This is the way that BBQ should hit!!…read more We stopped in the "Shack" while visiting Durham. Having been huge fans of North Carolina style BBQ, we were not disappointed.My wife and daughter enjoyed the Pork Plate. By for me, I went with the two meat combo with Pulled pork and brisket. The pulled pork was spot on. It was perfectly smoked and almost melted in my mouth. With a touch of spicy vinegar sauce, I was gone to Carolina in my mind for the rest of the day. The brisket might have been some of the best I've ever had. It had a nice fat layer and was also "melt in your mouth" and juicy. The brisket didn't need any sauce at all. It was that good. The hushpuppies were the star at the table. My family considers themselves to be connoisseurs of hush puppies, and these were ranked in the top five. A respectable ranking from such a discriminating hushpuppy panel. The sides we sampled included collard greens, mac and cheese and BBQ beans. The collards and Mac and cheese were out of this world. I should have ordered a double serving of the collards. However, the beans were a huge disappointment. They were more like a bowl of sub-par chili than BBQ beans. If we return, they will not be selected. A great BBQ spot when you are in Durham. Highly recommend you stop by, if only to taste the brisket!

great food for good price. $14 brisket sandwich , side and hush puppies. ..............read more

We came on a Monday during a very quiet time. Since it was our first time, we appreciated the very…read morefriendly staff. The Pulled Pork and Burnt Ends were fresh and uniquely flavorful. But the Collard Greens were exceptional with a nice spicy touch. The only flaw was the potato soufflé side which was too creamy and mushy for our tastes. We really appreciated that the cook asked our opinion of our choices. We would definitely recommend a stop here.

Was walking around Durham with my girlfriend and decided to get some food. It was really good!…read moreWould come here again.

so bomb !! im from colorado and loved the food and the service ! i ate my ribs with a fork, meat…read morecame right off the bone 10/10

This place does barbecue right. It's no frills on the outside or the inside, but that's because…read moreit's the food that shines. The collards might be some of the best in the state.

I owe this place nothing. My friends who live in the area took us here on a Friday night. It was…read moreabout 80% full. It was my husband and I's first time having Southern BBQ/ Carolina BBQ and Lawrence BBQ had set the bar high for us. Everything was SO GOOD. We got the Cedar Street Family Platter. It was able to feed 5 of us (3 guys and 2 ladies) and there were leftovers. So perfect for the recommended size. The brisket and the ribs were the faves. Honorary mention to turkey, that pleasantly surprised me. And I'm not a fan pulled pork but I can only have pulled pork from here from now now on. My least fav meat on the platter was the pork belly but it's still ranked at like a 7. That's how good the meats were. The sides were great supporting roles. They weren't spectacular but they're disappointing. The only side I didn't try was the orzo. I didn't get our waiter's name but he was such a delight. He made the experience really good.

My daughter and i tried the grilled oysters. Very delicious. These topsail oysters are small,…read morebuttery and succulent. Sauce has a little kick, just right for me. Bad part is you could eat a couple of dozen of these easy, and at $4 a piece that could get really pricey !! Just be aware, these little babies are addictive !! Chili crisp cheesy tots were yummy !! Will have these again ! We sat at the bar and bartenders were friendly and engaging. Will be back for sure !!!

Got a pound of Brisket and pint(s) of Green Beans, Hush puppies, Cole…read more Slaw and Baked Beans for my sister and her family. Everything was so good!! The Brisket was so tender, smoky and done perfectly. Picnic is the best BBQ in Durham and that's saying a lot because this town's got some really good BBQ for NC.

To us, it was incredibly underwhelming. The Mac and cheese was mediocre, at best. What they did to…read morethe fried chicken might be considered criminal. The fries were frozen crinkle cut and very blah. The okra was good. And the burger was good. Very unusual for me to say that food is under-seasoned, but very under-seasoned. They put sea salt in a regular shaker, and you couldn't coax it out. My curiosity is satisfied and I have no need to eat there again. If you are really hungry, and don't have another option, you can fill your belly. I just doubt you will actually ENJOY the experience.

