Best BBQ in North Carolina:
Raleigh
Clyde Cooper’s: Small mom and pop establishment in downtown Raleigh that has been around for over 40 years. It has 2 dining rooms and a great counter-top to chow down on. It seems like Clyde’s has given in to the BBQ boom and started to cater the tourists who read about them. I’ve eaten there 2 times. One time solo on the counter and one time with John and his 2 friends in a booth. I’ve tried both the BBQ and Ribs. Both were average and the sides/hush puppies are nothing to write home about. Overall experience and taste: C
Ole Time: This hard to find roadside BBQ den resides right next to the train tracks on Hillsboro between Raleigh and Carey. It’s cozy inside with around 8 tables at most with a small counter-top with names of locals who have been eating there for years. Ole Time is authentic BBQ with very little gimmicks. I went with Karen and we tried the BBQ and Ribs. The BBQ was above average and the Ribs were below average. The slaw was bland but the hushpuppies were great, probably 2nd to Wilber’s. Overall it was a good experience and would take out of town guests to visit but would warn that it’s not the best I’ve had. Overall experience and taste: B-
The Pit: The most famous of the BBQ joints in Raleigh due to the numerous TV appearances by either their famous pit master or Man vs. Food. It’s a “high end” BBQ restaurant located in the trendy warehouse district of downtown Raleigh. The restaurant is huge and on most nights you will need a reservation to get a table. They also have a nice size bar and high tables which make it easier to eat if you don’t want to wait. I’ve been here a lot with family, friends, and big and small parties. A huge plus to the Pit is that it’s open on Sunday, the one and only BBQ place open on the Sabbath. I have eaten almost everything on the menu. My favorites are the Brisket, Pork Ribs and Fried Chicken. They also have great appetizers and sides that you won’t find at any of the authentic joints. As of the day of this review they have the best ribs in the area, fall off the bone ribs with great BBQ sauce on them. The BBQ is above average, but they make up for it with the delicious Brisket and Fried Chicken. Overall, The Pit is a good place to bring a large group looking to EAT, it’s also a good place to grab a couple of beers and share some Q. Overall experience and taste: B
Chapel Hill
Allan and Son: When you come from the north and think of North Carolina BBQ you think of a place in the middle of nowhere that has a big pig sign in front. This vision came true the first time I drove up to Allan and Son by myself on a Saturday morning back in January of 2010. I did a ton of research when I moved down to NC and Allan and Son kept on showing up on top of many “best” lists, the only problem was it was in the middle of nowhere and the GPS had a hard time finding the actually location. It was like they placed it in the pork Bermuda triangle. Upon entering Allan and Son for the first time, I knew my dreams of BBQ heaven were about to come true. It was pretty damn close. Allan and Son is located in a old 2 bedroom house right next to a train station and is decorated with checkered table covers which provide you with the waiter/waitress name who will be serving you. On my first trip I went with the standard BBQ plate and it was delicious. The slaw was also above average, the hushpuppies were delightful. I went back two other times with close friends to show off my hidden gem. I ordered the ribs, which were OK but it was all forgotten after I took my first bite of the Peanut Butter Pie. This slice of heaven should be illegal in 50 states, but lucky for me NC isn’t one of them. Overall experience and taste: A-
Mama Dips: I’m going to keep this one short and sweet. Mama Dips is a local UNC staple known for their southern food classics, which include BBQ. Karen and I made the ride over one Saturday afternoon to see if it would stand up to their reputation of one of the best-fried chicken/BBQ joints in the triangle. It’s located close to the UNC campus and has a large, down home dining room. But, from the minute you walk in you feel like they’re trying to sell you something, from a cookbook to their special BBQ sauce. This was the same problem I ran into at Clyde Cooper’s in Raleigh, they’re buying into their fame. And true to form, the food stunk. There wasn’t one good thing I could write about this place. The fried chicken was blah, the BBQ was forgettable and even the hushpuppies stunk. Unless mama gets a new chef I won’t find my way back to dips again. Overall experience and taste: D
Durham
