We went to Whitner’s Barbecue some time back and to tell the truth we were not thrilled. That was soon after they were featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. I don’t know, maybe we expected too much or it was a bad day for them or us. Never the less we went back and I’m glad we did.
Where Is Whitner’s Barbecue?
Whitner’s Barbecue is located in Virginia Beach, VA at 869 Lynnhaven Pkwy. They are in a row of shops just off Lynnhaven. They are not very far from I-264 for anyone not familiar with Va. Beach. I used GPS just to be safe so I wouldn’t ride around looking for them. Worked like a charm.
The Restaurant and Staff:
We were greeted as soon as we walked into the restaurant. The first thing we noticed was the smell of wood smoking. Their menu is a very large chalkboard on the wall. We placed our order at the counter, went to get our drinks and then picked a table. The dining room is a bit small. They have 8 – 9 tables and a counter that you can sit at. The building itself seems modern but it is decorated old fashioned. Everything was well kept and clean.
The young lady that took our order was very friendly. She helped with our questions and even made a couple recommendations. Very pleasant.
What We Ate at Whitner’s Barbecue:
OK, on with the food. I ordered a 3 meat plate. I chose Pulled Pork, Sliced Brisket and Smoked Sausage. For my sides I picked Baked Beans and Slaw. The plate also comes with a piece of cornbread. I believe I chose well.
3 Meat Plate, Pulled Pork, Sliced Brisket, and Smoked Sausage. With Slaw and Baked Beans.
The pulled pork was delicious. It had a nice smoke flavor, not too strong. It had a little of their sweet sauce on it but most of it had no sauce on it. The sauce was good, not too sweet, but I preferred the pork without it. The sauce actually tasted more like a tomato base and vinegar sauce, not real sweet. The sliced brisket had a good flavor too. It was served with the sweet sauce on it. I actually added more as I ate. This time the sauce seemed to enhance the flavor of the meat. And my third selection was the smoked sausage. This comes in some type of sauce that almost seemed like a gravy or a gumbo sauce. It also has a little bit of heat to it. Not too hot but someone that doesn’t like spicy food should probably avoid it. Maybe try a bite of someone else’s if they’re willing to share. I think I would have liked it better without the sauce it was in so I could use their mustard sauce.
I thoroughly enjoyed my sides as well. The baked beans had a good sauce and flavor to them. The slaw was really good too. I can’t believe that I’m starting to enjoy slaw. I never used to like it unless it was on a bbq sandwich. Times are changing. I guess my weak link would have been the cornbread. It was ok but just not the best I ever had. I’m still partial to hushpuppies and that doesn’t help the cornbread.
2 Meat Plate, Burnt Ends and Sliced Brisket with Mac & Cheese and Slaw.
Tammy ordered a 2 meat plate with Burnt Ends and Sliced Brisket. Her sides were Mac & Cheese and Slaw. So in addition to my order I got to try the burnt ends. Whitner’s Barbecue makes their burnt ends more like shredded or pulled brisket. It was really good but not like the burnt ends we expected. We’re accustomed to chunks or cubes of brisket. Theirs was still good and worth ordering again. It also comes in a sweet sauce. Again the sauce went well with the brisket.
Finally, the Mac & Cheese. This was homemade and very good. It made an excellent side with her meal.
Final Thoughts:
So my final thoughts on Whitner’s Barbecue would have to start with I’m so glad we went back. I knew I had to go back so I could write a review on them and we’d been putting it off for quite a while. Is there a moral to this story? Well like I say when I do write about a restaurant I’m not thrilled with, they could have had a bad day. I’m just glad we got all that behind us. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and our food on this trip. Only problem we had was that Tammy wanted to buy a t-shirt but the girl said only the manager could get them out to sell. Well that seemed a little strange but we’ll just have to go back.
What You Think About Whitner’s Barbecue:
So let’s hear it from some of the other folks that have been to Whitner’s Barbecue. Leave some comments and let us know how you feel. Tell us about your visit.
What do you regulars think?
If you’re a fan of Whitner’s Barbecue leave us some comments. Others would love to hear from you too. Let us know what your favorites are.
I look forward to hearing from you.
You can check out their website at: www.whitnersbbq.com
They are also on Facebook.
Enjoy the ride, good eating and thanks for stopping by.
6 Comments
We tried Whitner’s in 2012 on a family vacation to VA Beach. We thought it so good and friendly that we ate there twice that week. Looking forward to another vacation this year that takes us nearby so we can eat at Whitner’s again.
Stephanie, Glad to hear you enjoyed your visit. I know when we travel it’s always nice to find a restaurant that we really like and can go back for more. Thanks for checking out the site and putting your comments on here. Hope you and your family can make it back, VA is a beautiful state to explore. Take care.
We moved to the area about a year and a half ago and Whitners is definitely a fave! You did yourself a disservice by not ordering the mashed potatoes and gravy- so good! It might be the same gravy that was used on your smoked sausage, tastes like there’s cumin, and the potatoes are always creamy. The brisket is a fave, but try one of their sandwiches if you want something “lighter”- there’s one with smoked turkey and a cranberry chutney that is great. The staff is always friendly which is a bonus.
Christie, Thanks for the extra info. I found out that the “gravy” on the sausage is their golden sauce. We’ll have to try some other items out next time around. They do sound good.
Let me preface that I was born in Texas, My Mom in TN (Memphis area), My Dad in Ohio, My Aunt lives in KC MO, and I have lived in NY and WA State and visited IL & NC, SC, FL. I once traveled from Nashville down through MS and LA then over to Dallas / Fort Worth, I have tasted some BBQ. I have looked for a place like Whitner’s for a Long long time. At One point my family thought of opening a place very similar. I worked in the Lynnhaven area for many years. In Fact right on Lynnhaven rd. I cannot convey how please I was when I strolled into Whitner’s and smelled the smoker, looked at the menu on the chalk board. There has always been a debate over which region makes the best BBQ. At Whitner’s you can sample tastes from many different regions famous for BBQ. My least favorite is NC with the Vinegar base. In this part of VA we only could find the NC style when we went out. So unless you or friends made it at home you simply wouldn’t see the Texas or Memphis style BBQ. I had to chuckle when I read that Christie wrote to try the open faced sandwiches for lighter fare. I have tried the all at Whitner’s and love the all, but I wouldn’t consider any of the light. Myself and my family love about 90% of everything on the menu. The NC style has never appealed to us. Now ya know Patrick that you can make the order plain and us the sauce of your choosing. They have several and plenty of it right behind the soda fountain where you get the drinks. I tell people that if they are in the area, come to VABEACH on Vacay or passing Lynnhaven pkwy on the I state and are hungry for brunch, Lunch or dinner, Whitner’s is worth the stop!
Thank you Jim for the input. We always appreciate comments from our readers.