Such good stuff! Everything I ordered and even the complimentary hush puppies and biscuit were excellent. I had the brisket, chopped turkey, fried okra, and collards- all fantastic. Good choice of beers and friendly fast service. I highly recommend! read more

The Pit - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Ribs and brisket combo was delicious. 2 people for $20! Service great, food great, price great, super fast. And a cool place too.

Super good! Yummy food i got a BBQ sandwich, Mac n cheese and fried okra and all were yummy! The fried chicken was really good too i had some of my bfs - service was good and food came out fast too read more

Really tasty soul food, salmon and catfish were awesome, we don't eat a lot of red meat so I was grateful they had fish and vegetarian options. Fried okra a must, greens pretty average though. Vinegar sauce on the table pretty so so, otherwise tasty place read more

A group of us ventured here after having some extremely dissapointing BBQ elsewhere that evening. So we bellied up to the bar, and had a FANTASTIC mint julep! Impressed, I ordered the BBQ sampler plate, which contained turkey, spare ribs, pulled pork, and more turkey. I enjoyed experimenting with the vinegar based sauces, though was surprised to find the turkey had the most flavvor. I certainly did detect the smell of smoke on all meats - so am hopeful that when I next return, I will be hungry enough for a whole plate! read more

I really enjoyed my first visit to The Pit. We went early (3pm) for dinner on a saturday. We didn't have to wait since we had a reservation and got a table right away. It was crowded though. The service was fast and friendly and I thought the prices were moderate (about $13 for my plate, $15 for my husband's). I got the "choose 2" plate with pulled pork and meatloaf, cole slaw and mac&cheese on the side. The meatloaf was excellent and so tender, the pork as well. The mac & cheese was the only shortfall, it tasted like KFC's and I didn't really like it (and I LOVE good mac & cheese). The ribs my husband got were pretty good. He got the fried okra which was very yummy and the mashed potatoes which were also good but needed more gravy. All in all I enjoyed it, thought it was good food at a good value with good service and will be back for sure. Tip: make a reservation! read more

When I think Carolina, I think pulled pork, so when I set out for Raleigh, BBQ was on my mind. I went to The Pit based on a Yelp search near my hotel. Overall impression: above average, but I blame my experience on my expectations. I got the pulled pork, brisket, cole slaw, and black eye peas, with a Lucky 13 to wash it down. The black eye peas were a little bland, the cole slaw was a little wet for my taste, and the brisket was good, but let's face it, once you've had TX brisket, its not fair to compare. What I was really looking forward to was the pulled pork. From one of my favorite BBQ spots outside Columbia, South Carolina, Little Pigs (RIP), I love mustard based pulled pork and was experimenting w vinegar based pulled pork. At The Pit, the pulled pork isn't seasoned as much as they give you some BBQ sauces at the table so you can prepare it the way you like it. I did enjoy it, but I think I was just expecting something else. Overall, good experience, but next time I'll have to try the ribs, mac&cheese, and some of the other options others have recommended. read more

I have been meaning to write a review for The Pit. My partner and I were really searching for a hearty southern bbq meal for dinner on our trip from nyc. We decided to yelp for a restaurant that would not close at 3 p.m. like most places in North Carolina. And, the pit was what came up with 200+ reviews. We were still hesitant to go there so we went to ask some locals and they recommended us to The Pit. Without a doubt, we went to The Pit. I love the pumpkin skillet cornbread served with maple butter! It was definitely worth the money to get it. It was so warm, moist, and tasty. I am drooling as I am writing about it. As for our entrees, I ordered fried chicken and my partner ordered the triple combo plate. I was quite disappointed with the fried chicken. It was comparable to KFC chicken.... I thought the skin was not crispy enough. When I looked over at the triple combo plate that my partner ordered, it looked huge! We thought the ribs were excellent! It was unbelievably delicious. I was not a fan of the pulled pork and the brisket was good. As for dessert, we were too full for it. I regret not getting dessert but trust me, I will be back :) read more

Fried green tomatoes were tasty but poorly executed - the breading completely separated from the tomato. Disappointing. The sides - baked beans, Brunswick stew, slaw - were mediocre. The meats -- ribs, turkey, pork and brisket -- were good but nothing more than good. I've had better at backyard barbecues. The best thing about my experience was the atmosphere which is casual, hip, and our lively, courteous, and attentive waitress Heidi. To be fair, we were one of the last seatings for the night so the kitchen may have been slowing but I can't accept that as an excuse for poorly executed food in a restaurant featured on Food Network and Travel Channel. I may give it another try one day. Maybe. read more

