The Chicken Barn

It breaks my heart to write this because the owner appears to be a nice lady. My wife and i will never patronize this restaurant again, not after lunch today. We used to eat there a year ago. Today the food quality was poor. My wife knows their shrimp all.too well. No doubt they changed their supplier. The shrimp sucked, so much so that she took it home for her cats Also l, the 23 cent senior discount was appalling on a $35.00 bill. What a joke. But the worst was when leaving. I already spent 35 bucks and went to the counter to ask for a to go box. The Hispanic lady says she'll give me a paper bag. I pointed to the shelf and demanded a to go plastic tray , after saying....I JUST PAID YOU 35.00. I am done with this restaurant. Not to mention it's filthy. My arms stuck to the nasty tables. Boy has it gone downhill.

Got a 2 piece combo and a porkchop sandwich. The pork chop legit had no flavor The chicken was ok. Pretty dry even though I got 2 thighs. Fries were very salty compared to everything else. Their lemonade and iced tea were ok. Anyway, all in all not worth but give it a try I guess.

Great food. The fried chicken is the best. Always hot, juicy, and perfectly seasoned. The servers are very nice and the restaurant is comfortable. I come to Smithfield often just to come here and have lunch. I am lucky to have found this place since it is behind a gas station/convenience store and recommend it to all!

Most of the food is pretty good as long as you aren't looking for anything healthy. I think the chicken salad on grilled wheat would be the healthier option. Dear Chicken Barn owner, can you PLEASE teach your chefs the difference of Bread, Toast and Grilled . If I order a sandwich grilled with butter that's what I want. PLEASE PLEASE teach your chefs how to spread butter on a piece of bread and GRILL a sandwich to brown!!!! It makes ALL of your sandwiches taste SO MUCH better if done properly!!! All I get from your kitchen when I asked for a GRILLED wheat cheese sandwich or a GRILLED wheat BLT is BARELY toasted bread with no butter that is soggy and falls about. For the love of GOD PLEASE PLEASE teach your chefs how to spread butter on bread and grill that sandwich to a brown color so my sandwich taste s million times better and doesn't fall apart!!!!!!! Thank you very very much😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

I can't believe i spent $58 dollars for 2 shrimp baskets, 2 gizzards plain, and 3pc chicken legs. The chicken legs was too hard to chew, gizzards taste terrible and the shrimp baskets was entirely too salty to eat. This is unacceptable and it's not fair to spend so much money, when the food is poor quality.

Took the wrong order. The food is fresh. Chicken is fried nice and crispy but it's too salty for my liking and on the dry side. It's really salty and you'll need the sauces to balance it out. You'll find the available sauces on the sweet side and you'll have to pay for additional sauce.

Best described as down-home cooking, the sign above the kitchen reads, "It ain't food if it ain't fried." Breakfast includes an assortment of biscuit sandwiches, eggs, and coffee. Staples of fried chicken and chicken wings take up most of the menu with the roadside sign advertising fresh gizzards. Quaint, attached to a gas station and right off the main drag.

Delicious fresh food served here. The workers were nice and attentive. We dined in. The portions were so generous. Biscuits nice and fluffy. It was so good we got a few biscuits to go and the lady placed them under the heat lamp to keep them warm until we finished eating. How thoughtful!

I officially know that i had never had good fried chicken until I met Chicken Barn. New Yorker passing through, and we searched online for saw this place was good, plus they had a drive-through. We took the chicken back to the hotel and the first bite made me pause so long because of how tender the meat was, and how perfectly crispy the skin was. Also worth knowing that the chicken wasn't oily. How do they do it? Why can't NY'ers have fried chicken like this? If you're in the area, defo try the fried chicken here. We ordered white meat, but I suspect the dark meat is pretty good too. The biscuit was light, and perfect. But the chicken is the star.

