The Pit has been open for lunch for almost a year now, after opening last November and serving lunch since January. Previously there was a good selection of various cuts of meat off the pit that were fabulous, but the new lunch menu branches out to meatloaf, burgers, BBQ fries (paralleled only by the BBQ nachos at The Times) and other tasty and well-priced lunch meals.
Check out the new menu below:

Restaurants , Other posts by Jedidiah.
Downtown Raleigh The Pit Greg Hatem Ed Mitchell BBQ Lunch Barbecue
They have changed their dinner menu as well, and added a couple of new items.
Quite possibly my favorite restaurant in Raleigh.
I went there for lunch last Monday with a crowd, some from out of town, and the food was great, plentiful and moderately priced. I agree about it being one of my favorite lunch places in Raleigh.
I squealed like a teenybopper when I met Ed Mitchell. He’s a BBQ God.
Nice mention of the BBQ Nachos at the Times. It’s no wonder they’re comparable—Doesn’t Raleigh Times get their BBQ from The Pit?
Mmmm….
It might be sacrilege but, the two times I’ve eaten at The Pit were both very unsatisfying.
The first, Valentine’s Day this year, my boyfriend and I wanted to go somewhere downtown that didn’t require reservations. We arrived at The Pit around 8pm and there were only 3 or 4 other tables with patrons. The hostess very unhappily asked if we had reservations when we approached her (seriously? the restaurant was empty!). Our server was nice but the food was not good.
The second was for take-out lunch. We called ahead, picked the order up, and went back to the office (only 5 minutes away). It was cold.
Maybe I’ve just had a run of bad luck… at least that’s what I’m hoping. I love the venue and location and would love to give it another shot, but I’m having the same feeling as I did with Yancey’s - I’ve given it try after try and I just keep getting let down.
went there two friday’s ago and was shocked when i showed up with a group and was greeted with, “do you have reservations?”.
the place was packed and i’ve got to say i was happy as a pig in slop to see that as i wasn’t exactly sure how raleigh would handle an upscale bbq joint (albeit with loads of history).
food was great although i’ve got to be honest, i could have used a larger portion of bbq on my lunch plate. maybe it’s me, maybe it’s the plates you usually get when you’re in a hole-in-the-wall bbq joint but the portion seemed small.
oh well, just glad wilson’s loss is our gain. can’t wait to try dinner there. can’t wait to sample their draft selection to.
On October 24, 2009, I was at The Pit in Raleigh, NC. Someone told me that Pit Master Ed Mitchell and brother weren’t there no more. So therefore the BBQ was not good. I tried it myself. It was not good at all. I asked, where is The Pit Master? “They said, “he was just a face and his brother was doing all the cooking.” I said, “you tell me that Pit Master Ed Mitchell and his brother made this place what it is today and they let his brother go. He is the man who is behind Ed Mitchell.” Tell you what, This was the best BBQ in the world. But now, the best thing that can happen to this restaurant is to get The Pit Master Brother BACK. THIS BBQ IS NOT GOING TO MAKE IT WITHOUT HIM. TRUST ME. TASTE IT.
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