Parker’s Barbecue

Great spot for BBQ. stop in here on one of my trips up north. Fried Chicken was excellent and barbecue was very good too

When you talk about Eastern NC BBQ, Parkers will always be mentioned. They are one of the best.

I was tempted to give it 5 stars to counterbalance all the low reviews, but a hero doesn’t do that. I truly enjoyed this place. It’s old school to the core and it has great food. I enjoyed the small combo of pulled pork and fried chicken. It’s typical NC barbecue, which in vinegar based. Add some coleslaw and it was awesome.
A few people have talked about the chicken being dry. I didn’t get that. It was suuuper crispy, but it was moist so really the best of both worlds. The corn sticks were fine I guess, but the hush puppies were better.
And the cost was amazing. I mean seriously the difference between the small combo and the large was around 63 cents. And there was an all you can eat option that was $ 8.99 which is bonkers. So if you’re near Wilson, stop in.

I’ve been eating here since I was a little kid, many years ago, and it has’t changed a bit. Still the best anywhere! My wife and I live in Falls Church VA now and anytime we’re on a trip south we make sure to exit off I-​95 to visit Parkers.

Now this is barbecue at it’s finest. Wish we had one in Connecticut! Will be stopping by every time I come to North Carolina for some good old bbq.

Absolutely everything it should be. This is as American as it gets. No frills, just great home-​style food cooked exactly as your grandmother would. The all you can eat family meal is on point-​pretty much everything on the menu for $ 8.88– and it’s worth every penny.

If you’re in the area you HAVE to stop in and grub on their bbq, Brunswick stew and fried chicken! I tell everybody who says they’re driving down that way to check them out. It doesn’t get much more southern than this place. Lunch and dinner are always busy so there’s often a wait. The waitstaff are usually young men who are always polite with the «yes ma’am, yes sir» and those boys work HARD so we always leave a good tip. The fried chicken is golden crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The bbq is so tasty and you’ll find vinegar and hot sauce on the table. You can usually tell a newbie when they start picking up the bottles like its some odd concoction! And if you’ve never had southern sweet tea be prepared to have a toothache because it is SWEET! It’s addicting once you’ve tried it. Me, personally, when I know I’m driving down I take a cooler to bring some frozen bbq and fixins back with me, it’s that good.

I am simply giving this restaurant a 1 star for 1 reason… it’s CASH ONLY! Imagine how disappointed my husband and I was when we had ordered lunch over the phone and arrived fifteen minutes later to stand in one of two lines for another fifteen minutes and then noticed the small sign stating…“Parkers does not accept Mastercard visa or debit cards” Be aware especially if your coming from out of town as we were!

I have no idea why I haven’t been here before. I been driving by for years. Actually, I do have one idea why. I went to Mitchell’s years ago before they closed, and maybe I got the two confused, or someone else confused me saying Parker’s had closed. The reason is I wasn’t excited about Mitchell’s or Bill’s, so if I thought Parker’s was closed, I just started skipping Wilson for BBQ and going to other towns.
The point of the above is MAN, I can’t believe I been missing out on this place, so convenient to 264 which I drive on my way to see my mom in New Bern, or the beach in Emerald Isle.
Crowded but with fast, attentive and polite service. My food came quickly and was in good recently cooked condition (huge crowd).
BBQ was really good — no extra sauce required. Fried Chicken was pretty good too. Hush puppies were decent, and I finally had some corn sticks that I liked. The cole slaw was the zippiest I ever had, pretty yellow looking, must be a lot of mustard in there with horseradish. Never had the like of it. I loved it. Brunswick stew wasn’t bad, but not great either (my favorite so far is at Byrd’s and Hursey’s).
Overall I really liked my experience here and will definitely go back.

Parkers is my favorite BBQ restaurant. I always get coleslaw from there. They’re service is fast.

