If you want bbq, but don't want to do the work, head on over to Ray Nathan's. They're only open Thursday-Sunday (check their site for times), and that parking lot stays full. First, pretty cool space with large family style seating and smaller booths. They can accommodate a pretty big party, you'd have to contact them for details on that, but, something I noticed. The menu is combos, plates, kids meals, salads, and sandwiches. Eating in, your order as you enter, pay, and sit down for your food to be brought to you. I've also ordered pick up online and it was fast, easy, convenient and tasty! Always go for the brisket. Always. It's perfectly smoked, nice fat/meat ratio, tender and it's delicious. I've had the pulled chicken, very moist and good as well. I added smoked wings, which turned out to be 2 Whole smoked wings. I'm funny ackin' with my chicken, so, it wasn't done enough for me to eat at the moment. I took them home with the intention to cook them more, but my daughter got to them, heated them in the air fryer, and exclaimed it was the best smoked chicken she'd ever had. I also got the potato salad and baked beans, and when you eat in, you get a biscuffin. I don't know what it's called, but, it's a muffin shaped baked good that tastes like a biscuit...a good biscuit. I wish they'd serve some apple butter and/or honey with them. I could subsist on the brisket and biscuffin (let me trademark that name), with some apple butter...oh mah goodness, oh mah goodness. Anyhoo, the potato salad, pretty good for one I didn't make. I'm a bit of a potato salad snob...This passes for me. The baked beans-a little runny, but, good. They serve the purpose of a little baked bean with a little potato salad bite, for me. They could stand some gussying up. My husband got the leg quarter and brisket meat combo with green beans and fried okra. He enjoyed all of it! The okra was crispy, seasoned and fresh. The green beans had great flavor. All of the sauces are on the tables with a roll of paper towels. All of the sauces are very good, my favorite is to mix the sweet red sauce with the spicy chipotle...Mm mm good! They also have a vinegar sauce and a mustard sauce. We didn't do dessert this time, but the banana pudding and the Granny Smith apple cake are solid dessert options. They also have a peach cobbler, but I've not had...next time. Ray Nathan's is a solid bbq option if you're in the Belmont area, or if you aren't and are willing to travel for some good cue. You won't be disappointed! read more

Ray Nathan’s - Leg quarter and brisket with fried okra, green beans, and a biscuffin. - Barbeque Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

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Great pork great chicken, great beans, good Mac n cheese, sauces were amazing. Especially the spicy and the sun drop. read more

Delicious. Some of the best BBQ I've had, and I've had it in multiple parts of the country.

Best wings and ribs I've had besides the ones my grandad used to make. The sausage is a++ too.

These ribs are banging!!!! The portions are good and the bbq brisket is moist a little thick side. The peach cobbler is a delicious side. read more

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

Excellent pulled pork with a variety of sauces - my favorite was the vinegar based sauce, paired perfectly with the coleslaw. I went for an early dinner, so the place was quiet. Service was pleasant, but missed some minor details despite the place not being busy. Overall, great spot for barbecue. read more

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Great BBQ spot that doesn't have all the frills like some of the more known Charlotte spots. I love that they have a ordering window, and then you pick you seat and enjoy the smells until your dinner comes out. They have plenty of options, sauces and everything else you want in a BBQ restaurant. My husband and I both ordered the brisket, and goodness gracious, it was delicious. Smoky, tender, everything delicious. All platters come with your choice of sides, and I'm a sucker for collards. The collards here did not disappoint! Especially with some pepper vinegar. They also have the "good ice" - which automatically means bonus points! Overall, great BBQ to take family and friends to enjoy traditional deliciousness of the south! read more

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Great food and friendly service. I had a delicious pulled pork sandwich--the portion was very generous and well worth the price. My friend had the sausage with Mac and cheese and coleslaw and he said his food was excellent as well. The owner came over to check on us and made us feel very welcome. Will definitely be back! read more

WOW. We were a party of 9, drove two hours to check out this HIGHLY recommended place. Everything on our table was absolutely amazing. Like there was no reason for everything to be so dang good! Service was awesome, staff treated us like family. Food came out quick as well. If you're looking for a great BBQ place, this is it. You won't regret it. read more

Ray Nathan’s - Plate comes with two sides-- Chicken plate with Mac n cheese and banana pudding. - Barbeque Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

The best BBQ that I have found in this area. I would definitely go back and try some other things on their menu. I was pleasantly surprised that they had beer and wine for sale. I order a beer that was out of stock. Ordered a different beer and then our waitress came to me with a five dollar bill and said that the boss wanted me to have the money because they didn't have the beer that I wanted. I just left it to add to the tip. Only weak comment was that the collard greens needed more seasoning. I have family coming into town soon and this is where I will probably take them for a local food experience. ***** read more

