Never did I think that a chain of sorts could produce such solid BBQ, but boy was I proven wrong. I stumbled upon City BBQ when I was in the area and craving some BBQ, and of course I pulled up Yelp and this was a top hit with stellar reviews - so I HAD to check it out. And I'm here to say I support how good this place is. The BBQ is made right, cooked to tenderness, the sauces are unique and made in house, and the options are plenty. The food has wonderful flavor, especially the baked beans which come with pieces of brisket in them - deliciousness. I wanna say I tried all the sauces they have to offer because I'm indecisive like that but they're all good! And hey, I'm decisive enough to recommend this place so that's gotta mean something right? read more

City Barbeque - Pulled pork and ribs combo with baked beans and hushpuppies - Barbeque Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Delicious! Love the choices in sauces, but a naked pulled pork is just as good! If you fill out their survey you get a free dessert! read more

So, not the easiest food to review due to the fact that on a Tuesday evening they were out of BBQ! Anyway, on to second choice, ribs. Nope, out of that also. Maybe my Dr. didn't want me to eat park tonight. It's okay, I'll go Turkey....NOPE-out of that also! This just isn't a business. It's a Update: so, after being contacted by someone at this restaurant, suggesting that I come back and give it another try - I did. Once again, epic failure. Out of multiple menu items. The worst situation is that after clearly labeling the items that they were out of on their menu board, I ordered something that wasn't labeled "out" but wait, they were out of that also! This place is just a joke. Really poor staff as well. Just a bunch of joking and having conversations amongst themselves while paying zero attention to a potential paying customer. Seriously, this is a "Don't waste your time kind of place" read more

I was planning a party for about 35 people and placed an order through their catering service. I confirmed with the call center that the order would be ready the day before and a few hours before pick up time at the Durham location. Upon arriving to the Durham city barbecue location, my order was not found. The manager Jo Jo Lentz jumped into action and realized that the order had been sent to the Cary location. JoJo took to action and had my order for filled within five minutes. And while we waited he provided us drinks. While the miscommunication was no fault of Jo Jo's, he sprung into action with his impeccable customer service skills. He reassured me that everything was going to be OK and he followed through with that. Now getting to the barbecue, it blew any competitor in the barbecue business away. All of our guests were wowed with the tenderness of the barbecue and the creamy flavor of the mac & cheese. City barbecue is our new go to with any catering event. I highly recommend city barbecue for two reasons. One for their quality customer service and second their amazing barbecue. read more

Xavier was awesome. Very calm, cool and collected. Very polite, AND he gave us samples!! Awesome service and great food. Even if you don't go in they'll take your order outside and bring it back out to you. I wish it was like this all the time, but of course I don't want covid-19 to stay around. Much better customer service than other restaurants right now. read more

Wow .... just wow ! Seriously impressed. I'm so full I can't even write an appropriate review but the Brisket was amazing and I ordered it with a side of fries and baked beans. Food was hot , well seasoned everything I needed on this layover . Thanks y'all read more

This place is amazing! Probably the best fried okra I have ever had! Collards were delicious! You can't go wrong if you want some good southern food. read more

City Barbeque - Barbeque Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Great BBQ - Solid Pulled pork, ribs and brisket. Come hungry.

This place is AMAZING! Fast, friendly service and the BBQ and sides are top notch. I just wish I still lived in Chapel Hill so I could visit more often. read more

I was very disappointed about my order today. I was shorted few pieces of ribs then I paid for and one of my was incorrect. I understand this could be a busy night but I hope they can be a little bit more careful! I also noticed the employees not properly wear their masks and touching their mask/glasses with gloved hand and then handling/packing food. read more

