Harold’s Barbeque

Went to Harold’s yesterday. I was not expecting much because I knew the place almost shut down a month or two ago after being in business since 1947. As an Atlanta native I wanted to go back one last time as I expect it will be closing.
The place really deserves one star but for sentimental reasons and the unique divey/​old south atmosphere I gave it two stars.
I have not been in a few years and the building/​restaurant was the same as ever but the BBQ unfortunately has gone downhill. The Brunswick Stew was still good and so was the sweet tea but that was about it. The pork BBQ had zero smoke flavor and was dry. Almost as though it had been cooked in an oven.
I could tell the place was really struggling. They were cash only and were out of almost everything– pork BBQ only (in other words most of the rest of the menu was not available). No french fries, no Coke. Tea and water only. Did not even have potato chips in stock but they gladly went across the street to a small store to pick up some chips (the chips were supposed to come with the sandwhich plate my co-​worker ordered).
Hard to see how this place turns around. They have always been a destination that folks have to seek out given the neighborhood. People would seek it out for the old school atmosphere and good BBQ. But with the food not really good I think they have lost a lot of their business. How to build the business back? Not going to build it back up with yesterday’s lunch and almost nothing available. Service of course was very sweet and friendly.
I think with the passing of the original founder several years ago even though the family has tried to keep it going they are just not up to the task. Sad. Really sad.

Good RIDDANCE you lazy S.O.Bs. I’ve been going to Harolds for much of their 65 years of business. and I’ve not had a good meal there since 1994. I don’t know why I keep going back.
After hearing about them finally closing the doors this May3rd, I figured I’d give them one last try. and BOY did they ever underachieve AGAIN, even for them.
We ordered, and never got served. sat there for 1 hour. We were the lucky ones, becasue the folks who were served, did not look pleased. the food is obviously awful. i hate them.
This place is an aberration on an already crappy BBQ town. I’m so glad this place is finally closing. the owner (not harold, harold is dead and rolling in his grave) says that the economy put this place out of business. WRONG. the owner put this place out of business. Its awful. the owner is awful. No regard for anything sacred in atlanta.
goodbye HAROLDs. thanks for all the terrible memories. YOU SUCK!

This place is not what it used to be. I took business colleagues as they wanted real southern BBQ. The place even though it used to be full of character is now just dirty and unclean. The chopped pork is pretty tasteless, the BBQ sause was not good and the hot sause was just Tabasco. I then found a 12″ long human hair in my Brunswick Stew. I gace it to the serve in a napkin, she walked off to the kitchen shoting about a hair being found in the stew, when I went to pay, she then tried to tell me it was twine, and they took the stew off the bill. I will not return, ever!

Barbecue– Excellent. Great, classic non-​fussy barbecue. Great cornbread. Great Brunswick Stew. Great sweet tea.
Service– Insanely slow, and bare. I’ve been twice, and the first time, I waited 30 minutes for a BBQ sandwich and was the only other person in there. The second time, it was a little better, by maybe 5 minutes. I think it’s met it’s hayday, and I hate that. Because this place is part of not just Atlanta, but Georgia barbecue history.
And the last time I went there, it was raining, and the roof was leaking all over the place, even on the table next to us. The place is in sore sorts.

i’ve always figured that the best barbecue is found in places you wouldn’t visit after dark, where they have bars on the windows and just enough grease on the tables to write your initials… if that’s the definition, then Harold’s ought to be World Class — but it isn’t.
This famous Atlanta landmark stands in the shadow of the federal prison and has become a shadow of its former self. All that’s left is some still very good Brunswick Stew, excellent sweet tea, and nearly seven decades in one spot.
Used to be they were also known for their cracklin’ cornbread — but it’s turned dry and the thin slivers of fatback meant to add moisture and flavor are hard to find.
The pork is chopped behind the front counter (was that a pistol in the pocket of the guy doing the chopping?) but is devoid of any fat and the flavor smoke imbues in fat that provides pulled or chopped pork its real flavor. The ribs (baby-​backs) were only a tad better.
Many members of the staff seem to have reported for work there on opening day and never left. To be fair, they’re great folks, true southerners who deserve to be able to serve better.
You want good Brunswick Stew, give Harold’s a try, or take a road trip on I-​8u5 to Rogers in Hogansville. Ribs? Give ‘Cue in Alpharetta or DaddyZ’ in Atlanta a shot. Chopped pork? Virtually any place else will be better.

