I came here for a good meal and met Angelica! Outstanding customer service! She made sure my fries were hot, the BBQ lived up as advertised and my tea overflowing. Had some great menu suggestions. Came out and talked to me. Great experience even with her crew that evening. I came back today to see if she was working. Not quite the experience,--she was not here. Nobody said nothing to me. I had to go get my own refills. I'd come back. Anyway, Angelica - wherever you are, thanks for taking care of me. read more

Great chicken and bbq pork. The staff provided courteous, Great service. Clean restaurant and clean restrooms

All right, it's a chain, but they really do a great job with service and food. Really clean also.

This place is right between two other BBQ chains, and there are even more nearby. Tough competition! But I like this chain better. They have a clean old fashioned style, with simple seating & booths. I subbed the Brunswick stew instead of fries, which is worth a star by itself. My BBQ sandwich was good, with a North Carolina vinegar sauce and a bit of coleslaw inside the bun. Really attentive counter service and table delivery. Folks doing takeout too. read more

I bought chicken, baked beans and slaw yesterday and I found the chicken to be pretty tasteless because I could taste no flavor or should I say salt, the slaw was even worse! Could we get a little acidity by putting just a bit of vinegar in it. It was just unbelievable that Smithfield would sell food that way. The baked beans were ok, but how can you mess up beans? Hush puppies were pretty good. I hadn't been there in a long time so I was hoping that the food was improved but it was just like it was when I last was there. People write in with good reviews about Smithfield all the time and I want to do so but the slaw has to get better and the two little pieces of chicken (leg and thigh) have to be flavorful!! I don't eat pork so maybe the BBQ is good since most of the positive remarks are about it!! read more

This is my husband's idea of Easter dinner. I'm just glad I didn't have to cook. This place is not for the health conscious. Fried everything except the BBQ. Only green thing in the place is coleslaw. I had to ask twice before I was given unsweetened tea. So if you are hankering for NC BBQ with the vinegar based sauce, hush puppies, fries, fried shrimp, chicken or chicken tenders this is the place for you. There's pecan pie and banana pudding to top off the meal. Staff were masked. Sanitation between customers using tables, a hand washing sink by the front order counter area and individual packages of ketchup and cocktail sauce to keep us sake from COVID. Manager seemed stressed (maybe the Easter crowd) and one employee did not appear to hear or understand drink orders. Nice large parking lot. Restrooms could have been cleaner. read more

See all

Martell provided excellent service, answering my many questions while ordering. Super fast service too. Their beans are the best! read more

Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q - Barbecued chicken - Chicken Shop Near Me - Kinston, North Carolina

When I want fried chicken and barbecue, this is my go to place in Kinston. Their barbecue is delicious and I usually go to Kings restaurant and buy their barbecue sauce to put on it. Their chicken is good and crispy and I enjoy the sides that they offer. We do not eat at fast food burger joints, but this is a good fast food option. read more

This is the best Smithfield BBQ around. The food is great and you can tell they take pride, in their service and the food. Lately, Smithfield's at other locations has not been quite up to par. I'm sure it may have to do with the cost of food, but at the same time this Smithfield as managed to maintain their quality. Inside the service is fabulous. You're always met with a smile and a cheery worker. That's not easy to find these days. One last note, they have the best ice anywhere in Kinston! read more

The bbq is always tough and dry. The only side that is ok to me is fries. The Brunswick stew is ok, with hot sauce. Lots of people like the fried chicken but it's way too much breading for me. On the positive side, they have always been very friendly and quick. read more

Was passing through town, decided to make a stop and have some BBQ. Food was fresh and delicious. Excellent service as friendly staff . very clean facility. Was impressed to see they have Tesla charging station outside. Would come back given the opportunity. read more

See all

Jaliyah was personable and professional when taking our order. The place is clean and the food is delicious. The beans are exquisite! read more

Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q - Chicken Shop Near Me - Kinston, North Carolina

I was very disappointed and frustrated. The management is horrible. It takes forever to get your food. God forbid if you want to add a drink to your order the older white lady (manager) goes into full Karen mode. I certainly hope someone will investigate her hostility toward people of color. read more

We stopped by and ordered a LARGE BBQ plate and BBQ sandwich. The Large plate had maybe a tablespoon of BBQ, a half of a teaspoon of potato salad with no potato, a tablespoon of Brunswick stew. The BBQ sandwich had barely enough BBQ to taste. They also had no Banana Pudding at 4:00 in the afternoon. Very disappointed with this restaurant. read more

