The Pig — Restaurant in Chapel Hill

I don't usually write reviews because I hate the nit-picky attitude most people have on them, but I had to document the bad experience I had tonight at The Pig in Chapel Hill. I was in town for an appointment, and randomly picked a BBQ restaurant nearby. First of all, the place is super uncomfortable, hard benches and chairs, bad lighting. The prices are ridiculous, 14-15 bucks a plate. The pulled pork was okay, nothing spectacular. The sauces were boring, just vinegar and hot sauce. It was the sides that made the meal bad. I'm going to list them and explain why...

Mac and Cheese was overcooked and not cheesy, it had chopped red peppers in it and smoke flavoring so it tasted really strange. And not in a good way. Hushpuppies were not cornmeal, they tasted like fried bits of cheap wheat bread. Very gross. Cole slaw had absolutely no flavor and was a very strange yellow color, I couldn't decide what was in it to make it yellow, it didn't taste like anything. It looked like it had cheese in it or something, pretty scary. Collard greens were almost liquefied they were so overcooked, almost like baby food. And they had absolutely no flavor. The homemade pickles were tolerable if you like sweet pickles, also kinda bland. And the sweet tea was weak and not very sweet.

The staff was very nice though. But the owners seriously need to reevaluate their prices and recipes. The meats are organic, free range, etc. but I'm from Asheville (the vegan hippie organic capital) so thats not new to me. Overall, it was seriously disappointing and...

We first stumbled into The Pig on a random Saturday afternoon to find the place nearly empty. A woman greeted us with a smile, walked us through the ordering process and even gave us a free sampler of Mac & Cheese. The food was solid - above average anyway - other than the hush puppies...they were pretty bad. I was disappointed that they were out of ribs, but I guess that happens often. Also, the place is a little pricey. We left the place full and with earfuls of kind words from the hostess. Fast forward to trip #2 to The Pig. We again walked in on a Saturday afternoon and found it nearly empty. This time a young man with a red bandana was behind the counter. He acted as if he was annoyed we had come and barely mumbled a word to us throughout our order. We then had a brief encounter with him at the sauce/silverware/soda area that was some of the worst customer service/treatment I have ever recieved. We sat down not sure whether we should eat or leave. At that point, we noticed a middle-aged couple come in and order. The man in the red bandana barely mumbled a word until their hap-hazard ordering seemed to strike a nerve with him. He spoke down to them as if they were children. We got up after barely touching our meals and left. We will not be back. It is a sad story, because we really wanted to add this place to our rotation of local restaurants. So, if you pull into The Pig and see a guy wearing a red bandana behind the counter, it is probably best to...

Cleanliness 3/5. Flies were pretty rampant within the restaurant. Even for winter, which was odd. Tables were brushed off to the floor. So the tables were wiped clean (however "clean" you can consuder one rag on multiple tables to be), but now you were tramping around in peoples leftover crumbs on the floor. Sauce dispensers oily, or sticky and needed to be cleaned. Bottles of bleach, boxes of styrofoam plates, boxes of napkins all crowded around drink fountains which left a cluttered, messy look to the area. Fountain heads need to be cleaned pretty badly. Price 2/5. Prices would be more reasonable if they included CHOICE. By that I mean you get their home made pickles and mustard based coleslaw for free. Whether you want them or not with your meal. But for ONE SCOOP of side of something YOU might want (baked beans, fries, mac n cheese etc) it'll cost an addistional $3.50. For half a rack of mediocre ribs (6 measley bones) and one side, my meal was over $20. No drink included...and the ribs WERE BURNT! Quality 4/5. For the most part, the food is diverse from tasting the same as other items on the menu. The smoky taste added to the mac n cheese is give or take to some but personally I loved it. The rosemary on the fried green tomatoes threw me off. Service 4/5. The mexican guys working in the back and preparimg the food need to use better language. Just because I'm not mexican, doesn't mean I don't speak Spanish...