Whitleys Bar.B.Que Traditions

Had the opportunity to eat the Buffett and it was really a quality meal especially when most buffets are awful. The veggies were fresh and the fish, chicken and BBQ were excellent
The owner was talkative and really passionate about all that’s going on there … Overall great meal and great value!

Terrific country buffet. Like a walk back in time but with fried fish fit for the gods, and very good fried chicken and the standard veggies. Didn’t sample everything on the buffet but liked everything I tried (except the corn, which was just okay). Service was friendly, too. This place was clearly a favorite of the after church crowd.

Fantastic southern cuisine in a friendly atmosphere. Four of us enjoyed a tasty buffet on a Sunday afternoon and appreciated the attentive waitstaff. Starting off with large iced teas, we nibbled on mini biscuits and cornbread sticks and looked over at the beautiful buffet line. Cold salads (including watermelon rind pickles and deviled eggs… yay!!), fried fish, Carolina bbq, ribs, fried chicken, and a wide selection of veggies and gravies are just a few of the home style eats you’ll find here. Homemade desserts end a super meal. A la carte items are available off the menu… but the buffet is too nice to ignore. Prices are really fair… go…eat…ENJOY!

This place seems to have changed ownership so many times. I hope it will be successful this time.
The good:
–The service was excellent.
–The desserts were good.
–They have an accessible ramp for people who use wheelchairs.
–They take reservations and do a great job at making sure that the tables are turned around in time.
The bad:
–Their AC was lacking and it was hot, humid and uncomfortable inside.
–They ran out of food on the buffet.
–They had a sign saying you were limited to one tiny dessert.
–One of the employees was not happy to see the crowds. I heard her swearing about it being so crowded. (This was kind of entertaining though, it shouldn’t be in the «bad» section)
–There were only two vegetable options.
–It was $ 20.00 per person, which isn’t bad for Mother’s Day, it’s just that if I’m paying $ 20.00 for all you can eat, I expect there to be lots of food.
–There is no line established for the buffet.
–You have to wait for them to bring out plates to the buffet area and that could take a while.
–The food was okay, nothing special at all.

Great southern fare! Have been two or three times, mainly for family or church get-​togethers where we were part of a large party eating off the buffet. The fried and baked chicken is delicious and the barbeque is perfect! Cornbread is served when drinks are brought to your table. The restaurant itself is well kept and you can walk outside the back (esp if you have wiggly kids who don’t feel like visiting) and will probably see a flock of large white geese (exciting for said wiggly kids). Nice country food with friendly service. :)

Lots of tradition southern favorite next to cotton fields. The fried chicken is a must have and the buffet has many great side choices including a surprising appearance of curried vegetables and a delicious coconut cake.

Although you can order from a menu, it seems like the main thing is buffet. A board just inside the door showed three different times and prices for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Our dinner buffet on a Saturday night was $ 12 per person. That included my iced tea, a salad bar, the buffet, cake, and tax.
The buffet was poorly stocked when we arrived around 6:30 pm. We may have just missed the dinner rush, and they were still trying to recover. I dunno. It was also a little slow to be restocked. The sides were typical Southern fare: fried okra, mac & cheese, rice, green beans, corn, lima beans, etc. They had 3 different types of chicken: plain, BBQ, and fried. They also offered vinegar-​based bbq, fried fish, and shrimp. Basic salad bar, and like I said cake for dessert. It did taste like it was baked in house probably that day.
As a place we stopped in the middle of nowhere (zero AT&T cell coverage), during a road trip it was really great. Only 3 stars for meh service and limited choices.

Down home cooking in the middle of nowhere. The food was outstanding its an all you can eat buffet for lunch and the fried chicken was mind blowing.

My husband and I just moved to Murfreesboro and being bbq crazy people this was our home away from home the first few weeks. The staff is very friendly and welcoming, the bbq is spot on for Eastern Carolina, and the fried chicken is outstanding. We’ve gone in for a meal off the menu and a buffet lunch and they were both really good. I haven’t had room left to try their desserts yet, but I plan on it!

My first time here. Went on a Sunday when they had a buffet. Lots of choices and plenty of food and drink. I especially liked the Seafood Newburg!

I have family in the area and visited on a Sunday at lunch for the buffet. It was packed but the wait staff was efficient and friendly. The food was great! I grew up in Eastern NC so I’ve had my fair share of
BbQ and theirs is solidly good. The fried chicken was right up there with my Mom’s (there is no higher compliment)! The brunswick stew was a little on the sweet side for me. Overall the food was better than average. The desserts on the buffet were nothing special. If you’re passing through or close by during eating time and want some good food this is worth a try!