Just left the Smithfield's restaurant in Kinston, NC. THANK YOU for providing the Tesla Charging Stations, the safe and well-lit location, the clean restroom/restaurant( and the tasty food.... Fiona, who assisted us, did a GREAT job juggling multiple customers and multiple orders and was patient, helpful, and pleasant with each of us, in spite of the late hour (8:45 PM). THANK YOU, Smithfield's. read more

Ok. Im glad Smithfields came to Kinston. The first week or so they were open they were awesome. Food was hot, servings were good and managers were everywhere. They were trying to impress. Now, a few months into it, and they have gotten a foothold, orders are frequently wrong, you sometimes get told in drive through "We are out of....." Side orders have dwindled down just barely being on the plate. I have literally seen and counted eight french fries as a side, and a tablespoon of slaw or beans. Once at the drive thru I had two drinks, and two plates, and I had to ASK for a bag. On one occasion ordered the two breast white meat, got home and had a breast and a wing. How does that happen? The Smithfields in New Bern and Newport are awesome but for some reason Kinston just can't get it right. read more

Love the food, however my last visit was unpleasant due to the RIDICULOUS amount of its in the restaurant. Spent the majority of time fanning my food and the flies away from the table along with other customers doing the same. Gross!!!! read more

It wasn't really to my liking. The pull pork tasted like it had way too much vinegar and the bbq chicken didn't look appealing at all. However the staff was friendly and the restaurant was nice and clean. read more

The food here is excellent. The only reason I didn't give five stars is the prices are way too high - even before the recent inflation. I highly recommend the baked beans and bbq. I do wish there were more side dishes available; the fries are not the greatest. read more

Me and my wife have been going to this restaurant since the first day that it opened and never have I ever been treated as rude and ugly as tonight and a couple of night before !! I always get a bag of ice from the front it's shaved and I love it!! Miss C has always let me get a bag from the front and it is different from the other ice but anyway , mr John dinner a white shirt employee slammed the window in my face as I was trying to ask a question and then walked off!! He has also been observed making food without wearing gloves!! Miss C and other employees have never had a problem getting me the bag of ice they have always seen me in the camera and had it ready For me when I got to the window!! I was very upset that we were treated this way!! read more

Love Smithfield's and this one is consistently good. The service is good and friendly.

The chicken was good and cooked all the way through. The pork bbq had no sauce to go with it and it was very dry. We didn't receive any of the sauce we ordered, the potatoe salad tasted like it came from the grocery store, the banana pudding was replaced with salted carmel cream cheese cheesecake which was disgusting and we were never consulted about the replacement. I feel we could have gotten a way better meal if we went to the deli at WalMart for a third of the price!!!! Wow, we tried out Smithfield just to see if we liked it but it was so bad - we won't make the mistake of ordering from them again!!! read more

We have eaten at Smithfield Chicken & BBQ all over eastern North Carolina and really enjoy their food. This location in Kinston is the one exception. The staff was friendly but no overly so as they are in other locations. We ordered and sat down to wait for our food. The restaurant wasn't crowded but the driver -thruwas busy. I know the pandemic has really increased the amount of drive-thru business for all fast food places but if you can't properly serve the dine-in customers don't open your dining room. When our food was finally delivered to us my BBQ sandwich had been wrapped in the paper so long that when I picked it up to eat it the entire bun was so wet the entire sandwich fell about. When I went to the counter to return it another customer was there with the same problem. I only had two bites of the second sandwich before throwing it away. The meat was soggy and discolored as if it was cooked the previous day. I was never offered an apology or even an excuse for this mishap. We won't be eating here again anytime soon. This location certainly doesn't live up to the reputation of Smithfield BBQ! read more

My family and I ate there on our way to visit family in the hospital. Food tasted terrible and our whole family was sick by that night and all day the next day. That was the only thing we all ate together that day. My husband couldn't even get out of bed he was so sick. We came in on our way back to discuss it with management and were told there wasn't anything they would do because no one else reported anything. Management was polite and took our number in case but the meal was $50 and the time that was supposed to be spent with family was spent throwing up and sick in bed instead. Very disappointed. Do not recommend this restaurant. read more

BBQ wasn't the best. Shrimp plate was lacking as the shrimp tasted old. Banana pudding tasted like a pudding mix from grocery store, no fresh banana in it :-(. The potato salad tasted like a cheap version from deli in grocery store. I've had way better food for less $$$. We will not return as this was a huge disappointment. read more