Eat BBQ, Drink Beer and Have Fun
When you’ve got a taste for BBQ, Williamsburg welcomes you to the meatier side of life. Beef, pork, chicken and a healthy array of sauces keep this tradition alive and well. In this city, the fire is always going at restaurants old and new.
You can start your BBQ foray at one of our most well-known joints: Pierce’s Pitt Bar-B-Que. The preferred stop for governors and former presidents, Pierce’s 40-year history has been star-studded, but the publicity hasn’t changed this community favorite. For less than $5, you can still get their famous Tennessee-style pulled pork sandwich, slathered in founder Julius C. (Doc) Pierce’s original sauce.
Want to take a short drive? A little way out from the city, on a tree-lined street in Toano, pull the car onto the gravel lot of Two Drummers Smokehouse. Try their popular cherry-smoked pork plate coated in any combination of four BBQ sauces they have on hand. Then, wash it down with a local brew, including selections from Alewerks or the Virginia Beer Company.
These places are tried and true, but if you’re looking to sink your teeth into something different, venture down York Street to the brand new Old City Barbeque.
Don’t let the name fool you. Old City is indeed owned by three good ol’ Williamsburg boys and “third-generation friends” Vernon Geddy IV, 30, Mason Brooks, 32, and cousin Gardiner Brooks, 32, of James City County.
Yet, despite the history, there’s nothing “old” about Old City. This restaurant is bringing something never before seen to our community.
“Very few people cook whole hogs in Virginia,” Geddy explained, standing by their large smoker where slabs of pork cheek and brisket cooked. Old City is dedicated to using every bit of meat from their locally-sourced pigs. For the three co-owners, it’s not just a sign of respect for the animal but a way of getting the best tasting product.
“Despite the fact that it’s BBQ, we treat it like a fine dining idea,” said Geddy. “People ask, ‘Why are you taking the best stuff and making it into BBQ?’ It’s because we can. Because we want to.”
For them, this means a restaurant where no propane is allowed.Everything is smoked over wood and whenever practical, Old City partners with local businesses for their products. This includes not just the meat but the sauces, working with their friends at the Virginia Beer Company to make a beer-infused BBQ sauce.
As for the setting, Old City has a full bar, a la carte “to-go” offerings and two outdoor fire pits. Best of all, nearly everything out of the restaurant is made in house, even the pickles.
Brooks and Geddy hope this care and attention to detail will put Old City on Williamsburg’s—and the nation’s—map.
“We just drove from Colorado toVirginia, and we like to stop at other BBQ restaurants,” said Mason. “We want to be one of those spots that people stop at.”
To prepare, Geddy went down to Wilmington, North Carolina for a year to apprentice with his cousin, James Doss, Chef at RX Restaurant. The farm-to-table eatery features Southern cuisine and Geddy learned all aspects of the restaurant, including a few culinary ideas.
You’ll want to make sure to stop at Old City yourselves one day, too. Bring the whole family, tuck a napkin under your collar, and pick a place or two to enjoy this Southern pastime.
Click on a link to read more: pierces.com · twodrummerssmokehouse.com · alewerks.com · virginiabeerco.com · oldcitybbq.com