The Original Q Shack
| Address: | 2510 University Dr, Durham, NC 27707, USA |
| Phone: | +1 919-402-4227 |
| Site: | theqshackoriginal.com |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 9
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Chris Mario
Get the ribs. Just do it. once youve had them, youll regret not getting them every other time you went. And if theyve got the sweet potato tots on the menu, get them too. If you havent had qshack yet, let me tell you about the side salad. I use the side salad as a way to judge a restaurant.( If its bagged lettuce with carrot strings and one tomato, the rest of the food probably isnt going to be any good). On my first visit, i got the salad as one of my sides, expecting to see the bagged lettuce (hey, i was trying to save on calories) but what I got was AMAZING - eggs, lots of tomatoes and green onions and avocado (thats right, avo on a SIDE salad!) and if you want to really mix the meat and salad, I would recommend the Q-cobb salad. Three meats on top of a large portion of the side salad. When im trying to reduce my rib consumption, I go with the brisket plate. Oh man that brisket is gooood. But even then, I usually steal one of my boyfriends ribs (he usually doesnt order anything else.) OH and wings. we did a large order of the wings for the superbowl. They dont come in like 1300 flavors - theyre just smoked wings. But oooooo were they good. They come with ranch/blue cheese, but ask for some take out cups of the BBQ sauce if you dont like your wings naked. You can get a regular dinner order of wings without ordering ahead, but for whatever reason they have that listed on a separate board from the main menu board.
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Trevor Chenoweth
Texas Barbecue in North Carolina - but its pretty good! Dont be deceived - you are not getting NC BBQ here. In fact, I dont even think their pulled pork is very good. But the brisket and ribs are great - in typical texas fashion. The sides are also high quality. Service is quick because you just line up and order at a counter where they pass your food down the line to the next station. I have had the brisket, ribs, pulled pork, hush puppies, collards, green beans, mac & cheese, deviled eggs, and fried okra. Everything is good except the pulled pork just isnt up to the standard in this area. The mac & cheese is also not that special - its just fine. The brisket is amazing. Very very rich and fresh chopped. Hearty sauce. This place is so filling its like immediate nap time - be warned. You can also get some bottled beers there. They have some good texan ones too like Shiner Bock and some of the Shiner seasonals. As another commenter noted - take out is quite good and they package it well.
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YogaFish 52
Great service with a terrific attitude! Hubby and I and are WFPB (whole food, plant-based) no-oil vegans, so eating out can be tricky...especially at BBQ places. Devan listened to our questions about ingredients and consulted with the Q Shacks ingredient list "bible" to give us oil-free options. We ordered the 3-sides meal (baked potato, BBQ beans and side salad) and enjoyed every bite. The BBQ beans sweet/spicy sauce paired well with our perfectly-baked potato, and the fresh greens salad helped to cool the heat from the sauce...a real treat for the tastebuds! Hats off to Devan and his co-workers for making us feel welcome, rather than a pain in the neck with our dietary requests. I told Devan Id remember the "a" in his name because of his "awesome attitude." Next time we visit Raleigh, well hit the Q Shack for sure!
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Beth Mandel
There is stiff competition for BBQ in the triangle area, but the Original Q Shack will always rank at the top for me. Their beef brisket BBQ sandwich is amazing, the best Ive ever had. Get it with 1 (sandwich) or 2 (platter) of their fantastic side options, like the creamed jack cheese spinach, the side salad (with tomato and avocado!), the mac n cheese, or my personal fave, the sweet potato tater tots. And of course hushpuppies - the best around! Not too dry or too greasy. Just perfect. Their atmosphere is fun and I love coming when theres a bluegrass band playing. The only problem (and its a pretty serious problem) is the parking situation, made worse since Nanataco opened next door. Not sure how they can solve that, but I just wait til I get a space. Its worth the wait!
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Christopher Bullock
Im not sure if it is the lack of competition or just the low expectations of the locals but I tried the place and the pulled BBQ was average but the taste and tenderness of the brisket was about as far away from Texas as the address in Durham. If you serve dry, tasteless brisket I truly dont understand why you even have it on the menu. No smoke ring, no moisure in the meat, and very little to no marbling at all. My idea of Texas BBQ is not something you have to drown in BBQ sauce to make it edible and the meat should be able to stand on its own with its own merit. The single best aspect of this restaurant is the choice of music but to someone who knows real Texas and NC BBQ you are more than likely going to be disappointed.
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David Diemer
We were not impressed with the pulled pork, their signature food. If Carolina BBQ means adding crushed red pepper to the pulled pork, then its not for us. Not only that, the pork had no smoked flavor. The hush puppies were outstanding and the mac n cheese was okay. The food, combined with our parking experience (see below), doesnt warrant a return visit. The parking is abysmal and way too small. We had to park up the street and walk there. We didnt understand how a place could have approximately 25-30 people across 11 tables and yet all the parking spaces were taken! When we left, there were fewer people eating and the parking lot was still full.
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Curtis McDaniel
The Manger Dan Rowland has refused requests to provide Handicapped Parking at this location. The lot was recently paved to make more room for more spaces. ALL THE HANDICAPPED spaces were removed, it has been this way since at least 5/31/2013. I contacted Dan and was told the location is too busy to reserve parking for anyone. YOU LOST MY BUSINESS and I hope others feel the same way. Your lack of concern for your customers is beyond belief! Eat some where else in Durham! After speaking with Dan Ferguson (the owner) I can see why I was treated this way. How does the owner of a business not realize you have no handicapped parking. Really?
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Tyler McCraw
My favorite BBQ place in the triangle. Theyll always give you more than enough food and although theres always a line here, the line moves quick. The BBQ plates are what I believe are the best. They come with two sides and there are plenty of sides to choose from. Also, I feel like not very many people know this, but the folks here cook THE BEST smoked turkey you will ever have. Ive come here on numerous occasions just to pick up a pound of smoked turkey to eat for lunches throughout the week. Watch out for weekend evenings, parking is always a bit tricky here.
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Ted McDaniel
The food just doesnt live up to the hype. I really wanted to try Carolina BBQ while my family was in town and this was one of the top rated places in Durham so I went with my wife. The brisket sandwich was dry, hush puppies were tough, and the mac and cheese was terrible. Dont even think about a burger as they are like frozen patties and cooked to a "chewy, well done" consistency. The only semi-redeeming item was the cole slaw and it wasnt even that good. Oh, and good luck finding any parking at all! Save your money and go somewhere else for good BBQ.