This review is based on service only. I have been a semi-regular at this location and the one in Cary for a few years (eating there 1-2 times/month). However, the last few times, the same young lady had been on the register when I've gone in for lunch. She never gets my order right (for example, once I ordered pulled pork and she put in an order for pulled chicken). The most recent time, I ordered pulled pork again, no bun. I also asked for the military discount, which I do every time I go. Sometime they ask for my ID, sometimes not. I'm always happy to show the ID when asked. After I paid, I noticed that there was no discount; not a big deal since it was only lunch. When I mentioned it to the cashier, she got all aggressive and said I didn't show her an ID. I told her if she asked for one, I would have showed it to her. But I moved on; it was not worth the confrontation. Unfortunately, when my lunch was ready, again the order was wrong. I mentioned it to the expediter and, as always, she corrected the order. When the cashier saw me talking to the expediter, the cashier yelled - in front of a long line of people - "It was only 80 cents!" I had not even mentioned the discount snafu to the expediter. I did ask the manager to stop by my table so I could address my concerns with him. Although he stopped by fairly quickly, he obviously did not want to hear about it as he said a few times that he normally works the evening shift and would pass on my comments. The next day, I sent a message to corporate City BBQ through its web site about the service. No response to date. This was more than 5 weeks ago. So...pretty good bbq. Fries are hand-cut and really tasty when you get them extra crispy. Service can be slack. Corporate doesn't care. read more

Consistently inconsistent. Ribs one week can be delicious and then inedible the next. Items missing in the bag with nearly every takeout order - bread, sauces, etc. You can depend on low attention to detail. But the final straw was the sudden decreased size of the sides for the same money. Don't know if that's more mix-ups or sneaky policy but it's all tiresome. Q-Shack may be farther away from SoDu but it's not as overpriced, the food's better, the staff better, the hassle and disappointment far lower. read more

Went here solo and being from Carolina I always love bbq. The atmosphere is great, staff was super friendly, and food was good. Meat was juicy and smoked to perfection. The sides we're good and southern. If you're thinking Dickie's then you're wrong this place destroys Dickie's. Portions we're smallish for the price but you expect that anywhere for meat. If you want to eat pounds of bbq then you'll have to pay or sit by the smoker at home. read more

City Barbeque - Barbeque Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Meats: It surprises me that the BBQ (meaning all the protein) at this chain restaurant is better than the non-chain restaurants in the area. I'm serious. Every protein has the perfect smoke, the perfect tenderness, and the flavors are good. The turkey is smoky and moist. The brisket is delicious. The ribs are tender and meaty. All this delicious food and not a single fried protein. Me and a buddy of mine are meat enthusiasts and we can't get enough of City Barbeque. Sides: However, my enthusiasm for this place is not just for the protein. The sides are fantastic too. I'm tired of the usual fried corn bread, mayo cole slaw, mushy green beans, flavorless cabbage, etc. The corn pudding, baked beans, and banana pudding are stellar. The baked beans has brisket in it. That's awesome. Sauces: I love the selection of sauces (rather than just a bottle of Texas Pete) with variations of spiciness, sweetness, and flavor. I love that a BBQ place actually has hot sauce that is hot/spicy. Service: I think this is where City Barbeque really stands out. The interaction with employees feels hospitable, attentive, and almost warm...which is strange because it's a chain restaurant. I think they do a good job of making each customer feel unique. I spoke to an employee named Jeremy for about 20-30 minutes and we were just talking about BBQ, wood ovens, food, and whatnot. That dude was totally legit and really believed in how good the restaurant's product was. Tips: - They have ribs specials on Tuesday, but they can run out of ribs. - Don't order fried pickles to go. By the time you get home the pickles will have steamed in their wrapping and you'll end up with pickles with soggy breading. I'd eat them at the restaurant. **** Yeah...I can't believe this chain restaurant has better food/service than the non-chain restaurants at a really great price point. I've been here 5 times now and so far so good. read more

You would never know this is a chain. Set up like any down to earth BBQ shack, the menu offers all of the classics from brisket to ribs, chicken and pulled pork. Large metal smokers adorn the outside of each location, and on the evening I went, brisket was not on the menu because rain had put out their fire. I thought of this as a good thing as they were being true to their craft. I got the judge's sampler, which gives you a little bit of everything. They even allow you to sample any of their meats or sides before placing your order. The sauces are self-serve and come in a variety from sweet, to hot, to Carolina style vinegar and mustard. Meats are all cooked to a moist doneness without being mush, everything was flavorful. One of the few chains I would return to. read more

