TV Restaurants

What Happened to Cook's BBQ After Food Paradise? (Lexington, NC)

Food Paradise, Season 12 Lexington, North Carolina

Current status

Closed

As of October 2026, Cook's BBQ has closed — confirmed via Yelp, September 2026.

What the source shows: A Yelp business listing updated September 2026 marks Cook's Barbecue as closed, matching Google Places' temporarily-closed status for the same 366 Valiant Dr. address. How we decide a status →

What happened after Food Paradise?

On the show's episode "BBQ Bragging Rights," Cook's Barbecue was featured for its Lexington-style barbecue, including chopped pork, ribs, and smoked sausage alongside sides like hand-pattied burgers and fried chicken. The menu also featured steaks, flounder, and shrimp alongside its barbecue staples. According to the Southern Foodways Alliance, founder Doug Cook built the barbecue stand by hand in 1969 on a cul-de-sac lot, starting with just a pit, a chopping block, and a drive-up window before adding a dining room as the business grew. Cook's operated for decades at 366 Valiant Dr. in Lexington, North Carolina. A Yelp listing updated 2026-09 marks Cook's Barbecue as closed, and Google Places separately lists the location's business status as temporarily closed. No fresher source shows the restaurant currently open.

The episode Food Paradise, Season 12

Episode 3
Air date not confirmed
Title: BBQ Bragging Rights · What was featured: Lexington-style barbecue: chopped pork, ribs, smoked sausage
How Food Paradise restaurants have fared: 27% closed →

Also in Season 12 Food Paradise

Season 12: 79 of 100 still open · 3 renamed, moved or under new owners

All 13 Season 12 episodes →

Nearest open restaurants By distance from 366 Valiant Dr

All 99 TV restaurants in North Carolina →

Before you go: 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 we checked 2 references

  1. Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/cooks-barbecue-lexington-2
  2. southernfoodways.org https://www.southernfoodways.org/interview/cooks-barbecue/
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Record fp-0882 · checked by Cal Marchetti.