I can't say enough nice things about Parker's. The service was absolutely fantastic. Everyone from the front door to the table were just as nice and polite as they could be. The food was all fresh, tasty and homemade. You could definitely tell the food was made with love. The restaurant itself is also a testament to the local history with their photos and placards depicting the stories of each picture. We will definitely be back! read more

When you're driving along 95, heading up north, and sick of fast food and last stop was the oh so campy South of the Border stop, this place is not a bad idea. We were hungry so it definitely filled us up but can't say I'd make this a must stop. Service was quick yet hospitable, menu was simple enough, and rest rooms were clean. Cash only but good price (or is it because I'm so used to DC/NYC pricing)? Either way, we were in and out in less than 20 minutes. Not too bad for sitting down and eating. I'm not the biggest bbq fan but my husband is and even he thought it was ok. Not saying it's bad, not at all! Just that... it was ok. Really enjoyed the hush puppies and got to try Brunswick stew for the first time. Sweet tea wasn't bad either. Side note but even though place was packed, we were the ONLY Asians there! Ha! We had a good chuckle. I guess this is a good stopping point if you want to try to NC style bbq. Will have to try another place to compare when in the area. read more

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Let's get to the not so great parts first. They only take Cash! No plastic! At least for take out this is the situation. Inconvenient and pretty archaic. The other not so great thing is that most menu items are fried. Not the healthiest place to eat. There are green beans, Cole slaw and Lima beans and corn in the Brunswick Stew. That completes the vegetable choices, unless you count corn sticks--deep fried cornmeal. Tasty, but not a good for you vegetable. Wish I knew that only on Wednesdays you can get BBQ Turkey. We ordered a BBQ chicken dinner. They also have fried chicken of course. The BBQ sauce was sweet and the meat so tender it fell off the bone. It came with slaw, stew and corn sticks. We also had a lb. Of pork BBQ. $20.50. Fed two adults for two days! Pork was moist, but would have loved BBQ sauce in the takeout bag. Only packets of Texas Pete hot sauce was offered. There is also an ATM machine if you don't have any hidden cash in your car for emergencies. Very popular place and easy to find. I'd return. Next time I want to try the Turkey!!! read more

The place is rocking! Huge dining area but quick food turnaround. Servers are uniformed and friendly. They have service down to a science. We enjoyed everything! Even ordered stuff to go back home for us and my sister. Check them out! read more

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Cash only! And, no banana pudding! Barbecue is a four but everything else is a 3. I like their mustard slaw, but the beans and boiled potatoes were cooked past the point of done. Service was good, but oddly every single server was a young guy. Nothing's wrong with it, it's just unusual especially for an Eastern BBQ joint. I love their corn sticks but they'd be better warm. The cash only thing is ridiculous in this day! They do have an ATM though that comes with a $2.50 fee. read more

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Hello. I was expecting to give a better review. Parker's has been a NC staple for decades. I often stop by for chopped BBQ or a wing bag and hush puppies. However my last two visits left a lot to be desired. I ate in the restaurant which needs NEW EVERYTHING. It's so dark and drab and the menu could use some upgrades. The food was lackluster with little to no seasoning. Not even salt on the fries. The food out of the takeout in the back is better. Which doesn't make sense as it's the same kitchen. read more

This may be my first negative review ever but I feel deceived by the reviews and needed to contribute. We got the chicken and pork and a bunch of sides. The fried chicken was very good but the pork was anything but. It had chunks of cartilage and crunchy bits (bone?) in it, which was extremely unappetizing. The pork didn't taste seasoned at all, it tasted boiled. No char, no flavor. Can you really trust a bbq restaurant where you can't smell the meat smoking from the parking lot? That should have been our first red flag. There was no bbq sauce served....there was only vinegar and hot sauce. The coleslaw tasted like yellow mustard cabbage soup. The potatoes and beans tasted canned. And within 8-24 hours, my husband and I were working through some digestive issues. I hate to say something negative about a locally owned joint but we advise against this place. read more

Parker's - Barbeque Near Me - Wilson, North Carolina

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Got take out......bbq plate with corn sticks, hush puppies, Cole slaw and fries. Barbecue was excellent, nicely seasoned, the Cole slaw had a bold flavor which complimented the bbq. The fries, corn sticks and hush puppies were good. Next time I want to eat in!! read more

I'd read about this place in a list of classic NC BBQ places. I'm not a big fan of NC style BBQ but I wanted to give it a try. My wife and I were in the area so we picked up a couple of BBQ Sandwiches. I was very impressed. I went with the slaw on top. The meat and slaw really went well together. And not just in the typical richness complemented by acidity. There was a bit of sweetness that made it very interesting. The bread brought them both together perfectly. I plan to stop by again to try some of their other menu items. Nothing like a little history! read more

