#simpsmemories

[simpsbbq]

"I grew up 3 miles from Simps. That was a regular Saturday Lunch stop and to this day I still have cravings for a sliced BBQ sandwich w/ cole slaw, fries and a coke in a glass bottle. YUM!"

J.A.

[simpsbbq]

The only cultural attraction he ever ran across out west was Simp’s Barbecue which was on 64 just this side of Plymouth where you could still get Coca Cola in those little eight-ounce glass bottles they used to have when he was a kid. He can tell you that a Simp’s barbecue sandwich with slaw and a couple of those little cokes made a real gourmet breakfast...

Uncle Jack

[simpsbbq]

"I remember such small details inside this place. It's the first time I ever heard the song by the Beatles, "I wanna hold your hand"... at least that's the way i remember it.... I had a first date there.... can still smell and taste that lacey cornbread and pepsi in a bottle. Hmmmnnn. good stuff. And the barbeque was good too! On the way back from a Sunday afternoon at Sandy Point Beach. Life was simple and good."

C.H.

[simpsbbq]

"My personal memories of Simps are fond. It was the half way point from Ahoskie, my home town, and Nags Head. I usually went to the beach with a buddy and his family. We would leave Friday afternoons when his Dad finished work and stop at Simps for dinner. I remember there being a lot of overalls and blue hairs in the restaurant. We usually sat outside on a picnic table and ate which involved sweating and swatting flies but it was worth it to enjoy that delicious BBQ. The pit was behind the restaurant so the aroma was wonderful as well."

G.J.

[simpsbbq]

Hopes and Memories

My memories of Simp's are short, few, and far between.  I just remember always getting a pulled BBQ sandwich, squashed down flat, wrapped in wax paper.  I can remember what it felt like as I bit into it and what it tasted like.  The sandwich was so warm, soft, vinegary, smoky, and a hint of spice.  For most of my earlier years, that was basically the only BBQ that I ever ate, so to me, Simp's BBQ was the only BBQ.  I think that's why I clearly remember how it tasted, and I'm sure that it will always be my baseline for how I judge BBQ from other restaurants.  So far, no other restaurant has met my standards.

I didn't like coleslaw when I was younger, but I grew to love it and eventually started ordering my BBQ sandwich with slaw.  We often got BBQ by the pound to take to the Outer Banks, or to take home.  Although, it never tasted as good reheated as it did fresh.

My dad was convinced that the people working there always laughed at him when he went in.  Maybe it had something to do with Rachel Simpson thinking he was a famous politician in Raleigh.  When she asked him this, he assured her that was just a regular guy.

I don't specifically remember how I learned that it was closed, but I remember being very sad and disappointed.  For a few years, we kept driving by just to make sure they hadn't reopened.  Every time we passed by the old building, my heart sank a little further.

I hadn't been by there in years, and when I stopped there last weekend, I think I finally let go of that tiny bit of hope I'd been clinging onto for so long.  It felt almost like visiting the gravestone of a loved one.  

Yep, I guess it's really gone for good.  I guess.  But maybe one day, if I win the lottery...