Parker's Barbecue

I had not been to Parkers for more than 40 years. It thrilled me to see it so little changed - the decor, the cornbread sticks and boiled potatoes, the chopped bbq!

Welllll. Fried chicken is number one. Got a combination plate and for the second time the barbecue had brown pieces of fat or grissle or something. Not good couldn’t eat it.

I now live in the North Carolina mountains, but was raised on Eastern N. C. BBQ. While visiting Wilson, I relived my childhood with the best BBQ in North Carolina. The meal was glorious.

This is not what I expected for NC BBQ
Great / Dry / Hot Mess
Missing items from order

A very enjoyable barbque experience in Wilson, NC. The only reason this was not 5 stars is because I'm not a big fan of the Carolina style, vinegar based sauce. Even with it, it was quality que. On top of the pulled pork sandwich we also very much enjoyed the chicken. I also really enjoyed how they would bring you a small pitcher of your beverage order. This was a great dining experience for the whole family. Definitely a great lunch stop if you are traveling through Wilson, NC.

My husband Loves this place. He always gets the combo and I almost always get the BBQ Sandwich and you can't forget the coleslaw. Order ahead its much faster but they are so used to the rush here it never takes to long!

Had fried chic. Very greasy. Slaw was awful worse I HV ever tried to eat no taste. Best thing on plate was string beans
Would never eat there again

70’s interior and a menu full of fried food; if this is someone you fancy, please come and eat here. Right out of a Cohn-brothers tv-series is, this place is no place for food lovers; too many fried stuff, too much sugar and more

Look my wife was Hungry and grunting while ashe ate. It was great. Chicken skin off the hook. Mustard slaw was good. Wife loved tea and bbq.

Seriously? This is considered good? Apparently a lot of people live a very sheltered life and have no idea what "good food" taste like. Place should be called Parkers Bland BBQ and incompetence. Then there's the service. We ordered family style, which doesn't come with rolls so you can't make yourself a BBQ sandwich. Then when we tried to order some rolls to make sandwiches we were told we couldn't do that. They flat our refused to let us have any rolls. I seriously thought it was a joke at first but it wasn't. Then we had a another two members join us late at our table and the waiter seemed to be totally confused at the concept of having two separate checks at the same table. Then at the end of this nightmare they charged for two extra on the family meal and still gave the two members who came in late their check. So over charged for two people. This place is a joke. From what I saw in Wilson the only reason they are in business is because it's practically the only place open. Seriously, stay away.

Nasty catfish and coleslaw extremely too much vinegar.like someone accidently poured too much, but served it anyway.not cool and no more. No more of these.they need to stick with chicken and barecue and leave the catfish to Mayflower in Rocky Mount. The Best

Went to the Take Out area and Was a bit disappointed today. I pd 9.50 for a wht meat combo plate and got a lil sm chicken breast and probably a spoon full of BBQ, 2 pieces of boiled potatoes and a spoon full of greenbeans. I felt like they could have done better portion wise. Pay more and get less these days I guess is the motto, smh. The Employees laugh and have too much conversations over open food and had no mask on, smh. Covid, is REAL folks, Not Good Practice over and around food! This wil be my last visit there! All the best!

Parkers. BBQ still has the best BBQ CHICKEN. It was a pleasure going eating from here. I don't go into the Wilson area often but when I do, the taste never disappoint us. I recommend

Love me some Parkers Bbq. I love their slaw best I've ever had! Good bbq, fried chicken wings, potatoes, and slaw.

