The onion rings were out of this freaking world. I could've eaten the whole basket myself. My boyfriend, who will rarely say that any food or restaurant is good, said that the food is " amazing". This is a testament to how delicious it is. We pretty much got the same thing because my order was mixed up. It worked out for the best though. I'm happy to have gotten the fried chicken instead of the bbq chicken. It was crispy and tasty. The beef brisket was so good, along with the golden fries, coleslaw and biscuit. The mac and cheese side was also really good. The portion size is huge and all the waiters are so nice. I would highly recommend it. It was the best meal we had in Raleigh for sure. read more

Came here while in town for a business conference. We had a reservation for party of 7 around 7:15pm. We waited about 25 minutes until we were seated which wasn't too bad. I wasn't expecting for it to be so busy on a Tuesday night - the restaurant was pretty packed. I had the Scupperdine Sangria. It wasn't bad but I wish it had been a bit sweeter. For appetizers, we ordered the Pit Sampler and an order of the Fried Pimento Cheese. The only thing I really enjoyed on the sampler were the smoked wings. I loved the fried cheese - they're like little fried balls of cheesy heaven. Did I say I love cheese? Lovelovelove. Yum. I had the Carolina Classic Combo - chopped pork BBQ & fried chicken. I had sides of fried okra and mac n cheese. The pork was very savory and the fried chicken wasn't anything special, it had flavor but was pretty greasy. Fried okra was great except the mac n cheese was on the bland side. It didn't really kick-start my taste buds. I shared carrot cake and banana pudding with a colleague of mine. I'm not a carrot cake fan so I did not really enjoy it - I thought it was extremely sweet and dry but it is a HUGE slice. Banana pudding was kind of disappointing - I barely tasted the wafers [if there were any. .] as it was tucked into layers of marshmallow fluff and meringue. It was overly sweet and lacked banana taste. The Pit seems to be a nice, authentic BBQ restaurant. The prices are affordable and the portions are generous but the food should be kicked up a notch. I'm not sure if I'd ever come back here. read more

It's been on Man vs Food, in many magazines and now I've had it myself several times and I can tell you it's just as delicious as you've heard! There's more than one location but this review is for the downtown spot, right by Crankarm Brewing and Tasty Beverage Co. I've been to both and it seems like they've successfully emulated the experience and food to the other location as well! Parking is a pain here but they do have free valet during some dinner hours. Use it! Inside it's huge but it fills up! They do take reservations so if you want to eat when most other people do, you should make a reservation to be safe. Staff is friendly and helpful and food comes out pretty quickly. My grandma says it's the best fried chicken of her life, I love the pulled pork and mac and cheese. My wife loves the collards. As far as I can tell, you always get a side of biscuits and hushpuppies which are pretty good too. The beer selection is ok. I wouldn't come here just for drinks but there's enough delicious food to make up for that :) Overall, I'd recommend anyone to go! I've been back many times and will continue to when I get the hankerin' for some BBQ. Plus it's famous! read more

I want to like the Pit, I swear I do... I mean, I almost feel like folks are in line to revoke your right to live in Raleigh if you don't! There are several things it does well: the location, bar and those little corn bread muffins and hush puppies. What I have a problem with, and I think it's a little important, is that the quality of my experience is NEVER the same. It's like a tale of two restaurants: it was the best of meals, it was the worst of meals. My first time was epic, the second was just average and the third...well, I just stopped eating. The BBQ wasn't inherently flavorful by itself (i.e., it definitely needed the sauce) and I don't immediately see the price premium to pay for that level of food. Personally, I don't feel like paying upwards of $25 per person to take a gamble on whether or not I'll leave full and happy or full and...well, just full. It's also worth noting that they can't actually cook their BBQ pit style, but I digress on that point. read more

Simply outstanding. Had heard a lot about The Pit and the good vibes were correct. Had the Cut Pork and Baby Back ribs combo and both were wonderful. The bacon and cheese grits were ridiculously good and I don't even like grits. Almost ordered another side of them. Only small drawback was the impression given by the hostess that we would have to wait "at least 20 minutes" for a seat in the half full dining area or we could be immediately seated in the bar, which we chose. If you need to throw the bar staff some biz, switch some things up, don't make up a lame wait time when that is clearly not the case. The waitress in the bar was great so eating in the bar did not detract from the outstanding food. Local brews available were also outstanding and a fine complement to the meal. 5 STARS!! read more

