I went here for the first time today for lunch with a coworker after I told her I'd been craving bbq for a few weeks. EVERY SINGLE THING on my plate was AMAZING!!! It was so good I forgot to take a picture lol! I had the brisket and chopped turkey bbq with fries and collard greens. I don't know whose grandma is back there making those collards, but they were soooooo good!!! The service was fast for lunchtime and the staff was friendly and accommodating. We took our food to go, but I will definitely be back!!! read more

The Pit - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

We moved here from Kansas City last year, which is home to some of the best barbecue food around, and so we were hesitant to try any new barbecue for a while after the move. I am happy to say that The Pit impressed us. I ordered the Brisket Plate and my wife ordered the Pulled Pork plate. My meat was incredibly tender, juicy, and packed with flavor. My wife's pulled pork was also good, but it didn't pack the flavorful pack I was accustomed to at my favorite place in KC. Overall, we liked the meats a enough. The star of the show was the sides. They had excellent sweet potato fries, fried okra, Cole slaw, and baked beans. And then there's the matter of the table biscuits and hush puppies which come complimentary with your meal. Wow, these were the highlight! And they are served with a house made butter that makes them go down even more smoothly. This is all wrapped in a surprisingly sleek and clean environment for a barbecue restaurant. The ambiance is upscale and modern. When you walk in you are greeted by a host stand which is backed by a wall of countless bottles of wine. It sets the tone right away for a classy evening. The biggest disappointment was the sauces. There was a thicker traditional sauce and a vinegar-based Carolina-style sauce. Neither impressed us that much. Shout out to Joe's KC for having the best barbecue sauce around. read more

The Pit - Beef Brisket Plate - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

My family decided to try some NC BBQ and found this place online. The menu looked extensive and had a good amount of options for my mom, who doesn't eat meat. We didn't have a reservation on a Friday night, but we were seated right away. After ordering, they give you a basket of hush puppies and biscuits. They were both delicious! Nice and soft biscuits with good butter. I ordered the pulled pork plate with fries and fried okra. The sides were fantastic. Everyone at the table liked their food. This was maybe a little more expensive for a BBQ place, but they do give you hush puppies and biscuits. The servings were also huge! My dad also got the pulled pork plate, and we probably should have split one. The one thing I didn't like was the sauce. I don't like vinegar, so I didn't try that one. The other one didn't have a great flavor and was quite runny. The meat was still good without sauce though. read more

The Pit - Pulled pork plate with fries and fried okra - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

The Pit sells amazing food everyday and excellent service from their staff. They have a menu to satisfy everyone!

Nice established but misleading experience. Service was spotty but when the waitress was there she was pleasant. Food is overpriced for the portions. Plus the food is super bland. Felt like they would be serving this meal at a senior citizens home. No flavor whatsoever! Then they had trouble closing out my bill. What a circus show for an empty establishment. 4 o'clock on a Saturday. read more

I ordered takeout three weeks ago and the order was wrong so I called right away and left a voicemail to request a refund. A week later I called again and left another voicemail because no one returned my call. Today is three weeks and I am bothered by the lack of care. Highly recommend for an eat-in experience, though. read more

We scheduled the "Back Room" for a 14-person family reunion dinner on a Sunday. Working w/Abby, she helped us build a menu and arrange the event. It went perfectly!. Dinner was served family style, each course timed perfectly. We ate thru NC BBQ, chicken, deviled eggs, fried green tomatoes, hush puppies, brisket, greens, mac & cheese, carrot cake and double chocolate cake. Our server Billy was fantastic and nothing fazed him. Special orders, drinks, the entire evening he made look easy (and we know how hard he worked). The Pit enabled a wonderful evening - thanks to all the crew at The Pit that made it special. read more

Just wrapped up a road trip through several Midwest / Southern states and this BBQ was one of the best we had! The Carolina ribs were so dang good and fall off the bone they are so tender. Ask for Ike (like Mike & Ike) as your server! He is the best! And will make the experience at The Pit one to remember! Highly recommend! read more

