Allen & Son Bar-B-Que

I honestly think this may have been the best Eastern NC Style BBQ sandwich I have ever had. In fact it may be the best of all styles I have had, and I have had a ton. This sandwich was HUGE! Perfect level of vinegar sauce/spice. Moisture level was PERFECT! Only wish I had room for some sides because the menu certainly intrigued me.

The last restaurant headed west, away from eastern NC, where you can get real eastern NC style barbecue. And it’s a great one. Meat is smoky and flavorful with enough vinegar and pepper to bring the tanginess without too much heat or vinegar. Collards were about perfect and while slaw was finely chopped and not too sweet. Hush puppies were finished perfectly. If I lived within 30 miles this would be my goto place! 9.5 out of 10!

It definitely had more of a take out atmosphere to it, rather than a dine-in one. The menu didn't have a whole lot on it for smoked options. The only smoked meat option I saw was pulled pork, so no brisket, chicken or ribs which was kinda disappointing. I got the pulled pork plate which comes with a SINGLE hushpuppy which I've never seen just 1 given before and I got baked beans and coleslaw with it. The beans just felt like heated up plain beans, nothing special about them. Coleslaw was pretty good, but a little dry. The BBQ was pretty tasty, very moist and didn't need any BBQ sauce. I also got the catfish sandwich to try and that was fantastic. It was fried perfectly and very good. I'd definitely recommend the catfish. The service I had wasn't that great,it took forever to get my drink refilled the entire time I was there and it was not busy today. BBQ - 7/10 Catfish Sandwich - 8.8/10 Baked beans - 5/10 Coleslaw - 5.5/10 Potato salad - 4/10

Did you leave it out overnight? I thought it was a chicken bone that snuck into the pork. Just so many dried shreds of pork . I liked the greens.

Best BBQ spot in the Triangle. Homely country-style ambiance, excellent customer service from the super-friendly staff, and fast servings. The sweet Southern hospitality spirit moves here. Our waitress was professional and nice. Went here with fam for a relative's Birthday, and I enjoyed the restaurant's cozy atmosphere. Heard they've been in business about more than 20 years since I was born, and that this is their 2nd location. Pork BBQ is their specialty here, so I ordered the big BBQ plate that comes with 2 sides of your choice and hush puppies. Amount seems fair for $16 price and they have a lot of classic sides to choose from, including fries, onion rings, coleslaw, fried okra, baked beans, corn, etc,. Some of us ordered a burger plate (no bread) with 2 sides and hugh puppies. Food tasted fresh. Pork barbecue was well-cooked, great with vinegar, which I had to ask for. Vinegar was fantastic. You can also order the Pork BBQ as a sandwich. We also had banana pudding for dessert. Haven't tried their milkshakes so might try it next time. Allen & Son reminds me of Cook Out with its Southern-style fast food offerings but I'm not sure if their burgers are good because I haven't tried them.

If you want the real deal- look no further. This IS the most authentic NC style bbq there is. Traveled down there and tried em’ all, and this is the one I leave a review for. Great service, the COOLEST little super legit old school type place, also the best hush puppies I’ve ever had, ever. The way the pork was seasoned was phenomenal, the vinegar with a perfect balance. Check out the area where you can eat and the old sign and cool trees and holly bushes out back. Memories were made here. This place is historic, and you can taste why. A home run.

The food was really good, and the burger and strawberry shortcake 🍰 are a great start to a warm season.

Great food the BBQ is amazing probably one of the best I’ve ever had. The service and atmosphere are decent however, they run out of food very quickly and there’s no indoor seating. If you want to get what you ordered get there early.

Tastes like LOVE with a side of HELL YA! Catfish rules! Banana Puddin, collards, tots from heaven. Tastes too good, might make you fat. IT IS WORTH IT!