Bbq is way too sweet, mac and cheese tasted spoiled, baked beans again way too sweet, banana pudding was very watery, greens tasted rotten, and potato salad had no flavor but onion. read more

I have been to City BBQ in Durham several times. The food has always been good and I like the fact that they will allow you to try a sample of the sides and most of the meats if you have never had any of them. The staff is always nice but I wanted to give a shout out for the crew on Tuesday night October 16th. They were exceptional. I will continue to frequent them. read more

The BBQ is sooo good. The sides are awesome, and I never skip the banana pudding. BUT when ordering for delivery I never know if I'm getting my requested sauces. I ordered the Pulled Chicken with Bama sauce today, and not only did it NOT come with the Bama sauce, it didn't come with the other 2 requested and offered sauces. Based on the Grubhub reviews, it seems to happen pretty often. What's up guys? 3 stars for execution, 5 stars for food. read more

City Barbeque located on HWY 54 in Durham, NC near Southpoint Mall is easy to get to if you are driving on I-40. City Barbeque has several location around Raleigh & Durham. On the menu are pulled pork, beef brisket, smoked sausage, pulled chicken, turkey or St.Louis cut ribs. With plenty of sides to choose from you almost can't go wrong with what you pick. On my most recent visit I had pulled pork (naked) with 2 sides (cornbread & sweet potato casserole for little more than $10.00. Other sides include hush puppies, green beans with bacon, potato salad, baked beans with brisket, collards with pork, mac & cheese, fries, corn pudding or sweet vinegar slaw. I will be back again. Food A Staff B Decor A Location B Health Inspection 98 read more

This is one of the few restaurants that we've tried to support during Phases 1 & 2 of state virus-restrictions, and I'm reviewing yesterday's carryout of a City Sampler plus two upgraded sides. My order was ready on-time, and very efficiently packaged and located for safe pickup. As always, the large staff was super friendly and accommodating, and even graciously included some of their great pickles at my request. The sampler of 4 "meats" was quite good, and their potato salad & cole slaw good as usual. I would recommend but one thing: CB might want to reconsider offering "pulled" pork for their carry-outs, which has a tendency to get dry, in favor of chunks or slices of pork that customers can simply adapt to their own tastes. read more

I've visited one other City BBQ; but, lunch today was first for this location. It was terrific! The aroma gets you as you enter & it only gets better. We had pulled pork sandwiches (LoLo) with coleslaw, plus okra, baked beans, potato salad & corn casserole. Everything was excellent, especially the pulled pork. Went back to share a banana pudding & peach cobbler and I think I heard church bells ring! Boy, those desserts are worth the trip all alone! Definitely a good addition to the neighborhood! read more

I was in NC house hunting. After living in PA and Washington DC, I of course had to go find BBQ!! After scouring Google and Yelp for advice, I decided on City BBQ. I was skeptical about going to a chain, but the reviews were overwhelming. And I was so glad I listened. The food was great! They have actual sandwiches, not just "bun, meat, go put some sauce on it yourself". Their meat is actually smoked, not fake smoked like some restaurants. It is more like a fast food setting. Order your food, and then pick it up and go seat yourself. There is no table service, but there really is not a need for that. read more

I never take the time to post a review but I absolutely had to. This place is consistently great. Their meat is tender and flavorful. The collards are amazing. Although I haven't you can't go wrong with anything in their menu, their banana pudding is OUT OF THIS WORLD good! No exaggeration. Go! You won't be disappointed. read more

