CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A North Carolina legend is officially gone. After 66 years of serving some of the state’s most iconic barbecue and old-school drive-in comfort food, Bar-B-Q King has closed its doors for good — ending an era that generations of Charlotte residents thought might last forever.
The restaurant, located on Wilkinson Boulevard, wasn’t just a place to grab a meal. It was a cultural landmark. Opened in 1959, Bar-B-Q King helped define Charlotte’s classic roadside dining scene with its neon signs, carhop service, and a menu that never tried to be trendy. It didn’t need to. People came for the famous fried chicken, the chopped pork plates, the hushpuppies, and the beloved BBQ sandwiches that stayed consistently great for decades.
Its national profile shot up in 2007 when Guy Fieri featured Bar-B-Q King on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, giving the small, family-run spot an unexpected burst of national fame. Locals still talk about the episode, and many travelers made detours just to eat where Fieri had once sat in his red convertible.
Fieri himself revisited it in an episode of The Best Thing I Ever Ate…