Log Cabin Bar-B-Que

There last night. Got the pulled pork. Got a good mix of interior pork and then my favorite the dark crusty edges. Really loving the changes made to the BBQ. Been on a diet for 30 days and their BBQ was compliant when placed on a salad. I couldn’t eat dressing, but the BBQ salad was perfect without dressing.

Stopped by for an early lunch on our way back from Uhwarrie. Place was very busy and server took a few minutes to get to us. She was very nice and after that very prompt with refills and table maintenance. BBQ was pretty good. Typical eastern style bbq and the sauce was pretty spicy but awesome. Hush puppies fried chips and potato salad was great. Definitely worth a try if your in the area and very cheap as well especially for the amount of food.

The food, service, and total atmosphere here is great. I got a large chopped plate with a baked potato, potato salad, hush puppies, and sweet tea for around $ 10.
The BBQ was great. The potatoes were perfectly cooked and the homemade potato salad was excellent. I ate one of the onion rings that a friend ordered. They were homemade and delicious.
Everything about this restaurant from the location, environment, wait staff, parking, and the food were spot on. Next time I’m back in Albemarle for any reason, I’ll be back here to eat.
Only thing negative is that they are closed on Mondays :(But, everything else deserves 5 stars for sure.

How can it be called Barbecue when it’s cooked with a gas cooker? The slaws were good, the tea was good, but minus the sauce the Q was lacking.

Great, wood-​smoky pork barbecue.
Typically I’m partial to the mouthfeel of chopped on a sandwich, but there’s no denying that their pulled pork option was the richest, moistest, smokiest between the two. The half inch thick pulls were more like something you’d see at a whole hog pig pickin’ than a restaurant. It was nice to have a choice between white and red slaw — the sweet, creamy white was the perfect contrast to the piquant, peppery vinegar in the sauce. The sweet tea was perfect and the hush puppies were like freshly fried sweet white corn donuts.
It’s mind boggling that some reviews imply a toss up in quality between Log Cabin and Whispering Pines: this is the clear winner. This place is not to be missed!

Please understand my rating is for a BBQ restaurant, and at that Log Cabin excels. This NC BBQ lover has dined at the Cabin approx 10 times and is past due giving them their due.
I have tasted but never order the chopped (in their case, minced) Q. On an early visit a veteran server gave me a tip that «course chopped» or «pulled» would be more freshly sourced. That has been great advice.
I prefer eastern Carolina BBQ and Log Cabin’s heavy vinegar baste and table sauce (and option of white slaw) bring that flavor. That said, the red slaw is great; much more distinctive than most Q shacks.
I’m not certain how much real wood smoking is still being done; the cookhouse out back looks remarkably neat, orderly (and unused?). But on my recent visit, after several months absence, the Q was their best ever, tender and great pork and browned flavor.

My first impression was that this restaurant has seen better days. There was large paint spots missing from the green front door. Not a good way to make a first impression for a first time visitor.
This is a seat yourself place, as are most barbecue joints.
This is a small restaurant, with the interior laid out in the shape of an «L.»
I ordered a small chopped plate, red slaw, fries, hush puppies, and sweet tea w/​lemon.
BARBECUE? Per my friend Fred’s advice, I applied the vinegar sauce liberally. My first bite was a «wow, look what I’ve been missing all these years!» There was a smoky flavor, and a taste reminiscent of barbecue «down east,» as in the Goldsboro or Greenville NC area. As the barbecue cooled off, it became grainy on the texture because it was minced to within an inch of its life. There was also a dry characteristic, that the sauce covered to a large extent, but I could taste it. I didn’t love it, and I didn’t hate it — it wasn’t bad. 3.5÷5.
SAUCE? The sauce on the table was an eastern NC vinegar based dip. It was spicy and darned good! I would have liked to buy a bottle of this to take home. ⁵⁄₅.
FRENCH FRIES? I don’t know what type of oil they used, but these fries were delicious. They had a wonderful flavor. If they had been cooked slightly crispier, they would have been perfect. ⁴⁄₅.
RED SLAW? I was surprised. I generally dislike red slaw, period. This was the best version that I have ever eaten. Spicy. Full of pimento. Coarsely chopped. Crunchy. The taste and texture reminded me very much of Vietnamese Papaya salad. I ate every last bite. In retrospect, I was amazed to find myself thinking, «I would order this again.» ³⁄₅.
HUSH PUPPIES? As Fred said, the trio of hush puppies were indeed large and round. They were clearly homemade, and pleasantly crunchy. Unfortunately, they were a little greasy. I’ve had much worse though. 3.5÷5
SWEET TEA? Some of the absolute WORST sweet tea that I’ve ever had the misfortune to encounter. It wasn’t sweet, it wasn’t cold, and it wasn’t tasty. It reminded me of dishwater. Come on people, sweet tea is supposed to be sweet. This tasted like Southern sweet tea made by someone from New Hampshire. {shakes my fist in indignation. LOL} ⁰⁄₅.
SERVICE? My tea never ran out, but then again, I didn’t drink much of it. Service was cordial, but not friendly. I’ve had much better service. ²⁄₅.
The men’s BATHROOM was clean, albeit dark, and uncomfortably close to the dining room — as in, if someone forgot to lock the bathroom door, and someone else tried to enter, diners would be able to see the occupant «doing his business.» Not a happy thought.
All in all, I liked the barbecue here, but if I ever came here again I would order it either coarse chopped or sliced. The extremely fine chop just kills the texture. I would basically rate the place a 3.5 overall, rounded down due to the abomination that they call sweet tea.