Tried this place since so many raved about it! It was a hard no! Is it KFC? Is it bojangles? Does it taste like chicken from a barn? Perhaps! It did not tickle my fancy at all! The chicken sandwich was fried really hard to the point I only taste grease ! Now I will say the potato wedges were good but that's it, that's all! Sorry to be so short on a restaurant with such long history.

I've visited the "locally famous" chicken barn twice and haven't been wowed at all. The food is good at best. The service left a lot to be desired. The cashier was rude and very dismissive. I will eventually give them another try but not one of my go-to's

We tried The Chicken Barn on a cold Saturday morning for breakfast. My dining companion tried the chicken biscuit with grits. The biscuit was large, with a generous portion of chicken that was warm but did not seem just cooked. She thought the biscuit was good but the grits with hoop cheese was the star of her meal. I tried the breakfast burrito with tater tots. My burrito had obviously been cooked to order and was hot off of the grill. It included a reasonable portion of sausage as well as diced onions and peppers. Unfortunately, the burrito was a bit greasy and was very difficult to eat because the tortilla was sloppily rolled. It was not served with any sort of salsa, but there was Texas Pete at the condiment bar. My tater tots were crispy but had obviously been in the warmer for a few minutes. Service was fast and helpful. The Chicken Barn is located in the back of a convenience store, so expect easy-to-clean, uncomfortable furniture and hard surfaces. Prices were amazingly reasonable for 2023 and I found the food a bit of a step up from fast food. The Chicken Barn proudly advertises that either fresh gizzards or livers are served daily, so I doubt any fast food restaurants can compete with them if you're seeking that out. If you're in Smithfield in search of a quick, economical meal, then give The Chicken Barn a try.

The people were nice and maybe the chicken is good but those were the worst chicken livers I've ever had. They were over cooked and tasted like they've been feeding them something weird.

Typical chicken house nothing exciting. The inside is attached to a gas station and smells of grease. So you know whatever you're ordering isn't good for you. I ordered Buffalo wings. They were ok. I should've gotten plain. The folks were very pleasant. Wouldn't go back unless nothing else was open.

Not bad yard bird at The Chicken Barn. We stopped when in the area today. The place had a strong A health grade. The service was friendly but very slow. The fried chicken was good but not spectacular. The sides of biscuits and fries were fine. The fried chicken livers and fried chicken tenders were the table favorites. I would not drive out of my way to visit but would certainly visit again if in the area.

The food was not what I expected and for the price I could had went to Bojangles! The fries was a bit salty with the frozen fries taste , and the shrimp was about the only thing worth it.

Chicken good but on the verge of dry both the dark meat and the strips. Mashed potatoes tasted old and unseasoned. Corn cob mushy and greasy. Biscuits average. They don't have real butter whipped spread horrible. Carrot cake average. Apple Turnover great. Cashier was nice. Place was clean

The few times in the evening when I go inside, there's a girl who sometimes works the register. She has a attitude that I don't like, she never says "hello" "welcome to Chicken Barn". And whenever I handed her my money to her or gives me my change back, she's like she doesn't want to touch whenever the transaction of money.

Go to the next exit and hit up Bojangles. I was excited to try this place but was disappointed. Service was indifferent, and the chicken was dry and tasteless. No napkin or utensils were put in the bag. Maybe I was supposed to get them somewhere in the restAurant, but they weren't readily apparent. The strips were better than the pieces of chicken. Side of green beans, eaten with my fingers, lacked seasoning as well.

Have always ate here since i was a little girl and yall! I love me some chicken barn !! Get that 9 piece wingets combo and get them thangs tossed in that homemade Honey Bbq sauce! Just good, the prices have increased some but ian mad at it swyd and go try it!

Food: I had three chicken wings, a very small side of Mac-n-cheese, and a biscuit. The wings I'd rate a four, the mac a two (small portion and meh flavor), and the biscuit a four. Atmosphere: It's built into the back of a gas station. It has a seating area. The restaurant was clean. Customer Service: We ate in during our visit. The older lady (white lady w/ glasses) at the register was rude. We let her know we were first timers, but she acted like we were inconveniencing her. She was very snippy and impatient with us when were asking questions about the menu. I never understand when companies put there least personable employee on the register. Price: Priced fair for the food. Conclusion: I'd rate this restaurant barely a three considering the food was average and the customer service was poor.