Went with a large group, Excellent food and service .. would stop by if In the area. Fried Okra is a must

We saw this restaurant on the Travel Channel show "Man v. Food". We had never heard of The Pit before then. We made reservations for a Sunday night and it was very crowded. Interestingly, they notified those waiting for a table via your cell phone that a table was now available. I don't know if that was for those that already had reservations, or everyone. The staff was a little uncoordinated in some ways, but that is a minor point. The food was absolutely delicious. The baby back ribs literally fall off the bone they are so tender. Everything was quite good. The nice atmosphere was the icing on the cake. I certainly recommend The Pit. read more

The Pit is somewhere between two and three stars. Their barbecue is good but definitely does not live up to the hype and media coverage it receives. The same goes for just about everything else I've had here--sides, hush puppies, desserts--enjoyable but not even close to outstanding. Their ribs are the one exception to this rule - I would give them individually 3 or 4 stars. Good flavor and well cooked. The Pit strikes me as a professional restauranteur's take on southern barbecue, and the result is average barbecue in an upscale setting, with an excellent PR firm. Look elsewhere for authentic southern barbecue; there are plenty of examples in the area. read more

Ah yes, the Pit. As seen on TV. Came in on a Friday night, and it was packed to the brim. Luckily, I made a reservation in advance, so we were seated right away. The restaurant seems like it's always bustling and full of locals and tourists alike. The menu was huge, and we kept trying to decide between a number of different options, and we just ended up getting the big boy combo, and the pumpkin spiced cornbread. Our waitress also brought out some biscuits and hush puppies and boy, were they good. The biscuits were super flaky and buttery, and the hush puppies were perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Holy moly, they were good. The big boy combo came with fried chicken, two types of ribs, chopped BBQ pork and brisket. We also selected mac & cheese, and mashed potatoes as our sides. Wasn't sure if it was going to be enough food, but sure enough, we were both super full at the end. My favorite was probably the baby back ribs, but seriously, everything was delicious. The fried chicken was moist on the inside, and the brisket was just the right ratio of lean to fat. The chopped BBQ pork was definitely one of the more unique things I had eaten, especially with the vinegary BBQ sauce, and it was great. My friend said the only thing that's really missing is some good smoked sausage, but as I guess it's not native to North Carolina, we can let that go. Service was okay. While our waitress was very friendly and full of Southern charm, she was so busy with her seating area that she didn't check in on us very often. Also, the cornbread we ordered came after we were almost done with our entrees, which actually worked out, because it tasted like pumpkin cake. Again, both were forgivable because of how busy it was, but maybe it'd be worth it to hire a couple more servers, eh? Overall, the experience was still pretty awesome, and everything we had hoped. I can see why the place is so popular and I would definitely recommend it to anyone in Raleigh who wants some proper Carolina BBQ. read more

The Pit - big boy meat platter - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Doesn't get more southern this. My hubby ordered ribs and devoured them within minutes. I stuck to my favorite sides of mac and cheese and potato salad (carbs carbs carbs). They were both rich and satisfying in their own ways; one was cool and refreshing while the other was creamy. The Pit has their own sauces to pair with the BBQ, my favorite was the vinegar based one. The prices were definitely reasonable, and had we both not been ravenous I'm pretty sure we would have had left overs. Best perk of this place? It's dog friendly! read more

I love this place. I first tried this restaurant while visiting family last summer. I knew when I returned to NC, I would have to go back. We went for a late lunch on a Friday afternoon. It wasn't too busy, and the BBQ pork didn't disappoint! You can pick your sauce: vinegar our tomato based. Even though this restaurant is in Eastern NC, I thought the tomato sauce was much better. The pumpkin cornbread was pretty good. I like the sweet potato fries too. Enjoy a stout with your meal! read more

