The Q Shack

As BBQ is almost a Religion in the South here is a declaration of where I stand:
Now I have to say that I LOVE Barbecue, I have eaten Barbecue all over North Carolina (Eastern and Western), Georgia, Florida, Tennessee (Memphis), and Texas. Now I know this may hurt some feelings but North Carolina Whole Hog Style Chopped BBQ w/​either Tomato Based, or Vinegar based sauce’s are on the BOTTOM of my list. Memphis style Baby Back Ribs are hard to beat, and well as Texas Beef Brisket, and Sausage putting them at the TOP. BBQ is serious business in the South. So now you know where I stand.
Now on to the review:
This is another one of my favorite BBQ restaurants in Charlotte. They have GREAT sliced or chopped brisket, chicken, pork and personal favorite is the Texas Style Smoke Sausage. They have a tomato based, and vinegar based sauce. My personal preference is the tomato based.
In my book where The Q Shack sets itself apart are the variety of made to order and fresh sides, They have Potato Salad, Pasta Salad, Coleslaw, BBQ Beans, Mac & Cheese, Fries, Onion rings, Hushpuppies, Fried Okra, Collards. I LOVE the Collards at Q Shack. Making GREAT Collards are a dying art in the South. These folks have nailed it. The Fried Okra is just like what my Mother used to make when I was growing up in Florida. The Macaroni & Cheese is killer too. And OMG, don’t go to the Q-​Shack without ordering one, or two of their Jalapeño Deviled Eggs.
And if you want dessert, I would get the WORLD CLASS Banana Pudding.
I would highly recommend Q-​Shack if you are a True BBQ Fan, or just like Good Food.

Ate everything so fast that there was nothing to take a picture of. Everything we ate was gone. This is our new favorite place. We will bring everyone here. The hush puppies that came with the meal were amazing. Must visit for everyone.

Very nice physical space when I walked in. The employees did their job, but didn’t impress me beyond that. The food was very average and could have been much better.

Came here to check out the food as we are considering using them to cater an event. We tried (and liked) everything. Brisket, pulled chicken were juicy and tender. Mac & cheese was gooey and smokey. Jalapeño deviled eggs were delicious with a kick. I liked the potato salad because it wasn’t potatoes swimming in mayonnaise. Fried okra was frozen, but very good. The hush puppies are very nice… not too dry and a little sweet. Banana pudding was good… not the best I’ve had, but good. We ate here on a Sunday afternoon right at 12:00. They stayed moderately busy the whole time, but there were plenty of tables open, so this seems like it would be a good place for after church lunch.

Lots of vegetarian choices. I like picking up dinner from here. Food is consistent. Good food for a good price. Midwood is better but this is half the price. Workers are extremely nice.

Sorry for not posting a pic… I just couldn’t stop eating the ribs! So I’ve been on a NC BBQ trail for a moment in search of good ribs and today I found them. I like a good smoked rib with such good flavor that the sauce is optional. The Q Shack has them.
I’m kind of a BBQ snob so I asked to see the ribs before I committed. A soon as he brought them out (which was really nice of him) I ordered a whole slab. The meat just fell off the bone and they were not fatty just like I like em. They have a sweet and vinegar sauce, I don’t tend to like a vinegar based sauce but it was really really good.
Here’s a tip — order greens as a side and pour a little of the vinegar sauce in. Nummy num.
I only gave 4 stars because I also order a ½ pound of brisket. It was a little on the dry side but the flavor was good. I also ordered the Mac and cheese for my mom — she didn’t like it.
Winners are the Ribs, Collards and the Banana Pudding. Put that on your plate and you’ll be satisfied. I’ll go back to try the links and Brunswick stew. Stay tuned for the results.

Not impressed with the BBQ. Been there 3 times and the food was inconsistent. Was not impressed with the meat.

Great hush puppies
Great BBQ
Friendly service
Clean

We just moved from CA and have tried so many BBQ places since moving and The Q Shack is by FAR the best we have had! We tried the ribs, brisket and pulled pork… Ribs were amazing, pork and brisket were also excellent. For sides we did the Brunswick stew, beans, cole slaw, and Mac n cheese. Everything was really good. Who could forget banana pudding for dessert?! The staff was also super patient as we asked about different menu options. Very friendly! Such great food, we will definitely be back.

Overpriced and food is not good/​the smell is not good like lard frying some sort of oil used.
Portions are small
Would not go back again.

