Johnny Ray&#x27;s Smokehouse

delicious burgers and fried chicken salad! and kind, quick service. so glad they are open Sundays…read moreuntil 10.

I ate here with a large family group…read more The atmosphere is nothing fancy but service was very friendly and we were all very happy with our food.

Interior

Pub nachos!

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Dark and stormy.

Chicken Ranch

4.1(50 reviews)

10.4 mi

I never went inside, I had the food delivered so I can't speak about the ambiance…read more However...I got the shrimp platter and Jesus Christ it was THE best calabash shrimp I've ever had in my life. The hush puppies were perfectly sweet, and the coleslaw was fresh, creamy and crunchy, and the okra was reminiscent of a time when you were a kid and grandma would make it fresh. I delivered and it was at my house in 30-40 minutes. I *cannot* wait to come back to town and have this again!!! Oh!! And they have GREAT RANCH!!!!!!

Some friends told us we should try Chicken Ranch so we did. The building itself needs work but…read moredon't let that deter you. The food here is amazing. There were only three people working and the young cashier was so sweet. I ordered a foot-long hotdog with onion rings and my husband ordered 12 wings: 6 mild and 6 medium. We got our drinks and sat down. The Cook came out and said the mild and medium are the same thing and my husband said that's fine. Not really sure why they have mild and medium on the menu if it's the same thing, lol. The girl who brought out our food had no personality and didn't even speak, but the food speaks for itself. The hotdog was so good. The onion rings were crispy and just perfect. My husband loved the wings. He scarfed those things down. I tried one and they were so good. We will definitely be back to try everything on the menu and try all the different flavors of wings.

Calabash Shrimp plate (with Okra and hush puppies)

12 wings: Mild

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Foot long hot dog with onion rings.

The Wing Pickup

4.7(9 reviews)

40.9 mi

Wings are huge any awesomely cooked! I keep going back!…read more My favorite sauce is the Barbalo. It's bbq and buffalo sauce mixed together.

My dad and me love the award winning sauces for wings or the nuggets, usually get a 40/50 count of…read moreeither split with award winning regular sauce and award winning teriyaki. One day I'll try their other options. I usually order by phone and just pop in to pick up food. I'm too far for delivery.

Desert

Daily specials

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Menu

Wings Etc

2.7(67 reviews)

11.0 mi

I've been here a few times and it's alright. Food has been good each time but the wait staff…read moredoesn't seem to put much pride into what they do. This is a typical sports themed restaurant with a bar. Yes the wings are good but I hate how expensive it is to buy wings when you're out. Yes I know everything is, but I had to, it's the dang name of the place! The wife's mixed drink was on the weak side, so I expect they are making a nice profit there. Overall it's alright, I enjoy many other restaurants in Shelby over this one. But right now for hot wings, this is the champ in town.

I ordered takeout and the food was extremely disappointing. It honestly reminded me of hospital…read morefood. The Buffalo chicken wrap was soggy and looked as if it had been dropped on the floor. The fries were cold, and there were no sauces, forks, or napkins in the bag. The wings were undercooked, cold, and looked old. Unfortunately, this experience was just like most places here in Shelby, an overall complete disappointment.

Buffalo wings 10 Wing Basket Buffalo Style

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Strawberry mango Margarita - Frozen

The Cherry Pit

4.3(28 reviews)

7.5 mi

This was my first visit, and I can't say enough great things about this place…read more The atmosphere is fantastic, with both indoor and outdoor seating options (we chose to sit inside). The hostess and our waitress were incredibly friendly, and we shared plenty of laughs--she truly made the experience even more enjoyable. Then came the highlight of the meal: the burger. Simply put, it was the best burger I've ever had. Having lived in New York, Florida, and Colorado, I've tried my fair share of burgers, and this one stands above the rest. After my first bite, I turned to my friend and said, "I think I'm in heaven!" It was that good. I rarely eat red meat, but I'm already thinking about when I can go back--maybe even tomorrow. Everything we ordered was excellent--the beer, the salad, the perfectly crispy fries--but the burger was truly exceptional. This is easily a five-star experience.

