Being from Chicago, this is the kind of place I miss. What I mean by that isn't about the classic eastern NC style BBQ. I mean, good food, good service, zero pretentiousness, reasonable prices. It's a winning combo every single time. The BBQ is delicious. Totally underrated in this area. I dare you to find better hush puppies. The coleslaw (and I'm a coleslaw head, if there exists such a thing) is some of the best. This place has breakfast, lunch, dinner. Kids will love it, you'll love it. Impress your friends when come into town. It's good, bottom freakin line read more

Service was quick and friendly. Server was definitely on top of everything. Started us off with some drinks and hot hush puppy's. Ordered our food pretty quickly and the owner came and gave us our food and let us know about the different sauces since we were new. She was about to give us more to drinks but the server was already on top of that. The food was pretty good I got the ribs which fell off the bone the only thing was that it was dry rub and I kept biting into some cartilage had to go around that. But over all I felt like everyone was super nice, great service and I felt the southern hospitality here. I would come back. read more

Really great food, they make a mean breakfast. Just not open whenever I feel like going

Plain and simple, this place is a 5/5!! The food was perfect, the waitress was amazing, her service and the hospitality was just on point and would always come back!! read more

Ole Time Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

The service is excellent! The ambiance is roll-up your sleeves/hand me papertowel/move over - it's just what you want a BBQ joint to be. Positives: Ribs, pulled pork, macaroni (it's ridiculously good), hush puppies, Brunswick stew & baked beans. Dissappointed in fried chicken, it was dry & old. Collards were mushy. Great pricing - you'll leave full and your wallet won't be empty. read more

Wanted to see what the talk was about. I kept it simple and ordered the fried chicken dinner. And the chicken was so old...literally. The chicken thigh was nothing but fried skin and the meat inside was hard. read more

Ole Time Barbecue - Fried chicken was old and couldn't eat it. Nothing but fried skin. Wasted money - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Okay, the hush puppies raised my expectations even higher than the reviews and the ambiance when we arrived- golden, hot, crispy outside and tender and slight sweet inside. But this is where it ended. Ordered the combo fried chicken and pork bbq, with sides of fried okra and collards. The chicken was dry and slightly greasy, hard to understand when I ordered dark meat, which should never be dried out; almost like fried a while ago, but kept in the hot oven for a long time. The pork was also a disappointment as it had no smoke flavor or aroma, like it was just oven roasted, then mashed and shredded, not pulled- it had little flavor. The fried okra was okay, but the collards were cooked to the point of being a bit mushy. I really wanted to like this place seeing as it has been a part of the community for a long time. The service was friendly and prompt. read more

By far one of my favorite barbecue spots. The pork and Brunswick are great and the sides were also fantastic. What took this fine establishment to the next level for me was the house hot sauce. So many people think hot sauce is about the heat. It is, but that's not the whole deal. You need flavor to have a good balanced flavor and this hot sauce was fantastic! If you're anywhere close...even if you're not, make the drive and grab some of the best barbecue in the area. read more

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This place is worth it. Fried chicken is light and tender. Looks like a road side stand and the service is friendly and fast. I will be coming back. Got some banana pudding to go-enjoying the cuisine of the south. read more

Ole Time Barbecue - Look for the yellow building! This place is awesome. - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Ben Hart at Ole Time Barbecue made the difficult task of feeding 80+ people in a stadium parking lot easy. The BBQ with all the trimmings was delivered hot and on time. Our tailgate reunion at the NCSU vs Clemson football game was a huge success and the best BBQ in Raleigh made it extra special. Organizing an event of this size from Ohio was risky business, but Ben Hart of Ole Time Barbecue made the process easy. I would highly recommend this company for your big events! read more

Ole Time Barbecue - NCSU Sigma Alpha Epsilon (Classes of 1975- 1985) Tailgate Reunion, NCSU vs CLEMSON - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Went here for my first time yesterday. The bbq pork sandwich was amazing! I had Mac and collards for sides. Service was perfect. Friendly and attentive all the way. Hush puppies served as we sat and my beverage was always full. Mac was pretty good. Only thing I can say is the collards, which were delicious, had some sweetness to them. I grew up in the extra dirty South and I like mine choc full of pork fat and acid like vinegar and citrus juice. Not a huge deal and like I said, they were pretty darn tasty! Can't wait to come back and try the whole menu eventually. read more