SERVICE:
Good service and friendly staff.
FOOD:
I had the chopped pork and tater tots with a drink. The chopped pork was just OK but had decent flavor. Not much smoke, but still OK.
Only have vinegar based BBQ sauce, no tomato based sauces.
They do not have any sort of ribs or brisket at all, so only come here if you like burgers or pork. Not really a full BBQ joint if you ask me.
If you like Kansas City/​Texas based BBQ (I do!) this is not your place. This is plainly Carolina BBQ.

After living in Albemarle for almost a year, I finally made it here – and I really wish I had come sooner!
The bbq comes chopped or sliced. Like another reviewer observed, the chop is a little on the fine side, but I think it would be preferable to the sliced.
Regardless, the bbq has a good smoke to it. It comes unsauced, nor does it need any. But the house sauce on the table is good! It’s got that NC base, but it’s got a good amount of heat to it. Some might think it too spicy, but I thought it to be «just right.» I kept adding it to my bbq until it was a soggy mess! Hog heaven!
I got the chopped plate, which came with rolls or hushpuppies and 2 sides. Being it was my first time, I had to try the hushpuppies. White corn meal, with a good flavor and cooked well. For my sides, I tried the onion rings and the tater tots. Any place that has onion rings, I have to try them. I hadn’t had deep fried tater tots in so long, that was an «impulse» decision there.
But, they have plenty of the other traditional sides for bbq. One item I did not see listed on the menu, however, was greens.
Their menu has plenty of other items to select from as well.
On their drink menu, they carry cherry lemon Sundrop and Cheerwine. For an extra $ 0.50, they’ll make you a «witchdoctor»! ;)
I ate so much, I did not have any room for the good-​looking selection of cake slices!
Friendly, prompt staff. On-​site parking lot. Good food. You can definitely get a hearty meal here for $ 10!
I will be back!

The BBQ was ok. (I think I may not fully embrace the NC style, as I prefer my pork pulled not chopped.) I really enjoyed the red slaw and the hush puppies. The service was super friendly with the exception of the girl at the counter who was taking phone orders. Every single time she hung up the phone she would complain about the person calling in an order, so minus one star for her…

Located just up the road from Whispering Pines (the other BBQ in Albemarle, NC), Log Cabin, in my opinion, is my favorite by a slight margin — and its all because of the house BBQ sauce. Chopped, sliced, or pulled — the BBQ is almost always moist and always tastes great. Service is always friendly and the prices are affordable for any budget.
Personal recommendation — get the sliced or pulled BBQ if you get a plate (with sides) and chopped if you go with a sandwich. Great stuff.
Now I’m hungry.

