I really like this out of the way spot. Surprisingly my favorite thing there is the fried chicken. It is so good. That honey, hot sauce that they give with it is so right. The BBQ is good, not the best but very good. The service was excellent as well. Highly recommend. read more

The BBQ was pulled not chopped and was served with WHITE slaw!! We were traveling and were actually hungry for a hot dog. My wife pulled up BBQ places from the NC BBQ app (from Our State magazine). I figured every BBQ place I had ever been had good hot dogs. Picnic did not have any hotdogs and only one burger. We had eaten BBQ the previous evening - Midwood Smokehouse in Charlotte - Ballentyne Commons -Delicious! So we didn't want BBQ. My wife ordered the fried chicken sandwich which came with pickled onion that were not listed on the menu. All in all a disappointment. read more

I'm an eastern NC chopped bar b que fan (that is vinegar based with red pepper), so in my opinion the pulled pork here wasn't that great. The flavor of the pork was ok but honestly kind of bland and I used the special sauce they had on the table which helped a little. The cole slaw was just okay, but I prefer my slaw a little sweeter. The hush puppies and the baked beans seemed to be missing something. The collards were tasty and I enjoyed those the most. I agree with the other reviews that this bar b que joint seems to be overpriced for the menu. The service was great and food came out fast. I may go back again to try the fried chicken and Mac and cheese. read more

You go for the barbecue but keep coming back for the sides. The pulled pork is amazing, but the sides are my favorite. I would recommend the pickles and onions as well as the sweet potatoes (which are the best I've ever had). read more

The picnic is a solid restraint for that spot, several places have been in that building but never stayed in business...The picnic took that building and made it look good and has great quality food and drink. It's close to my house and was to access. I only have two problems with it, the first being it was designed for less busy hours but they get a lot of people and it can feel cramped in the building and parking lot, another problem is the food is very expensive but I guess it's okay because of how close it is read more

This Okie doesn't care for the thin, vinegary sauce of the Carolinas - so, a pleasant surprise to find a BBQ spot with "non local' choices - had an excellent pork sandwich, my second choice as they were sold out of ribs. Great waitress and huge shaded picnic tables for al fresco in a tree-filled neighborhood. read more

Definitely some of the best fried chicken I have ever had and every side I got was delicious and I also got to try what the other people got and it was also amazing. The waiter Seth was super nice and made sure everything was taking care of properly and that all water glasses were filled and all food was brought out at the right time. I thoroughly enjoyed coming to picnic and will be back upon my next trip to Durham. read more

Marked up bastardized nc food. You mixed east and west nc bbq? STOP. You're in Durham you put vinager in your sauce, not a ton of tomatos. Hush puppys were full of some hipster nonsense too. Collards were mostly normal. Really this is some hardcore rtp working northern transplant bait. It's okay food but it's very overpriced for what it is. read more

Picnic is a cute little place off of Cole Mill Road. The BBQ is delicious. And I totally love their side dishes! Especially the specials - they are always scrumptious. The food is so good, and they have a good selection of local beers. I like that they are opening an outside seating off to the side of the building. The current outside seating out front is nice, but the noise from the road can be overwhelming at times. The only things I'd say they could work on: parking (but not sure they have any choices there!!), bigger menu (it is a bit limited), noise Inside (can they put up some kind of noise absorbing ceiling/walls???), and they run out of items too often for my liking (not good to run out of fried chicken or run out of chopped BBQ at a BBQ place!). Overall this is our "go-to" place for a yummy solid meal close by. read more

Lunch was delicious! The fried chicken, collards, mac& cheese & pork sandwich were all cooked to perfection. Our server was friendly & efficient. Casual atmosphere makes eating relaxing. Busy but prompt service. read more

First time at this new bbq spot in n. Durham. Doing a brisk business so we sat at the bar. Comfy seats and nice bartender. I had the burger with pimento and bread and butter pickles. Wow great! read more

The best fried chicken ever !!! Parking is a hot mess - go early Service is good - everyone is very friendly - The smell of the smoker (from behind the building ) adds to the environment and is the best advertising ever ! read more

I had the buttermilk fried chicken and my husband had bbq; everything was delicious! All of the sides were made with fresh ingredients (we had fries, slaw, a cold squash salad, and the pimento mac n cheese) drawback was It is a bit pricey, so we won't be going back too often. read more

If you don't want fried chicken, BBQ or a cheeseburger don't go there! The seating is too close together. The food was just so,so. If you like hot, hot bbq, then that's fine, but I would prefer to put my on hot sauce on it! The hush puppies were a joke, just corn meal and green onion! Baked beans were very spicy . For the price and the amount of food that you receive was not that good of a portion! The price for a vegetable plate was $13.95 for three vegetables and the hush puppies counted as a vegetable. Very over rated in my opinion. Also, there was no parking so our waiter suggested that next time we park across the street. Yeah right, like you can cross Cole Mill Road during heavy traffic! I would go to Bullock's BBQ any day. read more