A true rival of 12 Bones in Asheville. I believe this place has edged them out. The hospitality here drove this review right past 12 Bones. Walking in the door you are kicked in the nose with the smell of smoke. A kind of foreshadowing for whats about to happen. There's something about the smell of smoke that just brings you back to a simpler time. Each time I walk into a place that I've never been, I always ask, "what do you recommend". This was the best question I've ever asked!! The owner gave me a sample of brisket, pork, and turkey to try. I did a "pull test" on the brisket and I knew that was for me. It was moist and had just a little bit of a pull on it before it pulled apart. The sign of good Q. I also asked about what sides were recommended. I told him to surprise me. I was the proud owner of a side of potato salad and greens. The greens had nice big pieces of smoked pork in them. They weren't bitter or mushy. Oh yeah! The potato salad was cold and the potatoes had a nice bite. Not overcooked nor under. Just right! He also told the kitchen staff to put a cup of each type of sauce. Wow! Now the brisket didn't need sauce but I tried them all anyway. Why? Because it's sauce! The vinegar based is the Carolina classic sauce. It wasn't overpowering on the brisket. The yellow sauce had some sweet and kick good Carolina gold sauce. The darker sauces were also really good. Very smokey. Just the way I like it. It's rare that I cannot find anything wrong. They all wore masks. The decor is simple and open. The staff was 10/10. The banana pudding was way better than I had in the town where thr banana pudding festival was. Expect some caramel. Everything is homemade. You can tell. You can taste the love. Come here! Try the lemonade!!! 6 out of 5 stars for this place. Keep up the good work. read more

Ate at City Barbeque in Durham, NC and it was a terrible experience. We had to wait over 25 minutes for our food. One of the items was incorrect and we bought it back to the counter. We (again) waited another 20 minutes for the correct item. We asked the staff several times and they said they were very busy and we had to wait. They were not helpful and did not even try to compensate or apologize for the delay. Would not go back there again. read more

Out of all the things I'll miss from NC, City BBQ and their Piedmont Pride sauce is at at the top of the list. Choosing pulled pork is an easy decision, choosing my two sides is where it gets tricky. Love the fried okra, baked beans, Mac and cheese and potato salad. Customer service is excellent. Always down to earth, friendly and helpful. Gonna dream of this this place. read more

The BBQ was good, not off the charts good, but good. The Mac n cheese though...off the charts good! I will be back just for that alone! We did online ordering with curbside pickup both times we went, and I asked for plates and utensils both times but not receive that. Why offer it on the online ordering system if you don't plan to provide them? read more

The BBQ was good. I did not care for the vinegar coleslaw and the Mac and cheese was a little dry, but everything else was great. I had the turkey and chicken combo. The show stealer, to me, was the corn pudding..delicious! read more

City Barbeque - Barbeque Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Very good bbq. Very clean ribs fantastic sides even better. Collard greens the best I've ever had. Wonderful service

This place is delicious! They have delicious meat, and plenty of sauces to choose from (NC-vinegar style, Memphis sweet red style, low country mustard style, etc.). Their sides are also amazing- I'm partial to the mac and cheese (heaven) and the corn pudding. My mother-in-law once diner together here and someone brought over two desserts for us, on the house! Such friendly employees, and a clean establishment. I have recommended this place to so many people. read more

Came into town for business and wanted some good southern bbq and my hotel recommended this place. Let's star with the good part of my experience the people waiting in line and the restaurant staff super friendly. The not go great part the pull pork sandwich was bland like hospital food. It was two parts to the pull pork sandwich the bland part then the burnt part that was harder than a rock. I also tried the peach cobbler not a true cobbler more like can peaches with pieces of burnt cake. The vinegar slaw was bagged slaw with some type of vinegar mixture but not the traditional country chopped vinegar slaw for a pulled pork sandwich. But the bottled Cheerwine was outstanding. This was a waste of money since everything was in the trash after I tasted it. read more

This place is awesome the staff is all very friendly and super helpful and the food was delicious. It was my first visit and certainly not my last! My husband, toddler and I shared the City Sampler with the Mac & Cheese and fresh cut fries, I upgraded to the pint size sides. We spent around $20 after the $5 reward for downloading the app (do it download the app). The meats are delicious, smoked turkey was moist, brisket was flavorful, sausage was juicy and the pulled pork was delicious. I love all the options for the bbq sauce, we will be back!!! The cashier, wish I could remember her name but she had these fabulous lashes on, was so patient and helpful in explaining the menu. read more

