Tarheel Q

Delicious barbecue and great service! One of the best barbecue restaurants around. I'll be back!

In my youth, I ate at Tarheel Q a few times. I was spoiled with great BBQ and thought nothing of it. I decided to go back 30 years later after reading online praise of their chicken... something I had not had in my youth. First of all, they cook with wood. I only saw the pits from outside. They are well constructed masonry. The meat was perhaps a touch dry, but it was hard to tell with the amount of dip served on the 'q. The pork had a pink/red tinge rather than the more typical gray color. The color was appealing. This typically comes from deep smoke penetration. My guess is that the pitmaster has most things cooked before lunch and has gone home before the dinner service. I came on a rainy day before the dinner rush. The service was changing shifts to the younger evening service staff. Service was outstanding and polite. The cooks were young and seemed to be content to sling 'q and listening to Sturgill Simpson. I ordered a combo plate of a chicken leg quarter and BBQ. They grill chicken Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The plate is served with hot dip (sauce) and a handful of delightful crunchy little hush puppies. They were not oily or overcooked. You could taste the corn and a hint of onion in the hp. I really can't rate the BBQ other than the color and texture. I was served with a generous daub of dip on top so I could not very well taste the unadulterated meat. When I return, I will request the dip on the side. The dip was sweet, infused with tomato and had a lot of body to stay on the meat. It was very tasty, but a little went a long way on the BBQ. The BBQ was good if perhaps a bit dry, but I could not taste the smoke through the dip. There was a little bark and brown pleasantly chopped into the clean 'q. No gristle. No chopped skins. Just lean shoulder meat. It was chopped a touch less fine than most Lexington style BBQ, which I like. I think the dip complemented the chicken better than the 'q. The pit-cooked chicken was to die for. Smokey and not a bit dry. It too was served with dip, but it stood up better to the strong dip. Just succulent. The red slaw was noticeably fresh. Rather than a mechanical cabbage chopper, it looks as though it was chopped by hand. The pieces were medium-fine, a little larger than the Lexington red slaw standard. The balance of sweet and tart was just perfect. I found the potato salad bland. It was properly prepared, but there was no contrast to the creamy mayo and potatoes. I feel it needed chopped celery or some mustard or sweet pickles or celery seeds in greater quantity. There was a lot on the menu other than BBQ. Locals were grabbing takeout as I ate and others coming in for dinner ordered a variety of things. I looks like there are special dishes almost every day. Meatloaf and steak are options one day weekly. Ambience was pleasant with lots of windows and good lighting in a clean, utilitarian space. The warm wood paneling on the walls made the space a bit more homey than your typical diner. Unlike most of my reviews of BBQ restaurants, I am basing this strictly on the chicken with a provisional rating. I'll update when I return and taste the 'q without the strong dip. This place is great, worth a drive out of the way if you are in Davie or Davidson County. It is better than most of the more famous places in Lexington.

Meeting up with some old friends, we opted to head here for dinner and it was a brilliant choice. Lexington is a city very well known for barbecue, The Pig City. Tarheel Q is about 7 miles west of downtown so it's mostly locals dining here. Self-seating but warmly greeted and offered drinks, they are a Pepsi place and they also have sweet/Northern tea. Breakfast and lunch/dinner menus on the table and specials posted on the wall. I got the barbecue half-and-half plate which came with two sides. Chopped pork and a quarter barbecue chicken (I chose dark meat) with fries and potato salad plus hush puppies. It didn't take long to be plated up and brought out. Served hot, the pork was delicious. Moist, flavorful and not needing any sauce to bring out the flavor. Chicken was nicely done and came apart easily. Crinkle cut fries were crisp and hot. Potato salad was creamy. Huge portions, I could eat barely half of my plate. And then our waitress asked if we had saved room for dessert. Ha! Great service, great food, five stars! [Review 1628 of 2024 - 3664 in North Carolina - 22651 overall]

Stopped in to grab a bite. Hubby had coarse chopped pork tray, with red sauce. I chose a cheeseburger. Both happy with the food. Service was excellent. Will stop in again.

Always great good, great service, and great workers! If you want country food- come here!