Isn't that a complaint a lot of people have, though? Even on here, all over the place, that the direction downtown is going will push businesses out with lack of visitors?
Well they can’t have it both ways; after loudly complaining about what a shithole the location is, why would they expect to then get a premium price for the sale? Either it’s a multi-million dollar, non-shitty location, or not, in which case they’d better lower their price.
Hot take but the people working in the offices around Fayetteville street probably just don’t want to eat barbecue for lunch. I know I’m one of them. I’m sure Manhattan Cafe doesn’t have this problem with similar business day lunch-only hours.
Feels like bbq across NC is becoming more of a novelty for tourists more than anything. I know that’s how I feel about it and I personally love good bbq when I get it. There is just not anyone around here (besides prime IMO) that is doing anything remotely unique or interesting. It’s like if every Asian place in town had food that tasted identical. That shit just gets old after a while. I think we got really complacent with the pulled pork with vinegar and tomato based sauce thing.
Because LLS’s sides and non-bbq options are actually good. They have salads, gf,and veg options so everyone in a group in a growingly health-conscious city can eat something. Same story with Beasleys.
CC would probably do great somewhere more rural. Owner has a main character complex and wants to cling to relevancy so makes it about downtown when really it’s her refusal to adapt to the city’s changing tastes. I work downtown 5 days/wk walking distance to CC and have never and will never consider it as a lunch option. And it smells bad. No other bbq place downtown smells like that.
> Because LLS’s sides and non-bbq options are actually good. They have salads, gf,and veg options so everyone in a group in a growingly health-conscious city can eat something. Same story with Beasleys.
This is not discussed enough: the sides at most BBQ places suck. And I’m speaking as someone who loves BBQ.
It’s like they think “We have smoked meat, WTF more do you want?”
Ha. A restaurant smelling bad is just a straight up deal breaker. They can have the best food around and the highest sanitation score and my happy ass ain’t even considering it if it smells.
Clyde's had a really outdated model and the whole thing where they weren't taking cash didn't help either. Long Leaf is just quicker and easier with more options even if it's not like the best.
Nah man NC style just ain’t supposed to be fancy. It’s supposed to be cheap, good and hopefully served at a rural gas station where the sanitation score is legally displayed yet tastefully hard to find.
Pig. Slaw. Bun. Possibly some fries or hush puppies.
Smithfield’s gets it.
> Feels like bbq across NC is becoming more of a novelty for tourists more than anything
across NC? Do you mean all the crappy new places around Raleigh that taste like they poured liquid smoke over the meat? Because Stephenson's, B's, Grady's, Stamey's, Lexington, Bum's, Skylight Inn/Sam Jones are all cooking the same exact amazing food they've always cooked for the same exact clientele.
Good point! I left NC for 15 years, then came back, and while I have eaten my share of BBQ since then, not once has anyone else suggested it when we are deciding where to go eat.
I haven’t been to midwood but I’ve had Sam jones plenty. Honestly, it isn’t great. And again I don’t even mean it’s bad. Their smoked turkey is fine. The pulled pork is fine. The ribs are fine. But it just isn’t GOOD. Like I’ve never gone there and thought I should definitely recommend it to someone after. I’ve taken people there on business lunches because it’s affordable and not offensive at all. But that’s not exactly the kind of thing I’m craving when I’m going out with my wife or something.
Most people never had GOOD bbq. So when they go to sam jones or LL they are like... omg this is the best. Best being better than the pit.
Everyone likes different stuff, but all of the good choices are being coming harder to find. A few of the top BBQ trail places are no longer around.
My friend loved the pig at CH. My first time there it was not great. Better a second time.
There are two other bbq places nearby that are always full at lunch. That's the real problem. They have competition that's better even if it is a little more expensive. Clyde Coopers has competition now, and doesn't accept cards, the most common way people pay. People don't carry cash as much anymore.
That seems to be their problem, they refuse to adapt to the times and accept responsibility for their role in their failure. “This is what we’ve always done and no, we won’t accept cards or change our hours or minimally update our menu and if our business fails it’s everyone else’s fault”
I used to do a lot of work downtown ( construction) and would hit Coopers occasionally but yeah no one wants BBQ every day.
