As a native eastern North Carolinian, this is my favorite chopped BBQ in the central part of the state.

Fantastic pulled pork sandwich! This is a chain place but a chain place that is only in this area and serves really good chicken and pig! Now if the world had more places like this Peace on Earth could be achieved! The pigs and chickens might disagree but for this meat-eating human I think it would help!! The service was fantastic, southern hospitality with table service to bring your food out and refill drinks. I had he pulled pork sandwich with the NC vinegar based sauce and they put the slaw on top (only way to have one). The pork was super tender, full of flavor and the sauce added a nice kick. Good slaw and on top is best! I did make the mistake of ordering the Pecan Pie though which was packaged store bought stuff so a little disappointing but everything else was great. It's a bit of a drive from MN but I know I'll stop in when in the area. KT read more

I have been somewhat of a regular customer over the years to this location today I came in with my family. The lady who helped me at the front was very kind very respectful very nice very pleasant and she always is. She got our food and and everything out to us as fast as she could, which was under 10 minutes so good service. A little later on it did get busier. We were still eating, finishing everything up and a new younger tall, thin white guy in a white shirt who I have not seen there before and he probably didn't pay any attention to me or the other customers at the front counter, decided to be very rude and disrespectful to the lady who was running trays and who had taken our order when we first came in. She took the food to the table that it was going to and before she could even get back into the kitchen. This guy asked her if she knew the other tray went with that she said no nobody told her he told her very clearly and loud that she needed to read the receipts and that he could do her job in front better than she could, and she could either do it or go home now the same lady finished the other tray to the other table and got them their sauces that I assume they requested and then she wasn't there anymore so I'm hoping she left because for anyone to be blatantly disrespectful to another employee regardless of their position in my opinion, just creates a toxic work environment and what he doesn't know is he's the one who messed up on our order because he didn't read the order and she had to tell him that he was missing a plate he made a mistake which is what I'm assuming he got pissed off about and decided to tryessentially power trip on this young lady personally, I feel that he overstepped his boundaries and definitely owes an apology and I hope this young lady finds a much less hostile work environment. The food itself has not been up to it normally as it has been over the years it has gone downhill side items are very limited. There is nothing new, nothing special. It is the same old boring things that they had years ago. The only reason why it has a two star rating is because the lady who took our order and help us unfortunately I do not Know her name she was great read more

I've been to this location 3 times and every single time they get the order wrong. The first order they forgot the fries. The second order they forgot the hush puppies. The first two times were drive through. The third time, I actually went into the restaurant and ordered in person. I got a combo plate with white meat and paid $13 for some hush puppies, a sad side of potato salad, and a small chicken bbq piece. It was missing the main ingredient: the BBQ pork. I can't believe I funneled my money away and was disappointed that the portions were so small, and they didn't include the BBQ pork (I mean it was a COMBO) .... Don't go here! read more

Ruth is a bright spot at the restaurant. Her friendly service with a smile makes the meal even more home style. Please keep her around. The food is delicious and the portions are large. The restaurant is clean and inviting. read more

I was in town and stopped in for a meal. I had the BBQ and my sister had the chicken wings. It was delicious. What made the visit absolutely exquisite was Ruth. Ruth brought our food to us and continued to check on us our entire visit. She made it feel like we were valued customers. I would go again just to see Ruth!! read more

Terrible customer service after I asked for fresh fried chicken. They tried to give my mom freezer burnt fried chicken. I stopped eating chicken two years ago but my mom had me drive her to this place that's always messing up her order. Last time they didn't give her breast meat and substituted it for thighs without telling her. Time before that we were missing our fries and the promo container of Brunswick stew. Once again I don't eat from here but my parents old and Barbeque Lodge closed/retired and this the only place close to the house. (After two weeks no one from customer care has called me back.) that's probably why Mr Blackmon told me to call upper management he knew I wouldn't get results. (Forgot to take pics but shit was discolored and dry asf). read more

I love their hot dogs, their shrimp platter, and their brunswick stew!!! They have the best bbq and bbq chicken. They have outstanding baked beans, banana pudding, and pecan pie. I love that you can buy a bottle of their sauce at the store or in the grocery store. You can also buy their famous hush puppies mix. They have amazing sweet tea, and I love the retro décor! I love that you can get the amazing coupons and always look on the windows for the deals of the day. They will love to catering for any church or event you may have coming up. Color a picture from their web site to get $2 off a kid meal or a free banana pudding. The lunch BBQ sandwich value pack is fantastic! Make sure to upsize it to large. Very good deal. Buy the packages they have. Bought the tailgate special and paid $6.00 more for 8 pieces of all white chicken! read more

Horrible. Placed an order online. So I wouldn't have to wait. To be told it is going to take a minuit when we asked for the order.... We waited over 40 min for the food. That is not including the time between ordering and arriving to pick it up. read more

Slow. Terrible customer service. It's like this every time I visit and this was my last time.