This place was absolutely great. It wasn't the best BBQ I had while in Raleigh. It was just really good. They have a half-decent beer selection. A decent bar. They have a great location. The food is above average. I really enjoyed the entire experience. It is very much on the beaten path, so if you are looking for the best kept secret, it isn't the place to go. It is just a nicer restaurant that serves good food. A nice date or business meal location, if you aren't trying to impress(but also trying to avoid those always risky hole-in-the-wall type places) The bread based stuff is fabulous(hush puppies, biscuits, cornbread). The protein is protein, though this was the first place in Raleigh that I saw that had a smoked tofu. read more

The BBQ at the Pit is very tasty and so are the vegetables. The bartenders are attentive and quick. You will not leave there hungry because the serving sizes are huge. I went out to twice this month. The first time I ordered the chop BBQ plate with a side of cole slaw and mash potatoes. My friend order chopped BBQ with fried okra and green beans. We were also given a side of biscuits and hush puppies. We shared the sides and had plenty to bring home for the next day. The next time I went out I went for drinks and a appetizer. The BBQ fries are big enough for 2 or 3. The apple pie moonshine is a great way to start out a weekend night! The only issue I have with the Pit is that it is often hard to find a seat and parking can also be difficult to find. You may be able to find BBQ cheaper, but you will not find the combination of good service, atmosphere and quality of food. read more

An early Christmas present for a San Diegan starved for great BBQ. Go for the Carolina ribs, the chopped pork and the fried chicken. All the sides rock. read more

The Pit - Fried chicken, BBQ beans, sweet potato fries; Chopped pork, black-eyed peas, fried okra; Carolina ribs, collards, red beans rice - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I've been here several times over the past 4 years and the past few visits have been disappointing. The food quality on the sides is going downhill. The portions on sides are also shrinking. Mac N Cheese, potato salad, biscuits...all meh on my last visit. The meats are still where it's at so its not a total loss but man I miss the old Pit. *Also don't go after 9pm as you will receive extremely poor service. It was almost like we were invisible. Our "team" of servers were to busy getting tables turned over for next day to check on us as they walked by several times... read more

Oh very average barbeque. After dinner at the Pit, I realized that I'm not a fan of NC barbecue which is vinegar based. The flavor is not my taste. Nice decor and good service but again, in my opinion the ribs did not have a great flavor. The hush puppies were fine, nothing special. The taps were not working so I was bummed when we had to order bottles of beer. Maybe if NC barbeque is your thing it's your kind of place but sorry, the Pit is not for me. read more

The food quality is inconsistent. Sometimes its great, sometimes its dry. This is by no means the best BBQ place around. Very over hyped. The sides are hit or miss--some fresh and flavorful, some cold and tired. The appetizers are really quite good, but the entrees are pretty below average in my experience. I've been here 4-5 times and I've really only been wowed on one occasion. The service here is good, menu is good (in theory but not always executed well) but I'm not a fan of the owners political views and involvement in the Raleigh downtown scene. With that (and my last meal here) in mind, I will not be back. read more

I had a fantastic lunch here today! Andy, the barman, made me a whiskey Mint Julep that was spot on and tasty. The Carolina ribs and BBQ soul rolls were awesome. Highly recommend this place. And the banana cream pie finished it all off! read more

Amazing amazing My husband and I are from out of town and wanted to check out downtown Raliegh After looking at how many reviews The Pit received I knew it would be good! I'm a vegetarian and I loved the BBQ soy nuggets with green beans and potato salad! Amazing My husband ordered a BBQ burger, a side of Mac and cheese and fried okra. He couldn't even eat all of his sides because his burger did the talking! Lol Well def visit again!! read more

Best.Barbecue.Ever. I repeat: Best. Barbecue.Ever. Carolina style but with more heat. Just perfect Excellent hush puppies. Coleslaw is lousy: too mayo-y and sweet. Everything else (collards, black eyed peas) perfect too. read more