The chicken definitely gives the box store chains a challenge but the location is slightly off putting...drive through on the back a gas station!? Don't let that be a deterrent, as the line will testify, they know what they are doing. Be patient and prepare to enjoy some good eats! If I'm in the area doing some shopping, I'll be there, for sure.

Nothing really to write home about - chicken was OK, and the service of potatoes was small. Didn't want the meal with drink, but it would be more expensive just getting the chicken and sides ala carte.

For a fried chicken place, they have the best, quesadilla!! Melty cheddar, crispy yet soft tortilla, flavorful chopped chicken. It was a pleasant surprise for lunch when I was looking for something quick. Just chicken and cheese, not a lot of fillers, ie peppers and onions. I went back for a carryout dinner to try their fried chicken. The family enjoyed it! Their sides were perfectly seasoned. The chicken was hot, juicy. The breasts were the largest of any of the other chicken places around. Their biscuits we're hot, flaky. For a local, not a chain chicken place, it's our new favorite when we're in the Smithfield area and wanting a home cooked fried chicken meal.

Road tripping all the way from California and looking for good ole Southern fried chicken. The Chicken Barn popped up, with great reviews so we decided to check it out. We were disappointed when we realized it was in a gas station. (We had hoped for a sit down restaurant with real plates.) We each ordered a two breast meal and boy were surprised by their big breasts! You good ole boys (& gals) grow some giant chickens in North Carolina! There was more food than we could eat! Had to try some fried okra too! (Potatoes salad was good but the gravy on the mashed potatoes was lacking.) Thanks, Chicken Barn! Best fried chicken we've ever had!

On the search for Japanese, I stumbled across this chicken joint attached to a gas station. It was fairly empty but smelled realllllyyyyy good when I walked in. They don't have hot wings on the menu but they managed to dip my wings for me! Fruit punch was amazing and pretty clean spot. The only complaint is the wait for my food! It took a long time to get my food!

One of my favorite chicken places, recently tried this place out after seeing it in Smithfield all the time and it's been a staple ever since. Great Mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, chicken tenders, and they have the good ranch not the nasty stuff. Worth trying if you haven't! Warm quality food.

The fried chicken always deserves five stars. However, after seeing how the dining room was cleaned today, I give this place zero stars. I was horrified to see an employee "clean" each table with the SAME dirty dishrag WITHOUT spraying any disinfectant or cleaning product of any kind. The same rag was used to wipe the tables, then the garage can lid, then back to the tables. This is totally unacceptable at anytime, but totally unbelievably negligent during the current Coronavirus outbreak!

They charge you .31 scent for every sauce such as ranch honey mustard etc and no none are included with your meal not even 1. So cheap and tacky, who does that? I understand charging for extra but not just for 1 sauce that should come with your meal, especially when ordering wings. Also the sauce is not even a pre packaged sauce, it is in the clear sauce cups and they put the sauce in their from the bottle themselves.

I usually stop here for breakfast once a week when I'm traveling to South Carolina. Friendly staff, great prices and really good chicken biscuits. Coffee is freshly brewed. Recently took the wife there during lunch and tried the fried chicken and sides; everything was fantastic. Pretty good carrot cake, too! The only drawback is the dining room. The tables tend to be small, and a little rickety. That being said, the staff stays pretty busy with keeping the tables and floor clean. Would much rather get my chicken here over KFC!

Found this hidden gem on yelp and decided to stop. Super yummy food! Ordered the 2pc dark with fries and a lemonade. A lot of food for a good price. Chicken and fries were both seasoned very nicely! The biscuit was amazing! Highly recommend stopping here if you are passing thru!