This barbecue was recommended to us by a barber from carborro and it did not disappoint..... They had fabulous classic Carolina pulled pork with their famous vinegar sauce. we also enjoyed Cole slaw, fried okra, fried dill, pickles, coleslaw and new Brunswick stew. My son had the fried catfish which was also delicious. He also really enjoyed his tater tot side . They served two really big pieces of fish with each meal.. all the meals came with tasty hush puppies. Service was good and quick . Ambience was fairly typical of Carolina barbecue places.

I had a guest from out of state and ordered dinner from Allen and Son. We had the barbecue with a number of sides, plenty of fried okra. She was very impressed as I knew she would be. Everything was good and we enjoyed it. If you like fried okra you can never go wrong here.

Allen & Son's knows what it's doing -- no frills, simple menu, and incredible barbecue. We got the barbecue plate with barbecue pork, hush puppies, fries, and baked beans. The bean was classic NC vinegar BBQ - succulent and delicious. The hush puppies had a touch of sweetness. The beans were were appropriately sweet and complemented the vinegary flavor of the meat.

This low-key drive up or dine in restaurant showed up in the middle of our drive from Raleigh to Clemmons and we had to stop and check it out. Being from Minnesota we were looking for good southern food (not a chain restaurant) and this was a pretty good spot. I like the idea of driving in and ordering at the window but there is not much for parking. You can choose to sit inside or outside as well. There was only one table with shade outside and that was taken so we ate inside. The service was super fast, we had catfish and a BBQ plate and both were delicious. It's a nice little place with friendly hometown people, and these are always the best places to stop at!

We saw this as we were driving by and decided to turn around and check it out. We pulled into the small parking area which is shared with another business which we also checked out. My wife and I were not hungry because we had just eaten but after quickly looking at their ratings on Yelp and Google we knew we had to stop. Since we have moved to North Carolina, my wife has discovered that she loves hush puppies and this gave her another opportunity to try them. They have a menu board on the front and you order through a window, then wait for your number to be called. There is also signage stating there is indoor seating but we did not go inside since we were just grabbing a light snack. As we checked out the menu, others were waiting for their orders and picking up. You know when they have on their menu board "Bulk Orders To Go" it must be good. They sell their BBQ by the pound and the coleslaw, potato salad, Brunswick stew, baked beans, collard greens, and mac and cheese by as much as a gallon. We decided to just try the hush puppies and a side of the mac and cheese. The place looks like it has been here for many years and is a staple in the community. We also were impressed to see their recent health score of 99. My wife enjoyed the hush puppies and although the mac and cheese was creamy I did think the noodles themselves were overcooked. Would we recommend stopping - absolutely!

If you're looking to fulfill your southern pulled bbq fix, then is a good place to get the job done! I pass by here all the time without even realizing. The location is easy to miss if you aren't careful. You order through a window on the outside and there are lots of seating outside if you choose to dine-in. I ordered... BBQ Sandwich: Nice texture and good! The slaw was boss in my opinion. The sandwiched stick well together and warm from first to last bite. This is not the bbq with the smoke flavor, it's more of a classic homemade bbq made at home. Tots: Overcooked and tough to eat. Deep Fried Corn: This was my favorite item! It was delicious! Overall, great customer service and reasonable prices!

I had the BBQ Plate with collards and okra. It was very good. The amount of food was generous. I could not eat all the BBQ so I asked for a to go box. With a little bit of salt and vinegar the collards tasted as good as my mama used to cook. I liked the hush puppies because they did not have too many onions. The unsweetened tea was very good. My server was attentive and quick. The place is laid back and simple but clean and functional. The only reason I gave 4 instead of 5 stars was they were out of banana pudding.

really great food and nice selection. Only caveat is you have to arrive fairly early to get the whole selection before they run out. Overall really solid place!