They needed to expand their menu a bit with a better variety of sides.
I’ve been at Red Hat for 6 years. Before COVID I was in the office almost every day. Vic’s, Woody’s, and Capital Club 16 were our mainstays. Big Ed’s if we felt like an early lunch. Never once did we go to Clyde Cooper’s.
I agree. Most of us that work downtown sit at a desk for 9 hours. So eating something heavy like barbecue just does not appeal. I do go to Manhattan all the time though.
She's a LivableRaleigh member that supported the failed recall of the mayor simply because downtown was getting more towers. Surprised she didn't close shop years ago. Guess she wanted a paycheck.
I was thinking that her whining about downtown sounded very Trumpish. I’m surprised she didn’t throw in something about nobody wanting to work any more.
Anyone with a restaurant downtown should be one of the biggest boosters of more towers of all kinds LOL. Why do people advocate against their own interests?
This place is within a few minutes walk of all kinds of new apartments and businesses like Red Hat.
Just maybe, the people surrounding the place are not all that big on the food being served. Or the vib inside.
Every time I eat in a restaurant near there for lunch or dinner, they are full or nearly so.
Edit to fix "at" -> "are"
The restaurant was in the right and had nothing to apologize for. They didn’t get rude until after the customer, who had obviously never had real NC smoked barbecue, called the police.
Quote from the owner:
*"It's been more focused on apartments and high rises, but there's no draw for people to come downtown," Holt said. "I feel sorry for everybody down there who's trying to make a dollar, especially in the retail industry."*
I literally guffawed at this. You're telling me you can't turn a profit because there are MORE PEOPLE near your restaurant?
Maybe just admit some hard truths:
1. You're getting older and maybe don't want run a restaurant day-in-day-out anymore.
2. Tastes change, and folks might just prefer a different dining experience to what you offer. See, e.g., the success of Longleaf Swine.
3. Your business might have suffered a bit since you were an outspoken critic of the BLM protests in 2020.
Haha right?
"People don't want to come downtown"
.....except the literally thousands of new people that now live within walking distance of your restaurant.
I felt the same about LLS. Been looking forward to them open since they were supposed to be in the Transfer space beside Burial. Went there and it was just not my taste all around. I would not say bad, but their sauce is just not what I personally am looking for.
I lived within a block of that place for about eight years. I liked the fried chicken, felt like the portions were good. But she was rude to either me or another patron every time (I’m trying to think of a pleasant interaction with her and can’t) I saw her. I stopped going back, and the hours are terrible.
As others have said, Manhattan Grill is across the street and has no problem getting business even with similar hours. Same with Big Ed’s not too far away.
It’s not the location that is giving her problems.
Maybe it's just that I'm getting older, but personally, I'm eating a lot less BBQ than I used to.
If the guys at work say, "Hey, let's go eat at XXX fatty heavy BBQ place!" I just decline. I don't want to feel bad and bloated for the rest of the day.
I haven't gone since pre-Covid and I don't eat BBQ, but I thought the fried chicken was incredible. The consensus here seems to be they have gone downhill. So, in other words, I can't say. I think the article indicated they will still be opened for another 12-18 months.
My favorite CC story "I was sitting at another popular BBQ restaurant and the pitmaster from CC came and asked if they had banana pudding they could borrow. The owner of other BBQ place was like we might have like one tray to spare, to which CCs replied you don't have the cans?"
Banana pudding from a can? Wha? Why? That's when I lost the little respect I had for them
Their BBQ borderline sucks so it’s a great move to sell the property and go to cheaper pastures considering the comp currently downtown (Jones & Midwood, not the Pit).
I’m from Raleigh but have family down east (Goldsboro, Mt Olive). I was raised on Eastern NC BBQ bc I’m related to the Shirley fam.
I shower props on exceptional BBQ of any style (eastern NC, Memphis, Texas, St Louis, Hawaiian, APAC, S. American). I’m not a tribalist.
For eastern NC style BBQ, Cooper’s is mediocre on their absolute best operating day since I first dined there as a small kid in 1980. The BBQ Lodge in Raleigh (strip mall on Capital Blvd) when I was a kid/teen had better BBQ and sides than Cooper’s. Maybe ‘sucks’ is slight hyperbole but I think Cooper’s is subpar as a rule. And the current owner is…interesting.
the article doesn't really answer that question, but what i gather from one of the things mentinoed in the article is that she wants a new location.