I almost, practically, accidentally missed Whitley’s.
I go out of my way to taste and try BBQ. And have lost count of how many BBQ joints I have taste-​tested. If you know BBQ, you know how dull and frustrating it can be to do «blind» visits. Most of them suffer from one problem or another.
So, a couple of weeks ago, wending my way through Eastern North Carolina, I found Whitley’s around dinner time on the Saturday before Mother’s Day. Passed it before I realized it was a new BBQ joint.
«BBQ on the right… parking lot full… Saturday nite… me hungry… BBQ! Turn around!»
Errrrrchhhhh… and one short U-​turn later I was in the parking lot. Packed. Always a good sign.
My first reaction was negative for a reason most people wouldn’t have: the place just looked too neat, clean and tidy. I know, color me weird that way.
But ANY BBQ joint in Eastern North Carolina, particularly any place off the interstate, big-​road beaten path qualifies for a taste. And this one was packed of a Saturday nite.
This nite, they were hummin’. A big buffet had been set up in the room adjacent to the entrance area. Country folks, families, mostly. Also, a gooooood sign. People who know what real home-​cooking is sposed to taste like are a good barometer of BBQ.
But, again, I did not have my hopes up. I had guessed that the Q would be passable, with maybe some good sides.
I ordered a regular chopped BBQ. Altho north of NC, I always specify «sauce on the side,» here in the pork-​BBQ nerve center of the United States, I knew that would not be necessary. Indeed ‘t’warn’t. I also ordered a Brunswick Stew, peculiar to this part of the country, and another standard taste-​barometer. I like Brunswick Stew ok, but since many BBQ joints make it, it is one of 2 or 3 things I order just to get an apples-​to-​apples idea of whether I will bother coming back to a place.
Now, here’s the tragedy… wait for it. It’s not what you expect.
I got my stuff to go, and headed back out to the car. About mid-​way through a long drive between Ocracoke and Lynchburg, VA, I was in a hurry to get back on the road. I set up my sweet tea in the cupholder, opened the wrapper to the BBQ, and glanced inside. Everything okay there. A quick spoon dip into the Brunswick Stew, and put that one way to be tossed out when I got home. Too bad.
Cranked up the Tahoe and hit the road. About a mile down the road, I gently tuck up the BBQ in hand and took my first bite.
«Sweet Holy Jesus! Damn! Damn! Damn!»
I had just taken a bite out of 1) the best goddamned pork BBQ I have ever had! and 2) the ONLY one of them I had with me (the aforementioned tragedy)!
«Ohhhh, MAN!»
You just cain’t describe what anything really tastes like. But here are the high points.
This was coarse chopped on a plain bun; it looked like pulled and chopped to me. The meat was not smoky, or if it was, the smoke was missed due to my extreme gusto and enthusiasm. That is not a criticism, altho I love smoky pork. The meat was fresh. It had NOT been lying around steaming or drying out. Nor was it wet. Like many NC style pork BBQs, this had been very lightly sauced, with that unmistakable style of vinegar-​based BBQ sauce, also sometimes used as a finishing «mop.»
I had asked for slaw on the side, but this sandwich looked like someone back in the kitchen had first put a dollop of slaw on, and then removed it. Telltale flecks of slaw were speckled on top of the pork, when I first opened it up. Now, I usually avoid slaw on my sandwich, but these few little flecks really worked to improve the sandwich. Next time, I will order mine «with slaw on the sandwich, but take it off before you bring it to me!»
That’ll twist some minds.
Moist, sweet, absolutely, fall-​down-​on-​the-​ground, stunningly good, classic Eastern North Carolina BBQ that I have never tasted the equal of anywhere. Period.
I can point you to places who make the same KIND of BBQ. But I cannot send you to a better one. Not anywhere on this particular planet.
I liked the slaw, but will forego a detailed discussion of it. The BBQ here is the reason to go waaaay out of your way in time and distance to get to Whitley’s. This is a religious pilgrimage all true BBQ pro’s should go on.
I EXTRASPECIALLY urge all those new (and old) restauranteurs who serve what-​they-​call-​BBQ – from Virginia north. This is the benchmark you should aim for. It is not black-​box magic; you do not have to «improve» on it. This is BBQ that can turn a failing business around.
Negatives? I found the Brunswick Stew to be strangely gluey. As if a regular stew had been ultra-​thickened with cornstarch or tapioca. I found it very unappetizing.
Sadly, Whitley’s is not on any of my regular travel routes. But I cannot wait to make the extra couple of hours detour to it, on my next trip south!