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Any time we drive through North Carolina on I-95, it seems we are compelled to pull off the highway in Wilson. My late mother-in-law is to blame for this mandatory detour. When she was a teenager, she used to visit an aunt and uncle who lived in Wilson, and they would treat her to dinner out at a local barbecue restaurant. She liked Parker's so much that for the rest of her life, she made a point of stopping there anytime she came down this way. So naturally, my wife also developed a taste for the place, and I'll admit to also being hooked.
Parker's was founded in 1946, and it doesn't appear that the interior design hasn't changed in the intervening 70 years. The waiters (and they are all men) wear khaki pants, white shirts, white aprons, and paper hats. Walking in the door feels a bit like a trip back in time. But what the establishment lacks in ambiance, it *more* than makes up for in the quality of the food. Know for their minced pork barbecue and their fried chicken, I usually order their barbecue dinner, which includes a generous helping of their barbecue, their unique coleslaw (with its unique yellow dressing), cornbread sticks and hush puppies, along with your choice of Brunswick stew or green beans, and boiled potato or french fries. All that for less than seven dollars. I can't think of anywhere else that I've ever been that provided such a complete meal at such a bargain price.
Before we left, we ordered a pound of barbecue pork to go, to give to a friend of my wife's that we are visiting. We'll have to stop again on the way home, to pick up some barbecue for our daughter (she specifically requested some). I'm thinking I should try the fried chicken on the way home, just to see if it is as good as it is reported to be.
For anyone traveling through North Carolina on I-95, I highly recommend making a stop in Wilson. While Parker's is a bit off the highway (about 6 miles), it is well worth the effort. Just be sure to bring cash...they don't accept credit or debit cards, and only accept local checks.
Parker's was founded in 1946, and it doesn't appear that the interior design hasn't changed in the intervening 70 years. The waiters (and they are all men) wear khaki pants, white shirts, white aprons, and paper hats. Walking in the door feels a bit like a trip back in time. But what the establishment lacks in ambiance, it *more* than makes up for in the quality of the food. Know for their minced pork barbecue and their fried chicken, I usually order their barbecue dinner, which includes a generous helping of their barbecue, their unique coleslaw (with its unique yellow dressing), cornbread sticks and hush puppies, along with your choice of Brunswick stew or green beans, and boiled potato or french fries. All that for less than seven dollars. I can't think of anywhere else that I've ever been that provided such a complete meal at such a bargain price.
Before we left, we ordered a pound of barbecue pork to go, to give to a friend of my wife's that we are visiting. We'll have to stop again on the way home, to pick up some barbecue for our daughter (she specifically requested some). I'm thinking I should try the fried chicken on the way home, just to see if it is as good as it is reported to be.
For anyone traveling through North Carolina on I-95, I highly recommend making a stop in Wilson. While Parker's is a bit off the highway (about 6 miles), it is well worth the effort. Just be sure to bring cash...they don't accept credit or debit cards, and only accept local checks.
