A basket of complimentary biscuits, honey butter and hush puppies gives a meal at The Pit a running start. The biscuits are substantial, the hush puppies have real presence, and the honey butter makes it easy to linger over the bread before the main barbecue plates arrive.
In downtown Raleigh, The Pit puts a polished full-service setting around the familiar pleasures of Carolina barbecue. It has a lively dining-room energy without requiring everyone at the table to order the same thing, which is useful when one person wants chopped pork, another wants a burger, and the youngest diner has macaroni and cheese on the mind.
Start with Carolina pork
Whole-hog chopped pork is the natural place to begin. It is served as a substantial barbecue plate, with the smoke and chopped texture that make Carolina pork so satisfying when it is paired with a little slaw and a sharp splash of vinegar sauce.
The vinegar-based sauce is available for pork and chicken, allowing diners to dial up that familiar Carolina tang instead of having it fixed into every bite. A selection of sauces comes alongside the barbecue, so the table can compare styles rather than settle the matter in advance.
Pulled pork is another option, and the kitchen's barbecue menu extends beyond pork to brisket and Carolina ribs. The ribs bring tenderness and smoke to the plate, while moist chicken gives a lighter-looking alternative without stepping outside the barbecue territory.
Build a plate, or sample widely
A combo plate makes sense on an early visit, especially for a table trying to understand the range of meats. The double-combo portions can be generous enough to share or to turn into tomorrow's lunch, so it is not a bad place to order with a little ambition.
The appetizer sampler offers another route through the menu before committing to a full plate. It is useful for a group that wants a few things in the middle of the table, or for someone settling in at the bar with a drink and a late meal.
Pimento cheese balls are one of the more memorable starters. They bring a distinctly Southern, snackable note to a barbecue menu that has plenty of serious smoked meat ahead.
Sides with their own following
The side list is broad enough that it deserves more than a quick glance. Collard greens, mashed potatoes, green beans, potato salad, slaw and baked beans cover the expected barbecue companions, all made from scratch.
Brunswick stew is a standout order, with the sort of rich, slow-cooked comfort that can make a bowl feel like more than a side. It works especially well beside a plate of pork, though it can easily draw attention away from the meat for a few minutes.
Fried okra and sweet potato casserole are particularly appealing choices when the table wants a little variety: one crisp and savory, the other softer and sweeter. Fried green tomatoes offer another less-expected option, while Brussels sprouts provide a vegetable choice that is not simply an afterthought.
Beyond the smokehouse standards
The menu is not limited to barbecue plates. The Pit bacon cheeseburger is notably large, a serious burger that can leave room for a take-home half after the first round.
That range helps with mixed groups. Children can choose a hot dog with fries, a cheeseburger with fries, or macaroni and cheese with fries, and the macaroni and cheese has been a particularly popular pick with younger diners.
Adults who are more interested in vegetables and sides than a giant platter of smoked meat have plenty of ways to make a meal, too. A table can order a little broadly here without creating the sense that anyone has been dragged to a single-purpose barbecue stop.
Save room for pudding
Dessert keeps the comfort-food theme going with Aunt Hattie's Double Chocolate Cake, banana pudding and crème brûlée. Banana pudding is the classic choice after barbecue: cool, familiar and just sweet enough to finish a long meal without needing much explanation.
Crème brûlée may seem like an unexpected closer in a barbecue restaurant, but it suits the more polished side of the room. The menu has room for both a traditional Southern ending and a restaurant-style dessert.
A bar worth settling into
The bar is a workable destination for its own version of dinner: drinks, an appetizer, perhaps a barbecue plate after a downtown event or concert. It has the same food options in a looser format than a full table service meal.
An Old-Fashioned made with Weldon Mills bourbon is a fitting partner for smoke and pimento cheese. Beer drinkers can look for an Asheville-made Wicked Weed Blueberry Sour, a brighter counterpoint to ribs, brisket and the richer sides.
Occasional special dinners have expanded the pairing idea further, including a whiskey-and-prime-rib meal with Weldon Mills bourbon, smoke pimento cheese crostini and figs, salad, scalloped potatoes, root vegetables and crème brûlée. Those special-event menus and seasonal items such as honey cornbread can change, so they are best treated as pleasant possibilities rather than permanent fixtures.
A polished room for a barbecue dinner
The dining room is attractive and finished, more downtown restaurant than rustic roadside barbecue shack. That changes the rhythm of the meal a bit: you can come in for a quick plate, but it also works nicely for taking your time over starters, drinks, several sides and dessert.
Seating has included the main indoor dining area, the bar and an outdoor patio or terrace. The overall atmosphere is lively but still conversational, making it comfortable for a solo diner at the bar as well as a couple catching up over a shared sampler.
Made for family tables and bigger gatherings
The Pit handles a broad mix of company, from families with children to groups of five, eight and even 13. Barbecue is naturally shareable, and the menu's combination of meats, sides, burgers and children's meals gives a larger table plenty to work with.
For busy dinner periods, reservations are recommended. A Saturday-night reservation can make the arrival much smoother, particularly when the group is more than a couple of people.
A few downtown practicalities
Parking around the restaurant can involve paid lots, paid street spaces or free street parking, depending on where and when you arrive. Conditions vary, so downtown parking is one small variable in an otherwise straightforward dinner plan.
Once seated, the easiest approach is to let the table do a little sampling: biscuits and hush puppies first, then a couple of meats, Brunswick stew, a vegetable or two, and perhaps banana pudding at the end. It is a generous meal, and the leftovers from a double combo are not a bad souvenir.