Allen & Son Bar-B-Que

Since we were in the general area, we took the opportunity to grab some great food for lunch at this old school Eastern NC style BBQ joint. Probably over the years, and through several owners and cooking processes, we’ve eaten here close to 20 times, and we still find the food enjoyable, and there is a nice variety here, centered of course on the Pork BBQ.
This place is, and has almost always been, a dive, with a contorted parking area, a very short distance off a busy highway. The furnishings are bare boned, dated and worn, not especially a rarity with real NC BBQ joints, almost a mantle of authenticity. The service is generally good, though it is not especially plentiful, and at peak times, things slow up more than a bit.
We ordered a Cheeseburger, a Hot Dog with M, C, & Os, a Chopped Sandwich with Slaw, Tots, and FFs, as well as a pound of ‘Cue to take home. The Cheeseburger here is solid, and was so again today — a classic «diner’ style burger, smaller, a bit more grease. The Hot Dog was good, though not quite as good as before, and the waitress confirmed they no longer make their chili in house — too bad, it was excellent, though this is not at all bad!
The Chopped BBQ Sandwich was very, very good, and though this pork is no longer cooked over hardwood coals, it still has an abundance of excellent flavor. And the slaw here is especially nice because it is a drier version than most Eastern slaw, and it contains an ample amount of ground black pepper, which gives it a noticeable bite, blending well with the pork.
This remains a favorite BBQ stop for us, and it did not disappoint on this visit.

My advice is to drive by and do not stop here… Nothing was cute or nice about our entire experience here. The service was totally unprofessional and outright rude and nasty. One young lady was serving 13 tables and also working the cash register. However, she did none of her tasks well, and she acted unpleasant the entire time I observed her. She seemed to hate working there, which also made me as a customer hate being there. Many tables around us, including us got incorrect or incomplete orders brought to the table. In our case, things were never fully fixed. The food was also poor and not fresh tasting. Fried food tasted like it was cooked in spoiled old oil, and all of the food ranged from lousy to medicore except for the cole slaw which was respectable. Several other BBQ businesses in the Triangle area operate at such a higher level of quality in terms of food and service delivered. I will go there and never come back here again, A complete lack of southern hospitality and quality.

Sides are really good. Slaw is fresh. Hand cut fresh french fries! Hushpuppies! Yummmmmmm! Cheeseburgers are monstrous. Fried flounder and shrimp are worth a try. I would give it a 3.5 for the BBQ. Not the best I have had, but pretty dang good! I prefer Lexington Style BBQ but do not hesitate to pick some up here. And don’t confuse this location with the one in Chapel Hill with the same name.

I have always been a big fan, but haven’t been to A&S lately. Wife is out of town, picked up a pound of BBQ and a pound of slaw to get me through the weekend. What a disappointment. In the past, this was genuine, slow smoked Eastern style pit-​cooked BBQ. Today, I got crock-​pot pork loin. What happened? I hope this is a one off, but I see other reviews picking up on this. A real shame, as this was, in my opinion, a reasonable alternative to Wilbur’s. Now, I don’t know where to go (except to Wilbur’s).

While I haven’t tried all the BBQ places in the area, as a native North Carolinian, I’ve definitely eaten my share of eastern style BBQ and Allen & Son does it right (this location as opposed to the one between Chapel Hill and Hillsborough).
For starters, this place is a real dive, but in spite of that, they somehow manage to achieve a 100% sanitation score. That said, don’t expect a fine dining experience here.
The litmus test for me is how the pork tastes sans sauce. Is it tender? Moist? Flavorful? Check, check, and check.
As for the sides, they’re basic. Hushpuppies, slaw, green beans, etc. Puppies are great, slaw pretty good, green beans overcooked (it IS a southern style BBQ joint after all), and tasty baked beans. But, it’s definitely the BBQ that really shines here.
Take the variety of reviews here with a grain of salt. Opinions of BBQ can vary widely. I’m picky with my BBQ and I think A & S does it well.

I have been a long-​time fan of Allen & Son’s place outside Chapel Hill and went to the Pittsboro location expecting the same treat. Well, many of the items were indeed similar — the sweet hush puppies and a number of other sides, however, the star of the show, the BBQ meat, was a disappointment, carelessly chopped pieces, some very large with fat and gristle, that didn’t have the depth of flavor or the lovely smoke aroma of whole-​hog slow cooked BBQ. All in all, very humdrum. Luckily, a visit to The Pig in Chapel Hill restored my barbeque world.

My husband loves their barbecue sandwiches which are loaded with pork. But to me the shredded pork is almost tasteless. So what am I missing?

Stopped by this place on a whim while on a road trip. I got the small BBQ plate (Pulled pork, hush puppies and slaw). The portions are good, more than enough. The vinegar sauce is great, a little spicy but delicious, and the hushpuppies are amazing. The hush puppies aren’t like any other I’ve had before, there is definitely something else in the batter. I wish I could have gotten dessert but I was stuffed. I also don’t have a picture because I scarfed my food down pretty quickly.

A filling NC bbq sandwich awaits your tastebuds. plus additional choices of NC favorites. Ever had deep fried corn on the cob? Reasonably priced with a friendly and courteous staff.

I would recommend stopping by only if you like BBQ and are in the area. It is not worth going out of one’s way to visit, especially for those indifferent to culinary art of BBQ.
And don’t let the fervent love expressed by so many create unrealistic expectations and ruin the experience of this fine BBQ joint.
My friends and I always stop for lunch as we travel between Chapel Hill and Deep River Sporting Clays and Shooting. The service is good, the people are friendly, and although the food is certainly not a bargain, it is very affordable.
I have had just about everything on the menu, and nothing stands out as superb. However, I have never been disappointed when eating there either. The BBQ is well-​cooked and tender, but a little plain. The sides are standard accompaniments that you will see in every similar NC BBQ joint.
Consumer Beware: If incorrect spelling is a pet peeve of yours then divert your eyes away from the wall adjacent to the cash register because an artful wood carving that reads «dinning room» is prominently displayed.

