December 2011: While passing through Charlotte, we were looking for a great drive-in to try, and memories flashed back to Guy Fieri eating this BBQ-dipped fried chicken at a place in Charlotte. I quickly looked it up at eattvdinners.com, and we were on our way to the Bar-B-Q King Drive-in. This place was not in the greatest neighborhood, though many old drive-ins aren’t. We arrived late in the evening, and it was sort of dark and scary out. We ordered our food via intercom, and couldn’t hear much of what they were saying.
The food arrived pretty quickly, but the total was in the $25+ range for two people including tip. That seemed a bit excessive, but there was quite a good looking pile of food there, so we didn’t worry too much. We ordered a pork sandwich/fries, a side of hush puppies, and of course, the BBQ dipped fried chicken. In general, the sides were all mediocre at best. The hush puppies and fries were both pretty standard. The pork sandwich was ok, but I honestly can’t remember it being special in any way. There wasn’t much sauce on it, and they didn’t seem to include any on the side (only ketchup). That’s too bad, as the sauce was decent. The only saving grace was the deep fried chicken, dipped in sauce. It was exactly what you’d expect, based on the show. It was something covered in sauce, yet managed to retain it’s crispiness. It was good, but I’ve had better dipped chicken, so I’m a little biased I guess. Still, I’d eat it again.
Overall, the place was neat to try, but I can’t imagine I’ll be back. The prices were a little high for such a run down little dive. (Note: This is a cash only establishment.) That, and they just didn’t have great service. After getting our food and paying the carhop, we never saw him again until we wanted to leave. While the chicken was tasty, the sides and lack of service availability just drags down what could have been a better experience. We didn’t have a bad time or anything, it just wasn’t anything to write home about.
Food: [usr 5]
Service: [usr 5]
Show: Diners, Drive-ins and Dives — Episode: BBQ (105)
Restaurant Info: Bar-B-Q King Drive-in — 2900 Wilkinson Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28208 — (704) 399-8344
Website:http://www.barbqking.com/