The Pig

Lord Edwin Carreon

I really like The Pig. I’ve been 3 times (once pre-COVID-19 Pandemic and twice in the Pandemic) and have consistently enjoyed my experience. At its core, The Pig is a barbecue joint. It does offer some upscale and fancier items, which I like. The hi-low effect is well done at The Pig. The dining room is dimly lit and cozy with its wood booths and industrial finishes. The addition of the patio offers a more casual outdoor experience. Some of my favorite items include their St. Louis Smoked Ribs and Brisket Ragu. The ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender and perfectly smoked and sauced. Honestly, the side dishes are nice accompaniments, but don’t necessarily augment the dish. The Brisket Ragu is a perfect hi-low dish offering tender chunks of smoked brisket in a delicate, unctuous tomato and red wine sauce that beautifully coats chewy tagliatelle pasta. My favorite item on the menu is the Heritage Shank. (“12-hour confit pork shank, Yunnan potato puree, leafy spinach, roasted garlic and ginger gastric [sic].”) It’s a special dish that offers a generous portion of tender and juicy pork whose taste is amplified by the side dishes. The ginger gastrique is exceptional and balances the fatty richness of the pork. I will say, like many restaurants after these past two years, The Pig’s menu has shrunk. I really miss some of their signature items, like their bone marrow appetizer. They were unique, exceptionally delicious dishes that should return. Moreover, the portion sizes have definitely gotten smaller. Lastly, service 2/3 of the times I’ve been have been stellar, with attentive and kind wait staff. The other time I’ve been, our server was nice enough, but forgot several things we asked for (an alteration to a dish, ordering another drink, and bringing us more napkins).

Sam M

One of My favorite BBQ restaurants in DC. I visited this place several times and really had a great experience. This place could get pretty busy during the weekend dinner service, so I would definitely recommend making a reservation ahead of time. Inside of the restaurant was relatively clean and had enough seating for big groups. Pretty much all the dishes I tried here were delicious, but my favorite was pork chops and smoked ribs. They also have an extensive drink and dessert menu. I really loved their strawberry shortcake. It literally melts in your mouth. Servers were very friendly and attentive during the whole dinner. I highly recommend this restaurant for some good BBQ!

Justin W

One of my favourite places to eat in DC. No one makes pork like they do here. Highly recommend the face bacon as a starter- ridiculously rich, tender, and flavourful following either a generous roasting or braising and with a perfect crust on the outside from fry afterwards. Best to also get a salad in preparation for all the meat to come. The pork shank is a must order- their preparation of it changes from time to time I think but it is always delicious. The butcher’s block is also a great way to sample an array of their offerings including the amazing pulled pork, ribs, and sausage. The fried onions that came with the platter might have been the only miss of the night as they were soggy and under-seasoned- forgivable in light of everything else that was otherwise phenomenal. The service was excellent- our waitress was super friendly and ultra enthusiastic, to the point where she often came by before we even had a chance to start to ask us how the dishes were! Phenomenal place that I will probably come back to every time I’m back in the area. Highly recommend.

Denby Liu

Looking for an interesting place to eat, bumped across this restaurant. With a name of The Pig how could I not try it out? 😀 It wasn't too full when we first arrived there, around 6:30pm on a Saturday night, but it got much busier and louder by the time we left. Started off with some wine and a Shirley mocktail. The wine was fine and I liked the taste of the mocktail too. We split a beet salad as an appetizer, which was nice, but wish there was a higher beets to arugala ratio. That was followed by the heritage shank and the crackling pork belly. The heritage shank was very nicely done and we both enjoyed it. The pork belly was also good, though one criticism I would level is the crackling wasn't what I'm used to. But that's probably because I'm fond of the Chinese pork crackling style which is airy, crunchy and shatters as you chew it. The texture of this crackling is much thinner and more solid. I suspect the sauce applied to the top also made it less crunchy and tougher to chew/cut through. But this is just my style preference. We finished off with a gluten free brownie, which was slightly dry, but the ice cream and whipped cream helped moisten it. One thing I would have loved to try was the suckling pig, but you have to order ahead for that. Another time maybe! Service was efficient and friendly, with food served quickly, with the exception of the dessert, oddly. Though that could have been due to it getting busy at the end. Overall, liked the restaurant and the food.

Cris

I really enjoyed dining at the pig during my last trip to DC, the staff was nice and courteous, the food was delicious, with locally sourced ingredients and prepared with love and care. The restaurant is cozy and intimate. We did however have two problems. First, we ordered two sides that never made it to the table. Second, the fan over our heads forced us to keep the jackets on for the longest part of our dinner. A real shame, 'cause the food was really, really tasty. I loved the chicken above all, it was juicy and soft, the sauce delicate and delicious.