RayNathan's has been taunting me for MONTHS as construction began to drag due to weather and complications and I drove by the "Coming Soon," sign day after day after day.... They finally were able to celebrate their opening day on Thursday, January 10th and on day 3, 5 minutes after opening, there was FINALLY a parking spot available! It has been ABSOLUTELY PACKED...and for good reason. RayNathan's has been a labor of love by its two owners; an idea conceived years ago finally come to fruition. You can read more about the journey and the owners here: https://www.gastongazette.com/news/20181230/new-barbecue-joint-aims-to-smoke-its-way-to-your-heart But, I'll get into the good stuff. When you walk in, you order at the counter, take your ticket to a table, and a waiter/waitress will greet you and get your drink(s) for you. Then, they'll deliver your food to your table when it's ready. In our experience, each and every person was exceedingly friendly. The owners were both greeting folks at the door and every person, from the cashier to the food prep guys, was smiling and seemed genuinely interested in being sure everyone enjoyed their experience. I ordered a pulled pork plate with fries and mac & cheese. My husband ordered a combo plate with pulled pork and brisket with fries and okra. RayNathan's prides itself on having everything be homemade and they didn't disappoint! The meats were flavorful and smoked to perfection, the homemade sauces (tomato-based, vinegar-based, and mustard-based) were all tangy & delicious complements to the meat, and the sides were hot, fresh, and delightful! Each meal is also served with a Red Lobster-esque biscuit that was super yummy, too. Next time, I've got my eye on their BBQ Street Corn & Banana Pudding! Our meal was $40, including tip. There are certainly cheaper BBQ options in town, but the service, quality + portion sizes make this, in my opinion, a very fair price. Both my husband and I ate until we were stuffed and both brought home full takeout boxes. All around us, folks were all talking about how good their food was and literally calling friends & family (with their forks still in hand) to come try it! Hopefully, RayNathan's will become a staple in the area for years to come because IT. IS. DELICIOUS. read more

Ray Nathan’s - Pork Plate with fries + mac and cheese. - Barbeque Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

See all

Man somebody call Dr Phil this brisket got me hooked straight to my ribs . It was so good u can taste the smoke like in gun smoke lol get your guns out for this brisket get the cannons smoking pig read more

Ray Nathan’s - Barbeque Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

Some of the best BBQ in the Charlotte area! Better take out place than actual place to sit and eat. But the food is the star of the show and it's worth it! read more

Brisket was very good. Chicken was a little under cooked. Slaw and jalapeño grits were super. The mustard based bbq sauce was my favorite, although the brisket and chicken did not even need sauce since the flavor was so good. The place was clean and looked good and the service was very good. Just a short wait for food. Price was fair. We will return. read more

DELICIOUS.....EVERYTHING WAS ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!! The food was fresh, hot and made with quality ingredients!! The Brisket, Pulled Pork and Chopped Chicken was very moist and tender! Everything was seasoned well. The staff and managers were all very friendly and accommodating! We got there early as we had heard about the waits and wanted to avoid the lines. True to the rumors we got there around 4:15pm and they were standing in line right after we were seated. The Banana Pudding was off the chains!!! The Apple Cake was fantastic too! They have about 4 different varieties of homemade sauce so there is something for everyone including one made with SunDrop! We will definitely go back! Congratulations RayNathan's on a wonderful new restaurant in Gaston County! We are Hooked!! read more

See all

So there's a lot to be said about old RayNathan's but I will only say a few things that stood out for me. First and foremost the service from the time we hit the door til we exited was a1. your order is placed at the counter where the hard decisions have to be made (what should I order today?) After this, you take a seat and some of the friendliest servers come around to make sure you have everything you need. Then the climax of the experience comes as your food is presented on a tin tray with gingham paper and a beautiful corn muffin on top. The food is mouthwatering and cooked to absolute perfection. I highly recommend ... read more

The best BBQ in the Charlotte area. Everything is great- the meat, the sides, the biscuits, and the sauces! We're regulars!

I love RayNathan's! Just the kind of place I need nearby! We just spent two weeks in Italy and while the food there is great, by the end of our trip we were all craving a taste of home, so I ran out for a pickup. Pulled pork, brisket, jalapeño cheese grits, fried okra, mac and cheese.... My 10 year old son requested 2 pulled pork sandwiches and crushed them both. I can't say enough about how much we love this place! read more

We stopped in for lunch and I must say this is the best brisket I have ever had, you don't need any sauce as they have mastered a flavorful brisket. The place was very clean and a very friendly environment. It's a must try place and don't forget to try the banana pudding read more

Food is delicious, place is great. The staff is friendly. If you have to wait they have benches and corn hole to pass the time.