Overall our experience was okay. Wait staff and fast food delivery make up the 3 star rating. My son and I both got the chicken & bbq combos. Food came out pretty quickly warm but not hot. When it came time to check out we were told cash or check only for the first time. And like most people I had neither as a form of payment (It would have been helpful to have been informed this upon seating, giving us the opportunity to decide whether or not to eat there)
The not so friendly lady at the register informed me in a very dismissive manner that there was an ATM available for use. I get the cash and return to pay and she proceeds with taking payment returning my change with not so much as a "Thank you". I stand there waiting for some sort of appreciation until I finally say. "You're Welcome". She proceeds with "excuse me" and I say again, "You're Welcome". Finally, the gentleman standing next to her said thank you and come back to see us. Needless to say, I'd never patronize this establishment again because if a simple "Thank you" to your customers for dining with you is a challenge for your cashier. Spending my dollars there is an option I'd rather not choose.

We had Parker's BBQ cater our wedding and they did a phenomenal job. We were so pleased with the communication leading up to the event, their service at our wedding, and our guests loved it too. They came prepared and made sure everyone was well fed and full of sweet tea and corn sticks by the end of the night!

Parkers in Wilson NC food is good fresh & so much cheaper than Greenville NC I'm willing to travel 25 miles. I purchased 2 combination dinners. Pork BBQ & fried chicken sides were double Brunswick stew & slaw

Been going to parkers since i was little when i come to Wilson n.c. I stop and get my food to take back to the city

Been going there before I was even born! Love, love, love this unique BBQ restaurant! It is an important part of my life! Best fried chicken in the universe, BBQ is just yummy! Brunswick stew is so good, too! Parker's BBQ will change your life!

WOW, incredible food. Eat her every day. You will gain 50 pounds. The best southern cooking food I ever had.

It was a pleasure eating here. The food came put really quickly, it was hot and delicious. The staff was friendly and checked to see if we needed anything.

I'm in visiting my home state of NC and a visit is not complete with out bbq from parkers. Food is delicious, heavenly. BBQ, slaw, collard greens and yams were amazing. Need parkers to open inlaw Vegas Nevada and Portland Oregon.

It Is The Best North Carolina Barbecue Ever! Everything Including The Brunswick Stew Is Outstanding!

Authentic NC style pork as advertised so no surprise here. The real stars are Tennessee style Cole slaw and fried chicken.

The food is amazing! However, it normally takes 30-50 minutes to pickup food at the takeout, even if you call in your order. The flies are also bad.

If you like fish barbecue and chicken, it's a great place to eat with your family. Oh yeah and ice tea.

Parker's is the Gold Standard for Eastern NC BBQ! We lived in Wilson for over 20 years, have been away for 20 years and still miss Parker's BBQ. I wish they would ship their BBQ to anywhere in the USA.

I have been eating at Parker'S BBQ in Wilson since 1949 including today. Todays visit was
the worst ever in all these years. Service and food! Sorry to have to say that. May never return there again.

We have been going to Parker's for years now and we love their bbq. Whenever my husband doesn't smoke pork, then we head here for dinner. The one thing I want to say is I wish the takeout section would take debit & credit cards. I always forget to grab cash before heading there and then end up paying a ridiculous amount at their atm machine. So when you do head there for takeout please bring cash. We will however continue to eat here.

Food is good when it's hot and fresh, place is a lil dirty and the size of the fried chicken is way too small

Too exspencive. 5 pounds and 2 small meals. 74 dollars. The 2 piece chicken dinner was cold and the wing was so small it couldn't be eaten

Barbecue and sides are great. A good representation of eastern NC barbecue. Service is a little slow, but that's mostly due to the larger crowds.

Very popular. Always a line. Many consider Parker's to have best bbq in area, if not state. Heavenly hushpuppies (my favorite). Cash only.

This barbecue joint was listed in an article from Our State Magazine as one of the 26 best places to eat barbecue. I am a barbecue aficionado, and I’ve had barbecue from all over the Carolinas, Tennessee, and even Texas. My favorite is Lexington style and Eastern Carolina style. This happens to be a fantastic place to get barbecue. I was very pleased with the efficiency of the service as well as the food. I would certainly recommend eating here when visiting the area or passing through.