Still one of my favorite NC BBQ places, despite the seeming changes in ownership (and occasionally name!). To me, it was always better than the other Allen & Son in Chapel Hill, too. You'd have to go to certain places in Eastern NC to find anything better. But, for the entire Triangle region, they are unequalled. The pig, the most important part, tastes fresh, flavorful, never dry, and the sides (good slaw -- not gloppy) are very good, too. The interior is very homey, and the staff is nice. Skip all of the overhyped and overpriced places in the Triangle (well, you can go to Bullock's in Durham -- it's not as good as here, but it's still pretty great, most of the time) and go here instead.

OMG! We just discovered Allen & Son a few months ago! It was recommended by a dear friend who discovered them 40+ years ago! My husband adores their pulled pork bbq!! He has even bought extra to take home and freeze. I love their bbq too but it's always the fried catfish platter that calls to me. We enjoy sitting on their patio but there is a large area of tables and chairs inside of their building, behind the kitchen. And the sweet tea is awesome!!!

My wife and I tried Allen & Son for a Saturday lunch and left thoroughly impressed. The dining room is far from fancy, but it was clean and full of Customers. Service was excellent; everyone was friendly, attentive, efficient, and they kept our drinks filled too. Our chopped pork plates were outstanding. The serving was enormous - it had to be a pound of 'Q, but it was served appropriately warm and was flavorful. Be warned that it is seasoned a bit on the spicy side, but I really enjoyed it. We were given extra sauce in a warmed container, but we found the BBQ well seasoned without any additional saucing. The eastern NC style slaw was very tasty as well. All of our sides were hot and appeared cooked to order. The hushpuppies were excellent - crispy and full of flavor. My wife's fries were hand cut, crispy, and not greasy at all. I tried the fried corn on the cob and thought it was great; it was well seasoned, not greasy, and an excellent change of pace from fries and potato salad. Allen & Son makes serving a great BBQ dinner look easy. The only suggestion I have is to consider serving a small-sized BBQ plate at a slightly reduced price. The chopped pork is outstanding, but the serving size is so large that a smaller portion would satisfy many customers. Eating at Allen & Son was a pleasure. Highly, highly recommended.

This is a great bbq place, popular with the locals. The pulled pork, the Brunswick stew and the hush puppies are delicious. For the price of a Big Mac burger you get a delicious pulled pork sandwich. You can't find more authentic than this.

I've finally realized that I like the idea of this type of food more than I actually enjoy it. They have a decent selection of sides. They were out of banana pudding. AGAIN. I've never been there when they actually have it. The prices are way too high: $14.95 for an extra large BBQ plate, and $12.95 for a regular plate. The okra was good and hot. The mac and cheese tastes like it's made with cheese whiz, which is fine but not my style. The highlights: the hush puppies and the slaw. The lowlights: the BBQ and the prices.

Staple in Pittsboro, NC. The food is great, and reminds me of my first job. Service is friendly, and takeout is down at outside window. Ambiance is "country comfortable", and usually alive with business.

Excellent BBQ, best hush puppies, fries and burgers are great too! Very good prices, low frills dining room and a great window for to go and pick up orders

This location is unlike the Allen & Son in Chapel Hill because it uses gas to cook its pork, but it's still pretty tasty and reasonably priced. I believe it is also owned by someone different than the Chapel Hill location, but has retained the name even after ownership changed. The waitstaff was kind and prompt, and we got our food quickly. It's a no-frills restaurant, like most NC BBQ establishments. I personally prefer the Chapel Hill location primarily for sentimental reasons, but in terms of taste of food, both places are solid.

This place use to be so good but now somethings have changed the bbq sandwiches have gotten smaller and stayed the same price and the hardly ever have any condiments like butter for the hush puppies.

Twice in a row we've ordered through GrubHub and twice in a row our order was incomplete/incorrect. Our order tonight arrived missing a bbq Plate, 2 sides, a kids hotdog, a kids tenders and 3 sets of fries. We only received two bbq sandwiches and 2 fries. The driver went back and they gave him everything but the kids tenders plate. They refunded it and no substitution given. No one called us about this so I had one child without food. The other night, they substituted whole fried chicken pieces with bone in, instead of tenders and didn't tell us. I'm guessing they are out of tenders? That's fine but you need to call the person and let them know. Their BBQ great but you absolutely need to go there and pick it up yourself. They ain't got the delivery thing figured out.

