Driftwood Smokehouse

Barbecue Twist on Lake Murray

“This is something we’ve always thought about doing,” Paul Bessinger told Chris Trainor of The State. “It’s kind of a different twist on the normal barbecue restaurant. Something outside of the box.”

That gets to the heart of Driftwood Smokehouse in Leesville. Set along the western side of Lake Murray, the restaurant brings slow-smoked barbecue into a full-service setting with a bar, lake views, and enough menu range to make it work for more than just the person craving a plate of pork.

Driftwood is not built like a quick counter-service barbecue stop. It is a place for settling in over ribs or brisket, bringing along friends with other tastes, and making a meal of the view as much as the smoke.

Bessinger Barbecue Roots, New Lakefront Format

Brothers Paul and Cody Bessinger come from the family behind Maurice’s Piggie Park, one of the Midlands’ best-known barbecue names. Driftwood, however, is their own take on a different kind of restaurant.

The brothers brought their barbecue background to Lake Murray with the idea of creating a sit-down destination rather than another version of the family chain. As Cody Bessinger told Trainor, “It was just something that the lake’s never had.”

Free Times reported that the brothers had been considering a full-service restaurant of their own for years before the opportunity at Lake Murray Resort and Marina came along. The result is a smokehouse that keeps barbecue at the center while giving diners table service, a full bar, and a more relaxed, water-facing setting.

Smokehouse Menu Starts With Barbecue

The main Driftwood Smokehouse menu begins with the meats barbecue diners expect to find: pulled pork, smoked beef brisket, baby back ribs, smoked turkey, and smoked wings.

Those looking to sample more than one meat can order the Smokehouse Spread, which brings together pulled pork, brisket, and ribs. It is a sensible choice for a table that cannot settle on a single direction.

Barbecue sandwiches are part of the mix, too, including a chopped brisket sandwich with pickled onions, candied jalapeños, and house red sauce. The menu also includes a Brisket Philly, pairing smoked brisket with peppers, onions, mushrooms, and a four-cheese blend on a hoagie roll.

More Than a Standard Barbecue Plate

Driftwood does not treat barbecue as the only thing worth ordering. The menu branches into pulled-pork and brisket tacos, salads, burgers, seafood dishes, and other options that make the restaurant easier for a mixed group to enjoy.

That broader approach is part of what separates Driftwood from a more traditional meat-and-three barbecue restaurant. One diner can come for ribs or a pork plate while another has room to choose seafood, tacos, or a burger without feeling like an afterthought.

The kitchen’s range also gives regular visitors a reason to come back without ordering the same plate every time.

South Carolina Sides and Sauce Details

The side list keeps the restaurant connected to the state’s barbecue table. Hash and rice, collards, slaw, macaroni and cheese, potato salad, cowboy beans, cucumber salad, fries, and street corn provide plenty of ways to fill out a plate.

Hash and rice is especially worth noting for South Carolina barbecue fans. It gives Driftwood a familiar local touch amid a menu that is otherwise willing to roam well beyond the standard roadside-barbecue formula.

Among the starters, smoked deviled eggs topped with crushed pork rinds stand out as a smart house detail. The menu also refers to a signature gold barbecue sauce and a house red sauce, offering diners a choice without trying to force every meat into the same flavor profile.

Lake Murray Views Change the Experience

The setting is a real part of the draw here. Driftwood’s dining room looks out over Lake Murray, and the restaurant’s outdoor areas make it easy to stretch a barbecue meal into a longer stop by the water.

That lakefront position gives Driftwood a different rhythm from many South Carolina barbecue restaurants. It still offers smoked meats and familiar sides, but the experience is closer to a dinner out than a grab-and-go barbecue run.

The restaurant occupies a building that previously housed places including The Cove and Buck’s Pizza, but the Bessingers have reshaped it around their own smokehouse concept.

The Outpost Next Door

Next door, The Outpost gives Driftwood a more casual companion space. It has covered outdoor seating, its own bar, and a separate food menu built around easygoing choices such as burgers, hot dogs, smoked bologna, and house-made pimento cheese.

The Outpost is not simply an extension of the main dining room menu. It is the part of the operation designed for hanging around outdoors, catching live music, and taking in Lake Murray without committing to a full sit-down dinner.

That two-part setup is one of Driftwood’s most useful features. Diners can choose the main smokehouse for a fuller barbecue meal or head next door for a looser, more casual stop.

Where Driftwood Fits

Driftwood Smokehouse is a good fit for barbecue fans who want more than a standard plate in a standard setting. The Bessinger family connection brings a measure of local barbecue credibility, but the restaurant’s identity is shaped just as much by Lake Murray, the full-service format, and the broader menu.

Come for pulled pork, brisket, ribs, wings, hash and rice, or one of the barbecue-forward sandwiches. Stay because Driftwood offers something South Carolina barbecue restaurants do not always have: smoked meat, a lake view, and room for everyone at the table to find their own way onto the menu.

What Folks Are Saying

Google Review

Among the many Google Reviews, RB Gallup docked and dined at Driftwood:

We came by boat today and had a great experience from start to finish. The dock attendants were very helpful and pointed us in the right direction as soon as we arrived. We were seated quickly, our drinks came out fast, and the service was excellent throughout.

Everyone in our group enjoyed their food. The tacos, wings, and barbecue were all fantastic. My favorites were the brisket and ribs. Both were cooked perfectly, and I loved the sauce. The hash and rice on the side was outstanding as well.

This is a great spot and easily one of the best places to eat on the lake. Too often waterfront restaurants rely on the view, but Driftwood has genuinely good food to back it up. We’ll definitely be back.

Yelp Review

Over on Yelp, "Bill .." shared his experience after a friend suggested he visit:

Excellent! Received a suggestion and recommendation from a friend that we should try it out. Very glad we did!! I had the taco trio (brisket, bbq pulled pork and shrimp) and my wife has the pulled pork sandwich.

Both meals were excellent. The pulled pork and brisket were cooked and seasoned to perfection. Our server was fantastic. Great casual, Lake Murray atmosphere. I would definitely recommend you try it out, it's worth the effort!

Sample Menu

Note: Menu prices and options are subject to change over time. Contact the restaurant for the most up-to-date information.

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