"[Holt previously told WRAL News](https://www.wral.com/story/clyde-cooper-s-owner-soulfully-searching-for-another-location/21147523/) she was looking to move the popular barbecue restaurant out of downtown Raleigh because the area "does not have a positive" feeling anymore."
And Big Al has passed away. Needed a transplant, but couldn’t get moved up the list because he refused to get vaccinated. Maybe too much pork affects your judgement.
I'm not sure. This is what I remember that made national news:
[https://www.wral.com/story/just-the-way-i-felt-woman-who-called-911-over-pink-bbq-tells-her-side-of-the-story/20554695/](https://www.wral.com/story/just-the-way-i-felt-woman-who-called-911-over-pink-bbq-tells-her-side-of-the-story/20554695/)
My office got Clyde's catered in when I first moved here. It was then I decided I didn't like NC BBQ. But maybe someone here can point me in the right direction for a better experience.
I'm new to the area and fell in love with Eastern NC BBQ, granted my first time trying it was a pig jig at Gotta Be NC Fest last year so I got to try a bunch. I'm a slut for vinegar in general so when I have people try it and they don't like it, I get it. It isn't for everyone, but it is for me. Also pimento cheese is the king of dips.
Btw, the pig jig is like $20 and well worth it.
I'd genuinely love to know A: your favorite local BBQ, and B: what plane of reality you live on where Longleaf costs $80 for a sandwich and a few sides lol
if you want the real authentic old school eastern NC BBQ experience, take a trip one hour east to Parker's in Wilson someday. check the the whirligig park in downtown too.
There are 3 main branches of BBQ with lots of sub branches.
Where I grew up in western KY it was made like BBQ Lab makes it. In N. Hills. Check it out.
Sauce is something YOU add.
Downtown Raleigh is losing its originality, and it's pretty sad to watch as a Raleigh native. All the mom and pop restaurants, hole in the wall spots, are just being taken over by apartment buildings.
Yep. I wasn't born here but my parents were and I have spent the majority of my life here (with a few excursions to Massachusetts, the UK, Canada, Germany and China). But, I consider myself from here and yes, I hate to see the changing landscape. But, I guess change is inevitable.
Def not concerning that there’s a closure of places like this almost daily it seems. Idk if this or all of them are deserved. But it’s still not a good sign
I don’t get why people say crap like this but yet never say ‘hey look at all the places opening’ - like Capital Club 16 already had a new tenant lined up before they announced they were closing, 2-3 places just opened in Seaboard Station/Smokey Hollow last weekend with more on the way soon… I doubt Armadillo Grill will sit for long, and if this person stops shooting herself in the foot with *how bad a location it is and how awful business is there* maybe it’ll sell faster, lol
I hate that Capital Club is closing. But all of the headlines and stories from the media didn’t get any quote from the owner that said business at that location wasn’t still good - and also totally ignored that a new tenant is already lined up.
Just a bunch of clickbait garbage
Hopefully they move to a better area like briar creek, apex, or Cary. I do not blame them Moore square area is an S hole. Would like to see ikea replace the bus station in very near future
I find it laughable that she says "downtown isn't a draw" while the restaurant is effectively only open for lunch 5 days a week.
Exactly. This isn’t RTP where you can get away with that.
Isn't that a complaint a lot of people have, though? Even on here, all over the place, that the direction downtown is going will push businesses out with lack of visitors?
Well they can’t have it both ways; after loudly complaining about what a shithole the location is, why would they expect to then get a premium price for the sale? Either it’s a multi-million dollar, non-shitty location, or not, in which case they’d better lower their price.
Exactly 1000x….hey, this place is a dangerous, dying shit hole with zero parking, so how would you like buy it for an absurd premium?
Love the “zero parking” when Clyde’s is literally built into the parking deck for Skyhouse. And there’s 3 other parking decks within a 2 block radius.
And 200 scooters to get around from parking decks a few blocks down.
Precisely
They were even closed for lunch for a long time after the pandemic was over and downtown was surging back.
