Shigs In Pit BBQ & Brew — Restaurant in Fort Wayne

Shigs In Pit Barbeque! The name was enough reason for us to stop and sample the barbeque. Shigs In Pit offers a mixed bag of experiences, with some hits and misses in its offerings. While it's not a destination to write home about, it does provide a satisfactory meal with a few areas that could use some fine-tuning.

Let's start with the food. The barbecue here is decent, though not exceptional. The meats are cooked competently, with a nice smoky flavor that satisfies the craving for traditional barbecue. However, the menu leans towards the pricier side, considering the quality and portion sizes. While the taste is there, the value for money might leave some patrons wishing for a bit more bang for their buck. The banana pudding, offered in a take-out container was lackluster and lacked bananas! Well, actually, there were two tiny pieces of banana but unfortunately, it tasted like boxed vanilla pudding with a couples slices of banana thrown in; not what I expected.

The atmosphere at Shigs In Pit is where things start to falter at least for me. It's a bit too sterile for a barbecue joint. Although there is an attempt at providing some rustic western-style charm, the lack of any type of cozy “barbeque joint” ambiance takes away from the overall experience. It feels more like a cafeteria style fast-casual eatery that happens to be in a bar rather than being a place where you'd want to linger and enjoy your meal with friends or family. Unless of course, drinking a bucket of beers whilst chewing on a baby back rib is your desire, then of course, this might be just the place.

Service is another aspect that could use improvement. Ordering at the counter and then having the food brought to your table is a common setup in many casual dining establishments, but here it feels a bit lackluster. The staff could be more attentive and welcoming, adding to the overall dining experience. A friendly smile or some engagement with the customers can make a world of difference, especially when the atmosphere is already lacking.

I love the name - Shigs In Pit! And overall, Shigs In Pit is indeed a place where you can satisfy your barbecue cravings, but it falls short in terms of atmosphere and service. It's not a bad choice if you're in the mood for some decent barbecue and don't mind the slightly higher prices, but don't expect a memorable dining experience unless, like I wrote earlier, your sitting at the bar swigging down a couple of brews with your cue. With a few adjustments to the ambiance and service, this place could elevate itself from average to...

I'm going to start with the negatives since there aren't that many. First, I was hoping for more of a restaurant since we were trying it for a date night. I didn't realize they were not that style. However, that's not really bad on their part, just not what I was expecting for my first time. The restaurant was self-serve and searing was open. It was clean and well maintained. Everyone was friendly. The food overall was good. I did not care for the green beans. They had a funky taste to them. Last thing was I was disappointed that the banana pudding was really weak on the banana. I felt there should have been more banana in it, chunks or puree to make the flavor stronger. THE RIBS are where the $$$ is! MY WORD were they so good. I also enjoyed the sweeter baked beans! Yummy. I did add BBQ sauce to make it a bit less sweet which was perfect. Their brisket was sliced super thin. It was more like thick sliced brisket BACON. But the flavor was very good. We also tried their cheesy jalapeño sausage. It wasn't as spicy as we thought it would be but very delicious. Coleslaw was creamy and good. Had a nice balance of creamy and tangy. Also the cornbread casserole "spoon bread" was really good. It's a very southern thing and I was delighted to see it on the menu!!! We also tried the potato casserole which was very good. Think creamy cheesy potatoes... yum. Their fries seemed fresh cut and were very good as well. And the garlic bread was a nice touch to the trays. Over all I'd say 8/10, and I can't wait to come back and try the chicken! I wished the 1/2 chicken was on the menu more frequently. I had it at a catered event and it was amazing. If for nothing else, I will definitely be...

The facility is large and open with a big outside seating area, perfect for these covid times. The initial order taker was very friendly and nice. We had three tickets in our party and they couldn't put them all on one kitchen order which was fine until the spread of the delivery of the orders taken essentially at the same time was 20 minutes. They also ran out of green beans, it happens but took quite awhile to tell us like after the first order came out and they were eating so the delay was pretty long. The kid that told us had zero customer service attitude. When the food came out to us in this piecemeal fashion none of it was hot, barely warm and the last meal my daughter had to ask for it and it turns out the order never made it to the kitchen. It did come out fast when they were notified. Also, I like my bbq cut thicker for the brisket and turkey and bigger pieces for 'pulled' pork and chicken which I think would improve the flavor. The taste and the sides were acceptable. I question how deep they are into real bbq because all of the best places I have gone for this style of food ALWAYS has collards as a side and give you real cornbread with the meal not garlic toast (reminded me of frozen grocery store garlic toast). Both of these item were missed by me. Probably will find other places to go for...