The Q Shack offers a barbecue plate with drink for just over $10 which we think is a great deal. Photo: The Telegram.
By The Raleigh Telegram
RALEIGH – If you’re looking for great barbecue, then there are plenty of choices in the Raleigh area including Bullock’s Barbecue in Durham and The Pit in downtown Raleigh.
However, we were pleased to recently try another spot that is located in the North Hills Mall in Raleigh — the Q Shack.
During our visit, we purchased the regular pork barbecue plate with macaroni and cheese, fried okra, and hushpuppies with honey butter. Although you can get just a barbecue sandwich by itself, if you get the barbecue plate then you get your choice of two sides.
It’s a fairly good bargain, as our total came to only around $10 with a drink with unlimited refills. Since the food is ordered at the front and you don’t have a waitress or waiter, then there’s no tip needed on top of that.
The barbecue tasted great as it was not too vinegary and had just the right amount of flavor. We definitely prefer the sliced barbecue versus some of the finely chopped versions we’ve had elsewhere, as it seemed to be more moist and just tastes better.
The star of the plate though was the side of fried okra, which had very large pieces and not too much breading. A visitor from New York who was in the restaurant at the same time also said that he loved the great taste of the okra as a side dish, as it’s something you don’t usually see outside of the South.
Really, everything on the plate was great, from the macaroni and cheese to the hushpuppies to the barbecue and okra. As we have visited the Q Shack in the past, we believe that they consistently offer good food at pretty good prices.
Plus, the Q Shack says that they use local vendors and local ingredients whenever possible and it’s great that they acknowledge that locally grown food almost always tastes better. It’s important these days to know where your food comes from too.
Although the Q Shack offers almost every other kind of barbecue, we think the sliced pork barbecue plate is the best choice in terms of value and flavor.
For around ten bucks, you get some authentic North Carolina barbecue with a wide range of choices of sides. It’s a great deal and we highly recommend the Q Shack if you’re looking for a new place to try some great barbecue in Raleigh. ::
