Love this place. I always order from here when I'm visiting family in Winston-Salem. The prices are reasonable, the pulled pork just hits, the okra is great, and the crispy skins are to die for. Absolutely rules. As a Bostonian who has pretty mediocre BBQ choice up north, this hits the spot. read more

Easy ordering at counter. My choice this visit was BBQ pork sliced sandwich with BBQ slaw and of course hush puppies. Sandwich was spot on and puppies cooked just the right doneness. Multiple tables inside to enjoy your Q. One of my three places to satisfy my NC barbecue urges! Not too crowded since went after the rush hour. Will be back. read more

See all

Had the Brunswick Stew yet again on a recent cold, rainy day! It is loaded with sliced white onion, yellow corn, tomato, Limas, carrot, potatoes, and plenty of shredded, pit cooked pork. This rather thick, tomato based stew is considered a Southern classic, though like so many such traditional dishes, its origin is cloudy and disputed, between Brunswick GA and Brunswick VA. But there is support that the origin was actually in Germany - specifically in Braunschweig of the House of Hanover at the time! Both of the USA cities were named for that city. The dish from that area was a favorite of Queen Victoria of the UK, she of the prodigious appetite. Her spouse, Prince Albert, was from Germany, supposedly providing the culinary connection! The dish in this country began with the use of small game - rabbit, squirrel, and even Opossum - I've had it with rabbit and squirrel, but never opossum, wouldn't go there. As the area became less rural, the game was very often replaced with the abundantly available chicken. Like most such traditional dishes, there are many variations, with the ingredients being what was locally available as to beans and vegetables. I enjoy it served with homemade rolls or crusty bread, and a side of creamy coleslaw. The version served here is excellent, and the pork from the pit here anchors the dish. read more

Real Q - Brunswick Stew - only available here when the weather cools - Barbeque Near Me - Winston-Salem, North Carolina

One of my favorites. I love the barbecue but the chicken wings are banging too.. I usually order chicken wings with my favorite dessert which is their banana pudding. read more

Real Q is genuine Lexington style barbecue.They offer chopped, coarse chopped, and sliced barbecue styles. Dip/sauce adds moistness that enhances flavor. Menu is pretty broad with many barbecue options and other typical American staple fare; burgers, hot dogs, etc., and typical barbecue sides like barbecue slaw, hush puppies, regular slaw, fries, etc. Sandwiches, trays, plates. and buy in quantities. Virtually everything on the menu is delicious! Catering is available. Service is usually very good, friendly, and knowledgeable. Clean rustic dinning room. Like every other restaurant the economy has taken a toll on prices. What was once a weekly or more often experience is now a great choice when in the mood for great, authentic barbecue. read more

We were passing through the area on the way home from camping in the Blue Ridge Mountains and had a hankering for some BBQ. I don't always like pork BBQ because it can be pretty smoky at times, but this pork bbq was pretty perfect. Chopped fine with great sauces on the table. The white coleslaw, fries, hush puppies, and corn fritters were also excellent. All the staff were friendly and accommodating. We sat outside at the picnic tables with our pup, but the parking lot wasn't too busy to make it unenjoyable and we were happy to have the shade of the awnings. I wish it were closer to home so that we could go back more often. read more

Their customer service is great! We loved everything! I don't even like coleslaw and I loved yours; same with another friend of mine!!! BBQ slaw was fantastic! Tater tots are excellent! Lemonade was wonderful, too! Cute, fun decorations on the walls! We love the BBQ and the French fries and hush puppies! Clean bathrooms - we are so impressed with Real Q - we'll be back soon! We also appreciate how they partner with the community for fund-raising; they are very generous!!! And, the bbq sauce is divine! I took my class of adults with special needs and they loved it and we'll be taking another field trip to visit soon! read more

Ended up here when my favorite bbq spot burned down and I never looked back! Great food and the most accomidating staff ever! For me it will always be the "Real Q"! read more

