Columbus, Ga. — The Emeralds Touch BBQ100 ranks No. 1 among 12 Columbus barbecue restaurants, with a perfect 5.0-star Google rating from 206 reviews and a perfect 100 on its latest health inspection. Moe's Original BBQ is second at 4.6 stars, and six restaurants tie at 4.5.

The Columbus Times compared Google Maps ratings collected Oct. 10-17, 2026, with Georgia Department of Public Health inspection records.

The good news for barbecue fans: all 12 earned an A on their latest inspection, and eight scored a perfect 100.

All 12 Columbus barbecue restaurants ranked

Ranked by Google star rating, with ties broken by number of reviews. Health scores are each restaurant's most recent inspection.

Google ratings change daily.

The Emeralds Touch: 5.0 stars and five straight 100s

The Emeralds Touch BBQ, at 5156 River Road, is the only barbecue restaurant on the list with a perfect 5.0 rating. Its inspection record matches: 100 on all five inspections since 2024, most recently June 23, 2026.

Moe's Original BBQ, at 1421 Sixth Ave., is second with 4.6 stars from 554 reviews. Its latest inspection was a 91 on April 30, 2026, after earlier scores of 100, 100 and 95.

Six restaurants tied at 4.5 stars

Six places share a 4.5-star rating, ranked here by number of reviews.

The Beehive at Clearview BBQ, 4222 River Road, leads the group with 1,575 reviews, the most of any barbecue place rated 4.5 or higher. It has scored 100 on all four inspections since 2024, most recently Sept. 17, 2026.

Neicy's BBQ, 359 23rd Ave., has 1,019 reviews and three straight 100s, most recently April 21, 2026.

Jim 'N Nick's Community Bar-B-Q, 5710 Whittlesey Blvd., has 933 reviews and three 100s since August 2025.

13th Street BBQ, 5506 Veterans Pkwy., scored a 100 on Sept. 23, 2026, bouncing back from a 92 in March.

Smokey Pig, 1617 11th Ave., has scored 100 on all four inspections since 2024.

Pepper's Bar-B-Que, 4620 C Warm Springs Road, scored a 97 on Sept. 24, 2026.

Country's Barbecue: the most reviews in town

Neither Country's Barbecue location cracks the top five by stars, but together they have 5,842 Google reviews, more than any other barbecue business in our data. Both hold 4.1 stars.

The Veterans Parkway location scored a 100 on Oct. 8, 2026. The Mercury Drive location scored a 96 on June 16, 2026.

Also on the state list

Three more barbecue businesses appear in state inspection records but didn't have a matching Google rating in our data, so they aren't ranked:

• Chester's Ribs & BBQ, 400 Fourth St.: 100 on May 18, 2026. Its five scores since 2024 were 100, 100, 99, 100 and 100.
• Chester's Barbeque, 2501 Airport Thruway: 100 on Aug. 21, 2026.
• Marshall's Smokehouse, 547 Veterans Pkwy.: 96 on April 22, 2026. Its scores since 2024 were 100, 96, 90, 94 and 96.

What the numbers mean for diners

Columbus restaurants overall averaged 96.8 on health inspections since Jan. 1, 2025. Nine of the 12 ranked barbecue restaurants matched or beat that on their latest inspection.

Stars and inspection scores measure different things. An inspection is a snapshot of food safety on one visit. A Google rating reflects what customers think of the food and service, and it shifts as new reviews come in.

You can check any Columbus restaurant's full inspection history free at columbustimes.com/restaurants.

How we did this

The Columbus Times compared Google Maps ratings and review counts collected Oct. 10-17, 2026, with Georgia Department of Public Health food service inspection records for Muscogee County.

Restaurants were identified by state permit names containing BBQ, Bar-B-Q, Barbecue, Bar-B-Que, Barbeque or Smokehouse, so the list may miss barbecue places with other names. Restaurants were ranked by Google rating, with review count breaking ties.

Sources: Google Maps; Georgia Department of Public Health (ga.healthinspections.us); The Columbus Times restaurant score database (columbustimes.com/restaurants).