The Pit Authentic Barbecue in Durham Reviews

Reviews

+5 User photos

• Matthew Sent on 07/31/2018
  5 out of 5 rating

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  I would give The Pit 10 stars if I could. We had our son's day-after-wedding brunch for around 100 family and out of town guests at The Pit. Long story short---the food was delicious and the service exceptional! Liz, the catering manager was amazingly helpful in recommending menu choices. Many of our guests had never tried N. Carolina BBQ and Liz's suggestions were spot-on. Our guests raved about the food- pulled pork, beef brisket, baked beans, grilled vegetables, hush puppies and banana pudding. Vegetarians were offered BBQ soy nuggets which got a big thumbs up. The servers were so attentive, friendly and helpful. The downstairs room has a nice atmosphere and comfortably accommodated 100 guests. There was no fee to reserve the room aside from a minimum food/beverage tab which was quite reasonable. I searched quite a bit for a private dining room for a large party that wouldn't break the bank, and this was it. Complimentary valet parking is available- a big advantage when booking an event in downtown Durham. All in all, wonderful food, awesome service and a great value. So glad we booked The Pit!

  I would give The Pit 10 stars if I could. We had our son's day-after-wedding brunch for around 100 family and out of town guests at The Pit. Long story short---the food was delicious and the service exceptional! Liz, the catering manager was amazingly helpful in recommending menu choices. Many of our guests had never tried N. Carolina BBQ and Liz's suggestions were spot-on. Our guests raved about the food- pulled pork, beef brisket, baked beans, grilled vegetables, hush puppies and banana pudding. Vegetarians were offered BBQ soy nuggets which got a big thumbs up. The servers were so attentive, friendly and helpful. The downstairs room has a nice atmosphere and comfortably accommodated 100 guests. There was no fee to reserve the room aside from a minimum food/beverage tab which was quite reasonable. I searched quite a bit for a private dining room for a large party that wouldn't break the bank, and this was it. Complimentary valet parking is available- a big advantage when booking an event in downtown Durham. All in all, wonderful food, awesome service and a great value. So glad we booked The Pit!
• Andrew Sent on 06/06/2018
  5 out of 5 rating

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  Liz and her event staff were absolutely amazing! They helped us put together an amazing menu, and really worked with us to get the most out of the space at the venue. While it didn't end up raining (thank goodness), we also put a rain plan in place so it wouldn't really have mattered much if it had. Before and during the wedding and reception, everything about The Pit was not only wonderful, but designed to make our lives as easy and stress-free as possible. Highest recommendation!

  Liz and her event staff were absolutely amazing! They helped us put together an amazing menu, and really worked with us to get the most out of the space at the venue. While it didn't end up raining (thank goodness), we also put a rain plan in place so it wouldn't really have mattered much if it had. Before and during the wedding and reception, everything about The Pit was not only wonderful, but designed to make our lives as easy and stress-free as possible. Highest recommendation!
• Liz Sent on 07/27/2018
  5 out of 5 rating

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  I'm so happy we had our rehearsal dinner at the pit. The coordination was super easy, the prices I found to be really reasonable and they were willing to work with us to figure out the bar situation ( we ended up basically having a little bar table with beer and wine which worked perfectly - some people went and got something harder from the bar and I don't think it was a big deal.
  
  We were in the downstairs space.
  

  I'm so happy we had our rehearsal dinner at the pit. The coordination was super easy, the prices I found to be really reasonable and they were willing to work with us to figure out the bar situation ( we ended up basically having a little bar table with beer and wine which worked perfectly - some people went and got something harder from the bar and I don't think it was a big deal.
  
  We were in the downstairs space.
  
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• Carolyn Sent on 05/10/2018
  5 out of 5 rating

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  We had our rehearsal dinner at The Pit in Durham - it was awesome. We had the entire upstairs room (private bar!) and outdoor deck to ourselves. We had beautiful weather for our outdoor dinner, and the food and service were top notch. After our dinner, we opened up to a welcome social, and The Pit was very flexible in catering and serving beverages for our entire evening. We definitely made the right choice!

  We had our rehearsal dinner at The Pit in Durham - it was awesome. We had the entire upstairs room (private bar!) and outdoor deck to ourselves. We had beautiful weather for our outdoor dinner, and the food and service were top notch. After our dinner, we opened up to a welcome social, and The Pit was very flexible in catering and serving beverages for our entire evening. We definitely made the right choice!
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  User3239333 Sent on 10/05/2017
  5 out of 5 rating

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  We had our wedding reception at The Pit in Durham and it was perfect!
  
