Willard’s Real Pit BBQ

Great representative of the Southeast in DC. Good across the board, Brisket, St Louis Ribs and Pulled pork. Side also great, Have the Black-​eyed Corn

All you need to know about Williard’s is that at 11:30am on a Friday the place was filled to the rafters. A line out the door for ordering food, a separate line for a table, and general chaos.
Not that the staff didn’t handle it well – our food was served promptly. My burnt ends and sausage sandwich was wonderful – kind of a Kansas City thing except the coleslaw on top gave it a nice southern touch.
The only thing Williard’s lacks is more seating; word around the restaurant last time I was in is that they’ve bought out the place next door and are expanding, so good for them. The BBQ here is easily the best in DC.

Ate here after a golf expo today. Good food and down home atmosphere. Even had a good laugh with a couple sitting behind us.

Good stuff.
Had this place bookmarked forever but kept reading mixed reviews about it, so I was a bit hesitant to try it out. A friend of ours told us how much he enjoys their bbq and so we finally decided to give it a try. Glad we did!
They have a nice variety of bbq items on their menu. There is plenty of seating inside, including counter seats. Place your order with the cashier and then wait for your number. Cashiers are friendly and quick. Seat yourself. Everything is within reach, bbq sauces, napkins, wet naps, plastic silverware, drinks. I like the laid back feel of this place.
Tried a couple of things and they were all very tasty. I wouldn’t say this is the best bbq out there or the best I’ve ever tasted, but it was still quite good. I did enjoy the Texas Sliced Beef Brisket more so than their Ribs. The Ribs were slightly tough. I am especially grateful because this place is in my neck of the woods. Chantilly could always use more good eats. It can get a bit pricey but they are generous with the portions. I had plenty of leftovers for days.
I wouldn’t drive from afar to visit Willard’s but if you’re in the area and in the mood for bbq, definitely give this place a try.

Mixed bag. The food was pretty good, but the service was unfriendly.
Stopped in for an early dinner. We ordered brisket, burnt ends, sausage, green beans, baked beans, mashed potatoes, and cornbread. The brisket was average. The burnt ends tasted good, but resembled a scoop of pulled beef mixed with sauce rather than burnt ends. The sausage, potatoes, cornbread, and baked beans were all solid. The green beans seemed canned, simmered with a little ham… a bit disappointing.
The environment was nice… had an authentic country/​BBQ «joint» vibe. On the other hand, the staff definitely lacked the friendly welcomness of a true country «joint». No smiles, no greetings, no friendly responses to my friendly greetings. All business… no pleasantries.
In the end, the food was on par with other BBQ in the area. The staff got the job done, but don’t expect to feel very welcome.

Just finished a late lunch on route to VA from MD. I stand by my original review. For those bothered by the lack of table space they are in the process of expanding into the space next door. The food was as I recall it to be and while it isn’t the best in the entire universe it’s very good tasty barbecue.

I used to visit Nashville on business trips pretty frequently. Since I am no longer traveling I have had a huge gap in my life… good bbq. My quest has lead me to a few of the VA bbq eateries… this one is by far one of the best!
The food: I have been here a few times and the food has always been pretty high quality food. The bark has been great, and I love that you can get Burnt Ends here (one of my favorites). I had the jamaican jerk chicken last time and it was pretty good too.
Why it isn’t 5 stars
There aren’t enough places to sit. Often I end up eating at the bar with whoever I take, but it doesn’t allow for larger groups to be able to come and eat comfortably while having a conversation. In addition, parking at times can be chaotic since it is in a shopping mall.

I am from South Carolina and this is the closest to Carolina BBQ I have found! In my opinion it’s a little pricy but there are big portions. Cole slaw is on point and I splurge on the corn bread every once in while. Meat is always moist and of course the sauce is plenty!

Willards used to have great bbq. I don’t know if they recently sold the restraunt or not but i recently visited their restraunt and it was very disappionting. My chicken was massively undercooked it was bloodshot red and the employees tried to say it was OK to eat. I had to argue with them just to get it replaced. I hope they change owners or management soon because the current people in charge are ruining a great bbq place which is rare to find. Would not recommend this place to anyone anymore which is definitely a shame.

Great food! Had the NC pulled pork one night, the bbq pulled chicken the next. Excellent! Super good collard greens too!
What a welcome change from the processed, microwaved, and fried food that passes for «dinner» at most restaurants.
Thank you Mr. Willard for serving wholesome, delicious, home style food!

I wasn’t too fond of this place ,
The ribs didn’t look or taste too cooked,
I expected more specially for $ 17 4 ribs and two sides, I order the beans and mash potatoes.
It doesn’t keeps up to the price.
They had the ribs in a bucket it the back, I know because I saw it. They just threw it on the plate and that’s it, there wasn’t no delicacy or love into putting the food into my plate, it was more like lunch at school. And for that I skip this place. I said jokingly to my coworker that I wanted to eat something unhealthy, greasy and bad for me and this is the place she recommended. I should of have known she was being serious.

