The Pit

My fiancé and I went there this past Saturday to celebrate our engagement. Everything was good from the service when we walked in the door, the server and the food. Our glasses stayed filled and the server was very friendly. The food was great, that chopped pork barbecue was on the money; I could eat it by itself (and did lol). Those hush puppies were very good with the butter. So much food. We even got a complimentary dessert to celebrate. I hadn’t had banana pudding in a long time and it did not disappoint. We were well pleased. The only negative is the parking situation but thankful for valet. Also the seating was a little cramped we almost knocked over someone else’s plate.

A coworker is leaving to go to a state job so a group of his co workers took him here for his sendoff. Ate the catfish along with Mac and cheese and collard greens and some scrumptious cornbread. They were a little understaffed but still good service and I will give them more shots in the not too distant future…

Some of the best BBQ I’ve ever had. We had a company event with a buffet of fried green tomatoes, hushpuppies, whole hog pulled pork, BBQ brisket and vegetables plus mac and cheese.
The pulled pork was by far the best I’ve ever had, the whole hog adds so much flavor. The brisket was super tender.
Will certainly return if in the area.

Very nice restaurant. Clean and spacious with a nice atmosphere. Good service as well. Good menu with a lot of choices. I had the double, chopped BBQ and brisket, collards, Mac and cheese. The wife had the Lexington BBQ, Mac and potato salad.
Everything tastes good, was delivered quickly and was a good temp. All but the brisket… It was fatty, tough and bland underneath the sauce. Tasty hush puppies but the biscuits left a little to be desired.
Tad bit pricy but felt worth the dough.
I’d return. Give it a try!

The Pit never disappoints. I don’t live in NC, but if I am near one of their restaurants I always try and stop in for a meal.
My most recent visit was, once again, awesome. I took my family and we went for the sharing menu so we could all try a variety of food. A great option which allowed us to select the appropriate quantity of food as well.
My favorite on this trip was the Baby Back Ribs. Yum!!! Soooo tender. I also really enjoyed the cole slaw.
Service was also great. The waitress helped us navigate the menu as there were so many good options to choose from.
I am obviously a big fan. I recommend you try one of their establishments if you are in the area.

Came here for a wedding rehearsal dinner. Our set menu included:
— Fried green tomatoes: I’ve had fried green tomatoes at other restaurants that were soggy or too greasy, but this app was neither of those! Seasoned well and fried to a yummy crisp. Great dipping sauce as well.
— Deviled eggs: I love deviled eggs so I loved this app, but nothing that was super special or out of the park amazing. Although tasty, I probably wouldn’t order this on my own just because I can make pretty good deviled eggs at home
— Eastern NC chopped BBQ: loved this, the meat was tender with tons of flavor on its own. I tend to like chopped bbq more than sliced/​coarsely chopped because I think there is more flavor and this was no exception. Yum!
— Lexington shoulder: good, but not as good as the Eastern chopped BBQ. I thought there wasn’t enough flavor and the chunks of meat were a tad on the drier side
— Sides: sweet potato fries (not pre-​frozen!), creamed corn (so good!), mashed potatoes (can’t go wrong)
— Banana pudding: oh my gawd, this banana pudding was amazing! I particularly loved the meringue on top, which was light and fluffy. I was quite sad that I had eaten so much appetizers/​entrees that I couldn’t eat as much dessert :(
Loved the décor, service was fantastic, but most of all, the food was delicious!

For starters, I grew up in Eastern NC so I know great barbecue when I taste it and recognize authentic customer service when provided. Also, I have been going to The Pit since it opened in Raleigh. Now that I have gotten the formalities out of the way, my family and I chose the Durham location for my sister’s birthday dinner because: 1. The original pit master for The Pit is at the Durham location. 2. The Raleigh location is always too packed and too loud. 3. We love the food at The Pit and want to enjoy it.
Based on previous comments, I would think we got the luck of the draw however, I have literally NEVER had a bad piece of fried chicken from The Pit. Get the the fried chicken, you will not be disappointed! The barbecue was delectable as well. The macaroni and cheese was AMAZING!!! We did order the barbecue nachos for an appetizer… it was large enough for the group of us (it was 9 of us). It was decent, there is a layer of beans on the nachos and the beans are on the sweet side.
My only complaint is at the Durham location, if your group is not large enough to fill a 20 person table they will actually put two separate groups at the one big table.

The server at the Pit on 4÷1÷16 at around 5pm was delightful and excellent, unfortunately the food, especially the pulled pork (very dry, cold and like leftovers) was not! My daughters chop turkey was fine.
The hush puppies were so hard we couldn’t bite into them. Perhaps they were fried then warmed up by frying again. The pecan pie (which is usually very good) was burned on top and difficult to chew.
Was this an April fools joke at our expense $$$??

