We prefer good local places over fast food or chains and this completely qualifies. Just a little over mile off of I95... Convenient to our travels. Great BBQ!!! Limited amount of side dishes but a plus was a small dish of homemade peach cobbler for starters, instead of a biscuit, roll or hush puppies, that came out time we sat down. And just so you know, you do get a basket hush puppies that comes out with your meal and they are to die for! Yum.
Review Source:Can't say enough positive things about my visit to Holt Lake Bar-B-Que. Â I went on a trip to Savannah, GA with friends and we stopped here for lunch on the way down from Baltimore. Â We ended up stopping here again on the way home because the food was so delicious. Â My favorite things about Holt Lake were the atmosphere, the hush puppies, and the fried chicken, and the price (I have never eaten that much food and only paid $7). Â I can't wait to head south again just to stop at Holt Lake!
Review Source:Pulled pork is vinegar based. Soft and tender but I have had better, most recently in Kansas City...No BBQ sauces...what gives? Comes with free hush puppies which are good. Got the plate of pork and white meat (fried chicken breast, I was hoping for BBQ) plus coleslaw, my fav everywhere but not that good, and string beans (out of a can?) which I am coming to see are a staples on the East Coast. Â Won't be back. By the way, the entire restaurant was full of 50 year old or older white folk...felt outta place.
Review Source:This place is a true hidden gem. Â I found this place by accident one day back in 2005 while making some sales calls at the very edge of my Eastern North Carolina territory. Â I don't know if Smithfield even officially qualifies as ENC, its like right on the line, but this place, Holt Lake, this is the real deal. Â A lot of people from Down East will tell you about the Wilber's / Kings / Moore's debate, but secretly, this place blows all three out of the water. Â They have the tastiest barbecue I have ever had. Â I've only been there once, but sometimes I wake up in a cold sweat just dreaming about it. Â Go out of your way to find this place. Â It is worth the trip.
Review Source:We took advantage of a drive by opportunity to grab a BBQ sandwich and a Chili Dog at the drive thru window of this long time BBQ and country cooking restaurant - all dressed up in their relatively new digs.
Frankly, I was very disappointed in both. The barbecue tasted old, stale, like it had been refrigerated for awhile. This is the first time I've encountered that here. The Hot Dog was simply bad - weak, thin chili was the main reason.
If you want cheap well executed fried chicken, fish and shrimp this is the spot for you!!!! Â We had the family meal for 4 and got all you can eat fried chicken (white and dark meat) fried shrimp, fried fish, pulled pork, french fries, coleslaw, boiled potatoes and Brunswick stew. Â Needless to say we were stuffed beyond belief! Â The chicken is fried well and not greasy, the fried shrimp are very good and my BF ate 5 pieces of fried fish (needless to say he didn't feel so good the next morning). Â Not so good Brunswick stew but otherwise quite a find. Â Only thing for a true BBQ fan this BBQ is on gas not charcoal so you miss that charred smoky taste :-(...really my only complaint because the pork is succulent and the vinegar is spot on! Â A must stop if driving down 95 from the north and needing to stay overnight in NC (another plus to stopping in Smithfield is the outlets YAY!).
Review Source:Eureka!
Again, we were heading back, and hungry. After numerous mishaps at BBQ places in Wilson & Smithfield, such as Swan's & Smithfield's, we had avoided NC BBQ for a few years, having decided that it must be local flavour that made the Q gamey and inedible to us.
So we looked up fried chicken. Holt's had great reviews, so we headed over. To try the Q or not? It would be a shame not to, but we really didn't want that funk flavour to ever touch our lips again. So we compromised and ordered a pork sandwich for our 19 month old, which came with slaw. We played it safe with a large order of dark meat chicken and a side of catfish, accompanied by Brunswick stew, okra, hush puppies, and coconut cake.
Tea was served immediately--a pitcher of sweet & a pitcher of unsweet, with 2 tumblers filled with crushed ice. An hour later, we are both still wired from the fresh tea.
