Blue Pit BBQ and Whiskey Bar

After much improvement with staffing, this place has gotten so much better. The food is great and they have the best whiskey choices that you can find in the city.

I first went here before they had a full kitchen with BBQ operation running, and they were just a whiskey bar serving sandwiches and snacky stuff. At the time I thought it was great. I’m not big on cocktails usually, but I thought their concoctions with whiskey were out of this world. Their old fashioneds were (and still are) something to come back for.
Unfortunately their barbecue is way lacking though in some of the most basic ways. Good BBQ is cooked slowly for hours. Common knowledge, I know, but both times I’ve been there I can guarantee this was not the case. Beef brisket is my cut of choice when it comes to barbecue and when it’s cooked enough, it should practically fall apart in your hands, much less melt in your mouth. Both times I’ve had it there, it was tough and chewy. Also, it was rubbed with coffee. wtf? I mean, really… What? Now yer just tryin’ too hard. The other meats I had were decent enough if you didn’t consider what they SHOULD be. The sides are tasty though.
It would be rated lower if the bar weren’t so good. And the bar really is good. Like, seriously. Go to Blue Pit and drink. It’s the reason I rated it as high as I did. I wouldn’t be quite as harsh on some place that was a chain, or some place where BBQ was only one of many hats it wore, but Blue Pit acts like they worship at the throne of the smoker. It’s very rare that I eat meat and so when I go somewhere that claims to do it right and then doesn’t, it’s a big let down. I won’t name places that do BBQ better because you all know what they are.

Blue Pit BBQ is perhaps the newest locally owned BBQ joint to open in Baltimore. Not to throw any shade at Dinosaur BBQ, it’s good there, but I prefer spending my money on local establishments. A friend and I both really love meat, specifically brisket. After spending a few hours texting about meat and BBQ, we knew we had to satisfy the craving and both try the highly recommended Blue Pit BBQ in Hampden.
Blue Pit is counter service only so it’s very casual. After looking over their menu, my friend and I each decided on a Brisket Plate. The plate came with corn bread, pickles, and two sides. The brisket was rubbed with zekes coffee. I thought it was great, and packed with flavor, and even better when dipped in one of their many BBQ sauces. I would return just for this. The cornbread was great, perfectly moist. I wasn’t in love with any of the other sides, not that they were bad, but not the best I’ve ever had.
If you have the meat crave like I surely did, the BBQ at Blue Pit BBQ is sure to satisfy all of your cravings.

They have an area downstairs that is self-​seating with no service except for bar. That’s actually cool if you aren’t sure how long you want to stay or if you want to eat. They also have serve yourself water which I always love. There’s also a great cocktail list, and they have a «mule of the day»!! The best part is naturally the food. I had the brisket and pork, which I think were equally delicious. There’s multiple types of sauces, try the coffee flavored!

This place is like two blocks from my gym, so I thought I’d try it after barre class. And, in my opinion, a better weeknight casual date spot can’t be found. I had never been here, but Deon (I asked his name specifically for this review, I’m sorry if I got it wrong!) made he experience very user friendly. The system is like Jason’s deli: you order and get your drinks and then they bring the food to you. The first floor is a crowded, noisy bar, but my hubby and I were alone in the roomy second floor, which, with the picnic tables and windows had kind of a «back porch» feel (it was warm, though). The food was amazing as well. I had the two meat plate with pulled pork and bratwurst, which definitely was enough for two meals. I consider myself a pickle connoisseur and I pickle my own at home and I can say theirs are on point. The pickle slaw is very light and refreshing and the collards were also really flavorful. All the sauces were delicious as well, and the Boylans fountain is probably the best soda you can find. Deon was very helpful in getting me the gear to take ²⁄₃ of my meal home, and really friendly, which made me feel welcome in a new place. I’m such a huge fan of this place, I want to make barre and que a tradition!