I must stop here everytime I come visit family. It brings back so many memories from high school #GoDemons seeing so many of my classmates work there at the time gotta love your small town ️

Took family out for a birthday surprise for mother in law. We came here as we were growing up. The food is still good but as we get older we have to eat differently. So where as some of the food was acceptable for me others were not. Meals now have to be gluten free. Well not to much from there is gluten free. Allergies can be a real pain when eating. Anyway, the place is still as it was when we were little (a real throwback). But I recommend a little recommendation for people with gluten allergies, please add a small amount of food for those who love the food but literally can't eat most of it. My family can eat it so I just go with them
. PS.remember those of us who have promoted your business all these many years and add bite or two for us. Thank you for the many years.

The food is always great, but frequently the waiters forget about you. They bring the food, leave the bill, and then you may never see them again. The last time we went we got cold, stale corn sticks and hush puppies. I wanted to tell the waiter, but he vanished. About the time we were finished with our meal he showed up again, but he asked only the guy at the table beside us if he needed anything. He did not even look in our direction. I guess he just didn't care.

UPDATE: We will be visiting MARTY'S ON WARD BLVD in the future. Much better service!

It's a staple of Wilson. What more can be said other than there are people that come from out of state specifically to come eat at Parkers.

Our large group of 30 plus was taken great care of by staff and food was out really quick for the amount of people we had, food was great and prices are very reasonable.

Take a step back in time. Looks like a diner out of the fifty's right down to the paper sailor hats the servers wear. Great carolina BBQ, coleslaw, fries, babked beans. They do the corn stix which I personally dont care for but they do offer huspuppies as well. Great food good prices but beware they only take cash, so bring s few greenbacks when you stop in. Happy eating.: 0)

It has been a long time since I had eaten at Parker's. They haven't missed a beat still outstanding food and service.

Excellent bbq, and chicken! My go to is the BBQ sandwhich with slaw. The bbq is Eastern style and tastes great. Sides are awesome. Def.in my top 5.

Go there for GREAT North Carolina barbecue and fried chicken. Hadn't been since we moved to Maryland 40 years ago. If you like vinegary pork BBQ this is the place to go. Be prepared it only takes cash. The atmosphere has not changed. The servers hustle and your meal is delivered quickly.

The BBQ did not seem fresh. I expected better. Maybe we hit them on a bad day? The hush puppies and corn sticks were dry and didn’t seem fresh either.
The brunswick stew and coleslaw were among the best I’ve ever had. The fried chicken was outstanding. This is why they get two stars instead of one.
They also made a mistake on our order. The waiter fixed it quickly but said it “happens all the time”.

Went for a family gathering. Staff were awesome, but I’m not a fan of their food. Would be nice to have some grilled options. Love their hush puppies, though!

Food was very good. Chicken was hot and crispy. Hush puppies and corn sticks came out room temperature but still not bad. The rest of the sides were on point. Endless sweet tea as well. I didn’t see any signs saying it was cash only and they looked at me like I was crazy trying to use a card to pay for a meal in 2021, good thing I didn’t ask if they took Apple Pay. I’m sure their ATM makes a nice profit off the 3 dollar surcharge. When I went in I was just told “there’s room over there” and the only unoccupied tables had sauce and some food bits on them but oh well. Food was good and atmosphere was decent enough, I’d go back…and come prepared with cash.

I battled with this review as I visited the establishment this past Saturday June 12th. The food was good. We got the family platter. As much as you could eat, they would bring out. We had turkey BBQ, fried chicken, hush puppies, hush puppy fries, Brunswick stew, and sweet tea. The food was good. But something was off. I understand that this is a family business and I am okay with that. They can run it as they please. But what I did notice was that when I went to the ATM machine around the back (because they only take cash), were black people working in the kitchen. As I made my way around to the front to be seated, there were no black people. Not at the counter, not as waiters or busboys, no where. Likewise, there were no waitresses. Our waiter didn't smile at us a single time. I even engaged with him in conversation. He only resembled that of someone being bothered. After we were done we approached the counter to pay. We were all in line to pay. A lady came up to the counter, started a new line and said loudly with impatience, "who's next? !? ! " We paid and left. Other "customers" were nice upon entering and exiting the establishment. Like I said, the food is good, but the atmosphere is lacking progressiveness and it wasn't exactly welcoming to myself or my family.