The Pit - Outside - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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A few things: 1. I visited this restaurant with my wife and college aged daughter. 2. The service was quick, pleasant, and the server was very well informed about the menu. 3. The majority of my rating was about the food. And the food was NOT good, it felt like I was eating in a nursing home. I am from the Midwest. I grew up eat KC style barbecue and appreciate St. Louis , and Texas contributions to my palate. I like to eat and smoke meat. This experience pained me because I had such high hopes to learn why people liked North Carolina barbecue. When we arrived late in the evening, we were promptly seated and noticed that there were still several tables of people in the restaurant. Encouraged, we sat down and after pouring over the menu my family and I ordered the smokehouse sampler, sweet tea, followed by the Big Boy platter and the pulled pork meal, with macaroni and cheese. The waiters and staff were all very pleasant, they brought biscuits and refilled our glasses without hovering. When the smokehouse sampler arrived it was a collection of fried pimento cheese balls, smoked wings, pulled pork 'egg rolls.' While we like the idea and the pairing of sauces, we found the cheese balls tasted as if they'd been fried in burnt oil, the egg rolls were bland and the smoked wings lacked smoke flavor. The main entrees soon arrived, and while they were hot, they didn't taste good. I ordered the fried chicken instead of barbecue chicken to taste more of the menu. The fried chicken was salted, but wasn't seasoned; the brisket was gray and lifeless with something that was supposed to be barbecue sauce on it- neither were appealing or flavorful. The ribs while cooked, were also underwhelming. My ribs appeared boiled, and had no signature pink smoke ring on the meat. Additionally, the membrane was still on the bone, while not indicative of anything, I thought it was off for a professional barbecue restaurant, great would want the seasoning throughout the meat. The grey chopped pork was very full of vinegar and I could not enjoy the meat because of the strength of the flavor of the vinegar. The pulled pork meal was clearly pulled from the bone and had pieces of cartilage sticking into the meat. My family didn't appreciate it,and refused to eat it. I sampled it, but i was glad I didn't order it. Overall, my family won't go with me here because the food wasn't good, and I would be hard pressed to patronize this place again just for ambiance and nice people. Please fix whatever is happening in your kitchen, it's killing your restaurant. read more

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A nice easy walk with friends from downtown landed us at "The Pit"! The atmosphere was warm and friendly. The service was quick. We ordered the double combo and there was plenty to split with a friend. We had the Carolina style ribs which were delicious. The brisket was very dry and chewy. The Maple Butter Cornbread was very good. Nice place and not too loud. read more

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Drink Order: Pit Smoked Ol Fashion Food Order: Triple Order with ribs, chicken, & chopped pork sides: greens, mac n chz, and okra Pros: wooooo sh*** that Ol Fashion is good And strong!!!!! The greens were really good. They were seasoned well! The biscuits that they brought out were also delicious as well. Service was great and the ambiance was laid back. Cons: The meats were not good! The chicken was not seasoned at all. The ribs were dry. The chopped pork tasted very very different. The bbq sauce that was sweet has a vinegar taste that was off-putting. I simply wasnt happy with this meal today. read more

The Pit - The Pit Smoked Ol' Fashioned - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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The Pit was one of those places that were recommended and the recommendation HELD. This place was so good from the starter, to the drinks, to the main course. The hush puppies and biscuits came out as a free appetizer as well! The biscuits are paired with this light, whipped sweet butter cream and it was delectable! Food came out quick and easy. Our server Ty tended to our ever needs. I dropped a hush puppy and he brought out a whole new basket. I would definitely come back to eat here! read more

The Pit is my fave spot to go in Raleigh for vinegar chopped whole pig barbecue. I get the plate with two sides, and one of those sides is always fried okra... it's totally yum. My top choice for appetizers are the fried green tomatoes and deviled eggs; I love the deviled eggs so much I sometimes times order to go. The cocktail list is fun; I love trying a new drink every time I come. read more

In town for the 2025 N.C. Farm Show and so meal in love a crew. The local dealer salesman picked the restaurants for the week and booked the reservations. Group of 20. We had one dedicated Server and then his food delivered and helpers. Was amazed at the great job he did. He took the orders timely and drink orders as well. He kept up with our beverage demand which was amazing. Side salad came out with the meal so that was a bit of a negative but not sure who was the issue there. I had the meat loaf and mashed potatoes with gravy. The mashed potatoes with gravy were good but small portions. The meatloaf was three slabs. Couldn't taste the meat for the sauce. It wasn't bad I just would have liked to taste the meat as that is what we were there for. The old fashioned was ok. Several had the fried chicken and commented on how amazing it was. It was also huge portions. Food was good service was amazing considering we were a group of 20. Parking is a negative.. definitely a scam on the parking but there is parking but it is pay a don't get were definitely working the lot hard looking for fines to access on top of the meal and initial parking fees. Parking lot was dark also so paying to have a safety issue didn't set well with me either. read more