Amanda is always smiling and knows what her customers want before you even have the chance to order!! I have been a customer for quite a while and usually eat lunch there! Great Food, Great Service and wonderful people! Will always be on my "goto" list!! read more

My cashier Tyler was awesome great customer service the food was so good . I will be returning to this location and I live in Raleigh great job to whoever hired this young man make him Manager read more

Had another great experience her tonight. From the very professional and courteous employee taking that took our order to the other that delivered our food, it exceeded our expectations. COVID protocols such as distancing and sanitizing were evident. Great operation! read more

I wanted to try this place so bad and it did not disappoint! I only got baked beans and potato salad as I'm on this weird calorie diet ! But it was delicious! read more

Love the tailgate special. The food is always good and fresh! Ask about military and first responder discounts.

So I was craving some Smithfield's bbq chicken. So I 30min to this nearest location & order a white meat bbq chicken combo with baked beans & Cole slaw. I pull up & the guy at the register repeats back my order, I pay, he hands me my food & the receipt on the bag reads my order exactly. So I drive off. I drive 30min home, making a stop to get my daughter the pizza she wanted. I get home, open my food & BOOM, the smallest thigh & leg I've ever seen. I am fuming! I had a taste for a breast & wing. Just to be given the saddest dark meat ever. Not to mention I paid the extra buck for white meat. I am so disappointed. at a chicken joint, these mistakes should not be made. read more

The chicken is very juicy, tender and delicious I decided to go to North Carolina to visit my children my grandchildren I wanted some good southern fried chicken this was the best place to go Smithfield chicken and barbecue I highly recommend it read more

Smithfield's has always been one of my favorite restaurants but I simply can't eat there anymore due to the poor sanitation. Over the past year or so I have noticed the cleanliness declining with no improvement. There is consistently a layer of grease on the floors and it is difficult to ever find clean tables and chairs. Food is great, cleanliness is unacceptable. Very disappointing. read more

I have long desired to eat at Smithfield's BBQ after hearing favorable opinions expressed about this franchise. Since I did not want to get chopped up by the great NC barbecue debate, I chose to judge this franchise by their fried chicken. To keep things equal to other reviews and experiences, I ordered a simple multi piece pack with hush puppies from the drive thru. I was quickly and pleasantly served and received my order rapidly. I took a moment to examine the goods after picking up my drive thru food. Everything was hot, the fried chicken crispy and perfectly cooked while not not over coated. The skin was flavorful, for NC fried chicken, and survived the ride home in great condition. Even after I was home, the chicken was moist, very fresh, and surprisingly not greasy. The accompanying hush puppies were also fresh, with a crisp exterior, a soft interior and a mild sweet corn taste. I give great kudos to the service, quality, flavor and freshness of the food I bought from Smithfield BBQ. Their NC style fried chicken and hushpuppies are quite authentic even compared to other well known establishments. That's quite an accomplishment for a franchise operation. read more

All you need to know is that the barbecue is great, the fried chicken is excellent, brunswick stew is good, and the hush puppies aren't bad. As someone else mentioned, the drive-thru is handy. Also they have "pellet" ice which is hard to find (except at the Sonic next door) and their cups are styrofoam, so that ice lasts a long time. The staff are friendly and helpful. They walk around to see if you need refills or to clear stuff off your table. There are a couple areas where they could improve or make a little more effort on: I wish they had some green vegetables (green beans, collards, something). Also note that the banana pudding is just that, "pudding"; there are no bananas here. Also their pecan pie is Sara Lee. And for the tea, I wish they had something other than just Sweet and Low, and my wife likes lemon in her tea, but that is just a lemon packet here (next door at Sonic they give you real lemons). All in all we love SCNB. If we can't make up our minds, we head here. read more

Usually pretty good but not last night. Had to drive back and forth 3 times before anyone came over the speaker. Then the line was held up for an order instead of being asked to move to one designated parking spots as slow orders normally are. I finally pull up to the window and wait for someone to hand me my order. And wait and wait. Two employees look at me and walk off to do something else. Drove off without my order and went somewhere else read more

