3 BBQ Joints In GA Among Nation's Best, Southern Living Says

ATLANTA, GA — The best barbecue joint in Georgia is Fresh Air Bar-B-Que in Jackson, according to a recent ranking from Southern Living.

For the first time in two years, the popular Alabama-based magazine on Sept. 17 released its list of the top 50 barbecue joints in the South, including three in Georgia.

Fresh Air Bar-B-Que, located at 1164 GA-42, ranked third behind City Limits Barbeque (No. 1) in South Carolina and Snow's BBQ (No. 2) in Texas.

Southern Soul Barbeque, nestled at 2020 Demere Road in St. Simons Island, is the 23rd-best in the South, according to the ranking. Meanwhile, Fox Bros Bar-B-Q, located at 1238 DeKalb Ave. NE in Atlanta, is the 48th.

Fresh Air Bar-B-Que

Fresh Air was established by Dr. Joel Watkins in 1929 and is considered to be "the oldest pit-cooked barbecue restaurant in Georgia still in its original location," according to its website.

Through the years, the old-age eatery has served millions of barbecue sandwiches to people from all over the U.S., according to its website.

It was first created as a drive-in, but Butts County native George W. “Toots” Caston transformed the barbecue spot to include an indoor dining room after Watkins' passing in 1945, according to its website.

Fresh Air said its success skyrocketed in 1984 after WSB-TV named the joint the winner of a statewide contest to choose the all-time best barbecue, according to its website.

"There’s no barbecue in Georgia quite like Fresh Air’s, and no restaurant better represents the state’s storied and distinctive style," Southern Living said about the slow-cooking barbecue eatery.

Here is what else Southern Living had to say about Fresh Air:

"A tall brick chimney rises above the low wooden building with a shiny if somewhat battered metal roof. You step across a bed of wood shavings in the entry way into a brown-paneled dining room with long, sturdy wooden tables and order from a small yellow signboard at the short counter. There’s no need to ask what kind of barbecue comes on the BBQ plate, for in Georgia that means chopped pork. Fresh Air cooks fresh hams over oak and hickory on an ancient L-shaped brick pit, and the finished pork is chopped into long shreds and dressed in thin, tangy red sauce. A 'regular' plate delivers that iconic barbecue along with a cup of the best Brunswick stew in all of the South, with fine shreds of beef and minced onions and corn in a thick tomato broth. If you want to get fancy you can order a 'deluxe' plate to add a cup of crisp, tangy coleslaw and a pickle spear and still sneak in under $10. (The deluxe plate, as of this writing, costs $9.97.)"

Southern Soul Barbeque

Southern Soul first came to fruition in 2006 before being re-established in 2010, according to the restaurant website. It was initially pop-up location along the Palm Coast before moving to its St. Simons home.

Sometime after a visit from "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives'" Guy Fieri in 2010, Southern Soul sustained a fire that burned the property, according to the restaurant website.

"That might have been the end of the story, but the local community rallied to ensure the doors would remain open, and the team continued to operate out of a neighboring location (Ziggy Mohoney’s) while the restaurant was under re-construction," read the company website.

Eight years later, Southern Soul founded the Firebox Initiative, "a nonprofit dedicated to financially supporting the needs of food service workers in crisis within our community," read the company website.

Customers at Southern Soul may enjoy a "laid-back, retro beach vibe and an ever-shifting selection of smoky specials," according to Southern Living.

The magazine added:

"The beloved St. Simons oasis became, by my calculations, 17 percent cooler in 2022, when founders Harrison Sapp and Griffin Buffkin added the Channel Marker bar and stocked it with tiki favorites like Jungle Birds and Goombay Smashes. You can enjoy the frosty concoctions alongside a solid slate of brisket, chicken, turkey and sausage, all cooked over oak on Oyler and Lang pits. The sweet honey-basted ribs are long-time crowd pleasers, and Southern Soul’s rich, tangy version of Georgia’s classic Brunswick stew is a delight. It’s all found just a mile from the Atlantic Ocean inside an old converted gas station, and the long picnic tables under the tall metal awning out front are ideal for whiling away a dreamy barbecue afternoon."

Fox Bros Bar-B-Q

A reflection of its name, Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q was founded in 2007 by twin brothers Jonathan and Justin Fox, according to the restaurant website.

Southern Living noted the Fox twins brought their Texan flavors to the Peach State, instantly attracting Georgians to their restaurant's "lively atmosphere and hearty barbecue creations."

"You can stick to the fundamentals—brisket, pulled pork, chicken and ribs—or sample an impressive array of creative cross-regional specialties like 'Tomminator' tater tots smothered with Brunswick stew and 'chicken fried' ribs with Alabama-style white sauce. The Foxes’ distinctive Texas-meets-Atlanta style can now be sampled at six locations around the city, including during Braves baseball games at Truist Park," Southern Living said.

Fox Bros helps to fundraise for Hogs for a Cause, a collective that gathers funding for pediatric brain cancer outreach services in the U.S.

Aside from its DeKalb Avenue eatery, Fox Bros has the following locations: 204 Chattahoochee Row SW in Atlanta, 4058 Peachtree St. NE in Brookhaven and 120 Ottley Drive NE in Atlanta.

Fox Bros. additionally provides food for Wild Heaven Beer at 2935-B N. Druid Hills Road in Toco Hills and the Blue Moon Brewery and Grill, located at 755 Battery Ave. SE in Atlanta.

Here are the top 10 barbecue joints in the South, per Southern Living:

1. City Limits Barbeque, West Columbia, South Carolina
2. Snow's BBQ, Lexington, Texas
3. Fresh Air Bar-B-Que, Jackson, Georgia
4. Louie Mueller Barbecue, Taylor, Texas
5. LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, Austin, Texas
6. Skylight Inn BBQ, Ayden, North Carolina
7. Lewis Barbecue, Charleston, South Carolina
8. B.E. Scott's BBQ, Lexington, Tennessee
9. Mama Jean's Barbecue, Roanoke, Virginia
10. Lexington Barbecue, Lexington, North Carolina

See Southern Living's full list of the top 50 restaurants in the South.