The Pit - Menu - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

We were told The Pit was a must visit while traveling to Raleigh this weekend and had to make room for dinner as part of our agenda. Our server, Adam, was excellent. He gave us tips on what to eat, helped accommodate our dietary restrictions, and checked in on us frequently. The portions were VERY generous. Be sure to save room for dessert, as they are just as good as the entrees! The cocktails just missed the mark. We found the seasonal peach sangria to be watered down. I drank the Quarantine Dream and loved the coconut-pineapple-rum combo. We started with the fried green tomatoes and deviled eggs. We highly recommend both! We all had a hard time narrowing down our order. I ordered the Carolina Classic Combo so I could get a sampling of two Pit favorites. The sides are just as good as the main entrees. You can't go wrong with any! The carrot cake was mile high and we loved the caramel sauce and nuts to top it off. The banana pudding was abundant with fresh bananas and perfected with a meringue topping. We left with fully bellies and a real feel for great southern cooking! read more

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Had a great lunch- ambiance is nice and classy and spacious- service was attentive and quick- the food was delicious and portions are huge and reasonably priced- I wanted to try their banana pudding but was too full read more

The Pit - 2 combo with brisket and pulled pork - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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The food was bar none , The best bar-b-q I've ever experienced in a restaurant setting. The service was exceptional , the ambiance was pleasing. I will be going back many times for sure. Mainly to try more things off the menu and once I've done that this 4 stars will be a 5 , and I can't wait. read more

The Pit - The combo meal with Fried Chicken , Ribs , collard greens and baked beans. - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I love the turkey BBQ and hush puppies! I'm trying to figure out how I can freeze them and take them back to Mississippi.

Refused to even sit us, even though there were at least 10 empty tables in the restaurant lady at the service counter was extremely rude. Said if we didn't have a reservation that we needed to leave. read more

Went there for dinner with my friend during my visit to Durham. For app we ordered the Pit Sampler and Brunswick stew. The sampler consisted of 4 chicken wings, 4 veggie rolls, 3 deviled eggs and 3 pimento cheese balls. Definitely too much for 2 but would be great as app for 3-5. The soup had beans and veggie inside, with some meat. Both of us thought it was super flavorful. For entrée my friend got a half slab of pork rib and I got a FULL slab of Carolina Pork rib. We like them very much. Especially my full slab was phenomenal! The whole stuff was about 50cm long, and each rib was more than half the length of my forearm. It tasted not bad either. The restaurant was, unfortunately not clean enough. For example, there was lots of rubbish on the floor near the restroom. Also, our table was not cleaned when we arrived. OTOH service was good. Our waitress explained the size and taste of each dish in detail, and offered to clean both the table and floor under it for us. Will return the next time I visit the research triangle area (and hope the environment could be improved lol) read more

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The Pit has some amazing food and you wouldn't go wrong with getting some of that outstanding BBQ as well as those savory hushpupppies.....Definitely some great food that you don't want to miss...... read more

What an incredibly delicious dinner spot. Came here with a few others and asked for recommendations. Tried the brisket which was super tender, the pulled pork which didn't have any sauce but didn't need it. It had a perfectly smoky taste to it. And the ribs which fell right off the bone. I opted for the sweet potato casserole which equated to mash sweet potatoes and their Brunswick stew which was tasty and flavorful. I'm not a fan of vinegar based BBQ so I steered away from the chopped BBQ but may look at it in the future. The place is quite large but food came out quickly and service was friendly. read more

The Pit - Pulled Pork & Baby Back Ribs & sweet potato casserole & Brunswick Stew - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

This was our last lunch in Raleigh for this visit. The server was nice and kept on checking for our needs. The restaurant itself is also roomy and nicely decorated. It was quiet when we came. Unfortunately, my husband and I were so disappointed when we got what we ordered. My husband ordered bbq fries, I ordered brisket with side of mac & cheese and brunswick stew. I also ordered fried pimento cheese balls as starter and my sister in law ordered pulled pork with a side of beans and something else (I forgot the other sides). Bbq fries: this is hands down the worst fries ever made. Not only it was drenched in oil and tasted a bit like rancid oil, the meat was also dry and doesn't taste great. Brisket and sides: brisket was very soft, which is not bad, but it's heavily smothered in bbq sauce. I don't know if that's how they do it in the south, but I'd like to have the freedom of tasting my meat without the sauce. That being said, brisket was very fatty and has a bit of aftertaste to it. Mac and cheese was so dry and bland it's almost sad, and the brunswick stew was also bland and I have no idea what I was tasting in there. I tried a bit of my sis in law's pulled pork, my oh my that was the dryest pulled pork I've ever had. It has bitter aftertaste to it too. I don't know what they put in there! The cheese balls was ok, tasted very vinegar-y and the hush puppies tasted better than any other dishes that I had in this place. All in all, we both were disappointed by how it turned out. read more