Backyard BBQ: The only reason Backyard BBQ even made my pork filled radar was their appearance on Man vs. Food. There was very little written about Backyard on the web and the one article I found didn’t give any details about the interior. I found this out for myself on a chilly Saturday morning back in February 2010. Like many other smaller BBQ joints Backyard was located off a freeway. The first sign that Backyard was legit was that the parking lot was completely packed when I arrived at 1130. Then I entered the “restaurant” for the first time and I took two steps and seriously considered turning around. There is no way this place had a health inspection score above 90, and that’s being kind…since the food is amazing. Also, this was the first place I went to which didn’t have waiter service. You walk up to the counter, see what piece of the hog they have, order and pray it’s “kosher”. So, after all the negatives that I encountered, the minute I took my first bite of BBQ I knew it was the best it’s going to get. It was game changing, by far the best BBQ I’ve ever had. It also came with this “greenish” slaw, which is also outstanding. I’ve had the pleasure of going back around 3 times trying to convince myself that it ain’t THAT good and each time I prove myself wrong, it is THAT good. It’s THAT good to make you feel like you’re walking into the plaza, not a run down BBQ joint with scribble filled walls off a freeway in one of the shadiest areas in the state. Overall experience and taste: A
Q Shack: I had the unfortunate pleasure of making Q Shack the first BBQ I’ve ever tasted in North Carolina. Going on a “recommendation” on my first trip down to the triangle, me and 3 others made the poor decision on driving to the most popular location in Durham. We walked in and I thought it was heaven. It had everything I thought BBQ was all about, plus they had brisket and sausage. So like any northerner would do I ordered one of everything. We found a nice spot outside and started to chow down. After a good 5 minutes and trying 4 different ways to cut up a pig I was severely unimpressed. I kept the dissatisfaction to myself and played along saying how delicious it was and couldn’t wait to eat more, I really couldn’t wait to hit up the bathroom to get rid of the 15 minutes of torture I just put my body through. The BBQ was bland, not really seasoned. The brisket was dry and the sausage was sausage, nothing mind blowing, OMFG this is NC BBQ. I knew after I left I would never come back, but I’ve had to suck it up and play nice the numerous times we get the shack catered in for work functions. Overall experience and taste: D
Goldsboro
Wilber’s: With a name like Wilber’s your BBQ has to be great, right? Well, for this out of the triangle family staple in Goldsboro they live up to their name. The first time I tried Wilber’s was on our first trip to Atlantic Beach. Yet again, another BBQ joint located off a highway. This time it’s located off one of the best-traveled roads in the state, the road that brings you to the beach. I did my research and from what I can gather there are two BBQ places to choose on the ride, Kings or Wilber’s. Going on nothing other then picking the better pork defined name, Wilber’s it was. Wilber’s is large establishment with long German style picnic tables were you get to sit next to other BBQ freaks. Like every other BBQ place, within sitting down for less then 3 minutes the hushpuppies arrive on your lap, but this time it was different. This was some kind of wonderful, the Lebron James of hushpuppies, I’d pack up my stuff and move to Miami if they were serving this addicted filled pastry puffs everyday in the sunshine state. Now you say, how can one hushpuppies taste different from another, all they are are friend cornmeal Well, I dare you to go to Wilber’s and say something different. The rest of the food didn’t stand a chance; it couldn’t live up to the godliness of those hushpuppies. But what I can gather from the brownout that ensued the BBQ was good, not great and the BBQ chicken was average. I’ve gone back after and this time heard that I had to get the chicken gravy to dip the hushpuppies into and I’ll tell you what, it was one of the top 10 things I’ve ever tasted. I plan on going back every time I hit up the shore. Overall experience and taste: B+
Lexington
Lexington #1: Consistently ranking high amongst the giants in BBQ, I found the perfect opportunity to make the trek to Lexington, NC while Karen was working at the furniture market. The plan was to stop off at Lexington, get blown away by the BBQ and make my way to a NC tradition like no other, the world famous furniture market. Then a funny thing happened on my way to Lexington, I got pulled over by a state trooper for doing 85 in a 55, not the way you want to start the BBQ adventure you’ve been dreaming about for years. After a long delay I finally made my way over to #1 which once again is next to a freeway and very very difficult to get into. It’s a medium size place with a nice size counter, which I opted for since I was flying solo on this one. Since I wasn’t in the best mood I can’t give the most accurate appraisal of the BBQ. The hushpuppies were legit and the BBQ was good, but it also might have been skewed since I was still fuming about the ticket. I need to make it to Lexington again for a complete review, for now, Overall experience and taste: Incomplete
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