Overall the experience was good. Walk in and order at the counter and then find a table. Was a little confused as it was our first time but I understand the concept. The person who took our order was nice and so was our server. Thank you Ladies! Service was also fast. Highlights : sauces were amazing, pork was great and we liked that you were able to dress with whichever sauce you choose! The Beef Rib Special 100/10 *Star of the Show* I am in love and the portion was HUGE. Sadly the chopped chicken was cold, and the collards were super dry. Mac and cheese was okay, but everyone has their own approach and or favorite style so you may enjoy it more. I will eventually give it another shot. read more

Ray Nathan’s - pulled pork plate with fries & mac n cheese add bun. chopped chicken & pulled pork combo plate with mac & cheese and collards. - Barbeque Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

This is a large establishment with a huge parking lot. The food is pretty good and hands down worth the drive from Charlotte! I typically prefer StLouis ribs over the baby back. I feel the baby back are earlier to cook and not as challenging as the St Louis BUT these are still pretty good, in fact they are really good! I liked their glazed better than the dry rub and that's a surprise. The grilled corn - excellent! The corn muffins - excellent! It's an open area and can comfortably seat large crowds and accommodate children. Enjoy!!!! read more

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We go here almost every Sunday. The service is incredible, dine in or curb side. The restaurant is nice looking and is clean. The bbq and sauce variations are incredible. They catered our wedding. Stephen's brisket sandwich is money. read more

I've had carry-out from here before, well, not really carry-out, I ate my wife's leftover sandwich. But today !! Finally made the long drive here. Now look, right after high school I went to live in Memphis, so I started eating BBQ in the HOME of BBQ. RAY NATHAN'S is FANTASTIC. The brisket is so tender you can cut through it with a hard look. You don't need a knife or even your fork. The pulled pork is AWESOME. The sauces they offer are all good. The SunDrop sauce is weirdly delicious. Street corn !! But the best... What the hello is it? Mayonnaise roll !!! Best bread I've ever eaten. Memphis Blues on the radio. Terrific decor. Friendly staff. I've found my new favorite place. read more

Ray Nathan’s - Brisket & Pork pair plate with Street Corn, Potato Salad and Mayonnaise Roll. - Barbeque Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

We decided to come check out Ray Nathan's after seeing all the great reviews, but ultimately we were left disappointed. I want to start off with the great: ordering online was simple and we went to go pick it up on a Saturday evening. They were packed - only doing to go orders due to Covid. Set up was great though. Line for ordering and line for pick up. Very easy and smooth process. Props for this! Now on to the food and what we got: 1. Wings - these were actually very good. Moist and very flavorful. 2. Dry rubbed Ribs - also very flavorful. 3. Corn - love the seasoning on this. Very good! Those two items were great and the only things we would return for. The bad: 1. Pulled pork - it was not good. My favorite thing to get at a BBQ restaurant is pulled pork. I like for the meat to shine and not have to add sauce. Unfortunately, this needed sauce for it to be edible. Their mustard base sauce is good though. 2. Brisket - dry..dry...and just dry. 3. Chopped Chicken - it was also not good. Just had no flavor. Another one you need sauce for it to be edible. 4. Mac and cheese - this is a typical home baked mac and cheese. Not bad, but definitely no where near close to my favorites. I prefer a cheesier and creamier type. 5. Peach Cobbler - I absolutely love peaches, my favorite fruit. This was a big let down. I'd say over all the flavor was good, but it was too much breading, and very little peach. I'd rather have it the opposite way. I hate to be harsh in a time like this when local businesses need all of our support, but I was left very disappointed in this meal. The wings and the ribs definitely were the highlight here, and like I said, we would return for. Overall, just a mediocre bbq place that I'd really give 2.5 stars. We disliked more than what we liked, but what we liked was excellent! read more

Ray Nathan’s - Looks better than it is..wings and ribs were excellent..but that's it! - Barbeque Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

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This place would not have been on my radar at all if it weren't for the Yelp Best New Restaurants of 2019 list. We've been alternating between restaurants we love and new restaurants while in quarantine. This was our new restaurant to try and it was a good one. We got Stephen's Brisket Sandwich and a Pork & Brisket Combo. Our side choices were mac and cheese, coleslaw, and banana pudding. The combo came with a roll too. We paid 25 cents extra to get a third sauce so we tried the vinegar, mustard, and Sundrop sauces. Of everything we tried, the pulled pork was my favorite meat. It was a little crispy. The sandwich was spicy! I enjoyed it. The brisket was good when I have the fatty parts. The non-fatty parts were a little dry. The mac and cheese was so cheesy and delicious. The coleslaw was pretty good. The roll was surprisingly great. My favorite sauce was the Sundrop (closely followed by mustard). I usually love vinegar sauce, but this one wasn't my favorite. They let you get all of their desserts as sides which is amazing. The banana pudding might have been the best I've ever had. It was incredible. Get it. The service was great. We ordered online, they had a question about our special instructions and called us to clarify right away. They have a tent set up outside so we didn't have to go into the restaurant. They brought out my food right away. Overall, we loved this place. If you want good bbq, check this place out. read more

