
Harold's beloved Brunswick stew
YOUR PICKS
1) Harold’s
You say, “Harold’s. After over thirty years of eating all manner of BBQ in the South, there’s no better. It’s so good I should say it again: Harold’s.”
3) Fox Bros.
4) Fresh Air
5) Wallace BBQ

The Brunswick stew at Harold's with a few treats to go along with it. The cracklin' cornbread is a must.
1) Harold’s
Dining critic Meridith Ford Goldman says, “A big bowl of tomatoes and corn, with tons of shredded meat and a hint of spice, just like my father used to make. Warm, never hot. And no potatoes or beans, and that’s just as it should be.”
3) Fox Bros.
4) Community Q
5) Dreamland
616 comments Add your comment
cbgb
April 27th, 2010
8:14 am
Another voter for the granddaddy of brunswick stews, HAROLD’S BBQ. Our family has a dadgum good recipe but I guess it’d be hard to find. Stop in Harold’s for stew (and a sliced pork sandwich!).
sandy
April 27th, 2010
8:15 am
HAROLD’S IS THE BEST BUT MUST BE THE ORIGINAL DOWNTOWN
TERRI
April 27th, 2010
8:18 am
SLOPES IN ROSWELL! For those of you who picked Shanes–I feel sorry for you, bc you have not had real stew. Sorry.
mmmBBQ
April 27th, 2010
8:20 am
Williamson Bros has the best taste (tangy!)
but Sprayberrys is nice and meaty
AndrewA
April 27th, 2010
8:21 am
Community BBQ, Decatur.
Carolyn
April 27th, 2010
8:24 am
Dean’s, Jonesboro for decades
Red
April 27th, 2010
8:26 am
Don’t eat Stew, but friends say Harold’s
GiGi
April 27th, 2010
8:26 am
Sow Belly’s in Hawkinsville, GA!!
Miss Emma
April 27th, 2010
8:26 am
By far and hands down: Fresh Air in Jackson and Macon. The Gold standard.
FACT: Old Hickory House is amazing
April 27th, 2010
8:27 am
Old Hickory House in Tucker, Ga.
The Brunswick Stew at Oak Grove United Methodist Church (anual BBQ) is really good too!
Also,
Vandy’s in Statesboro, Ga is fantastic.
G
April 27th, 2010
8:28 am
Pippins, McDonough or Conyers, for sure.
Juanita
April 27th, 2010
8:29 am
Jarvis Swilling’s Just Right Catering Toccoa, Georgia
John
April 27th, 2010
8:29 am
HAROLD’S! HAROLD’S! HAROLD’S!
joifulone
April 27th, 2010
8:30 am
Harold’s is the best by far…with a slice of corn bread! Yum. Go Harold’s!
Nst
April 27th, 2010
8:37 am
“Old South” in Smyrna..better than any listed so far!!!
LISA
April 27th, 2010
8:37 am
OLD SOUTH BAR B QUE, SMYRNA
Critic
April 27th, 2010
8:38 am
Old Hickory House-Northlake Pkwy.
Deb
April 27th, 2010
8:41 am
It has to be Wallace’s in Austell. No one does brunswick stew or bar-b-que of any kind like they do.
Jane
April 27th, 2010
8:42 am
Old South BBQ at Windy Hill Rd and South Cobb Drive!
No Chains!
April 27th, 2010
8:42 am
Shane’s—not serious barbecue. The local places make the best.
Yep
April 27th, 2010
8:43 am
Either Wallace Barbeque in Austell or Hudson’s in Douglasville. Both of these restaurant’s stew is made by the same person, a member of the Wallace family. Shhh! it is suppose to be a secret. My family drives over 100 miles round trip to eat at Wallace Barbeque once or twice a year, which serves the best ‘Que in town in my opinion. Both serve great stew!!
Dixigoddess
April 27th, 2010
8:43 am
Pig N Chik stew is awful; they should stick to other things. BEST stew by far – OLD HICKORY HOUSE, TUCKER. I was raised on the stuff, and drive over 20 miles just to get it now!
Darktoaser
April 27th, 2010
8:44 am
I really like it at Pig N Chik even though it is a bit less traditional there.
mimi
April 27th, 2010
8:47 am
I agree that Harold’s is best (particularly with their cracklin’ cornbread; Old Brick Pit’s is very good too.
Kristie
April 27th, 2010
8:47 am
My Dad’s Jesse M. Parker!!
Bunny
April 27th, 2010
8:48 am
Manuals.
