Received a warm welcome upon entering. Cashier was extremely friendly ask explained the menu as this was my first visit. After ordering I took a seat and waited for my plate. Within moments a delightful sound lady appeared with a piping hot plate of chicken and NC style BBQ cooked to perfection. She later returned with fresh hushpuppies, OMG everything was delicious! While the decor was basic, it was an amazing experience overall. This location is a gas station parking lot immediately off the hiway. Great location with plenty of parking read more

White Swan Bar-B-Que & Fried Chicken - Barbeque Near Me - Smithfield, North Carolina

Sometimes a BBQ restaurant located alongside a convenience store is a hidden find. Other times, it's like this White Swan, nothing special. We had lunch at this White Swan to start an early kickoff to the weekend. The restaurant was mostly full when we arrived, which we hoped meant the food was much better than the dingy interior. I tried a BBQ sandwich with slaw and an order of yams. My sandwich had a generous serving of eastern NC BBQ with slaw. The BBQ was OK, but nothing special and I would not be surprised to learn the slaw was purchased somewhere else. My yams, however, were served warm and very good. I also received a few hushpuppies which would have been excellent if they had been served hot, but they were cold. My dining companion tried the "steak sandwich" and fried squash. The "steak" turned out to be a fried chuckwagon patty which would have been better if served right out of the fryer but was OK. She thought the squash, clearly fresh and just cooked, was very good. You stand in line to place your order and as expected these days, they suggest all sorts of generous tips for themselves. All the employees were friendly and clearly aiming to please. If you eat in they bring your food to the table and if you get it to go, they call your order out when its ready. You're expected to clean your table when you leave and they are kind enough to leave a bucket with rags soaked in sanitizer to clean make sure the table is ready for the next customer, even though they already hit you up for a tip when you ordered. This is a low 3-star BBQ restaurant. It's not bad, but there's better to be had not too far away. read more

Pork chop could not be cut with knife. Needed to pick up. Coleslaw good. Gas station restaurant.

Being an eastern NC native, this is one of the classic BBQ joints left that has maintained its roots. Excellent pulled pork, coleslaw, hush puppies... YUM! The dining room is smaller, but again, it's original with the wood paneling and pictures on the walls. When you order, it's fast and of course polite. The great places are slipping away and being replaced by people who want to change things and jack up prices... Please help keep this original going. read more

First Visit to White Swans BBQ - Honest Thoughts This was my first time visiting White Swans BBQ. My initial impression was average -- nothing too exciting when walking in. The prices were a bit mixed, and personally, I found them slightly on the higher side. I ordered a small drink and the gizzard plate with fries and onions, which came out to about $13.99. I'll admit -- the food was good, especially the gizzards. They cooked them well, and the sides hit the spot. The staff, especially the ladies working there, were friendly and down-to-earth. Overall, I'd come back again and try a different plate next time. read more

White Swan Bar-B-Que & Fried Chicken - Gizzards, onion rings, fries and small drink. - Barbeque Near Me - Smithfield, North Carolina

We stopped for a sandwich. We received a bone-in deep fat fried chicken breast in a hamburger bun. No condiments no seasoning. Fries were completely tasteless. There were five workers, all busy, neither friendly or not. Strangest chicken sandwich I've ever had. No idea how they stay in business. read more

Delicious stop for a pork chop sandwich and some pork bbq, okra, Cole slaw and hush puppies.

Food and service always has been a part of my family. Prices are reasonable with a full menu of things to drink.

Yum !! First stop after driving from the airport and it was so good . Everyone was super friendly read more

See all

The BBQ, potatoes and hushpuppies were awesome! LOVED! The staff were busy but courteous. Great sweet tea, too! It was quiet tonight but I've seen it busy! Great place to eat! read more

White Swan Bar-B-Que & Fried Chicken - Small BBQ plate with Double Boiled Potatoes & Hushpuppies - Barbeque Near Me - Smithfield, North Carolina

There was so much food in my plate! It was delicious!! I had fried chicken and bbq pork, (vinegar based bbq) Brunswick stew, potato salad & hush puppies. The hush puppies are given complimentary when the table is seated and they are sooo addicting! I like white meat and was served 2 pieces of chicken which one was left untouched because I just couldn't eat anymore!! Brunswick stew was a first for me, very hearty & country, tomato based soup with veggies & fried chicken pieces, it was good! Sweet tea was perfect!! Located next to a gas station so don't miss it! read more

White Swan Bar-B-Que & Fried Chicken - Barbeque Near Me - Smithfield, North Carolina

