Camel City BBQ Factory

Camel City BBQ Factory is a Southern barbecue restaurant, bar, and arcade on Liberty Street in downtown Winston-Salem, NC — three levels of dining and entertainment built inside a 1927 stucco warehouse that has held a Doumas family restaurant since 1955. Owner Steve Doumas opened Camel City in 2015, taking the name straight from Winston-Salem’s tobacco-era nickname.

The menu centers on smoked meats — pulled pork, brisket, and ribs — with classic Southern sides and local draft beer alongside. What sets the place apart from a standard barbecue joint is everything built around the food: a full bar, an arcade, an events room, sit-down dining, a grab-and-go counter, gaming systems at the dining tables, and a patio.

Be sure to check out the pictures below to get a feel for Camel City BBQ Factory before you go — or to relive the visit after.

The Building and the Doumas Family

Camel City’s Liberty Street address carries three generations of restaurant history. In 1955, Steve Doumas’s father opened The Dixie Grill in a lean-to attached to the 1927 stucco warehouse that now houses Camel City. Over the following decades, the main building served other purposes — it was known as Sessions Specialty, a department store, with part of the space operating as a furniture store.

When Doumas began planning his own restaurant, he chose Liberty Street specifically because of those family roots. The renovation turned the warehouse into a three-level venue, and Camel City opened in 2015 as part of a broader wave of redevelopment along Liberty Street, which runs directly east of Trade Street and the Arts District.

The Doumas family’s presence in Winston-Salem dining extends beyond this one address — they also own The Lighthouse on Burke Street downtown.

The name is a straight lift from local history. Winston-Salem earned the nickname “Camel City” from the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company’s Camel cigarettes, manufactured here and that made the brand — and the city — nationally known. That same heritage shows up throughout the modern Winston-Salem landscape, from the preserved blue-stenciled camels at the Bailey Power Plant to the Camel City Coffee shop across town.

The Food and the Arcade

The barbecue is the point. Pulled pork, brisket, and ribs anchor the menu, served with the classic Southern sides — and the pork scratchings have a following as a starter. Sandwiches, sample plates, and a reasonably priced lunch menu round out the options, with local draft beer and a full bar on the drink side.

The three-level layout is what makes Camel City work for groups. There’s sit-down dining, a grab-and-go counter for quicker visits, a full bar, an events room, and a patio. The arcade is the signature feature — Camel City bills itself as “Winston’s best BBQ arcade,” and gaming systems are built right into some of the dining tables, which makes it a genuinely different proposition for families or a group killing time before a show.

Doumas has described the goal plainly: a fun environment to enjoy a meal or watch a football game, but at the end of the day, it’s about a barbecue sandwich and a cold drink.

One practical note worth heeding — reviewers have reported parking enforcement in the adjacent lot, so pay attention to the signage and ask about validation when you go in.

Good to Know

• Location: 701 North Liberty Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101
• Phone: 336-306-9999
• Owner: Steve Doumas
• Opened: 2015
• The building: A 1927 stucco warehouse; Steve Doumas’s father opened The Dixie Grill in a lean-to attached to the same building in 1955; later known as Sessions Specialty department store with a furniture store in part of the space
• Hours: Monday–Thursday 11 AM–9 PM; Friday–Saturday 11 AM–10 PM; Sunday 11 AM–9 PM (check the Camel City BBQ Factory website for current hours)
• The menu: Pulled pork, brisket, ribs, classic Southern sides, pork scratchings, sandwiches, sample plates, and a lunch special menu
• To drink: Full bar plus local draft beer
• The space: Three levels — sit-down dining, full bar, arcade, events room, grab-and-go counter, gaming systems at some dining tables, and a patio
• Events and meetings: Events room available; the venue lists meeting room capacity through Visit Winston-Salem
• Parking note: Pay attention to lot signage and ask about validation
• Also from the Doumas family: The Lighthouse on Burke Street in downtown Winston-Salem
• Best for: Barbecue eaters, families with kids (the arcade), groups, game-day watching, and anyone exploring the Liberty Street and Arts District corridor
• Pair with: The full Winston-Salem food and beverage cluster; Broad Branch Distillery and Fiddlin’ Fish Brewing Company on nearby Trade Street; Mast General Store in the Arts District; or Bailey Park and the Bailey Power Plant in the Innovation Quarter

A Winston-Salem Highlight

Three generations of one family have run a restaurant out of this building. Steve Doumas’s father opened The Dixie Grill in a lean-to attached to the 1927 warehouse in 1955, and when Doumas went looking for a location of his own decades later, he came back to the same block — not for the real estate, but for the family history attached to it. That’s a better origin story than most barbecue joints can claim.

The barbecue holds up its end, but the three-level buildout is what makes Camel City distinct. A full bar, an arcade, an events room, gaming systems at the tables, and a patio mean this works for a family dinner, a group before a show, or a Saturday spent watching football — and the grab-and-go counter handles the days when you just want a sandwich and out.

The name does real work too. Camel City is Winston-Salem’s tobacco-era nickname, earned when R.J. Reynolds’s Camel cigarettes made the city nationally known, and it’s one of the more direct nods to that history you’ll find on a restaurant sign downtown.

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Resources

Camel City BBQ Factory Website

Camel City BBQ Factory Facebook

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