Fly from Miami to Raleigh-Durham with the primary goal of visiting a barbecue joint that's a…read morethree-hour round-trip drive away, located in a small town with virtually nothing else to see, and you'll understand how I view food experiences. There was a very real risk of wasting an entire day. Thankfully, Skylight Inn delivered in a big way. First, this is the kind of place that attracts everyone: police officers, construction workers, families, businesspeople in suits, and that's just on a weekday. That's always a good sign and something I love to see. Their whole hog Eastern North Carolina barbecue was absolutely worth the effort. It was incredibly flavorful and packed with texture. The crispy skin is expertly mixed throughout the meat, alongside moist pork and just enough rendered fat to create a perfect balance. Every bite had something different going on. The sweet tea was excellent, the slaw was solid, and the picnic-style potato salad hit the spot. The cornbread, however, deserves special mention. Unlike what most people think of as cornbread today, Skylight's version is made with only stone-ground cornmeal, water, salt, and pork drippings. It's dense, chewy, and rustic. No wheat flour, no sugar, and no fluffy crumb. It may not be everyone's favorite, but it's a fascinating piece of barbecue history, and I respect that they're still making it the traditional way. I came. I saw. I ate. Then I bought three pounds to go and grabbed a T-shirt on my way out. That's about as strong an endorsement as I can give. PS.....Walking the grounds is fun as well.

I'm from out of town and my son who lives in Raleigh really wanted me to go here so we drove almost…read morean hr and a half to go here, and I'm so glad we did. It was a Thursday and very busy but no so busy we had to wait very long. Just good to see all kind of people really for some BBQ. The food was fantastic and I loved the sides. I'm a big Cole slaw fan and this was very finely shopped up slaw with amazing flavor. They leave the crispy skin in the pork to give you these little yummy surprises as you eat. Plenty of room in the dinning area and a covered outdoor picnic table area.

Ribs were fine, sauce smoky but plain, salad fresh. Overall acceptable but forgettable, a fair…read morethree-star dinner.

Stopped in after a funeral and was really pleased to have delicious food. I had the ribeye sandwich…read moreit hit the spot and the green beans were great. I cleaned my plate and will definitely be returning. I don't live in the area but I told my sister about it and would love to pick up some cuts of meat sometimes. Good butcher shops are hard to find.

This place is the bomb. Be sure to bring cash. The food is super, served quickly and never too…read morecrowded.

So my wife and I were on a trip to Florida and passed through central NC. We were hungry and I knew…read morethere should be some bbq joints on our way. We googled around and found this place. Very old school NC bbq. We had pulled pork and beans Cole slaw and cornbread. Great combo for like $9 cash! They also had brisket and ribs. Definitely worth a try if you're in the area.

Best barbecue (and carrot cake) in North Carolina. Service is friendly and fast, food is even…read morebetter!

Authentic NC BBQ experience. Small place you can drive right past -- we did! Delicious smokey…read moresmell as soon as you open the car door. Simple menu. We all got pulled pork BBQ sandwich meal. BBQ is just classic NC greatness! Sides were good - like home. Service fast and friendly. We had our food on the table 10 minutes after sitting down. I asked about their smoking process, and the guy at the counter said, "you wanna see it?". YES! Very unique, unimpressive... yet so cool. We will absolutely be back!

Driving from Virginia Beach to North Carolina. Wanted to try eastern Carolina bbq. Had to take a…read moredetour to get here, but it was worth it. As soon as we walked up one the Pitt masters invited us in the back and showed us all the pits. We got to see the "whole hog" on the smoker. Then we ate the Chopped bbq. with a little of both the bbq and the vinegar sauces was good. Collard greens were tasty. But the pitt masters told us he liked the smoked turkey so we had to try it. I'm not a fan of turkey and this was excellent. Super tasty and moist. Only mistake was the cornbread. It's not your typical cornbread. We also had the sweet potato muffin which is a must try.

We love good Carolina BBQ and when in Winterville, decided to try Sam Jones BBQ. Very glad we did…read more The location is clean, bright and fun. Great decor with country antique vibes. You walk right past the giant smokers to go in. Order and pay at the counter and food is delivered to the table. Great choices of sides and several sauces on tables. The good is great and slaw and BBQ was delicious! We're loving our BBQ trek across North Carolina.

