The Pit Authentic Barbecue
| Address: | 328 W Davie St, Raleigh, NC 27601, USA |
| Phone: | +1 919-890-4500 |
| Site: | thepit-raleigh.com |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–9PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 5
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Kaleb King
One of the worst BBQ experiences I have ever had. First off, I LOVE BBQ and consider myself a very fair judge of good BBQ. I have had BBQ from all over the southeast and would for sure put The Pit low on the totem pole. Ordered 2 meat combo (brisket & pulled pork) with Mac n cheese & sweet potatoe fries as sides. First impression was this isnt a lot of bbq for $20, but looking past that I try each part of thr meal. Brisket (2 7-8" x 1" slices) over half of each slice was nothing but fat. I agree some fat is needed, however to have a higher fat to meat ratio is absurd. Meat itself was tender, but with no smoke ring. Could not taste any smoke flavor in this meat due to a Western Sauce (thicker bbq) being put on the meat prior to serving. Overall brisket score 2/10. The pork (4-6oz) was slightly better. It was more of a roasted pork than a slow smoked pork, but was still decent. It had a good flavor with a small smoke like. You could at least tell the pork had actually been smoked. Overall pork score 4/10. The sides were very poor. Sweet potatoes fries were soggy, felt undercooked. The mac n cheese was stale. Meaning it felt like it was cooked earlier in the week, the reheated to be served. The Eastern sauce is a vinegar based which did help the pork slightly. The western sauce is a thicker bbq, but didnt help the brisket at all. Overall score for the pit 3/10. I honestly feel like the Pit is more of a bar, than BBQ restaurant. If you are looking for a decent bar the Pit may serve its purpose for you. If you are looking for a BBQ restaurant, skip the Pit.
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Sheila Y
As an NC State alumni, I lived in Raleigh for over 6 years and always heard that The Pit was the best place for barbeque. Of course, I didnt eat at the restaurant until this afternoon. I went with my best friend and here are our takeaways from our experience: Pros: -Chopped BBQ: Incredibly tender and juicy. -Brisket: Also tender and juicy - has an amazing boost of meaty flavor toward the end of the bite. -Fried Green Tomatoes: Tasty appetizer if youre looking to eat something a little different. Crunchy, a little tart/sour and the feta/basil complement the dish so well. -Cabbage Collards: Probably their best side dish out of all that we tasted. -What I appreciate most about the tastes of The Pit is that their BBQ is simple. They dont oversauce or overseason their dishes, but allow the meat to speak for itself. Cons: -All the food was served lukewarm, from the basket of biscuits and hushpuppies to the appetizer to the entrees of meat. The food could have been warmer. -Service: Food came out quick after ordering. They have multiple servers per table, but even with this system, our drinks werent refilled enough. Their free biscuits and hushpuppies would have been better if they were served warm. Lets just say that the whipped butter couldnt even melt on the biscuits or hushpuppies because they were room temp. The pulled pork, fried chicken, fried okra and mashed potatoes were decent, but nothing to write home about. Their portion size isnt large, but equivalent to any other chain BBQ restaurant. Overall, it was a good experience. Would visit again.
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Shannon R
I recently dined at The Pit with a friend for the first time and LOVED it. Everyone there is so pleasant that it made the long wait worth it. My friend ordered the beef brisket and I ordered ribs, which were EXCELLENT. I tried a bit of her brisket as well and nearly passed out because it was so tender and delicious. I ordered fries and greens as my side, both of which were delicious as well. The serving sizes are quite large, so I was able to take the leftovers home and enjoy them the following day. Did I mention how GREAT the customer service was?! I regret that I did not try the moon shine, as Ive heard its the best, but will definitely do so next time. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you book a reservation or else you will wait until you are within an inch of your life to get a seat! After waiting for an hour and ten minutes, my friend and I both thought we would pass out, so we decided to survive on mints until they seated us. In short, we waited an hour and a half for a seat because we chose not to make a reservation on a Saturday night. Also, be sure to take full advantage of the complimentary valet. Parking on the side of the road is only allowed until 9 p.m. You will definitely receive at $30 parking ticket if your car is still there after that time. It kind of makes tipping the valet driver seems worthwhile, eh? At any rate, I highly recommend trying The Pit. They are popular for good reason! My mother a sister plan to visit me soon and I definitely plan to take them here.
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Larry Peters
We were in town for a conference and everyone said to go to the Pit. We were quickly seated and professionally waited on by a knowledgeable waiter. The menu has a good offering and I was wishing we would be in town longer to try more selections over a period of time. I ordered the Beef Brisket and we enjoyed the very good hush puppies that were served before the meal. My plate arrived with a good presentation but I noticed right away the plate held a lot of fries and only three slices of brisket. The slices were around 8" long but not that thick but it was the cut that bothered me. The meat would not cut and I immediately knew it had not been cut correctly The meat had a layer of sauce and it had decent flavor but it would not cut and had to be torn to get a fork full. I order brisket frequently and a good smoked brisket should cut with a fork and should not have to be torn off. After a few bites I wondered if this was actually brisket and not a different cut of meat. The fries were very good and although the cold slaw was not as cool as it should be it had a nice flavor and I was pleased. My dinner partner had ribs and he said they were very good but I was definitely disappointing with the brisket on this night. If I were in town longer I would go back and try different entrees and I have to wonder if an uneducated kitchen employee sliced the meat wrong.
KA
Katarina Vo
Went with a group of friends and my girlfriend and sat up stairs. You have to go to the bar upstairs to order, no problem with that. The fact that I asked for drinks to be brought out and they never came, forcing me to find and ask another waiter, has never happened before. My girlfriends burger was entirely raw in the middle, like they seared the outside for a minute and thought that would cook it. I had to go to the kitchen and ask where the burger was in order to find out it was still being cooked; she didnt get it back until everyone had finished eating. Not to mention I told them twice to only put cheese on it and both times random toppings appeared. My "sandwich" came with only one slice of bread and was lukewarm, apparently they cant time things when cooking or bring things out as they finish. Dont even taste the BBQ beans, you would do better to buy a can from the store and microwave it. Those beans tasted like someone dumped an entire canister of allspice into them. My buddys burger had the same problem. I warned him to cut into it but he ignored me, so when he bit into the raw middle he was quite disappointed. You would do better to find a cracker barrel or a huddle house. We spent ten days driving through The South and we all agreed that it was the worst part of the entire trip, even worse than driving twelve hours in one day.
