Charleston: Queology (November 2016)

Queology – Glad We Only Visited for a Light Snack

My spouse and I stopped at Queology on a Saturday afternoon in mid-November 2016. We stayed nearby at the DoubleTree, so we were looking for a casual bar/restaurant nearby where we could have a happy hour drink and snack. Queology is open daily for lunch, dinner, and drinks. The Charleston Hospitality Group owns Queology, along with Whisk, Toast, Cove Oyster Bar and Grill, Eli’s Table, Tabbuli, and Party Rollers. Our credit card statement read Slammin’ Sam, not Queology, so we are not sure of the provenance of the name/business.

A competition barbecue team with 25 years of experience created Queology restaurant. Queology has competed on national television including aboard the Intrepid on BBQ Pit Wars. Notable awards include the Sam's Club National BBQ Tour 1st Place Pork award. 

Queology is located inside part of an old church on Market Street. (Fine-dining restaurant 5Church is located in the main part of the renovated Church of the Redeemer.) The small indoor dining room features exposed brick walls, a petite bar, regular-height tables and chairs, and many TVs on the walls. It offers outdoor seating on a covered porch that overlooks the historic city market. It is necessary to climb a few steps to reach Queology; for this reason, we do not feel that this restaurant is completely handicap-accessible (although maybe there is behind-the-scenes access).

The menu at Queology focuses on meats, of course! Because each Southern region has its own specialty: (North Carolina uses a vinegar base, Memphis uses a dry rub, some regions of South Carolina use a mustard-based sauce), Queology leaves its meat bare, instead offering three different sauces so that you can dress up your barbecue yourself. Menu options include tacos, sandwiches, Frito pockets (“walking tacos”), chicken, pork, ribs, wings, and macaroni and cheese. We tried one taco (which arrived as more of a cold tortilla wrap) and one slider, along with a round of drinks. The bar offers wine, cocktails, and beer (including drafts from Palmetto Brewing Company and Westbrook Brewing Company). Service was less-than-satisfactory; despite having a manager, two bartenders, and a large wait staff on hand, most of the servers stood around chatting and trying to tune the various TVs to the big fight that was being broadcast that evening. We liked the cheeky slogan on the back of one T-shirts that read, “Every butt deserves a good rub.”

We had hoped to find an authentic barbecue joint, the kind where the chef serves meat in piles that you load onto bread yourself, so Queology did not offer what we were looking for. In addition, the menu did not offer brisket, which is our favorite protein. To be fair, the other patrons of Queology (mostly families) seemed to enjoy themselves that day, but in our opinion, Queology is a tourist restaurant that tries to appeal to the masses rather than serving memorable cuisine.