I grew up on Parker's Q down the road from the Purina plant. I've had BBQ all over the country and still come back to Parker's for the real deal.

So, I'm sitting in Parkers BBQ and we placed our order. So we are sitting there waiting, and the waiter who took our order left for the day. Another waiter came over to ask if we've been helped. I answered yes, and this is when I found out our order had been taken but just left on the clipboard and not turned in. The next waiter was very helpful, but the original waiter should be reprimanded. This is ridiculous!

Food was good and service was quick. But I was shocked that the servers and cashiers were not wearing masks nor taking any precautions. On top of it they stick an ATM in the building so if people show up with cards they can make them use it which charges an additional $2.50 fee. Based on the no card policy and having no concern about COVID tells me they are all about making a buck and could care less about the community.

When visiting Wilson this is definitely a must stop. When you enter the restaurant you're greeted immediately by a staff member who seats you. I'm from up North and I cannot tell you how polite everyone in North Carolina is. Everyone in this restaurant was hustling and working hard. We We seated with menus and our order was placed within 5 minutes. In less than that time we had a table full of some of the most delicious BBQ. Fried Chicken was crispy pulled pork was moist and that boiled potato and green beans I still dream about it. Thinking about taking a trip just to eat at some of Wilson's best kept secrets.

Born and raised local. 20 years later after traveling around the world. I've had many kinds of food like camel in UAE, lamb in Iraq and others from many states in the US. But I still flew a helicopter from Northern Virginia to Wilson just to get some Parker's fried chicken. However the dining room could be cleaner. But the great food and home town people helps me get past that.

It’s really shame how bad this place is the food barely had any flavor you can tell they use gas to cook there bbq, honestly save your time and money and you can find better quality bbq at cook out sadly enough

A great place to experience & savor the real deal. Great food, generous portions, and friendly staff. I got takeout & was joined by long lines of locals who clearly know the best place to go for delicious food.

Another great BBQ Restaurant and the burinswick stew ain't bad the Fried Chicken and Corn Stix will make a bull dog back out of a meat wagon!

None of the staff where the food is being cooked and served had on mask. Those that did have mask were wearing them incorrectly. Will not be returning.

The food is always great! This is a NC pit stop you need to make if you're passing through. BBQ, slaw, hushpuppies. Good food.

This was the only place in Wilson where there was tons of activity and a full parking lot. Their operation was efficient. They have a take out window where customers who have ordered ahead stand in a separate line from people who were ordering out. We were in and out in no time. And of course, the food was delicious. Eat where the locals eat, they say? When then this is your place for some good ol' North Carolinan BBQ!

Parker’s BBQ just lost my business. While their food is good, I find it ridiculous that they do not take Debit or Credit Cards. They surely make enough money to absorb the cost of swiping the cards. Instead, we had to pay an extra $2.50 to use the ATM machine!

In addition, I did not see any signs stating that it was cash only until we got to the register. No more Parker’s for us!

My first time coming here from Raleigh. My friend has brought me BBQ from here and has invited me several times the last few years. We finally did it. Comfortable, friendly, clean. All good qualities. Great, simple, straight forward menu. I had the combination plate of BBQ, chicken, and 3 sides. Very, very good! I've been wanting some good Southern fried chicken for a while and have been disappointed time again at fast food and other restaurants that have let their quality go down lately. Loved Parkers chicken. The BBQ is good. I'm partial to BBQ from Western NC so I'm easy to disappoint here out east. But I was not disappointed at all! Great flavor, nice chop, excellent sauce. There were 4 of us and we were all filled up and satisfied for a good price. I'm looking forward to my next trip up here!