What can I say about a small little BBQ joint. First time here and I must say the food was delicious. I had the BBQ pork, fried chicken baked beans and coleslaw. Wow. Will come back again. read more

Ole Time Barbecue - Fried chicken, BBQ pork, Baked Beans and coleslaw - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Great local joint! The staff was welcoming and personable. I tried the fried chicken, Mac-n-cheese and fried okra. It didn't disappoint!! Quick service made it a perfect stop before the hockey game. read more

Ole Time Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

When you sit down at your table, the first thing that is put in front of you is a huge pile of hush puppies. This place is truly a great BBQ place in the area. You are surrounded by cool antiques and piggies all over the restaurant to check out. We originally heard about it from coworkers, and decided to try it out. I'm a vegetarian so I tried a bunch of their sides and they were all delicious. My husband loves their pulled pork, fried chicken, etc. They have their own Spicy and Regular bbq sauces, and my husband likes to mix the two when he puts them on his dish. There is a reason that this place has stayed in business for a long time. Food is excellent. We will keep coming back for more! read more

Rude waitress. Staff didn't wear masks. The ribs were okay. The pulled pork was forgetful. The green beans came straight from the can, I don't even know if they warmed them up or just poured them in the cafeteria style cup. yuck! Would never go back. read more

Please bring back breakfast! We have no other place to go and we miss you You had the best breakfast in town!

This is the best barbeque and fried chicken! I have to get the platter every time in order to fulfill both needs. Mac and cheese is always awesome too! Small little place with lots of tasty food. read more

Ole Time Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

OK, so I'm a foodie cook! I watch the Food Network. I'm the little gay German boy who has to cook the greens for the Christmas party in my office in the East Oakland Ghetto. That comes from spending some time in the South. Although NC BBQ is not my number 1 BBQ (I like Sonny's BBQ), I love vinegar. So after watching the Neelys on FN travelling to NC and going to this place, I decided to order online. Wow! The stuff arrived frozen on dry ice within 2 days. With heating instruction. Both the St. Louis style ribs and the classic NC BBQ Pork are delicious. Quite different from each other. Both great. And I love their Hot Sauce which is a vinegar based delicious BBQ sauce. There's also a standard BBQ sauce also vinegar based with some sweetness. They even included free some hush puppy mix which we'll try a little later when we fire up our deep fryer! So, if you like this style of BBQ, just order online! read more

I didn't see one staff member wearing a mask. The waitress scoffed at us for wiping down our menus, she claimed they clean them in the back but the menu's were still sticky. There seems to be absolutely zero awareness that the Coronavirus even exists. Definitely an "Ole Time" place because they need to get caught up with the current times and start taking precautions. And the food was substandard. read more

Okay this is the best barbecue I've had in Raleigh. I previously went to The Pit in downtown, and this place blew The Pit away. We went around 5:30 on a Monday. Not very busy, but I'm glad it wasn't because there wasn't very much seating. Parking was a bit of a hassle, but I think I've got it figured out now for next time. There were a lot of people coming in for take out, which is a good sign. We were given free hush puppies right as we sat down and they were delicious. Very happy. Good portion too for two people. I got the large chopped pork BBQ place with mashed potatoes and Mac and cheese. They have regular BBQ sauce and hot sauce that they make in house, both were tasty. It was huge portions and relatively inexpensive. I believe it was $9 for the plate and I was stuffed. My girlfriend had the BBQ sandwich with mashed potatoes and fries and was stuffed as well. We will definitely be back. read more

Ole Time Barbecue - Large barbecue plate with Mac and cheese and mashed potatoes. Every table gets free hushpuppies upon arrival. - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

In a low ceiling shack, with a hostess that is 7, and offering complimentary hush puppies, how can you go wrong? I came here as a double tourist, from out of state on vacation, and as a white northerner looking for "authentic" local BBQ. I choose this place because someone on Yelp talk said they have the vinegar based sauce, which I gather is a specialty of the state? I must have chosen wisely, because during my vacation in "The Triangle," this turned out to be the only time during when I actually heard an accent very different from my own. Not from the proprietors however, but the two white, working-class gentlemen next to us. Pulled pork, chicken and hot dogs were fine, sauce was good, ambiance and service excellent. read more

Best barbecue around, hush puppies are delicious, and slaw is spot on! Service with a smile every time!