Best Chatham BBQ. We stop by some Sundays nights on the way home from the grocery store. Doesn’t get more Carolina than this!

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! I love BBQ and even plan my trips around getting to try new BBQ restaurants. This place is THE BEST in the region that I have had. Great soul food. Will be back… often!

Great BBQ (not too spicy/​not too much vinegar), and fresh. Not soggy. I don’t like cole slaw normally but I got it on my sandwich here and it was amazing. The people are friendly as well.

So not really sure what all the stink is for this place. Went here after playing at the park over in Chapel Hill.
First, for first timers, like ourselves, there are 2 options here. Outside window, really for to-​go and the inside dining area. Zero signage telling you this. Having 2 little ones it really would have been nice to know you had service inside.
Next, your order takers at the window are about worthless and as rude as can be. The first girl has no idea how to run a window and completely slows the process down. She can’t get an order right to save her life, she has no idea how to run your pos computer and is always asking questions to another girl. The other girl is basically in a pissy mood the entire time and has no patience for customers…
We sat in the outdoor seating area, expect ketchup packets and some red hot. No other/​house hot sauces, etc. Extremely pathetic. You call yourself a BBQ joint and don’t even put out house sauces for your customers. if you have them at all… No idea
The food. You get a boat load of food for your money… Unfortunately it’s just not that great.
The slaw, it’s ok if you can get through the overdose of pepper they put in it. I like pepper, but this was just overkill.
The tots, they are just store bought tots.
Hushpuppies. Extremely tasty and well done!!!
BBQ pork. Ugh. Just not what I expected. Basically just a pork loin marinated in vinegar and red pepper… Not even chopped well and we found a huge piece of fat/​connective tissue in ours. Pretty disgusting actually.
Btw, if you are going to offer a kids basket, include a drink. Don’t nickel and dime people for things like this. A small cup of milk will cost you nothing.

Can be 5-​star but…
On a Thursday rolled in for BBQ sandwiches for supper, usually delicious/​a treat. Got about halfway through (from hunger and enthusiasm) and realized the meat had an «off» taste and was saucier than usual (enough to cause almost instant heartburn) as if to mask the tired taste of the BBQ. It was takeout so we were screwed.
I will be going back but will have to have this discussion.

My husband and I stopped in with our 4yo yesterday evening. We were excited to get some great BBQ. WRONG — a young lady in gym clothes who was carrying a drink tray ignored us twice while we were standing at the hostess stand to be seated. After passing us twice and failing to make any eye contact or attempt to acknowledge us we left. Found a GREAT restaurant in Southern Village and stayed for music on the lawn. Perfect ending for us go to Town Hall Grill if you want great food and EXCELLENT customer service. They have a pretty good BBQ sandwich too ;)

As a native North Carolinian who counts good barbeque among his favorite things on planet earth, I have had my share of tasty ‘cue from around the state. This, my friends, is my favorite.
You’ll find this place tucked away between Pittsboro and Chapel Hill. It’s off the beaten path for a lot of folks but people make the trek out there to get that pulled pork.
When you pull into the parking lot, you know you’re looking at a legit BBQ joint. It looks like a big old house and it’s got the big painted sign to mark it out. If they’re open, you’ll most likely see a full parking lot as well.
When barbeque is good, you don’t need any fancy sauce! Such is the case with Allen & Son. It’s down home pulled pork that is tender, juicy, vinegar-​based heaven. Pair that up with some real coleslaw, a side of hush puppies, and the tastiest Brunswick Stew you’re going to find, and you’re done for the day.
If you’re interested in having the best Carolina barbeque out there, check this place out and stack it up against everywhere else you’ve been that serves that legit Carolina pulled pork. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

I live in San Diego now but whenever I come back to Chapel Hill I always go down to Allen and Sons in Pittsboro for some awesome food I can’t get on the west coast.

Price is right, portions are HUGE, staff is friendly but most importantly the food is amazing.

Love this place. While we lived in NC for a few years, it was always a treat to go and talk sports with Stubb’s and have some good ol North Carolina BBQ… his coleslaw is out of this world good and I don’t even like coleslaw!!! One of the only things I miss about that state!

Not sure what the rave is all about. I would say Mediocre, at best. I went here this past week with a client who recommended this to me, and was quite excited when i pulled in as it reminded me of many of the small-​local dive places that i love. However, the food isn’t anything to write home about.
Yes, their servings are large and cheap, but there wasn’t anything special about the taste. I have had better BBQ in NC. The pork was OK and the cole slaw was very runny. If you are looking for a inexpensive lunch, its worth a try.

I live in Kansas City, so I’m pretty used to KC BBQ. That being said, we weren’t sure of what to get for dinner, so I found this place on Unilocal and decided to stop in. Picked up 1lb of pulled pork and an order of the hush puppies.
Though not used to vinegar in my BBQ, it was excellent. Would definitely come back to Allen & Son!
FYI: Though previous reports state they don’t take credit cards, that is no longer true. They are now accepted!

This is my favorite bbq place in the state. I can’t believe I’m admitting that, neglecting my home favorite Alston Bridges in Shelby, NC.
BUT, nice eastern style barbecue. The sandwiches are very substantial, a little spicy, moist, delicious. The fries are handcut which is hard to find at any bbq joint. Great sweet tea and delicious apple handpies. I have no complaints, I just wish this was in my backyard.
Lots of outdoor seating, perfect for summer, large groups, and kids.