This Midlands BBQ eatery makes New York Times list as one of America’s best restaurants

A Midlands barbecue joint once again has found itself in the national spotlight.

City Limits Barbeque, located at 1119 Methodist Park Road in West Columbia, was listed Monday on The New York Times 2024 Restaurant List, an annual affair that tallies 50 of the paper’s favorite restaurants in the U.S. City Limits was the only Midlands restaurant to make this year’s list. The only other South Carolina restaurant that made the cut was Lost Isle in Johns Island.

“(Pitmaster Robbie Robinson’s) vinegary South Carolina-style chopped pork sandwich is a master class, with crisp bits of cracklings mixed into the luscious meat, at its best topped with a proper scoop of slightly creamy, finely chopped coleslaw,” Kim Severson writes in the New York Times Restaurant List entry for City Limits. “He veers expertly into Texas territory, too. Snappy Hill Country sausages and meaty beef ribs sell out early. Don’t sleep on the warm peach cobbler, either.”

Robinson started City Limits as a food truck back in 2016. Then, in 2023, City Limits found a more permanent, brick-and-mortar location on Methodist Park Road in West Columbia. Known for its Texas-style brisket, Carolina-style pulled pork and decadent side dishes, the restaurant received national acclaim earlier this year, as Robinson was a finalist for Best Chef-Southeast at the heralded James Beard Foundation Awards. And in August, it was listed at No. 4 on Southern Living’s Best New BBQ Joints list.

Robinson shared an Instagram story on Tuesday morning from the restaurant, expressing gratitude for his family, employees and friends amid the continued acclaim the restaurant has received.

“When we get a little attention, I’m thankful,” Robinson said on the social media video. “I’m so thankful. ... We are not going to stop grinding away and trying to do what we do. ... I’m going to wake up every day, grind, and serve y’all the best bite of food that I can.”

On the local front, City Limits is listed on The State’s restaurant guide of 50 essential eateries in the Midlands. The restaurant is typically only open on Saturdays and Sundays.