First off, I didn't expect to feel underdressed in a barbecue place called The Pit. Didn't realize that it would be have such a button-up-shirt kinda ambiance. I really enjoyed it, but I didn't expect. The servers were all friendly and served us very well. I got the chopped pork barbecue, which comes seasoned with their Eastern Carolina barbecue sauce, which is excellent. I really liked the collards on the side - they were subtly spicy, which I really enjoyed - but the macaroni and cheese was not as good as I expected. Don't get me wrong, it was very good, but I've gotten spoiled by really mind-blowing mac and cheese around here. I'm excited to try their other sides and entrees. This is definitely on my list of places to come back to every couple months to explore the menu, and on the short list of places to take visiting friends. read more

So I have lived here for 3 years now and the Pit had always been one of my favorite places to eat. It used to be the place I would take out of town guests to show them true Carolina BBQ. Now with my last visit being so disappointing I may have to find a new BBQ go to! The service was bad, the food was very unappetizing and looked like sloppy cafeteria food, and the taste although editable did not taste the way it once did. I suspect the departure of Ed Mitchell the head pit master has much to do with it. Although it's not a reason to avoid going I have a personal pet peeve with the hush puppies! They used to be handmade and amazing! Now they have some machine to make them and they are chewy and disappointing! My guess is that The Pit is living off their old reputation. It's a matter of time before others have the same unsatisfied visit I had and decided to spend their dollar else where. read more

Wow... I was here three years ago and had a great time and meal. What happened? I sat comfortably at the bar and ordered a beer and said, " I am going to drink this and then order food with my next one." 5 people came up in the next 10 minutes asking to take my order. Seriously? Slow down. When the ribs came I was mortified. They were supposedly St Louis Cut - trust me. No. You can see from my Yelp reviews I have been to plenty of BBQ places across the country. These were the worst. I think they boiled them first or steamed them to mush. The sweet tangy goop on them was evil. I was embarrassed FOR them. The next night I went across the street to Jose and Sons - THAT was tasty. read more

If this is representative of North Carolina BBQ (which I hope it isn't), I will be severely disappointed. The pit smoked wings were flavorless. Onion rings were too heavily battered. But the most disappointing were the brisket and the baby back ribs. The brisket was so ridiculously lean and dry. The baby back ribs had potential: the meat fell off the bones, but it was still so dry... Service is friendly enough and the beer selection is good, but food-wise, this is a pass. read more

The wait was totally worth it. We waited at the bar and enjoyed a couple of drinks. The bartender was friendly and made recommendations. The local pilsner was absolutely amazing. Once we were seated the team did a good job explaining the menu and answered questions we had. The amount of food totally puts you in a food coma. The double combo which comes with two entree and two sides is something I would recommend. Definitely a place to come back to. Challenge to do other things after due to being so full. read more

Had a few beers on draft which were amazing. Lunch got super busy but bartender was nice. I think it's odd they have to keep running back and forth for food orders though. Feel like they should have a more efficient way to deliver food to the bar. But anyway the food was tasty and big portions ! read more

Great place to bring the family for BBQ. I would recommend the Brisket and Pulled pork with any of the sides. Burgers are killer!

It was my boyfriends first time in Raleigh coming from Austin, TX and we checked this place out based on good Yelp reviews! Everything on our plate was GONE and devoured. We have the North Carolina style baby back ribs and brisket. I was a big fan of the potato salad. Service was quick and attentive. We went on a Tuesday afternoon and had no wait time :) read more

The Pit - Baby back ribs and brisket with a side of potato salad and macaroni. Was a bigger fan of the potato salad than the macaroni :) - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

This is a "classier" Eastern NC BBQ joint, including the price. I've been here four times and always have a nice experience. The BBQ is the best in the area, in my opinion, and the service is usually pretty good. The sides are well prepared, and the hush puppies and biscuits that are brought out are good. At times, you'll need a reservation, so save yourself the wait and book a table as soon as you know you want one. After dinner? head across the street for chocolate or a beer at one of the area shops. read more

Genuine smoky ribs. Not a fan of the bbq sauce. Staff friendly and informative about the menu choices. Got a boat load of fries. Large establishment with a hip atmosphere in a super hip neighborhood. Solid choice. read more

The meat was dry. The biscuits and hushpuppies were good and I recommend the sweet potato casserole, but the rest was rather disappointing.

