the pit

pass on this place. beef brisket was very dried-out...reminded me of beef jerky. over-rated and won't go back. my companion had pork ribs...twice as much fat as meat. the only redeeming food item was the chocolate cake dessert. usually, i never have room for dessert, which doesn't say much for the skimpy potion of beef i had. then again, a person can only consume so much beef jerky at one sitting.

overpriced bbq. i must say, not a fan of ed mitchell's bbq. the ribs were ok, once again nothing special. the sides are about the only thing that was good their. if you are looking for a real bbq experience, get in your vehicle, and travel to eastern north carolina, where they prepare real barbeque.

great bbq. the pit has some awsome bbq nc style. i went to there a few days ago and it was de-lic-ious.

good bbq. pork done right. nc bbq is great when done with care, and the pit cares about its bbq. service was a little spotty but manageable.

absolutely underwhelming. so, after watching the pit featured on various television shows and in food magazine, i figured i had to go here. in fact, i planned an entire trip around going here. boy, was that a mistake.

the place is nice, the wait wasn't too bad, the hostesses were nice, and most of the staff were very friendly and helpful. nothing great, but nothing horrible either. therefore, all that's left is the food to talk about it. and here, the pit was the pits.

tried the pblt sandwiches as appetizers, and they were fine, but i could have made better. then the three of us ordered three different main courses with six different sides, and were disappointed by every one of them except the ribs, which were okay. pulled and chopped pork? boring. fried okra? tasteless. collard greens? from a can? coleslaw? mind-numbingly forgettable. fries, okay, but mcdonalds tastes better. and the bacon and cheese grits? actually on the verge of nauseating.

to top that all off, the food came out cold because the kitchen staff had forgotten to cook my infant son's burger, meaning our food probably sat around for 25 minutes until someone reminded the kitchen that they needed a well done burger and fries. strangely enough, i actually liked the burger more than anything else!

this is a place that is obviously coasting along on its reputation of glory days long since past. too many restaurants are exactly like this: once they were great, with attention being paid to high quality food and great service, but then they became successful and now they're just factories for crap. even worse, i would totally agree with someone else's observation that this place is serving up bbq to an urban audience who would never dare try a real place because their clothes might get dirty and they can't impress anyone with how much money they have (i'm being more brutal, but i think it's deserved). i would only go here again if i was in raleigh and with someone who really wanted to... but they had better be paying.

outstanding quality bbq !. whichever variety of bbq you get, be prepared for a stunning bolt of flavor and moistness every mouthful ! the flavor is as good as you can get, bbq at this level cannot get 'better', just use a different style.

the side orders are also very good, particularly the collards which are fabulous. i have to also mention the fried chicken, which may be the best i have ever eaten ( !! ).

good selection of beverages (particularly some interesting beers) and an attentive staff. service and food have always been timely even at busy hours.

my only critique is a minor wish for slightly larger servings - an extra piece of chicken would be welcome at the price point. the pit is not a "cheap bbq joint" though, and i feel i got my money's worth.

flavors not to be missed. make a point to visit this one !

i ordered the “double combo” and selected the signature chopped barbecue along with sliced brisket. i believe $12 is too high for this plate, even with the choice of two sides, biscuit, and hushpuppies. everything was mediocre at best, making me really appreciate what i’d eaten brookwood several weeks before.

absolutely fantastic restaurant. great service, great food, and great atmosphere. try the brunswick stew! my favorite bbq place in raleigh, even if it is upscale!

the fried chicken was lukewarm, the fried okra was soggy, and they were out of ribs. i get better fried chicken in california at roscoes fried chicken and waffles, i didn't expect that from the south.

not blown away. despite their website infecting my computer with viruses, i decided to try it anyway. the restaurant is huge and has a vibe of a chain. had a 25 minute wait at 7:30 on a tuesday evening. after sitting down, the service was still very slow and we had three or four different waiters, though i did appreciate the breadbasket with biscuits and hushpuppies. the bbq and sides were not bad but didn't blow me away. i've had better food at roadside stops in the country, but i've had much worse as well. it is a very middle of the road place but with a very crowded atmosphere and very long wait.

outstanding. arriving with a couple of friends, we were immediately seated. according to our friendly waitress, the pit once served as a packing house in the warehouse district. it has interesting art prints on the wall and reasonably lighted and well decorated.

since i avoid pork, i wasn't sure how it would turn out but my doubts were assuaged when the menu was placed. i chose the barbecue brisket with sides of collard greens and fried okra. very southern. the brisket was very tender without too much sauce. friends had meatloaf and grilled chicken with salad and we were all pleased.

my friend (also from louisiana) ordered abita beer from abita springs, la.

it's worth the trip bur arrive early because the line gets long. reservations are also available with the open table app on your smart phone.

ok but pricey. having grown up on eastern nc bbq, i was a little disappointed by this restaurant's claims. the bbq is good, a little dry though. the ribs are very dry and the sauce is mediocre. they really need to work on their vegetable choices, i.e., the potato salad was tasteless. the atmosphere is ok if you don't mind waiting. forget making reservations. we had reservations and arrived 15 minutes early. even though there were a lot of tables empty, we still had to wait the requisite 15 minutes before they would seat us (this was on a friday night!). all in all, not bad for downtown raleigh. very pricey though.

atmosphere is great, service friendly and efficient, menu selections good. rolls and hush puppies great, mac and cheese excellent, cole slaw good, baby backs were meaty and so tender. only ribs better in my travels are in dubois pa at the forthworth.

mediocre. it's just meat. the ribs fell off the bone but lacked any season or injected flavor. the sweet potato fries were good. the fried okra was not good. my $15 should have been spent elsewhere.

however if you like eating bbq meat by covering it in bbq sauce (essentially only tasting sauce) then this place is for you! i'll pass on buying stuff that i can make and make better at home.

btw the mens bathroom is terribly small. the location of the bathrooms is by the directly next door to the kitchen which is terrible. i had to do my best not to think about air contamination.

best bbq in town. not only is the bbq pork awesome, they have every side item known to the south on the menu. i usually get the triple combo with meatloaf, smoked turkey and ribs. unique selection of draft beers too.