This has to be the worst food I’ve eaten in a while! The BBQ chicken was extremely dry & bland. The side I chose was Mac& cheese since everyone raved about it and it was gross!!! It looked like wet noodles and tasted like noodles tossed with oil. There was no flavor in the mac at all. I also had the potato salad which needed the most improvement! It was soooo bland! The best part of the food were the free hush puppies! They actually had some flavor! The people are extremely friendly (that’s the 2 stars) the food however, is no stars! I would not recommend.

Haven’t been here in a while, but dropped by today to pick up the pulled chicken for dinner at home. Ended up adding a pint of collards and couldn’t pass on the jalapeño deviled eggs. Everyone enjoyed the meal, the chicken tasted amazing without any bbq sauce at all. Collards were a little on the spicy side with a good amount of bacon in them. I will definitely be dropping by there more often.

Great deal on the family meal for $ 25. A ton of meat, and the sauce options were good.

Just ate here for lunch great service but the food was a little rough sides tasted a couple days old and the BBQ was dry the brisket was juicy but tasted like nothing but fat $ 30 for food we picked at we left hungry

Pork BBQ sandwich was very good. Two available sauces at the table, one vinegar based, one saucy… both were good. Beer on the menu to include some local NoDa options. Service was quick and friendly.

I like this little place. I’ve been here twice now and have gotten the brisket plate/​sandwich both times. It’s very good! They have a larger selection of sides, that usually has me waiting just in front of the counter trying to figure out what to order. Fried okra was my choice last night — crispy and fried just right so that you don’t hate yourself after. Haha. The food all seems very fresh, the staff is very friendly and helpful. Dine in, eat outside, or take it home! Perfect for a quick, cheap, solid dinner choice.

Three stars for food. Four stars for service.
The brisket was very good. Their tomato based sauce was excellent.
The letdown of the meal was undoubtedly the sides. Everything was so bland. The potato salad and beans, in particular, were quite bad. The Mac and cheese and okra didn’t fare much better. Fries were okay. The hush puppies were my favorite side.
The service was so great though! Quick, helpful and friendly. And for two kids and one adult, I spent less than $ 20, which I consider to be a good deal.
For quick serve BBQ, I much prefer Dickey’s in Ballantyne. But, The Q Shack beats them on service.

While visiting some friends we got to try a nice variety of meats from here. The ribs were my favorite. Pork was decent and smoked turkey as well. Overall, just about everything we tried had a nice smokey flavor and was cooked just to our liking.
I’m not from North Carolina, so I can’t really compare this place to any other local Charlotte BBQ joints. However, I can say I would definitely go back for the ribs.

I want to like this place, I really do. I can’t get over 3 things: 1) Their bbq is just OK. Sauces are good (at least 4 stars), but the meat, by itself, just isn’t that great. Their sides are just OK, too. Mashed sweet potatoes, potato salad, barbequed pinto beans, etc… just average. Not really much flavor to anything I’ve ever had there (roughly 4 – 5 experiences). Even their sweet tea is just OK — not bad, but not memorable in any way. 2) Their prices are much higher than their competition. If I’m going to pay this much, I want to eat Midwood Smokehouse or Mac’s. 3) It drives me nuts when restaurants weigh out portion sizes. Especially BBQ joints. Feels like I’m in a Subway. I understand it’s part of their business model to control portion sizes, but c’mon man!!!
Service is great. The guys behind the counter are always helpful, fast, and fun to engage in conversation, but the food is average at best.

BBQ Sauces are what I enjoyed most! The Sauces are close to 4 Unilocal stars
One of the three «linemen» wanted to be helpful and was very patient while his co-​workers were interrupting as if there others behind me waiting… Guess they are trained herders which is OK with me… This level of Service is OK… I give the Service 4 stars for Entertaining Borderline Rudeness, it is entertaining enough for 4 stars or close enough
How was the food? 3 stars or less! Wish I were eating Korean! Ready, Steady GO:
Pulled Pork good flavor, just no better than «good» 3 stars
Beef Sausage 2.76 stars
Brunswick Stew 2.45 stars
Beef Brisket 1.73 stars
Extras not counted :
Collard Greens 2.72 stars
Hush Puppies 3 stars
The Dude mostly taking my order should be working in a MUCH Higher Scale Restaurant!!! Your efforts are appreciated and if the manager says hurry the customers, remember One Day you will get to work in an Industry where your Talents are VALUED! !! !!!