Blue Pit BBQ, located in Hampden, has anything and everything to make you feel right at home. The dim-lit and cozy atmosphere invites you in on these cold winter days, and their comfort food menu is truly to die for.
Our favorite part? Blue Pit BBQ gets its name from Blue Pit Bulls and Pit barbecue and is entirely dog-friendly. The restaurant’s mascot Sakai, a blue pitbull, can be found modeling all over the walls along with different postings about animal adoption opportunities. Blue Pit BBQ has an outdoor patio in the back, and they continuously partner with organizations such as BARCS, SPCA, and Moveable Feast to make Baltimore better. BARCS and SPCA are both animal shelters that work to improve the lives of animals and people in the Baltimore community. Moveable Feast is a fantastic nonprofit that serves meals to people living with life-threatening illnesses to foster a better sense of community.
We went for dinner and got two 1-meat plates, which was the perfect amount of food. Our waitress was extremely helpful with recommendations, and the locals had some great tips as well. The first round included 18-hour pit-cooked pulled pork with sides of red chili mayo slaw, mac and cheese, pickles, and cornbread. The pulled pork was juicy and shredded to perfection. We seriously couldn’t get enough. We loved how the slaw paired with the meal, and the four-cheese mac and cheese exceeded all expectations.
One of our favorite things about Blue Pit was the array of sauces that we were able to test out on each meat. Each table comes with its own cart so customers are allowed to experiment and try the unique flavors. We loved the presentation of the sauces and the variety in each one. After careful consideration, we felt that the classic barbecue paired the best with the pulled pork.
The second round included Zeke’s coffee-rubbed brisket, loaded potato salad, mac and cheese, pickles, and cornbread. Zeke's Coffee is a local brand and a Baltimore favorite, so seeing this partnership was great. The brisket was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, making it easy to cut and pair with each of our sides. The potato salad was a classic barbecue staple, and the surprise of bacon mixed into it was awesome. An added bonus? Blue Pit has plenty of gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian options that make for a menu that any foodie can enjoy.
While we didn’t branch out into tasting the various cocktails on the menu, we did love to hear that Blue Pit has happy hour all night on Mondays and Tuesdays as well as various times throughout the week. Blue Pit also has a whiskey of the week, where $1 of each sale goes straight to BARCS, Baltimore Animal Rescue, and Care Shelter. Blue Pit loves supporting local organizations ranging from animal rescue to whiskey and liquor, and we loved understanding how they continuously support Baltimore businesses in everything that they do.
A restaurant with a great mission and great food, Blue Pit BBQ is definitely a spot that we will be revisiting.
We left Blue Pit BBQ warm and happy, and had such a great time tasting their menu and getting to know the local Hampden scene.