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I have been eating at the restaurant over 50 years!!! I remember going with my Dad and I couldn't look over the counter. The food is always Delicious and Hot. The Best Fried Chicken & BBQ ever!! The service is great and quick. The atmosphere is a local BBQ joint. read more

I hope this is not what people from out-of-state think of when they think "North Carolina style BBQ" because quite frankly, the only redeeming quality of this restaurant to me, a long time North Carolinian, is that it was cheap and fast. If your goal is to eat something palatable for very little money and super fast, this place is fine for you. But if you want a real NC BBQ experience, this ain't it. Breaking it down: The pork, while tender, was mushy and overloaded with the vinegar sauce. The brunswick stew had little flavor, needed help from Texas Pete. The fries were... fries. The cole slaw was actually quite good. I liked this semi-unique taste that has mustard added. If the pork were better, it's be a great compliment. Corn straws were chewy and mealy, like stale cornbread. Hush puppies were forgettable. Sweet Tea was just straight sugar, drowned out any tea flavor. I saw fried chicken at another table, and that actually looked real good. You're probably better off there. They do offer family style service for a cheap rate as well, seems like a good place to feed a large crowd. If nothing else, this place runs like clockwork, even if the food isn't anything special. read more

Parker's - Lot of food, real cheap, but really not good at all. - Barbeque Near Me - Wilson, North Carolina

Okay bbq. I ordered a bbq dinner and my wife ordered a bbq plate. My pork was not warm at all. It was room temp at best. It had an okay taste. Nothing to go out of the way for. The green beans were the best part of the meal. They were really good. The boiled potatoes were good also. The corn sticks were too dry for my taste. The hush puppies were really good. Went to pay and they don't accept card. Would recommend getting up with the times and accept the most used payment methods. I would not say I was disappointed as much as just not impressed. If I lived local, I probably would go back. Also I am not saying the coleslaw was bad, but I am not a fan of mustard coleslaw. read more

This spot was great as a stop as we were driving down the east coast to Florida. Although a little overwhelming as a first timer, since everyone ordered extremely quickly and the menu wasn't super clear, it was definitely worth it. The value was great and we were able to try a lot of things on the menu without haven't to spend a lot. I personally liked the fried chicken the most out of all the meats and the potato salad for the side dishes. read more

Parker's - Barbeque Near Me - Wilson, North Carolina

Great Food And the Service Was Great I will definitely visit again soon and I usually bring some back home to DC read more

Never tire of this! Best fried chicken on earth! A thing of beauty! Fried chicken legs and white bread. And tea in crushed ice. What more does one need? read more

Parker's - Fried chicken legs and white bread! - Barbeque Near Me - Wilson, North Carolina

Google reviews are in the 4star range. And would agree with it, whichis better than the Yelp star rating. Donald Williams who has been there for 61 out of the 77 years greeted us at the door. His favorite is the fried catfish. And everyone agrees. It is the best catfish we ever had. Everyone recommends the fried chicken and BBQ pork(mixed it with the coleslaw and it is great!). The fried shrimp is also great. Brunswick stew, hush puppies, and sweet tea are also good. Mr. Williams reports the restaurant has been unchanged during this time. Great for families with and 1950s vibe. Very clean and spacious. read more

I love eating family style at Parker's. Their fried chicken is the best ever! I'm glad it close to our house.

We stopped for dinner on our way down 95 after searching reviews for bbq restaurants. SO glad we did! The parking lot was packed, but the service was fast!! The best fried chicken I've had in a long time! BBQ was great too along with everything else. This is one of those meals you'll think about next month and wish you could go back! Bonus for sweet tea with the good ice in a small pitcher for refills brought to the table from the beginning! read more

Parker's - Sweet Tea - Barbeque Near Me - Wilson, North Carolina

Have heard about this place for a while and wanting to stop by for lunch. Fortunately we got there just after 11am so there was still plenty of seating but it got busy fast. There are a bunch of wait staff busily running around seating people, taking orders, and clearing tables. The whole vibe still feels like it's straight out of the 1950s or 1960s with their paper hats and uniforms. The good: service is super fast and the food comes out quick. You also get mini drink pitchers along with your cup so you don't have to worry about running out of drink. The food is also very reasonably priced. The ok (I won't call it bad): the food is just your basic run of the mill down east BBQ. The bbq itself was flavorful and moist but was just flat overall and I did get a few pieces of bone in mine (happens with chopped style). It did not really stand out. The green beans seemed to be right out of a can and the potatoes wear also lackluster and bland. I don't really get the appeal of the corn sticks but that's probably because I grew up with hush puppies instead. These seemed tough and maybe just overcooked. This is definitely one of those places to stop by to say you have been here but it will be more for the experience and memories than the food in my humble opinion. All that said, I would not hesitate to go back again and I enjoyed it! Oh, and make sure you have cash.. they don't take plastic. read more