Great little bar b Que shack in the north of chatham county - right off route 15-501 - try the bar b Que sandwich with slaw and hush puppies - a classic

Good food, good people at reasonable price! Seems to be family run business (not sure) but I love good authentic home made food on demand, not premade

If you like the NC vinegar style-BBQ, you will probably like this joint. The prices are good for the portions. I thought this place was just okay and prefer the more tomato based barbeque. We asked for a side of BBQ sauce and they gave us a bowl of vinegar. That's just what they do there. Might try it again sometime, but not dying to get back.

Road side classic Eastern NC cue. C-19 friendly as its pick up or dine outside at open air tables. Excellent sandwich. Very good hush puppies. The Brunswick stew is authentic Eastern NC. The look and taste is just like Parker's in Greenville. I will be back for the stew!

This joint is awesome for authentic BBQ with no frills. I had the steak sandwich (get the grilled onions on it!!!) plus pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw slaw and baked beans on the side. Sweet tea was spot-on. Food was perfect and such a great price. Wow. BBQ flavor was so nice on the pulled pork and so juicy there is no need to add additional sauce etc. Steak sandwich was delicious and prepared with a nice little amount of char. No frills. Just delicious food at a great price.

Best BBQ an cheeseburger steak plates around. The Cole slaw is the best cole slaw ever. Great food

Best bbq in Chapel Hill AND North Carolina. It's always constantly good year after year during my NC visits. A plate here is a perfect specimen of great bbq. Every time I eat it I just keep saying to myself, yeah, that's what NC bbq should be, yeah, those are what hushpuppies should taste like, etc, etc. Now, my one pet peeve was them always running out of banana pudding. I mean, come on-it's a NC staple. A BBQ joint never having it? Yet, I am happy to say they seem to always have it now. So, it's a guaranteed to-go dessert for me and I suggest for you. Seems Hershey ice cream is a go-to for the kids. OH! And great sweet tea. You know when you think of really tasty food, usually juicy tender meat, and your tongue starts to salivate and tingle a little? Yeah, well, that's happening right now....

Wow, the majority of the food served here remains very good, some even great, but the service has really gone down hill, especially on our last two visits, and today at lunch was especially bad. We love to come here because the cheeseburger, hot dog, chopped BBQ, slaw, and FFs are all very good - and that those 5 items are that good at one restaurant is rare, very rare. We called in our order right at 11 - pound of BBQ, hot dog, and a cheeseburger. We went inside, as we usually do, to pick up our order, and were told to go to the walk up window outside. That area was a total mess - people trying to place orders, the person manning the window was a nut job, was answering the phone for call in orders, which meant she stop taking orders at the window on the phone. In addition she had no cash drawer, no ability to make change - a slow, rapidly increasing mess! The kitchen was not getting any orders out, and there was only a single customer actually dining in the restaurant, so the problem wasn't customer volume. Orders were being filled out of sequence, being very slowly filled. After 30 minutes we still did not have our food, and we went inside & were told it was coming right out - took over 5 minutes more! All in all, it took over 35 minutes to get our food - 5 or 6 orders placed after we arrived were filled before ours. We like the food here - one of the better hot dogs in the state, and the BBQ is always fresh tasting, carries a nice amount of heat - but I've had it with the service aspect. We've always treated this has destination restaurant, as we did today - we came from Greensboro for the food. Not sure that'll happen that way again.

It was a religious experience! Neverhadhush puppies so good. The tea was the T. The banana pudding was decadent. And the plate was sandwich sized. The pulled pork sando is what I judge a place by and what I can say about Allen & Son's is that the meat was good & plentiful. Eastern bbq sauce in the side of ya wanna add more flavor - not that it needs it - but aren't choices nice? While I was there I felt like the establishment is part of the identity of the the Pittsboro community and I'm happy I got a taste of it!