I’m adding Blue Pit to my list of BBQ places that I feel has better tasting food than Mission BBQ. I ordered the chicken BBQ meal, which came with six pieces (!) of chicken, cornbread, pickles, and two sides — potato salad and mac and cheese for me. The chicken was delicious and fall-​off-​the-​bone. It was so flavorful that I didn’t use any of the assorted sauces available at each table. The cornbread was buttery, and the bacon bits in the potato salad were a nice surprise. (Everything’s better with bacon, right?)
Anyway, you order food at the counter and receive a number on a table stand. The food is then delivered to your table. There is limited seating by the bar, but there’s also outside seating and tables upstairs.
There was so much food that I took most of my meal home. I was surprised to find that even after microwaving the chicken for the next day, it was still fall-​off-​the bone. If I’m ever in the area, I’ll definitely come back to eat at this place again!

Quite honestly the best barbecue and whiskey selections In Baltimore. The jackfruit vegetarian option will even make meat lovers happy. Only issue is parking (on street) which can be a challenge mostly because of how popular this place is. The deck out back is dog friendly.

I was there for lunch so it was a limited menu (sandwiches only). It was good enough to want me to go back and try a plate. The selection of whiskey is incredible.

BBQ-​licious! Great selection of whiskey and bourbon and amazing BBQ. we enjoyed the pulled pork, brisket, collared greens, baked beans, corn bread, and pickles. All were amazing!
You order at the bar so if you can get a bar seat I would highly suggest it. Staff was very friendly and professional. I will be taking my friends who come to visit from Oregon here.

There’s mentality when you live in the south for a long period of time — you feel as if the state as absorbed and shaped you. Particularly your food tastes. I love sushi, I like my fancy pates and cheese, I love escargot. I also love cornbread, gravy and BBQ. There was a time in my life when I would attend a BBQ once a week.
BBQ is just comfort food. Warm, fulfilling and satisfying. Reminds me a lot of home and the south! Once you enter, there’s a bar immediately to the right. They have quite a few beers and stuff on tab. Beyond that, there’s a little check out counter that you can order food at. They have plates with different types of meat, as well as the typical ½ lb, 1 lb… of brisket (coffee rubbed brisket), and pulled pork… the ribs are my least favorite since there’s not too much meet on them.
For sides, I’ve had the the mac and cheese which is fantastic! I would go for the pint over the bowl. There’s the mayo based coleslow and the vinegar based coleslow. I like the vinegar based one. This BBQ seriously reminds me of Texas BBQ at home! :) Go here, you will not regret it!
There’s additional setting upstairs and if the weather’s nice, I would go outside. That area is dog friendly! :)

Blue Pit BBQ and Whiskey Bar is great for a number of reasons. We can usually find great parking either on the street or across by Artifact Coffee. Tip the bar next to them is sketchy so I try to avoid some of the characters hanging around outside. Bonus: It is close to the light rail and you can walk from there.
My favorites to get there are the brisket and ribs. I don’t even like ribs usually but their ribs are always delicious. For sides I recommend the vinegar based coleslaw and potato salad. I usually get their whiskey special which is good. The bartenders are excellent very knowledgable on whiskey. We have walked out the door with two whiskeys, two meats, two sides for less than fifty. That isn’t bad for a date night in Baltimore.

Bue Pit’s a decent BBQ place with its bar being a quick win.
Aside from the bar, this place is self serve, which is cool, and orders are completed pretty quickly. There’s a good number of seats — bar area, upstairs, and patio.
The meats and sides menu are on the smaller end. I like the ribs. The brisket isn’t too consistent, but for the most part is tasty. I’m a fan of their dedicated Boylan soda fountain drink vendor.