We found this spot on the N.C. bbq trail list. Having had a few mediocre examples of N.C. BBQ on our road trip, I was really hoping for more and wasn't disappointed. This is definitely the best we had on this trip. The meat was moist, flavorful, and - probably the best part about it - there was a clear visible smoke ring on the meat and I could also taste the smoky flavor on the meat. It seems to me that smoke flavor is almost always missing on N.C.-style que. Both sides were good, but the beans were standout. They had a really nice sweet flavor without being sickly sweet. The potato salad was basic potato salad but I enjoyed it. The hush puppies weren't my favorite on this trip, lacking some of flavor of other offerings, but not bad. My wife had a chop bbq sandwich with white slaw and she was a bit disappointed in the slaw. I agree that it didn't really standout. The combination of flavors on my chop plate was definitely better. Staff was very friendly and service was quick. In my list of N.C.'s best bbq, Allen and Sons outside Raleigh was better but I believe that location is closed now. Id put this a fairly distant second with room for other places to jump in front as I try them. 4-stars for now. read more

See all

We wanted to get something to eat nearby and my wife had this place bookmarked on Yelp. It is tucked in on Country Club Road and you would miss it if you weren't paying close attention. We stepped inside and were immediately greeted by the staff and welcomed in. We could also smell the smoked meat....YUM! They have menus printed on the counter along with menu boards. When they say BBQ in North Carolina it means pork. Beef brisket is not BBQ in North Carolina. My wife and I both decided to order the BBQ sandwiches, mine chopped and she ordered coarse with the slaws on the side. My wife ordered her first order of corn fritters and I chose tater tots. We took a seat and our orders were brought out to us. Everything looked great and we both enjoyed our sandwiches. The sauce was much thinner than we are used to but it was good, a little sweeter with more vinegar than I am used to as well. My wife also liked the slaw added to her sandwich, she also enjoyed the corn fritters but admitted she likes hush puppies better. The tater tots were nice and crunchy too. Overall, it was a good experience. This was our first "Lexington" barbecue and while it was different in some ways it was satisfying and we would recommend to others. read more

See all

One of 23 stops on the fabled North Carolina BBQ Trail. We beat the lunch crowd here by about half an hour. By the time we left, the restaurant was packed-- and deservedly so. $28.09 purchased a pint of Brunswick stew and a side of hush puppies, as well as a plate of coarse chopped pork with red coleslaw, fries, and hush puppies. Two refillable soft drinks completed the order. although the slightly peppery stew and the crunchy but moist hush puppies proved so good that we ordered seconds to go, along with a couple of pieces of the chocolate pie. The red coleslaw is dry and dense, which makes it ideal for a chopped pork sandwich drowning in the house made version of the classic Lexington sauce. So, this is good eating, made even better by genuinely friendly service. Greeting customers by name as they walk through the door is always a nice touch. read more

Real Q - Brunswick stew and hush puppies - Barbeque Near Me - Winston-Salem, North Carolina

See all

Best BBQ, slaw and hush puppies. Drive over from Greensboro when I'm in town. Simply the best!

A friendly welcome and step back in time decor started our experience at Real Q. And from there the home cooked goodness continued. Our combined orders included chopped BBQ, BBQ (red) slaw, hush puppies, fried okra, corn fritters, fried fish, and fried onion rings. We are not BBQ experts but other Yelp reviewers are well-informed and experienced in this area for the BBQ served here. Be sure to check out their reviews. I'll provide a few non-expert experience details here. The BBQ was "clean", that is, we didn't feel weighed down. The pork is seasoned and smoked and tastes good by itself but I added the BBQ slaw - a ketchup based cole slaw - and the house made Dippin' Sauce, a vinegar based red sauce. For me, the combo was great. All the fried food we ordered was light enough that the coating didn't overpower the main ingredients. Of course, I had to try the locally produced Texas Pete's hot sauce on the hush puppies, and those let the corn meal shine. I especially enjoyed the fried okra side. The service was great! It was obvious the locals are regulars because they were treated like family. But, we are not locals and I felt they treated us as family over for the Sunday lunch. I'd definitely return here, especially on a Wednesday when they serve ribs or on the weekend when they serve chicken. read more

See all

Busy but Fast, friendly and consistently delicious. Best hush puppies!! Variety of wonderful homemade desserts