The upside: friendly and attentive service. The Brunswick stew was the best I’ve had in Atlanta.
The average: the meats were not anything to write home about and the cornbread was bland.
The downside: The location is rough, and the building is in disrepair on the inside and the outside. The walls in the dining room have not been cleaned in 60 years. I would stop short of saying that it is unhealthy, but if grease and grime make you skittish, this isn’t the place for you.

We love the look of this place and the service so we keep going back, but the fact is that even though the meat is good the rest of the food is horrible.
The BBQ sauce seems to be straight Red Rooster, the corn bread has lumps of lard (or something) in it and everything else just seems cooked to within an inch of it’s life.
Don’t get me wrong, I love dives and respect places that have been around forever, but last time I was there the owner pulled a shot gun from behind the counter to chase a guy from the parking lot and as he swept the room with the barrel his finger was on the trigger.
.and this place it dead to me (before I get dead).

As an ATL lifer, I got tired of the near contemptuous shock with which more senior lifelong Atlantans would respond when I told them I’d never been to Harold’s. «It’s the best BBQ in Atlanta!» Blah, blah… blah. So I finally decided to give it a whirl one Saturday around noon.
It was a pretty disappointing experience. I ordered a chopped pork sandwich, stew and cornbread (because «their cracklin cornbread is the best you’ll ever have!»).
Well, the miserable looking pork butt was sitting out on the counter in the kitchen. The guy walked over, cut a little bit off, chopped it, put it between two pieces of white sandwich bread and put it over a «fire» (a heap of ash with an ember or two mixed in). The result was a horrendously bland, cold dry meat. It was the worst pork sandwich I’ve had in recent memory. The cornbread was just as flavorless and so dry I had to take 2 sips of water between each bite. The only decent thing was the stew – which was identical to the one we used to get from a supplier when I worked in another local BBQ shop in college (i.e. they buy it).
All the reviewers singing the praises of Harold’s simply b/​c it’s a nostalgic junky BBQ place are not true BBQ lovers. If you just want to take a time warp back a few decades and don’t care if your food sucks, then Harold’s is your place. But real BBQ people know that the fare is not anointed great just because it’s prepared in a dumpy shack. What makes it great is the time and care put into making it – and Harold’s just doesn’t seem to have either.
I also cannot imagine how this place passes its health inspection. It must be grandfathered in or something and not subject to govt standards.
Maybe it was in fact the best BBQ in Atlanta in 1947. All I can say to that is thank Jesus a lot of other places have opened since then. Nice folks I’m sure, but I will not be back.
Also, contrary to what the Unilocal profile says, Harold’s is CASH ONLY.

Still 5 stars in my opinion. Yeah, you can get some different BBQ in the ATL that may or may not be what you think good bbq should be, but you have to understand the history of this place. The context is what makes the place special — it takes you back to the 1960’s when the ATL was booming with industry and the pork was sliced to order. Try finding that now.
And the décor is the same as well. Go get some houti touti bbq elsewhere and give this place the respect it deserves — 5 freakin stars.