Had better BBQ. It might have been the time of night… 8:30pm for a 9pm close.
The pulled pork and sliced brisket sandwiches both went half uneaten. The sweet sauce smells of non-​BBQ based sauces.
Dirty rice was good according to my partner, but the coleslaw was only average, although for that late that’s not bad. The gravy on the potatoes tasted of black bean gravy, not meat based…
The sweet tea isn’t southern. Or northern. It’s lost somewhere in Virginia tea.
Please don’t take my word for it, but we would not return if we were locals, which we aren’t.
The staff were friendly even though we turned up after they started to clean a section, so it’s got that going for it, which is nice.

This place is kind of a gem tucked away in a strip mall near Hooters. There really isn’t great BBQ in the area — not a fan of Famous Dave’s and while I know people rave about Gilbert’s Corner, I find it kind of average and very overpriced. Willard’s, on the other hand, is the real deal. Tons of options — and tons of sauces to accompany them.
While their meat is legit, their sides do leave something to be desired — kind of bland.

Quite good not great. Id come back.
Very complicated menu with lots of choices and combos.
Brisket was very good. Burnt ends were great. Pulled chicken was a bit soggy and lacked flavor. Cole slaw is very good. Collard greens were good but hey don’t cut the big veins and that left a bitter flavor. Cornbread is ok.
The décor is pleasing. Clean. Feels like a good BBQ joint.

This joint made for a pleasant surprise! Whenever I’m in Northern Virginia, it’s always as depressing as the food options. Strip malls everywhere with your typical Applebee’s, TGI Fridays, etc. Though this place is in a strip mall, don’t judge this book by its cover. The mere smells coming out of here are enough to draw you in … and leave you smelling like brisket.
I was in the area for five days of work, went here on my second day, then again on my third day, then again on my fourth. Yeah, it was that good.
The first time I had the pulled pork sandwich with mac and cheese and string beans. The beans didn’t do it for me, but who cares about vegetables in a BBQ joint?
The second time I was a wuss and went with the big salad. Why did I do this? Because I knew damn well I’d be going back the following day for more BBQ so I considered the salad a means of detox.
The third time I had the brisket sandwich with macaroni salad and cole slaw. Everything was delicious.
Very affordable prices. As far as I’m concerned you can skip the platters and just get the sandwiches and not eat the bread (both come with sides, but the platter comes with corn bread). I don’t know how much more meat they give you in the platters versus the sandwiches, but I had more than enough meat with the sandwiches.
The line moves very quickly so don’t be turned off if it’s out the door.

This is the number 1 place for BBQ in the area. Its located in Chantilly, so its not right in my backyard, but its worthwhile to make the trip out to such a great barbeque joint. I was most recently there a week ago and had a special of the day. It was a pork stew with vegetables and potatoes in a semi-​spicy broth. In the past I’ve had pulled pork, bbq chicken, beef brisket, ribs, love them all.
Highly recommend giving this place a try, especially if you are a BBQ connoiseur you should definitely check this place out.

Amazing! Tried the brisket, pulled pork, ribs, and burnt ends. Brisket, ribs, collards, and coleslaw were my favorite. The portions are hearty and they give you a nice slice of cornbread with the platters. I’ll definitely be back!

I’m not much of a meat eater, so it’s tough for me to rate this place. I didn’t love the sandwich I ordered, but I did like the ample sauce choices that helped flavor up the meat. It’s fun having options like that to really transform something bland into something bold.
The place was also really crowded and it was tough finding a table, so it wasn’t a calm dining atmosphere. It was just people clamoring and staring at people eating and waiting for chairs to become available.
Maybe it wouldn’t be so crazy during off hours. But it felt like a real meat market ;)

***3.5***
My wife and I have been to Williard’s several times now and each time has been pretty consistent in terms of taste of the food, and the service.
Upon arriving we realize that the parking lot has very limited parking and can be very tight. You can tell from looking at the store from the outside that seating would be limited. When we entered the place was very packed and there were no seats available. Luckily we didn’t have anywhere to go so we were in no rush to order so we pretty much stood around until seats became available.
After about 5 to 10 minutes people began leaving. My wife and immediately placed our things at one of the tables so we would be guaranteed dibbs in a sense… lol.
Finally we waited in line and started looking over the menu. Their menu is pretty vast so it was kind of hard to decide. However, my wife and I decided to go with the two meat platter.
Wife — Pulled Pork, Berf Brisket, Coleslaw, Baked Beans, and Cornbread
Me — Pulled Pork, BBQ Ribs, Potatoe Salad, Baked Beans and Cornbread
Overall we felt the food was better than A-​Ok but not quite the best BBQ we’ve had. I will say that my wife and I both enjoyed their Beef Brisket. We felt it was the best meat item.

Pretty good, but not incredible.
The menu is a bit overwhelming, so just a word of advice: kinda check it out before you come in if you haven’t been here before.
We came here for the BBQ and brisket. The brisket was lean but marbled, and very tender. Great but not memorable. I was disappointed with the pulled pork: it was a bit fatty and watery. The burnt ends were damn good though. I would highly recommend getting those. Dirty rice as our side was pretty delicious. The chunks of meat in it were a bit different. Would’ve preferred the traditional crumble.
I actually thought the staff here was a bit rude. We did come here during a lunch rush, so they were quite busy. That’s really no excuse though.