The Pit - This is the BBQ pork. I put the tomato sauce on one half, and the vinegar-based sauce on the other. Yummy! - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Started with smoked ol fashioned (smoke oranges = perfect) and the pit sampler appetizer: Smoked wings: 4/5 (good but need an interesting sauce for them) BBQ soul rolls - 5/5 a southern style egg roll. Great sauce to dip them in. Deviled eggs - 4/5 southern standard...good but not as creamy as mine. Celery was chopped too roughly leaving chunks that were unacceptable in my kitchen. Pimento cheese balls - 5/5 perfect golden brown and oozing with cheese. Good mustard sauce for dipping. Would definitely eat here again. Next time the triple combo (chopped pork, brisket and fried chicken) read more

I had a business dinner here last week, which composed of about 25 people. Service: The service was good. All the food came to the right people. The waiters were very prompt, proactive, and friendly. Food: Starters - Beans Stew? Entrée- Beef Brisket Dessert - Cheesecake I thought the food was bland to poor. The stew served was beans mixed with some meat. It was very bland, and I thought it would've been better served as a dip w/ chips. The beef brisket was way too salty. It was well cooked, but I could not enjoy it at all due to the overwhelming amount of salt. At one point, I just rubbed my fries on my brisket for the salt. The cheesecake tasted like a regular grocery cheesecake w/ no crust. I'm not saying grocery cheesecake is bad, but just not worthy of giving any praise. In most cases, free food tastes better than normal. However, the free food mentality could not help the BBQ here. The only saving grace was the service. read more

Went back this weekend for lunch to give them another chance. This time around I was really impressed with the appetizers. Fantastic Pumpkin cornbread and the onion rings are out of this world. The fried green tomatoes weren't the best I've had but still very good. I was beginning to feel bad for my first review of the place but then our entrees got there. This time around I tried the supposedly slow cooked baby back ribs which were edible but very dry and hard to get off the bone extremely disappointing. My father had the pulled pork which he couldn't even finish which never happens so I decided to try some and it was completely inedible I was shocked even worse then the chopped pork I had the first time I went. I dont know if this has something to do with the new owners. Basically this place seems to have awesome appetizers and great prices but as far as the entrees are concerned as they say you get what you pay for. If your going here whatever you do avoid the pork!! O yea and if your going on the weekend make a reservation so you dont get scowled at by the hostess even when the restaurant is half empty. read more

really good BBQ in a fancier setting than most local pits. I'm a big Texas-style BBQ fan, and their brisket satisfies my cravings. I've been a few times with different people and everyone is always happy with their orders. They offer interesting beer selections too, in multiple sizes. The food portions are large...always enough to take some home for leftovers. I would say the sides are hit or miss. The mac and cheese is pretty good. Overall, a good place and not over-priced. read more

This place never disappoints. I went for the first time about two years ago and have been recommending this place to friends ever since. I have tried their pulled pork, baby back ribs, and beef brisket, which are all great dishes. My favorite would have to be the beef brisket, though. The service is great and the sides that you can pick for your dishes are absolutely delicious. I personally like their sweet potato fries and mashed potatoes & gravy, but you can never go wrong with any of them. Going at lunch is cheaper, too, and they give good portion sizes. read more

