Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q

While the food remains delicious, the introduction of the new plastic containers is nothing less than business trickery. While the NEW CONTAINERS may be safer for transport, THEY ARE HALF THE SIZE OF THE OLD PINT containers AND SOLD AT THE SAME PRICE.
Selling a ½ pint of barbeque, brunswick stew, backed beans, potato salad or cold slaw for the same price of a pint is immediately noticed by any previous customer.
This business old school practice is never appreciated and results in loyal customers looking elsewhere for a family meal that actually can feed their family.
When the new barbeque business across the street opens, this franchise will loose even more business than they would have without trying to fool your loyal customers.
Management is fooling themselves if they believe my disgust or loss of customers stops here. Two stars because the food is still delicious, zero stars for a unbelievably poor Corporate business decision.
It would have been a better decision to not change the container size and charge a little more money.

This place was a huge disappointment and should not be considered a barbecue business. Barbecuing is a passion of mine and we were hungry after attending a seminar up in Chapel Hill. We saw their sign and decided to stop by to give them a try. HUGE mistake.
There should be a law that requires any restaurant that claims to be a «barbecue» restaurant to put a disclaimer on their menus. This place does not have barbecue. They serve a product that is basic roasted pork. Not a drop or real, slow-​cooked barbecue in this place.
I ordered what they claim is «barbecue.» It was a pint of «barbecue» with a pint of «slaw» and what they think is hush puppies. This is where it all went WRONG.
First the fake «barbecue» was nothing more than seasoned, oven roasted pork. Barbecue is cooked low and slow for hours on a grill or smoker. This fake barbecue had a strange blend of seasonings and was barely edible if not for me drowning it in their vinegar sauce mixture and Texas Pete.
I should have known this was not a true barbecue joint when they didn’t ask me if I wanted red or white slaw. This slaw was a mustard/​mayo based slaw that was super sweet. I believe they add the pickle juice from the sweet pickles that was in this mixture. Big thumbs down on the slaw because this IS NOT a vinegar based slaw that goes perfectly with real barbecue.
The hush puppies were basic (yes that is a compliment) bland cornmeal fried up in 3 day old oil (or so it tasted like). Not even ketchup or honey mustard sauce couldn’t help these things out.
My fiancée ordered a chicken tender plate which consisted of 3 bland, not seasoned, chicken tenders, super sweet potato salad (again, from the ton of pickle juice) and the terrible slaw mixture. It was a truly bad experience all around.
Now, I share the blame for this. I was tired and hungry (a bad combo). I should have known this was a fake barbecue joint when I exited the car and didn’t smell that sweet smoke smell bellowing from a smoke stack. Not to mention that once inside their is only a distinct smell of old cooking oil. There was not a smell of any wood being used.
So, please avoid this place at all cost. It’s a fake barbecue chain restaurant. Barbecue is cooked low and slow on a smoker. This was my $ 27 dollar mistake of the day and I wish I would have continued my drive back to my house.
If you like FAKE oven roasted pork, Smithfield’s is the place you can order it by the pint. Huge disappointment to say the least!

Could’ve been a four star had they kept the BBQ! That’s right, I’ve heard about this NC based restaurant for years and just how incredible it is! Well being from NC I was ashamed to say I’d never tried it! Until today! Let’s just say the fried chicken saved the day! It’s a very clean place that seemingly is packed all the time. I wanted to get a sample of both of their specialties, so I got the white meat combo. For about $ 8 you get a fried breast and whole wing, along with a adequate portion of their Eastern NC BBQ. It comes with puppies, slaw, and their apparently famous potato salad. The fried chicken is perhaps some of the best I’ve ever had! Nice size portions that are perfectly cooked to a crunchy golden brown! Admittedly I’m not a fan a Eastern BBQ, but I’ve had some that was quite all right. This was so heavily based in vinegar that it was uneatable! Same with the potato salad! The puppies were quite delicious, and a definite reorder the next visit. A reorder you ask? Yes, but this NC gentleman will certainly not be partaking in my beloved pork that’s butchered horribly by Smithfield! Eat Mo Chicken!

if you are looking for overpriced fast food chicken then this is your place.
I have had MUCH better fast food chicken at MULTIPLE places. I was sorely disappointed based on the reviews we read on Unilocal.
I feel like I wasted my money and time at this establishment. The quality of food we experienced it should have been ½ the price.
I will give props to the customer service they were very patient and helpful on our first and last visit!!!