This came up as the place to go for BBQ. We were passing through town and thought we'd give it a try. I liked the ambience because it felt like it had been there a long time. The hush puppies arrived in a heap and that amount seemed wasteful for two people eating dinner too, but that's the bread on the table. Maybe it's a thing in NC to have very vinegary BBQ but it was just waaaayyyy too tangy with a sting to it for my liking. It is just a preference, but I like it sweeter and a taste of some smoke to it and this did not have that at all. It was rather bland and with their sauce just straight up sour. The rest of the meal was blah and since the BBQ was not great, we felt bad leaving a load of food there. We were traveling so no where to put it. BBQ is so personal and varies so I am sure others love it because the place has seen some wear and tear, but just not for us. read more

Items selected: Chicken Pastry Hush Puppies Chopped Pork, Fried Chicken, Mac & Cheese, Coleslaw Banana Pudding Taking a 'cue break to visit a few museums and stores in downtown Raleigh it was back to the plan that we leapt, and finally finding Ole Time Barbecue open after several down days due to the weather it was just after 5:15 that we stood outside the window watching the lone chef chop, chop, and chop some more pork before heading inside where an overhead stereo played an eclectic blend of classic rock and expected country while service offered Southern-charm at its best. Every bit as rustic as the exterior would have one guess, yet at the same time virtually spotless without a speck of dirt to be seen amidst the various knick-knacks dotting the décor, it was mere moments after taking a seat that the restaurant's lone waitress dropped off menus and with water glasses soon filled it was before an order was even placed that a big basket of golden hushpuppies arrived, each oblong nugget pillowy soft and delicious on its own, but even better with some fiery Ole Time Hot Sauce. At this point having already dined on chopped swine alongside fried chicken twice that day, and still with one more meal to go, it was a foregone conclusion that a shared combination plate would constitute the bulk of our order and offered the option of eating 'right away' or waiting for the next batch to be fresh chopped the answer was obvious, a bowl of dumplings in rich gravy entitled 'chicken pasty' enjoyed as we waited, along with the rest of the fried dough. At this point enjoying the interplay between waitress and no less than a dozen regulars who stopped in to procure 'cue to-go on their way home it was perhaps twenty minutes before our entrée arrived and with the pork absolutely steaming with light notes of acidity juxtaposing briny bits of skin it can only be said the chicken was even better, a robust crunch overlying each juicy bite while sides of macaroni and sweet slaw were no less impressive, the former particularly impressive with al dente noodles far more impressive than those at competing houses of Carolina-style 'cue. Unquestionably impressed by savories it was to a limited selection of sweets that the meal would conclude, and told that the Banana Pudding was "nothing fancy, just real good' a small Styrofoam bowl was delivered straight from refrigerator mere minutes later; the composition of homemade pudding, overripe bananas, and soggy 'Nilla wafers without any unnecessary whipped cream instantly proving our server's words to be true. read more

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I lived next to this place for 2 years, never stopped in. Drove by multiple times for multiple other years, never stopped in. Random weekend outing with the wife wanting BBQ, we finally stopped. It was worth the wait! Staff is classic southern hospitality upon entering, very welcoming. Making arrangements for our kid to entertain himself and bringing us a fast basket of hushpuppies for him to snack on. Food was typical NC BBQ, well done and properly flavored. I actually went off the normal and had a chicken pastry. Swimming in butter yum! Ill make sure I return without as much a wait as before. read more

Ole Time Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

My favorite bbq in Raleigh comes from Ole Time Barbecue Restaurant & Catering, over on Hillsborough Street, on the edge of Raleigh and Cary. It's an adorable, cheap, dive that has both good service and incredible flavor! Established in 1993, it has an allure about it, with that gravel drive and tiny trailer filled with an aroma of fast. With a tagline, "A Great Place to Get Porked!," on a banner, they better own that in every capacity. Tons of fun old timey pigs and decor adorn the walls, shelves, and ledges of the dining area. There are also really old, antique style decor items like an old picture frame with a man and his mules next to our table. Seating options are slim so be patient and get there early to avoid a rush. The small dining room has some old cafeteria style booths and some booths at the bar (sorry, no alcohol served -- I asked). The same waitress is always there, with a smirk on her face, good service, and nice Southern terms of endearment, "Here ya go darlin." During my latest visit, I indulged in the Large chopped BBQ plate and opted for the baked beans and green beans on the side. Of course, like a good Southerner, I had some sweet tea to go along with my meal. All orders also come with a basket of hushpuppies. The tables are equipped with Ole Time Barbecue Sauce and Ole Time Hot Sauce. Should you need some Ole Time Barbecue for an event, they also do catering. My Tech Comm organization used their catering services in June. The bbq, slaw, and hushpuppies were a hit! Plus, that sweet tea was a nice touch. Enjoy that ole time barbecue darlin'. read more

