The Chicken On The Roof Grill

Been closed for 2 months now they are selling the place. Poor service and they dont care if they gave you not cooked fries tsk tsk

Looks like it has CLOSED !! Drove by last night, while on my way from Wash DC area, home to NJ. I had previously enjoyed pit beef here, 2 years ago. And, it had been a gr8 photo op., of the chicken on the roof ! Sadly, BIZ FOR SALE
And, the chicken is gone from the roof !
Perhaps, it was located just an extra mile or 2 too far from I-​95 ?!

Since the new owner has taken over this restaurant and changed the recipes and staff in July the food has been consistently outstanding. I have bought the half rack ribs which were very juicy, moist and tender that falls off the bone with a touch of the fork. The seasoning used in the dry rub is the best that I’ve tasted. I recommend getting the ribs without the BBQ sauce which covers up the taste of the dry rub seasoning. The ½ rack has 6 ribs and with the french fries will fill up one person. The french fries are cut with the skin on and taste better than the others around here.
The pit beef is also very juicy with a unique and very tasty seasoning that makes it stand out above all the other stands around.
The BBQ chicken was great with a delicious BBQ covering and moist tender chicken inside.
They deliver very quickly to a wide area and they have been to my house a few times and I will be ordering from them in the future.
UPDATE 1÷30÷15: They have reopened but a star deducted as they no longer deliver so I can’t get their food.

My husband and I live in Kentucky and only get to Maryland once a year, but Chicken on the Roof is a must eat for us! Pork BBQ and beef BBQ are both superb! Great onion rings and fries… ribs were yummy too! Staff very pleasant and talkative. Wish we could come more often!

This place is terrible. I was excited when I found a place that used charcoal. I get in to the place and there is a line. However it is moving real slow. I noticed the person taking orders was moving real slow and not being polite to people. When it finally got to be my turn– took about ten minutes, she did not even say hi. She just stared at me. I placed my order. She ripped up the ticket that came out of the printer. She did not give me my drink till about 5 minutes before my order was ready. Others got their food before me. Finally– they asked me what I ordered. I told them– they told me it would be ready in 3 minutes. I had already waited 35 minutes for my food. When I got my food– it had taken so long– I ate in my car. The meat was dry and barely tasted smoked. The fries were ok. Needless to say I will not be going back.

So, to my knowledge this place is under new management. I’m not sure for how long, so don’t know if the prior reviews are for the old or new management, however, my experience was good.
The place is very small, there are a few tables and chairs in there, just big enough for that «I have to eat right now instead of taking it home» type of instance. Visiting from St. Louis, where we have great BBQ, I was intrigued by the size of the menu for such a small place. I had the Pit Turkey sandwich and it was great. The turkey was flavorful and juicy. My mom tried a hot dog… yes, i know… but she really enjoyed it. My brother had a grilled chicken with cheese and bacon which he really enjoyed and my sis-​in-​law had the brisket. All of our food was good. The mac n cheese and baked beans are also must haves!

I just ordered the «Porky Pig» and it was FANTASTICALLY DELICIOUS. What is a «Porky Pig»? It is a pit ham and pulled pork barbecue sandwich on a fresh roll (not toasted). This is the best sandwich around.
I also had the chance to taste the Macaroni Cheesy-​Que. That is equal parts homemade macaroni cheese and BBQ pulled pork. Neither of these options were on the menu yet. Keith, one of Paul’s favorite customers came up with the Porky Pig and Paul, the owner, came up with the «better half» of this pulled pork marriage.
Stop in and treat your taste buds, it’s worth the trip.

After driving pass this spot for months my son and i stopped by to get a pit beef and a pit turkey sandwich. Paul the owner was t

Worst food ever. The pit turkey on rye was missing the turkey. It didn’t cover the bread. The chicken box was awful. Nice size wings with NO SEASONING. It tasted like straight up grease. The fries, do to the 25 minute wait for wings, were cold. My husband had BBQ beef sandwich which he said was as good as
Arby’s. The one star is do to the fact I can’t give a negative.
My advice continue down the road and eat ANYPLACE else.

I got the dinner special of a full rack of ribs, fries and slaw for $ 11.95. When I got home, there were 6 ribs (mostly bone), almost no sauce or meat. The fries were greasy, but the slaw was fresh. I also purchased a open face turkey, which also came with fries and gravy and was more in line with the $ 9.95 price. The people were friendly, but the food is below average. If your hungry and headed to Baltimore, wait! If your headed north, go to cracker barrel, mamie’s or another place. The only reason why this place lasts is the staff and the hard to miss chicken on the roof. Otherwise, this place would be out of business in a few months.

Pleasant surprise. Small carry out joint with a few tables inside and out. Good pit beef cooked on coals. Better then most pit beef in the area. Good portions and lunch specials too. Be prepared for local clientele meaning not the classiest folks but worth the stop.

Recently changed owners and the menu has expanded to offer Pit items. Sandwiches are large and prices decent. Need to improve pit beef levels of doneness… I asked for a medium and it was well done. Looking at the whole beef that they slice, you can tell that it would be impossible to get a medium grill sandwich because the whole roast is well done. Other than that, casual restaurant good for a quick bite.

The Best Reuben I’ve ever had. Stopped here on our way home from Alexandria. WHAT A FIND. We will be stopping each and every time we head down that way. The service was great and the owner was very friendly. He knew we were «Yankees» the moment we walked through the door. It was funny.

Went there today on a whim when we saw the pit beef sign from the corner, and we were pleasantly surprised. They seem to be a bit pricey for what you get, but the quality in general was good. There is hardly enough space inside for a dozen people, so we chose to eat outside and deal with the cool breeze.
The Unilocal page listed this place as closed, but there was a banner saying they’re under new management. I’d never been here or heard of the place before, so I don’t know how long it may have been closed… but it’s up & running now.
The three of us each ordered beef items, but we are planning on another visit next week, and I will also try something else. We were each happy with what we got… One rare, one medium, and one medium well. The meat was tender and flavorful. The med-​well one was a platter w/​gravy and they gave us old bay to put on the fries. The platter was about $ 10, & the sandwiches we’re about $ 8, none of which included the drinks.
One person taking the orders asked for the customer’s name, but the other one didn’t. Could use a little more consistency there.

I have to write a review for this place because it was such a pleasant experience. Heading home from DC to NY, I was hungry.
We chose to take the Joppa, MD exit for typical fast food offerings when I noticed their billboard offering fresh and fast food, with a local feel.
It was a miserably cold day, but the people that run this place warmed my heart and my stomach.
They were great conversationalists with an extremely tasty menu!
I ordered the most succulent «Old Bay» wings ever! And my BF had a «Cheeseburger Sub».
The BF and I make this trip from NY to DC so many times that I have to put Joppa on my radar in the future.

It’s literally a chicken shack. You go to the window, you order, you get a box, you leave. The pit beef was OK, not great, but the actual chicken wings I got were really, really good, and the different sauces (West Carolina, East Carolina, BBQ) were all really tasty.

Came here due to a double take deal offer. I came here with my husband to get a combo (small fries & drink) with pit beef sandwich on jalapeño bread. Cost was a bit expensive (~$ 10 each) but worth the large amount of food. Lots of sauces to put in your sandwich such as horseradish, bbq sauce, ketchup, etc…
Service is bare minimum. Minimal seating in door. Outdoor seating available but the flies will eat you alive.