Visited the Pit today for dinner with a friend. I made a reservation for outdoor seating on open table which was easy. Unfortunately the advanced parking app did not work. Luckily we were able to score parking on Dawson and pay using the app. We were able to check in easily with the hostesses. We were seated immediately and I loved the patio seating. Really cute and located right next door to Boxcar Arcade. We decided on the Pimento Cheese Balls for starters. These are the reason you visit !!!!!! These are little cheese filled balls of heaven. They are served with pepper jelly. A basket of biscuits and hush puppies were served. I didn't like those. Too dry. For entrees we ordered Beef Brisket plates. I decided on the Brunswick stew and Brussel Sprouts. The Brunswick stew was terrible. I exchanged that for sweet potato casserole. The casserole was delicious and had finely chopped walnuts in it. The brisket was not good. Too dry. Too over cooked. We both enjoyed the brussel sprouts. Our service was great. The food was unfortunately Nothing to write home about. Maybe we ordered the wrong entree item ? read more

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I don't give 5stars but. I would give 4 and a half to this place. Home made biscuits and hush puppies. We went here after visiting the NCSU. We shared a plate of brisket and half rack of ribs. Our waitress was quick and brought us every thing we asked for. It has a nice old fashioned Sunday vibe. We spent around 85 and still took home more mashed potatoes and biscuits. It was cooked perfectly. Tasty too. read more

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The foot at The Pit is consistently good. I hated we didn't have time for banana pudding! Service was very good. Everyone friendly. read more

The Pit - Chopped Barbecue, Cole Slaw, Brunswick Stew - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Visited Raleigh for the first time and wanted to check out the most rated place. Everything was fine. I expected a more rustic place but it was pretty upscale and clean. I visited in a Saturday night at 730 and got a seat at the bar right away. The brisket was good. read more

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

Overall, one of the best restaurants to have amazing seasoning on every food item. It makes the food that much better. There are amazing staff that made the night amazing. read more

My husband and I enjoyed ourselves. This was our first time there and won't be the last. The server was great. He made sure we were great and we had everything. The ambiance was everything. Nice and clean read more

The Pit - Mac & Cheese Pulled Pork BBQ Baked Beans - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Delicious food, fast service, over all clean & appealing location. Loved the food & experience.

I really wanted to live this. Only had one night and picked the best rate liston on yelp. The pit wasn't the small town great BBQ we hoped for. The sides were good though. Had mash potatoes and Mac and cheese. Yummy Hush puppies were so yummy too. But I never had one Abby before, so I couldn't compare it to anything. The meat itself was over salted and dry. I really can't say I'd return because of this. Sadly service was lacking too. Not busy on this random Tuesday night but still had to repeatedly ask for drinks and check. There a difference between giving a customer slave and purely ignoring them. read more

I wanted a delicious Southern lunch and The Pit DELIVERED. I had amazing sweet tea, fried green tomatoes, 1/4 fried chicken, mashed sweet potatoes, and creamed corn. All this glory even game with fresh hush puppies and biscuits. The sweet tea kept coming, too! HIGHLY recommend. read more

Our group of five came here late on a Saturday afternoon, just before a shift change. Our first server informed us of that fact right away, and after taking our drink orders, seamlessly handed us off to another server. That doesn't always happen, so special props for that. Service overall was excellent considering the odd hour. The menu is fairly large and we all sampled different meats and sides. I liked the collard greens and BBQ chicken while my husband liked the baked beans. The two sauces available on the table were also good, but the rest was pretty mediocre. Chopped turkey was dry and fried chicken had no flavor. Nothing was genuinely bad, but more disappointing for the price and (supposed) reputation. read more

What can you say about BBQ in NC that's not already been said... this is a staple with the locals and the southern hospitality is lovely. Almost anything on the menu will be too much food to eat and leave you warm, happy, and fuzzy on the walk home! read more

The Pit is a wonderful place to take your non-southern guests to introduce them to a classy, delicious and memorable meal. The food at the Pit is always amazing and the food comes out quick! All the waitstaff and hosts are really lovely. You are also able to reserve a small section of the restaurant to host events like birthdays, engagement parties, etc. read more

Good food. Friendly staff. Hands down this is my husband and my favorite BBQ restaurant in Raleigh.

