Hog Heaven Bar-B-Q

10/21/2008 Posted by leappy95

The food is delicious and the service is great and friendly. We especially enjoyed the chicken and dumplings and hush puppies. There is a big lunch rush but the line moves fast.

Pros: Fast good food

Cons: Dislabled ice tea

10/13/2008 Posted by DurhamFoodie

This was the highest rated on Citysearch.. I SEE WHY! This place was incredible. We came in on a quiet day kinda midway between lunch and dinner. As suggested, i tried a plate of barbeque and i was in heaven. The barbeque, of course, is top-notch, especially the platter with chopped pork and chicken, but the shrimp burger is also a worthwhile contender, and I love the roast (yes, roast) best of all. Believe me, the sauce, these other reviews are talking about is the real deal! I tried another place in Durham and I was horrified with my dinky plate of Q. I wouldn't say it was even a 1/4 lb (that's 4 oz) where I at least got probably close to double here and had to take some home (smothered in sauce of course!)

Pros: Home Cooking and friendly service

Cons: Limited parking

09/23/2008 Posted by TNtransplant

I'm a regular at Hog Heaven since I moved here almost 2 years ago. The meats and veggies are consistently good and high quality, as one reviewer stated. Not greasy and quite tender. The banana pudding is great - if you have room after your meal. They don't skimp on quantity. The dining room staff consists of one lady, according to my visits, who is really friendly and acts as if she's known you for years (teasing and joking around). I find this charming and really enjoy my meal once I get to the dining room. She's quick with the tea refills, too (which is practically sugar syrup - just how we like it down here). The cashiers, however, are less than pleasant. As many times as I've eaten here, I still feel rushed when placing my order and I don't dare ask questions about how the food is prepared! I habe been met with an eye roll or a sigh or other gestures indicating I am annoying them and they would rather return to the back to socialize or do crosswords than deal with snail-paced customers who ask questions, like me. To be fair, the cashiers are generally teenagers, but I once was rung up by an older man in a button-down shirt, so I think he was the manager - he refrained from puffing or eye-rolling, but still had the same air of "hurry up and order, already!" In short, the food is good, consistent, and high quality. The customer service is half good-half bad. It does not merit a special trip, but if you're around, definitely stop in. Don't forget to save room for banana pudding!

Pros: quality food and good sizes; nice dining room staff

Cons: not very asthetically pleasing; poor cust. svc at cashier station

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

05/23/2008 Posted by CaptainTornado

BBQ brings out the passion in people and there's always somebody who will take one side diametrically opposed to another's feelings in this topic. Personally, I don't see the fuss with Bullocks in Durham as one example because a lot of people like it. Hog Heaven is a little overpriced but the food is not bad. I don't go to these places looking for fancy ambiance or luxury-grade service. But good BBQ places have a level of charm in addition to the focal point of good pork in NC. I would not hesitate to go back to Hog Heaven if I were nearby and wanting a meal. It's pretty good, but as far as being the best cue in the area? No way. It's too non-descript to qualify. Allen and Sons, also thinks a lot of their own food by the way they price it, but their pork knocks Hog Heaven out of the water. A&S has real wood flavor that I don't get any hints of at HH. Bob's in Creedmoor is far superior to Hog Heaven as far as I'm concerned. We won't even mention Lexington though it's probably not fair to compare western NC style to eastern. I think Hog Heaven is a great place for a quick and casual meal. Good place to take the family. Service has always been satisfactory. Tables and floors are often dirty and sticky, probably because they don't have enough staff to keep things clean between sittings. Food is consistent in my experience and worth recommending but I would never suggest somebody go out of their way on a BBQ pilgrimage to try HH. I do not understand the accolades it receives but when you think about it, there's not a whole lot of competition in Durham when it comes to good barbecue.

Pros: Consistent food. Solid and the cue is not greasy.

Cons: Non-descript. Nothing spectacular. No wood flavor.

05/20/2008 Posted by Ohello

Can't see it. Barbecue is not the same as prior owner. Bland with no spices. I sat at the drive through window at 5pm for 10 minutes with one car in front of me. I ordered chicken and it must have been cooked at lunch. Cold and dry. Vegetables had no taste. Tea was good but I won't be going back. Over-rated and not worth the drive.