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Not my thing. I tried to like it but this style of cooking just doesn't work for me. Place is pretty small but quaint. Lots of pictures and memorabilia that look to be family based. A fun environment. However the pulled pork no one with me liked. Not sure if it was a bad night, wrong time of the day, whatever. The pulled pork felt like oatmeal and was mostly mushy. It might have been more of a chopped pork than pulled pork after further rumination as we tried to figure it out. We also had the ribs and I prefer them smoked, an we think these were boiled. We asked our waitress how they cooked then but she wasn't sure. There was no smoke anywhere so we guessed it was more boiled. They weren't terrible but the they looked like they were just pulled out of a pot of water. It was really tender but the meat was devoid of any juice and I drank several glasses of tea to wash stuff down and still felt parched like the moisture was pulled out of my mouth from eating them. It's hard to describe but while the meat was indeed tender, the meat was dry-ish texture. I liken this to almost overcooking lean meat in a roasting method. It' tender, and falls apart, but little juice remains in the meat. The hush puppies were great. Loved the potato salad very nice, have absolutely no complaint about any of the sides they were very good. This kansas kid prefers his meat smoked, and I honestly think that's my issue with this. I don't like the style of cooking. We left disappointed. This was also around 7PM on a weekday, maybe we hit the end of the day food instead of the freshly cooked food. But if you're not from the area, looking for barbecue and used to texas, KC, or other regions, this will not make you happy. read more

Such a cute location, the vibe has an 80s feel to it.. The Hushpuppies are the best!! And everytime I'm down with a sore throat , this is where I find my chicken soup fix! Love this cosy homely place. read more

Holy BBQ batman! This place is the real deal. From great fried chicken, pulled pork, beans, slaw and ribs (they were out of collard greens) to the southern hospitality, this place won me over. Their homemade sauces are vinegar based, so not too sweet with a nice black pepper kick, and paired perfectly with the pork and chicken. The mother/ daughter duo were a delight at service and our feast arrived quickly. The prices are also beyond reasonable, a steal actually ($10 for pulled pork, half a chicken and two sides).Bonus: hush puppies at once to every table. Keep up the good work guys! read more

Starting off my meal with a piping hot basket of hush puppies is how I wish to start off every single meal. Ole Time is the classic southern BBQ place. Kinda dirty, decorated with knick knacks you would see in your grandmas house, etc. but I wouldn't expect anything less. I ordered the BBQ chicken with a side of apple fries and Mac n cheese. The apple fries were sooooo good. It's like a delicious fried apple pie. Yum. And the Mac n cheese was scrumptious. The chicken was ok. It wasn't bad but it wasn't my favorite chicken ever. The sides were so good it kinda distracted me from the chicken anyway. Overall, I really enjoyed the food at Ole Time! It was exactly what I needed to calm my BBQ craving! If I lived in North Carolina, I would definitely come back. read more

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It was 6:30 on Saturday evening, they were out of fried chicken, BBQ chicken, mac & cheese, fried okra, and 3 or 4 more item. I ordered chicken & noodles ~ good. My husband ordered ribs ~ not so good. They were tough and chewy, not only were they NOT falling off the bone, he could not chew the meat away from the bone. He did enjoy the baked beans though. read more

The combination of excellent fried chicken, excellent hush puppies and excellent familial atmosphere make Ole Time Barbecue an instant favorite of mine in North Carolina. And the service (we were waited on by one of the owners) was so kind, welcoming and cordial that I enjoyed just sitting there and soaking it the surroundings almost as much as I enjoyed the food. For sake of full disclosure, I found the pork unevenly spiced and not flavorful enough, but mixed with the slaw, it turned into the perfect bite on every fork. I would happily go back, and I'm sure plenty of other people will too. The place was crowded and everyone seemed like a happy regular. read more