Wow wow wow. This is literally the best barbecue I've ever had. One of those meals I'll dream about. Got the pulled pork plate with potato salad and sweet potato casserole. Pulled pork obviously the star. Incredible, a must order. Trust me. Going back, I'd skip the potato salad. Lacked seasoning and wasn't my favorite, IMO. Sweet potato's we're delicious though and reminded me of thanksgiving. Fried green tomatoes were also good and lightly breaded. My sister even liked them and she's not normally a fan. The service was awesome and I loved the space itself, though it was definitely more upscale than I had had anticipated. I absolutely plan on coming back and look forward to my next visit in Raleigh. 10/10 coming back for that pork. 4.7/5 read more

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Solid spot. Nice venue, nice beer selection, plenty of seating, good portions, fair prices. The parking wasn't fun, but we managed. Server and bartender were both very pleasant. Not the best BBQ I've had, and I wouldn't get the banana pudding again, but the place overall is a good fit for a family looking for a good casual meal without breaking the bank. read more

A good barbecue restaurant with reasonable prices! I had the Double Combo here during lunch. They provided the before meal bread and hush puppies. For my plate, I ordered the chopped bbq, brisket, fried okra, and mashed potatoes with gravy. The chopped bbq was made in North Carolina style, which was pretty good. However, I did expect their brisket to be more moist and soft, especially for the fat part. Overall, a good place for visitors to try! read more

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My girlfriend and I visited this spot back in October during a road trip when we were craving some NC BBQ. We had to make a reservation on OpenTable a day before, but the restaurant was pretty empty and we were spaced apart from everyone else. I think it was nice they gave paper bags to hold your mask while you ate and then everything seemed pretty clean. Service was pretty good, but a lot more servers than tables to wait. Before the food, they serve biscuits and hush puppies, which is pretty nice. Warm starter with honey butter, sign me up! But we got a little too full on the starter, which was a little unfortunate. Baby Back Ribs + Beef Brisket w/ Mac & Cheese and Heirloom Cabbage Collard Greens - Baby back ribs were a good choice. A decent amount of meat, good sauce, and easy to pull off the bone. Brisket was pretty decent, but on the leaner side so I wouldn't rave too much about it. Sides were okay, but not as good as I thought they would be. Pulled Pork Sandwich - Pulled pork was okay, not as juicy/tender as I thought it would be. My girlfriend and I realized we both aren't a fan of the vinegar-based BBQ sauce, so we used the sweeter one. Sweet potatoes fries were good. Overall, solid BBQ restaurant with a nicer decor/atmosphere inside and good portions/good service. I am not a huge BBQ aficionado, so I can't compare it in detail to other NC BBQ spots, but for someone coming from out-of-town it was definitely a good spot to hit on a trip to Raleigh. read more

The Pit - Pulled Pork Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Took a trip to Raleigh with my family from out of town to try this place based on a recommendation from another family member. The food was excellent and shout out to Shelby for her amazing service and warm hospitality!! If I can recommend an ABSOLUTE MUST, I've only got two words for you.... Carrot cake read more

The Pit - The most amazing carrot cake - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Top BBQ place, definitely recommended Food delicious, good vibes and awesome service by Nicole She was very efficient and done such a great job as a server! That's our first time trying out The Pit BBQ and for sure we'll be back read more

I've been here twice, both for business dinners, and both times felt the food was okay but not as good as other barbecue joints. It just seems like the hook is that it's barbecue place that also has cocktails. On this occasion, our group ordered a variety of apps. I had some barbecued pulled pork in my fridge at home and decided to try the smoked sausage with sides. I was expecting the sausage to be a little pink the in the middle like you see at other places, but my sausage was kind of grayish and very fatty. One of our party asked if the fried okra was previously frozen, and to his credit, our server asked in the kitchen and confirmed that it was. I just wished the food was better. One of my coworkers ordered the brisket and said it was just okay. Props to the staff for their good job for serving our group. read more