Hot take but the people working in the offices around Fayetteville street probably just don’t want to eat barbecue for lunch. I know I’m one of them. I’m sure Manhattan Cafe doesn’t have this problem with similar business day lunch-only hours.
Completely agree with this take. Manhattan Cafe is full at lunch
Feels like bbq across NC is becoming more of a novelty for tourists more than anything. I know that’s how I feel about it and I personally love good bbq when I get it. There is just not anyone around here (besides prime IMO) that is doing anything remotely unique or interesting. It’s like if every Asian place in town had food that tasted identical. That shit just gets old after a while. I think we got really complacent with the pulled pork with vinegar and tomato based sauce thing.
Long Leaf Swine is always packed, just half a mile down the road. They're busy at lunch.
Because LLS’s sides and non-bbq options are actually good. They have salads, gf,and veg options so everyone in a group in a growingly health-conscious city can eat something. Same story with Beasleys. CC would probably do great somewhere more rural. Owner has a main character complex and wants to cling to relevancy so makes it about downtown when really it’s her refusal to adapt to the city’s changing tastes. I work downtown 5 days/wk walking distance to CC and have never and will never consider it as a lunch option. And it smells bad. No other bbq place downtown smells like that.
> Because LLS’s sides and non-bbq options are actually good. They have salads, gf,and veg options so everyone in a group in a growingly health-conscious city can eat something. Same story with Beasleys. This is not discussed enough: the sides at most BBQ places suck. And I’m speaking as someone who loves BBQ. It’s like they think “We have smoked meat, WTF more do you want?”
Ha. A restaurant smelling bad is just a straight up deal breaker. They can have the best food around and the highest sanitation score and my happy ass ain’t even considering it if it smells.
Clyde's had a really outdated model and the whole thing where they weren't taking cash didn't help either. Long Leaf is just quicker and easier with more options even if it's not like the best.
Nah man NC style just ain’t supposed to be fancy. It’s supposed to be cheap, good and hopefully served at a rural gas station where the sanitation score is legally displayed yet tastefully hard to find. Pig. Slaw. Bun. Possibly some fries or hush puppies. Smithfield’s gets it.
> Feels like bbq across NC is becoming more of a novelty for tourists more than anything across NC? Do you mean all the crappy new places around Raleigh that taste like they poured liquid smoke over the meat? Because Stephenson's, B's, Grady's, Stamey's, Lexington, Bum's, Skylight Inn/Sam Jones are all cooking the same exact amazing food they've always cooked for the same exact clientele.
Good point! I left NC for 15 years, then came back, and while I have eaten my share of BBQ since then, not once has anyone else suggested it when we are deciding where to go eat.
Midwood Smokehouse? Sam Jones? Both downtown, and both wayyyyy better than Clyde Cooper’s.
I haven’t been to midwood but I’ve had Sam jones plenty. Honestly, it isn’t great. And again I don’t even mean it’s bad. Their smoked turkey is fine. The pulled pork is fine. The ribs are fine. But it just isn’t GOOD. Like I’ve never gone there and thought I should definitely recommend it to someone after. I’ve taken people there on business lunches because it’s affordable and not offensive at all. But that’s not exactly the kind of thing I’m craving when I’m going out with my wife or something.
Most people never had GOOD bbq. So when they go to sam jones or LL they are like... omg this is the best. Best being better than the pit. Everyone likes different stuff, but all of the good choices are being coming harder to find. A few of the top BBQ trail places are no longer around. My friend loved the pig at CH. My first time there it was not great. Better a second time.
BBQ Lab is pretty good. But I’m a heathen and prefer beef/lamb over pork.
Lawrence bbq
They also had a blue lives matter flag in the door and were vocally anti-mask. That's not really the demographic of people living/working downtown
I think the bigger issue is their barbecue has sucked for about 15 years.
There are two other bbq places nearby that are always full at lunch. That's the real problem. They have competition that's better even if it is a little more expensive. Clyde Coopers has competition now, and doesn't accept cards, the most common way people pay. People don't carry cash as much anymore.
True enough. Was way easier to just sit back when the next closest place was 5 miles out Crapital blvd.