Is the cast from My Name is Earl and Joe Dirt workin’ here or what?
At least these guys are one big happy BBQ serving group of stereotyped Southerns. Gotta love service with half-​a-​smile missin’.
I came here out of pure heritage and hype. This being one of the last open pit cookers left in Georgia and 63 years of business in their back pocket. So I expected they had their sh”t down to a science.
My order – Chopped Pork Sandwich, Brunswick Stew, Corn Bread… basically the heart of Georgia BBQ.
The much talked about stew was good but not like kiss your cousin good. The cornbread was bad… tasted like they have been using the same baking sheet pan since 1986 without washing it. I would take others advice and mix it into the stew. The pork sandwich was the epitome of decent, but I do like how they grill the thick cut toast on the charcoal grill. The problem is the smokeless tasting pork. With the black covered walls surrounding the open pit, you would think this pork a”s would at least have something going on. It was more like if they just put the meat into a ready bake oven with only salt and pepper to boot.
I sat at the bar front row and center to get a clear view of this BBQ dinosaur. It is pretty archaic how they throw this s”t together, but the show and people watching help bump this place up a little for me. The main man/​Earl/​Joe Dirt was in charge of a little of everything… including security… this crazy m”‘th”f”ker carries a 9 mm hand gun in his pocket… not even strapped down. I guess this comes with being so close to newly released prisoners and their need for some BBQ stained cash.
There is a sign directly in the back that reads” Got Germs”…I believe this is good motto for Harold’s…can I get a spot sweep please… they got like 11 people workin’ here and s”‘t all over the floors, but the place has got that beat up BBQ feelin’. Plus points for being redneck as hell.
This was the least amount of smokey BBQ satisfaction I have gotten over my last few months. Kind of sad… considering they have one of the oldest and most seasoned pits in Georgia. I cried a little tear as I left.
Still 3 stars for nostalgia= 2.89 overall
Chef Invisible – Out

Wow, I’m truly astonished at the bad reviews of this place. I’ve never had a bad experience at Harold’s and I’ve been going here for 10 years.
I’ve worked at BBQ joints and continue to cook BBQ as a chef today, and this is the real deal for Georgia BBQ. Granted, this place is not in it’s hay day anymore (it’s over 40 years old at least), but it remains true to it’s roots.
Pork is usually cooked to perfection and if you sit at the bar, you can watch your pork being chopped up on the block and your bread being toasted over wood charcoal. The stew here is very authentic and if what real Georgia stew is all about. Pork, chicken, beef, tomato, corn. If it has anything other than that or is missing on of those ingredients, it’s not Brunswick stew.
Stew dogs and chili slaw dogs are great here. Sides are good and the cornbread is the most authentic in town. Real pork cracklins in the bread.
Tea is epic. They have an old school pebble ice machine that I love.
Staff is old school and very friendly. This place is an Atlanta landmark and harks back to better times for the neighborhood. The neighborhood isn’t that rough, but it is walking distance from the federal pen.
Seems like Deb had a bad experience. But I can tell you that the kitchen is mostly African American, and they get a lot of respect from the staff as far as I can tell.

I’m not sure how to rate Harold’s exactly and let me tell you why. Good BBQ. I must say that. Not the best, but good. The problem I had was I went in with my partner at work and the guy was super nice to me and turned to my partner and said, «what’ll ya have boy?»
Wow. Is it 2010? Really?
My partner told me to just order and not to make a stink. How does one really approach such bigotry? I ordered only after my partner placed his order and we were off again. (work EMS).
Soooo. I can say I’ll NEVER return and I hope that was a freak thing.

Yum. This is your grandaddy’s Southern barbecue. You walk in and you can tell nothing has changed here in 50 years. The food is damned good. Chopped pork plate. Brunswick stew is the best I ever ate. Corn bread was a little heavy for my taste. Service was top notch. Lunchtime crowd. Parking lot was literally full. Sweet tea was excellent. This is a «must try» for ATL BBQ lovers. Sorry Harold, Fox Bros is still my fave.