Parker's - BBQ Dinner with Green Beans and Boiled Potatoes - Barbeque Near Me - Wilson, North Carolina

Stop reading and just get over there! There's a reason it's been around forever. Get one of everything

The best popcorn shrimp. But everything is good, we know this. Great family atmosphere and polite employees

Parker's is wonderful! I grew up eating here, but it's been years since I've been. I was craving their BBQ so I made the hour drive out to get some! Their BBQ is fantastic and the coleslaw really steals the show for me. It's not for everyone - the person I ate with didn't care for it because of the spice. I don't know if it was just a bad day but their brunswick stew wasn't really great, so next time I would probably get the potatoes. Don't forget CASH only! read more

Parker's - Fun trucker style hats for $20 - Barbeque Near Me - Wilson, North Carolina

Best. BBQ. Ever. And don't get me started on the coleslaw, hush puppies, friend chicken, and potatoes. read more

Parker's - Barbeque Near Me - Wilson, North Carolina

Always delicious best fried chicken & bbq around & don't forget there good sweet tea . Them servers are awesome. Keep up the good work . Only in eastern North Carolina read more

place sucks. fat and grissle in BbQ. could not eat it. it was horrible NEVER EAT THERE AGAIN

Parker's Barbecue. A crown jewel of Wilson, NC. I decided to dine in with a friend recently during Armageddon 2020. I don't wanna close my eyes, don't want to fall asleep, cause I miss the barbecue and I don't want to miss a thing. Prices are amazing. When dining in, everybody at the table should order the family style dinner. At ~$10 a person, you get AYCE barbecue and sides, plus two pieces of fried chicken per person. What a terrific thing. The barbecue and the Eastern NC barbecue sauce were terrific. We never had to wait too long when we needed more food. There's no free refills here, so I suggest getting sweet tea. I certainly had more than enough tea for the price. So why the relatively low rating? Well, everything other than the barbecue was simply adequate. Adequate is not a bad thing, but I want more from a restaurant with Parker's reputation. Another issue is that the staff does not wipe down the condiment bottles on the table in between guests. This is simply nasty. Even if we weren't in our current environment, this would be a problem. Spend just a minute more on bussing your tables to avoid a buildup of grease and grime. Parker's Barbecue is worth a visit if you're passing through. I enjoyed my visit. read more

Takes credit cards and cash inside but I believe take out .May be cash and debit only . I miss our old tobacco farm out there. Been stopping here since I was a child. Do they have lines ahh yes. Does everyone have a bad day of course .I've not had and experience like that in many many years of service. They treat people with kindness and serve the best BBQ and chicken around. Oh, don't for get about the corn sticks yummy! Thank you all For years of good memories and wonderful food. Sincerely The Livingston's , The Brantley's and the Stancil's read more

Recommended to try this place with my family while passing by. Very simple menu with a fried chicken, pulled pork bbq, BBQ chicken, fried seafood items, and veggie sides. The service was great. There was a wall of servers welcoming upon coming in and one sat us quickly and then explained the menu to us since it was our first time. everyone continued to check on us and ask if we needed anything else drinks or side wise. FYI, it is cash or check only. Food/menu wise, all plates/combos come with corn sticks, hush puppies, and Cole slaw with refills at request. I got the large combo platter which includes a fried chicken breast, pork bbq, and 2 sides. My sides were Brunswick stew and french fries. As mentioned earlier there's plenty of capability to mix and match as you prefer. The pulled pork was classic eastern BBQ with vinegar sauce available on the table. The fried chicken was well fried and a good balance of juicy and hot but I personally prefer a more Cajun/spiced flavor. read more

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What a disappointment, read the reviews and sounded a fantastic place to go for southern food, well that is not what we got, what we got was cold super dried fried chicken, the boiled potatoes were also cold and the vegetable stew was not tasty and also cold. We did not bother complaining because what we saw at the other tables looked just as bad. Never again!!!!! read more