Cons: Bland

04/23/2008 Posted by arsbadmojo

I really like the BBQ here. Tough choice for my favorite BBQ between this and the BBQ Lodge on Capitol Blvd in Raleigh, both are excellent - but I really like the sides and BBQ alternatives here. The chicken and dumplings are really good. Maybe it's because I'm a Yankee, but I had never seen "southern style" dumplings before. I'm used to more or less rounds of dough in my C&D, but these are flat, more like a lasagna noodle. It was rich and thick, with a 'lemony' flavor that was really nice. I think it benefitted from some black pepper. The chicken is flavorful and very tender. I tried the Brunswick stew as well. I loved it, my wife was more iffy on it, but she's not a huge stew fan to begin with. I liked the cole slaw a lot, and am looking forward to trying the potato salad next time I'm there. Hush puppies are always hot, fresh and delicious. The location is not in the best area, but not the worst either. Service is...OK. I mean, it's a BBQ joint, what do you expect? But here's an example - the front employees all seem to be high schoolers. The lemonade at the fountain was out of syrup - if you've ever worked fast food, it happens - you change the box, run the lines until the mix returns - problem solved. I told the girl it was out - she had no clue what to do. I could have run in the back and fixed it in 5 minutes, but apparently she'd never heard of this before. You order at a window when you walk in - pick up at a 2nd window. That's just the kind of place it is. Same for cleanliness. This is not fine dining. It has all the atmosphere of a high school cafeteria. It's by no means filthy, it's just...older. Again - not going to ding them much for that because it's a BBQ joint and it's what I expect.

Pros: Great BBQ and Chicken and Dumplings

Cons: location, staff needs some training

09/07/2007 Posted by stylin12

Hog Heaven Bar-B-Q is awesome.. I've read other reviews and almost all of them say the same thing, "I LOVE HOG HEAVEN BAR-B-Q".. That's because it's true. I drive about 80 miles round trip for the pork bbq, add some potato salad and green beans, wonderful.. I've heard the banana pudding is great, but I've always been too full to try it.. I've tried other bar-b-q places since moving here and there is no comparison in the taste of the pork.. Mark, is always making sure that your food is fine and you have everything you need.. It's a great atmosphere with southern charm and lots of smiling faces.. Hog Heaven Bar-B-Q is worth the drive..

Pros: excellant food.. great service

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

06/27/2007 Posted by toyboy97

If you want warm friendly people and the most tender, well seasoned beef around, I would recommend you go to Hog Heaven. I had a great experience with my family. Definitely will be back again.

Pros: Nice Warm Enbironment, You'll fall in love the Ribs!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

04/25/2007 Posted by jarsofclay

I am a youth minister at a local Church. Recently our church held a family night fundraiser at Hog Heaven BBQ in order to help pay for the youth's mission camp. Hog Heaven donated 10% of the total nights proceeds to our youth group. From start to finish they were great to work with. The manager was extremely nice and every one there seemed to be focused on helping the customer. The Church loved the fundraiser and it really helped our youth. I would highly recommend Hog Heaven for a great, family friendly environment filled with nice people who are there to help you have a wonderful experience at their restaurant.

03/10/2007 Posted by maca58

Before I left my review, I'll admit I read all of the ones posted previously. I agree with the over whelming majority by saying Hog Heaven does have the best bbq around. The waitress told me one night the bbq is chopped by hand as needed. It doesn't sit in pans all day. I usually eat there 3-4 times a week, mostly at lunch but with the family on the weekends. The daily specials are just out of this world. You would think your mom is in the kitchen cooking. Homemade banana pudding that is better than you would get from your church at homecoming. I think they also have the best seafood in Durham. My wife loves the flounder while I must say the shrimp dinner makes me think I'm at Wilmington. Most of all, the bbq is the best I've ever had. Don't get me wrong, everything in this restaurant is so good, it's like going home to mom's house but I've eaten bbq from everybody in the triangle and nobody does it better than Hog Heaven.

Pros: Great food, wonderful staff, fast service, clean

Cons: none