This is the kind of fried chicken restaurant that the late, lamented Colonel and his minions feared as they sipped their burbon and branch water on the veranda. There are no 11 herbs and spices here, only flour, salt, and pepper, good quality fowl, a nice biscuit, and fine sides. The entire approach to ordering here was easier before they up and moved (a block or so away). You could send the espousa in to get the very tasty chicken, sides, and biscuits, while you walked across the street to Millie's for several dogs, and maybe a surprise. Now this is a little more challenging, with some chance of personal injury and loss of food, given the longer distance that must be traveled on foot. But what the hey, its all a crap shoot, any hoo. Seriously, this is excellent chicken. Moma would be proud.

Yee-haw! Let's all head on down to the Chicken Barn! Seriously, the food here is sooo good! We came upon it when taking a ride to the outlet mall in Smithfield. We didn't want the usual chain food and saw this on the way to the mall after passing through downtown. Actually saw a billboard for it first and even though it's in a gas station (Marathon) decided to take a look. The restaurant is in a seperate section from the quickie mart of the gas station, is Very clean, and the employees couldn't be nicer. From the moment we walked in would could smell chicken frying - and did it smell good! We each got the dark chicken which came with one side and a biscuit. I have to tell you, the mashed potatoes were fantastic and totally homemade, as is everything there. We've been doing a fried chicken taste test around the Triangle recently and this beat everything we've tried elsewhere. So, don't be scared off by it being sorta kinda in a gas station. It's nothin' fancy, but tastes like granny made it, and ya gotta love the name!

I used the drive thru here and for fried chicken it was pretty fast. I ordered a 3-piece dark meat combo with a biscuit and potato salad. The biscuit and potato salad were on point. But the fried chicken was ok. The pieces were small and really oily. After one bite I squirted oil all over the place. I'll take this place over KFC, but in my opinion that's not saying much.

THEY'VE MOVED!!!! This place is now at the corner of 7th and Market, just a block or so away. We found it, but sadly it was closed on Sunday morning. The look of the place and the size of the parking lot told us that the reviews were probably still accurate (although it's strange no one has reviewed it lately). I put the four stars on faith, having not actually gotten to set foot in the place. The spanking new Marathon Gas Station, to which the Chicken Barn is still attached in its new location, gave us a good tip on another place nearby, Smithfield Chicken and BBQ. See separate review of that.

Great food & the lemonade is absolutely the best. Always fast & polite service. Great place to eat!

Best fried chicken in town, hands down. I love The not too doughy biscuits & breakfast-all-day choices as well. And that chewable ice is a treat.

The chicken barn has always had good food..I remember the original location on 301 hwy..ate there quite a bit..all ways loved the fried okra..lol

So glad we stopped!!! We were hungry and needed to stop, but didn't want to hit up the usual...McDonald's. ..Burger King, etc. After reading such excellent reviews, we decided to give this joint a try. It was appropriately busy because the food was OUTSTANDING! The chicken was a little too greasy, but oh SO delicious!!! I got a chicken breast and a biscuit. Both extremely flavorful...buttery....mmmm...gooooood.

Love the chicken here. Owner Denise has been in the area a long time. Sides are very good. Love the chicken livers...my my my !

I was in town for training went here during my lunch break food was delicious, it's inexpensive would recommend any soul food lover's to patronize them.Yours truly, Serena Robertson

The wonderful southern food place. If you don't like it, then you don't need to be in North Carolina! . Best fried livers around.....don't forget the hot sauce!!!!

Love the biscuits I'm a big biscuit fan. Foods and service is amazing as well. Well be eating here from now on

I've passed this place several times on the way The Biscuit Stop and Wednesday night when the BS was closed I got a chance to try it and it was not bad! Celebrating it's 30th Anniversary with specials on chicken livers and gizzards which townfolk were lining up for. The chicken was better than any fast food service. The potato wedges were umm umm good and dipped in their whipped potatoes and gravy they were over the top good soul food!