So I asked yelp to recommend a place for a birthday dinner. This was the first on the list. So…read moresince I couldn't get a reservation on my birthday to the place I originally wanted to go, we decided to come here. There is plenty of parking on the backside of the building, paid parking out front, and be careful not to park in the apartment spaces on the side...they sounded pretty serious about towing. I had made a reservation but it was probably unnecessary as it was pretty empty when we arrived (it was about 5pm on a Saturday.) The waitress brought a bottle of water to the table and took our drink order. And I know that this place is literally call it's a Southern thing but can I mention how much I dislike drinking out of mason jars? I ordered the chicken n biscuits, my husband got the country hamburger steak plate, my BiL got wings, and my SiL got the crabcakes. We also orders charred jalapeno & sweet corn hushpuppies and frickles as an appetizer. I was VERY excited about my food. Y'all...the only thing that impressed me were the Frickles. Everything else was distinctly underwhelming. I also ordered Blackberry Betta Have My Money which was not that great. My SiL ordered a espresso martini that they said didn't come from a mix but she said it tasted like it was. The bathrooms were very clean. The decor and the vibe were great. Cute even. I really enjoyed that part of it. After dropping off our food, we never saw our waitress again unless we flagged her down for drink refills. It was especially frustrating since there was automatic gratuity added. And since the place wasn't that busy, it felt like she didn't feel the need to earn her automatic tip. Overall I was disappointed in my birthday dinner. I won't be coming back here.

Came here last night and what a wonderful experience. Was in town for the Duke lacrosse game and…read morestayed the weekend. Party of three started out with the frickles and a crab dip. Both were warm and flavorful. We had an abundance of pita bread to dip in the crap dip. The sauce with the frickles was fantastic. I ordered the Dr Pepper wings as my entree and they were fall of the bone tender. Something so different about smoked wings versus fried. I washed everything down with a Bull Durham beer and it was flavorful and a perfect pour. Parents got the smoked chicken and shrimp and grits. See the attached photos.

Dampf good bbq indeed.One of the best briskets and spare ribs we've had out of Texas. Can't believe…read morewe waited so long to try it! Mac and cheese was baller too. So was the creamed corn! My 9 month old went to town on the brisket (her first exposure) we have now set her standards high! There's ample benches under a covered structure, with fans to beat the heat! They also have a nice set up for the line/ wait with some foldable chairs. Very considerate! We went at an odd time on a weekday so wasn't as crowded ! Will definitely be back, excited to try the other items on the menu.

For Mother's Day, my husband preordered 4 lbs of smoked brisket. My husband makes the BEST smoked…read morebrisket so I was a bit skeptical ,,, but Dampf, this brisket is truly the best we've ever had. We love bbq and I'm pretty sure we've had brisket from every bbq restaurant and shack in all of Wake county. This is THE best!! My husband says that the secret to this place is pre-ordering the day before. He's been there twice to find them sold out of brisket. The last time he went, he ended up with a bacon brisket sandwich. I only got a bite and it was soo good!! If you go on to their website, they have a cool story, too. They provide more than just great food but share a strong message of faith. Oh yeah, they got recommended by the Michelin Guide! https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/north-carolina/cary_2986745/restaurant/dampf-good-bbq

this was our first time eating here and it won't be our last! The server was super helpful and…read moreeverything was delicious!! We will definitely plan to eat here on our next visit.

We've been coming here since day one and the quality of service and their food is still top notch!!…read more We usually make a point to come here on Tuesday's when it rib day, but tonight we felt like their pork sandwiches. I got the Lolo's pulled pork. The sandwich is so big. I swear it's at least a half pound of delicious pork. I also got the corn casserole and my spouse got a side salad that she enjoyed. Bottom line, they knock it out of the park every time.

We stopped in for dinner and a drink. The food was good. The cashier/bartender was nice. The place…read moresmelled incredible and felt a lot like a bbq joint you'd see in Texas. We will probably be back soon.

I went here with a group of friends on a Saturday for dinner, roughly around 5pm and the place was…read morepretty empty at that time, so plenty of seating. We walked in and were told to grab a menu and sit wherever we wanted, once we're ready to order we could go up to the bar and order our food. The lady that took our order did not friendly at all so that kind of threw me off to start with. Food did come out pretty quick, we got a couple of orders of the brisket and some 2-3 meat combos. The food I'd say was average. Te brisket was the best out of everything and is best had chopped rather than sliced. I will admit the hush puppies were my favorite, I had quite a few of them. All in all it was a pretty average experience, probably would not be rushing to go back there. Maybe if I went at another time where it is more lively it'd be a bit different but essential I was there for the food and the food did not deliver.

Awesome customer service along with some good food. I had French toast with scrambled eggs and…read moreTurkey sausage #verytasty. I will be back

Excellent BBQ spot. If you're in the area or traveling along I-85, it's a quick and easy stop just…read moreoff the highway. The restaurant has a modern fast-casual vibe, both inside and out, and the staff was friendly and welcoming. The food is what really steals the show. We ordered a burger with fries, a pork sandwich with fries, pulled pork with green beans and potato salad, and brisket with coleslaw and every single item was delicious. The standout was definitely the brisket. It had an incredible peppery rub and perfectly smoked flavor that kept you going back for bite after bite. Easily some of the best brisket we've had.