Despite a previous poor experience, I was willing to give Harold’s another shot. Maybe I somehow missed what everyone loved about this place the first time.
The people who work there are all really nice and do quite a good job. And I do think restaurant is cool and it does feel like the type of place that should be putting out some good bbq. I definitely like the people and the atmosphere — but the food just isn’t good.
I managed to go pretty early this time and therefore avoided the food shortage issue of last time. Everything was available and presumably as fresh as possible since I got in there pretty soon after they opened. I went with a sweet tea and the combo plate (chopped pork, chopped beef, ribs) with coleslaw, Brunswick stew and cracklin’ cornbread. Yes, I pretty much tried everything.
The tea and the Brunswick stew were good like last time. However, while it is good, the Brunswick stew isn’t really amazing — I’ve had better in my bbq quest (it’s better than most though). I was a bit disappointed by the cracklin’ cornbread as it completely lacked any crack in it — yep, no cracklins to be found at all. The cole slaw is nothing special and I’m not much of a cole slaw fan anyway.
Ok, the meats. Now, the pork I had before was really sub-​par. Fortunately, it was slightly better this time — I got it chopped and it happened to be a little moister on this occasion, but it was still on the dry side. It definitely lacked seasoning and any smoky flavor. The chopped beef was similar but it was actually worse because it was much dryer than the pork. The chopped beef was probably the driest meat I’ve had in a long time. The sauce, which is decent but not memorable, helps a little bit but it really can’t begin to overcome that problem. The ribs were probably the best of the lot, but that’s not saying much. They were small and thin and slightly tough in spots, but they weren’t bad. I wouldn’t want to get them again though.
Despite it being a cool place with nice people, frankly, the food is pretty poor and the restaurant seems to just be skating by on its reputation from the glory days. I’m not really sure why you’d go here unless it was for the location or because of some sentimental reasons. Quite a lot of other bbq places are better than this.
1.5

The interior of Harold’s Barbecue reminds me of an episode of Hee Haw: red checkered window curtains, wood walls AND ceilings, and multiple air conditioning units attached to the walls, purring a steady rhythm.
My colleagues and I were greeted promptly and given drinks within seconds of our beverage order. The sweet tea was phenomenal, partially because of the crushed ice in which the sugary liquid swam – it crunched like an Icee!
I ordered a chopped pork sandwich on toasted white bread. Sweet sauce. Pickles. MMMM! Feeling nutritionally naughty, I also requested an order of fries.
I washed all of this down with a second glass of sweet tea. While my coworkers and I quietly sipped our drinks, reluctant to return to the office, we heard a huge crash…
One of the purring air conditioning units had fallen off the wall!

My old boss was a Boomer who went to college at GA Tech and never left Atlanta. I mean, back when he started at Tech, «technology» meant sliderules and punch cards. Suffice it to say, he’s lived here for a while. He used to take us «kids» (i.e., those of us under the age of 50) out for lunch and, in doing so, he popped my cherry for a lot of Atlanta institutions in the short time I worked for him – Bobby & June’s, the Silver Grill, the Silver Skillet and, most notably, Harold’s. Thankfully he never forced us to lunch at The Varsity which even he admitted you only eat when you’re too drunk to know any better. That, in turn, opened up a whole other avenue of discussion, but for some reason, he nixed the idea of midday Jäger bombs. Sometimes it sucks working for The Man.
Anyway, it’s been years since I’ve been back to Harold’s. This, despite the fact that I live unbelievably close to it. I was only made aware of this fact when I had to pick up a package from the post office and drove past it thinking, «I live THIS close to Harold’s?» You see, you’ve got to understand that when people give directions to this joint, «the prison» is the most commonly used landmark. When I first visited, my initial thoughts were, «Great Googly Moogly, this is one scary, run-​down Escape from New York-​lookin’ neighborhood. What kind of wretched hive of scum and villainy lives here?» And here I am, living here, down the street this entire time. I guess that answers my question. By the way, these aren’t the droids you’re looking for.
As you can tell, after my discovery, I recently returned for lunch. It was the same cast of characters I’d seen years earlier. Guys in hard hats, old Southern lah-​yers, the occasional hipster seeking an ironic lunch. The food hadn’t changed much either, though I don’t remember the burgers being on the menu. Maybe it’s because I never ordered them. I always ordered a pork plate and this time was not an exception. Chopped pork plate, bowl of Brunswick stew, slaw and corn bread. Oh their corn bread. More on that later.
The ‘cue is pork butt. They go through more butt than Supermax. (Really? Is this the second review in a row where I made a prison sex reference? I need to get out more. And have less prison sex.) You can get your ‘cue sliced or chopped. You can also ask for bark, the burned outer portions, which I totally forgot you could specify until I started writing this review.
The pork plate comes with a fairly generous portion of meat, a mayo-​based slaw, a bowl of their famous Brunswick stew and 2 large pieces of corn bread atop a handful of potato chips. The ‘cue comes naked. No sauce, which I appreciate. You can add sauce at the table. There’s mild and hot, and the hot tastes almost exactly like a thicker Red Rooster sauce. There’s not much in the way of a smokey flavor to the meat which some may like, other may not. The meat is juicy and tender, but I still prefer brisket. But that’s just me. Georgia doesn’t have much claim to BBQ fame as compared to NC, Memphis, KC or Texas, but Harold’s ‘cue is what I’d call the prototypical Georgia BBQ.
The stew is much lauded, but I’ve never found it earthmoving. To be sure, when you crumble your corn bread into it, it jumps up about 10 notches, but the brunswick stew doesn’t taste that much different than most others I’ve had. But then there’s the corn bread.
The corn bread is not sweet, which is an ongoing point of contention I have with Daddy Dz who seemingly adds sugar to their corn bread though they deny it every time I bring it up. However, what truly distinguishes Harold’s corn bread is the use of cracklin’. For those of you non-​pork connoisseurs, cracklin’ is basically the equivalent of stuffing your bread with bacon except it’s even better because it’s pork skin and anything with cracklin’ in it tastes like whatever a naked oil wrestling match between two Victoria Secret’s models would taste like if you tasted with your eyes instead of your tongue. So yes to cracklin’ corn bread!
Harold’s is an Atlanta institution. Is it deserved? In many ways, probably. Is it a transcendent piece of meat? Not really. For that, you need to look elsewhere (See «Pants, In My.») I do think that Harold’s becomes a victim of its own hype though, so once I separated from all that and just ate it for what it was, I came to my conclusion. Three and a half stars rounded to up to four.