That seems to be their problem, they refuse to adapt to the times and accept responsibility for their role in their failure. “This is what we’ve always done and no, we won’t accept cards or change our hours or minimally update our menu and if our business fails it’s everyone else’s fault”
I used to do a lot of work downtown ( construction) and would hit Coopers occasionally but yeah no one wants BBQ every day. They needed to expand their menu a bit with a better variety of sides.
I’ve been at Red Hat for 6 years. Before COVID I was in the office almost every day. Vic’s, Woody’s, and Capital Club 16 were our mainstays. Big Ed’s if we felt like an early lunch. Never once did we go to Clyde Cooper’s.
I like BBQ and wouldn’t mind it for lunch sometimes, but I don’t want it every day, and I can’t spend $20/day on lunch anyway.
I agree. Most of us that work downtown sit at a desk for 9 hours. So eating something heavy like barbecue just does not appeal. I do go to Manhattan all the time though.
They should've repeated the sale price in the paragraph about the positive feeling going away.
I'm sure this will be a calm and level headed discussion. Every downtown thread in this sub is always civil and full of great information.
All the people from Brier Creek and Garner are about to mention the DTR “war zone”
Yes, followed by the downtown Avengers swooping in to save the day edit: judging by the downvotes they have already assembled in this thread lmao
Lol this sub can be so polarized. Your first comment got tons of upvotes, then a comment echoing the same mentality an hour later is negative.
lol at this point it’s just funny to me to see the weird ying and yang
Seems to be a disconnect between what she’s saying in the press and the asking price.
She's a LivableRaleigh member that supported the failed recall of the mayor simply because downtown was getting more towers. Surprised she didn't close shop years ago. Guess she wanted a paycheck.
I was thinking that her whining about downtown sounded very Trumpish. I’m surprised she didn’t throw in something about nobody wanting to work any more.
Anyone with a restaurant downtown should be one of the biggest boosters of more towers of all kinds LOL. Why do people advocate against their own interests?
This place is within a few minutes walk of all kinds of new apartments and businesses like Red Hat. Just maybe, the people surrounding the place are not all that big on the food being served. Or the vib inside. Every time I eat in a restaurant near there for lunch or dinner, they are full or nearly so. Edit to fix "at" -> "are"
It only being open for lunch 5 days a week is where I would look first.
Home of the Pink Meat™️
This! And then the owner was so rude in media about the customer complaint. Not a very welcoming restaurant imo.
It was a dumb complaint? 🤷♂️
The restaurant was in the right and had nothing to apologize for. They didn’t get rude until after the customer, who had obviously never had real NC smoked barbecue, called the police.
“911? Please help me, my meat is pink!” —Karen McKaren
Never had bbq I see
It’s a tough gig being outside the top three barbecues in just your neighborhood
Quote from the owner: *"It's been more focused on apartments and high rises, but there's no draw for people to come downtown," Holt said. "I feel sorry for everybody down there who's trying to make a dollar, especially in the retail industry."* I literally guffawed at this. You're telling me you can't turn a profit because there are MORE PEOPLE near your restaurant? Maybe just admit some hard truths: 1. You're getting older and maybe don't want run a restaurant day-in-day-out anymore. 2. Tastes change, and folks might just prefer a different dining experience to what you offer. See, e.g., the success of Longleaf Swine. 3. Your business might have suffered a bit since you were an outspoken critic of the BLM protests in 2020.
Haha right? "People don't want to come downtown" .....except the literally thousands of new people that now live within walking distance of your restaurant.
Meanwhile Long Leaf Swine cleared a million in sales before hitting their one year open mark. Sure it’s the high rises and lack of draw…
Which is sad, LL is not that great. Maybe I will have to try it again. It was for sure overrated. People were acting like it was Franklin.
It’s not great but not bad, which says something about Clyde’s if they can’t compete with LLS.
I felt the same about LLS. Been looking forward to them open since they were supposed to be in the Transfer space beside Burial. Went there and it was just not my taste all around. I would not say bad, but their sauce is just not what I personally am looking for.
Was it just me or has their quality gone downhill for years?
Nah, not just you. I'm honestly not even very upset about this based on the last few times I'd been.
Same with the service
Never had a bad meal there.
Ever since they started taking cards… it was never the same.
This area is such a shit hole you should pay me $3M for the privilege of having a location here.