I recently went on a business trip with a colleague to Raleigh, North Carolina, and when I travel, I like to eat at places that I cannot get at home. Being from Texas, I have really become a bit of connoisseur of barbecue and have made it a goal to try this fare in every area that it is known for in. Each region's flavor is a bit different, and this is the fourth one I have been able to check out. Memphis style relies more on a dry rub and smoked technique (HUGE fan), Kansas City works a lot less on the smoke and more on the sauce (not so much for me), and Texas is all about the smoke with no need for sauce when done right (my personal favorite, and not just because I live here). Carolina tends to use a more vinegar-based sauce on their meats with a bit more sweet than Kansas City, so I was a bit leery going in. Upon checking into our hotel, my co-worker and I asked the gentlemen behind the counter to recommend the best representation of their BBQ with the caveat that we were Texans and would be judging pretty harshly. They recommended The Pit without hesitation, and even though some of the pictures we saw left a bit to be desired, we headed to downtown Raleigh to check it out. And I am SO glad we did. Located in what can only be described as the Warehouse District and next door to a bar/classic video game arcade called Box Car (again, HUGE fan), we were seated in a very classy setting that was nice but not to the point where we felt under dressed. The view from their windows invoked thoughts of the way Austin used to be before all of the urban renewal, and even though we had to walk a couple of blocks to get there (parking CAN be a bit of a bear down there), the walk itself was pleasant and scenic. The co-worker that I traveled with is a person whom I have been friends with for almost two decades, so we never have a shortage of topics to talk about when we get together. This was not a problem once the food arrived because for the next hour, the food was ALL we could talk about. Our server was not only very knowledgeable about the menu, but when we mentioned where we were from, she even knew about places in Texas that she could compare The Pit to. We must have spent ten minutes just comparing notes, and I was thoroughly impressed. We started with their Pit Smoked Wings, which have NO SAUCE on them: simply a dry rub to give them just a little kick and then smoked to absolute perfection. I have never had the opportunity to eat wings in this fashion, and now I feel bad for any other place that decides to try them on me. I am not even a fan of bone-in wings in general, but these bad boys didn't stand a chance on the plate. Even the bleu cheese that came with them had a great flavor with just a hint of smoke to them. My co-worker ordered the grilled salmon, which they base in their "Eastern Carolina" sauce, which has a Apple Cider Vinegar base to it compared to the "Western Carolina" sauce, which is more traditional with a regular vinegar base (also surprisingly good, although I didn't end up using much of it). After just a couple of bites, he told me that he now has a new way to grill fish when he gets home. He gave me a sample of it, and it was absolute divinity: the apple from the vinegar really brings out the quality of both the fish itself and the process they use to prepare it. I ordered a two meat combo with chopped turkey and BBQ chicken. Both of them were absolutely wonderful, with the chicken falling off the bone covered in their "Western Carolina" sauce that was the perfect balance with the chicken itself, and the turkey barely needed to be chewed it was so tender. Even the sides were top-notch, as I enjoyed their potato salad, which worked well as a palate cleanser from time to time, and the mac & cheese, which is not only done right, but baked as well (as God intended it). We both had to just sit at our table for a few minutes and take in what had just happened before we could even think about getting up to move anywhere. This is not just a meal: it is an experience. The service is outstanding, the presentation is over-the-top wonderful, the ambiance is warm and laid back, and the food is simply out of this world. I am not exaggerating here when I say that this was one of the Top Five BBQ meals I have ever had in my lifetime and even went back two nights later to enjoy it again. If The Pit is on a wait, then take the time to wait. It is well worth it. read more

I ordered the salad with the soy nuggets and it was actually pretty good. My husband wanted BBQ and it's nice, since I'm vegetarian, to have some options so we can still go out places together. We also ordered the jalapeño cornbread which was delicious. Although, we didn't know that the meals comes with biscuits and hush puppies or we wouldn't have ordered so much! Hehe the biscuits and hush puppies are so good and a nice touch! read more

Carolina Style Ribs and Chopped Barbecue that was pit-cooked overnight, chopped and seasoned Eastern North Carolina style. Beer is the Pit's Holy Hog Belgian Tripel. read more

The Pit - Carolina Style Ribs and Chopped Barbecue. Beer is the Pit's Holy Hog Belgian Tripel. - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Best BBQ ever!!! The pimento cheese balls are excellent, pulled pork and staff is sooo friendly

place is absolute trash. i dont even need to eat the food to tell you. they seat you and take your order then tell you dont seat yourself and kick you out the table and say never got told to go to said table even tho they sat us there. Like to mention the manager gave us attitude very professional if you ask me read more

I ate there back in March. We had a group of ten on a busy Sunday afternoon. The wait was to be about an hour, but space at the bar opened up, so we sat there. The service was good, the food was fantastic, and they had a nice beer menu. Prices were good, particularly considering the portion sizes. We had guests from D.C., New York, Ohio, Louisiana, and even London, England. We got BBQ, ribs, chicken, salads... you name it. Between us all, we tried a lot of different items and we were all impressed! To speak for myself, I got the Carolina BBQ with macaroni and cole slaw, and it was all so good! It came with hushpuppies as well and my only complaint there is that I wish there had been more! That said, I only gave it four stars because the service could have been better. read more

Oh. My. God. I had dinner here and immediately went back the next day for lunch. Excuse me, as I am from the Northeast, but I had no idea there was a very specific North Carolina style of barbecue. At The Pit, I was educated. Next time I am in Raleigh if I don't go back to this place it will be because I have two broken legs or have lost my tongue, or my mind... because it is a treasure! read more