This is a small, unassuming restaurant and bar. It’s one that you’d easily pass by without a second glance as you drive to Artifact or Woodberry or what have you. But it’s definitely worth going to.
The BBQ here is pretty good. Yes, if you took someone from the heart of BBQ country in Texas, they’d probably nitpick things with the meats and such. But overall, it’s pretty good. The Zeke’s coffee rubbed brisket is great. Tender and flavorful.
There are a bunch of sides you can order here as well… I found myself liking the red slaw the best but the collard greens are always a safe bet too.
If you are a whiskey person though, you’ll love the huge selection they have here. Smoky drinks for smoky foods. Makes sense to me :) Anyways, they make some of the best Old Fashioned in Baltimore, so if you’re into whiskey or whiskey cocktails, this is a great place to imbibe and also get some good food too!

Excellent barbecue with surprising vegetarian options, a solid selection of whiskeys, and a variety of casual seating options.
Let’s start off with the meats. They are all executed well, but I lean toward pork for barbecue, and Blue Pit certainly delivers there. The ribs are succulent with enough spice rub to make sauce a complete after thought. The pulled pork has the right amount of chew. But the chicken and brisket are both good, too.
What is surprising is how good the pulled jackfruit is. The flesh of the fibrous jackfruit has a texture similar to pulled meat, and the smoking process melds wonderfully with the apple and mango flavors of the jack. They offer it as a sandwich, but will serve a side of it. Try it with a group and marvel.
So it is somewhat of a disappointment that there are not more vegetarian friendly sides. The potato salad has bacon in it for example, as do the baked beans. The collard greens are really where it is at, but again, neck bones. I know that is what is giving it the flavor, jsut syaing that is one more side that is out of the diet for many. For carnivores like me, heaven, but it does force those who don’t eat meat to the (rich) mac ‘n cheese and slaw options.
But hey, it is a barbecue joint. And a fine one at that.
The downstairs has an attractive bar set-​up where you can ogle bottles of craft whiskey but the TVs can be distracting. If that bothers you, you can find refuge upstairs, or in the lovely outside seating area.
You can sample the selection of whiskys straight, but they make a very good old fashioned, and a fine Manhattan, too.
They do not take carryout orders over the phone, so if that is your plan just have a seat at the bar and enjoy a drink while they put your order together.

I’ve loved this place since the first time I’ve come here and now I’m a regular. Sometimes we eat there and sometimes hubby goes and has a few drinks and gets carryout.
I didn’t like whiskey before I started coming here but the recommendation the bartender made on my very first visit was so great that now my drink of choice is the michter’s american; their old fashions are also very tasty. The vibe in this place is very casual without an ounce of pretense. That’s why I have loved it from the beginning. Plus the food and prices are great. We have had 4 or 5 drinks with 2 entrees and sides for 70 bucks before tip. I thought that that was huge mistake but Hubby said that these were just baltimore prices. Well the service, awesome food and baltimore hospitality and prices keep us coming back again and again.
One tip tho: I wouldn’t recommend going for lunch. It’s basically empty and they only serve cold sandwiches from old meat from the night before and the service isn’t as good.

I usually go to Blue Pit after doing some drankin’ at Union. There’s a big bar downstairs and some smaller tables as well. I usually try to snag a spot at one of the picnic tables outside, especially if I have my pup with me. If that’s full (and I’m pup-​free) I’ll head upstairs to the area up there, which is a lot bigger than you would think it’d be. You order pub style, get a number, and a food runner will find you and bring you your food. I’ve had the pulled pork sam and the bratwurst. I favor the pulled pork just because the casing on the bratwurst is kind of off-​putting? Like, I felt like I was eating the plastic wrap off a Kraft single kind of. I feel bad saying that because the bratwurst is real good, texture just throws me off I guess! I’ve also snagged some bites of the brisket from friends and man, is that stuff awesome.
Blue Pit always has an awesome drink selection. They have six drafts on tap, a bunch of canned beers, some craft cocktails, and an extensive whiskey selection. Service is always prompt and friendly.