The hush puppies weren't all that great in my opinion, but the fried chicken, and other bbq dishes were awesome. Our waitress was very kind and great with our kids. Kudos! read more

Picnic has the best fried chicken in Durham. One of our family's favorite things is to take the dogs for a long walk at the Eno, then sit on the patio to enjoy a meal here. Definitely sit outside if you can, because it's very peaceful. Service has always been friendly and stellar. The one time we encountered a little glitch on a busy Friday Ben was super accommodating about making repairs! read more

Absolute perfection. We drove there from Raleigh with a group of 8 last night, all of us for the first time, and we ordered nearly the entire menu, and not a single complaint. Even with all the hype around this place, none of us were disappointed. I don't think we have ever gone anywhere as a group without some whining, but they knocked everything out of the park. The fried chicken, the pulled pork, ribs, brisket, insane sides and sauces, everything was perfect. I really think the fried chicken may be the best I've ever had. Just go, stop thinking about it. I think the only option, if you call yourself an adult, is to go with the fried chicken and pulled pork combo, which comes with slaw, hush puppies, and two sides. They had some fried brussell sprouts as the side of the week that were insanity, but the pimento cheese mac, collards, and sweet potatoes were also a big hit. I woke up this morning still in agony I was so full, yet was sad I didn't have any leftovers. read more

It was okay. The service was great, but the food seemed to be lacking salt. The drinks are superb (loved the key lime frozen drink).

The food is good, no doubt about it. But when my mother and I went this past week for lunch, the music was blaring so loud, we weren't able to converse. We asked if they would be willing to turn it down and were told "I don't know..." It remained jarringly loud, so rather than order, I stated that we couldn't stay since it was too loud for us to hear one another. We were shown the door. It was clear to us that the music wasn't to entertain guests, we were the only ones at the time; it was to entertain the staff. I hope they enjoyed it. read more

Went during the Memorial Day weekend with a group of friends who had heard rave reviews. The food wasn't bad, it just wasn't great. We ordered a variety of sides with our meals so we could taste all the offerings. The blackened catfish was delish, as was the potato salad, slaw, and berry crumble dessert. The seasonal squash salad was the biggest disappointment - almost tasteless. The pimento mac & cheese was gummy and also low on the taste-o-meter, and the hushpuppies were coarse, dry, and over-fried to almost blackened. For the prices, the food should have been considerably better. Service was excellent. Bar prices were higher than listed on Picnic's website. read more

Exceeded expectations. Work lunch. In and out in 40 min, 15 min of that was getting and clearing the check. We walked in at 11:30. Ordered barbecue boat and sandwich tray. Barbecue lived up to what I was hoping. Tender, juicy and great flavor so. Smoke and vinegar based sauce were prevalent, but not overpowering. Slaw was fresh and perfect. Hush puppies were great. Parking is a problem and for the lunch crowd getting out could be speeded up. read more

As far as barbecue in North Carolina goes, this was not a favorite for my family. I had heard great things, but we were pretty disappointed. The barbecue plate was mediocre and the fried chicken tenders were very bland and used thigh meat which made it extra greasy but also dry. The atmosphere was great. So nice to sit outside and it was lovely to have a full bar available. But, it is quite pricey for the small portions of food that is just ok. I wish the staples, like the BBQ, coleslaw, and hush puppies, had been much better. read more

My wife and I visited Picnic in Durham NC with her friend, and it was our first visit. The server was very polite. We ordered from their limited menu, for basically BBQ, brisket, ribs, chicken, shrimp and fish of the day On their "Blackboard of Specials they had a salad which the waitress said "some people" order it as an appetizer. We ordered it and it basically was a dinner plate with about 12 pieces of butter crunch lettuce, some thinly sliced onions and a vinegarette dressing, for $6.95. Quite frankly, it was a rip off, it was worth about $3.00 for the amount provided. My wife ordered the pulled pork "boat" with hush puppies and slaw. and out came this tiny rectangular paper boat that would hold a small order of french fries, again, a little small for the $9.95 cost. My wife and our friend had water and I ordered a craft beer, our meals were brought to the table, and I had to ask where my beer was, it came shortly after my request to the waiter who delivered the food, apparently our waitress forgot about the beer.I had the brisket plate, with three slices of brisket, a cup of cukes and onions in vinegar and a cup of coleslaw, my dinner was $15.95. I had a craft beer, all in all the total cost of the meal with tax and tip came to $47. Although the brisket was good, it amounted to about six ounces of meat. For the money, it was NOT worth the trip. Its a nice place with tables, chairs and bench seating, but nothing special, our first trip and was our last, the quantity of the food, did not match the prices charged. read more

