TV Restaurants

Where Is Shepard Barbecue Now? Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Update

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 36 Wilmington, North Carolina

Current status

Relocated

As of October 2026, Shepard Barbecue + BiRDBOX has relocated to 609 S 15th St, Wilmington, NC — confirmed via the business's own website/social account, accessed July 2026. The original location is closed.

What the source shows: Yelp marks the original Emerald Isle listing closed (updated July 2026), while the business's own website, last modified 2026-08-04, says it is now serving Wilmington, NC, matching a separate Yelp listing for a Wilmington address also updated in July 2026. How we decide a status →

What happened after Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives?

On Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives episode 'Beef and Bird' (aired 2022-11-04), the show featured Shepard Barbecue, a barbecue restaurant then operating at 7801 Emerald Drive in Emerald Isle, North Carolina, run by chef Brandon Shepard. According to Yelp, whose listing for the Emerald Isle address was updated in July 2026 and marked the location closed, that original restaurant is no longer operating. The business's own website, last modified on 2026-08-04, now describes the concept as 'Shepard Barbecue + BiRDBOX' and says it is 'now serving Wilmington, NC.'

Yelp separately lists a Shepard Barbecue location at 609 S. 15th Street in Wilmington, also updated in July 2026, with posted hours of Wednesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6 p.m., closed Monday and Tuesday. The move consolidates the business under chef Shepard and his wife Elizabeth at the new Wilmington address rather than the original Emerald Isle location shown on the episode.

The episode Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 36

Episode 5
Aired
Title: Beef and Bird · What was featured: barbecue plates at chef Brandon Shepard's Emerald Isle restaurant
How Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives restaurants have fared: 27% closed →

Also in Season 36 Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Season 36: 28 of 35 still open · 1 renamed, moved or under new owners

All 12 Season 36 episodes →

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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 4 references

  1. Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/shepard-barbecue-emerald-isle-2
  2. Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/shepard-barbecue-wilmington
  3. shepardbbq.com https://shepardbbq.com/
  4. shepardbbq.com https://shepardbbq.com/contact/
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Record ddd-1355 · checked by Cal Marchetti.