Melvin's Barbecue

I have been going to Melvin's for YEARS! It's a staple for me. The pulled pork is awesome, and so are the sides, but the ONION RINGS are best ever! They're like funnel cakes with an onion ring inside. There are a few bbq sauce options but mustard should be the only option in South Carolina. Wife has celiac and she brought her own GF buns, so don't let that be an obstacle for you.

Always a great experience here! If you’re from out of town and looking to indulge in some authentic, southern barbecue then definitely give Melvin’s a try. My family and I are locals and we’ve been coming here my whole life, they’ve never missed the mark once. Super nice employees and delicious food! I was really bummed though to see that the city made y’all paint over the beautiful mural that was on the side of the building, so wack of them >:/

We ate here on a short visit to Charleston. I wanted to have some of the barbecue that South Carolins is known for, but kept finding trendy places with pit masters from Texas. Don't get me wrong! I am from Texas and live in Atlanta, so I love some Texas barbecue. But if I'm in Rome, then I'm not going to eat pizza from New York. I wanted some Lowcountry barbecue with some mustard based sauce. Melvin's did not disappoint! My husband and I split the 2 meat plate with pork, brisket, baked beans, fried okra, collard greens, and cornbread (I got an extra side and an extra cornbread). I had to sample all of the sauces. I really enjoyed the mustard sauce, but my husband preferred the southern red sauce. What was realyl impressive was the brisket rub. It had so much flavor, that the sauce was not necessary. It is probably some of the best brisket and rub we have ever had. I will be purchasing some of that rub in the future to use at home. The baked beans and okra were good. I would say the okra was probably a little squishy, but comparable to many other places. I did like the pickle bar. I love pickles and pickled onions, so I did stop there a few times to pickle up. The only real cons were minor. We had to clean our own table. They did not seem super busy, but I think that they hadn't made it out to clean a free table yet. They forgot our cornbread (why it's not pictured). I had ordered a second piece so that we both had one, but I should not have bothered. It was not very good. The collard greens had some great spice to them! The flavor was fantastic, however, they were way too salty. I love collard greens, and it is hard to get really good ones. I was a little bummed because these had such a good amount of flavor and heat, but the salt was just too heavy. Overall, I would say this place has some of the best brisket ever. I would definitely come here again if ever in Charleston, and hopefully the collards would be perfect that time.

Whew…If I didn’t know any better I would have thought my mother and grandmother was in Melvin’s kitchen whipping of the mac and cheese. Whoever whipped it up knew how to balance the cheese and pasta to make a delicious cheesy and buttery dish. The pulled chicken was tender and the greens, although a little too salt was good. I’m use to a thicker bq sauce and didn’t have an appreciation for the thin, vinegar based liquid sauce. I don’t eat pork or beef but my husband raved about the brisket being smoky and tender and pork skins(made fresh daily).

The food and service is splendid, and I thoroughly enjoy my time with my family here. If you are looking for a restaurant to either sit down with your family, or just grab n go eat at home, then this is your place. The atmosphere screams BBQ and although the lines can get out of the door long, it is well worth the wait. I would personally recommend their brisket if they aren't sold out by the time you get there!