Ben & I needed to be in Cherryville for a friends event that started at 2p so we stopped here for…read morelunch beforehand. It was about 115p and it was busy on a Saturday January afternoon. We decided to sit at the bar since there was hardly anyone there and there were some basketball games on. We got service quickly & Ben ordered the hot chicken sammie with a side salad, I ordered the house salad with grilled chicken. We should have said something when we ordered about being on the clock but it was 130p before we got our food. I asked the waitress/bartender how things were going and she said "I don't know, I've not been to the kitchen". It was about 5 more minutes before the food came out and we were watching the clock closely and Ben said we were about 5 minutes away from where we ended to be. We knew we needed to eat quickly even though we were just about 5 minutes away. Ben's chicken was just huge chunks that looked more like nuggets than slices of chicken. He said it was OK. My salad was OK, they didn't have iceberg lettuce it was only romaine even though I told her I would like the mix, I didn't get it. I don't know what that's such a hard ask.

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Outside Patio

The Winged Nut

5.0(1 review)

69.2 mi

Was told by one of the owners that we needed to stop by. I've been twice now and came away…read moreimpressed both times. The gentleman cooking the chicken is brilliant. Everything we had was excellent. Very good wings and sauces. Do Wah Diddy salad with chicken was incredible, especially for the price of $8. It is a food truck with a few tables outside, so pick a nice day if you want to sit and watch the world go by. Highly recommend.

From the owner: We are a mobile kitchen specializing in Wings, Boiled Peanuts, and Food.read more

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Just Wing It 828

5.0(1 review)

55.0 mi

I've been coming to get wings from these guys since their truck first opened. The wings are…read morefantastic and I personally love the tater tots. The people who work here are always extremely kind and really care about the quality of the food they are serving. The dine in portion of the restaurant isn't open yet but the takeout is fantastic

From the owner: Our business specializes in Wings. We wonder if chicken wings think about us too. If you like wings…read moreand great chicken sandwiches...come see us.

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Baileyton Restaurant

4.4(41 reviews)

97.6 mi

The service here is excellent and the food is what you'd expect from a small dinner…read more Prices are unbelievable!

Oh my gosh! I cannot understand why this place is not packed all the time. We were greeted it was…read moreso friendly and they were only a couple tables there. I thought maybe I had made a mistake in coming here it being just a small off the Wall kind of diner. The food was delicious, the service was great. And the prices are astronomically low. Now I probably shouldn't be putting this in a review because they might raise them. But I have to say, these days you really want to bang for your buck and this is the place to go. I went for dinner and was so happy with it that I made sure that I came back in the morning for breakfast which I was not disappointed once again. If you get a chance going through this little tiny town, and you see this tiny little restaurant in a gravel parking lot. Do not let appearances deceive you. It's not the prettiest place in the world but it is clean and the food is good

Texas burger

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Blue 42s Burger Bar

4.2(100 reviews)

24.4 mi

Great and largeselection of burgers, chicken sandwiches, hotdogs salads wings. Good selection of…read morelocal brews and hard ciders too. Wings great, had a dry rub flavor with sauce on side. Regular fries and sweet potato fries both crispy and fresh. Good service and got seated promptly. Definitely worth it and recommend it if you're visiting or live locally!

Good food, quick service . Good prices. We ordered the half order of fried mushrooms. Which was…read moreplenty for two people , 20 wings of two different flavors, an order of onion rings, a Carolina blue burger, cooked perfectly to my ordered temp, 3 beers and bill was $45. Just be prepared to pay 25 cents for a water which imo is just petty. It's a small place with a few tables and about 7-8 stools at bar.

