This Midlands BBQ joint has been named a finalist for a prestigious James Beard Award
The owner and pitmaster at a popular West Columbia barbecue joint is once again a finalist for one of the top honors in the culinary field.
Robbie Robinson, of City Limits Barbeque, on Wednesday was named a finalist for a James Beard Foundation Award in the category of Best Chef: Southeast. The Beard Awards — considered by many as the sort of Oscars of the food world — will be handed out June 16 at the Lyric Opera in Chicago.
Robinson and City Limits were James Beard finalists in the same category a year ago.
“It’s re-validation of the hard work that not only me but my crew has invested into this,” Robinson said Wednesday afternoon after finalists were announced. “We are not doing it for the award, we are doing it because of our goal to put out the best bite possible.”
City Limits Barbeque started as a food truck in 2016, with Robinson initially establishing a niche audience and an almost cult following as the truck set up at different spots in the area. In 2023 City Limits moved into a brick-and-mortar home at 1119 Methodist Park Road in West Columbia.
Robinson’s restaurant is known for blending Texas and Carolina barbecue traditions, with customers lining up every weekend — it’s only open Saturdays and Sundays — for ribs, brisket, chopped pork and a bevy of side dishes.
City Limits has garnered national acclaim in the last couple years. For instance, it was named one of the South’s best new barbecue joints in 2024 by Southern Living, landing at No. 4 on the magazine’s top 22 list.
Then there was The New York Times, which tabbed City Limits as one of the 50 best restaurants in America for 2024, calling it “the place students of regional smoked meat dream of.”
Texas Monthly, meanwhile, had City Limits on its 2024 list as one of the best Texas-style barbecue joints located outside of Texas. The magazine scoured 149 different Texas-style barbecue joints across 37 states to come up with its final list of 53 restaurants.
Robinson, who has a background in accounting, said the City Limits crew plans to attend the Beard Chicago ceremony in June.
“The accountant in me was very concerned that I bought this tuxedo last year and I was only going to be able to wear it once before I died,” Robinsion joked on Wednesday. “So, we’ll be able to bust out that tuxedo. I used to live in Chicago and I love Chicago.”
A Columbia area restaurant won a James Beard Award for the first time last year, when Main Street’s Lula Drake Wine Parlour took home the award for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program.
This story was originally published April 2, 2025 at 1:30 PM.