Wonderful welcome. Had never been and the hostess/greeter explained everything. Service was excellent and food was delicious. We will definitely be back. read more

It is ALWAYS delicious ! The staff is so friendly! The jalapeños cheese grits are soooooo good.

One of the best BBQ places around. I love the relaxing feel and I am so glad we moved right down the street from this fantastic restaurant.

This is our families favorite place to eat! Everything is good, you can't go wrong. The grits are the best I have ever had. Mac and cheese is also really good! read more

Great little spot, great service! Pulled pork sandwich was delish, ribs were ok, brisket was tender and darn good with original sauce , jalapeño grits good little creamy, collard greens true good old greens delish.. 7.5 out of 10. read more

Meats are flavorful, but tad dry wings, chicken was okay, brisket was the best. Street corn was okay, other sides not much to mention. Was nicely done inside and out on this former fish camp. Stays busy and glad to see it in the area. read more

See all

Food was delicious and customer service was excellent!! And, I didn't have far to drive. Highly recommend!!

I do not have a picture of my Brisket sandwich with a side of Okra . I was hungry an ate it all nothing left lol This was the best brisket I have ever had in my life. The brisket sandwich with Au Jus is similar to a roast beef sandwich but Better :) They shave the brisket it's amazing :) so moist an tender n my okra was perfect I said fry it hard :) I was getting my hair done an my BFF gets her hair done before me so she goes for dinner fir us :) my hair dresser got their grill chicken salad it really looked good. They did not put any forks or knives in our to go order. Thank goodness my hairdresser had silverware :) I will let that slide since my brisket was to die for. If your in the Gastonia area you must stop now they are not open 7 days a week check their hours of operation read more

Best BBQ in Belmont! Service is great and servers always pleasant. Becoming a regular spot for me.

Found this awesome barbecue place by accident while driving. We were starving & the smell from the parking lot pulls you in. Definitely glad we stopped. Food was excellent. Staff was friendly, place was clean. This is going to be a regular stop from now on. read more

Ray Nathan’s - Brisket, chicken, ribs, potato salad, green beans, peach cobbler & apple cake. Yum - Barbeque Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

The food and the service were both great. Tasty fresh made bbq. I would venture to say this is the best bbq I have had in Charlotte. You should definitely try it. read more

Tried this restaurant last night after trying some of there pulled pork at a catering event. Ordered 2 plates of pulled pork with 2 sides each and a dessert. The pork and the sides (collared greens, baked beans, slaw) was delicious! Tasted just like homemade, the desserts however ( banana pudding and peach cobbler) was not so good. Which is why I gave them 4 stars out of 5. The peach cobbler was mostly breading and the banana pudding didn't have much flavor. Other than that I definitely recommend this restaurant for there BBQ and fixins. read more

Outstanding food and service. Some of the best brisket in the state. Portion sizes are very generous for the price. Service format is very efficient at getting you food. They are always well staffed which is rare now. The ambiance is also very cool with unique decor. read more

Fantastic food and service! Entire staff was extremely helpful and friendly. We tried just about a little bit of everything and the food was delicious. Even the sauces are unique and so good! Go try this place!! read more

I was hiking nearby at seven oaks nature preserve and drove past this place today. So after I was done with my hike I decided to give it a try. So this will obviously be based purely on takeout experience but I would assume dine in would be just as good when available! First I will say there is only one way to do bbq for me and that's eastern NC style or a vinegar based sauce in case you're not from around here. So I asked them on the phone if the bbq came sauced or they put it on the side etc and she told me it came on the side and they had several options, I said I'll be needing the vinegar based thank you. Now for the bbq itself I ordered the pork plate with two sides and it was fantastic. I would call their bbq a course chop/pulled kinda a mix, wasn't fatty at all and was moist and full of flavor even without the sauce, the sauce however was perfect vinegar base with a touch of spice. The portion size was very nice, I didn't ask how big but I would say at least 6/8oz if I had to guess. For my two sides I ordered collards and Mac and cheese. The collards were excellent, they were fresh and hot, they were not vinegar tasting at all so if you like that ask for it or bring your own, they were perfect for me as they were. The Mac and cheese was good not my favorite but that's based more on style that quality. It was fresh and hot, it was just a bit rich and creamy for me, the noodles were kinda falling apart etc, the flavor was good, as I said more of a personal consistency thing than a quality thing for me, the quality was good. I also picked an additional 3 sides to give a try, no judgement thanks I hiked 9 miles and I only eat once a day so I was hungry. Anyways I tried the green beans, the fried okra and the banana pudding. The beans were fresh and seasoned well, they were the wide style green beans not the skinny ones, I drank the leftover juice and it had a very good flavor, they were definitely homemade and not canned etc. The fried okra was very good, maybe a hair on the salty side, against I'm just being as critical as possible here, but it was very good definitely not the mass produced frozen variety. The banana pudding was exactly that banana pudding, sweet and delicious I'm not sure you can mess that up, but either way theirs was excellent. I missed the Brunswick stew or stew as they call it and I will be back for that. Everything I had was excellent, the girl on the phone was pleasant and helpful when I had a question, and the two girls handling the to go orders in the parking lot were friendly and did a great job. I'm from Charlotte so I would of never found this place if I hadn't of driven by coincidentally but I urge you if you're in the neighborhood and craving some good BBQ don't skip this place! read more

