true BBQ joint!
Food remains very good to great, and the value is outstanding. ½ BBQ Chicken (only available on weekends) with 2 sides and bread is $ 7.50, and the chicken is outstanding. It is cooked slow, like the pork, and there is no sweet, tomato-​based sauce. Fried Okra is also great.
¼ Fried Chicken/​Chopped BBQ Comb, also with 2 sides & bread, goes for $ 8.95. Even the Green Beans here tastes good, not always an easy thing to accomplish. BBQ remains excellent — tender & moist, nicely sauced out of the kitchen, but rather mild, even for Lexington BBQ. They no longer cook with wood so there is no smokiness to the meat. Fried Chicken is very good, as are the Hushpuppies.
Time for your order out of the kitchen is always very fast here — the taking of the order, and the checking out process can be a bit slow to real slow. Same person that handles the register also handles take out orders and sometimes it is a bit of a train wreck there.

I’m becoming quite the seasoned traveler when it comes to Lexington bbq. Every time I pass through, I make a point to stop at a different place, and I love how all the joints are family-​owned.
This one was no exception, and it was fantastic. I’m giving it 5 because it was the best one I’ve had yet. The bbq was fantastic and tender, the sauce was delicious, and the dessert just capped the whole experience off right.
I judge a place on hushpuppies, too, and these were awesome.

I ordered a BBQ sandwich today. It was just OK. If I could give them 100 negative stars I would. You see, I’m Asian and have lived in NC since the 80’s. I know «that» stare. I’ve seen it at gas stations on rural roads, convenience stores and restaurants. It’s the «what in the hell is an Asian doing here» type stare. It’s a mixture of hatred and ignorance. 3 men in the kitchen tripped over themselves to make sure I saw that in their eyes. The cashier was wonderful and friendly. These gentlemen made it clear «my kind» was not welcome there. Don’t worry, Jimmy, I’ll never eat at your restaurant again.

Everything Lexington BBQ oughta be.
No sink or mirror in the bathroom– you gotta wash up in the hall. The men’s room does have two different condom machines. Jimmy’s puts a premium on your safety.
If you have a soul you’ll love Jimmy’s. If you remember the Carter administration you’re old enough to appreciate Jimmy’s. This is what good food was like before McDonald’s neutered American taste…

This place was awesome! Excellent service — very helpful and friendly. The food was delicious. I got the chopped BBQ plate with red slaw and would definitely recommend it. The sweet tea was great too. It was very affordable and you really get bang for your buck. Highly recommend!

I haven’t been here in over 15 years. The singing group I was in would stop here when we were on tour. Stopped in on my way home from working in NC and it hasn’t changed. Still great Barbeque!
Large portions at a great price.
I hope to be back sooner than the last time I was here.

Looks like the Old Style «Drive-​in» Diner! Drive-​up Spots under an Awning so the Skater Servers do not get wet (I’m guessing)! Inside looks like a BBQ Joint… Plenty of seats in two Dinning Rooms and a few Bar Stools at a small counter!
Barbecue for Breakfast! Sure!
Barbecue and Biscuits! Sure!
No one looks at me like I’m from Mars! Sorry Marz! Sure!
Barbecue is FANTASTIC!!!
Biscuits FANTASTIC! ! !
Vinegar based BBQ Sauce Excellent!
Red Slaw Very Good!
Great Value!
Convenient to I-​85! Easy to find!
Great Service!
My names here were «sweetie» and «darlin’ «! The other guy here eating late Breakfast (early Lunch) was known as Santa Claus!

Stopped in for late lunch on the drive along I-​85 to Chapel Hill.
Old-​timey, locally owned, seems like it has been there a long time.
Lexington style BBQ, red slaw, skins, all the usual stuff. Low prices.

This is my kind of BBQ place. I stopped both ways on my trip to Charlotte to see my sisters family. I will likely do the same for each trip from now on. Right off the highway and super tasty.
Tasty BBQ, all moist, very deliciously cooked, served with warmed vinegar based with some tomato mixed in sauce that’s very heavy on the black pepper. I actually liked the spice the pepper added. A lot.
I’m boring and get a chopped sandwich. My family has eaten at probably 80% of the highest rated BBQ places in the state. Seriously. My dad has a sick obsession with the stuff. He’s the one who goes for sliced outer pieces with extra «bark» or whatever. I like my chopped stuff. Eat what you like, right?
Also, you can get ½ fries ½ hush puppies as your side. Do it.
And finally, and possibly most important, they have CHEERWINE on their fountain machine. FREAKING CHEERWINE! That alone is enough for me to come back! Seriously.

