My Trip to Chapel Hill, NC: Allen & Sons

And finally, some real food. I wanted barbecue on this trip since I didn't get enough last year. So we went to one of the most celebrated barbecue places near Chapel Hill: Allen & Sons. When we arrived, I knew instantly that it was going to be good. It was a shack off the road next to the train tracks. It was no nonsense.

The place was small but sweet. The service was so friendly that it seemed weird. I had to get used to the Southern hospitality a little more. I still had my NYC guard up. But ordering was a cinch for me. I had the BBQ Sandwich with fried okra ($6). And some sweet tea ($1.45) to wash it all down.

The sandwich was chopped barbecue pork with coleslaw on top. I loved it. The pork was tender and juicy. Super flavorful from being smoked all day. The cole slaw was great too. It was tangy and crunchy. Devoid of mayo madness, it was the kind of cole slaw that I could eat. It added great texture and flavor to the sandwich. By themselves, each of the ingredients were really good. All together, it was ridiculously fantastic! I couldn't get enough. Only stomach space stopped be from eating.

Also, the fried okra was really nice. It was freshly fried so it remained so crunchy and delicious. When okra is freshly fried, the sliminess inside is reduced. However, when it's pre-fried, it just gets soft adds to the gooeyness of the whole thing. The okra here was so good that I ate all of it without blinking.

We finished out meal by sharing the banana pudding pie. Banana, vanilla pudding, and marshmallow made this pie into the sweet heaven that it was. This was only the second time I've had banana pudding and it was really good. A little sweet for me but I didn't care. It tasted good.

I was so happy after this meal and it reminded me of the start of a great eating trip. I would absolutely, without a doubt, come back here.

Allen & Sons
6203 Millhouse Road
Chapel Hill, NC 27516-8101
(919) 942-7576