Good solid Lexington style pork barbecue. Like I remember from the early 1980s. Side items from a similar vintage style. The culinary world in the US, even in NC, has changed a lot in the last 40 years though. Much prefer Honky Tonk Smokehouse, which is just a few blocks away. read more

Excellent Service. Very Friendly and courteous, at the counter and the tables! If you are new, they are willing to let you try samples of meat. Ambiance clean and comfortable. I added a star to your final 3-Starc rating because service is so noteworthy. Meat is okay, sliced or chopped. Hush Puppies are excellent. Regular slaw is good ... I like sweet slaw. Did not try red slaw. Negatives: Unfortunately, their BBQ sauce is just spicy Vinegar. Sweet sauce (you have to ask for it) is way too sweet. I did not try their hot sauce. Sadly, lack of a generic BBQ sauce is their weakest area. You might want to go down to the Honky Tonk and look at the sauce selections (several) they offer. Suggestion: Owners should try a few *generic online BBQ sauce recipes, and then have their customers taste test them, alongside their existing sauce. Do NOT label or identify them. I guarantee you will be surprised by the results. More Negatives: Brunswick stew is bland, and needs more than just salt. Definitely not worth $6.50 for a cup (8 oz) ... much less $3 for that matter. Suggest you also try some online recipes and taste test them. Overall, I don't think we will return. Just make some drastic improvements on your sauce and Brunswick Stew, and add a bit of smoke to your meat. Good Luck! read more

For the Lexington style BBQ purist, Real Q is a spot that shouldn't be missed. Everything here is by the book Lexington style, from the variety of pork cuts offered, to referring to the slaw as "white or red" with red as the default, down to even the style and consistency of the hush puppies. If you're looking for a little slice of Lexington, NC style barbecue without driving a half hour south, this is your place. I gotta say, I love the sign out front. "If it ain't over wood, it ain't as good" which is the perfect mantra for getting good Q. Though one of my consistent complaints with the Lexington style of BBQ, is that somehow in the process even if it was indeed cooked over wood, it always seems to lose that smokey flavor. Even though from this area, and in my younger days a Lexington style evangelist (and employee of a place serving this style) I have definitely come to prefer the styles more endemic to Memphis or Texas. To the Q I was served here. I got a simple chopped pork tray, white slaw, hush puppies. This came with a side of the vinegar "dip" sauce, which is what we call it around these parts. Without this sauce, the chopped Q is a bit dry typically. Their dip is particularly heavy on the vinegar. It was good enough, and hit the style on the head, but wasn't anything that would outdo the BBQ mavens just to the south. The white slaw was enjoyable, touch of sweetness to it, thin mayonnaise. Hushpuppies were puffy and moist with a slight crunch. Overall, if this style of Q is your bag, you will not be disappointed here. The prices are right, the folks working there are friendly, and the service is speedy. I'll probably come back and try some coarse chopped at some point, and maybe some of their other offerings. read more

See all

This 3 star review would be 5 star if based solely on the bbq and red slaw. Great! As it has been since it was the original Little Richard's decades ago. Second only to Lexington #1 in my opinion. That said, on the Saturday afternoon that I picked up my order, the service was poor. The person who took my order, promptly went back to her phone after I ordered. 1.5 lbs chopped, pint red slaw, a chopped sandwich no slaw, and a tray with red slaw and hush puppies. Got the order, started to the car and noticed pint of coleslaw, not red. Went back in and they changed it. Got ready to eat and no hush puppies or bread at all. Not sure if it's the kitchen or the lackadaisical counter service, but that holds Real Q back at this point. read more

Don't know what has happened here... new cooks, new management or maybe some cost-cutting measures.. but it just isn't what it used to be. Barbecue is dry and has no smoky flavor. Fries were cold and stale... pretty sure they had been baked and not fried. Not a grain of salt or seasoning. Used to highly recommend this place but no more. read more

Very good southern bbq!! Great southern service. Totally coming back. The atmosphere feels very homey an welcoming. read more