After a monumental day of shopping at the Nordstrom Rack sale, we had garnered quite the appetite so I suggested City BBQ. I've been a few times before at other locations and it's always consistent, though a little pricey for quick serve. I had pork BBQ on the brain. Walked in and saw the sign... "We're out of Pork BBQ". Infinite sadness. How could they let this happen? After a few minutes of pouting, I pulled myself together and ordered the brisket. I'm not a huge brisket fan mind you. It was pretty good, if you like brisket. Also, the slaw, again not my favorite, but it's ok, and the green beans. Those were delish. The line staff saw my dismay with the pork 'situation' and handed both me and my friend a piece of the most decadent chocolate cake I've had. Tasted like homemade icing to this southern belle. I'll be back, but I might call ahead to ensure they have enough pig for all. read more

Yummy place. Idk that mucch about barbecue but i it seems authentic. Been here a couple of times and gotten brisket sandwich and Mac and cheese both times, very good read more

Stopped in for a late lunch and was pleasantly surprised at the delicious BBQ and side dishes at City Barbecue. The brisket was recommended and we were given a 3 piece sampler to try before ordering. It was juicy, tender and full of flavor. My family ordered the brisket, pulled pork and turkey breast, all were so good. I ordered the corn pudding after reading recommendations, glad I did, moist and full of corn goodness. There's yummy deserts and drink selections including Cheerwine and Nehi brands. Good place for kids and large groups. We'll be back! read more

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My visit to City BBQ on April 15th was one of the best visits I've had there. Crystal took my order she was friendly, knowledgeable of the menu and she offered some suggestions for menu items to try on our next. Paul the manager was very engaging and provided me some tips for bbq-ing at home, he also made sure my online order was correct and had everything I needed in the bag. The entire evening staff working on this night made me feel like I was apart of the City BBQ family. They made my husband and children smile when I brought that great smelling food home, bonus points for the suggested bomb peach cobbler. Every thing about that evening from the time I walked through the doors until I got home with our dinner made for an awesome experience and I can't wait to return to visit with my City BBQ family again. Thanks to all the staff for your excellent customer service. You've got us hooked! read more

10/08/2020 I usually dine in at the Cary location however on 10/08/2020 I was closer to the Durham location so I went in and placed an order for carry out. I ordered Half Chicken, Individualizing Rib Bone, creamy slaw and corn pudding. $20.50. The chicken and ribs were dry and tasted a day old. I ordered my food at 12:31pm. I was so disappointed in City Bbq in Durham. I completed a survey and ask the Regional Manager to contact me. I have not heard from the manager today. I plan to call the store and express my disappointment in the food. The employees were very nice and the creamy coleslaw and corn pudding was delicious. Lisa E read more

Good food at reasonable prices. Have had better barbecue in my life, but this is consistently good.

We had City BBQ takeout last night. This was my third or fourth time eating at this specific restaurant and each time, I've had good experiences. If you don't want to read the rest of the review, just know that City Barbeque has all the conveniences of a chain restaurant (a good mobile app, rewards program, ordering online, good website with up to date menu and prices) with all the quality of a local place. Although this is North Carolina, don't be expecting NC style BBQ. Their food is more along the lines of Texas bbq with thick, sweeter, tomato-based sauces (that taste quite like Kraft haha). However, the food is great. Their brisket has just the right amount of fat on it, a nice bark, and good flavor. Their pulled pork and ribs are also very good. If you are looking at their sides, their corn pudding is okay (corn is often a little too over-done) but their mac-and-cheese, Texas toast, and cornbread are reliable go-to side items. So to sum up, this is decent, convenient, reasonably-priced BBQ. If you look down on franchises and chains, it won't be for you and yes, there are better options like Picnic, The Pit, and Q-Shack but to be fair, I enjoy coming to City BBQ for the convenience, consistency, and price. read more

Love it! Thoroughly enjoyed my mea! The brisket was tender, juicy and very tasty. The Mac n' cheese taste homemade.I will return again soon!