Bringing a friend down from NJ and I do not want to steer her wrong.

9/30/2014 6:48:59 PM

Is none of them a valid answer?

9/30/2014 6:54:56 PM

Yeah, I wouldn't buy barbecue at the fair.

9/30/2014 6:57:13 PM

Ew.

Why would you buy BBQ from a carny

9/30/2014 7:36:02 PM

gross

9/30/2014 7:55:00 PM

^,^^

you guys could go pose as carnies just for him

9/30/2014 8:25:38 PM

I'm fascinated by this thought process.

Bring someone down from NJ and take them to the Fair for BBQ...

9/30/2014 8:34:15 PM

Ole Time is at least near the fair, if you want to stay in the area

9/30/2014 8:46:26 PM

Are they even open for dinner?

[Edited on September 30, 2014 at 8:47 PM. Reason : I like the vibe there, and their pudding is the best OF ALL TIME...otherwise meh IMO]

[Edited on September 30, 2014 at 8:48 PM. Reason : Ok their sauce is pretty good too]

9/30/2014 8:47:09 PM

i was thoroughly unimpressed by ole time

9/30/2014 9:03:11 PM

I've only been to Ole Time once, and I think it was like around 5:30-6:00

the only reason I mention it is its proximity to the fair, which sounds like it might be important

hell, just go to Smithfields...it's eastern

[Edited on September 30, 2014 at 9:32 PM. Reason : ]

9/30/2014 9:31:38 PM

Smithfields is noooowhere near the Fair, or arguably, Raleigh as a whole.

[Edited on September 30, 2014 at 9:40 PM. Reason : ^^ grab some pudding to-go if you're passing thru]

9/30/2014 9:39:59 PM

Well . . . there are a lot of places to hit on the tour through town and I was going to fit that in at the fair if I could. I was thinking some of the church booths might have some good barbecue, which is what I was aiming for.

9/30/2014 9:56:48 PM

coopers or die

9/30/2014 10:50:27 PM

Used to live right down the road from Ole Time.

place is on point.

9/30/2014 11:26:17 PM

Ole Time is fucking garbage. The god damned servers smoke while you wait in the restaurant and the food tastes like it.

At the fair, Pik-n-Pig is the only lunch I have eaten there in the last 10 years. They have their own booth near the kid midway away from most of the other smells-like-ketchup bullshit church or shriner tents. It looks like a log cabin.

9/30/2014 11:57:48 PM

There used to be decent BBQ in the horse complex restaurant and the one in the Jim Graham building, both run by the Murphy house restaurant now. They still have BBQ last I checked, it's decent, but not great. I'd eat it as a sandwich but not on its on. You're going to have to leave the fair, and arguably Raleigh, to get good Q.

10/1/2014 8:14:52 AM

1. Go to coopers.
2. Digest.
3. Go to fair.

10/1/2014 8:30:01 AM

Quote :

"You're going to have to leave the fair, and arguably Raleigh, to get good Q."

Get the fuck out of here.

10/1/2014 8:41:00 AM

^^ sandwich (with coleslaw) is the best way to mask mediocre barbecue.

i think the log cabin place is the same thing i got, it was good enough

10/1/2014 8:42:43 AM

The proper food to get at the fair is one of those giant smoked turkey legs, and a few ears of that butterlicious corn on the cob. As well as trying all of the deep fried delicacies.

THAT is what you go to the fair for. Get BBQ before or after the fair.

10/1/2014 8:59:35 AM

Old Time is great because the owner tells you to leave immediately upon finishing your food. I commend his focus on efficiency.

10/1/2014 10:50:42 AM

^ I've never experienced that

10/1/2014 10:51:08 AM

yep he does it regularly:

Quote :

"A Google User 7 years ago Made my first trip with a friend, and our food arrived almost instantly. After about twenty minutes -- I was still nibbling on hush puppies and drinking iced tea -- I was stunned to hear the proprietor telling someone that he was "throwing these guys out." The place is small, and he needed the table, although we were not aware that anyone was waiting and are not the sort to tarry in such circumstances. I will never darken his door again. BBQ was not great anyway."

Quote :

"A Google User 4 years ago Ole Time BBQ...The service at this joint, and joint is being kind is not only terrible but obnoxious and confrontational towards the patrons on more than one occasion. They do not serve authentic eastern North Carolina bbq that so many have come to love and enjoy but a dry out leftover pig product that any self respecting southerner would be ashamed of. Save your tastebuds and your money and look elsewhere."

10/1/2014 10:55:12 AM

Quote :

"he does it regularly"

Quote :

"7 years ago"

Quote :

"4 years ago"

10/1/2014 11:42:53 AM

Sounds like he's overdue. Anybody wanna take a trip?

10/1/2014 11:56:27 AM

i've never been told to hurry up at Ole Time (although I'm fine with them doing it, the place is small and gets slammed so you need to eat and get out), but I have been served very dry barbecue

[Edited on October 1, 2014 at 12:11 PM. Reason : nd]

10/1/2014 12:10:49 PM

^^^ and even the report from 4 years ago wasn't customers being told to leave.

i've probably been there 15-20 times and never had that happen.

10/1/2014 1:19:56 PM

my guess is he likes having the company of other insufferables hanging out eating his bad food and asks all others to leave

10/1/2014 3:26:34 PM

not exactly near the fair, but damn good imo.
http://www.ncbbqsociety.com/trail_pages/allen_son_large.html

10/2/2014 12:55:10 AM

The BBQ Egg Roll was pretty good

10/2/2014 8:30:01 AM

I haven't been to the State Fair in years, but I definitely recall eating barbecue provided by church groups when I was there.

I seem to recall it being by an entrance near Dorton Arena or a by a large oak tree near Dorton Arena.

Honestly, I think there may be a few different church groups that serve barbecue at the fair.

10/2/2014 9:21:15 AM