Another trip, another visit to our favorite chicken restaurant. And another reminder of how good chicken can be. They cook it fresh when you order. It is so tender that they must use local grain fed chicken. The supermarket chicken texture is so dense by comparison. And the zesty breading is fantastic. Oh, the pecan pie is great too. Always worth the mile detour. And the gas station next door is 4 cents less than at 95 exit.

I love chicken barn me and my husband stop their to eat we ordered shrimp macaroni salad strawberry cake with whip crème and jello so good great service friendly people try chicken barn so so good

Everything tastes like salt!! Cannot stand to even it a biscuit from here. Nasty!!! Do not recommend anything

This is my absolute favorite place for chicken! I have been eating here for at least 20 years. I love the seasoning, the prices are fair and the service is Fantastic!! Looking forward to seeing you guys real soon!!

This is the real deal for Eastern NC crispy chicken and homemade biscuits. Lots of people I know love the livers and gizzards, but all I ever want here is the good old fried chicken and biscuits. Few equals, none better.

Tonight was my first visit, let me start by saying the food is really good. I arrived at 8:35 and they close at 9:00. Every one was in close the store down mode. A nice young man took my order and was very courteous as I stumbled through what I wanted to purchase. I paid and was waiting for my food. A young lady was putting my order together when she called to the back saying she needed biscuits. A worker from the back said we don't have any. The young lady then said do you want white bread! I stood there in shock for a few seconds and said "no I don't!" I said how long will it take to get two biscuits? The young lady replied five minutes. So I told her I would wait. She looked frustrated that I didnt want the white loaf bread of which I have at my home. She went back to shutting the store down, meanwhile my chicken and sides are just sitting there getting cold. I live about ten minutes away in Clayton so I was thinking my food I just paid for is going to be cold by the time i get home. The young lady walks by my food again just sitting there and doesnt think or care that my food will not be up to the owners standard or mine. So I reluctantly say can you please get me some new chicken that mine will be frozen by the time I get home. She didnt say a word just turned her back to me and put the chicken back under the heat lamps. She stayed facing the back for the remainder of time. She did wait for the biscuits to come out and get my chicken back out and hand me my food. No sorry for your wait or nothing. As I am walking out I think about the Yelp reviews that got me in the door. I didn't feel very valued as a customer and thought I wont be coming back. The young man then says Thank You for coming in. I was like well they need more like him. So I get home and my wife and I try the food. It was really good, not greasy and a pleasant surprise. The moral of the story is even though the store closes at 9:00 on a Saturday night which is early. They are concentrating on closing the store down, and not the customers. You wont catch me going there again after 8:00 pm. I would have gave five stars but couldn't because how I was handled.

So here's my review a day after stuffing my face on their delicious chicken. The chicken is on point, not greasy, juicy, perfectly seasoned. Unfortunately the side dishes I order were mediocre except for the gravy. The mash potatoes tasted like powder potatoes. The Mac and cheese like the one you make at home out of a box. The green beans were ok. The service was great and prices were good.

If you're in the mood for fried chicken, you don't want to miss The Chicken Barn! I stick to their chicken tenders, but more adventurous diners might try their livers and gizzards. Their new location is great, and they now have a drive-thru.

The chicken was wonderful & moist, not at all dry. The skin had a great flavor, not too greasy. Mashed potatoes were so-so. I'll try a different side next time.

heard about it and went for the 3 wings, wings dried up and covered with sauce to hide the dry mean; finally got a replacement of a drumstick....seemed up organized as this was my first visit, it will be my last....the prices were not lucrative for snacks to try something, e.g., livers, gizzards

This place has the best chicken I've had in a long time! I usually hit the drive thru and the staff is always so friendly. Service is quick considering the quality of the food. The wingettes are my favorite. It took me a while to try this place but once I did I'm hooked and I won't go anyplace else for chicken. (except for Mom's!)