Called Monday, April 21st, to place an order for 15 barbeque chickens that I would need by Friday evening, April 25th. The manager who was on duty Monday told me I would need to call back Friday to place the order and he would inform the kitchen to be prepared for the order. I called back this morning, Friday, and now they tell me they cannot have the chickens ready until tomorrow morning, Saturday, at 11:00 a.m. The event for which I need the chicken begins Saturday at 11:00 a.m., thus my calling Monday to give them plenty of time to have the order ready. Now I have scramble to find someone who can cater 15 barbeque chickens at the last minute! UNPROFESSIONAL, DISREPUTABLE, INCOMPETENT! read more

So good. Went in for the barbecue and ordered everything else but that! Had the deviled eggs, smoked chicken wings, ribs, brisket, fried fish, fried chicken and barbecue chicken! All cooked to perfection. All the meats are smoked in house on a real smoker. You can see and smell the smoke from the cooker. Great service, great food. Parking is a challenge but worth the pay to park. read more

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Found this on yelp and upon arrival restaurant was fairly packed and we did have to wait but not too long I figured we're on the east coast.. let's get green tomatoes (about $7 for 5 pieces - pretty big)- we did, and a minute later - hush puppies and biscuits appeared too Lol which acts as their "bread and butter" so I'd say just save yourselves an order and eat the hush puppies provided cuz it's gonna be a lot of yeet hay foods haha (my Chinese homies know what I mean) BFF and I opt for the Big Boy combo $30 that included BBQ chicken, beef brisket, half rack of Carolina ribs, chopped BBQ and our two sides, corn and Mac and cheese Total came to about $45ish It was alright - not bad but not amazing. It was a lot of food and left me full but skip the mac and cheese read more

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The pit was booked solid on a Sunday night when we were in town, but the hostess made sure that we were seated within 20 minutes. There was an excellent selection of BBQ and I was impressed that they had vegetarian options! Our server Tre gave us even better recommendations. read more

The brisket was hard, over cooked, and greasy. We thought it would be BBQ, but it was not! read more

The Pit - Very dry - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Man, this place is something special. Home cooked bbq with amazing flavor. The Carolina style bbq sauce is something I couldn't get enough of. I had to put it all over my meal. My waiter Trey was amazing and gave me great suggestions. The lighting and vibe of the restaurant was very cozy and added to the meal. I will 100% be back the next time I visit North Carolina. read more

The Pit - Carolina Style Ribs Heirloom Cabbage Collards Potato Salad Beef Brisket - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Some friends and I heard about this place through word of mouth. We're all big BBQ people and wanted to have a good dinner in a fun area of town where we could walk around after. On a Saturday night the wait time was about an hour and the bar was completely full. I gave the hostess my number and we went next door to Box Car to grab drinks and play games in the meantime. Not 25 minutes later I got a text saying our table was ready! My friends ordered the Pit Sampler as an appetizer which came with deviled eggs, fried pimento cheese balls, smoked wings, and some bbq wraps. Not my style but they enjoyed it. I got the brisket with mac n cheese and sweet potato casserole which ended up being a bowl of, basically, creamy pie filling with marshmallows - so stinkin good! It was the fattiest, most delicious combination of dishes i've had together in a long time. The brisket was cooked and served differently than I often see it but still tender and flavorful, and i enjoyed every last bite. The staff moved so quickly! Even though the wait time was supposed to be an hour plus, we got in in 25 min, our bread came immediately, drinks within minutes and food quicker than I thought it took to even make. I was super impressed with the flow of the waitstaff and their crowd organization. It was a delicious meal and a fun environment. Not the best meal i've ever had, nor would i say it's the best BBQ i've ever had, but i would definitely eat there again and recommend the restaurant and the surrounding area to friends. read more