I first reviewed Parker’s back when I was a Unilocal newbie. At the time, it didn’t even occur to me to take photos. So now I’ve rectified this.
I always said that if we should pass this way again, we would once again stop in and have a meal here. This time, we were with our daughter and her family. Before setting out on our FL road trip, I had told her about Parker’s and showed her the menu. She couldn’t wait to try it!
We were here on a Monday in time for an early dinner. At the time, the place wasn’t very busy which worked to our advantage. The sign at the door says, basically, seat yourself. When we walked in, a friendly young man (who turned out to be our server) asked how many were in our party. We told him 7 and he directed us to a large table. Had we come later, it probably would have been more difficult to find a table that would accommodate us all.
Our server was very welcoming and asked us where we were from. Once we told him, he asked how the bbq was in our parts. Our daughter, who now lives in NJ, told him about the sorry state of bbq there. We started out with drink orders. I asked if they had sweet tea and he said that they had the best in the area! So, that’s what our daughter and I had. My husband and son-​in-​law both had soda, while the kids had milk.
Having already looked at the menu, we knew what we wanted to try. We ordered the «Family Style Dinner». This consists of: «All the barbeque and trimmings you can eat — with 2 pieces fried chicken each — Includes: — Brunswick stew, boiled potatoes, cole slaw and corn sticks». I asked our server if «trimmings» refers to the chopped pork and he said it did. Kids under 8 pay less. If I recall correctly, the adult and kids over 8 cost was $ 8.95 each, which is a real bargain!
It didn’t take long for our food to arrive and once there, we started passing along dishes and self-​served. The chopped pork is amazing — moist and flavorful. I will quote from the book «Road Food» by Jane and Michael Stern: «Cooked over hardwood and chopped into hash, the pork is a mix of lean inside meat and crunchy shreds from the outside of the loins and hams from which it has been cut. There is scarcely any sauce on it at all, just a hint of vinegar and peppers to accentuate the wood-​smoke savor». I couldn’t have said it better myself! Each table has a bottle of plain vinegar and a hot sauce that has a vinegar base. Our son-​in-​law was all set to try the sauce until I explained to him that NC bbq sauces are vinegar-​based. Upon hearing that, he passed on trying it.
We were pleasantly surprised by the fried chicken. It has a crunchy outside that is very lightly battered and the meat is very moist. Not only that, it wasn’t greasy at all. Our daughter, who for some reason doesn’t like chicken on the bone, caved and tried a piece and ended up raving about it.
The boiled potatoes proved to be very popular at our table. They weren’t mushy at all and had the right balance between being over cooked and under done. The seasonings were just right.
We also liked the cole slaw which had a mustard based dressing that also had some tang to it. Again, just enough tang to keep it flavored and have you wanting more.
The corn sticks had a nice crunch to it without being dried out. They added a nice texture to the meal.
The Brunswick stew had a great mix of veggies plus some pork in it. Some recipes add a spicy element to it but this version was tasty without being over spiced.
We left feeling quite sated. Our server checked with us from time to time to see if we wanted seconds, but we found the portions to be just enough for us. He also gave the kids their own paper hats that said «Parker’s Barbeque» (the kind that kitchen workers wear) which the kids loved.
If you like bbq and are passing through these parts, do consider stopping in! It’s about 10 miles off I-​95 using exit 119A in NC.

Parker’s and I go back a long way-​from 45 years ago to last week. Nothing, I mean nothing, has changed in that time period. For my money, this is my favorite BBQ anywhere. I began eating there (several times a week) in 1971 when I was doing my internship at the local hospital. Now when I and my family travel north or south from Annapolis to FL and back, the trip is always planned to allow a stop at Parker’s. In these chaotic times, it is heartening to see that some good things don’t change.

I grew up with Parkers and there’s lots to love. The Paper hats, the all wood interior, the everyone is local feel.
Best parts: everyone is friendly, great slaw (my favorite of anywhere), good stew, great fried chicken.
The pork is fine, but there’s no smoke in the air when you walk in, and it shows in the meat. Also a little dry. Eastern style whole hog, btw.
Hush puppies are lackluster, but ok.
Place is always all white, including the servers (I guess the minority employees have to work in the kitchen?) OK, as I look around that’s not totally true. I see one black family here out of maybe 35 tables.
So I’d probably put it between 2 and 3 stars. Two other notes: it’s probably the best BBQ in Wilson, as Bills is pretty bad; also this Parker is a touch better than the one in Greenville.

My dear, dear Parkers. You will forever hold a special place in my heart.
True eastern NC BBQ– vinegar based, tangy, overly pulled in the best kind of way. Be sure to add the spicy vinegar concoction you will find at the end of your table.
Brunswick stew– juicy pulled chicken, butter beans, corn & potatoes– all sweetly serenaded by a spiced tomato base.
Sweet tea unlike anywhere else. I can feel the kilos of sugar rotting out my teeth with each euphoric sip, and I happily bid them farewell.
Parkers is proof that good always prevails. From the wood paneled walls, to the food, down to the divided plastic plates, the only thing that has changed here since the 60’s is the fresh batch of adorable «almost-​old-​enough-​but-​not-​quite-​so-​stop-​looking-​at-​them-​that-​way» waitstaff.
Moral of the story– go here and order everything. You won’t regret it.