I debated about giving this 2 stars. Giid good as always but this location had the worst service ever encountered at SCNB. Not only did I have to go and request tea refills but was callously ignored at least three employees walked by without anything in their hands not one even looked or acknowledged two customers were standing waiting for something Service definitely no more than a 2! read more

Best sweet tea in North Carolina! The pulled BBQ sandwich is North Carolina all summed up. read more

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Food was good. Floor was like a skating rink. They need to use soap when they mop because, water + grease = slippery read more

Food was fine but they forgot multiple items on my order. When I call they said I could come in the am and they would give me the items for free. Who wants fries and hush puppies for breakfast. read more

For the price, you can't beat this place. The food was great, staff friendly and the place was clean.

I love Smithfield's BBQ, but tonight I was sorely disappointed. When I walked in I noticed two DOGS with three adults, who were sitting at an inside table. These were not sevice animals, and the owners were feeding them from the table. I love dogs but this was just GROSS! The server bringing something to this table was clearly not happy; he wasn't getting anywhere near the dogs. This is a clear violation of NC's health code, and management should never have allowed the dogs inside the building. read more

We love their Brunswick stew and barbecue! Always great service but don't go through drive through if in a time crunch.

Serious poor management issues at this location. Ordered simple tailgate special to go. Waited for almost an hour to receive order. Several patrons waiting similar time, opted to get a refund and leave. Staff clearly disorganized with little if any order or team work. read more

Thanks, Smithfield's Wake Forest for catering our community Block Party. Everyone enjoyed it, and the portions on the 20 pack were very generous! And the kids all enjoyed their chicken tender meals. Great food, reasonable prices and the best sweet tea! read more

Being from the Piedmont area in NC, you gotta love barbecue. Barbecue is terribly political. Half the state to the West, likes pork barbecue shoulders chopped or sliced with a tomato vinegar sauce (my fave). The Eastern half likes several different cuts of pork chopped or sliced with a white vinegar sauce. After living in the Triangle for 10+ years, I've come to realize that Western NC barbecue is not an option. I substitute with Smithfield's. Here are some reasons to go: 1. Value for money. A person can get a huge plate of food (though notably unhealthy) for less than $8, including a drink. They have several combo specials. 2. They have great sweet tea. 3. They have awesome fried chicken. 4. They have really good side items. 5. Mmm. Hush puppies. Mmm. Hush puppies. 6. Super skinny french fries- perfect for ketchup & Texas Pete absorption. 7. They have solid barbecue. I've had both the platter and the sandwich and liked both. 8. They're fast. I've been in for both lunch and dinner and was served very quickly. 9. They have a drive-thru. 10. People from Canada like Smithfield's- only joking! a friend of mine from Toronto totally flipped out to try some, "real down-home Southern food." Tip- skip the banana pudding. It is completely lame. Enjoy and do not be afraid of the cheesy Southern/nostalgic "country" decor. read more

