Today I’d like for you to check out White Swan Bar-B-Que. On a recent trip to the Carolina Premium Outlets in Smithfield, NC we found them so we went for lunch. I didn’t know until I was getting ready to write this review that they are a franchise and each location is privately owned. So to be perfectly clear about this we visited the location on South Brightleaf Blvd. They weren’t too hard to find. The hardest part was getting out of the Outlets. GPS took us right to them. Actually my GPS let me down and I passed them, made a U-turn and come back.

Just a footnote about Smithfield, NC. In addition to the Premium Outlets, if you like Western Wear and Cowboy Boots be sure to check out Red River Western Wear just outside of Smithfield in Selma, NC. They’re at Exit 97 off of I-95. Nice people and fair prices. You know you love them boots! I’ll add a link to their website at the end just in case you’re interested.

White Swan Bar-B-Que Restaurant and Staff:

White Swan Bar-B-Que is a very small restaurant. They have old pictures and award plaques on the walls for decorations. They really have a nice old fashioned feel. When we stopped in there were only a couple other people there. Of course we went after the lunch rush. They did do a lot of take-out business while we were there. There were about 7 or 8 tables in the dining area. Some would call this a little “hole in the wall”. I liked it. Everything was neat and clean when we visited.

Our waitress, Renee, was wonderful. She was very nice and she helped us with our choices. She seemed to

know the food on the menu pretty well and was able to talk about anything we had questions about. Renee was just super friendly. The ones we met on the way out that were working the counter and take-out orders were also friendly.

 

Our Choices at White Swan Bar-B-Que:

So let’s take a look at our selections at White Swan Bar-B-Que today. To start with after we placed our order Renee brought us a fresh hot bowl of hushpuppies. I could have just eaten them and been satisfied. These puppies were wonderful. I had to contain myself so I wouldn’t eat too many before my lunch arrived. That said here’s how the rest of our lunch went.

Tammy had the BBQ Pork and White Chicken Combo Plate with Mac & Cheese and Slaw. The fried chicken was excellent, crispy on the outside, moist and

 

tender inside. The mac & cheese was really good too. It had extra cheese and was nice and creamy. Her slaw was chopped fine and had just a touch of a sweet taste to it. That was some good slaw.

I went for the Pork BBQ Plate with Brunswick Stew and Potato Salad. The potato salad was good. It had just a little sweet taste to it also. The Brunswick stew was awesome. Plenty of meat, potatoes and veggies. It also had a really good tomato base to it. I also bought a quart to go so I could take some home. The pork was wonderful. Like a trip back to the bbq I grew up with. Smoked and chopped with a slight vinegar sauce. NC Que at its finest. I added a little extra sauce and it was really great. Although admittedly I prefer pulled pork now days, this was a wonderful trip down memory lane.

 

Sauces:

The only sauce I tried at White Swan Bar-B-Que was their NC Vinegar Sauce. It was a typical “Old School” NC sauce. Main ingredients being vinegar and peppers. OK maybe a couple other little goodies thrown in there as well. It was good.

Final Thoughts:

Well now I wrap up my thoughts on White Swan Bar-B-Que. I’m really glad we stopped there. Nothing fancy, just sit down and eat some good bbq. That’s what I like. And Renee, well she was wonderful. A real pleasure to meet her and have her for our waitress. So, the service was great, the food really good, and a nice clean dining room, what’s not to come back for. I’d very much enjoy dropping by once again when we are in the area. Yes, I give them a “you should stop and check them out.” Not far from the Carolina Outlets so if you’re shopping and want some good old fashioned bbq, look up White Swan Bar-B-Que on your smart phone. Again, we went to the location on South Brightleaf Blvd.

Now For Your Thoughts:

How about some of you telling us what you thought about a visit to White Swan Bar-B-Que. Who’s been there? How did it go? We’d love to hear about your visit. Drop me some comments and I’ll get them posted.

What do you regulars think?

And as for the regulars. We really want to hear from you. I know Smithfield, NC has several restaurants that you can frequent. What brings you to White Swan Bar-B-Que? Tell us about the rest of the menu, the people, or anything else you’d like to share about this place. It’s always nice to hear from the local folks. Take this opportunity to let others know how you feel about one of your restaurants. Get me some comments and I’ll post them with this review as soon as I can.

I look forward to hearing from you.

 

I encourage you to share this review on Facebook and other social media sites. Follow us on Facebook to see where else we go.

 

You can check out their website at: https://www.whiteswanbarbeque.com/

You can also find them on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/WhiteSwanBBQ

 

And as promised to those interested in the western wear here’s the link to Red River Western Wear in Selma, NC: http://www.redriverwesternwear.com/ or their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/RedRiverWesternWear/

 

Enjoy the ride, good eating and thanks for stopping by.