Visited establishment for dinner. The initial waiter served the drinks with his hands over rim of glass. When asked to bring back another drink glass, he caught an attitude. He tossed the straws on the table when we asked for straws. He never returned to the table to see if we needed anything. We fortunately were able to have a different server to bring the food and although that was not his table, the second server was attentive. Recommend Parker's BBQ but will definitely ask for a different server if we ever get the first one we had. read more

Dear Tom Hanks, I found Wilson- Wilson, North Carolina that is. I'll do one better, I then discovered Parker's BBQ in Wilson and absolutely loved it! I think I was the first customer there at 9:35 am. Got a great friendly greeting from Mimi the hostess and seated myself per the sign. My waiter was this young gentleman named Tre who was the nicest and most polite server I have probably ever had. The menu was a simple and small 7 by 10 one page laminate. Had this urge for seafood and so I got the two item seafood platter with the fish and shrimp as they were out of oysters. Tre recommended the popcorn shrimp and the fried Catfish filet. Out came this tray of fresh, hot food that was amazing. The popcorn shrimp were out of this world with just a smidgen of batter and just bursting with flavor. The fish was hot and very tasty. Tre brought me out some cocktail sauce and tartar sauce to accompany the bottles of hot sauce and vinegar already on the table. The piece de resistance for me was the wow cole slaw made from mustard - yes loads of mustard! Loved the kick and the flavor. So good! Lots of food: string beans, boiled potatoes( great instead of the f fries), hush puppies. Loved the sweet tea! It was SWEET and an literally an eye opener with the first sip. Loved that Tre brought me out a separate jug of sweet tea in addition to my mug with lots of lemons. He also hooked me up with a tea to go for the three hour plus drive to Bethesda. Huge inside dining area. While I was enjoying my flea food feast, five other waiters showed up at 10 and were getting ready for the Friday lunch shift. Simple menu with maybe 15 items. A sweet couple cake in to confirm their order of 15 bbq chickens for tomorrow. Mimi the hostess was very warm and very kind. She told me to make sure I stop by on my drive back south. I said absolutely!! Very tasty food, great service, sweet prices as in $14 total for this huge meal. I did only make it through half the fish and shrimp. Finger food for the drive! BBQ chicken and ribs next time, with the sweet tea but of course!!!! read more

Parker's - Elastic wastband. - Barbeque Near Me - Wilson, North Carolina

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Small dried up looking wings. History of racism. Dont care much for the place. Food is mediocre. I miss Bill's Barbecue read more

It's 5 stars before you taste the food. It's like a time warp. Paper hats worn by the staff, Everyone is extremely polite, and the prices are almost as low as when this place first opened. The food is great. The chopped bbq is really the star with the fried chicken coming in a distant second. Food is very fresh due to the crowds. The chopped bbq has cracklings chopped into it with a vinegary peppery seasoning added to it. Hush puppies and sweet tea were excellent too. Go check it out. Worst thing that could happen is that you're out $7 read more

Not COVID friendly - I went to Parker's tonight to try and Get some bbq and was highly disappointed. In the kitchen not one employee that I saw was wearing a mask(went in the to go area(over 20 people working) . We were at the front of the line and ended up leaving because we did not feel comfortable, not one employee had a mask on in the kitchen or taking orders. I feel very disrespected that they seem to not care about customers health. Seems that wearing a mask is simple enough. read more

My wife and I were driving past WilsonNC, and decided to tour the historic downtown to see the whirligigs that the town has made famous. Interesting. We drive past several places where we could eat, but the only place with a lot of people was Parkers. Parking lot was almost full and we still were seated immediately. The staff was very friendly to us as "first timers". Food came in just a few minutes. The chicken and BBQ were great; along with the green beans, corn sticks and hush puppies. The boiled potatoes I will skip next time. And, as the waiter said, "we have the best sweet tea"; I agree. Great meal at a reasonable price. One key note: this is a "cash only" place. read more

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We stopped here as a break between our travels up the east coast and it's a hidden gem for southern bbq for family friendly quick food. Small town feel, quick service and servers, the food amount that they give you was well worth the price you pay for any other bbq place. The corn stick is just cornmeal that's deep fried and the hush puppies are just a lil bit sweet but very crunchy. The green beans were soft and tasty and the coleslaw has mustard (which I'm not a fan of mixed in) but they give you a heaping full of these as your sides to share with the table. The bbq chicken I got was roasted and slathered on with bbq sauce and very tender and juicy. If you're in Wilson, Nc and hungry for bbq at an affordable price go here! read more