We were greeted with smiles and a warm welcome. The bbq was amazing!! We had the pork sandwich with…read moreslaw and half bbq chicken plate. The chicken was super moist and the sandwich was delicious. The banana pudding was the BEST we have ever had!!!

Excellent NC style BBQ. we had full slab of ribs and pound of chopped pork. I had never tried…read morethe vinegar style sauce which was good. Home style cooking. Most highly recommended. About 40 minutes off I95.

My place of employment (750 people) had a catered event 5/20/2026. We have one every year and the…read moreBBQ restaurants we've had previously have had more complaints than compliments. So, this year we tried someone new. Marty's. The food was exceptionally made. I ate things I normally haven't liked all my life, tried it, and fell in love and wanted MORE! My favorite was the BBQ pork! Are you kidding me? And then add their sauce on top.....COME ON......I was FLOORED! I am hoping with all my might there is some extra we can take home. However, I doubt it because everyone ate UP! The service was great. Very accommodating and professional. I hope we will continue to use them!

We were traveling south and were interested in sampling some BBQ for lunch. We came upon this…read moreplace and found it to be quite popular with the locals as there was a line around the block for the drive through. So we thought we would give it a try. The good news ... from what they had to offer, the food was quite tasty. The bad news ... the offerings were limited. From what we saw on the menu, it seemed to be mostly chicken (with a lot of it fried) and some chopped pork. Now I know this is the Carolinas so brisket may not be an option. But the pig is so revered I thought we would see that offered a number of ways, and at least see some baby back ribs on the menu. Not sure this place is named properly as I expected to see more BBQ than anything else on the menu, and that is simply not the case.

There's a line...let me jump in!…read more Yep that's literarily how I found this spot...I was driving back to Charlotte after my half marathon...saw a line, pulled over and stood in the hour long line, happy as a 4 year old with a lollipop with my bag of BBQ. This is a carry out or eat outside spot. The line was long, but they said it was because the chicken wasn't ready. They serve Carolina vinegar based "sauce". This was the most different part for me as I'm from Indiana and have never had vinegar based sauce. All in all it was very good and I completely understand why it has been a community staple.

Things to know before going: 1) Cash only…read more2) Take-out only. There are a few tables outside, though. 3) Get there early, as in 9:30 or 10am. When they sell out, they close. If you wait until normal lunchtime you may very well be out of luck. So, the food. If you don't like Eastern Carolina style vinegar based whole hog bbq you will not like B's. Therefore no complaints about "sour" sauce, "tasteless" boiled potatoes, strange "potato sticks," or lack of sugary sweet tomato sauces will be tolerated. The cue is slow cooked over charcoal. Today the texture was a bit tougher than ideal but the flavor was pretty good and the chicken was very good, moist, tender, and flavorful. The sides are unremarkable but just fine. I'm normally not a big fan of the east of Wilson area corn sticks (give me hush puppies and honey butter any day) but B's are among the better ones. Prices remain more than reasonable and servings are generous.

GoldBelly delivery of Kings BBQ. Poorly packaged caused the food to become thawed. So the Pig Out…read moreParty that serves 12 had to eaten in a weekend! The ribs were dry and slightly chewy the cider bbq sauce was just ok. The pulled pork had too much vinegar The hush puppies were dense and doughy Considering the cost, I would never order again

Takes an hour for our food to arrive after the order is placed. Food is ok but not worth the wait…read more The PA system is loud and jaring. Been customers for years but won't be back til service improves if then. Different wait staff each visit now. That should tell you something .

Excellent food, bbq pulled pork and roast chicken. All the sides were great and the service was…read morefast and they helped me to the car with the large order. Nice people

Lovely home style eastern NC style BBQ place!…read more Loved the sweet service and the kind staff who explained menu items we had questions about. The Cole slaw complimented the vinegar style chopped eastern nc style pork. Had fries and the special side of yams for the weekend and both were good! It's not a large place but comfortable and would stop by again if driving through the area!