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Alright now.. Here we go again . Food...was mid. Landing the experience right at a 3 . The ambiance matched the vibe. I'd suggest the fried catfish, baby back ribs, hush puppies and fried the chicken... I captured some pics to be helpful. Yelpers are fine Helpers! Remember to be kind to one another and tip. read more

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A pretty good barbeque restaurant centrally located in Raleigh. It offers a great variety of options, including all things barbeque, soups, side options and cocktails. I went for the chopped bbq sandwich with the bbq baked beans, an Arnold Palmer and the banana pudding. Everything was great! There is only street parking available at an affordable rate. I parked for an hour during lunch and paid $1.25. Overall, good stuff! read more

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Service was good.... Food was better the first time I visited. Today the collards were a little to salty and not enough salt in the potato salad. The pulled turkey was FANTASTIC. Moist and flavorful. Server was attentive and kind. Was not happy with my drink to start. We made a small adjustment and it was fabulous from there. read more

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I've been coming here since 2018, and it's very popular, and pretty spacious. If you sit at the bar, they have good service for both drinks and food. If you sit at a table, you also get good service, and there's plenty of room for friends. The food is pretty good, although they don't have their original pitmaster, and I feel like it doesn't stand out the way it used to. Still, I don't think you can go wrong with what they serve you. It's all solid. You'll get NC barbecue sauce and well flavored meat. And the sides are everything you'd ask for. The hush puppies are very nice, too. read more

The Pit - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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I was in town for a work event and was told that it would be considered a SIN if I left without trying North Carolina's famous pit-cooked barbecue from The Pit where the owner, Greg Hatem, has been cooking hogs in his backyard since the 80's. Since I don't eat meat (pescatarian), the whole BBQ genre doesn't appeal to me...or at least I didn't so. Not exactly thrilled giving into peer pressure, I walked uncertainly through the doors and right into Frank McNally (manager) upon opening the door. It was as if he could sense my hesitation and started a conversation with me as he seated us at the bar. I gave him my full trust and allowed him to order for me. If it wasn't the meat I would try, it would be the "sauce and seasoning" he said. A huge Alaskan salmon (blackened and grilled to perfection) was placed in front of me with a side of an additional BBQ sauce to try and their side portions of both the potato salad and fired okra. Heaven. Every bite was SO good! You do not need to be a carnivore to take part in the savory flavors that The Pit has to offer! read more

First and foremost, we will be returning because the food is good and it is a staple in the Triangle. Our visit recently though left much to be desired with regards to the service. We really enjoyed the appetizer sampler and the fried chicken is still some of the best. Surprise for me as not a big fan of mac and cheese, it was the best thing I had all night. Even with the great food and atmosphere, it was tough to get past the absence of any service. To be fair, it seemed like it may have been more of an issue with overloading our server with too many tables. read more

We had great food and service. Triple platter big enough to share and we have leftovers.

The BBQ was some of the worst I've ever had! Look at the picture of the brisket. It was disgusting. I try and cut red meat out of my diet and if I ate here, it would be much easier to do. When I do splurge and get red meat, I love me a delicious brisket and this ain't it. The rest of my 2 meat meal was pretty good. The fried chicken was delicious, the Mac & Cheese was good, and the sweet potato casserole was like dessert! Co-workers agreed the BBQ meats were not that great. The portions also sucked. I figured I'd get some Southern hospitality sized servings, but it was a disappointment and I left hungry. The waitress was friendly and and attentive which was a plus. I wouldn't come back, but if you give it a try, maybe just treat it as a fried chicken and sides restaurant. But when you're billed as a BBQ joint, the Brisket must be on point (Johnny Cochran said that I think). read more

The Pit - Beef Brisket, Fried Chicken, Mac & Cheese and Sweet Potato Casserole - Brisket was terrible, rest was good - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