The Pit has great BBQ and is a great place to take people who are visiting from up north for a taste of some southern style food. However, having been to the Raleigh location, I just don’t think the food here at the Durham location tastes as good. It’s a great place to go for dinner because you can order a bunch of plates and share everything. You really get to taste a little bit of everything which calls for a great dining experience.
To start, the hushpuppies and biscuits here are delicious. I could really just eat them as my meal. The hushpuppies are bite size so be careful not to eat them all. These are probably my favorite hushpuppies. We ordered the chicken wings to start. I didn’t try them, but other friends seemed to have liked them.
The chopped turkey here is my favorite dish. I was craving it all day and then when we ordered we were told they were all out of this! I was extremely disappointed. The restaurant didn’t even look that crowded and we ate at a normal time (7:30) so I really didn’t think they should be out of this. We ended up ordering the BBQ chicken and the brisket. Both were very good. The chicken was juicy and flavorful and the brisket was cooked well and wasn’t chewy. For sides we chose the sweet potato fries, mashed potatoes, and Mac and cheese. The mashed potatoes weren’t my favorite and were a little too heavy with the gravy. You can’t go wrong with ordering the Mac and cheese here, but the sweet potato fries are my favorite side here and were very good.
They do have a valet service which is very helpful since parking is really hard to find. Overall, if you want to go to the Pit, I’d recommend driving to Raleigh and eating at that location.

The sweet potato cornbread is great — crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, and the ribs are good too with a fall off the bone consistency. Their meatloafs are lacking though — I don’t know how they make them, but it tastes a little dry and off. I would also stay away from the collard greens, since it was undercooked and not as tender as I would have wanted. I would say that they do their bbq tofu really well. I wonder if they use actual tofu to make it, since it has a chewy consistency that reminds me of tempeh and gluten puffs. I’m giving three stars because some of their food is hit and miss, and for the price that they’re charging I would expect something really amazing and/​or larger portions.

Great service, solid cocktails, and amazing bbq.
Came here looking for authentic carolina style bbq and this place nailed it, with reasonable prices too.
I had cocktail, appetizer, and entrée with 2sides for less than $ 30 pretty amazing spot

After being disappointed by the Raleigh edition of this popular BBQ joint, I was skeptical about giving it another go in Durham. But, being unfamiliar with the Bull City, I ended up gravitating to this familiar spot for a late dinner and a couple of drinks while in town recently on business.
Unlike in their Raleigh restaurant, this location served up a juicy helping of sliced pork, which I happily washed down with a couple of local beers. The service at the bar was fast and friendly, even as the place was getting ready to close down. Worth a visit if you’re looking for good ‘Q in Durham.

This was a fun place — we tried the NC style barbecue pork which has a vinegar and pepper sauce and loved it! The brisket was good too along with fried okra and slaw.
We arrived on a Wednesday night and almost every table was taken so make reservations if you plan to come here, especially on the weekend.

I came here with two friends for my birthday this past weekend, and I’m glad I did. Warm barbecue is just what you need on a cold day.
The ambience is between casual and upscale; it’s a very popular spot for groups and I wouldn’t be surprised if you would need a reservation on some nights.
Our waiter introduced himself and showed us the menu. A good variety of meats, with even some fish on the menu. I chose the half rack of baby back ribs with sides of mashed potatoes n’ gravy and cole slaw (gotta have my cole slaw), as well as a glass of red wine.
We didn’t have to wait long for our food, but we were served biscuits, hush puppies, and butter. How they got the butter to be so light, sweet, and delicious, I’ll never know.
Needless to say, the ribs and sides were excellent. The baby back ribs satisfied my sweet tooth. I should’ve gone for the full rack.
Our waiter informed me that because it was my birthday, they would treat me with a complementary dessert. This was a pleasant surprise and I would highly recommend the pecan pie. It was a substantial piece of pie and there was plenty to share between the three of us!
You can’t treat yourself to ribs every day, but if you’re feeling the mood for ribs, come to the Pit. I usually don’t give 5 star reviews, but I had a great experience here and will definitely come again. Excellent service, awesome food, and an overall great time!

Wowee! Where do I start? Carolina style ribs with the vinegar base, SLAMMIN jammins! A MUST! Baked cornbread with maple butter… WHAT?! Where have you been all my life? Southern fried chicken. finger licking good! :) We’ve also tried the brisket and pulled pork, which were both good, but not the best I’ve had… The sides were AMAZING! You have to try the creamed corn, mac n cheese and fried okra! Your tastebuds will thank me :) For the most part, you can’t really go wrong with anything on the menu.
I’ve been here on a few occasions and each time was a pleasant experience. The place has a nice ambiance, and the space is good for groups of all sizes. Service was fast and friendly, but the one thing that irked me a bit was that the servers would bring the trays over my 1 year old’s son’s head… I mean, I thought it would be common sense (and courtesy) to not bring things over people’s heads, let alone a child, but I guess it’s easy to not realize it since the height of a child is usually lower than that of an adult’s, but still… minus one star for that oversight, which could have potentially ended up in a disaster if they had accidentally tripped and dropped the tray full of dishes! Am I right or am I right? :)

