Posted by Matthew Metcalfe on September 07, 2009
Like the other reviewers have commented, Harold's is an "establishment." Immediately upon pulling into the parking lot you realize you are in for something special. The building is decrepit. Heavy bars cover the windows to keep the window units from disappearing overnight. Inside, the place can get downright smoky at times from the pit. Several rooms are all cobbled together; photos of famous visitors adorn the walls. Georgia politicans favor this place as do workers from the Atlanta federal pen down the road.
The only thing, I think, that has changed since they opened is that they had to replace their wooden chopping block with a plastic one. The wooden one had been used for so long it had a pit in the center of it. I suspect it was replaced to comply with health code regulations but I don't go to Harold's for a pristine environment. Bring it back!
The service is quick and polite, the menu is simple, and the food comes out fast. They make an excellent pork that you can get pulled or sliced; beef is served the same way. Their Brunswick stew is outstanding. With fresh corn bread and a sweet tea on the side you have the perfect Southern barbeque plate. For the non-barbecue crowd they have hamburgers and hot dogs.
Harold has passed on but the family still operates the restaurant and they don't appear to have changed anything. Well... except for the chopping block.
Overall: Worth planning a day around
5 out of 6 people found the review helpful. Was it helpful to you?
Reviewers "Must Eats" List
chopped pork
($8.00)
sliced pork
($8.00)
ribs
($10.00)
Brunswick stew
(N/A)
"Harold's is more famous for its chopped and sliced pork, but these ribs demand attention! In the background: cole slaw and a bowl of Brunswick stew."
Michael Stern
"No Georgia barbecue meal is complete without some Brunswick stew. At Harold's, it is a fine-textured soup/stew of pork, corn kernels, and tomato shreds."
Michael Stern
"Delicious all by itself, Harold's cornbread is essential for mopping and sopping sauce off one's plate. It's also good for crumbling into bowls of Brunswick stew."
Michael Stern
"Harold's has been an Atlanta destination for more than half a century."
Michael Stern
"The bread for this sandwich is lightly toasted on a grill above the wood fire behind Harold's counter. It is ordinary bread, but the smoke taste it inhales makes it special."
Michael Stern
"In the South, a happy pig almost always signals good barbecue."
Michael Stern
"Real barbecue: throughout the day, Harold's pit man comes out back to this shed so he can fetch a basket full of wood to burn down to coals for the fire inside."
Michael Stern