Great food and great service. Always a go to when family is in town! It can be very busy at times especially if there's a UNC game that day

Drove an hour to get here (from out of town). Just to find out they decided to close at 4pm (arrived at 4:27pm) vs their normal advertised hours of 8pm... Half dozen other cars showed up wile i was in parking lot seeing where else to go. Wasted time and gas...

The whole menu is good. It's been written up in so many culinary magazines S the best bbq in NC.

Everything was great great survive.. phenomenal food we ordered the bbq plate hamburger steak and flounder (fried).. it's so delicious here staff I must say was so friendly

Coming from Texas, I'm all about brisket and BBQ sauce. But I'm becoming more and more of a Carolina convert. Vinegar sauce and pork are a match made in heaven. I've been here a handful of times now and each time there's usually a line of people at the to-go window. I always get the BBQ plate. Each morsel of pork is tender and juicy and perfectly accompanied by that vinegar sauce. No complaints with the fresh hush puppies and their sides (I go for coleslaw and fried okra). Portion size is great and worth every penny. I don't mind waiting for delicious food, but next time I'm going to call in my order to save some time!

Hidden GEM. Their bbq pakte with Pulle pork is fantastic and their potato salad out of this world. Worth a detour, abs even better, stop for lunch here after you have hiked the Haw River Trail!

Love the carry out option. My husband and I usually get a bbq plate and share it. I also love the Brunswick stew. While this isn't the best bbq I've had in NC, it's reliable and easy for carry out.

Allan and Sons is great NC BBQ. The bbq in the best in the state and the okra is delicious. The side selection could be improved and cabbage is not on the menu. Awesome roadside picnic spots and everyone had a mask on. Can't wait to go back.

Great barbecue spot! Simple and extremely flavorful food. Lots of food for the price!

You know a barbecue joint is worth your time (and a couple small bills from your wallet) when a line of pickup trucks is parked along the shoulder of the US highway that runs alongside. Allen & Son isn't going to impress with an extensive menu or sleek restaurant décor (think rec center room and plastic tablecloths). Rather, they've earned their venerated status among locals by serving some of the best chopped pork in Carolina. You just need to decide it if you want it served as a sandwich or a platter. I opted for the latter, as it came with two sides (I went with coleslaw and onion rings) and six gigantic hush puppies. I squeezed a healthy amount of their homemade vinegar-based sauce (don't bother asking for anything other in this part of the state) onto the pork and added some coleslaw to my first bite. Wow! The acidity from the vinegar, smoke from the pork, and creaminess of the coleslaw worked like culinary harmony. I mixed in bites of the onion rings and hush puppies, but the chopped pork stole the show. If you're a barbecue seeker, I would definitely add this spot to destination list.

Great food. Just need more directions for restaurant to get inside. I ordered at the window think the inside was closed. Still great food!

Good old fashion vinegar based BBQ. Easy walk-up ordering and outside eating space make this very covid-friendly. Parking isn't ideal right at the building but overflow parking is available. I first gawked at the prices but for the serving sizes it's well worth it. Worth a second (or more!) visit for sure!

Although the Allen & SOn in Chapel Hill Closed the one here in Pittsboro, just across the Haw River Bridge is open and doing well. Yummy is still served there.

Apparently I broke my barbeque seal with Allen & Son! Zero visits to Allen & Sons in my first five years here in NC and now I've been twice in the last ten days... My meal at the Chapel Hill (CH) location was AWESOME so I had to check out the other A&S spot. From the outside, this Allen & Son looks similar except for the convenient take-out window: barbeque to go, please! Inside it's a low-ceilinged, spartan space, not nearly as cozy as the other location. But hey, it's all about the food, right? I ordered the same winner of a combo plate, que and stew along with a side of baked beans. No holding back after driving 35 minutes! They do things a bit different here and it's good in a different way. Hushpuppies come with the plate, my brunswick stew and slaw were both really good but not as tasty as the CH location. What shines here is the barbeque, it's pulled a bit finer with less stringy parts, great seasoning! Oh and the natural-cut fries were really good! And I didn't make it to dessert but they seemed to have less choices here. Service was fine and prices might have been a touch lower than CH. Allen & Sons in Pittsboro is a great lunch stop, especially if you're focused on the barbeque. But according to my Yelp iPhone app, both locations are about the same distance away from home for me. Given the choice, I'd rather drive up to Chapel Hill for their great sides (slaw, puppies) and delicious desserts! You can't go wrong with either, it's just better versus best...

