The Pit Authentic BBQ - Durham
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Popular dishes
BBQ Chicken
50 reviews
Baby Back Ribs
6 reviews
Pulled Pork
Seasoned only with salt, ready for you to sauce
3 reviews
Food is very good. Parking is terrible. The area needs to do something about parking.
We had 10 people in our party and made reservations ahead of time. Arrived a little early and they had no problem getting us seated right away. Server, Fred, was very knowledgeable, friendly and fast. Food was fantastic-especially the banana pudding. Can't wait to come back again.
Was going to be in the area for a concert at the venue across the street and heard good things about the food here. Made a reservation beforehand and didn't have to wait long after arriving for the table to be ready. Took a little longer than I would have expected to get the food but the place was very busy with several large parties. There was a small mix-up over what one of us ordered and what was brought to the table but the staff was able to get it sorted out quickly. Very good food. I live about an hour away from here so I can't go back often but if I happen to be around for another special event I would definitely consider coming back to The Pit.
Ambience and food options were good. Quality of food was not very good. Service was fair, our waitress would be gone for periods of time I had to get up and find her (and it wasn't busy).
Love the Pit! I always get the wings and the Chopped outside Brown pork! Service and food was awesome!
First time. Our waiter, Reggie was awesome! A great experience. Will return!
Our entrees were excellent (pulled pork with different sauces) as were the sides - okra, beans, slaw, mac n' cheese. We also really enjoyed the music upstairs on Banjo and Beer night (Mondays).
Made reservations for dinner for a high top table so we could visit. Instead, we were seated in the back room by the kitchen at a large round table similar to one at a wedding reception. Had noise from the kitchen and an event upstairs right above us. It sounded like they were clog dancing. Super super noisy. We asked to be reseated but no luck. We won’t be back...
Unfortunately the fried chicken was very dry, the baked beans were not cooked all the way through, overall our party of 3 adults and 2 children were unhappy with the food. This was our first and only time we will visit, other than the poor experience with the food, the staff was nice even though they were busy as it was Valentine’s Day and handled multiple tables very well.
I don’t understand why I made a reservation with The Pit, when you have to wait 30 minutes for a table. Then the table they put you at, is not private at all and your sitting in a loud noise when you’re trying to have a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner. The service was amazing, but it did not make up for the crap that happened before. I doubt I will be back for any special occasions here.
Good food, fast service.
Loved the food, always plenty of food
Fun Saturday night dinner with friends. Table was ready for us when we arrived and food and service were both excellent as always. One of our favorite Durham spots. The Pit never disappoints!!!
Our visit to The Pit was awesome as usual! Thank you for making my wife’s birthday lunch with our family special!
You'd better be a carnivore if you eat at this place, although they did have soy nugget (tofu?) he was excellent - attentive but not intrusive. I had the brisket with slaw & sweet potato fries - very good. My wife had BBQ chicken & chopped BBQ with potato salad & green beans - enjoyed them all. Be aware that the chopped BBQ has flakes of cayenne pepper, so you will frequently get a burst of heat. My daughter & her fiance are evaluating this place for their reception, so they tried several items, and enjoyed them all. He really enjoyed the brisket, fried chicken, & fried okra. She had the Pit Sampler & enjoyed all of the offerings. Their sweet tea was really good as well. With tip we got out for just under a benjamin.
Guests in town
Awesome food and great service!
Service was horrible.
Food was a “C”
Lights were so bright it felt like a cafeteria
Understaffed and the waitress, who also bartended was on her phone half the time.
Disappointing and won’t be back
Had a late dinner, around 9, and they were out of a lot of the barbecue meats (mostly the pork/their best stuff). Ended up having the brisket—tough and not very tasty. Definitely get the pork. The sides and apps were good as usual.
Craving real Carolina BBQ, we asked some locals where to go and this was the place! 4 of us shared the Pit sampler.... don’t miss the fried pimento cheese and the amazing Soul Rolls (collards and pulled pork egg rolls). One of our party has gluten and onion sensitivity, so the menu was a bit tough for her. Good selection of local beers, super friendly servers, and solid Southern fare.
Absolutely delicious food!! The chopped barbecue turkey was amazing -along with the collard greens and the yams. We will definitely go back the next time we are Durham.