North Carolina is known for its pork barbecue, and there are a number of truly noteworthy barbecue restaurants scattered around this state. None of those are in Winston-Salem, sadly. But if you're looking for the best pulled pork in this city, Real Q is the right place to go. While it may not be on the same level as some of our state's heavyweights, it's consistently good. One of the reasons why Real Q gets my business is because they bother to cook their meat the right way: with wood smoke. No electric smoker here, as is often evident by the lofting clouds of flavor producing smoke you'll see when traveling by the eatery. The menu is typical of a Piedmont barbecue restaurant, with barbecue sandwiches, plates and platters as well as burgers and other non-smoked options. The barbecue is Lexington style, as you'd expect in this part of the world. And like many of the Lexington restaurants, what you might call barbecue sauce they'll refer to as dip. And "red slaw" is available, for those in the know (if you're not familiar, give it a try). read more

I searched for a NC BBQ place to eat abs found out about this restaurant. It totally lived up to the reviews. It's smallish size is not an indicator of o popular nor how good the food is. It's quaintly decorated with old tin signs. The workers are helpful and exude southern charm. Highly recommend if you love BBQ and good food read more

Real Q - Barbeque Near Me - Winston-Salem, North Carolina

One of several delicious, old school style southern bbq restaurants in the area! I recommend coming on Wednesday when they offer ribs and getting a rack to enjoy at one of the picnic tables on the covered patio. The staff inside are extremely friendly, and they do Lexington style bbq better than Lexington. I'm still not the biggest fan of that style, but we also got several other great food items, including the hush puppies and the corn fritters! They have hot dogs and cheeseburgers too, and free refills on the fountain drinks! It's counter service to order, and then grab a spot and someone will bring your food out rather quickly! Also make sure to get a banana pudding! Generous portion and so good! You can get a ton of food here for not a lot of money, too! read more

Food is good Service order at counter and they bring your food. Any refills, etc. you have to go back to the counter. Complaint- they raised prices and reduced portions on the Chopped BBQ plate. read more

I called on a Saturday around noon to place an order for 2 trays + a side of potato salad + a banana pudding for pick up. The order was ready within 5-10min. Both the lady who picked up the phone and managing the orders were very nice and kind. For people who still remember this spot as Little Richard, you might remember it was cash only. I haven't been back in Winston for a while, so maybe once Real Q took over, it started taking card or I'm not sure if it's because of COVID but Real Q now takes both cash and card. Some reviewers mentioned that people were not abiding by the mask rule, but this was not the case when I went. Everyone working the restaurant was wearing masks, including people picking up orders. People dining outside on the benches, of course, were not wearing masks. I also don't think the tables were 6 feet apart. I didn't see anyone dining inside, but the signs do say it's available. In terms of flavor, note this is Lexington BBQ, so not the super thick saucy TX BBQ some people might be familiar with. I've always gotten the plate because it comes with fries, cole slaw (I usually get the BBQ), and hushpuppies or roll. OMG the hushpuppies are SOOO GOOOD. So do yourself a favor and get that. The banana pudding was just ok. Potato salad was disappointing. I hear the chicken is good but never gotten it for myself. I've been eyeing the ribs that are only available on Wednesday though. Will definitely be back! read more

Great location, just sometimes difficult to get on or off Country Club Rd. Small establishment but as best seating as room allows. Food eaten in restaurant is always great, service is good and you receive very generous portions for the money. I have placed two orders to go over the past 3 months. The quantity has been good, but I have found on all occasions, the fries were cold and hard. The Cole slaw is also not nearly as fresh as I have received eating in. I highly recommend this location for eating in, but would go elsewhere for a takeout order. read more

Picked up a BLT and a BBQ chicken special this evening and was disappointed. The sandwich was soggy and just overly not great. It was bland and unimpressive. The chicken was dry. Overall, it was not worth it and I wished I had gone somewhere else. read more

Real Q - BLT - Barbeque Near Me - Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Finally got to eat here, last time I tried they were closed. Did not disappoint. I'm still getting used to NC BBQ. I had the chopped sandwich, wife had the coarse chopped plate, and we shared sides of onion rings, fried okra, hush puppies, and hot chips. Kiddo had the corn dog. Staff was friendly, food was delicious. The onion rings were my fave. read more

See all

Not the same since the name changed! Price increase but food decrease. Service is always good!

