Pig ‘N Steak

GOOD: Legit BBQ. Not the best I’ve ever had, but quality nonetheless. Needs some hot sauce to make it shine. Hefty portions. Decent enough sides. Reasonable prices for how much food you get. You won’t leave here hungry.
BAD: The place is dingy, boarderline gross, and hasn’t really been updated since 1970. Makes me wonder about the cleanliness of the kitchen. If you can stomach a dank, dark, place that hasn’t been really cleaned, then maybe it’s for you.
VERDICT: If you’re desperate for food and don’t want commercial crap like Subway, then go for it. If you have more time to plan out where you want to eat, you can probably pass.

Pretty average place. I got the half rack of ribs and they were OK but had a ton of fat on them. My son got the barbecue pork sandwich and it was pretty average too. The waitress was very friendly. Probably won’t be going back.

Best sweet potato fries ever. Had them with the pulled pork sandwich a typical BBQ staple. My dad had the same but the burgers going by were massive and delicious looking. We left very full and the food in this area is affordable in general
Since we traveled down from the DC area where everything is overpriced and usually smaller portions. The interior is cute and old and very mom and pop ish. Definitely stop by if you’re craving BBQ and in Madison county.

Love their BBQ pork ribs. Smokey tender deliciousness! Yummy… A must stop each time we come to the Charlottesville, VA. Your true BBQ dive restaurant known for their country cooking. You stop counting calories here. Pig ‘N Steak is a true local hangout. Warm and friendly service. Their BBQ pork sandwich is so tender! Side dishes are hot and full of flavor. Wash it down with fresh brewed ice tea or cold beer. Take your time and enjoy!

The Pig and Steak is a quiet old hamburger stand looking facility. The staff was very nice when we walked in and we quick to take our drink orders. It is a sit down restaurant or you can order at the counter. There is a mini bar that is well stocked… or maybe it’s a liquor store hard to tell.
They offer three large flat screen televisions which means you should be able to see any game from anywhere in the small dining area.
The food offered is everything from hamburger, hot dogs, chicken and «pit» barbecue (I am from Texas and you generally can smell the pit before you walk in, we didn’t smell any pit) and pulled pork. They serve Pepsi products, ices tea, lemonade and root beer… plus the bar mentioned earlier. They have homemade deserts but we didn’t have any.
The brisket is definitely not the kind you get in Texas, more Carolina. The sauces were very vinger based which is more east coast. The bed of french fries were okay, but clearly straight from freezer to deep fryer. Overall it was okay, I would need more samples to give it more/​less than average.

Stopped in with my dad on one of our road trips through the area and loved it. Dad got the Mountaineer Burger and I got the pulled pork sandwich. The burger was the best dad has had in a long time and the pork bbq was without a doubt the best I’ve had in ages. You could tell it had been slow cooked and was tender and smokey. Also the fire portions were HUGE. Definitely got our money’s worth.

Honestly, I came to check out Pig n’ Steak out because of their cute little sign (it has a pig in a tutu and a cow in a tuxedo) AHAHAHAHA The hubs and I were in the area, and we decided to make a little stop at Pig n’ Steak for a quick dinner. Owned by John E. Lohr, the menu offers homemade sides, fresh-​cut steaks, pit-​cooked beef/​chicken, ribs, sandwiches, burgers, and platters. We tried the Pit Cooked BBQ Brisket (that was a featured as one of their specials; this was our least favorite as it was thin-​sliced fatty brisket with pink edges and was flavorless; even adding sauce to it did not help); ¼ Rack Ribs (hickory-​smoked) with a scoop of Pit Cooked Pork BBQ (the ribs were very soft, and it had a drizzle of a sweet bbq sauce on it (that I wasn’t a fan of); the pulled pork also had no flavor like the brisket, and adding sauce didn’t help it either; we were able to choose 2 sides, and so we tried the baked beans (which was thick and hearty) and the macaroni salad (a little on the watery end, but had an okay flavor to it); and, a Rib-​Eye Steak and Cheese (4 oz ‘cutlet’ of a ribeye, with mayo and grilled onions; this was my favorite of the night because I love a good steak and cheese; this really hit the spot, as the ribeye was very fresh, had a nice amount of melty cheese and grilled onions, with the mayo all pulling it together; the Kaiser roll that it came with could have been another type of bread, as it was just a little too dry and overwhelming for the sammy; this came with a side of kettle chips that were a little stale). Their home-​brewed sweet tea was refreshing and not too sweet and washed all the food down well. I am not sure if I’d go out of my way to come here, but if so, I’d get the Rib-​Eye Steak and Cheese on another type of bread, and try out their charbroiled steaks. The restaurant itself is like a saloon and very old-​school, with the wooden booths. Just a note — there were lots of flies inside, so it was a little annoying try to swat away while eating! Service was super friendly, and there is additional parking/​entrance in the back.
+Rib-​Eye Steak and Cheese (opt for another type of bread) :D
+Sweet tea
+pit cooked bbq forgettable T_​_​_​T
+hickory-​smoked ribs forgettable T_​_​_​T
+friendly service: D
+additional parking/​entrance in the rear

Amazing pit beef combo and baked beans. Banana pudding and apple pie were an outstanding finish.