We came here on a Friday night (reservation at 10pm) for our date night and it was awful. The service was mediocre at best. The food was all lukewarm in temperature and dry. The fries were cold and the hushpuppies and biscuits were just barely warm. It was truly awful especially after I'd heard so much positive feedback about this restaurant. It was a waste of $30 an uber round trip and a date night. We will not be back. Stay away. There's much better and cheaper BBQ in the city. read more

3.5 STARS This is the BBQ joint where you take your mother and generations before. There's usually always a wait, so be sure you make a reservation. It'd suck hardcore if you go and end up having to wait 2 hrs outside where the only other place you can browse is a tire center. The pulled pork and chopped pork was dry. Like harbour rope dry. I had to soak it in vinegar based sauce. I wasn't a fan. The carolina ribs on the other hand was tender, flavourful and fell right off the bone. It is a bit fatty, but definitely worth it. You don't even need sauce on this. Just fatty meat deliciousness. GREAT if you are on the atkins diet. Actually, just kidding. Don't trust me on diet pointers. I was mostly a fan of the sides. The coleslaw was done right. Flavour went through well and wasn't super mayo-ny. You can't do hush puppies wrong - crispy and buttery. All the sides were made fresh and not from canned veggies. It's also not smothered in lard, like the original southern style. I may just get the veggie platter next time I go. The price is a bit high for NC BBQ compared to other places, but you basically pay for the ambiance and having a clean table. The service was good. Friendly and efficient. read more

The Bacon Bruschetta (made with jowl bacon a.k.a. guanciale) can best be described as simply Fuck You Delicious! As in: "Fuck You, Officer! I will not step out of the car until I am done eating this Bacon Bruschetta from The Pit!" As in" 'Fuck You, Honey! I will not come upstairs to have sex with you until I am done eating this Bacon Bruschetta from The Pit!" Neither of these examples are wise life choices by any means but you get the point. Order the Bacon Bruschetta or you are too stupid to be breathing the same air as the rest of us. My entree of the baby back ribs was an excellent version of that southern classic but my memories will be forever married to my appetizer. Excellent selection of microbrews on draft. They pair great with the food. read more

Meet the high class vogue barbecue up the runway. Enter the front door, after getting your car valeted, walk up the ramp, and prepare for some traditional American and Soul Food served with a few alternating servers to cater to your every need. Don't forget to look to your left for a full bar with high tops spread about. Multiple dining rooms are spread throughout the restaurant. When in doubt, take a seat at a small back counter to watch the kitchen cook and smoke the meats. I enjoyed that once when I came in to dine in solo and it was like having my own private show. I've never had a meal at The Pit, which I didn't enjoy. Biscuits and hush puppies are served along with all meals. Usually, I can convince my fellow diners to indulge in some deviled eggs as an appetizer. Southern-Style Deviled Eggs - sweet relish and paprika. They're simply delightful. Then the chopped bbq with BBQ baked beans and corn or green beans is my go to. Pit-cooked overnight, chopped and seasoned Eastern North Carolina style. They have their own sauces and seasonings on the table, which are for sale. The meat always needs a little extra something so I spruce it up with the vinegar sauce. This is no dive and quite often you need a reservation to get a table. Reservations fill up fast and I hate how difficult that can make dining out, especially on a weekend. Because of its reputation and national recognition, The Pit ain't cheap either. $14 for a platter, whereas a meal at Ole Time or Cooper's is $7 - $9. However, they have options for those with dietary restrictions and the vegans and vegetarians won't be complaining when they enter the doors because there are options for them too. They offer catering services and host a special event called "The North Carolina Cuegrass Festival." So, The Pit is quite likely to pop up at a community event near you, when you least expect it. Also, extra tip: go there on your birthday or special occasion and get a banana pudding. Their banana pudding isn't my favorite in the area because I'm not a fan of all that extra sugar and meringue on the top, but it's a nice treat! read more