Excellent as always. Best food, Ike and Zena were great.
We had a party of 11 for New Year's Eve. We sat at the high top tables and had Fred as ur server. HE WAS FABULOUS! Not only was my lemon drop martini perfect, but every bite was tasty. The Pit never disappoints
The Big Boy! 10 of us as a group. The hush puppies were hot and flavorful, fried Okra, deep fried bricks of Mac and Cheese. The BBQ was out of this world! Definitely a must in Durham!
Our second time to the Pit and overall impression was good but not great. The waiter was very engaging with stories around watch-outs for the sauces - the stories were a little long, however. The food was good but not great.
I write the review for the food based of this last time I went. It was not good. The ribs were dry.. had barely any sauce on them. My chicken was dry and seemed to be over cooked. The Mac and cheese was not one bit cheesy. Not sure if it’s because it was after the holiday but the food was definitely not up to par. Hopefully it was just an off night!
Fantastic experience on Thanksgiving Day. Very thankful to be able to enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving day meal without having to prepare, cook, host, clean, etc. We really appreciated all of the staff that put in so much effort to create an enjoyable experience for families!
Great value, service, and food! A little something for everyone. Highly recommend.
Went for Thanksgiving family style prix fixe meal. Food was good but delivery of courses was a little disorganized. Only one serving spoon provided for 3 or 4 foods and dressing did not arrive until end of meal. Overall good food and good value.
We felt the food was better last Thanksgiving. Banana pudding was sub par.
We always enjoy coming to the Pit but I would not recommend their Thanksgiving dinner. We were served (only) dark-meat turkey. The dressing was not to our liking. The ham was awful and the bbq did not taste fresh. In fact, the bbq pork left an aftertaste that I associate with meat that is past its shelf-life. We have eaten at the Pit dozens of times and this is the first time that we have been disappointed.
Great food. The only course not good was the dessert.
We were fortunate to get a table for Thanksgiving. We had a relative in a motorized wheelchair that doesn’t transfer. When we arrived we had a booth which wouldn’t work. I had given them a heads up on accommodations so I was frustrated. However they quickly found us alternative seating that worked.
Delicious food and drinks! Service was pleasant and engaging. The only disappointing thing was the dessert, it wasn't as fresh as everything else. The appetizers, mains, and sides were perfect.
Visitors from PA. We had a group of 18. Our server was exceptional! Took care of all immediately with drinks and orders. The checks were correct considering the families were scattered in different spots at the table. Couldn’t have asked for better service! The food was delicious and there was plenty of it. I recommend the brisket!! No one should go home hungry after eating there. Highly recommend.
Chopped pork was too watery but the Ribs, deviled eggs and potato salad was on point. I really their three sauces along with the free hush puppies and biscuits + sweet butter.
The experience inside the restaurant was just fine. I don't know our waitresses name as it wasn't offered, however she was pleasant and efficient. Food came out quickly. We were pretty much the only ones in the restaurant at that time.
The main issue we had while there is with your valet. Upon bringing our vehicle back, he sped through puddle covering a co-worker in water.
When he exited the vehicle I told him what he did and his response was, "Yeah I know."
We had to ask him for a towel to dry off her pants and jacket.
He came back out with a cloth napkin and went back in with no further word of apology.
Having a meeting to get to, we could not go back inside to inform management.
This is beyond disrespectful and unprofessional. While I know the actions of one employee do not condemn a company per se, I cannot comprehend this behavior in the least.
I don't know his name, he wore glasses and had a beard. Manning the valet station at 11:30 AM 11/19/19.
Great food and atmosphere!
Fun, festive with prompt arrival of food.
The Pit
Carl 3.5 out of 5
Def would've been a 5 out of 5
Nicole 4.5 out of 5
All the food was delicious!
My only 2 downfalls was that the only 2 sides I ordered (apple sauce and cole slaw) they were out of.
Also the appetizers came out about 20 minutes after the dinner
Great selection! Food was great. And, service was fantastic!
FAQs
The Pit Authentic BBQ - Durham is rated 4.3 stars by 923 OpenTable diners.
The Pit Authentic BBQ - Durham does offer gift cards which you can purchase here https://empire-eats.myshopify.com/products/150-empire-eats-gift-card.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.