Probably the worst meal I ever tried to digest. "Outside dining only", is full of trash and garbage. This place has gone down hill,,,, all the way to the bottom. NEVER AGAIN!

Overcharged with terrible service. I ordered 2 bbq plates to go, which cost $12.75 each. The woman I spoke to over the phone did not know how to take an order and could not understand what I wanted for sides. It was so bad I had to ask to speak to someone else, thankfully they were more helpful. Once I got there to pick it up there was only 1 plate that they had charged me $14.75 for, which is the price of an extra large plate, which I did not order. I then finally got my second plate that they again charged me $14.75, which should have been $12.75. Long story short won't be going back anytime soon. My advice stay away from this place, awful service!

Sorry, not reviewing the BBQ, but had the catfish sandwich, which was delicious! Huge piece of fish hanging outside of the bun. I think the lettuce, tomato, and cheese cost extra as add on's, but who cares, so so good. Couldn't really eat much else if I wanted to, the sandwich was enough in its own. Based on that, I'd try almost anything else on their menu.

Love, love this place! The BBQ is everything it should be and more!!! nothing fancy just down home cooking and friendly southern hospitality! need i say more? just go!!! Had the barbecue combo plate with two sides of tater tot's sweet potato fries and some rolls made my own little sandwiches. their barbecue sauce is really really good and not too spicy just right.

There is a reason this place is a Chapel Hill tradition. This place is revered as the best Chapel Hill BBQ and I think that may be a fair assessment. My most recent visit to Allen and Son I ordered the BBQ plate with bbq beans and okra. My wife ordered the bbq sandwich. The BBQ was hot and moist. The beans were ok and hot. The okra was a little soft but at the right temperature. So the food was pretty solid. Why did they lose stars? The service wasn't all that friendly. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't rude, but this is the south and this is a southern restaurant. The service should be friendly. Southern hospitality being what it is. That and the out-door seating wasn't all that clean, the trash can was overflowing and the food took a little while to be ready (15 minutes). The food was what kept the review as high as it is. If they worked on those other little things I would rate them higher.

Amazing food, amazing price, you'll never be disappointed! The pulled pork was to die for and the fried okra had to be eaten in the car on the way home.

While I haven't tried all the BBQ places in the area, as a native North Carolinian, I've definitely eaten my share of eastern style BBQ and Allen & Son does it right (this location as opposed to the one between Chapel Hill and Hillsborough). For starters, this place is a real dive, but in spite of that, they somehow manage to achieve a 100% sanitation score. That said, don't expect a fine dining experience here. The litmus test for me is how the pork tastes sans sauce. Is it tender? Moist? Flavorful? Check, check, and check. As for the sides, they're basic. Hushpuppies, slaw, green beans, etc. Puppies are great, slaw pretty good, green beans overcooked (it IS a southern style BBQ joint after all), and tasty baked beans. But, it's definitely the BBQ that really shines here. Take the variety of reviews here with a grain of salt. Opinions of BBQ can vary widely. I'm picky with my BBQ and I think A & S does it well.

We got there right as they were closing early for Labor Day weekend.as we sat on the deck eating our food the cars kept pulling in. The looks of disappointment on the faces of the people told me what I soon found the be true..... bbq sandwich to die for !!!! Most of the food seems to be made from scratch. Currently no dine in but if your in the area stop on by!!!