hursey's bar-b-q

traveling and stopped in to this pretty vintage place. they offer a takeout counter for to go or you can be seated in the dinig room. fast service, very down home atmosphere. vintage decor. 

i got the platter that offered bbq and chicken. bbq was amazing, and was surprised at how good the chicken was. the mac and cheese was very thick and creamy - just like you would make it at home. fries were hot and crispy. 

we ordered an appetizer of hush puppies because we were starving. they hit the spot, although if you get them just be carful that you don't fill up on them so you have room for dessert. 

speaking of dessert, i got the banana pudding and added ice cream to it. amazing. service was fast, friendly, and very attentive to keeping drinks filled, making suggestions as to what to get. they treat you like family. 

always look forward to eating here when traveling.

good bbq. i always stop here whenever i'm in burlington. it's not really lexington style bbq, but not eastern either. the sauce is different, but good, and a change of pace from what is usually served around here, being a little thicker and more tangy. the slaw and hush puppies are always excellent.

chopped bbq plate. delicious!!!

past its prime. since one of the more highly recommended barbecue places (in nashville, nc) was closed for the holidays, on our way back from the outer banks to asheville we stopped at hursey's in burlington to pick up family dinner.

we got the family pack of barbecue, brunswick stew, cole slaw and broasted chicken, plus (at extra cost) hushpuppies.

the price is certainly reasonable, and the barbecue (more or less eastern nc style, with pepper and light vinegar) and broasted chicken aren't bad, but it's pretty clear that the glory days of hursey's are past. one hint is that most of the reviews posted in the restaurant are on yellowed newsprint from the 1990s.

the hushpuppies are mediocre, and the brunswick stew is unusual, at least by the standard i'm used to in georgia and elsewhere.

the staff is friendly, but the restaurant looks a little run down and scruffy. i appreciate the long history of the restaurant, but there are many better barbecue joints in the state.

all in all, i wouldn't go out of my way to stop here again.

the worst!! awful! i ordered the flounder/shrimp combo. i got 1 small piece of flounder and a small handful of shrimp and about 10 fries,for $10 what a rip off! the tarter sauce was made with sweet pickles.yuck! the ketchup on our table was old it had turned brown. my wife ordered chopped bbq and it was dry with no sauce and it came with a bland tasting coleslaw. i guess they don't know what real bbq slaw is. and their homemade bbq sauce sucks!! they need to come to lexington to find out what a real bbq meal supposed to be. and they also ration there napkins. this place was over priced and awful!! won't be back

posted fri, 10/04/2013 - 16:29 by smoke daddy tour:  north carolina tour joint:  hurseys barbecue the barbecue was above average, but the strawberry cobbler was a winner.  although the sliced was a bit dry, i preferred it over the chopped today.  while i enjoyed the flavors in the chopped, i just couldn't get over the mushy texture of the meat (machine processed).  next time i will try the chicken and apple turnovers. main fare: sliced - there is a sweetness on the meat.  a bit of pink indicates smoke, but it is very mild.  although appearances would lead you to believe it is too dry... it is not. chopped - using a buffalo chopper... run very thoroughly.  texture is mushy.  dipped in the kitchen, it is a flavorful mix of meats.   other fare: pups - these are chewy and sweet, with a good flavor. dip - really a sauce. thicker, orange, & tangy... with flecks of red pepper.  bold & zesty.  unfortunately, it is so bold & zesty that it covers the flavor of the meat. slaw - a fairly standard

hursey’s is just a few minutes off the highway and worth checking out if you are heading from the research triangle towards greensboro or charlotte. just don’t mess with the brunswick stew.

really awful. stopped by for lunch today just to see if they would live up to my low expectations. they did with flying colors. in a word: pathetic. but i guess that's all you can expect in burlington. i ordered what was described as a half-rack of "pit-cooked baby back ribs". the closest thing to a pit that these ribs had ever been near was the waitresses armpits. totally disgusting _steamed_ meat. flavorless and fatty. there should be a law against describing this as "barbecue". i will never go back to this place. yuck!