When I first started Yelp-ing I was baffled by people who wrote reviews of chain restaurants. I mean, does the world need a review of Taco Bell? Isn't their neon orange "cheese" and questionable "meat" pretty much the same everywhere? I thought to myself smugly "I'll never write a review of a chain!". Well, the tides have turned, because here I am writing a review of Smithfield's. Yeah, they're a small chain, but a chain nonetheless. That being said, they are in competition with a number of other similar restaurants that are part of far larger corporate conglomerations, and thus I feel like in highlighting their majestic fried offerings I am still finding a way to "stick it to the man". The man of course, being Colonel Sanders and his pal Mr. Bojangles. As an aside-I'm still somewhat flabbergasted that no one seems to give a second thought to the racial insensitivity of naming a fried chicken place "Mr. Bojangles", but I'll save that topic for another day. I'm always a fan of restaurants that focus on having a small menu of offerings and perfect those items compared to other spots that are jacks of all trades but masters of none. Smithfield's strengths lie in the two things highlighted in their full name: chicken and barbecue. Their tangy vinegar based sauced (ketchup-based bbq sauce is an abomination unto the Lord, IMO) pulled pork is tender and juicy and the sauce is balanced. Not too vinegary, a little bit of heat from some red pepper flakes here and there, not too sweet, and not too salty. It's the kind of thing you'll find yourself continuing to shovel into your face even though you are absurdly full, because it hits all those flavor notes our palates love: sweet, salty, spicy, sour and that rich meaty umami savoriness only a pig can provide. Their chicken, I feel, is where they REALLY knock it out of the park. Incredibly juicy, well seasoned, not overly battered or overly salty. They also don't use MSG like most fried chicken chains do, which is a big deal for me because I am terribly allergic to the stuff. In fact none of their food contains any unpronounceable ingredients, which is certainly not the case for Kensucky Fried Chicken or Blahjangles. Chicken breasts often take a beating when fried and come out looking golden brown and delicious but are actually drier than the Sahara. This is not the case with Smithfield's chicken. Their side offerings are admittedly a little hit-or-miss for me. Their hushpuppies are great, of the elongated/tubular shaped variety which I prefer to the spherical kind. Their coleslaw is fantastic, not gloppy or overly sweet with fresh, crunchy cabbage,and pairs wonderfully with the bbq pork. I'm not very fond of their potato salad-it has too much sweet relish in it for my taste. I grew up on potato salad with lots of minced onion and dill pickle and no eggs involved. I don't know that I could say their potato salad is "bad", it's just a different variety than my preferred style. My husband likes it, so if we get potato salad and coleslaw I'm happy because I know I'll get the lion's share of the coleslaw. We haven't tried their fries or baked beans. Not sure why we have yet to sample the beans, and fries we pass on because the closest Smithfield's is about 15 minutes or so from our house so they wouldn't fare well after a drive back to our abode. Were they to add greens or mashed potatoes or mac and cheese to the rotation, and execute them well, I'd be thrilled. But, in the long run it's not a huge deal because it means I can cram more chicken into my facehole, but I can't give them a perfect 5 stars. My husband is in love with their sweet tea--a beverage I must confess I am not at all fond of. Yes, take away my "real southerner" card, I know I bring shame upon my family with this admission. Hubs can't get enough of the stuff and if he wasn't concerned about Wilfred Brimley showing up on our doorstep to tell him he has the diabeetuhs, he'd probably house a gallon or so of it every day. If you have one near you and you have been patronizing another take out fried chicken spot, I IMPLORE you to try Smithfield's. They even have a drive-thru for cryin' out loud. I claim no responsibility for how this decision will lead to the breakdown of your reputation with your cardiologist, personal trainer or skinny jeans, but I assure you that you will find their fare far superior to any other counter-service or fast-foodesque chicken place in the Triangle and beyond. read more

They have decent food, but service is lacking. Went in a couple months ago and placed an order. After waiting a very long time and seeing others who came in after us get their order, we went to counter to find that they had lost our order. Yesterday we tried them again deciding to bring home rather than eat there. We ordered the tailgate special - a combination of chicken and BBQ. We also got some stew and an extra 2 dozen hushpuppies. When we got home, we found we didn't get the BBQ or the extra hushpuppies. Lesson: Be sure to check your order while in the restaurant. read more

I love the food at all Smithfield Bbqs. I've been to all surrounding Raleigh. My favorite is the Brunswick stew. It's absolutely delicious & you don't need crackers it's so good. The chicken and barbeque are delicious which I'm sure it's why it's in the name. Hushpuppies are great too. That stew in the winter time or when you're feeling under the weather though . read more

Solid BBQ. Really sweet sweet tea. Sauces were good, but a little too runny. Fried chicken is where it's at!!! Moist, hot, seasoned well. It does not disappoint. read more

Stopped for lunch. We had a pulled pork sandwich and a BBQ chicken platter. Both were good but not WOW.

The food is good, no problem there. BUT the drive through service, waited 20 minutes in the drive through tonight, AFTER i ordered a hotdog with chili and other food, and paid, the girl at the window then decided to tell me they were out of chili so then i changed it to just to another chicken leg instead of hotdog and a hotdog is more money, BARLEY i know but still is and nothing back from them. I just advise to get some better staff to make things run smoother because clearly something isn't working back there read more

Delicious food. Had the bbq chicken platter and banana pudding. Serve was excellent. It is so nice to go out to eat and see smiling faces and pleasant attitudes. read more

Bar-B-Que is great. Very flavorable and the sauces are wonderful. The chicken is crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside. We had an emergency when a Mexican rest. failed to get our Taco catering ready and Smithfields stepped in and catered for 50 teens in about an hour. read more

Went through the drive thru and got 2 BBQ sandwiches. Had to wait a little bit but it was worth it.