Brunswick stew: 5 stars, best I’ve had in a while and you get a huge portion
Cornbread: 4 stars, cornbread… ain’t nothin’ wrong with that
Coleslaw: 3 stars, pretty basic recipe here, but it’s tasty
Sauce: 2 stars, the regular sauce just seemed off to me
Chopped pork: 1 star, too dry for my taste
Overall, 3 stars. Next time, I’ll probably just get a big bowl of stew and some cornbread.

My only complaint about Harold’s: lack of variety where sauce is concerned.
But the quality of the chopped pork is excellent.
The Brunswick stew is consistently the best I’ve ever had.
The cracklin’ cornbread is second only to what they serve at Eats on Ponce.
The sweet tea is almost always a thumbs-​up.
And the lunchtime crowd — the politicians, the police officers, the plumbers and the professionals — feels like home.

We stopped to get take out on the way to the Jack Johnson concert at Lakewood. I ordered the chopped plate with fries and Brunswick stew, which is what they’re known for, or so I’m told (particularly on the best bbq spots of Atlanta special that I saw, on PBS I think…). The chopped pork was ok — it was pretty dry by the time I got to it, and somewhat crumbly. The sauce for it was not particularly memorable. In all fairness, I’m much more of a rib person, and I care a lot about seasoning and marinades, so I knew as soon as I saw the pork that I wasn’t going to be impressed.
The stew was hearty and flavorful, particularly when you add in chunks of the very-​not-​healthful-​yet-​oh-​so-​delicious cornbread, the grease from which stained the bag clear through. It was meaty, with just enough corn and tomatoes to balance, instead of make it too acidic. I would stop by again on the way to Lakewood, but I doubt that I’d make a special trip.

Harold’s definitely gets a gold star for character. As for the barbecue…
Maybe it was the build up my friends made about the place, but I can’t say it was the best I ever had.
I may also just be picky about my bbq, but I’m even pickier about my sweet tea. Their sweet tea is right on the mark. It’s just short of being syrup and a cavity’s worst nightmare. Perfect.
I was, however, very surprised to see the diversity of their customers. Business men with their clients, Grandmas and their Golden Girls-​esque best friends, Policemen, us, I think there was a fraternity there…
And, of course, no «Mom & Pop» would be complete without a wall of celebrity customer glossies! The Bushes (Presidential, 1^st Gen), Sonny Purdue, and my personal favorite, Space Ghost, have all eaten at Harold’s and left these fine framed momentos as proof and appreciation.
If Harold’s has been around for as long as it has, then they must be doing something right.