10 North Carolina BBQ Joints That Bring Sunday Supper Comfort All Week Long
Growing up in North Carolina, Sunday suppers meant one thing: slow-cooked barbecue that filled the air with smoky sweetness and brought the entire family together.
Plates were piled high, conversations flowed easily, and those meals became rituals of connection and tradition, the kind of comfort that feels like a warm hug from home.
The beauty of North Carolina is that you don’t have to wait for Sunday anymore—across the Tar Heel State, pitmasters are carrying on that legacy daily. These ten beloved BBQ joints serve up the same magic: tender meat, tangy sauce, and the timeless taste of true Carolina hospitality.
1. Skylight Inn BBQ
The wood smoke from Skylight Inn’s chimneys has been beckoning hungry folks to Ayden since 1947. My grandpa used to say you could smell the place before you could see it, and he wasn’t wrong!
Their whole-hog approach is gloriously simple – chopped pork with crispy bits mixed in, tangy vinegar sauce, and cornbread that’s dense enough to build a house with. The James Beard Foundation didn’t name them an “America’s Classic” for nothing.
Locals don’t mind the line or the basic counter service. When you’re serving BBQ this transcendent, fancy tablecloths would just get in the way of the experience.
2. Bum’s Restaurant
Whenever I need a taste of pure Southern comfort, I head straight to Bum’s. This family-run gem sits just a few blocks from Skylight Inn but carves its own legacy with cafeteria-style service that feels like being in your grandmother’s kitchen.
The pork is divine, but what truly sets Bum’s apart are their sides – collard greens cooked with fatback, candied yams that could pass for dessert, and cornbread that crumbles just right.
Owner Latham Dennis still chops wood for the pits himself, continuing traditions started by his father. Folks line up for the daily specials like chicken and pastry on Thursdays – proof that BBQ isn’t the only comfort food they’ve mastered.
3. Sam Jones BBQ
Sam Jones carries BBQ royalty in his blood as the grandson of Skylight Inn’s founder, but his namesake restaurants aren’t just riding on family reputation. I’ve watched him stoke fires at dawn, tending whole hogs with the reverence of a priest at altar.
His newer establishments brilliantly bridge the gap between old-school technique and modern dining expectations. The spacious, airy dining rooms with exposed wood beams feel both contemporary and timeless, much like the food itself.
The signature BBQ tray delivers that same Eastern NC magic but with elevated sides like salt-and-pepper sweet potatoes that make you question why anyone would add marshmallows. His grandmother’s banana pudding recipe remains untouched – some traditions need no improvement.
4. Allen & Son Barbecue
My first taste of Allen & Son came after a UNC basketball game twenty years ago. While the Tar Heels had won that night, my taste buds were the real champions once I bit into that hickory-smoked pork sandwich.
Keith Allen earned his legendary status by personally splitting every piece of hickory that fueled his pits for decades. The restaurant’s unassuming roadside appearance belies the culinary treasure inside – meat that achieves that perfect balance of smoke, spice, and vinegar tang.
Their homemade Brunswick stew simmers with history, and the scratch-made pies (especially the pecan when in season) have ended many friendly debates about which dessert reigns supreme in Carolina BBQ culture.
5. Stamey’s Barbecue
Walking into Stamey’s feels like stepping into a BBQ time capsule – in the best possible way. The knotty pine paneling and red-checkered tablecloths have witnessed countless family gatherings since 1930, including my parents’ first date!
Warner Stamey learned from Lexington’s BBQ originators before establishing his own legacy in Greensboro. The pork shoulders cook slowly over glowing hickory coals, developing that distinctive Piedmont-style flavor that balances smoke with a slightly sweeter tomato-vinegar sauce.
Their hushpuppies are legendary golden orbs of cornmeal perfection – crisp outside, fluffy inside, and impossible to stop eating. Located near the Greensboro Coliseum, it’s where locals fuel up before concerts and games.
6. Lexington Barbecue
Locals call it “The Monk” after founder Wayne Monk, but I call it BBQ nirvana. My first pilgrimage here happened during the annual Lexington Barbecue Festival, when this small town transforms into the epicenter of North Carolina’s heated BBQ debate.
Western-style (or Lexington-style) BBQ focuses exclusively on pork shoulders rather than whole hog, creating meat with deeper smoke penetration and that signature pink smoke ring. Their red slaw – cabbage dressed with that same ketchup-vinegar sauce that adorns the meat – creates perfect harmony on the plate.
The restaurant sits on a hill overlooking Lexington, a fitting throne for what many consider BBQ royalty. On Saturdays, the line stretches out the door, filled with locals and pilgrims seeking smoked meat transcendence.
7. Clyde Cooper’s BBQ
My grandmother worked downtown during Clyde Cooper’s early days and swore their BBQ was what got her through the Great Depression. While they’ve moved from their original location, the vintage photos and well-worn recipes made the journey too.
Eastern-style chopped pork remains the star, but their fried chicken gives the BBQ serious competition. The chicken arrives with skin so crisp it practically shatters, while remaining juicy inside – a testament to cooking techniques perfected over generations.
What I love most is their Brunswick stew, loaded with corn and lima beans in a tomato broth enriched with pork drippings. Sitting at their counter feels like joining a continuous conversation about Raleigh history, one delicious bite at a time.
8. Midwood Smokehouse
Whenever friends visit from out of state, Midwood Smokehouse bridges the gap between hardcore BBQ tradition and contemporary dining comfort. The brick-walled spaces with their long communal tables capture that Sunday supper feeling, even when you’re wearing work clothes on a Tuesday.
Owner Frank Scibelli studied under Texas BBQ legends before bringing those techniques home to Carolina. The result is a menu that respects tradition while embracing innovation – from perfectly executed Eastern NC pulled pork to brisket that would make Texans nod in approval.
Their smoked wings with Alabama white sauce converted my sauce-skeptic uncle, while their collard greens with bacon jam remind me of my mother’s kitchen – only better (don’t tell her I said that).
9. Hursey’s Bar-B-Q
My first Hursey’s experience came from their legendary BBQ sandwich at the NC State Fair. That taste memory led me straight to their Burlington restaurant, where three generations of the Hursey family have maintained their commitment to traditional pit-cooking.
Unlike many places that have switched to electric or gas smokers, Hursey’s still cooks over hardwood coals in brick pits. This method creates that distinctive flavor that can’t be replicated with shortcuts – smoky, tender pork that needs minimal sauce to shine.
Their Brunswick stew achieves that perfect consistency – not too thick, not too thin – with chunks of pork and vegetables that retain their identity rather than dissolving into mush. The banana pudding features those nostalgic vanilla wafers that somehow stay crisp despite the creamy surroundings.
10. Little Richard’s Bar-B-Que
After a Demon Deacons game one fall afternoon, my college roommate (a Winston-Salem native) insisted we skip the campus hangouts for Little Richard’s. “Trust me,” he said, and those words changed my BBQ life forever.
Their Lexington-style pork shoulder achieves that perfect balance of outside brown (the caramelized exterior) and tender interior meat. The slightly sweet red slaw provides the perfect counterpoint to the vinegar-tomato tang of the sauce, creating that harmony that defines Western NC barbecue.
What separates Little Richard’s from the pack is their attention to sides – from hand-breaded onion rings to banana pudding that tastes like it came straight from a church potluck. Their sweet tea comes in those giant plastic cups that seem to never empty – true Southern hospitality in liquid form.