TV Restaurants

Is Bessinger's Bar-B-Q Still Open? Food Paradise Update (Charleston, SC)

Open reported

As of September 2026, Bessinger's Bar-B-Q is listed open on Yelp, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

Primary source
Yelp ·

Last verified

What the source shows: Yelp's listing for 1602 Savannah Hwy, updated 2026-07, shows 385 reviews and 219 photos with no closed designation, and Google Places marks the same address OPERATIONAL.

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What happened after Food Paradise?

The episode featured Bessinger's Bar-B-Q's mustard-based barbecue plate, including the restaurant's chopped pork served with hash and rice. Bessinger's has operated on Savannah Highway in Charleston since the Piggie Park Drive-In opened there in 1961 and was later renamed Bessinger's-The Barbecue Family, according to Charleston Magazine's history of the restaurant. The current location at 1602 Savannah Hwy continues to operate, according to a Yelp listing updated July 2026 that shows recent photos and reviews posted at that address. Because this appearance is at the same Savannah Highway location already on file as mvf-285, it is logged here as an additional episode appearance for that existing record rather than as a new business entry.

Man v. Food (S5E3, aired 2017-08-14) featured slow-smoked barbecue at Bessinger's Bar-B-Q on Savannah Highway in Charleston, South Carolina. The restaurant, styled as Bessinger's BBQ on current listings, is a barbecue restaurant at 1602 Savannah Hwy serving smoked pork, ribs, chicken, and brisket. According to Yelp, a listing for this address titled 'BESSINGER'S BBQ' was updated 2026-07 and showed 385 reviews and 219 photos with no closed designation. Google Places listed the same address's business status as OPERATIONAL when the record was compiled on 2026-09-08. The restaurant's own website returned a server error when checked directly on 2026-09-08, so this record relies on the Yelp listing and the Google Places status rather than the business's own site.

Featured on Food Paradise

Season / episode
Season 9, Episode 9
Original air date
Not confirmed
Episode title
BBQ Bliss
What was featured
Bessinger's mustard-sauce pulled pork barbecue plate
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Bessinger's Bar-B-Q
Season / episode
Season 5, Episode 3
Original air date
Episode title
—
What was featured
Slow-smoked barbecue at the Savannah Highway location
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Bessinger's Bar-B-Q

Frequently asked questions

Is Bessinger's Bar-B-Q still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Bessinger's Bar-B-Q is listed open on Yelp, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

What happened to Bessinger's Bar-B-Q after Food Paradise?

The episode featured Bessinger's Bar-B-Q's mustard-based barbecue plate, including the restaurant's chopped pork served with hash and rice. As of September 2026, Bessinger's Bar-B-Q is listed open on Yelp, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

Where is Bessinger's Bar-B-Q located?

1602 Savannah Hwy, Charleston, SC 29407. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Food Paradise featured Bessinger's Bar-B-Q?

Season 9, Episode 9 of Food Paradise. The episode is titled “BBQ Bliss”.

What do reviews say since Food Paradise?

The current location at 1602 Savannah Hwy continues to operate, according to a Yelp listing updated July 2026 that shows recent photos and reviews posted at that address. We summarise what dated sources report; we do not publish our own rating.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
1602 Savannah Hwy, Charleston, SC 29407
Venue type
restaurant
Official website
bessingersbbq.com

Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources

  • charlestonmag.com — https://charlestonmag.com/the_mustard_sauce_migration_the_evolution_of_charleston_barbecue_part_1
  • Yelp — https://www.yelp.com/biz/bessingers-bbq-charleston
  • bessingersbbq.com — https://bessingersbbq.com/

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Record mvf-285 · last verified .