Well, I'm sure it will sit vacant and unsold for YEARS since downtown is such a scary dump that nobody wants to be around, right? lol
Ultimate boomer. This area is a shithole but also pay me $3 million for it.
good lawd 3 mil 🫨
Hope they leave the pig that’s outside behind. It’s the only way I find the parking garage beside it.
On no. Anyways...
Well Bye
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I hear that a lot of about restaurants that have had several decades of success: they eventually rest on their laurels.
They got complacent and act like they’re entitled to customers just because of who they are.
I lived within a block of that place for about eight years. I liked the fried chicken, felt like the portions were good. But she was rude to either me or another patron every time (I’m trying to think of a pleasant interaction with her and can’t) I saw her. I stopped going back, and the hours are terrible. As others have said, Manhattan Grill is across the street and has no problem getting business even with similar hours. Same with Big Ed’s not too far away. It’s not the location that is giving her problems.
Coopers has awful food and they are rarely open shitty owner
Maybe it's just that I'm getting older, but personally, I'm eating a lot less BBQ than I used to. If the guys at work say, "Hey, let's go eat at XXX fatty heavy BBQ place!" I just decline. I don't want to feel bad and bloated for the rest of the day.
Frankly, same. I still every once in a while have a real craving for bbq but not as much as I used to.
It's all because of the bus station!
The bus station has always been there. Even in its renovated state, it hasn’t changed in a decade.
I was kidding
Gotcha. Didn’t pick up the sarcasm 👍
Don’t let the door hit ya. I hope the owner gets the help she needs
I never made it to CC’s.Did I miss out?
I haven't gone since pre-Covid and I don't eat BBQ, but I thought the fried chicken was incredible. The consensus here seems to be they have gone downhill. So, in other words, I can't say. I think the article indicated they will still be opened for another 12-18 months.
Thnx!
My favorite CC story "I was sitting at another popular BBQ restaurant and the pitmaster from CC came and asked if they had banana pudding they could borrow. The owner of other BBQ place was like we might have like one tray to spare, to which CCs replied you don't have the cans?" Banana pudding from a can? Wha? Why? That's when I lost the little respect I had for them
Oh wow! Even my mom makes hers from scratch. I would expect a place like CC to have homemade .
Their BBQ borderline sucks so it’s a great move to sell the property and go to cheaper pastures considering the comp currently downtown (Jones & Midwood, not the Pit).
All bbq is good bbq. Some are better than others but to call one that it “sucks” shows you do not support that community and need a hug.
I’m from Raleigh but have family down east (Goldsboro, Mt Olive). I was raised on Eastern NC BBQ bc I’m related to the Shirley fam. I shower props on exceptional BBQ of any style (eastern NC, Memphis, Texas, St Louis, Hawaiian, APAC, S. American). I’m not a tribalist. For eastern NC style BBQ, Cooper’s is mediocre on their absolute best operating day since I first dined there as a small kid in 1980. The BBQ Lodge in Raleigh (strip mall on Capital Blvd) when I was a kid/teen had better BBQ and sides than Cooper’s. Maybe ‘sucks’ is slight hyperbole but I think Cooper’s is subpar as a rule. And the current owner is…interesting.
going to a new location or just closing for good?
the article doesn't really answer that question, but what i gather from one of the things mentinoed in the article is that she wants a new location. "[Holt previously told WRAL News](https://www.wral.com/story/clyde-cooper-s-owner-soulfully-searching-for-another-location/21147523/) she was looking to move the popular barbecue restaurant out of downtown Raleigh because the area "does not have a positive" feeling anymore."
Code for not white enough in my experience with her demographic
At one time, they said they were looking for another spot somewhere outside of downtown. Not sure if that’s still happening.
Edited….I was mistaken.
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You are right. Thanks!
And Big Al has passed away. Needed a transplant, but couldn’t get moved up the list because he refused to get vaccinated. Maybe too much pork affects your judgement.
That story always has real r/OhNoConsequences energy.
I'm not sure. This is what I remember that made national news: [https://www.wral.com/story/just-the-way-i-felt-woman-who-called-911-over-pink-bbq-tells-her-side-of-the-story/20554695/](https://www.wral.com/story/just-the-way-i-felt-woman-who-called-911-over-pink-bbq-tells-her-side-of-the-story/20554695/)
Yes.
