hursey's bar-b-q

good bbq. i always stop here whenever i'm in burlington. it's not really lexington style bbq, but not eastern either. thesauceis 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.

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 tartersaucewas 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 nosauceand it came with a bland tasting coleslaw. i guess they don't know what real bbq slaw is. and their homemade bbqsaucesucks!! 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

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, thesauceis 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 thesaucelacked that bite you look for in eastern nc style q. still, a goof bbq and good hush puppies.

nice chopped bbq. vinegarsaucewith a hint of sweetness. they got the coleslaw right too.

good nc bbq. never really had much nc style bbq it was very good chopped up very fine with a sweet vinigarsaucealso 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 hotsauceis 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 ofsauceand even hotsauce(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

still good barbecue, but more expensive. there is probably something for everyone here. i've been coming to hursey's, from greensboro, for years, almost on a weekly basis. the bbq pork is chopped a little finer than i normally like, but the flavor is very good, not smokey but still good. this bbq is kind of a hybrid but has vinegar in it, not exactly eastern or lexington, but it works for me. thesauceon the table is different than what is applied during cooking, and is more like lexington style. the slaw is white & is not overly sweet, combines well with the pork. the fries are excellent, and the hush puppies can be very good, but they seem to be a hit or miss item - when they miss it is because the outside is tough, almost leathery

their fried chicken is actually broasted, and is excellent, crispy and moist. i also like their fried flounder & popcorn shrimp, it is consistently flavorful and with a good breading. hursey's is one of those few bbq joints that does not serve a hot dog, at least not at the original location on church st., because of the small kitchen space. there is another location on nc hwy 119 in graham, that does serve a decent dog, and does breakfast as well. the food there is just as good, though they have some of the smallest booths not found in an elmentary school cafeteria.

the service is always good, even when it gets crowded at peak hours. go. you'll have to look hard to find another bbq place that serves so much so well, in this area of the state.

the only complaint i've ever had here is that over the last several years they have steadily reduce their portion sizes and raised their prices. - you use to get two pieces of fried chicken on the combo, now you get one - the amount of bbq on trays and plates is less, and the fish and shrimp combo has been reduced as well. still good food, but not cheap, 2 combo plates and tea will cost over $20 before tip.