not good. the mac n cheese and baked beans taste like the came from a can. the meat is boiled and doesn't have a barbecue taste to it at all. lastly, the sauce is too sweet. thank god there was a bottle of texas petes on the table to make it palatable.

solid good, but not the best in the around. tried thier bbq recently at an event. good q, the pork was not very smokey and the sauce lacked that bite you look for in eastern nc style q. still, a goof bbq and good hush puppies.

nice chopped bbq. vinegar sauce with a hint of sweetness. they got the coleslaw right too.

ok for the money i guess. i rarely go anymore but it's a decent standard nc bar-b-q joint...they all about the same...there's better ones but maybe not in burlington.

good nc bbq. never really had much nc style bbq it was very good chopped up very fine with a sweet vinigar sauce also served with hush puppys and slaw. top it off with a cheerwine (cherry soda only in the carolina's) and your in business. this was the best nc bbq i found.

good cue. chopped a bit too fine for me, and not a fan of the sauce, it's too sweet. but the smokey flavor is right where it needs to be. a bbq sandwich with no slaw and a few dashes of hot sauce is good eating at hurseys.

been around for 60 years for a reason. i stopped by here for dinner 6/13/11 on my way from greensboro to raleigh. i would guess i've eaten here 4 or 5 times since i moved to nc.

this is one of those iconic multi-generational, family-owned bbq joints. going back to the late 40's/early 50's this place could probably hang out a shingle that proudly declares "one million bbq sandwiches served" aka old-style mcd signs. that alone is cool and worth a not-far-off-i-40 stop.

service: i arrived just a little after 5 pm on this visit. there were a couple folks at the counter ordering to go but i had the hostess seat me in the dining area. at that point there was only one other table in use but a steady stream of folks starting coming in - all seemingly of the older set who make this a ritual of their week. another cool thing. my server came right over and took my unsweet (yes, heretical) tea order and was polite and friendly. he checked in with me appropriately and earned himself a decent tip. the cashier as i paid up was also very cordial. 4 stars for service.

food: on this stop i decided to try the regular-sized sliced bbq plate which comes with coleslaw, fries and hush puppies as sides ($6.25). the large serving is $7.15 but i don't know how much more food comes with it. this serving was plenty for me. it was served very quickly with the meat nice and warm and the hush puppies piping hot.

the star of show should rightly have been the sliced pork but i have to admit i was very disappointed this time. it had the slightest touch of smoke if you concentrated and was a bit dry and chewy. i ended up adding substantial quantities of sauce and even hot sauce (more heresy) than should have been necessary. i've had the chopped in the past and it was much more flavorful so i don't know if it is a chopped vs. sliced thing or i just got unlucky with that day's preparation.

the half dozen puppies were good - dense and chewy with a good flavor and the fries were fine if a bit salty (not a problem for me but some might think so). i give the coleslaw the nod in this ensemble, though. i can't say i've ever been overly wow'd by nc coleslaw as it relates to bbq but this was fresh with an excellent balance of vinegar and something close to horseradish. it was very good and i'd considering buying some to go next time. 3 stars for food and in the future i think i'll stay away from the sliced pork. (for the record, their brunswick stew has been very good during earlier visits).

value: prices here are very reasonable but i'm not an expert on what bbq in nc should cost. the plates and trays are in the $5 - $7 range, fried seafood $7 - $8 and al a carte items are a couple of bucks. tuesday through thursday they have specials that get you a buck or two off the normal prices. they also sell bulk to go orders by the pound. 4 stars for value.

atmosphere: it's low-key and comfortable and clean. 3 stars.

overall, i will continue making stops here as i journey down my self-guided tour of nc bbq appreciation (i'm weaned on tx style) but i'm not convinced its the pinnacle of bbq. fellow reviewer fred b likes hursey's and i respect his bbq bona fides so i must be getting close...

food: 6/10; service 8/10; value 8/10; atmosphere: 6/10