Given all the hype, I couldn't not come here. My friend and I basically skipped out on work to grab some lunch here (JK, PLEASE DON'T FIRE ME). I went with their pulled pork, collards and creamed corn, while my friend got their pulled pork, mac n cheese and sweet potato fries. This place can be quite busy most of the time (actually, who am I kidding, it's pretty much busy all the time), so expect some wait with your food. I really enjoyed my creamed corn, which was sweet and... creamy. The collards were also very flavorful, with some hints of smokiness. The pulled pork, to be honest, wasn't my favorite. The meat was a bit dry, which made it more bland. To me, a good BBQ has to be extremely tender, so that it can fully soak in all the flavors. If you have to douse your meat in bbq sauce, then it hasn't been cooked correctly. That being said, the biscuits and hushpuppies that came with it were sooo good. The hushpuppies were the best I've ever tasted, bar none. They were fried perfectly, while still maintaining a warm, fluffy texture on the inside. Anyways, if you want some cheap eats ($9-12), good beer and great sides, The Pit will get the job done admirably. read more

The Pit is great! Tasty bbq, awesome wings, and the best biscuits ever! Very friendly and helpful staff. Would love to come back!

I went there with two other people and it was so bad it was actually funny. I am 61 years old and I can honestly say it is the worst place I have eaten. Someone who turned 88 today agrees it is also the worst place she has ever eaten. After complaining about the THIRD dish the mgr came over, looked at the dish in front of me and actually said, "Oh, yeah (pointing to my BLT). That's the one we get the most complaints about. A lot of people don't like it". The BLT is pork cheek that is deep fried, burned and laden with grease. The fried green tomato is sliced to about 1/8" with thick breading. That means you are eating just breading. The lettuce was glistening from having rested on the pools of grease that saturated the bread. It was nightmarish. My 88 year old Mom ordered something that would cause cardiac arrest on an elephant. It had pork and french fries and some other grease laden thing. The pork was so dry it looked like the end of a firecracker in one of those old cartoons. Bone dry and poking out everywhere. To this the manager replied, "That's what the sauce is for". The third dish was just as bad as the first two. Now - sometimes things can be greasy but still have flavor. Not here. It is all unbelievably bad. read more

Somehow I was under the impression that the Pit would be a hole-in-the-wall with paper plates and checkered tablecloths, if any tablecloth. Maybe it was because of the name or the homey-looking website and the offerings on the menu. I mean, barbecue right? Boy was I wrong. The Pit is housed inside what was perhaps, once upon a time, a warehouse, right next to Spy Club. (I guess that is telling in itself.) Wooden floors, booth seating, all-black clad staff, cloth napkins, downtown Raleigh workers in collared shirts. We felt slightly under-dressed, just a little, in our t-shirts. Anyway, we still had a great experience, despite being underwhelmingly outfitted. The food is sooooooooooo good. Everything you could possibly hope for when you think of barbecue and fried southern favorites. We started our meal with their fried green tomatoes. They were perfectly breaded and came with a not-too-rich and zesty sauce, which we ended up dipping everything in. For our main courses, we ordered pulled park sandwich with fried okra and collared greens for him and barbecued tofu with mac and cheese and sweet potato fries for me. To sum up our main dishes: scrumptious! And believe it or not, the star was my barbecued tofu. It consisted of barbecue-marinated Soy Delight patties. They were so juicy and chewy, and very meat-like. He said they were even tastier than his pulled pork. However, the pulled pork was also very good and well-seasoned. Diners have the choice of either Carolina or traditional bbq sauce, which were inside squeeze bottles on the table. The Caroline sauce was mighty tasty and that's coming from a person who isn't even really even a barbecue fan. The sides were stars in their own right. I loved the mac and cheese with the bread crumb topping, which countered the richness of the pasta. The sweet potato fries were both savory and sweet, sweet from the natural flavor of the vegetable and salty from some salt sprinkled on top. The fried okra and collared greens were also quite memorable. If you're searching for a good lunch or dinner spot in downtown Raleigh, this is the place to be. read more

Seems like generic meat being grilled by a rook .. wouldn't eat here again .. the place is really nice & the location is pretty cool & vibrant w/ people traffic .. if you want to have a drink at the bar, it's a nice place to be .. I'd eat before going ‍ read more

Not at is used to be a few years ago. The space itself and service are good. The food trending lower. Based on a recent Sunday family visit

