Real Q

One of 23 stops on the fabled North Carolina BBQ Trail. We beat the lunch crowd here by about half an hour. By the time we left, the restaurant was packed-- and deservedly so.$28.09 purchased a pint of Brunswick stew and a side of hush puppies, as well as a plate of coarse chopped pork with red coleslaw, fries, and hush puppies. Two refillable soft drinks completed the order. although the slightly peppery stew and the crunchy but moist hush puppies proved so good that we ordered seconds to go, along with a couple of pieces of the chocolate pie. The red coleslaw is dry and dense, which makes it ideal for a chopped pork sandwich drowning in the house made version of the classic Lexington sauce.So, this is good eating, made even better by genuinely friendly service. Greeting customers by name as they walk through the door is always a nice touch.

Had the Brunswick Stew yet again on a recent cold, rainy day! It is loaded with sliced white onion, yellow corn, tomato, Limas, carrot, potatoes, and plenty of shredded, pit cooked pork.This rather thick, tomato based stew is considered a Southern classic, though like so many such traditional dishes, its origin is cloudy and disputed, between Brunswick GA and Brunswick VA.But there is support that the origin was actually in Germany - specifically in Braunschweig of the House of Hanover at the time! Both of the USA cities were named for that city.The dish from that area was a favorite of Queen Victoria of the UK, she of the prodigious appetite. Her spouse, Prince Albert, was from Germany, supposedly providing the culinary connection!The dish in this country began with the use of small game - rabbit, squirrel, and even Opossum - I've had it with rabbit and squirrel, but never opossum, wouldn't go there. As the area became less rural, the game was very often replaced with the abundantly available chicken. Like most such traditional dishes, there are many variations, with the ingredients being what was locally available as to beans and vegetables. I enjoy it served with homemade rolls or crusty bread, and a side of creamy coleslaw.The version served here is excellent, and the pork from the pit here anchors the dish.

We found this spot on the N.C. bbq trail list. Having had a few mediocre examples of N.C. BBQ on our road trip, I was really hoping for more and wasn't disappointed. This is definitely the best we had on this trip. The meat was moist, flavorful, and - probably the best part about it - there was a clear visible smoke ring on the meat and I could also taste the smoky flavor on the meat. It seems to me that smoke flavor is almost always missing on N.C.-style que.Both sides were good, but the beans were standout. They had a really nice sweet flavor without being sickly sweet. The potato salad was basic potato salad but I enjoyed it. The hush puppies weren't my favorite on this trip, lacking some of flavor of other offerings, but not bad. My wife had a chop bbq sandwich with white slaw and she was a bit disappointed in the slaw. I agree that it didn't really standout. The combination of flavors on my chop plate was definitely better.Staff was very friendly and service was quick. In my list of N.C.'s best bbq, Allen and Sons outside Raleigh was better but I believe that location is closed now. Id put this a fairly distant second with room for other places to jump in front as I try them. 4-stars for now.

We wanted to get something to eat nearby and my wife had this place bookmarked on Yelp. It is tucked in on Country Club Road and you would miss it if you weren't paying close attention. We stepped inside and were immediately greeted by the staff and welcomed in. We could also smell the smoked meat....YUM! They have menus printed on the counter along with menu boards. When they say BBQ in North Carolina it means pork. Beef brisket is not BBQ in North Carolina. My wife and I both decided to order the BBQ sandwiches, mine chopped and she ordered coarse with the slaws on the side. My wife ordered her first order of corn fritters and I chose tater tots.We took a seat and our orders were brought out to us. Everything looked great and we both enjoyed our sandwiches. The sauce was much thinner than we are used to but it was good, a little sweeter with more vinegar than I am used to as well. My wife also liked the slaw added to her sandwich, she also enjoyed the corn fritters but admitted she likes hush puppies better. The tater tots were nice and crunchy too.Overall, it was a good experience. This was our first "Lexington" barbecue and while it was different in some ways it was satisfying and we would recommend to others.

Good solid Lexington style pork barbecue. Like I remember from the early 1980s. Side items from a similar vintage style. The culinary world in the US, even in NC, has changed a lot in the last 40 years though. Much prefer Honky Tonk Smokehouse, which is just a few blocks away.

A friendly welcome and step back in time decor started our experience at Real Q. And from there the home cooked goodness continued. Our combined orders included chopped BBQ, BBQ (red) slaw, hush puppies, fried okra, corn fritters, fried fish, and fried onion rings. We are not BBQ experts but other Yelp reviewers are well-informed and experienced in this area for the BBQ served here. Be sure to check out their reviews.I'll provide a few non-expert experience details here. The BBQ was "clean", that is, we didn't feel weighed down. The pork is seasoned and smoked and tastes good by itself but I added the BBQ slaw - a ketchup based cole slaw - and the house made Dippin' Sauce, a vinegar based red sauce. For me, the combo was great. All the fried food we ordered was light enough that the coating didn't overpower the main ingredients. Of course, I had to try the locally produced Texas Pete's hot sauce on the hush puppies, and those let the corn meal shine. I especially enjoyed the fried okra side. The service was great! It was obvious the locals are regulars because they were treated like family. But, we are not locals and I felt they treated us as family over for the Sunday lunch. I'd definitely return here, especially on a Wednesday when they serve ribs or on the weekend when they serve chicken.

Very good southern bbq!! Great southern service. Totally coming back. The atmosphere feels very homey an welcoming.

Excellent Service. Very Friendly and courteous, at the counter and the tables! If you are new, they are willing to let you try samples of meat. Ambiance clean and comfortable. I added a star to your final 3-Starc rating because service is so noteworthy.Meat is okay, sliced or chopped. Hush Puppies are excellent. Regular slaw is good ... I like sweet slaw. Did not try red slaw.Negatives: Unfortunately, their BBQ sauce is just spicy Vinegar. Sweet sauce (you have to ask for it) is way too sweet. I did not try their hot sauce. Sadly, lack of a generic BBQ sauce is their weakest area. You might want to go down to the Honky Tonk and look at the sauce selections (several) they offer. Suggestion: Owners should try a few *generic online BBQ sauce recipes, and then have their customers taste test them, alongside their existing sauce. Do NOT label or identify them. I guarantee you will be surprised by the results. More Negatives: Brunswick stew is bland, and needs more than just salt. Definitely not worth $6.50 for a cup (8 oz) ... much less $3 for that matter. Suggest you also try some online recipes and taste test them. Overall, I don't think we will return. Just make some drastic improvements on your sauce and Brunswick Stew, and add a bit of smoke to your meat. Good Luck!

This 3 star review would be 5 star if based solely on the bbq and red slaw. Great! As it has been since it was the original Little Richard's decades ago. Second only to Lexington #1 in my opinion. That said, on the Saturday afternoon that I picked up my order, the service was poor. The person who took my order, promptly went back to her phone after I ordered. 1.5 lbs chopped, pint red slaw, a chopped sandwich no slaw, and a tray with red slaw and hush puppies. Got the order, started to the car and noticed pint of coleslaw, not red. Went back in and they changed it. Got ready to eat and no hush puppies or bread at all. Not sure if it's the kitchen or the lackadaisical counter service, but that holds Real Q back at this point.

Not the same since the name changed! Price increase but food decrease. Service is always good!