Not great but not terrible. There has been a lot of hype, so expectations were high, and Picnic did not live up to the hype. The BBQ was ok, mediocre, not great. I ordered the pulled pork plate and expected some "bark" from the pulled pork, there wasn't any. Struck me as having been pulled earlier or even perhaps previous the day, a little mushy, which is an indicator of being reheated-don't know, but texture indicated that. Would have been better if pulled to order. Baked Beans were very good, obviously from scratch, from dried beans, best course for me. Potato Salad was sour cream based with dill, which I love, could have used salt and pepper. Hush Puppies were dark and dry- perhaps fried earlier and re-fried to order. There were only 6 diners in the restaurant at 7pm, prime time, which struck me as odd. More attention to preparation by chef/owner could help overall food quality. read more

To put it concisely: I've never in my life had a meal where the Mac n cheese is the worst part of the meal. And that's not to say that the Mac n cheese was bad...trust me...it just means everything else was THAT GOOD. Pulled pork . Fried chicken . Enjoy the local beers. And the company of the waiters -- great time and great food! read more

Oh my goodness! This place gives a meat and three a great facelift!!! Food was excellent! Pulled pork is excellent. Service is top notch as well. read more

Best fried chicken in the area. One of our favorite restaurants with a great staff. A little pricy but worth it.

Love the chicken - really good. My wife loves the pulled pork. some of the sides could be tweaked still. But they are new and sorting things out. Its a really good neighborhood place and if your in the area and looking for something a better than the normal chopped BBQ places, you should like this place. That said, my hard core traditionalist aren't fans.... their loss. read more

Enjoyed Sunday lunch at this very trendy BBQ joint. Most of the menu is sourced locally, which is great. The pigs are raised on a farm in Bahama, just up the road from Durham. The BBQ and Whistle Pig sauce were divine. Sides were very solid with a twist on some classics. Pimento mac & cheese is very good, baked beans a little spicy for our boys, sweet potato puree delicious! We will definitely be back to try out the fried chicken. Enjoyed meeting one of the owners who made rounds to the tables. Service was good considering it was a very busy time. Chocolate chess pie is not to be missed! $45 for 2 lunch platters, 1 soft drink, 1 dessert. read more

Went once - will NOT go back! Save your money! There are much better and less expensive places in town for BBQ. Our food was wrong and what was right had no flavor. Worst Brunswick Stew I've ever had - basically corn and lima beans and just gross! read more

Great experience overall, and it begins with the handsome beer hall style tables on the patio. The tap list is a curated tour of NC and impressive. Ordered the BBQ plate with two sides, not which includes slaw and hush puppies and then some. Savory sides of collards and pimento Mac and cheese. I'll be back. read more

Excellent food and the service was great. Small menu but if you are looking for chopped BBQ or chicken this is the place! The sides were also very tasty! It is a little pricey but you get great portions for the average eater! We will definitely go back! Also have very good house wine. read more

Pulled pork was great. I liked the fried chicken a lot, very crunchy crust. Hush puppies were a little dry, but collards were awesome.

Absolutely fantastic! The food is out of this world, delicious!!!! The service is fantastic and I loved the casual, "hipster" atmosphere. I would definitely recommend the pork, the cole slaw, hush puppies, mac n cheese, and fried green tomatoes. Seriously, anything you choose on the menu will be OUTSTANDING!!!! Best BBQ in the Triangle. Will be back, for sure! read more

Drinks were good and BBQ was okay but collards and cukes tasted like they had been sitting in a vinegar vat. Sweet potato was tasteless.

When you have to douse your bbq with sauce because the meat is so bland and tasteless, not a good sign. The buttermilk fried chicken was very good though. I do not think I will go back because their main thing is bbq and there are many other better places. And this is quite a pricey place for just bbq. read more

Amazing fried chicken (the sauce on the side is fantastic)! Excellent mac and cheese! Great service as well! We will definitely be back!

Awesome BBQ, good people, best fried chicken I've had in a long time. This place is legit.

So far so good. Hope they work out the kinks with food inventory as they get in the groove. Was there the 2nd day the opened and they had to shut the door at 6:30 since sold out on food. Definitely going back to check it out. The BBQ was very flavorful and authentic. Service was very good - attentive. read more

I tried picnic first time like others very good Sat outside on beautiful day and enjoyed a great meal fried chicken and collards, potato salad were homemade. worth the wait I would recommend read more