This was our first and last time to a White Swan. We ordered 2 fried chicken sandwiches, 1 filet (patty style) combo and 1 bone in chicken breast. The filet was similar to what you could buy at Food Lion in the freezer section. It was very small, precooked, hard and (with hot sauce added to it, to produce some flavor) tasted like it could be it a fish or chicken filet depending on the sauce you used. The French fries were cold and the ice tea had a oily taste as if the pot wasn't cleaned when it was made. My wife's bone in chicken breast sandwich was barely warm, tough, dry and didn't have any flavor. The restroom was disgusting and filthy! Instead of complaining to the mediocre staff we decided we'd stick to Smithfield's, Popeyes and Zaxbys. read more

A hidden gem of a little BBQ joint. People working here are nice and the food came out fast. Pork is excellent as well as the sides. If you don't like hush puppies give these ones a try. They remind me of fried dough. Yum. read more

White Swan Bar-B-Que & Fried Chicken - Pork plate with Brunswick Stew and Fries and endless hush puppies. - Barbeque Near Me - Smithfield, North Carolina

The fried chicken was really good, but the BBQ was only average. Had to wait 20 minutes to get our food which isn't the main problem. The problem is that they gave us a basket of hush puppies with the rest of the meal, not right after we ordered so we could munch on them while we waited for our order. The selection of sides was very meager (no cabbage, black-eyed peas or Lima beans that I've come to expect from a southern cuisine establishment). The servers were under staffed so they couldn't keep up with the lunch crowd. read more

Best. BBQ. Ever. And be people here are really nice. We're blessed to have this gas station en route to Atlantic Beach from Raleigh. While I stop to get my shrimp burgers at Kings, this is the spot for BBQ. Not to say they don't have amazing shrimp burgers, I haven't tried them yet! Just delicious. Better than any BBQ we've even had in Atlantic Beach, or Raleigh: read more

We were going to the fireworks show in Selma and stopped in mostly because it was so convenient. My wife was thrilled with her fried chicken plate, I found the barbecue very tasty, we both liked the brunswick stew alot. The portions are a great deal for the money, neither of us could finish--- and then the cook brought over a couple of complementary wings and more hush puppies, so we ended up taking home almost as much food as we ate! read more

Since changing ownership, the service and food quality has gone way down. Service was so bad yesterday that I just got up and walked out. Was there for about 10 minutes and the waitress never acknowledged us. She spent most of her time at the table next to us. Been there twice before this and the fries are mushy and taste like they were good yesterday. Grease is too hot to cook the fires completely through before getting the outside cooked. It's the closet BBQ place to the house (4 miles) but I will probably drive about double that in the future for my BBQ. read more

From the first Bar B Que sandwich from White Swan I was a fan. The best bar b que, slaw, hush puppies ever and anytime I am in Smithfield my husband and I come by. We live in Harrisburg, NC and don't find this Eastern Carolina vinegar based bar b que here. My husband being from your area introduced me to this type of bar b que years ago and it's the only kind I want. We have always had great service and leave satisfied when we leave your restaurant. White Swan is my favorite place for the best bar b que but whether you want chicken or bar b que you want be dissapointed! read more

I want to start off by saying they are really nice folks who work here. But, this is my second visit. I got a flounder sandwich and onion rings to go. The onion rings were greasy and soggy, which is a Shame because the flavor was actually really good. No ketchup in the bag. The flounder sandwich was cooked nicely and a decent flavor...but who in the world DOESN'T out tarter sauce on the sandwich or at least out some in the bag. I couldn't even eat it. I had a bite or two and threw the rest out because it was way too dry with no tarter. Previously, I ate in and had BBQ plate. It was good, hush puppies were good and served with plenty of butter. The potato salad was good. Brunswick stew was....ehhh, just ok. read more

Me and a friend went here a while back. The person taking our order acted like she didn't know a whole lot of anything. Which is all fine and dandy... But my friend ordered the "family pack" or whatever it's called that comes with a whole chicken, a quart of slaw, and a dozen hush puppies (he was hungry). We go sit down. The girl comes over a few minutes later and says, "They just told me to tell you that you cannot order that for here, you can only order it To Go. So my friend politely says, "Well just package it to go, that's fine. I will just still eat it here." She stares at him with a blank face for several seconds. He says, "Problem solved right? I mean is that alright?" She literally sighs, rolls her eyes, and says, "I guess" as she walks away. She goes back and tells the other workers and I see them all shaking their heads. But so when my food is ready, they bring it on over to me. But when his was ready, they refused and made him come up to the counter. Then as he's eating, he realizes he needs a fork for the slaw, so he goes to look for one on the counter where the condiments are. The other girl says, "What do you need?" He says, "Oh, I just need a plastic fork please." She says, "That'll be extra." He says, "What do you mean?" She says, "That meal doesn't come with a fork. If you want one you'll have to pay extra." He says, "Are you serious?" "Yep." "Never mind, I'll make do without." We were completely blown away by the way we were treated. We were completely polite, and had just spent $25, but were treated like they did not want us there whatsoever. Needless to say, we will never step foot back in there. I've also told the story to many friends and family (who have been equally as shocked), and they've all said they will never go back there either. read more