The Pit - Beef Brisket + Sweet Potato Casserole + Mac & Cheese - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I hate to do this. I'm so sad because I'm on a "Brisket kick" and I wait to eat NC BBQ for days in NC...just to eat The Pit. I read reviews and researched online and I'm sorry to say it was the worst I've had. Ever! The brisket was tough and dry, flavorless the bbq sauce helped but I wanted to love just the meat without having to rely on sauce. I think I received 4-5 slices and ate half of one. The rest was trash. Potato salad was plated on a warm plate, gross. I asked for a substitute and got the okra. Under fried and over greasy. Hush puppies and biscuits were dense and too sweet. Just overall not good and walked out with $140 ticket. Now I'm home and my only NC BBQ experience was memorable but not in a good way. read more

They originally gave us this super burnt cornbread. Like, in what world does that cornbread look normal? We tasted it and it was dry and awful. We got the biscuits and hush puppies instead and were comped a drink which was very nice. The food was amazing, and all the food in the pics plus the Arnold Palmer came to $37. Amazing price, great food, and great service. read more

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We were in town for the show last night at the Red Hat Amphitheater. We stumbled across this restaurant. It was after lunch around twoish. Not very crowded and staff was busy turning the dinning room over for dinner. I have to admit that it took longer for someone to greet us and ask for a drink order. We were very tired from driving and decided to go along. I will have to say what the initial impression lacked the food made up for it. We were looking for the traditional tasting NC BBQ that we are familiar with. The biscuits and hushpuppies tableside were a nice touch. The sides are what you would expect for a BBQ joint. 99% of all BBQ joints spend so much effort perfecting the BBQ that the sides get a lick and a promise. We thought the sides were fine as we have been to some truly awful BBQ places in Virginia. We did like the 80s music playing. read more

The pit was great as always! If you like vinager style bbq then this is the place for you . I had chopped turkey bbq, Mac and cheese with cabbage collard greens. Free hush puppies and biscuits come with your dinner. I have yet to taste anything bad there! It is located down town so parking isn't the best but not the worse. Had to pay to park but will definitely be back! read more

The Pit - Chopped turkey bbq - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Girls night out choice. There is complementary parking, which is cool. Be sure to ask what time valet stops so if you hang out late you have to get your key before they leave. So the food....um, tried the skillet cornbread with jalapenos and it wasn't tasty. It was a brown sweet type bread not "cornbread " cornbread. The ribs were great. They do not offer a tangy or hot bbq sauce so I asked for crushed red pepper be sprinkled on my ribs. The pull pork was okay. I would give them another try. read more

The Pit - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Very cool looking restaurant with decent BBQ and southern food. I came here for a work lunch. They were able to accommodate the 8 of us easily without an advance reservation. We (as a table) shared the fried green tomatoes and the pimento cheese balls. I tried a cheese ball. It was good. The hushpuppies and biscuits that were brought to the table while we waited were good (although the biscuits were only okay and needed the butter). I had the pulled pork plate. The pork was definitely on the drier side. I liked the vinegar sauce (on the side). The fried okra was heavenly. The sweet potato casserole was a little too sweet for me (I think they were overloaded with marshmallows), but I'm picky about my sweet potatoes. One person in my party had the portabella mushroom sandwich, which he liked. Another person had the combo plate with pulled pork and brisket. He thought it was not the best BBQ. Another person had the sloppy joe. He said it was good to start but then ended up feeling like a lead ball in his stomach. Service was attentive and friendly. Parking is valet or street, be aware that the parking meters in the area only allow for 1 hour at a time. read more