This place is on NC bbq trail? Must've been an off day I guess. Just about the most bland bbq I've ever tasted. No smoke. No bark flavor. Just dry and boring. Really had high hopes. Hugely disappointing. Two stars for friendly staff read more

Best barbecue in Winston.BBQ. Best of everything they make. Great atmosphere. I like this place. read more

Great service. Great food. Great decor. I'm happy I chose this barbecue joint to visit. I ordered chopped pork sandwich with red slaw and fries on side, oh and a cheer wine of course. Classic. read more

My favorite BBQ in Winston Salem!! I like the chopped bbq salad with ranch. It's the good ranch. Hushpuppies! So delicious. Don't forget to ask for some hot dip to pour on your bbq. read more

This is a sold bbq spot. Had the ribs, luckily we went on rib day! Great hush puppies and fries. The bbq slaw was awesome and unique

Decided to try another Barbeque place rather than always going to Honky Tonk Smokehouse every time we are in Winston and we are both glad we stopped in at Real Q. When we pulled up, I could smell my crack, which is the hickory smoke wafting from the chimney. Inside reminded us of an ol' fashioned Barbeque joint with the 70's interior and all of the old advertising signs all over the walls. They advertise Lexington style barbeque and they did not disappoint. I also love their slogan which is " If it ain't over wood it ain't as good" and that's a fact!! Walk up to the counter and place your order then some one will bring it to your table. The chopped barbeque was just right not being to course or to fine with a nice smoky flavor. The barbeque slaw or Lexington red slaw was spot on. Hush puppies were two bite size balls with a hint of sweetness and very good and you got so many with your order we couldn't finish all of them. The Lexington style vinegar dip complemented both the Q and the hushpuppies. We even liked the ice here which was those very small petite cubes. The only two dings were the bare metal tubular chair backs were very uncomfortable and like most restaurants these days they are charging an up charge for using your debit or credit card. Now .87 cents may not sound like much, but over the course of a year, these upcharges really add up. Overall, we left stuffed and happy. We wished we have visited this place sooner, but the wife and I agreed, next time we are in Winston we will be eating at Real Q again. read more

My family loves this place! The bbq is delicious and they have the best hush puppies. Everyone is really friendly and prices are very reasonable. It's an order at the counter type place and the interior is clean. We tried the Brunswick stew tonight and it was great. Can't wait to get it again. Highly recommend! read more

Excellent Chopped pork plate and the sides are so tasty. Hush puppies are some of the best I've ever had. Burgers are awesome as well read more

Real Q - Barbeque Near Me - Winston-Salem, North Carolina

One of the best BBQ places in North Carolina. I had the corn fritters, BBQ pork and chicken, and a couple of variations of coleslaw. It hits on every level. This place used to be Little Richards, and Real Q improves on every aspect. Everybody here is super nice and the food is top notch. Will be coming here again and again. Thanks Pocky&Pam. read more

A Winston Salem staple. Friendly, good bbq, I grew up on their grilled cheese. Nothing fancy, just good. Half and half fries and hush puppies. Crispy onion rings. The best ice for your tea because it matters. A classic. read more

Good "Q" in a retro setting. In the area for a ball game my wife and I decided to stop in here for some BBQ based on this being formerly Little Richards. This place is a throwback for sure. Curb side service is offered proudly at this little restaurant off of Country Club Rd in Winston Salem. Inside has an old school soda shop feel with chrome chairs with red cushions. Tin signs adorn the walls. The space is very bright and nice and clean. My wife and I both ordered BBQ sandwiches with fried okra and hush puppies. The fried okra and hush puppies were both good but could have been fresher. They were hot and not at all stale but they were not cooked to order either. I ordered my BBQ coarsely chopped and I was happy I did. The pork had a nice smoke profile, was fork tender with end bits mixed in and just a little sweet piled high on the sandwich. The red slaw added a little tang to the BBQ. Our waitress was friendly and quick. We never had to ask for refills. The cashier was also polite. A five star experience this was not but certainly a solid "Q" restaurant. read more

See all