I can admit that over the years I have become a food snob, but this place was pretty bad. The steak was very bland, the ribs were fatty and bland as well (boiled?) and the salad was straight out of a bag. For the first time in several years, I actually used A1 on a steak. Outback divided by 10 and that place is only average, but the same price.

We tried this place & really liked it. Loved the theme inside. Food was really yummie. Would definitely eat there more if we lived closer.

We stopped in and got an order to go. The place looks ok from the inside and the waiters/​waitresses where very nice and helpful.
Pulled BBQ — Both the wife and I like the flavor, moist and good.
Sauces — None of the sauces where great, the house is ok.
Potato salad — good flavor and potatoes
Cole Slaw — very good, reminds me of KFC (not a bad thing in my book) with a little kick to it
Overall we will go back.

This place reeks of cigarette smoke and I found the food very disappointing. Thinking it might just be an off night, I tried it two more times — same thing. I feel this place can be skipped for something better. Spend another 25 mins north and find something nice in Culpeper.

Pig and Steak is our favorite restaurant in Madison. Definitely worth the stop if you’re traveling between Charlottesville and Northern Virginia on US-​29. Nothing fancy when it comes to atmosphere or presentation, but consistently good food and friendly service.
The PIG: Very good Q at a reasonable price.
The STEAK: Excellent! Always done exactly as ordered (I prefer medium rare) and undoubtedly some of the best steak within a 50-​mile radius. Be sure to try the Delmonico cut.

This is real pit BBQ. Stopped for a pulled pork sandwich here and it was outstanding, among the best I’ve ever had. Very smoky flavor, juicy, and the perfect amount of the burnt outer bits mixed in. The mild and and spicy sauces were both just OK, but when the meat is this good it doesn’t need more than the tiniest bit of sauce anyway.
Great place to stop between Charlottesville/​Shenandoah and DC. I ordered carry out and it was very quick.

Chose this place simply for the name, honestly. The place is eerily quiet – at least on a mid-​week afternoon – since music only plays when you choose something from the electronic jukebox, which seems to make all the patrons think they have to whisper. Also it smells faintly of cigarette smoke, but not enough to be a huge bother.
I know it is a BBQ place, but both people in my party ended up ordering bacon cheeseburgers. They were around $ 6 ($ 1-​something extra for fries), which is really not a bad price as burgers go. Food was decent and so was the service. I liked it for the price.

Pig N’ Steak is A-​OK. It’s modest BBQ at a good price! When you’re traveling on the road and you’re nearby, you have to stop by. It’s good ol’ country BBQ.

Beverages: Three Brothers Beer, yes!
BBQ: Cold and unseasoned, poor quality pork, served undressed as it should be, but exposed the poor quality and execution of the BBQ. Amateurish at best.
Sauces: vinegar, mild, hot; all poor and ineffective in covering the pork «flavor»
Sides: from a bucket off a truck, embarrassing.
Service: Excellent, polite, and attentive for our party of 13 (6 kids)
I was unable to finish the food, truly inedible.

I don’t have the highest standards for bbq. Most of it passes muster because I love it so much. I smelled the smoker outside this place and got really excited.
I ordered ribs, mac n cheese and green beans. You know its bad when the best thing on the plate was the canned green beans. The ribs tasted boiled, fatty and flavorless. My wife’s bbq sandwich was overly smokey — which I didn’t think was possible. Avoid at all costs. I wish I would’ve gone to the McDonalds next door, which would’ve been more tastey and not cost over $ 30.

I’ve been coming here for many years; the Pig ‘n Steak has always been a «must stop» for me when traveling between DC and Charlottesville. I confess to not having eaten here in 3 years or so, and I was a little concerned about the reviews that said the place had gone downhill. I disagree. It’s still just as good as I remember it. Is it the best barbeque I’ve ever eaten? No, but it’s pretty close. Is it the best barbeque on Route 29? Definitely!
The beef is their best dish, a close second is their pulled pork. Both have very intense smoky flavor; if you’re a fan of that premade glop that some folks dish out of a jar, don’t come here, this is the real deal, smoked for a good long time. Although the sauces are good, I don’t use much of them; I prefer the smoky flavor of the meat. The ribs can be hit or miss; this time the ¼ rack we got was a little on the tough side and fatty, but on other occaisions they have been superb.
The sides are all homemade and delicious, the potato salad, cole slaw and beans are especially good. The fries are just average. And I agree with Thomas W. — they need better buns; they fall apart too easily.
Service is great. I will still make a stop here whenever I can.

Good place to get some BBQ if you are passing through, especially after a hike or swim — Old Rag or White Oak Canyon are two of the best trails nearby.
I wouldn’t drive too far out of my way to eat here, but if you are in the area it’s a good local spot with decent grub and laid back atmosphere.
Get the sweet potato fries!