YAY for NC barbecue!!! I came to the Pit really early so my friend and I were the only ones in the restaurant, but even then the atmosphere was cool because they showcase their huge fire oven in the back and they have really cool wall decorations. I got the pulled pork with mac and cheese. The meat was fantastic, and you get to try their three sauces they leave out on the table. The mac and cheese was really, really good, especially because all barbecue places may offer it but normally it’s not good at all. They set out hush puppies as an appetizer (instead of bread), and they aren’t my thing, but my friend liked them.
Really, really love the Pit for great barbecue and a nice, casual atmosphere. And it’s located in a great part of town!

I’ve never had NC barbecue before, so I was stoked to try it out. Funnily enough, my friend who brought me here is actually a vegetarian, but The Pit has barbecued tofu, which I think is great (the bite I had tasted good too)! That would be the ultimate joke back in Texas…
I got the chopped pork plate (seriously, chopped pork blows my mind. I’ve never even considered chopped pork as a possibility before). I got a side of mac and cheese and fried okra with it; my group also split the seasonal cornbread, which was pumpkin-​flavored with a maple butter.
The cornbread was pretty tasty, but the portion size was a little underwhelming. My chopped pork plate, on the other hand, was not… my favorite. The pork was dry to me (maybe it’s because it was 8pm, close to closing?), but fortunately the 3 different sauces were its saving grace. I was especially fond of the vinegar-​based sauce, drowning my pork with it to make it a little bit juicier.
Service is also not the best I’ve had, but when you have 1 server working an entire bar area, I understand how overwhelming it can get, especially with how insanely busy this restaurant can get.
Also, I’ve read reviews about complimentary biscuits, but we were never once offered them. A shame because from reading the reviews, it looks like I missed out on a really tasty part of my meal :(
It’s very obvious the flavors at The Pit are on point; I think coming during peak hours/​at the minimum, earlier, would result in a much better meal.

I had a great experience at The Pit! I went during lunch and it was pretty busy, but we still got seated immediately.
The only downfall of my time here was waiting for someone to take our order and drinks! We actually waited a good 10 – 15 minutes before someone actually came to us. Our server apologized and said that our dessert would be on The Pit, which was very nice.
I like how they have the basket of hush puppies and biscuits. The butter that came with them was very soft and light. Both of us ordered the combination platters (chopped or pulled pork) with 2 sides. The slaw was really good and it only came out to be around $ 9.
For dessert, we had the banana pudding and chocolate cake. The size of these desserts is so large! Our cake could feed 3 people. The presentation is pretty nice as well (for both desserts). Overall, check this place out. It is clear that they care about their customers and try to make their experience as good as possible.

This place is pretty good, but definitely has its shortcomings. Went here with my brother and got the fried mac and cheese bites, Carolina ribs, pulled pork, fried okra, mashed potatoes, creamed corn, baked beans, chocolate cake, and peanut butter pie.
To start, they gave us biscuits and hush puppies. Those hush puppies are unreal — be sure to eat the butter with them because the butter has this fantastic sweetness to it that is just heavenly. The fried Mac and cheese bites were pretty good, even though I wasn’t a fan of the bbq ranch.
For the entrees, the ribs were actually kind of a letdown. They were actually really tough. The pulled pork was better, but honestly the meats were more or less carried by the sauces. They can’t really stand on their own. Didn’t get to try the Lexington brown, sadly. The sides — the okra was great, as were the mashed potatoes and creamed corn. They were all really, really good. I was especially surprised and impressed by the creamed corn. The baked beans were not my thing, but I wouldn’t say they were bad, just not my taste.
The desserts were both good, and both were massive. Like, second meal massive. My only problem is that they took like 10 minutes to come out. How long does it take to slice a piece of cake? Also, in general we are a ton. I was only able to eat so much because I naturally can eat a lot and I had run 14 miles before hand. Otherwise, prepare to have some leftovers.
Overall, good food. Liked it a lot.

Food: 4
Service: 4
Value: 4
Overall:
Great place to get NC barbecue. They have a wide selection of meats. The indoors has a semi-​open kitchen, which is cool as you can watch the staff prepare pulled pork and watch them smoke entire hogs. The downside is that you’ll end up smelling very strongly of smoke coming out of the restaurant.
Food:
We had various kinds of BBQ pork here. The pork was juicy, smoky, and the flavor was brought out by the tangy sauces.
Service:
The service was courteous and efficient. The space is large. There is no ambient music, but the place can get quite loud from people talking and the semi-​exposed kitchen. Moreover, you’ll most likely smell like smoke afterwards. They also offer options for reserving the rooftop for events.
Value:
Prices are very good given the serving size and quality.