If you want a taste of real Carolina style pulled pork, this is the place to get a quick version of it. Really enjoyed the vinegar based pull pork here.

Big place with lots of seating and family friendly. The portions are small for the price. Sometimes the meat is juicy and sometimes it’s dry as cardboard. The hush puppies are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside and flavorful. The cole slaw is not overpowered by mayo or vinegar. Not the best bbq but better than the other local options. Drive a little out of mebane to hillsborough bbq for a better option.

The barbecue was a little hot (spicy) for my taste. The chicken was nothing to write home about.

Simple. Fresh. Delicious. Ginormous Portions.
This was our first visit to Smithfield’s and it won’t be our last! The food is very simple and homey. It is served on styrofoam plates and it makes you feel just like you are at a down home picnic!
You order at the counter and they bring your food to your table :-) Love it!
We both ordered the platter which comes with 2 sides and hush puppies. I opted for cole slaw and fries, my boyfriend opted for extra hush puppies and Brunswick Stew. Oh and he wanted to try the small portion of chicken tenders (3 piece)…more on this later…
The pulled pork was tender and seasoned well, the hush puppies were to die for, the fries were okay, nothing special — basic shoestring fries, the cole slaw was really good as well (mayo based), now the Brunswick Stew — that was delish! We both opted to put extra sauce on our pulled pork, it was that good — it is a vinegar based sauce or whatever that classify it as — whatever it is — it is delicious!
Now the small chicken strips… uuummm, that was more like a half of chicken… dear lord, I can’t imagine a large order :-) The skin was very crispy and seasoned perfectly!
They were amazing!
I got a sprite and my boyfriend got a sweet tea (of course)…I was really hoping for some homemade lemonade — but they didn’t have that — that would be an awesome addition to this simple and homey menu!
You can’t go wrong here! Stop in for some down home food and hospitality!

4.5 in the barbecue department, the food was wonderful. That barbecue meat was moist and flavorful up and there was plenty of sauces that were very good all-​around.
The staff was really polite and corteous. Nobody was just standing around everybody was busy either cleaning or attending to customers, almost like an old-​fashioned 1950s diner for real.
Spacious parking, very clean inside.
We each ordered a barbecue sandwich with slaw didn’t care for any sides and it came to under $ 10, the food was delivered to our table quickly. The dining room was spacious, and their Décor is absolutely adorable with lots of pictures from the 50s lots of Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, and give me dean. I would definitely come here again I wish I lived closer!

When it comes to great tasting NC BBQ and amazing customer service there is no better place than Smithfields. I am willing to drive to Mebane from Chapel Hill because I enjoy Smithfields so much.
Unfortunately, there are no many locations near Chapel Hill. This is the easiest access for me because it is just down I40. There are plenty of locations in and around Raleigh but I prefer to come west.
Try the banana pudding if you have room after your meal.

Clean, friendly service, and great BBQ. A nice relaxing stop off of HWY 40.

Pretty good BBQ. Their BBQ sauce isn’t classic BBQ or anywhere close. It’s got a little spice to it. I’m all for originality, but you should also add a classic BBQ sauce option. Same with the vinegar based sauce. A little spicy.
The hushpuppies are delicious. Especially when fresh and hot.

I’m glad that I came with an empty stomach as the portions are huge! I ordered the white chicken platter, which came with BBQ, two sides (I got fries and baked beans), and hush puppies. The food came out surprisingly quick. I worried that the speedy service was an indicator that the food wouldn’t be fresh but I was wrong… everything was quite the opposite. The food was piping hot and the staff was friendly and attentive. Carolina bbq is quite different than what I’m used to in TN, but it was good. I tried my boyfriend’s brunswick stew and it was amazing as well. This is not a place to go if you’re not a pork eater… it was in or on everything.
Bonus: the restaurant staff keep the dining room in excellent condition. While we were there someone came out to sweep, wipe tables off and refill/​replace condiment bottles twice.

This place is great! It’s always clean and the staff is amazing. I love the chicken and like the BBQ. I always want to taste both without being a gluttonous pig, so I go for the BBQ snack pack with fries and drink ($ 5.99) and add a couple of tenders (1.69 ea.). this gets you a couple of pups too. I also recommend asking for sandwich slaw on side instead of on sandwich, it’s kinda sweet.
Eastbound from the triad it’s a must stop.
Enjoy.