3.5, I’ll round up… due to that awesome seating space in the back.
I heard awesome things about this place, and since I love trying new things, why not? Pretty easy to spot from the road, it is right on the corner. Parking can be a bit meh, but we lucked out on this date and found a spot right in the front.
It looks small on the inside, but comfortable. Lots of whiskeys and a menu with barbecue. In an effort to keep the pub style vibe, orders are made at the bar or at the counter. They are delivered to the table via a number system.
Seating is located in the bar, outside, in the back, I did see stairs but I didn’t venture up there.
They had a crap ton of whiskeys to try (well duh) and any whiskey could be made into a Manhattan, Old Fashioned, etc for an additional fee. I turned my Basil Hayden into an Old Fashioned and just delish!
The menu is pretty cool, they have about four types of barbecue from brisket, to pulled pork, sausage, and chicken. There are also platters and sandwiches. On this date, I got a one meat platter which came with two sides, cornbread, and pickles. I tried the brisket, pulled pork, mac and cheese, collards, baked beans.
Everything looked so good. Between the pulled pork and and the brisket I preferred the pulled pork. The brisket was good, I thought it was missing something though. The mac and cheese was okay, the beans, I dug, as there were bits of the brisket in them and they also had this schmokey flavor. I didn’t care for the collards, but then again, I should have know that was a no go when I saw sherry vinegar. Nice try, guys.
All in all, pretty nice vibe; a nice spot to try new drinks. As an added bonus, the weekly drink provided a donation to BARCS.

First I would like to say I love the style of Blue’s Pit beef. Backyard BBQ with a saloon or speakeasy style bar.
The drinks were fantastic, this is a whiskey bar. I love whiskey and because that’s their specialty, I ordered a whiskey sour. Best I’ve ever had hands down! I could have actually sat there and drank 5 or 6. I’m not a heavy drinker so I only had two but let me tell ya, they were very smooth and blended excellently.
This is a self seating restaurant, you can eat in the garden or inside. Take your menu up to the bar and order up. This is my first time order BBQ food, so I’m not exactly sure how to rate the food, but I will say the meats were tender a little on the bland side for the brisket I ordered but I assume that’s were the BBQ sauces come in. I used a honey BBQ sauce with a kick of spice. Mannnn let me tell ya, it made that brisket sandwich pop! I loved the sauce I put it on EVERYTHING, the mac n cheese, the potato salad and the baked beans, which were all excellent I just loved the sauce that much.
This place is a cool, neighborhood bar. Good food, great drinks and nice people are what makes for the perfect dining experience.

First, let me help you avoid waiting at your table for a long time: you have to go up to the bar to order your food. No one is coming to wait on you.
Besides that, the pulled BBQ jackfruit it one of the best (if not the best?) vegan sandwiches I’ve ever had. When it came to the table I thought, «No way is that my order.» I stopped multiple times when eating to pull apart the jackfruit to marvel at its magic. Flavor is awesome, texture is amazing, and this is a HUGE sandwich that I could not finish. I especially appreciate the vegan slaw they make to go on top of it. Perfection!
If you, like me, are a non-​meat-​eater who is dating or married to someone who very much likes meat (and whiskey), this will be your new go-​to spot. It is the perfect compromise location. Also, their cocktails are strong. I had a blackberry something or other that had me on the floor after one drink. So, all in all… success!

Awesome beer garden seating, with excellent taps and cocktails. The bbq here is on-​point as well, with the ribs and brisket being the stand-​outs. The food is cheap (two meat platter with two sides will definitely serve two people for 15 bucks), but the drinks are pricey, unless you want Genny cream ale or PBR tallboys.
Expect a high beard to non-​beard ratio. The crowd was very Mumford.
The «order drinks and food at the bar, get food delivered by number» system works incredibly well, and the staff is friendly and efficient. This is also a great way to go out with a large group and not have to worry about the splitting checks dilemma.
All and all, an exceptional new joint in Hampden/​Woodberry, the only thing they need is a Carolina-​based sauce!