The Pit

GJ40

North Carolina

3.8/5  rDev -11%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

I decided to visit The Pit after seeing it on Man vs Food. It's primarily a barbeque restaurant but stands alone as a beer bar as well.

It's in a quiet area on the outskirts of downtown. There are several sections to the interior but in general the front is a more casual bar area and the back is a more formal dining area. The kitchen is way in the back and can be seen to some degree from the dining area. The place definitely has a nice atmosphere.

They have 12 on tap with mostly locals (Foothills, Big Boss, Lone Rider and Aviator) as well as some great US beers (Bells, Victory ad DFH). Most beers run $3 for 10oz, $6 for a 20oz and $18 for a pitcher. I went with a Foothills Hoppium and it was nice and fresh.

The food menu is very enticing. They have all sorts of meats including ribs, pulled pork, meatloaf, fried chicken, brisket and others. They offer two-choice combos (two meats with two sides) for lunch and I think three for dinner. The portions aren't huge but they're very good. I was hoping for outstanding but I think it fell a bit short of that (it looked better and fresher on Man vs Food).

The service started out good but our waiter got busy and it was tough getting out. I thought the beer was reasonably priced but the food was a bit on the expensive side for what you got.

I enjoyed my visit and plan to give it another try some time.

05-12-2009 00:09:29 | More by GJ40

hebruiser

North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev -8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

i make it a point to drop by the pit every week or so just to see what the draught lines are pouring.

seems that they like to amass a formidable line-up of similar styles and offer very affordable flights...sometimes as many as four or five at a time. the last flight i had was of marzen beers back in november and they had such standouts as paulaner and the under-rated carolina oktoberfest.

i'm always surprised with the choices on draught and the bomber list!

food is...amazing. pit-cooked barbecue, ribs and homemade treats like fried chicken and the most incredible meatloaf i've ever had. if you can catch them on a day when they offer brussel sprouts as a side, get as many as you can!

03-03-2009 21:23:29 | More by hebruiser

blackie

Virginia

4.05/5  rDev -5.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

visited the weekend of the World Beer Festival...always in search of good BBQ when I make my way back down to NC - the stuff I've had up in VA just doesn't compare

this place was slammed on the night of my first visit and has been every return since - reservations are highly recommended, was able to elbow our way into a seat at the bar and eat there to avoid the hour-long wait, not exactly casual but far from "fancy" - a t shirt was fine but left me in the minority, The Pit is a spacey but comfortable joint with a large bar and very small patio with maybe 5 tables

service at the bar was fine if nothing special, beers were filled as needed and food was served within a reasonable amount of time

great selection of both locals and nationally distributed micros, including a beer from the relatively young Aviator Brewing, what I really appreciate is that all the drafts are available in different serving sizes - allowing the opportunity to sample more than would typically be possible

the BBQ was top-notch, among the best of the Eastern NC category, went with collards and fried okra for sides, which were good but pretty standard

07-20-2009 02:20:21 | More by blackie

PhillyStyle

Georgia

4.05/5  rDev -5.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

Visited 8/20/09:

Went on a Thursday night, about 6:30-7pm and the place was slammed. There were people waiting outside, so I was anticipating the BBQ a little more than the beer as I was walking in. But I walked right in and sat down at the bar, no problems. Nice big space, not a great location, a little out of the way, but in an older building that has some character.

The service at the bar was good, a little slow at first, but due more to the volume than disinterest by the bar staff. Once noticed, the bar tender was quick as well as chatty. The BBQ was really good.

Nice selection of beers, several different brewers and styles on-tap, seemed to have several taps devoted to NC breweries. Had the Lonerider Shotgun Betty Hefe, a local NC brew, drawn from the tap to perfection in an Imperial Pint glass. They also offered 10oz glasses as well, for half the price. Prices were very reasonable; I think that my beer was $6.

Overall, this is a really good spot, especially if you are downtown. If I lived in Raleigh, I could see being at The Pit on a regular basis.

08-26-2009 21:46:16 | More by PhillyStyle

frazbri

Ohio

4.08/5  rDev -4.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$$

The Pit is an upscale barbecue joint a short walk from the Raleigh convention center. The brick commercial exterior opens to a warm wood and glass accented interior. A big u-shaped bar stands left of the entrance. The main dining areas sit behind glass with illustrations of our friend, the noble pig.

I ordered the chopped pork plate. It consisted of whole hog bbq, two sides, a biscuit, and hush puppies for about $8.00. The pork was very good, and the portion was more than enough.

The Pit had twelve taps. Five were from NC, plus a couple from Victory and couple nice German biers. There were also some very nice bottles like Brooklyn 1, 2 and I believe Black Ops.

Service was good. Food came very swiftly, and my glass was never dry.

Good beer and good food. I like it.