Wow I was really disappointed by this place. I was just driving through and thought I'd find some really tasty NC BBQ, this place stuck out as having the best reviews. I really don't understand why, the food was okay at best. The BBQ itself tasted like a pork shoulder was put in a crockpot with the lightest of spices and steamed for 8 hours. I detected no hint of smoke at all, there was no bark or smoke ring, and as a result, no flavor. The "LQD" (Large bbQ Dinner) also came with potatoes, Brunswick stew, and corn sticks. The potatoes had a light, almost flavorless sauce and were not really worth eating. The Brunswick stew seemed like an excuse to get rid of yesterday's pork, by combining it with canned corn, canned lima beans, canned green beans, and a pitiful tomato sauce. The corn sticks were an exercise in culinary laziness -- pretty sure it's a water+corn meal dough, rolled and fried. The result is a dry log that tastes like oily corn flakes at best. Basically I would say don't waste your time, it's pretty underwhelming BBQ. read more

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I first reviewed Parker's back when I was a Yelp newbie. At the time, it didn't even occur to me to take photos. So now I've rectified this. I always said that if we should pass this way again, we would once again stop in and have a meal here. This time, we were with our daughter and her family. Before setting out on our FL road trip, I had told her about Parker's and showed her the menu. She couldn't wait to try it! We were here on a Monday in time for an early dinner. At the time, the place wasn't very busy which worked to our advantage. The sign at the door says, basically, seat yourself. When we walked in, a friendly young man (who turned out to be our server) asked how many were in our party. We told him 7 and he directed us to a large table. Had we come later, it probably would have been more difficult to find a table that would accommodate us all. Our server was very welcoming and asked us where we were from. Once we told him, he asked how the bbq was in our parts. Our daughter, who now lives in NJ, told him about the sorry state of bbq there. We started out with drink orders. I asked if they had sweet tea and he said that they had the best in the area! So, that's what our daughter and I had. My husband and son-in-law both had soda, while the kids had milk. Having already looked at the menu, we knew what we wanted to try. We ordered the "Family Style Dinner". This consists of: "All the barbeque and trimmings you can eat---with 2 pieces fried chicken each---Includes: --- Brunswick stew, boiled potatoes, cole slaw and corn sticks". I asked our server if "trimmings" refers to the chopped pork and he said it did. Kids under 8 pay less. If I recall correctly, the adult and kids over 8 cost was $8.95 each, which is a real bargain! It didn't take long for our food to arrive and once there, we started passing along dishes and self-served. The chopped pork is amazing---moist and flavorful. I will quote from the book "Road Food" by Jane and Michael Stern: "Cooked over hardwood and chopped into hash, the pork is a mix of lean inside meat and crunchy shreds from the outside of the loins and hams from which it has been cut. There is scarcely any sauce on it at all, just a hint of vinegar and peppers to accentuate the wood-smoke savor". I couldn't have said it better myself! Each table has a bottle of plain vinegar and a hot sauce that has a vinegar base. Our son-in-law was all set to try the sauce until I explained to him that NC bbq sauces are vinegar-based. Upon hearing that, he passed on trying it. We were pleasantly surprised by the fried chicken. It has a crunchy outside that is very lightly battered and the meat is very moist. Not only that, it wasn't greasy at all. Our daughter, who for some reason doesn't like chicken on the bone, caved and tried a piece and ended up raving about it. The boiled potatoes proved to be very popular at our table. They weren't mushy at all and had the right balance between being over cooked and under done. The seasonings were just right. We also liked the cole slaw which had a mustard based dressing that also had some tang to it. Again, just enough tang to keep it flavored and have you wanting more. The corn sticks had a nice crunch to it without being dried out. They added a nice texture to the meal. The Brunswick stew had a great mix of veggies plus some pork in it. Some recipes add a spicy element to it but this version was tasty without being over spiced. We left feeling quite sated. Our server checked with us from time to time to see if we wanted seconds, but we found the portions to be just enough for us. He also gave the kids their own paper hats that said "Parker's Barbeque" (the kind that kitchen workers wear) which the kids loved. If you like bbq and are passing through these parts, do consider stopping in! It's about 10 miles off I-95 using exit 119A in NC. read more

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Always a favorite for our family. We stop every time we are with in an 1 1/2 away . Reminds us of home along with dependable quality . Prices are reasonable and folks are just plain helpful. Food is alway spot on. Thanks for all Your hard work serving us for so many years . read more

Two ate for $19.00 before tip. They only ate CASH, but an ATM is on the premises. The fried chicken is really good, fresh. Tons of people, covered up! read more

Parker's - Combination platter! - Barbeque Near Me - Wilson, North Carolina