We visited on a Sunday evening..... not a good time .... Fried chicken good, okra greasy, cornbread cold and flavorless, parking was a nightmare, bacon cheeseburger were not so great... big disappointment. We have been to the pit in Durham .... much better! The only bright spot was the bar next door.... music was amazing and seemed like everyone was having a great time!!! I would actually be tempted to go back just to visit that place, but I won't be wasting money on The Pit agai read more

I was part of a group of 6 for dinner and on entrance, we were impressed by the upscale feel of the place. It has a nice combination of a nice casual restaurant fronted by a fun informal bar. However, while the decor was above expectations, the food was not. The pork was pretty basic and fairly dry - I ended up going to the extra sauce twice to make up for it. The collards were OK, but nothing special (could have used a little more fatback in the cooking) and the mac & cheese was just average. Portions were also smaller than expected. Even the hushpupies were too hard and crisp (probably because of their small size) and the mini-biscuits sucked the moisture out of our mouths. Others liked the fried chicken though, and we didn't have dessert, which I've heard are good. But the most disappointing part of the meal was the service. A request for a bun for the pork didn't come, so we asked one of his helpers, and still never got it. Also, when I ordered an unsweetened iced tea, the waiter asked if he could bring a sweetener, and I asked for Sweet n' Low. When the drinks came out, he dropped off the sweeteners, but Sweet n' Low wasn't in there. I stopped him and asked for some and he replied, "Oh, we don't carry Sweet n' Low here." First, that's bizarre. Second, tell me that when I ordered and I would have ordered something else. Other people seem to have had a better experience, so maybe we were just on a bad night, but we're not going back any time soon. read more

Rolled into The Pit around eleven a.m. on a Friday afternoon, and the place was already starting to get busy with the lunch crowd. We were surprised to see full valet service - a first, for me, at a BBQ joint - during the day, and the open interior was upscale without being *too* snobby. The food, however, did not live up to my grand expectations. While certainly not terrible, there is far, far better BBQ to be had in the area. The pulled pork was tender, but kind of bland, and the two table sauces (a sweet western sauce and a tangy eastern sauce) didn't really add much to the experience. My side items - mashed potatoes and gravy and BBQ baked beans - were fine. The BBQ was decent for the lunchtime prices (though my beer cost nearly as much as the meal), but I've heard dinner menu prices jump dramatically. What gets three stars at $7/plate would drop to one or two stars at $20/plate. read more

My wife and I were in Raleigh from out of town and were told to check this place out. Food was superb and the service was fantastic also. Our waiter (Daniel) was very friendly and even gave us some nice tips on what to check out while we were in town. read more

The Pit - N. Carolina BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

So we gave The Pit one more chance. And we figured if we wanted it set right it had to be big. I made a reservation for my wife's birthday this past weekend and they did not disappoint. The servers were very prompt with getting us refills and the food was out very quickly. I did alert them tot he fact we had to head to Raleigh Amphitheater for a concert at 6:30 that night and they made sure to get us on our way. We had a table of 14 all separate checks and they did not flinch and they made sure everything was correct the first time. I must say I am much more likely to tell folks to go to The Pit now. read more

Pros: Really excellent bbq, although, I would never get the turkey again. Love the southern sides and pumpkin cornbread. Cons: If you dont call ahead, you'll have to wait for a LONG time. Parking can be a challenge read more

This place is the Best, I have lived in Eastern North Carolina my whole life. This is the best BBQ i have every had. It's like going to those BBQ places in Wilson, NC but it's clean and your feet do not stick to the floor when you walk. Staff was great and had a lot of knowledge about the foods & sides and was willing to offer help in picking. I will be back time and time again now. The Pit also had that nice upscale Raleigh Restaurant feel (so it good before a Play or a night out) but it was comfortable and the prices were great for the food you get. read more

While there I ordered the double combo ($16) with brisket , 1/2 rack of ribs, mac n cheese, and slaw. This bbq was one of the best I've ever had. There also is a great selection of local brews available for pitchers! read more

The Pit - Brisket n ribs - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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I had meatloaf with sides of coleslaw and kale (which is really great!). My friend also had the carrot cake and honestly, it was awesome! Really good place to try American bbq love the decor by the way! read more