  We knew the food would be good but OMG it was so delicious. What I've always loved about The Pit is not only is their BBQ amazing, but they don't slack on their sides. We are still eating the leftovers, that the staff kindly packed for us, days later. Soooooo good.
  
  We picked The Pit obviously because of the food and the amazing building (the rooftop at night was absolutely enchanting, especially after our guests left and it was just the two of us), but also because they handled the setup, breakdown, staffing, alcohol, etc... I've been telling people The Pit was the unicorn of our wedding planning process.
  
  Liz, the event manager, was a dream to work with. She was accommodating and very tolerant of lots of questions. She made sure we had all the information we needed. It did a lot for my anxiety with wedding planning for her to be so unflappable.
  
  All of the staff were super friendly and helpful at both our tasting and the day of the wedding. They handled changes, like dropping off the cake hours early, with a calm, reassuring manner. Seriously they were all a delight to work with. The bartender, Alberto, and waitress, Emily, were absolutely great. They made sure we had any/everything we needed. Additionally they just seemed like really sweet people.
  
  We had the upstairs area and it was such a nice night that all of our guests stayed on the porch the whole night, only coming inside for food and drinks.

  We had our wedding reception at The Pit in Durham and it was perfect!
  
  We knew the food would be good but OMG it was so delicious. What I've always loved about The Pit is not only is their BBQ amazing, but they don't slack on their sides. We are still eating the leftovers, that the staff kindly packed for us, days later. Soooooo good.
  
  We picked The Pit obviously because of the food and the amazing building (the rooftop at night was absolutely enchanting, especially after our guests left and it was just the two of us), but also because they handled the setup, breakdown, staffing, alcohol, etc... I've been telling people The Pit was the unicorn of our wedding planning process.
  
  Liz, the event manager, was a dream to work with. She was accommodating and very tolerant of lots of questions. She made sure we had all the information we needed. It did a lot for my anxiety with wedding planning for her to be so unflappable.
  
  All of the staff were super friendly and helpful at both our tasting and the day of the wedding. They handled changes, like dropping off the cake hours early, with a calm, reassuring manner. Seriously they were all a delight to work with. The bartender, Alberto, and waitress, Emily, were absolutely great. They made sure we had any/everything we needed. Additionally they just seemed like really sweet people.
  
  We had the upstairs area and it was such a nice night that all of our guests stayed on the porch the whole night, only coming inside for food and drinks.

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• Victoria Sent on 10/07/2018
  5 out of 5 rating

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  The Catering manager, Liz was very responsive and easy to work with. We wanted a casual feel for our rehearsal dinner and authentic BBQ was totally the way to go. We did buffet style food with a cash bar which was easy to navigate with our small party of 30 people. The food was delicious and the wait staff was extremely accommodating. I would highly recommend The Pit Durham for a rehearsal dinner or any function in general!!

  The Catering manager, Liz was very responsive and easy to work with. We wanted a casual feel for our rehearsal dinner and authentic BBQ was totally the way to go. We did buffet style food with a cash bar which was easy to navigate with our small party of 30 people. The food was delicious and the wait staff was extremely accommodating. I would highly recommend The Pit Durham for a rehearsal dinner or any function in general!!
• Betsy Sent on 12/30/2016
  5 out of 5 rating

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  We had our rehearsal dinner in the upstairs private portion of the restaurant. We were so impressed with the service, the food and the venue. Great indoor and outdoor areas gave our guests lots of space. If you are interested in giving your guests an authentic North Carolina meal in a historic building this is a great choice!

  We had our rehearsal dinner in the upstairs private portion of the restaurant. We were so impressed with the service, the food and the venue. Great indoor and outdoor areas gave our guests lots of space. If you are interested in giving your guests an authentic North Carolina meal in a historic building this is a great choice!
• Devin Sent on 05/13/2015
  5 out of 5 rating

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  We booked the upstairs bar/dining area and rooftop patio for our rehearsal dinner on April 24th. Because we booked it as private instead of semi-private, there were no other groups upstairs with us and we had free reign over the indoor and outdoor areas. The indoor area has a great, rustic, "Durham" feel to it, and the outdoor patio has a great view of downtown Durham. Our guests loved it!
  
  Liz was AMAZING to work with, and so sweet and helpful throughout the entire planning process. It took almost no effort on our part to coordinate the details of the evening! The food was fantastic and very reasonably priced. They even gave the few vegetarians we had their own individual vegetarian entrees even though our meal was family style (so important at a BBQ place!).
  