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Excellent bbq and great service. With they had more days/hours open. Not a cheap place, but totally worth it read more

Wow this place is so good! Ordered takeout online and got the chicken wings and half rack ribs as mains. Got the Mac and cheese and fries for both. We ordered it in the afternoon and wanted to try just a little bit when we got home since it wasn't quite dinner time. It's so good that we ate it all! The meats are cooked and smoked to perfection. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Mac and cheese was good as well as the fries. We're definitely coming back here next week! read more

Ray Nathan’s - Chicken wings with Mac and cheese and French fries - Barbeque Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

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We recently had my rehearsal dinner here, and it was just plain awful. First of all our server was incredibly rude, all she had to do was get drink orders and she acted like we were asking her to fly to the moon and back. Secondly, they only gave us like 4 sandwich buns for a party of 35 people! They were also incredibly rude about letting us decorate the space. Our planner arrived at 6:56 and the server wouldn't dare let them in until 7:00. Like come on. It's 4 minutes. You lost 35 customers over this experience and you ruined my rehearsal dinner. read more

Just moved to the neighborhood from New Jersey. We loved this restaurant the food was really good!! Not much to complain about here :)

Food was hickory smoked goodness. The brisket is always perfect as well as the bbq. The girls that work there are all very polite. Had the old time feel of a real bbq house. read more

Best bbq around. I live for those Sunday specials! Must try it ALL is a understatement! Staff is always so welcoming and friendly. Family friendly, local spot. Family favs: fried okra, jalapeño grits, street corn, brisket dip, wedge salad, pork/brisket combo, po' boy, banana pudding, smoked sausage. .... Everything on the menu... read more

This is a pretty good place all around. Service was great they greeted us as soon as we walked in and helped us out with the menu. When we finally ordered I swear it was the fastest service I've ever experienced from a restaurant I mean literally once we sat down we were waited on she brought us our drinks and our food was out within 15 minutes of us sitting there. I got the brisket plate with yams and banana pudding (I was surprised that was a side option lol but next time I think i'll try get another savory side) it also came with cornbread. The brisket was ok a little dry but it was a nice smoke flavor and their sauces made up for the dryness. The yams were good nice texture and not overly sweet a good balance! The banana pudding was okay the sauce was homemade but nothing I'd get again. The whole ambiance was friendly and welcoming it's definitely worth a try!! read more

Ray Nathan’s - Brisket plate w/ yams cornbread & banana pudding - Barbeque Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

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The service was great. Unfortunately, we didn't enjoy anything that we had to eat. Even the rolls were weird. Reminded me of cafeteria style food, just bland. read more

This is simply very good barbecue. Wide variety of sides. It's a little pricey but well worth it.

This is not a place where you go for the ambiance, but, OMG, I thought the food was VERY good. The ribs were "fall off the bone" delicious and the Ray Nathan stew was also EXCELLENT! Personally, I prefer more of a "sit down, be waited on" experience, but I'll do take out, and I will love it! read more

Best best Quick. That's what BBQ stands for here. Delicious and quick. I'm not trynna be a hype man, but im for real getting hungry thinking about this place. I'll be back read more

All I have to say is Ray Nathan's is 12/10!! Would recommend!!! It was sooo good! Here are some things I LOVED. 1. Fresh Cherry Lemon Sundrop with cherries 2. A variety of different bbq sauces 3. Best french fries, mac n cheese and fried okra 4. Fantastic pulled pork 5. Last but DEFINITELY NOT LEAST.... the BEST banana pudding EVER!! read more

Ray Nathan’s - Pulled Pork Plates with fried okra, mac n cheese, french fries, biscuit, banana pudding, cherry lemon sundrop and sweet tea - Barbeque Near Me - Gastonia, North Carolina

Had high hopes and love pulled pork and the brisket. Both were extremely dry. It is apparent that they precook all the bar b que and then refrigerate it and serve it over the week. I had high hopes for this place as I love good bar b que. However if I wanted reheated bar b que I would have went to a chain and not a locally owned place. Our bill was $40 for lunch and was uneatable. I posted the pic and you can see where they used a flat grill to reheat the food. read more

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

Never have a bad experience here! Sun drop sauce and the brisket is such a great combo. You really can't go wrong with the sides. They are all delicious! read more

Tastiest bbq and very large portions. Quick pickup. From out of town. Really enjoyed

