Red Hot & Blue

Food was seasoned and their fries are okay (average) The dry rub is fair (bland (but the original barbecue sauce is banging!

Fantastic atmosphere! Phenomenal staff! And the food is absolutely amazing! If you want some delicious BBQ then I highly suggest you go here. Follow up the meal with their delicious peach cobbler and you won’t leave disappointed!

If you order to go, for pick up, check everything. I didn’t and made three trips back never received my complete order but was charge total bill plus 15% tip. Never again.

Sucked. Had to wait while servers were playing around till my server decided to head on over and take my order. Ordered brisket sandwich and potato salad. Was told $.50 up charge for beef. Even though menu says $ 10.99 for sandwich and a side. Seemed kinda expensive for brisket sandwich and potato salad. And now it’s an extra $.50.
Ok. Only live once. So went ahead and ordered it.
It sucked. Small sandwich with toughest brisket I’ve ever eaten. Really disappointed. Have eaten here before and the sandwich was bigger and way more tender.
And putting a small sandwich on a small plate doesn’t fool anybody into thinking they’re getting a normal sized sandwich. Too many other places around here to settle for tough overpriced brisket. Will not be back and will spread the word. Your brisket sucks. And you have the testicular fortitude to actually up charge $.50 for it. Will. Not. Be. Back.
Only reason for two stars is because potato salad was excellent.
In the future when I need a brisket fix, I’ll go to city bbq. Or shanes. Or smokies rib shack. Or do without because I won’t be back here.
I don’t think it’s just me either, because the table of four in front of me is complaining how much their lunch sucks too. They’re saying brisket sucks and the ribs have no meat on them. Sides are pretty good though.
Would have been nice if my server had inquired about my lunch. Maybe some more water and an extra napkin .seemed to be too busy not serving customers to be bothered.
Bottom line. Over priced, and not too good. Chick-​fil-​a in same shopping center. Wish I had gone there. I’m sure I wouldn’t have been disappointed .
$ 11.84 for tough ass sandwich and good potato salad. Not a good deal.

Very tasty but not great. Collards were really good as was the pulled chicken. The dry rub ribs weren’t impressive though.

Pulled pork is great! 4 sauces to choose from. Generous portions as well! Mac and cheese was stock, but still very tasty! Staff was helpful and good came out very quickly. Would definitely recommend, great place for a quick reasonably priced lunch!

I have no idea what is going on here but the food had been really bad the last couple times we were here. Everything just tastes blah and kind of old and you can tell whoever is cooking doesn’t care one bit about what they are doing. I can always tell that kind of thing.
This place is tired and in major need of an overhaul. I dont think we will be back unless we find out that happens which is a shame because it used to be great.

I always prefer a local bbq joint but a friend wanted to come here for his going away dinner. The atmosphere was low key. The restaurant was dark and not super inviting.
The food: I enjoyed the dry rub wings but the hot wings looked and tasted like they were sitting under the heat lamp for a good while. If you check in on Unilocal,you get free blooming onion type thing, just not as good.
The service/​bar: Nothing to rave about. The server was nice enough. Dirty plates were left at our table for an extended period of time. They had a limited draft beer selection. I love that they support local microbreweries however, they were missing some crucial beers.

I highly recommend the Red Hot & Blue nachos with chili; they are top notch, and always consistent.
Unfortunately that’s where the goodness ends. The BBQ pork is very good, but the sandwich is very inconsistent sometimes heaped with BBQ, other times it is more bread than pork; with often a hard bun.
Perhaps the BBQ pork platter would be more consistent. My other issue is with the service; if you order an appetizer; I recommend waiting until after you’ve ordered and finished it before ordering your entrees. On numerous occasions we either received the entrees while eating the appetizer or received the appetizer after the entrees.
This would be a solid four stars if there was consistency and a solid knowledgeable staff.

This place is a staple in my family. My family dines here at least once a week and has done so for years. My parents knows everyone there from the management to the staff. They have seen staff come and go, whether graduating from college, getting married, having babies, etc. Everytime I dine with my parents there it’s like a family reunion.
The restaurant is decorated like most BBQ joints however I love that they serve these mini corn muffins before your entrée comes out. The prices are very reasonable and the food is delicious.
The menu offers a variety of traditional BBQ meats to salads. I’ve tried several items on the menu and everything is delicious. They also make their own sauces and they have mustard based to habanero based. I’ve tried all of them and they’re good.
I will always dine here as this place has become an extension of my family.