CaptSteve
April 27th, 2010
8:48 am
hands down, Wilkes Meat Market, Washington Ga
Chefmws
April 27th, 2010
8:48 am
JR’s BBQ in Norcross has the absolutly the best stew anywhere.
24Savannah
April 27th, 2010
8:49 am
Fresh Air BBQ of course!
Get Real
April 27th, 2010
8:55 am
Harold”s with cracklin cornbread!
Mr. T
April 27th, 2010
8:56 am
Harold’s is great. Not seeing enough votes on here for Daddy D’z…their stew is great. Anyone who says Fox Bros needs to see a doctor…they probably have an aneurysm.
Al
April 27th, 2010
8:57 am
fresh air in jackson
Butch
April 27th, 2010
8:58 am
Definately Harold’s.
Tom
April 27th, 2010
8:58 am
Anyone who says either Shanes or Jim n Nicks is a yankee and gets their fried chicken at KFC. Wallaces in Austell, Harolds and Old Hickory House are 1,2 & 3 on any given day in any order you like.
Maddog
April 27th, 2010
9:00 am
Hey, there is great stew all over but the archetypal Atlanta Georgia brunswick stew can be found and always has been found at The Old Hickory House, now in Tucker.
foodfight
April 27th, 2010
9:00 am
There aint nothin good from Shame”s. Try Old South on Windy Hill in Smyrna. Great!
BBQ expert
April 27th, 2010
9:04 am
Harold’s is by far the best! We buy it by the gallon!
three jack
April 27th, 2010
9:06 am
Fat Matt’s…and anybody who lists Shane’s for anything relating to bbq must be a damn yankee!
Doraville
April 27th, 2010
9:07 am
1. Oak Grove Market on Lavista
2. Old Brick Pit on Peachtree Ind.
3. Brick Store Pub in Decatur
JackyLew
April 27th, 2010
9:08 am
Go to Melears in Fayetteville and get order of stew with pork in it along with a pulled pork sandwich. Wonderful. Harold’s Stew is watery to me and they sure are stingy with their cracklin’s. When I make it at home, I put a full cup to to ingredients to fill two 8 inch Lodge Cast Iron Pancake Griddles – Lots of crust, Lots of cracklin’s. In Northeast Georgia on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the Barbeque Shack is very good with one refill on slaw and stew and you can order pulled pork or chopped.
Larry M
April 27th, 2010
9:09 am
In Metro Atlanta, there are only three viable choices for Brunswick stew: Harold’s, Old Brick Pit in Chamblee, and Old Hickory House in Tucker. All three of those are co-equal number ones in my book. Everywhere else has problems, either too thick, too chunky, or not enough tomatoes.
Those of you saying “Shane’s” or “Fox Brothers” – my god, please stop embarrassing yourselves by displaying your complete lack of barbecue and Brunswick stew knowledge.
droopydawg
April 27th, 2010
9:09 am
Harold’s by a country mile. It is definitely not the best BBQ, but the Brunswick stew and cracklin’ cornbread are out of this world.
Ken
April 27th, 2010
9:10 am
After reading some comments, I’m not sure many of you know what Brunswick stew is. Find out at Harold’s.
cue meister
April 27th, 2010
9:11 am
shanes *^??&? are you kidding…. please move back to the north. low country barbecue..gross they buy their stew from a distributer..it comes in a frozen container. Now, the real deal is Smokehouse it’s homeade and rocks..
Yep
April 27th, 2010
9:13 am
I have to agree with Tom about yankees choosing Shane’s or Jim & Nicks. Both of these chains serve a homogenized soup-like stew made by ex-McDonalds employees, which is neither southern or good. You can add Slope’s to that list as well. My rule for barbeque is that if it ain’t been in the family for at least two generations, it most likely is not worth mention.
ole smokey
April 27th, 2010
9:13 am
HAROLDS…. Period
Karebear
April 27th, 2010
9:13 am
Completely agree – Wallace’s in Austell, GA – Have lived all over the country and nothing compares!! The chain stuff is just wrong.
Aimee
April 27th, 2010
9:14 am
BrickStore Pub on the Decatur Square… hands down the best Brunswick stew I have ever had.
Ron
April 27th, 2010
9:18 am
Not exactly in Metro Atlanta, but definitly worth the trip, the stew at the Brunswick Stewbilee which has a new date, November 6, 2010. So many variations, and so good. A great stew from Atlanta is Mrs. T’s.
Kelly
April 27th, 2010
9:18 am
Cafe Pig in Peachtree City!