The Original Q Shack

Drove all the way to downtown Durham because of the reviews of this place. Very cool atmosphere and some damn good BBQ. Sides had a unique flavor as well. Unfortunately Paleo didn’t allow me to taste the hush puppies but overall I was impressed. Nice experience.

The brisket is divine. This is my go to lazy Sunday dinner spot. The service is quick, it’s a casual atmosphere, and you get a lot of food. Parking can be problematic, and you’ll sometimes have to improvise. I prefer this casual environment to something like The Pit.

As a native Texan, this is the only local place where I can find decent barbecue like I can get back home. I nearly always get their brisket plate, since my goal is my comfort bbq food. Their portions are generous and I usually eat two meals from one plate. Sometimes they forget the pickles and onions on the side, though.
Their salad is decent and generous (not just a bunch of iceberg lettuce, the toppings include hard boiled eggs and avocado), the creamed/​cheesey spinach is the best side item on the menu (I never knew I could like creamed spinach).
The décor is adorable, and the outdoor seating is covered, so in inclement whether you don’t have to worry about getting too crowded.
The parking is an utter nightmare, especially with Nanataco next door, and cars are routinely towed from across the street, so definitely don’t park there. Most of the time I just get take out to avoid the whole mess.

Back down to NC this weekend, stopped in Original Q Shack. Got the brisket sandwich, sliced not chopped, with fries and hushpuppies. Brisket was perfect, the sauce provided was good, fries were seasoned and cooked right, hushpuppies tasted ok. Only downside was the bread that became a soggy mess instantly, but that was overlooked very easily. The OG Q was great!

Not a fan, but a lot of people like it. If i ever go back and change my mind, I will let you know.
For me, I go to Nana Tacos next door.

headed here with a ravenous and hard-​to-​please crew and within a half hour we all drifted into a food coma stupor…
the biggest dilemma that we faced was choosing which meats we wanted to try, each one sounded amazing! all of us went with the two meat combo with the overall consensus favoring the ribs. I personally loved my piece of brisket, but one person in our group said that his was a little dry (still good though! especially with some BBQ sauce, maybe he just got an end piece).
table favorites: ribs, brisket, fried okra, creamed spinach, baked potato (and holy cow that is a potato) and deviled eggs.

I’m visiting from NYC and looked on Unilocal for something good and nearby and this was perfect! I had a combo, pork ribs and chile rubbed beef brisket, w/​mac n cheese, collard greens and baked beans. The ribs were so good and tender, falling off the bone. The brisket was awesome… although, not spicy as expected. The hushpuppies and other sides were all good and fresh! It’s very quick, casual and good! They also serve a variety of beer. I would definitely recommend. My family and I all enjoyed our meals! Thanks Durham!

The worst thing about Q Shack: the parking lot! I bet they get a lot of grumpy people just people of the parking situation (be warned, if you park in the wrong spot, you will get towed!) On the UP side, the BEST part about the Q Shack: brisket baked potato. Just writing about it now is making me crazy that deliciousness. Q Shack offers a casual atmosphere, order from the chalkboard sign as you walk down the counter, pay and your food is ready!
They’ve got adult bevies and great sides, grab a deviled egg for just cents! And man, that baked potato, I can’t order anything else because of how great it is, definitely add the jalapeños for a little extra and get the sour cream on the side. It’s a HUGE portion, I eat leftovers as a fill lunch meal. Now if only I can convenience them to exchange the side, it’ll be golden. They DO serve their hushpuppies (not your typical puppies, more like wiener dog hushpuppies) as a side with the potato, and while they’re tasty, I’d love to substitute for something healthier, so I’ll try that next time. Think I know where I’m going for dinner tomorrow night!

Great bbq. Straight forward and had all the favorites. The hush puppies were also really crisp and fun to eat since they were not in the original sphere shape. The smoked chicken was moist and the pork sandwich was tasty. Wish they had a mustard BBQ sauce.

We stopped in to start off our bbq tour of Durham. Breakfast consisted of the brisket plate with greens and fried okra.
There were two of us, and we weren’t able to finish it all. Both bbq lovers, so that says a lot. The brisket was very good, and I hear the ribs are better. The greens were just okay, not very flavorful. The okra was great. We had sweet tea, of course, which was good not great.
Service was great, prices are decent, and I will have to get back to try the ribs.

