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Ever since pitmaster John Lewis came to town with his brand of Texas barbecue and knee-weakening brisket, people have hungered for his restaurant to open. Lewis Barbecue is currently under construction at 464 Nassau St. and should be open this spring. Eater caught up with Lewis to discover a few facts about the new smokehouse to hit the NoMo neighborhood.
1. Lewis Barbecue sells a lot of meat. How much meat? The custom-built sausage cooker can hold 1,600 links and each of the four smokers can hold 1,200 pounds of brisket. For reference, the average cow, according to Google, weighs 1,500 pounds. That's a bunch of beef.
2. The space at 464 Nassau St. is huge. 100 patrons can sit inside, and there will be seating for 200 outside.
3. The wait time shouldn't go over 20 minutes. Lewis says his goal is to never have a long line. He predicts the weekends might be busy, but since they will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., there's plenty of hours for folks to grab some barbecue.
4. There's tons of parking. Unlike most downtown establishments, Lewis says they'll have their own parking lot, spaces behind Edmund's Oast, and a satellite lot near the restaurant. They also plan to have a bike rack for two-wheelers.
5. Lewis will offer Tex-Mex once a week. This means enchiladas, tostadas, posole, and more will be on the menu at the barbecue house. Lewis hails from Austin, so he knows his Tex-Mex. The regular menu at Lewis Barbecue will feature five to six proteins a day, with brisket always on the list and beef ribs on Saturdays.
6. Plans are in the works to host chicken shit bingo at the restaurant (it's exactly what it sounds like: a bird is placed over a giant bingo card and if it poops on your number, you win). After the popularity of the event at Charleston Wine + Food, Lewis says they are considering having it once a month at the space. To get an idea of what to expect, check out Robert Donovan's photographs below.