The Pit - Awesome carrot cake! - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Updated review. The first review got 2 stars. The ONLY reason I'm giving a 4 stars is because of how great the manager, Tony P. was when he contacted me about the previous Yelp review I posted. He messaged me with his name and number, I text him a good time to call, he called and wanted my feedback, sincerely apologized, and sent gift cards to encourage me to come back for a second try. My boyfriend and I decided to wait and use the gift cards for his birthday tonight because like I said before, we're students and don't have a lot of money. When the hostess was walking us to our table, I whispered to her that it was my boyfriend's birthday and told her I wasn't sure if they did anything for that at this restaurant but asked if she could let our server know if they did. She just kind of looked at me annoyed and said, "ugh I guess so." I was put off by the comment but tried to let it go. When we sat down our server explained there was group-serve. My boyfriend and I had a problem with that when we sat in the bar last time so we specifically got a table thinking we would have our own server but I guess that's not how they do it. The first server was very nice but when we wanted to wait for our appetizer to get out before we ordered (standard procedure in every restaurant I've worked at), he dropped off waiting our table. A food runner delivered the appetizer but we finished & had to ask a server if we could order. The service was great but we had to seek them out. I really don't understand why the group serve is in place. We ordered the caprese appetizer which was delicious. In fact, all the food was really good this time. We ordered the baby back ribs which were huge, okra, and mashed potatoes. At the end, the server asked us if we wanted dessert and we declined because we were full then he brought out the check. I was disappointed because clearly they weren't doing anying for my boyfriend's birthday. Then after the server had picked up the check, a food runner brought us out a banana cream pie thing. No candle, no happy birthday, just awkwardly placed it in front of my boyfriend and walked away. The table had been cleared so we didn't even have silverware. My boyfriend just looked at me and was like, "did they deliver this to the wrong table?" Then I explained I said something to the hostess. The server came out and said he forgot to put birthday in the computer and there was supposed to be a candle on it. I don't think he was even going to bother sending anything out until he saw that the gift cards used for the check were given to us by the manager because after that he seemed much more eager to serve us. Unfortunately it was too late because we had finished and were ready to go at that point. Nothing was "bad", but definitely could've been better. My boyfriend and I were SO excited about this place. We went and the place was packed with a 45 min wait so when we spotted a high-top near the bar, we snagged it. We had never been there so we were caught off guard when a server came to take our drink orders and then 10 min later, another server came to take our drink orders. I asked if the server had gotten cut or was finished her shift and she told me that they all help each other out in the bar area. That's fine except we had already been waiting, had given our drink order, had never gotten it, then had to give it again and wait again. We tried to shake it off and not let it bother us. My boyfriend and I are students so we rarely have the money to splurge and when we decide to go out, we go all out. We ordered a sampler appetizer but they were out of two of the items so we had to substitute. When it came out, it was delivered by a different server and the items were wrong and instead of just taking it back, he sent the server who took our order over which took 10 min for her to get there and then another 15 min to get the food back. At this point we had been waiting an hour just to get drinks and appetizers. We finally got to placing our order of ribs and mashed potatoes but when it arrived, it was all cold. We let the server know and she just grabbed it off the table without even asking and heated it up. I'm not sure if it was microwaved or what but when we got it back it was rubbery. The server sent the manager over who was incredibly kind but instead of listening to us, just remade our meals when we specifically said it was fine and we would just keep them. We didn't have time because we were parked in a spot that we could only be there until 9pm. She also grabbed the meals and walked away so we didn't have a choice in the matter. By that time we had to leave, had to pay in full for everything, and as we were walking out at 9:05pm, a parking maid was writing us a ticket. So our $60 night turned into a $100 one or probably even more because we haven't been able to pay for the ticket so it's probably racked up in price. The food tasted good and the staff was nice but the experience was not pleasant unfort read more

The Pit - Caprese salad appetizer - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

We have eaten at The Pit four times since moving to Raleigh in Sept 2014. We have had three very good experiences and one poor. First the good- (three visits) awesome hush puppies, biscuits and seasonal corn bread skillet. Very tasty BBQ from pulled pork to ribs to brisket. Fried chicken is also very good. All sides are good but Mac and cheese is our favorite. We were disappointed they did away with the fried pimento cheese balls. They were our favorite app. Now the bad - (one visit) two slabs of ribs were very overcooked. One slab was ordered as baby back and brought out spare. And all three sides of Mac and cheese were cold. Service has always been pretty good. We will give the pit another go sometime soon. read more