02-20-2010 01:25:17 | More by frazbri

silver0rlead

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev -4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$$

This is an excellent addition to the Raleigh dining scene, with good food and a well chosen tap list that will always have something interesting on it. The food is really good in general, but the eastern style bbq and ribs are the standouts. This place gets pretty packed most nights, so you are probably better off getting a reservation or sitting at the bar. They have maybe a dozen taps, all of them being craft beer and a nice bottled selection (though I'm never in the mood to plunk down a wad of cash on a 750ml at a restaurant). There are about a dozen taps, all craft beer, focusing on local stuff (big boss, aviator, foothills, french broad, mother earth, and highland are all regularly featured), but there is also some regional/national stuff on as well as some pretty rare offerings that you probably won't see too many other places (I've seen Hopslam, Sexual Chocolate, Allagash Odyssey, Stone RIS at different times). This is really more of a restaurant with a really good beer selection than a beer bar, but either way it's worth a visit for the food and the beer.

03-29-2010 02:50:53 | More by silver0rlead

gixxerman

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev -2.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

Nice combo of craft offerings and some great barbeque too. I stopped in on the way to the airport for a few Triangle IPAs and a chopped Eastern NC style BBQ sandwih with a side of their delicious sweet potato fries.

Parking was a bit of a hassle, but you can opt for valet. I stopped at lunchtime, and the were busy, but there was seating available at the bar.

The outdoor patio seating is the place to be but seating is limited to 5 or 6 tables. The space inside is very nice, but not over the top. Jeans and a t-shirt, or a coat and tie fit in equally.

Great food and beer selection, I will be back for more!

04-07-2010 22:34:59 | More by gixxerman

smakawhat

Maryland

4.33/5  rDev +1.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$$

Stopped by as recommend when I found out Cooper's closes at 7PM.

A very large venue that seems to have no problem accommodating anyone. Staff are actually quite nice, prompt, and courteous.

For beer selection the bottle list is ok there were maybe one or two locals, but I wasn't aware there were a bunch on tap, the menu wasn't given to me until I ordered a second beer much later. Too bad cause the list on there was quite interesting and solid.

As for food well... if you want BBQ this is a great place. Both the baby back and the Carolina ribs are great, they'll provide also a vinegar and a tomato base sauce that's on the table. Great hush puppies and biscuits. Really enjoyed the cheese grits, the collards could have been a bit better.

Colleagues felt the cream corn was great, as was the squash, and the banana pudding is a real treat. I am not much of a sweet tooth but I'll admit it is the real deal. I don't know how one person could eat the whole thing though.

As for prices, for me coming from DC this place is really not that expensive it's actually quite cheap, but many of the locals here do feel it's overpriced so take that in mind.

Great place though for some BBQ and have a few local craft brews on tap, what can I say.

07-02-2011 13:34:25 | More by smakawhat

CBlack85

South Carolina

4.35/5  rDev +1.9%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.5 | $$$

stopped by this place while in Raleigh on business.

The place is quite large with a nice bar area with ample seating, and a separate seating area with lots of tables. Very nice and moderately upscale, but still comfortable. There is a small outdoor seating area directly outside of the bar.

The waitstaff was friendly and attentive, and seemed well versed on the menu and beer list.

The menu is about what you would expect from a southern/BBQ place. Pulled pork, brisket, fried chicken, ribs, etc... The fried chicken was very good, as was the pulled pork. They have a wide variety of sides; so many in fact that I had a hard time choosing. And the beer menu was fairly impressive as well, they had a small, but well thought out tap list featuring some local and regional favorites, plus some more broadly distributed brands from across the country. They also have a nice bottle list as well.

All in all, this place was quite good. This will be a definite regular spot when I visit Raleigh...

04-26-2013 17:55:52 | More by CBlack85

ferrari29

Illinois

4.45/5  rDev +4.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I'm glad I decided to stop by "The Pit" last night. The staff was kind enough to let us in even though we arrived with 5 minutes to spare before the kitchen closed. Brownie points! I stopped by with a couple of my co-workers after a hard day of work, client recommended. Food was fantastic, their authentic BBQ was hands-down one of the best I've had. Meat is very tender and falls right off the bone. Be sure to try the fantastic selection of sauces to add a delicious BBQ flavored punch to your meal.

Beer menu is appropriately matched for all the food they offer. A reasonably sized "Beer-to-share" menu accompanies their specially tailored BBQ themed food options with a combination of IPA's, Farmhouse Ales, and to my surprise, Stouts. I'm one for having a nice stout for dessert, with a thick and creamy body and deep roasted malt and chocolate flavor. It's like having a cake! I was provided a round of stout samples at the end of the evening, Founder's Porter, Oatmeal Stout and Big Boss Coffee Stout. All very enjoyable. I must say, I was not let down with their options. The service was very accommodating and they provided very good recommendations.

Atmosphere was hip and trendy, with really nice stone cut tabletops. Big and spacious, I can see this place get very rowdy and load during football games.

The go-to spot in Raleigh for craft beers and great food! Definitely stop by, you wont be disappointed.

01-27-2012 14:38:22 | More by ferrari29