Smithfield’s is my favorite place to get the typical chopped, vinegary, soaked down to the bun Eastern NC BBQ. It’s SO good. They usually put coleslaw on the sandwich, so make sure to ask for no slaw if you don’t like it.
The BBQ sandwich value pack is a pretty good deal if you want to make it a meal. You get a pretty big serving of fries and a drink. (Oh, PS, they have the BEST ice here. I know that’s really random, but I like it).
The staff used to be really friendly and would come around and refill your drinks and offer to take away any trash. I guess the last time I came in must have been an off night.

As a Native Tar Heel, I am very picky when it comes to BBQ, but Smithfield’s does not disappoint. I can’t speak for all of the locations because I primarily visit the one in Mebane, but they never let me down.
Don’t let the fact that Smithfield’s is a chain and technically fast food fool you; they make some great food. For those of you who don’t know NC BBQ, there are two main types. The variety typical in the eastern part of the state is a vinegar based and the variety typical in the western part of the state is a tomato based. I live in the triad, which is kind of in limbo between the two.
In my opinion, Eastern style is far superior to its Western counterpart. When I get a hankering for some good Eastern Style BBQ Smithfield’s fills that void. The farthest west they go in the state is currently Mebane, but they have plans to expand to Greensboro (thank goodness).
I normally get the BBQ tray, which comes with a BBQ sandwich, cole slaw, hush puppies, potato salad, and a sweet tea of course! The BBQ is always succulent with a smoky/​tangy flavor. I of course, drown it in their vinegar based sauce, which is amazing. Cole slaw is good (none of that mustard based stuff). The hush puppies are always cooked to perfection and the potato salad is sweet and creamy. They also know how to make there sweet tea just right.
This place is a great place to grab some quick, delicious, Eastern NC style BBQ.

Delta sucks and after a 24 hour delay, I finally got on a plane to go to NC. Only it was to Greensboro, not Raleigh. SMH! Starving and tired, we stopped at Smithfield’s, ordered, and sat.
Food was delicious, heavy (at least for a northerner like me) but delicious. Pulled pork was so flavorful, lightly smoked with a touch of heat. Melted in my mouth.
Jeez, now I want some but I’m in Jersey.

FOOD
This was my first time at this BBQ chain and I was happy I came. Some of the BBQ here in the Carolinas is difficult for non-​natives, but not so at Smithfield’s. There are other things to try, but I had the pork which was high quality and lightly smokey.
DECOR
This is a clean and well lit place that inspires confidence. This is a place you can take anyone to.
SERVICE
Polite folks at the counter. My to go order was packed up nice and tight.

Gosh, this place closes at 11pm and unfortunately for the staff inside, we showed up at 10:40pm, hungry and adrenalinated after a night at Spookywoods. I had heard about Smithfield’s for years but never seemed to find a way to get to one in the Triangle so bring it on baby!
The menu is pretty basic at Smithfields: fried chicken, barbeque, sides and some dessert. I ordered up the chicken plate which came with slaw and potato salad. Five minutes later, they bring it out to your seat, I’ve got a leg, thigh and a nice pile of sides. The chicken is decent, not salty at all, a touch greasy and decently fried. Not the best I’ve had but fine. The potato salad was very good, sweet and creamy. Wasn’t a huge fan of the slaw which was also sweeter than usual. For my first visit to Smithfield’s I was pleased. Solid fried chicken and sides, and good portions for the money. Not bad for a fast food meal, thank you Smithfield’s!

This is a NC Regional franchise and still family owned.
If you like the Eastern style, vinegar based BBQ you will like this place.
I lke to get the Platter which comes with delicous hush puppies and two sides.
I got the potato salad and cole slaw which was better than average.
Their ‘que is always cooked fresh and is consistently tasty.
They have two sauces, the Grillin & Dippin sauce which is excellent and they have their BBQ sauce which is good if you like the vinegar taste.
This location is exceptional for easy off and on to I-​85.
They also have a drive thru if you like your ‘cue to go.
They started in Smithfield, NC in 1964 and have steadily expanded.
Their service really sets them apart, everyone smiles, talks to you and is friendly.
You gotta love the ‘true south’.