Aviator SmokeHouse BBQ

FYI- social district (drinking with your open container and walking around downtown) is from Thursday through Saturday after 5pm.Stopped by for lunch on a Sunday and we were seated immediately. Aviator has a rustic style interior and it goes well with their BBQ vibe. The place was clean and not too noisy. I'm sure it could get there depending on a game day since there are screens on each wall for viewing.The BBQ was delicious! Everything from the pulled pork sandwich to the piggy mac skillet was super good. Always ask for extra sauce to really taste the flavor! They also have a variety of locally crafted beer to pair with your food. Perks also that you can walk around afterwards and explore downtown Fuquay. Such a cute area! 10/10 - delicious BBQ spot!

Terrible service, overcooked food and underdelivered appetizer.First I would like to say this place used to be great. However on this trip to the smokehouse it took 35mins to get our food, and we were given the excuse that a new staff member was in training. Mind you, there were only four other tables currently sat when we ordered. When the food did finally come out the waitress explained that the appetizer was supposed to have more food, then asked if we were good with it or wanted another order made.The Food:Dry brisket, tasteless jalapeño cheese sausage, burnt chicken wings, and dirty smoke on the ribs, which I clearly asked for dry rub, but they tried to cover up the dirty smoke taste by saucing them. No thanks. Meatloaf, and the fries were the only things worth mentioning.Bottom line: take your money elsewhere, probably the pizzeria they own. We normally spend some good coin on beer every time we visit Aviator's, but we were so disappointed with our meal, we paid and left.

We stopped in for lunch and the restaurant is beautiful. I love the theme and the bar is really nice. We had the pickle chips to start and they were very good. Not overly breaded and not too salty. They do need to send a little more ranch to dip with though. My wife had the turkey wrap with tater tots and I had the three amigo tacos, one chicken, brisket and pork. The turkey wrap and tots were very good. Mine the tacos were ok, the meat was very dry, especially the chicken. The brisket had a very strange aftertaste which I think came from the smoke, must be the type of wood they use. The pork was the best of the three. The service was ok as well. Our server was back and forth from the bar a lot and we only saw her a couple of times so could've been a little better. Overall I think 3 stars is pretty close, we likely won't make a special trip to come back.

Use to love this place but our last visit was lacking. Went in around 5pm and was seated immediately. Ordered the smokehouse twinkes but they were out so we switched to the loaded tater tots. The tater tots were brought out and they were missing the black bean corn relish and salsa the menu said it came with. Moving on to the main course, the BF and I split the BBQ brisket quesadilla. The quesadilla lacked flavor and the veggies inside were undercooked. Our waitress said we get two sides when we ordered but we were charged for the second side. Upon asking her, she said we only get one but she recalled she told us two and took it off the bill. I'm happy she did because our second side was mac and cheese and the mac and cheese was horrible. Soupy, bland. It looked like they forgot the cheese in the mac. It's been a while since I've been here (before covid was my last visit) but this was absolutely disappointing compared to how they use to be.

We were invited to come here for lunch and beers.The food was spot on: we ordered fried pickles, an order of pretzel and an order of Pulled pork sandwich which came with French fried, all were exquisite!The lady server was lovely, upsold on the beers without being pushy, she was very attentive, came by a few times to check on us.Ambiance like many restaurants and breweries, lively with big screen TV.We enjoyed very much and will be back.

TLDR: Excellent BBQ. Large portions. Reasonable prices. BBQ is a bit dry so be sure to ask for sauce. Excellent place for BBQ. I honestly was surprised considering Aviator is known for their unique brews. While enjoying a flight at the aviator taproom across the street, I placed a takeout order at the smokehouse. I wish they could walk it across the street to enjoy at the taproom, however, it was no big issue to pick it up from the smokehouse. The order was ready upon arrival and accurate. We enjoyed the pulled pork, fries, tater tots, and coleslaw. The pork was a little dry and needed the included sauces. I am unsure why one order had 2 sauces while the other only had one. The mac and cheese was okay, mainly tasted like buttered noodles. I think the cheese was too thin and melted right off. The portion sizes are large and prices reasonable. Overall, we enjoyed our meal and have already recommended this restaurant to others!

Mark thanks for your reply! I am aware that alcohol cannot be discounted at any restaurant, ever. We did not purchase any alcohol. We ordered meals for myself, my husband and our kids with an appetizer. Have a great day!

Really good BBQ there I said it! You can smell Aviators from blocks away and the smell takes you to the right place.We got the palooza after a long day and I'm so happy we did! Everything we tried was spot on! The brisket it so tender and delicious the BBQ sauce is kickin but in a great way. The teriyaki sauce for the smoked wings were a perfect pair and the pork was juicy and if you mixed it with the beans it was melt In your mouth. The ribs were sooo good we got some to go. Great meal and everyone at our table enjoyed their food!

Food was really good but if your a person who gets hangry easily don't go because it takes so long especially on weekends,i'm person who doesn't like to cause a scene or gets hangry easily but the wait wanted me to become a karen,also the bathroom are in a really weird place in the back. We were seated in the back and the people forgot about us for like 40 minutes. Also if you want the mac and cheese on the kids menu it's huge and you're not allowed a side and if you want the side you have to get a small thing of mac and cheese.

Wait person was great. NO meatloaf again. That's what 2 of the 4 of us wanted. 2nd time here and no meatloaf. Take it off the menu if you've decided not to offer anymore. The food was mediocre. Not sure if I'd come back here