405 E New Bern Rd Kinston, NC 28502 (800) 332-6465
King's BBQ is a favored stop for many travelers heading to the SOBX beaches. In Kinston, on NC Highway 70 East you will find King's right beside the Piggly Wiggly. The large circa 1971 King's building looks like and probably was an old grocery store @ one time. King's is one of the largest restaurants in the South. They prepare over 8,000 lbs. of barbequed pork, 6,000 lbs. of chicken, 1,500 lbs. of collard greens a week and the restaurant seats over 800 folks @ a time. King's cooks their pork hams and shoulders electrically. My regular sized chopped Q plate came with a side of slaw, fries and hushpuppies. You can substitute for the slaw and fries if you want. My meal came on an old school cafeteria three sectioned pre-formed cream colored plastic plate. My sweet slaw consisted of finely chopped green and white cabbage speckled with pickle and carrot pieces. It was very good slaw. The puppies were link sausage in shape and were lightly fried. They too were very good. My already sauced chopped Q was good and very tender. But, the vinegar based sauce, which I did shake vigorously before using, was a real downer for me. I love vinegar based sauces, but this one was just very bland and had no distinctive taste to it. But I was able to end the meal on a high note with King's superb homemade banana pudding in a waffle bowl cone. Enjoy and don't forget to take a ride on the red pig.