The Pit - Pulled pork plate with sweet potatoes and fried okra - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Came hoping for some good bbq but unfortunately did not leave feeling fully satisfied. Things did start off strong as the complimentary hush puppies and biscuits were fantastic. We tried the Pit Sampler for an assortment of apps and generally enjoyed most of the items -- the pimento cheese balls and deviled eggs were good but we felt the soul rolls and wings could have used a bit more flavor. We then split a triple combo with brisket, pulled pork, and ribs with potato salad and baked beans on the side. The whole plate was not very impressive in taste and mostly lacked flavor. We finished the meal with a berry hand pie, the crust was thinner and harder than we thought it would be. Service was good and quick even though they were very busy as it was Valentines day. The ambiance is nice for a bbq spot but we were disappointed by the quality of the food overall and felt it was a bit pricey for what it was. read more

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Back to The Pit after two years. This time, I'm on a keto diet and so I stuck to it for my lunch. Starting off with the deviled eggs. These were tasty but unremarkable. I think someone went a little nuts with the paprika for the garnishing, but they really didn't have that much flavor. No bite. For main, I chose the combo of pulled pork and fried chicken. The pork was a little dry and needed a bit of the table sauce to bring it up. Sorry! The fried chicken, on the other hand, was excellent. Crisp, hot, flavorful. Not a heavy batter at all, but it kept in the moisture and I enjoyed it. For sides, the cole slaw was creamy and a little black pepper helped. The Brussels sprouts were very tasty but a little mushy with no bite. It's still decent, but it's just not "As good as it gets." [Review 12567 overall, 2358 of 2019.] read more

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I was really disappointed by this place - I expected a lot better from a NC barbecue joint. I ordered the Barbecue fries and beef brisket. Both were incredibly disappointing. The pulled pork on the bbq fries was so incredibly dry and overcooked it was almost impossible to actually chew through. The pork was also really bland and lacked any flavor. It mainly just tasted burnt. You can see from the picture how underwhelming the dish is. The beef brisket was slightly better but still so over cooked and burnt that most of the brisket I could not eat. It was also way too salty, and I could not finish this without chugging water down. The coleslaw and fries were nothing special, which is pretty disappointing for a bbq place. read more

The Pit - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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The burger was amazing and food didn't take long to wait but was DELICIOUS!jdjdjdndjdjdjdjdjdjd read more

The Pit - Kid-Size Burger - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Service was ok. Server got a couple things wrong. The brisket was disappointing... a lot of fat and very thin pieces. Potato Salad had very little taste to it. Hush puppies were good and the dessert size was very large. Nice place overall. read more

Apparently you can't leave Raleigh without stopping by here, and I definitely understand why! We ordered the Seasonal Skillet Cornbread as an appetizer; I'm not big into cornbread, but my boyfriend said it was very good. I ordered the Pit's Southern Fried Chicken with Mashed Potatoes & Gravy and corn (even though it isn't an official side). Although I know this place is famous for its barbecue and brisket, they did fried chicken right. They made me understand why it's called soul food. It was perfectly juicy, crunchy, and flavorful. The sides were good, but if I had to order again, I'd order the Mac & Cheese. The waitstaff was also super friendly and attentive. 5 stars all around! read more

The Pit - Barbeque Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

I have heard a number of people tell me over the 6 years I have lived in Raleigh that I must go to the Pit to eat. So, on Memorial Day, I finally went for a late lunch. I was seated immediately and had trouble deciding over all of the delicious items what to order. I decided on half a rack of baby back ribs accompanied by potato salad and sweet potato casserole. The server brought out complimentary Hush puppies, and a biscuit that was delicious. The hush puppies had a nice full taste, but they were cold. There were a few tables waiting on food, so I am guessing that they were short staffed on this holiday I day. However, my ribs arrived fairly quickly, and I dug in. The ribs were meaty, but I was a little surprised that they were dry and lukewarm. The potato salad was chunky and tasted like something my mom would make. The sweet potato casserole had a nice smooth taste, but I did not taste the walnuts that the waiter said were in them. The meal cost with tip was $28. To have an entree that was less than stellar at this price leaves me disappointed and likely not to go back to the restaurant again read more

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