Food: hot, steaming, yum. Charlotte LOVED her chopped pork sandwich, which was moist, tangy, piggy, and hot. It was absolutely delicious. It was NOT grey or reminiscent of brain matter, just yummy barbecue. Once she finished that (with help, of course), she started on the crispy okra. A bit heavy on the batter, but not greasy at all.
The fried chicken was amazing. It was a simple dredged chicken, not double battered, a touch salty (not oversalted, as in Amish country), juicy, full of fresh chicken flavour. Our daughter didn't get any and the bones were picked clean.
The catfish was hot, crispy, juicy. It had that touch of sweet bitterness in the middle, as catfish should have. Jim got 3 bites, Charlotte 1. It was mine.
The hush puppies were sweet, dry, and bland, the cole slaw meh. On a positive note, the Brunswick stew tasted like a tangy, slightly sweet hash with a ketchup base, and the coconut cake did not have a lemon base--it was vanilla! Yay!
Friendly service, clean restrooms, and regulars who visited our table not because our daughter was a nightmare, but to ask if they could rent our baby who seemed well-mannered while adoring the food (she is actually throwing a boredom fit in the car, but kept the good image intact in the restaurant).
$17.67 including tax, before tip. We would be delighted to return, as long as we are lucky enough to again get here before 2 on a Monday!
This is one of my favorite barbecue joints. Â When I can't make it all the way out to Wilson, this is a nice consolation prize. Â I've gone here with my family since I was a little kid. Holt Lake is a Johnston County staple. Â It's just good comfort food served quickly. Â They do bbq, fried chicken, fried flounder, and hush puppies just right.
Review Source:My family was returning from vacation traveling up i95 around Fyettville NC when it was time for lunch. We wanted to eskew the conformity  of the ubiquitious Cracker Barrel and find something more local. Fortunately,  about a mile off 95 near the little charming town of Four Oakes is the Holt Lake Bbq. Stepping inside I felt transported to Mayberry Rfd. Pitchers of iced tea were already on the table. A kindly waitresses quickly took our orders of Bbq platters and fried chicken and left us to contemplate the rustic interior complete with posters proclaiming "I love hogs". The simple and practical interior seemed well suited to what you would imagine from a BBQ restaurant. Â
Our meals arrived quickly complete with a side of complimentary hush puppies, which were the best we had on our trip. I ordered barbaque with sides of potato salad and Brunswick stew. The barbaque was succulent and delicious with just the right amount of vinegar and spices. The Brunswick stew was excellent with the right amount of sweetness. My wife had the fried chicken and it was delicious too. The skin was appropriately crunchy with the right amount and blends of spices, while the meat itself was not greasy and perfectly cooked. The portions were generous. Overall, Â the lunch was delicious, hot and filling without being expensive. I believe the bill for four entrees came to $35. I've been to Blue Smoke in NY, and while this could never match the atmosphere or overall experience of Danny Myers Blue Smoke, the simple barbaque itself was just as good if not better in my opinion. Â Â
This was a great find that certainly beat the bland offerings of corporate sameness franchises. Enjoy life.
***update*** WRAL reported a fire at this business on 4/18/10.  <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wral.com%2Fnews%2Fnews_briefs%2Fstory%2F7440764%2F&s=84ab4460f593e736d238e71f3896b3ee551dc21bc17afa5bdbb6243f1f0ea50f" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.wral.com/news…</a>
Business will be closed for fire damage until further notice.
My Dad's retired employees group eats together here every few months. Â I was the driver for my Dad today and my 1st visit to this Johnston Co. favorite.
The group of 25 were served "family style" which means bowls of fried chicken, bbq, slaw, potatoes, and Brunswick stew, Â plus hush puppies and beverage. Â Our server kept the food coming - there was never a lack of something to eat.
Good bbq and chicken, and all at a reasonable price.
When I was down to North Carolina to visit my Dad, we went to Holt Lake for lunch on Saturday. Â This was the meal I was looking forward to during the whole trip.
The BBQ is awesome. Â The ambiance is fitting for a restaurant off of a country highway that has amazing BBQ. Â The price is right and the friendly service makes this place one I look forward to going to.
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