Charleston’s Lewis Barbecue makes its much-anticipated debut at Ansley Mall

Lewis BBQ Rancho Lewis Photography by Lizzy Rollins Charleston-based Lewis Barbecue will open its first Georgia location at Ansley Mall in Piedmont Heights on Dec The barbecue restaurant flanks the Beltline with a blue bridge spanning across a gully that provides pedestrians and cyclists on the trail direct access to Ansley Mall A counter-service restaurant specializing in Texas-style barbecue pit master and founder John Lewis spent his formative years in El Paso and Austin Lewis Barbecue first opened in Charleston nearly a decade ago The Charleston location was just added to the Michelin Guide to the American South as a Bib Gourmand Lewis stated Rough Draft he s been scouting venues for an Atlanta location for about six years I ve been trying to find a perfect spot that met all the necessities that we needed to do to this operation which is pretty big he declared Lewis hopes his Atlanta restaurant and bar can function as another gathering spot within the sprawling shopping complex bordering Midtown Piedmont Heights and Morningside He s spent the past six months familiarizing himself with the area and Ansley Mall Lewis stated he eats at neighboring Bantam Biddy at least twice a week Lewis BBQ Rancho Lewis Courtesy of Lizzy Rollins The trademark of Texas-style barbecue comes in the commitment to beef In addition to sliced and chopped beef brisket Lewis Barbecue offers beef back ribs daily and pastrami chicken-fried steak and prime rib as weekly specials I think beef is better than pork Lewis revealed I mean would you rather have a steak or a pork chop if you had to choose one Texas-style barbecue also involves an entirely different cooking process Instead of cooking over direct heat pitmasters use offset heat There s a firebox all the way on one end and the meats are in a different chamber there Lewis explained It s all live fire and live wood but it s indirect It s almost near -percent combustion on the wood since you re not cooking over coals So it s not quite as smoky Clockwise from top green chile corn pudding green beans beef tallow fries hunk of Cheddar cole slaw pickled onions pickles and macaroni and cheese Photo by Sarra Sedghi Everything at Lewis Barbecue is cooked from scratch meaning meats spend about hours in the pit Lewis engineered all the barbecue pits himself They re specially designed just to make perfect perfect perfect brisket he disclosed The streamlined ordering process consists of stations for cold sides hot sides and meats It s efficient but intentional like a Buc-ee s with higher standards Everything is sold by the pound Regional Texas ingredients like green chile make space for the corn pudding and the barbecue sauce and pinto beans add pico de gallo on top also make an appearance And yes you should absolutely spend the extra on a hunk of cheddar cheese Lewis BBQ Rancho Lewis Photography by Lizzy Rollins An open-air smokehouse on the roof overlooks the Beltline below There s a walk-up window for ordering takeout at the foot of trail bridge and an outdoor courtyard with seating for more than people Bar Lewis located opposite the restaurant comes fully stocked with spirits and an extensive selection of bottled sodas including Cheerwine Red Rock and Boylan Bottling Company The atmosphere at the bar evokes s-era Texas with clusters of mid-century furniture pointing inward to form conversation pits funky folk art on vintage wallpaper and a terrazzo bar top bordered with paisley-embossed leather Atlanta has one of my favorite food scenes in the country Lewis declared of opening his first Atlanta restaurant Ansley Mall is a gathering place for all the neighborhoods around it The location is the perfect fit being right on the Beltline Opening Dec at Ansley Mall Lewis Barbecue Piedmont Ave Piedmont Heights Hours Sunday Monday a m to p m and Tuesday Saturday a m to p m The post Charleston s Lewis Barbecue makes its much-anticipated debut at Ansley Mall appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta