Since 1989

Our Story

Carolina born. New York raised. Orlando approved.

Well, howdy.

Who the Heck Is Jimmy?

Jimmy Goldman, that's who — a kid who went down to North Carolina for school, fell head over boots for pit barbecue, and decided the rest of the world deserved some too. He brought the smoke, the sauce and the good times north in 1989, and we've been putting some South in folks' mouths ever since.

More than three decades later the mission hasn't changed one bit: cook it low and slow, pour it cold, turn the music up and treat everybody who walks in like they're kin.

Cheers to 35+ years!

Est. 1989

The Road So Far

From Tailgate to I-Drive

The 80s
Tailgates & Tobacco Road
Jimmy did a year at UNC and a year at Duke — which, around there, is basically a hostage negotiation. What he really majored in was ACC football tailgates and Carolina pit barbecue. He headed home with a notebook full of recipes and a serious hickory habit.
1989
Two Smokers & a Dive Bar
He wedged two smokers into a little dive bar on Manhattan's Upper East Side and fed New Yorkers their first taste of real Carolina slow-smoke. Inspiration came straight from the legends: Melton's in Rocky Mount, NC and Maurice's Piggy Park in Columbia, SC.
The 90s
Hog Heaven for Homesick Southerners
Word got out. ACC grads lined up for a plate that tasted like home, the bar got loud, and Zagat ranked us in its top five for a while. Two of our own bartenders took the reins in 1999, built a central kitchen so every rack came out the same, and opened more spots across Manhattan.
2022
Hello, Orlando!
On August 29, 2022 we fired up the pits at ICON Park on International Drive — 7,200 square feet, 200 seats inside, a 60-seat patio under the big wheel, plus skee-ball, hoops and Pac-Man. Same recipes, a lot more sunshine.

By the Numbers

We counted. Mostly.

Year the first smoker got lit: 1989
Low & slow in a vintage Ole Hickory: 14 hrs
Of Swamp Water in a fishbowl: 64 oz
Square feet of Orlando hog heaven: 7,200
Party people for a cocktail bash: 500+
Times we’ve rushed a brisket: 0

Smoked ribs and pickle chips on a red-and-white checkered tablecloth — Exhibit A

Posted by the register

House Rules

Low & Slow, Always
Hickory smoke, real wood, no shortcuts. The meat is done when it says it’s done.
Sauce on the Side
Good barbecue doesn’t need hiding. Our sauces are there when you want ’em.
Napkins Are Mandatory
Shirts are optional-ish. Napkins are not. Grab a stack.
Everybody’s Family
Kids eat free, strangers become friends, and the skee-ball is a grudge match.