J G Cook's Carolina Blue — Restaurant in Mantua Township

Save yourself! It was my Birthday and we wanted to eat somewhere close…. This was a mistake. We walked into the restaurant to a bunch of kids sitting behind the hosted stand on their phones. They greeted our party and i looked at my wife and said DAMN it’s hot in here hopefully the airs on in the dining room. Well it wasn’t we were greeted with a swarm of flies and a musty heat of a dining room. Our waiter took about 5 mins to come over to our table and greet us. After taking our drink and appetizer order he brought back out wrong drinks and we waited about 25 minutes for him to return with just himself no food and he finally brought the correct drinks. Waiting patiently with 4 children our appetizers had arrived while swatting the flies away. The food runner had to bring us plates and utensils. The waiter came around and took our order nervous and full of anxiety” not from anyone we had done”. We ordered our food drinks mostly empty we ate while the flies just kept landing on the food. At this point we just should have left but the kids were hungry and we were committed. When you have as much time to sit around because our food took even longer than the appetizers did you start to notice things. Like the dirty carpets, the staines all over the seating booths and the months or years of caked up food and crumbs in the seat your child is sitting on. The wait staff were all just hanging out in the back, they were either doing it purposefully or didn’t realize the entire dining room can see them through the slatted wall. A couple came in and sat for about 15 minutes and weren’t even greeted they just got up and left. The waiter that was assigned to that section came out with their waters and walked completely around the dining room wondering where that had gone. A new couple was greeted to the exact same table and the same waiter came out and gave them an attitude because he thought they were the couple that had left , this was outrageous we had to stay just so we can be entertained at how this place is even still in business. Our waiter came by and said I’m sorry for the wait your food will be up shortly……… he come back another 15 minutes later and said I’m sorry that was another party of 6’s food we looked around the empty dining room of about 4 tables of couples laughing to ourselves because we knew he had forgotten our order. While trying to battle the flies for our appetizers our main meals had finally arrived. I’m not gonna lie the BBQ was good but we were exhausted at this point and all wanted to leave everyone just took a couple bites of food. Our waiter came around to check on us and basically broke down. He expressed how sorry he was that the manager was going to take care of us and that it’s never like this that they were all having a bad day. We said no problem we haven’t said one thing to him because his energy was giving off a please just let me get through my day vibes and we all have been their it’s not totally his fault. I just asked for the check because the flies had multiplied by the ton because we were the only table had gotten any food at this point. I asked for the check no boxes. He had asked if the manager stopped by and we said no he hadn’t, he came back and said “ I’m so sorry please do not tip me! The manager took off three of the 6 drinks” mind you we never asked for anything free or complained once, this was his perception of how our experience went. We payed the bill and tipped our waiter because he was basically working alone while his manager and coworkers collected a check from the Cook family. Brad and Jim I know you guys and work for your brand my entire high school career. Please go look at your restaurant and fix it because I know you...

I have been to this restaurant many times, and I have recommended it to others, but not anymore. The food has always been good. The service not the best. Today was the worst, and probably our last. When we walked in, there was four girls in black standing behind the hostess desk, not one said hello, they did not ask how many, I felt like I walked into the wrong place. I had to come forward and tell them how many. The girls started talking amongst themselves about seating. We told the girls where we wanted to sit. The tall girl said, "table 11?", now we do not know the numbers of the tables. I said, "I do not know", she said, "you pointed to table 11". Also when we walked in, my first thought was, we walked into a brothel. One of the girls was dressed in what looked like a teddy, extremely inappropriate, she looked like a hooker. The hostesses were not friendly and did not smile. The waitress we had was pleasant, smiled and very nice, she didn't know much because she was new. I asked for honey for my tea, I did not get honey. I asked a waiter for honey, he never came back. Another waitress came over and asked if we needed something, I told her I needed honey for my tea, and that I had asked two people already. Well by the time I got the spoonful of honey, yep the tea was cold. The waitress told us, they had a hard time finding the honey. The gentlemen I was with ordered tea a little later, it was brought with no, creamer, no lemon, no honey, no sugar, same as mine. Now the waitress was new, someone should have checked her tables/buddy system, or she should have been trained better. The food took a long time to get to our table. We will not be back, very disappointed. I still can't believe the way the one hostess was dressed, very unprofessional and offensive to the customers, you may want to establish uniforms for the hostesses. I have been a hostess, and a waitress and worked in food prep/cook, I know the business, and this was not good business. Atmosphere and service are extremely important. One more thing, they fry their food in soy oil. Soy is the cheapest ingredient you can buy, and it is extremely unhealthy, do some research on it. With a restaurant that does a lot of business, and charges those prices, they could afford quality oil to cook with, another reason I will...

Carolina Blue 🔵 BBQ in Pitman NJ serves up house smoked BBQ, including beef filet, burnt ends, sausage, bacon, chicken, pulled pork, and ribs. High quality meats, generous portions, creative ingredients, homemade recipes, and fair prices (despite inflation) stood out to us.

Pulling into the parking lot, you can smell the smoke BBQ pit going. 🍖 Mmm... We came on a Friday night for dinner and there was plenty of parking and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating available. Since it was a pleasantly cool, early fall evening 🍂, we opted to sit outdoors on the spacious, nicely appointed patio adorned with potted lavender, string lighting, and a fire pit.

Our server Heather was very friendly, very enthusiastic, and very knowledgeable about the menu. We took several of her recommendations and got the burnt ends and the "Choose 3" smoked BBQ sampler (pulled pork, ribs, and beef filet). As an appetizer, we also tried the chipotle candied bacon deviled eggs -- delish! The burnt ends were our favorite. Great flavor, rich texture, excellent homemade tangy BBQ sauce (apple or cherry laced -- can't remember, but all the BBQ sauces are homemade & fantastic!). The ribs and the beef filet were good but 'different.' The rib meat was pretty dense and tough, but flavorful and, again, the homemade sauce was excellent. Just know the ribs aren't cooked so they "fall off the bone." The beef filet had a very distinct smoky flavor and the meat was extremely tender. I wasn't the biggest fan of the flavor, but that is just personal taste. I got an extra side of cherry 🍒 BBQ sauce and gobbled it up nonetheless! 😋

There are a number of Southern BBQ inspired desserts, including Mud Pie (chocolate), Chocolate/Peanut Butter Brownie, Cheesecake with strawberry 🍓 or chocolate 🍫 topping, Creme Brulee, or Grasshopper Pie (mint chocolate chip ice cream, topped with a layer of thick chocolate). We went with the Grasshopper Pie, which complemented the savory meal perfectly and was enough for 2 or 3 people to share! 🍨

Overall, we very much enjoyed the homemade food, the friendly service, and the relaxed outdoor dining atmosphere. We're eager to come back and try more of the unique culinary selections offered at Carolina Blue BBQ in South Jersey. Definitely...