  Overall it was the perfect venue for our rehearsal dinner, and we could not recommend it more highly, especially if you want to give your guests a real taste of Durham and NC!

  We booked the upstairs bar/dining area and rooftop patio for our rehearsal dinner on April 24th. Because we booked it as private instead of semi-private, there were no other groups upstairs with us and we had free reign over the indoor and outdoor areas. The indoor area has a great, rustic, "Durham" feel to it, and the outdoor patio has a great view of downtown Durham. Our guests loved it!
  
  Liz was AMAZING to work with, and so sweet and helpful throughout the entire planning process. It took almost no effort on our part to coordinate the details of the evening! The food was fantastic and very reasonably priced. They even gave the few vegetarians we had their own individual vegetarian entrees even though our meal was family style (so important at a BBQ place!).
  
  Overall it was the perfect venue for our rehearsal dinner, and we could not recommend it more highly, especially if you want to give your guests a real taste of Durham and NC!
• Michelle Sent on 11/29/2014
  5 out of 5 rating

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  The Pit is one of our favorite restaurants to eat at here in Durham. It was an easy decision when it came to our wedding food. The food was absolutely delicious and everyone was talking about how good it was, especially the BBQ chicken and pulled pork. Even though the food was catered off site, the food was just as delicious and high of quality as if we were in the restaurant. Liz was great to work with and made picking out our menu easy and quick.

  The Pit is one of our favorite restaurants to eat at here in Durham. It was an easy decision when it came to our wedding food. The food was absolutely delicious and everyone was talking about how good it was, especially the BBQ chicken and pulled pork. Even though the food was catered off site, the food was just as delicious and high of quality as if we were in the restaurant. Liz was great to work with and made picking out our menu easy and quick.
• Erin Sent on 03/22/2015
  4.8 out of 5 rating

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  The food was excellent. We enjoyed our time at the restaurant. We did our rehearsal in the semi-private dining area. At the beginning we shared the space which was fine with us. I would have liked to have them serve us a little faster BUT I am not sure if this didn't happen because someone else told them to wait.

  The food was excellent. We enjoyed our time at the restaurant. We did our rehearsal in the semi-private dining area. At the beginning we shared the space which was fine with us. I would have liked to have them serve us a little faster BUT I am not sure if this didn't happen because someone else told them to wait.
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  User1847524 Sent on 10/06/2014
  4.2 out of 5 rating

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  Great spot for our rehearsal dinner. We used the downstairs dining room, and it was excellent. There was another party going on in the same room, and it was distracting at first. After they left, we were able to have our toasts.

  Great spot for our rehearsal dinner. We used the downstairs dining room, and it was excellent. There was another party going on in the same room, and it was distracting at first. After they left, we were able to have our toasts.
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  User2103991 Sent on 04/21/2015
  4 out of 5 rating

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  We had our reception at The Pit in Durham. I planned weddings for years with a company out of Cary, and I've never had so many people tell me how amazing the food was. All of our guests were blown away with how outstanding the quality of food was. We had our reception on the 2nd floor in that main room, and extended it to the balcony. The room was rustic and lovely and i had a slew of people to help decorate the space. The staff was flexible about what we brought and when we could get in to set up. However, we worked with Liz Henderson and she was a little challenging. She responded to emails 3-5 days after we sent emails. We had a hard time getting her to respond and we saw her when we arrived for the reception, but not again. She was marginally professional, though she was very nice to us when we did talk. There was no fee to use the space, just a $250 food and beverage minimum. Long story short, it was a great solution for us and I'd do again. Just be prepared to over communicate what you need.

  We had our reception at The Pit in Durham. I planned weddings for years with a company out of Cary, and I've never had so many people tell me how amazing the food was. All of our guests were blown away with how outstanding the quality of food was. We had our reception on the 2nd floor in that main room, and extended it to the balcony. The room was rustic and lovely and i had a slew of people to help decorate the space. The staff was flexible about what we brought and when we could get in to set up. However, we worked with Liz Henderson and she was a little challenging. She responded to emails 3-5 days after we sent emails. We had a hard time getting her to respond and we saw her when we arrived for the reception, but not again. She was marginally professional, though she was very nice to us when we did talk. There was no fee to use the space, just a $250 food and beverage minimum. Long story short, it was a great solution for us and I'd do again. Just be prepared to over communicate what you need.

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