Always crowded, reasonably priced and always great service. Would like to see some new sides from time to time, and smoked turkey on the regular menu. I will continue to enjoy this restaurant read more

I just love their food. Great selection of meats. Wonderful addition to the Cramerton/Gastonia area

We arrived between the lunch and dinner rushes, but were perfectly content with that. Amazing BBQ and the Granny Smith Apple Cake and fried okra were to die for. The sauces are perfection--I just wish they had a set you could buy to take home (I couldn't stop "tasting" them). The atmosphere is welcoming and comfortable. The ribs and brisket are delicious. The stew has great flavor. The chicken "knuckles" (wings) were intense, my kid devoured them. The servings are generous, and everything is so tasty. read more

Beat bbq in town! Love the jalapeño grits, banana pudding and more. Their ribs are so moist and just melt in your mouth. Their sun drop bbq sauce is sublime! read more

Best BBQ in the area. A must fir all rib lovers! Our family makes it a regular stop. There is something for everyone and it is all wonderful. read more

Probably one of the best barbecue places in Gaston County. The portions are huge and the food is great

Consistently good food and excellent friendly service. Can be a little pricey, but everything is these days.

Loved the brisket!!!! Best I've had since Texas!!! Entire menu is awesome! They are open Thursday through Saturday. Don't miss out! read more

This spot wasn't our primary objective when we started out. Our normal list of "old faithfuls" wasn't delivering any dine in options. Yelp tossed this one at me. Yes, we are open for dine in. Although off of our beaten path (Wilkinson), we rolled the dice. Super great bbq, outstanding waitstaff, and COVID conscious. RayNathan's will be one of our frequent stops. Make it yours, too. read more

Ray Nathan's is the absolute best BBQ place around. The brisket is tender and delicious. The slaw is excellent - not too sweet, not too vinegary. They have four different sauces on the table - regular BBQ, Sun Drop BBQ, and 2 others I haven't tried yet. read more

Hello we were traveling from out of town. We tried brisket and pork with yams, Mac and cheese, and greens at the sides. We enjoyed all of the sauces they had to offer all were 10/10 very hard to choose. We also had the peach cobbler OMG SOOOO GOOD. Staff very welcoming and made us feel welcome which made the biggest difference! Idk the bald guys name but he definitely was very nice and checked on us! Would recommend GIVE IT A TRY! read more

Just the most amazing BBQ in the area. Great service! The best banana pudding I've ever had! Great response to the coronavirus situation as well with their pop up market. We always bring family here when they come visit! read more

Some great bbq, nice spot, large restaurant looks like they get a lot of people. Will definitely be returning!

My neighbor and I went to Ray Nathan's for lunch today. We had heard the bbq was outstanding. I ordered bbq pork with sides of Mac & cheese, potato salad and yams. After ordering at the counter, we sat in a comfortable booth and our food arrived less than one minute later! That was amazing. Now to the food: The chopped pork was great! So good that I didn't put any of the 4 sauces on it. I just enjoyed that great smoky taste. Cooked perfectly. Yams with pralines: very tasty and not overly sweet. Mac & cheese: yummy! Wish I had some more right now. Potato salad: perfect compliment to the bbq. Delish! The staff and service were outstanding even though the place was jumping with customers on a Thursday at 11:30 am. I will surely be returning with friends! read more

Hate to have to give a negative review but the food I got today was totally unacceptable. I've been a loyal customer I will not go back 20 dollar meal and this is what I got. It looked like someone already ate my food . I will check my food from now on when ordering food to go this is ridiculous read more

See all