Sweet Old Bill's

Located at 1232 North Main Street in High Point, Sweet Old Bill’s offers barbeque and modern Southern cuisine for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday. There is a full bar, and patio seating is available as is curbside takeout.

Sweet Old Bill’s had been on my to-try list for quite some time, but mixed reviews made it less than a top priority. After finally hitting it up for takeout, I’m glad that I did. It isn’t the best barbeque in the area, and it will probably drive diehard Lexington traditionalists up the wall, but it’s tasty and well-rounded.

Sweet Old Bill’s bills (pardon the redundancy) itself as “burgers, brew, and cue” and a good assortment of all three can be found here. The menu boasts everything from the requisite pulled pork or chicken (in sandwich or platter format) to homemade pork skins, redneck charcuterie, and more than a half-dozen burgers. There are also several salads and a Tree Hugger veggie burger for those so inclined.

My wife and I opted to split a large brisket nachos and a pulled pork platter with tomato pie and sweet potato fries as the sides. Everything was ready when I arrived for pick-up, and though I didn’t linger long, the restaurant looked like the kind of place that would either be a lot of fun or headache-inducingly loud at full capacity. Staff were friendly, and they appeared to be following COVID precautions.

The sides outshine the meats at Sweet Old Bill’s, and that may be the cause of some of the mixed reviews. That isn’t to say that the meats are bad – they are neither tough nor completely flavorless – but rather that no one will confuse them for Black Powder Smokehouse’s offerings. The gooey, cheesy tomato pie is transcendent and the sweet potato fries are better than most. The nachos come nicely loaded with corn, black beans, jalapenos, and cheese, but the chimichurri is the flavor that stands out the most, for better or worse.

There are cheaper options than Sweet Old Bill’s, but you get a good amount of food for your money. The $12 pulled pork plate included a half pound and two sides while the $14 large nachos yielded two entrée-sized portions (and leftovers).

For those whose tastes allow for a flexible interpretation of barbeque, Sweet Old Bills is a solid contemporary option.