Very tasty, yet inexpensive BBQ. The waitress was as good as it gets for service and personality. The BBQ Chicken and pork combo was delicious. My sides of cooked cabbage and Mac-n-cheese were also pleasing. 10/10!! read more

You just can't go wrong with Ole Time. Jerry and his crew run this place like the down-home restaurant every BBQ joint should be. The stew is thick and hot and the BBQ is top notch, and the homemade BBQ sauce gets top points from this BBQ fan. read more

Ole Time Barbecue - Sittin' at the bar - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

The food was good and fresh. Felt like a home cooked meal. The staff was courteous, smiled and gave good insight into the options. Even the other people were friendly. read more

Ole Time Barbecue - Chicken/Pulled Pork/Collards/Macaroni Feels like a crowd favorite, I've seen a bunch of the same pics. - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Southern hospitality meets delicious bbq, love the authentic and locals who flock to this establishment read more

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Great bbq joint to go get some classic bbq. This place is a small local bbq place to enjoy some quality endless hushpuppies and good pork. I came here with my friends and I must say even though this place is small it's food is really good. I thought it was clever how they put coleslaw with their bbq sandwiches as it adds more flavor the sandwich. This places only downside is that it is very small so lunch can be very hard to get seating with. Other than that I thought this place was pretty good. read more

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Hubs, kiddo, and I stopped by for Valentine's Day lunch. This was my first visit, but definitely not my last! Ever since we moved here, we've been searching for a family run BBQ place with no luck. Well this is the real deal. The chopped pork was very flavorful and honestly it didn't require any sauce (though the sauce was nice and tangy!). I had the collards as my side and they were on point. Between the great food and the genuine hospitality, we found our local BBQ spot! read more

Ole Time Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Unfortunately I live in Hawaii, and was only able to "frequent" this fine establishment when visiting family in Cary, NC. I "found" this place by cashing in on the Groupon they had awhile back, for $10 for $20 worth of food. Not being a BBQ snob, I mean what do we know about BBQ here in Hawaii...only Hawaiian BBQ (which is ono - delicious in Hawaiian). The place was extremely easy to find, and it seems like urban sprawl runs rampant in these parts, as it looked like a trailer run away from its trailer park counterparts across the street. I am not knocking the look, because I thrive on hole in the wall places...I know they will be good. My husband and I had (picture included): He: BBQ pork sandwich, fried okra, and potato salad. Me: 1/2 rack of ribs, cole slaw, and mac n cheese. Both were awesome, and way too much food for me to consume on my own. I think I had two ribs (maybe) and took the rest of the rack home. I am "used" to the sweet BBQ, which I guess is a cardinal sin in NC, where the flavors were more vinegarery (is that even a word?). So I probably didn't eat as much of my food because they brought out this oddity called hushpuppies. Well this wasmy first taste of hushpuppies, and was wondering why more fried foods haven't been apart of my life in the past. Living my entire life in San Diego, Hawaii, and Japan, this was a foreign thing to my taste buds, but smothered them in Texas Pete hot sauce and loved every bite of the fried goodness-ness. Pros: - I will have to say that it was awesome, but wouldn't make this apart of my daily diet, as we were the "thinnest" people in there. Not saying we are thin or anything, just saying eating like this on a daily basis will definitely raise your cholesterol, blood pressure, and general likelihood of having a heart attack or gaining a few too many pounds. But hey its good to splurge every once and awhile. - Parking was abundant. - Easy to find. - Relatively inexpensive. - Friendly staff who didn't mind our lack of knowledge of real BBQ. - Atmosphere! Loved the old feeling, and wooden seating. Cons: - None to report. - Wouldn't make it apart of my daily diet. read more

Ole Time Barbecue - Far plate-Pulled pork sandwich, fried okra, and potato salad. Close plate-half rack ribs, coleslaw, and macaroni n'cheese. - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Great little neighborhood bbq joint. A little run down looking from the outside and definitely off the beaten path, but worth the trip inside. Food was great, and the service was quick and friendly, even made us laugh a bit. Hush puppies are easy to fill up on, and the sweet tea was freshly brewed. The bar made the whole place feel like this was the spot the locals went for a good time, especially since there were names on little plates where their 'seats' were. If you're coming in from out of town this is a great little stop to make. read more

Ole Time Barbecue - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina