John L.
Yelp
This old carryout restaurant has some decent food if you know what to do. My wife and I came here for their "original" half-smoke. We made two visits because I wanted to give them a second chance after the first visit turned into a disaster. On the first visit, I walked up to the order window and tried to order. I had to stick my head forward through the window and yell my order because the guy taking my order couldn't hear me due to the loud kitchen exhaust fan. The interior space was mostly kitchen and food storage. It was quite warm in there. One woman was making all of the food. She was constantly yelling at the guy taking orders. She was visibly upset and angry. I ordered a half-smoke with everything, a hot dog with everything and onion rings. The half-smoke was very good tasting. It was firm, juicy and savory. Unfortunately, the toppings were very sour tasting. It was ketchup, mustard, onions and relish. The mustard and relish had an extremely strong vinegar flavor. The ketchup tasted like diluted tomato paste. I'm not kidding. The secret to enjoying this half-smoke is to forgo the toppings except for the onions. Put on your own toppings if you need them. The bun was soft and tasty.
The hot dog was decent tasting, nothing special. The same awful toppings. The bun was the same type used with the half-smoke. This wasn't worth buying.
The onion rings were fried well. The thick-cut onions were good. The crust on every ring fell apart completely on the first bite. Truly annoying because this was avoidable if it was done right. The overall flavor would have been good if it could stay intact.
The second visit was much better. No yelling. We ordered a hot dog with onions and relish, a North Carolina-style barbecue pork sandwich and French fries. The hot dog was the same as before except the relish was normal instead of overtly sour. So, It was okay. My wife felt like having this hot dog even though she complained about it before. If she's happy, I'm happy.
The barbecue pork sandwich was shredded pork not pulled pork. It had no barbecue sauce. The pork was very soft and somewhat dry. It had no barbecue flavor. There was plenty of meat. The bun was soft and tasted good. The price was very affordable, but I wouldn't buy it again. If you decide to buy it, I'd advise you to bring barbecue sauce.
The French fries were thick and fresh. It looked like they made them. It was crispy and NOT oily. Tasted like fresh russet potatoes. This was the best item that had no problem.
There are two small picnic tables on one side of the building. There are no restrooms. Ask for napkins because they don't give them automatically. They use paper bags so watch out for leaking liquid from your food. The appeal of this carryout is the low prices, especially since it is in Arlington, VA. The food is edible if you anticipate the problems. It can be good if you're willing to fix it. I just need to find out who makes their half-smokes. I don't recommend this place.