A BBQ that does most things well, but choose carefully from the menu.
I have been investigating the NC BBQ scene, and it is a great source of pride for many locals. The area contains many great choices. The Q Shack is a solid choice for those looking to experience the variety NC BBQ has to offer. However, it is not the among the best.
I ordered the two meet plate so I could taste a variety of the menu. I asked for the smoked pork butt and the chile rubbed beef brisket. The former was uniquely delightful. It was different than most other vinegar BBQs available in the area. The latter was not quite dry and tough, but it was not not dry and tough. Avoid the brisket. The hush puppies were top notch with a «quiet» crispiness. The spinach side was my favorite thing I had. It was deliciously creamy. The okra was standard.
The food (except for the brisket) was good, but it seemed expensive for what you got. The service was fast but apathetic.

BBQ was pretty good, loved the side choices, and OHMYGOODNESS those hush puppies!
However, onions in the macaroni and cheese??? Ughh. For those of us that LOVE macaroni and cheese and HATE onions, it was very disappointing.

The Q Shack was founded by Daniel Ferguson and Tom Meyer in 2003. But the two split the business two years later. Meyer bought the naming rights for Q Shack (Beaufort Wine & Food, Feb 2015), but Ferguson ironically one-​upped Meyer naming his restaurant the «Original Q Shack» with the same logo. Go figure. But their split is your gain.
The Original Q Shack («OQS») is at 2510 University Drive in Durham, right where it splits from Durham-​Chapel Hill Boulevard. The shack has a small parking lot with a fairly limited number of tightly packed spots and only a handful of tables. Nonetheless, it is a great place to bring groups because it is counter service. They are benches, so you won’t be lounging, but they don’t wobble and are completely fine.
OQS serves ostensibly eastern Carolina style BBQ — BBQ, ribs, brisket, smoked turkey, and all the classic Southern sides. I say «ostensibly» because there are a few tweaks done that stray a bit from the average NC BBQ. First, the menu is slightly broader with burgers and wings — which is a positive for those who want something a bit more mainstream. And if I am not mistaken, it seems that Ferguson’s version of BBQ is slightly stickier with a touch of tomatoes (not tomato sauce like those heathens to the west). And it seems that the coleslaw has apple juice added. This isn’t uncommon in itself, but it will cater to those who like their slaw a bit sweeter than average.
Let’s talk about the positives. Almost everything is good and many things are awesome. We had table of a dozen people. The feedback was that the smoked turkey is one of the best anyone’s ever had. The BBQ-​a-​la-​Ferguson, burgers, and ribs are all delicious — like 9 out of 10 delicious. The okra, salads, collards, and baked potatoes were all good.
Now for the less-​than-​perfect. Let’s be straight. Nothing is bad here. You won’t say «ugh, never again». But the mac-​and-​cheese was universally rejected with 90% left behind (except mine, because I’m a pig). Their mac-​and-​cheese gives the satisfying gooey cheesy mouth feel/​texture, but it is completely lacking in flavor and depth. I usually complain about things being too salty. It wasn’t even that. It was more «not worth the calories».
The baked beans were also universally rejected with about 70% being left behind. And their side salad was fresh, but was completely average. Speaking of average, their hushpuppies were average. Not too sweet or oily, but were completely average and inoffensive.
Prices are affordable and the portions are big. They’ve got a good beer selection and they have daily specials.
The atmosphere is best-​of-​class for a BBQ joint — clean, appropriate music, and casual décor without being tacky. The outside view is not great, but the heaters are super cozy as we get into the nippy part of autumn.
Bottom line is that you should try a plate of turkey/​BBQ butt/​ribs with slaw/​collards/​okra. For some of you, this will be the perfect place. Others, you’ll have another favorite. So a solid 4-​stars, but Backyard BBQ in southern Durham is still #1 in my book.

This place feels like a very local joint with long picnic tables inside and out for self seating and good eating. We ordered every side available and totally recommend the Jack Cheese Spinach, Collards, and Sweet potato tots.
The sauces available at the table are great– one smokey deep thick one and a zesty vinegar type. For meats we tried the pork butt, ribs, chicken, and brisket. All were delicious but the ribs take the cake, moist and awesome flavor.
I found it strange the plate was served with plain white bread as I think a biscuit or corn bread would have been the perfect pairing! Certainly still worth a try!

This is the best BBQ in the triangle. It is also one of the best BBQ joints that I’ve been to. It was so good I went there 2 nights in a row while I was down on business.