If you love all things barbecue, then you have just landed in heaven. I'm not a big fan of barbecue, i really don't care for it to be honest. I came here for a family dinner with about 12 of us and they quickly sat us down. The restaurant itself is pretty big so I don't think there would ever be a problem getting a table. The food was delicious. While everyone else had barbecue plates, of course, I had the Fried Chicken plate with house fries and macaroni and cheese. My plate was super tasty, though the chicken itself wasn't out of this world. I've had better tasting chicken at KFC. The Mac & Cheese was heavenly, as was the drink I had, a Carolina Julep. Everyone left satisfied with their dishes. They give you so much that you will no doubt end up taking a to go box. Definitely try it out if you are in the mood for barbecued food, you can't go wrong. read more

Not worth trying any other BBQ if you're in Raleigh- great bar, better food and even better staff. Always warmly greeted. Expect to eat too much here, good prices - a lot of food which you cannot put down. Great sides- go family style! My first stop whenever I'm in Raleigh, and don't see that EVER changing! read more

Dry Meat. Dry pulled pork and the driest fried chicken I ever had. The only good dish was the ribs and brisket, but even that was nothing to write home about. Surprised it had thousands of reviews and 4 stars.. something seems suspicious there. read more

First things first, I don't consider myself a BBQ aficionado. I hail from a place where we have a whole lotta good weather, but a whole lotta bad BBQ (American BBQ at least). There are a few good places, but nothing that holds a candle to the ribs I had at The Pit.. These ribs here are like a southern mother, firm ,but tender. I always thought I wanted my ribs to be falling off the bone. That's how I cook them at home. But The Pit showed me that the perfect rib should be firm enough to stay together, but tender enough to be able to pull the bone out clean. The flavor was perfect in that is tasted 90% like pork and 10% like the other flavorings/sauces added. That ratio is just enough to highlight that wonderful taste of pig while giving it just a little hint of smoke, salt, vinegar, and sugar. As much as I love BBQ sauce, adding anymore to these would be a crime against swine. The mac and cheese and baked beans were also fantastic. I wish I could find a place in LA that gave me mac and cheese like this, not that overly creamy, fancy foreign cheese blend that has only one gooey texture. This had come structure to it. It was slightly coagulated and the bread crumbs mix up the texture. If I had a southern grandma, I imagine that this is how her recipe would taste. As is the case with BBQ, everyone has there own opinion and loyalties. I'm not going to try to make a bold statement that these are best BBQ ribs out there. That would most likely incite some form of riot among local Raleigh town folk., and given my somewhat limited experience with good ribs, it would be a statement seriously lacking in merit. What I will say is that these are the best ribs that I have ever had. They've set MY standard to a new high. I hope you feel the same after eating there, but if you don't, please don't hold it against me. I'm just a city boy from LA after all ;) read more

I came into this one with pretty high expectations after a local friend of mine was raving about The Pit all week. Being from Rochester NY, which is home to multiple 5 star BBQ options, I really hold this type of food to a higher standard than most. Safe to say, The Pit really stand a chance of blowing me away. We ordered sangria for the table which was actually very good. It was filled with fruit and very refreshing. For appetizers we had fried green tomatoes. Not bad, but I've definitely had much better. I had the brisket for my entree. It was mediocre, not awful but a bit dry for my liking. The sides were the highlight of my meal. I highly recommend the brussel sprouts as a vegetable option. They were mixed with pieces of bacon which was delicious. Overall my food was decent but not memorable by any means. The ambiance of the restaurant was nice which made it a strong 3 all together. read more

We went to this place on the recommendation of a friend and have since gone back many, many times. I've told others about it - and they rave about how much they love it, too! The soul rolls are my favorite, quickly followed by the onion rings. I am not an onion person at all, but these and whatever kind of sauce comes with them? Incredible. The pulled pork is excellent, and being able to choose which sauce you want is great. Walking in from outside you can smell the smoker - and it is just a part of all this deliciousness. read more

Excellent BBQ! Start with the hush puppies, biscuits, fried green tomatoes and fried chicken livers. Entree I had their pork (which is similar to pulled park only no BBQ sauce just pepper flakes) and the brisket. Skip the pork and go with the brisket. The meat was so incredibly tender and the sauce was a perfect balance. Sides try the baked beans and brussel sprouts. read more

The Pit - Pork, brisket beans and sprouts - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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