«Meh» is really all I can say. My boo wanted to eat here, so I went with it.
Notes:
The ambiance is very busy & blues music themed.
Wait staff is friendly & attentive.
Booth seating is very roomy.
My BBQ chopped pork sandwich was just «ok.» The cole slaw on it was the definite winner of my meal. The BBQ wasn’t dry, but the taste just didn’t do it for me. Bun was big, but had some stale/​type places around the edges.
The potato salad was odd. Larger chunks of potatoes with the skin still on. Not my preference. It is mayonnaise-​based.
The pickle that came with it was limp.
Prices seem reasonable for the portions you get.
Parking is plentiful.

I am not a huge fan of NC style BBQ but thankfully Red Hot and Blue serves Memphis-​Style. They are a full-​service, casual-​themed restaurant chain and caterer and with that said I came in with low expectations. I was pleasantly surprised with the service and the food and thoroughly enjoyed my meal. As others have mentioned you can receive a free onion loaf with a Unilocal check-​in. It was large, fairly greasy but good. Something I would not normally order but I am not one to turn down free food. I ordered their Pulled Pork sandwich (which comes with cole slaw on top) offered on their lunch menu and if my memory serves me correctly it was only $ 7 to include a side. My husband went with the rack of ribs that you can order dry, wet, or half and half. With two sides it will set you back $ 24 and are large enough to make two meals out of it. Everything was delicious and above average, with their potato salad being some of the best I’ve had. I ended up ordering a pint to take home and we also purchased a bottle of their Hoochie Coochie Hot BBQ sauce which is indeed hot. We tried all their sauces located on the table and all of them were pretty respectable. I have to say I’m a fan of this place and will have to visit them again when I’m in the area.

Im upping my review to 5 stars. Very consistant, excellent service and awesome music. If you are not hungry they got a great bar and music

First of all, the place smells amazing! The service was a little slow, but it gave us time to enjoy the bluesy vibe and cool décor. We started with the pig wings with bourbon molasses sauce. They were AMAZING! My husband and I split the 5 meat combo with a side of fried okra. The okra and the little corn bread muffins were great. The meats were good as well and I enjoyed trying each of the table sauces! Not a fan of the sausage; it had a weird texture/​taste. I’d definitely go back!

I love this place and I eat here all the time with my son. The only time I can say I was disappointed is when I was told they were out of brisket on one visit :(Service is always great as well as the food. I always go with the brisket, then struggle to decide between mashed potatoes and gravy, baked beans or fried okra YUM! My son always gets the catfish fingers-​Cajun style with seasoned fries– its an appetizer but perfect size for a meal.
–It is Memphis Style slow smoked BBQ so if your like my grandma and don’t like «anything smokey tasting» this isn’t for you.
–It is comparable to Q-​Shack and Dickies but this is a sit down restaurant and it has a bar –winning– (I think the food is better here too)
The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because the booths are quite old. They definitely need to be updated because they have «sinkholes» in them from so many years of use.

The shakin bacon fries were a hit with me and my husband. I wasn’t really thrilled with the rest
Great service. Good Music.

My sister suggested we come here. Normally i’m use to having Carolina style BBQ (vinegar based YUCK!!!), my father is from Chicago, IL… HA!!! anytime people ask him «would like some BBQ» he gets a hot plate of chopped crap!!! double YUCK… ok lets not get episodic! Back to my review… The food here is amazing… I ordered the Tennessee Triple (you choose 3meats) I ordered the St. Louis Ribs, Sausage, and Brisket, Cole Slaw and Collards. The food was AMAZING!!! The staff is super friendly… which I can appreciate! Great BBQ!

Just okay. Had my in-​laws in town and wanted to take them to authentic southern bbq. Not bad but not great. Wait staff was not knowledgeable about the menu. Just kind of like going to McDonalds with bbq.
Most of the flavor came from the sauce… on the table.

I am not a huge fan of this place, but my husband loves it so we are regulars. I typically order the bbq chicken that is smoked. They serve the cole slaw cold, which is a plus (there are local bbq restaurants here that serve it room temp or warm and I don’t care for it). My son orders the bbq ribs and loves them. The hush puppies are fantastic.

Red, Hot & Blue is a good option for a North Raleigh lunch if you’re in the mood for BBQ. It usually isn’t too crowded so it is easy to get in and out during a lunch hour.
They have a decent lunch special ($ 6.99 for sandwich and side). I’m partial to the sausage sandwich. It comes with mustard on the side, but I like putting the mustard sauce on it instead. The BBQ is good as well. As others have mentioned, it is in the Q-​Shack/​Dickies vein of smoked meat with a variety of sauces available to top it.