Pizza

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Interior bar

Thelma Lou’s Barbeque & Grill

5.0(23 reviews)

13.4 mi

We flew in just for the bbq. Arrived right after they opened and the dining area was already pretty…read morefull. We sat ourselves and our server was quick to get our lemonade order. We got the pulled pork sandwich and tots. Everything came quickly. Tots were golden fried, perfectly crispy. Pulled pork was topped with a cabbage slaw inside a toasted bun. All very good. Served hot and fresh. Server was very busy but took the time to be friendly and welcoming. Nice homey place to eat. Will definitely return. We're not from the area, we flew in for bbq. They're located at the end of the Shelby Co Regional Airport runway. You have to walk down to a gate, thru or around a small cemetery and across a two-lane rd. Well worth it.

I found this place on Yelp, and it did not disappoint. Great place to stop if you're off the beaten…read morepath!! Burgers and BBQ were great!!

Front entrance of restaurant

Pork & Burger

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Menu

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Daniel W.

228

42

81

2 years ago

Johnny Ray's Smokehouse exceeded my expectations! The portions were incredibly generous, ensuring you get great value for your meal. The wait staff was not only attentive but also exceptionally charismatic and kind, adding to the warm and welcoming atmosphere. The food was outstanding, with every dish bursting with flavor. The dry rub wings were a highlight for me--they were shockingly tender and seasoned to perfection. If you're looking for top-notch BBQ with great service, this is the spot to visit! read more

Jake D.

0

2

0

3 years ago

I recently dined at Johnny Ray's Smokehouse in Lawndale, North Carolina, and it was a delightful experience. The chicken sandwich exceeded expectations, perfectly seasoned and cooked. The service was excellent, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere that perfectly captured the small-town southern vibes. Kudos to the owner for not only serving fantastic food but also for attentively listening to customer feedback, making it an even more enjoyable dining spot. read more

Rain K.

0

1

0

4 months ago

Wonderful restaurant, the food never fails to disappoint! Very homey vibe as a local and raised southerner. The service is always so incredible! Especially from my host Irelyn. She's so kindhearted and patient, she was able to handle the struggle of losing wifi in the restaurant with such ease, it was impressive! read more

Joey D.

0

3

4

3 months ago

First time in North Carolina and this is why i'm coming back! Burger had me wanting a nap half way through it was so filling. Ribs were the best around. 9.1/10 read more

Sherry W.

0

1

0

5 months ago

The food is always good. Service is fast and the atmosphere is great! The smell coming from the kitchen will have your mouth watering and belly growling! read more

Julie B.

0

2

0

3 months ago

We absolutely will be back, Lunch specials are a good value. Food was great and staff friendly and efficient.

Johnny Ray's Smokehouse - bbq - Updated July 2026

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We flew in just for the bbq. Arrived right after they opened and the dining area was already pretty…read morefull. We sat ourselves and our server was quick to get our lemonade order. We got the pulled pork sandwich and tots. Everything came quickly. Tots were golden fried, perfectly crispy. Pulled pork was topped with a cabbage slaw inside a toasted bun. All very good. Served hot and fresh. Server was very busy but took the time to be friendly and welcoming. Nice homey place to eat. Will definitely return. We're not from the area, we flew in for bbq. They're located at the end of the Shelby Co Regional Airport runway. You have to walk down to a gate, thru or around a small cemetery and across a two-lane rd. Well worth it.

I found this place on Yelp, and it did not disappoint. Great place to stop if you're off the beaten…read morepath!! Burgers and BBQ were great!!

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We went there today for breakfast. After serving our drinks the waitress forgot about us. We…read morefinally had to ask a waiter who was walking by to help us. After bringing the food, no one came by to ask us if we needed anything else or to refill our drinks or bring the check. I had to ask for a to go box. We had to go to the cashier and he had to go get the ticket from the waitress. The bad service ruined the atmosphere for our meal.The food was okay, but because of the way we were treated we will not be returning.

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Who came up with the bright idea to have to workers yell at the top of their lungs the customers…read moreorder. Every single order. I'm trying to have a conversation with my fiancé an all I hear is the workers yelling. The food was great. I've had it a few time but never remember them yelling like that. Makes the atmosphere just not welcoming. If ever I'm here again it for sure will be take out but not likely.

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