We were told by several locals that Parker’s was the best BBQ around. Maybe it’s what they are used to here but certainly not what I would consider BBQ. Fried chicken was so overcooked it was bone dry. The waiter set a bowl of stuff in front of me and, when I asked what it was he said «It’s our BBQ.» It was a mushy paste, like it had been minced in a food processor.
I asked for some BBQ sauce and he pointed to a bottle of red liquid at the end of the table that had the consistency of water. Asking what it was he said «vinegar and hot sauce.» Basically it’s vinegar with squirts of hot sauce to give it a reddish color. Certainly not what I would call BBQ sauce.
Brunswick stew was like a thick tomato vegetable soup with some of their BBQ mixed in. One of the sides were tasteless deep fried strips, which I was told were corn sticks.
If you’re expecting the type (s) of BBQ like you would get in Memphis, Kansas City, Texas, etc., I think you’ll be disappointed in what this place has to offer.

I ordered a BBQ sandwich and the wing bag. My strategy was to have the wings on hand as a backup in case I didn’t like the BBQ. I don’t like everyone’s BBQ.
This is an old school place that doesn’t take debit cards. The servers wear the 50’s era paper hats, which is quaint.
We walked in not knowing what to order and were pointed to the dine-​in and take-​out menus, which was a relief. The posted menu board seems to be partially in code. My friend has been here plenty of times but me and the mister were clueless. I think she ordered one of everything popular, we each ordered the sandwich and fries (plus my back-​up wing bag)
The BBQ was tasty, maybe a little too mushy for my taste. I liked the coleslaw on top, but ate the sandwich too fast to inspect why it was yellowish. What is the yellow goodness? Does it contribute to the slaw’s yumminess? I saved my wing bag for breakfast the next day. It came with 5 wings and some corn pone. Now, I have heard of corn pone, but never have seen it before. I didn’t eat it. It looked perfectly carb-​y, but I wasn’t in the mood for that adventure. The fried chicken was crispy, but not as flavorful as I like. It was a basic good. (I lied. I ate one piece yesterday. It tasted better today).
The counter lady is a curmudgeon with curmudgeon ways and curmudgeon sensibilities. We weren’t ordering fast enough for her so a pleasant guy helped us at the next register.

I can only rate Parker’s food from the take-​out, located on the right-​rear of their building in Wilson, North Carolina. And let me tell ya’, I’ve never been disappointed! As I travel between my offices in Cary, Wilson and Rocky Mount every day, I often find myself coming down US Hwy 301, passing by Parker’s BBQ. (They should change the Name to Parker’s Chicken. as that is their strong suit).
If it’s anywhere between 11:00am and 2:00pm, it’s time for Fried Chicken. and I’m sure it will be the death of me! .you know, that artery thing. But what a way to go! I have never been given anything but fresh, hot, juicy Chicken. More often than not, it will be too hot to handle for several, very long minutes!
Enough about the Chicken, what about the Pork BBQ you ask? Well, I’ve had better, much better. (the BBQ that I smoke). It’s the garden variety, tasteless, oven-​baked pork shoulders that comes out of most so-​called BBQ joints in North Carolina. Very few actually smoke the pork anymore. So, they all just add a vinegar-​based sauce and call it BBQ, which I would rate at 2-​Stars.
But if you like really good Chicken, and like it fresh and hot… and juicy! This is the spot.

Sets the standard for Eastern #NCq
An Institution
Legendary
Hate to see the negatives because folk stopped expecting Texas Q, know what you’re getting into
You flew here, we grew here

Meh! It’s pretty average. I’ve been to a lot of BBQ joints in my lifetime. The food here isn’t bad, but it’s not great. The BBQ is mushy. There is nothing better than fresh chopped and topped BBQ. This BBQ must be pre-​chopped and sits in sauce until it’s thrown on a sandwich. Maybe I’ll search around Wilson for another spot.
I have to update this. My gf and I came and all the guys had to come stare at her. It made her uncomfortable to the point we had to leave.
I tried the Brunswick stew, which I got to go, and it’s really bad. It’s more like a tomato stew than Brunswick stew. So because of the creepy dudes and the Brunswick stew I’ve had to update this review.

Was road tripping from dc to Florida. This place has a limited bbq meat menu. No ribs, no brisket, no wings, WHAT? Sides were nasty, reminded me of HS cafeteria food. I had bbq chicken and (pulled) pork. Meat was the only thing I could eat. The string beans were completely leached of their beautiful green color and the potatoes were just potatoes. Corn sticks, I’ve never had them before, and never will again. What the heck is that concoction? I can tell this is a place for locals who don’t know any better. Btw, all the customers were white. Um… Ok. Also the servers were just standing around the cashiers table. I had a nice view of 10 of them just standing around while I was eating.
I’d suggest the other bbq place– The Prime smokehouse in rocky mount which I had stopped at a week before, and it was much better.