This is right down the street from me so I had to try the place out the whole town of Gastonia has been anticipating this restaurant's opening Super good food and well worth the wait Everyone was happy and friendly Order at the counter and it's brought to you after it is cut and assembled on a paper covered tray. I was going to get it to go but they said they had stopped the Togo orders until they caught up inside That was fine. Nice vibe. Refurbished building I got pulled pork and fresh corn Three choices of homemade sauces One mustard and two red I brought some home because the serving was big Loved it. So be prepared to wait it's going to be a Gastonia favorite Only open Thursday through Saturday 11-9 By the way, if they don't answer the phone , they are swamped read more

This is not a place where you go for the ambiance, but, OMG, I thought the food was VERY good, and our waitress was attentive. The ribs were "fall off the bone" delicious and the Ray Nathan stew was also excellent! We'll definitely be back! read more

They over charged me but fixed it when I showed them what they did. I waited over 20 minutes longer for an order I called in. The fries were cold when I got them. read more

Ray Nathan's is FANTASTIC!! This is our second time here and everything was just as amazing as our first visit. We split 1/2 rack of ribs and added on 6oz of brisket. Both meats were so tender and full of flavor! The sauces are perfectly balanced. Plates come with 2 sides so we had the mac and cheese and jalapeño cheese grits. Also ordered extra sides since we love to have leftovers. We had the collard greens, baked beans, banana pudding and peach cobbler w ice cream. They also bring out popover rolls which are also homemade. Seriously every side is fantastic and you can't go wrong with any you select. They also serve beer now and have a ton of craft beer selections! When you arrive you order at the counter and then choose a place to sit down. A server comes and picks up your drink ticket. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming! I honestly think this is the best bbq place in the area! read more

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This place is the best! The outside has a rustic worn wooden look, that gives you a feeling like you've stepped in an old childhood memory. When walking up on the gravel parking lot at the front was a huge old barrel with wood burning and smoke going straight up to the sky unless you're on the wrong side of the wind and the smoke blows straight at you, like I was... LOL So I was on a date a first day at that and course everybody has their masks on. It's 2021 and we're still in the pandemic of COVID-19 and a lot of people are still getting sick. But when my date opened the door there was so much open space I felt comfortable dining in instead of just taking my meal with me and telling my new date I'll holla at you later dude, thanks for the chow. So, at this fine establishment you walk up to the counter and order your food. The menu was in the back of a blackboard and written in chalk But it was easy to see what was available. Smart idea! The lady at the counter was very kind and began to take our order. She was very patient, polite and kind. She explained a lot of items on the menu for me because I'm also new to Charlotte still. We We're told we can sit anywhere which most of the tables spaced accordingly and we chose a booth that it was recently cleaned. It was a matter of minutes that the food came out, and the server explain that the okra fried of course, would be out shortly because The cook said it didn't look right. I am impressed that the cook would think so much of me as a customer to make sure that my order was perfect. I chose the brisket sandwich extra for the course and my day chose the brisket plate with two sides. His brisket looks so juicy and fat. And it was so tender he didn't need a knife to cut it. I was now wanting his brisket plate. Our server came to ask if everything was OK and I told her that now I wish I had gotten the brisket plate. She didn't say anything but came back with two extra pieces of that juice tender fat dripping don't need a knife brisket. It was D licious the best brisket I have had in years. Make me feel like I was back home in Texas, and the brisket just came off the grill hot and ready. She also brought my fried okra which was Hot and fresh and crispy. We also ordered the banana pudding, which was homemade by the way you must have it. The the best part of my visit to Ray Nathan's was that one owner came out and greeted us asked us how everything was and minutes later the second owner came out and told us about the business and assess how everything was. He told us a story about right Nathan send that the other owner was a childhood friend. He then asked us if we liked ribs and brought us back a sample of the rear which was the best I've ever had. It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside dipped in the special sauce but I can't remember the name Made with some type of special soda. Excellent Service and BBQ. I know where I will be buying barbecue. I will definitely be back. Thanks! read more

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

I think the side dishes are fantastic! I have had the chicken twice and the bites are tough! Will not order again.

Now I know why the parking lot is always full. In my humble opinion it's the Best BBQ in Charlotte. Pulled pork is light and juicy and brisket is lean with a little fat around the edges. Sides are incredible (must try Nathan's stew) and the peach cobbler is a wonderful side option with a tiny scoop of ice cream. Worth the drive and lots of seating. read more

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

Love this bbq restaurant!! We have yet to dine in but have grabbed to-go orders SEVERAL times and have never been disappointed. I can't wait to try the corn when it's back in season. read more

The food is always delicious. Love the decor and the service is amazing. Try the grits and banana pudding too! It's more than just yummy meats! read more