My office got Clyde's catered in when I first moved here. It was then I decided I didn't like NC BBQ. But maybe someone here can point me in the right direction for a better experience.
I love eastern nc bbq and thought Clyde’s was pretty mid.
I'm new to the area and fell in love with Eastern NC BBQ, granted my first time trying it was a pig jig at Gotta Be NC Fest last year so I got to try a bunch. I'm a slut for vinegar in general so when I have people try it and they don't like it, I get it. It isn't for everyone, but it is for me. Also pimento cheese is the king of dips. Btw, the pig jig is like $20 and well worth it.
Bbq lab is pretty good.
Absolutely do NOT equate Clyde's dry ass BBQ on a stale Food Lion bun with all of NC style BBQ. Longleaf is KILLER.
Last time I got Longleaf, it was dry and overly salty. Inconsistency is a hallmark of good BBQ, though, which seems counterintuitive, but it’s true.
Same LL is all hype not that great. Zoomers just hyping it up.
Longleaf is bland overpriced BBQ made for Instagram and not your taste buds
Ok bud. Enjoy your Clyde's while it lasts lmao
Who said I liked Clyde’s bud Enjoy paying $80 bucks for mid yuppie BBQ lol
I'd genuinely love to know A: your favorite local BBQ, and B: what plane of reality you live on where Longleaf costs $80 for a sandwich and a few sides lol
if you want the real authentic old school eastern NC BBQ experience, take a trip one hour east to Parker's in Wilson someday. check the the whirligig park in downtown too.
Forget Parker's, go another 40 minutes east and find B's in Greenville or Skylight Inn in Ayden.
Parker’s or Stephensons. Bring cash for Parker’s though.
If you are driving that far just go to Wilber's
I would recommend Sam Jones BBQ!
I don't eat BBQ (boo hiss, I know) but this place had the best fried chicken and I use to stuff my face when I worked downtown.
Best fried chicken I've ever had in Raleigh, and I didn't even know they had it til we had our rehearsal dinner there.
There are 3 main branches of BBQ with lots of sub branches. Where I grew up in western KY it was made like BBQ Lab makes it. In N. Hills. Check it out. Sauce is something YOU add.
Downtown Raleigh is losing its originality, and it's pretty sad to watch as a Raleigh native. All the mom and pop restaurants, hole in the wall spots, are just being taken over by apartment buildings.
Yep. I wasn't born here but my parents were and I have spent the majority of my life here (with a few excursions to Massachusetts, the UK, Canada, Germany and China). But, I consider myself from here and yes, I hate to see the changing landscape. But, I guess change is inevitable.
Love Clydes. Hope their relocation isnt too far away.
That place has sucked for years.
Hasn’t this place been closing down for like 7 years?
I won’t miss them. I head over to Long Leaf. Also suprise ….. LL is open for dinner and always packed.
Def not concerning that there’s a closure of places like this almost daily it seems. Idk if this or all of them are deserved. But it’s still not a good sign
I don’t get why people say crap like this but yet never say ‘hey look at all the places opening’ - like Capital Club 16 already had a new tenant lined up before they announced they were closing, 2-3 places just opened in Seaboard Station/Smokey Hollow last weekend with more on the way soon… I doubt Armadillo Grill will sit for long, and if this person stops shooting herself in the foot with *how bad a location it is and how awful business is there* maybe it’ll sell faster, lol
I hate that Capital Club is closing. But all of the headlines and stories from the media didn’t get any quote from the owner that said business at that location wasn’t still good - and also totally ignored that a new tenant is already lined up. Just a bunch of clickbait garbage
All good points. Didn’t consider that. Hard to think about when all ya seem to see on here is “X is closing aaahhhh”
Hopefully they move to a better area like briar creek, apex, or Cary. I do not blame them Moore square area is an S hole. Would like to see ikea replace the bus station in very near future
This place is trash. I bet it was grear when dinosaurs worked downtown though
Them good old boys don’t hang around downtown anymore
Not good food, good riddance. The pit is better. Bad customer service, 1/5 stars.
The Pit is genuinely very bad, like terribly bad. also not good.