Consistency is a good thing, especially when it is about consistently good barbecued pig — enter Log Cabin Bar-​B-​Que. Located deep in Lexington style BBQ country, it breaks that mold in a number of ways — none of which detracted from the quality of the cooked pig offered here, and one of which actually enhances it. — The peppery sauce.
They cook shoulders here, out back over hickory coals, chop the meat a little on the fine side, and don’t sauce it out of the kitchen. Add a nice dose of the house sauce — it is hot, and transforms this pig into something special, at least for me, much more in the Eastern NC style.
They offer 2 slaws — a white, mayo based one with bits of carrot, and a sweet undertone — and a red BBQ slaw which is different from most in the area — it has a little pimento, and some tomato — a little more salad than slaw, IMO. I would pass on both — take the Cue straight, and put their sauce on liberally (only time I like that concept), and you are coming close to a life changing experience. The Hush Puppies here are very nice — round and tasty, perfectly cooked.
The Chili Dog here is outstanding — just don’t get it with slaw, especially their «BBQ Slaw», messes up a very good dog. They have some interesting desserts here including Lemon Sundrop Cake.
4 ½ stars would be my choice here.

excellent barbecue, nice setting

Man this place is a hit. If you’re in town and looking for some Q — this is the place to go. Perfect for every Carolina Q fan. You can take your buddy from Greenville and your cousin from Hickory. They’ll both be happy. Why? Because this bbq has a good East-​meets-​Lex flavor to it and if ya need more vinegar, there is sauce on the table. I recommend the chopped bbq plate myself. You get two sides and definitely get some Tea with it.
I’ve been there a few times already and took the kids too. Very good place to feed the fam on the cheap.
The ladies that work there are nice and the service is as expected.
Be wary of the dinner rush, this place can fill up fast. But if you don’t mind waiting a lil bit, you’ll get a table in no time.
I’m going to try the drive-​through service under the car port tonight.
You can’t beat that in a rush!

How long does it take to put BBQ and a pile of fries on a plate?. Kept switching beween here and Whispering Pines for years, but the slow service made me change to Whispering Pines.
I believe they cook over gas where Whispering Pines is still wood.

Log Cabin is ok. They have a bar-​b-​que salad which is interesting and tasty, though I’m not sure the bar-​b-​que is cooked anywhere near wood. Their hushpuppies are round, flavorful and well-​fried and their homemade sauce is spicy and vinegary. My favorite.
I’ve had good service each time I visited, though sometimes it’s been friendlier than others. Near closing and during busy times some of the staff seem too hurried to be friendly.
They have some outdoor seating and three rooms for dining inside, but the place can fill up pretty quickly. It’s a popular, affordable spot in Albemarle.

I’ve been going here off and on for years. And really, sometimes I can’t distinguish between Whispering Pines and Log Cabin. It is all Albemarle barbecue to me. This joint is a little nicer in terms of appearance, and has a nicer drive-​up area (as Leigh H mentions).
I was there this past Saturday for lunch and didn’t have a great experience. The service was slow. Our waitress was a little absent-​minded, and a few things were incorrect on our order. As we were leaving, there were several tables waiting to be greeted. Hopefully this was just a one-​time mistake.
Log Cabin’s menu features the Q (served in trays and plates), typical sides, burgers, hot dogs, a few other sandwiches and salads. I ordered a tray with outside meat. It came out as a very coarse chop. Either they screwed up my order, or this is how they serve outside meat. But that’s ok.
I was most disappointed with the tenderness of the Q. It was difficult to pull apart with the fingers, even going with the grain. I had to use a plastic knife which didn’t work well either. It tasted fair with a generous portion of the table sauce, but there was no smoke flavor whatsoever. Didn’t even see a smoke ring near the outside meat. And that outside brown had no texture at all. It was just a real disappointment. None of these issues are probably noticeable in the finely chopped Q they normally serve.
I may have just caught them on a bad day. Barbecue can be inconsistent from day to day (as can restaurant service for that matter). So Log Cabin is worth another shot. But I think Whispering Pines down the street is probably a better bet for Q in Albemarle.

I’m from Albemarle and now live in San Francisco. Everytime I go home, I visit Log Cabin at least once. Great BBQ… cheap cheap prices and the friendliest staff East of the Mississippi!
No frills… great sweet tea… hushpuppies…bbq sandwich… sun-​drop pound cake and cherry lemon sundrop soda. Mmmm mmmm… good!
Oh…and their drive thru window is a coverd carport that you drive up to and honk the horn for service. I love the South. and their ways!