The first trip I had the half rack of pork ribs, with baked beans, hush puppies, and Mac and cheese. The ribs were good, but we’re a bit too small. The Mac and cheese was great, nice and sticky, the way I like it. The hush puppies were excellent. The beans were not to my liking, I’m not a big person for spice and they tend to be a bit spicy because of the jalapeño they mix in with them.

The next night I ordered the pulled pork sandwich, with coleslaw, hush puppies, and ice tea. The pulled pork was great and had a nice sauce already on it. The hush puppies were excellent, same as the previous night. The coleslaw was good too. It wasn’t creamy though, which i think that they used oil instead of mayo. Then the tea was good, I mixed a little sweet tea with a little unsweet tea and a lemon. All in all, it was excellent and it will be my go to place whenever I’m in the triangle area.

BBQ isn’t a «cuisine» that I ever particularly crave. However when your other half wants to eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner… you get dragged along to a lot of pulled pork experiences.
This place is legit. The portions are ridiculous and the bbq is always on point. My favorite thing here believe it or not is the fried okra. When I get my two meat plate, I always end up with double sides of those tasty morsels.
Check this place out!

Overall just okay. I didn’t hate my food, but I didn’t finish it and don’t think I’ll be back. I got the 2 meats platter with chicken and sausage. Came with hush puppies and I also got fries and fried okra. The meat was fine, not bad but I honestly could’ve made the same at home if not better. If I were to come back id def try pulled pork or ribs instead.
For the sides, all again okay. Fried okra was probably the best. The hush puppies were dry and flavorless. Other people got creamed spinach and Mac and cheese – both prolly a little better than the sides I tried.
They do have outdoor seating and a good selection of beers!
Overall pretty average to below. Wouldn’t pick it again if I had the choice.

QShack has been on my list to try forever and I finally came here at 5PM because we wanted to beat the crowd. We found a table inside after we ordered. Your food is handed to you as you’re checking out at the cashier, so I appreciated how fast the food is prepared. The line started growing exponentially round 5:45.
I ordered ½ a rack of ribs ($ 13.95), which was more than enough food for me! It came with 2 sides; I chose salad and the baked beans. The salad was a nice refreshing addition to all the meat and comes with ranch or blue cheese dressing. My husband ordered the pulled pork butt plate which comes with hush puppies and 2 sides (sandwiches come with just 1 side): potato salad and mac and cheese. The mac and cheese was good, but not piping hot or as cheesy/​creamy as I would have liked. Baked beans – flavored with bacon, not too saucy or salty, and yummy with the ribs. My favorite side was actually the salad. I accidentally inhaled almost all of the salad before my husband asked if he could try some… oops.
I LOVED my ribs. They were tender, well-​seasoned, not overly dried out, and oh my goodness, I actually really enjoyed the fat in between the meat. I try to avoid eating rib fat because, well, it’s not good for my arteries, but I could NOT help myself from eating all the bits of tender melting savory fat on the ribs. There were 3 sauces on the table and I chose the sweeter/​thicker kind because I’m used to St. Louis-​style ribs (sweeter than NC BBQ), which still had a nice note of vinegar-​y flavor too. Pulled pork butt — I usually find pulled pork too dry for me but QShack did a great job of making it moist!
I can see why people love QShack so much. Awesome ribs and pulled pork, for a decent price, in a huge portion. Yum!

Delicious x 1,000,000! I was happy to check out the original Q Shack as a late birthday meal, with fellow Unilocaler & my dear friend, Trish.
Love all the choices! However, deciding on two choices was hard! I chose the mac ‘n cheese to go along with chopped pork bbq plate. They’re not skimpy on portion size, even give you enough hush puppies! Prices are reasonable, too. The tea was sweet, too!
While the staff are basically «get you in & get you out» (they need to be, they stayed busy the evil time we were here), I can appreciate speediness!
Food was so good. Nice sauce on the bbq, greens we’re cooked well, mac ‘n cheese was good, & hush puppies, crispy.
Giving four stars inside of five for lack of parking.

Two words: barbecue heaven. We waltzed in half an hour before QShack closed on a Saturday night and only a few options remained — make sure you come early if you want to get the best selection of meats! We went with just a large platter of pork ribs with mac n cheese, fries and hush puppies as sides. The ribs were excellent although not the juiciest I have ever had. One large platter was enough to share between two people.
I definitely would like to go back and try the beef brisket and pulled pork. As we ate, the meat choices dwindled even further as people kept streaming in past closing time. The terrific business really showed how popular this joint is!