This is real authentic Eastern style Carolina ‘cue served down home style.
Since this restaurant is just off the interstate and so easy to get to, it has become one of the most well known of the Lexington bbq joints.
I’ve been here dozens of times and it was my regular stop when I would drive from RTP to the CLT.
This is a very casual, laid back and friendly family owned place.
They regularly compete in the annual Lexington BBQ festival.
They have a hot, hot sauce and the regular sauce too. They set the standard for southern sweet tea. The other thing I like about this place is their choice of sides. Everything is home made and their bbq slaw is very tasty.
I usually get the bbq platter that comes with two rolls and more than enough cue for two sandwiches, then you get a choice of two sides and a beverage!
Now and then Jimmy might be there and can tell you about their sauces for sale and the differences between them.

Ate here while on our way home from a trip to Replacements. What a find! We loved the food, though I wasn’t totally in love with their sauce. Needed some zing. Loved the nothing’s-changed-in-here-since-we-built-it-in-the-60s décor.
If you are in the area, definitely stop by and give it a try. It was nice that there were two of us, so we could each get different plates and try everything.

Our work assignment in the Lexington area had an unexpected break, so I headed towards Lexington for a quick meal. I found Jimmy’s quite by accident when I missed the driveway for another eatery. figured while I was here might as well give it a try.
The outside of the building has this unique low clearance carport-​ish covering that you can park under. I chose to err on the side of safety and parked away from it.
The facility is old and well worn. Noticed the ceiling looked as if it had been patched and needing to be painted. Of course to us barbecue lovers that’s not a real problem.
I ordered a barbecue sandwich and fries with sweet tea. The barbecue was chopped and topped with red slaw. Being from Raleigh I am used to Eastern NC style barbecue (and I am not about to spark a debate on which is better), so it was interesting to taste the Lexington version.
Meal was served quickly. Good sized sandwich and good taste. Meal filled me up and made me happy that I didn’t order a larger platter.

It’s not quite as good as Lexington BBQ, but it’s right off of 85.
I followed the staff’s advice and ordered «sliced», rather than chopped, which you could sort of pull yourself. It was a bit lacking in bark, but cooked well, and a great Western NC sauce.
If you are driving to/​from Atlanta, first of all, god help you, second of all, you’re be so much happier going here than Taco Bell.

This is our third BBQ stop on the NC tour, and it’s so far the clear winner. Just a small little place, mostly empty when we arrived, with a more varied menu in general, but a smaller BBQ menu — chopped pork was about the only offering. So — 4 chopped sandwiches please.
Our intensely friendly and helpful waitress suggested a couple extra sides — we each got both their white and red slaw, plus a community side of pintos, potato salad, and hush puppies. She started by bringing out some extra sauce for us, warmed up a little, which was a nice touch. This was sauce that my father and I were literally able to drink. We started by spooning it in to our mouths to taste it, and we were drinking it from the cup by the end of the meal. A little ketchup, a diluted vinegar, tons of black pepper and red chile. Man, oh man, was it ever awesome. I bought some to take home.
The white slaw was delicious — no onion (yesssss), mayonnaise dressing, with carrot and a little bell pepper. The red slaw, on the other hand, had something odd about it that didn’t quite ring my bell. I left most of mine alone, but the white was delicious on the sangwij. The pork on the sandwich was not super remarkable? Maybe not the best pork flavor, but it was moist, and tasted just fine with that sauce.
Pintos were very straight forward — a little ham, cooked soft, with some of the beans allowed to come apart to thicken the broth. Delicious. Potato salad was fine, without tons of onion. And hush puppies were nicely sweet with good onion flavor, although some had a little more tooth than others, as another reviewer commented.
We finished with a nice piece of homemade chocolate pie, complete with nice crunchy graham cracker crust, and good chocolate flavor. There was also a coconut pie, which was good, but I thought unremarkable. After the Germantown Commissary’s coconut cream pie — I’m kind of spoiled. Our final bill, sandwiches all around, two desserts, and even two little bottles of sauce was less than $ 40. Firmly one dollar sign.
If the pork itself had been a standout, this would be knocking on the door of the 5 star, between sauce/​slaw/​beans, service, and price. As it is, this is an easy 4 star, and someplace I would definitely return to.

I was driving to Raleigh today and I did a little GPS roulette and Jimmy’s BBQ came up and it was not even a mile away, so I knew it wasn’t far off the exit. I thought hmmmmm. Jimmy’s can be really good or really bad, then I thought what the heck, it’s close.
I drive up, it didn’t look open. It was 1043a. But a big OPEN sign was in the window. I walked in, there were nice southern ladies waiting for the crowd. I sat down and ordered my usual bbq sandwich with slaw and a sweet tea!
Any fat sandwich that arrives with a fork is a good sign. Sweet tea was proper sweet tea, enough to make the Yankees say how much they deplore sweet tea. They have white and red slaw to choose from, I didn’t specify and got the yummy red slaw. I loved my sandwich and I cannot wait to return on my next road trip.
My tab was $ 4.95, breakfast of champions.