We came here on a Sunday night, it was our first time here. So we started with the cornbread and the bbq soul rolls. The cornbread was hit but the soul rolls were ok. I expected more flavor! It tasted bland to me. For dinner we order the bbq fried chicken combination, pit salad and the baby back ribs! The fried chicken was perfectly crispy and moist! The salad was good with the pulled pork and the husband like the baby back ribs, he said it was moist and the sauce just right. The service was ok, we weren't offered a drink menu we had to ask for one and never tried to offer us dessert after we finished our dinner. The front of the restaurant seems to have a nice bar and a wall with wines! The back where we sat was more like a cafeteria style area. Expected more decor representing the barbecue spot! It was good but I doubt I will come back. read more

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Overall I feel like it's not a bad BBQ restaurant, but definitely not the best that I've had. I had a pretty big party so do take that into consideration of my review. The food was just... whelming. Especially with the sides. Both the mac n cheese and Brussels sprouts were soggy and did not have much flavor. The combination of poor texture and taste was not incredible. The meats thankfully were slightly redeeming and picked it up in the taste department, but still was not a home run. The brisket was a bit too salty and really need some carbs to soak it up. My favorite was the ribs so consider getting those! Desserts were really a hit or a miss. Banana cream pie was great, but the double chocolate cake was a dud. The amount of just mediocre experiences surprised me and just didn't add up to the great restaurant that it could have been. read more

The Pit - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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We walked into an empty restaurant. The hostess told us we needed a reservation. She said they were expecting a big party so we had to sit in the bar. We asked why if all the tables were open. She said she didn't even want to seat us at all. This was a Monday evening. After all that we just ended up walking out. I've never encountered such a rude hostess. She yelled something to us as we left. Might want to stick her in the kitchen with that demeanor. read more

Let's keep this short. The Pit is the best BBQ I have ever had, period. Theirs ribs are tender and flavorful. Literally falling off the bone. The bbq sauce is not too sweet. It has a touch of smokiness. read more

Everything was absolutely delicious. Staff was super sweet. Definitely recommend!!! I had the barbecue chicken, cabbage collards, sweet potato soufflé. All top notch. read more

We had our daughter's rehearsal dinner here and cannot say enough great things about the food, service, and overall experience. Abby was fantastic in helping us get everything set up, including last minute additions to the menu. Trey and his team delivered amazing customer service, always responsive with a smile. Lastly, the food was amazing. We would happily schedule any other event we need at this location. Thank you very much. read more

The food quality and service at this restaurant is beyond measure. When I took the first bite of the roasted grilled chicken sandwich everything on it was fresh the bun was grilled and fresh. The chicken was fresh. The cheddar cheese was phenomenal, tomato lettuce, the sauce, and then the sweet potato fries are absolutely delicious. I gave this Place a five star hands down. read more

The food was overall good but pack some patience with you because service is sooo slooooow. We came here on Wednesday around 7pm and to my surprise the wait for a table was over an hour. They do have quite large bar area where you can grab any available seat/table (a U-shape bar and several bar height tables). Anyway, we were lucky and someone was just leaving bar table so we took it. It took them 20 minutes to clean the table and bring the menus, that's only after we literally started staring the waitress down. After they finally checked in with us and we put in a round of drinks, it was another 15 minutes until we got the drinks and they finally put an order for food. After we got it, no one checked in on us a single time, not even to refill water. We probably sat there with our empty plates for another 20 min until they finally realized we're ready for a check. All in all we were stuck (that's exactly how it felt) at this place for almost two hours. My friend ordered a Negroni cocktail, it was served to him in a wine glass for some reason (that's a first, it is supposed to be served in a short glass) and with no ice which we thought was, um, interesting. For main course we all went for a double combo, I had mine with BBQ chicken and smoked brisket with a side of stew and slaw. Stew was probably what I loved the most, so flavorful. Brisket was very soft and sauce was very tasty. Chicken also tasted great but was dry. Overall I didn't quite understand what the rave is about. Decent place but definitely not impressed with service. read more

The Pit - Double Combo - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Overall disappointing visit. Little street parking and paid lot across the street. Service at the bar was overall slow, but friendly. Old Fashioned was not good. A large entree consisting of meatloaf, corn & collards only average with collards best thing on plate. They offer cornbread with entree and it was not great. Too long to get check. 2.5 rounding down. My assumption is things have changed with the pandemic. read more

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