Skylight Inn BBQ

Visited in October 2014. Loved their passion about BBQ, and loved their food. It is still a family-owned restaurant that has been cooking whole hog barbecue over wood since 1947. Simple BBQ with modest prices.

Drove 45 minutes out of the way from our final destination to eat here & was not disappointed. In business for 76 years you just know it had to be great. Simple menu: whole hog or chicken & when it's done, it's done. Unfortunately, the chicken was done by the time we got there at 2pm but the chopped pork was fabulous. The baked beans were a chef's kiss.

Worth the hype! Some of the best BBQ I’ve ever had. Everyone working was so nice and gracious with me. Will definitely be back when in the area !

Best que. Whole hog and wood cooked. Pone excellent. Slaw on point. Nanna pudding could have more Nana's. Wish lived closer.

This is a no-frills country barbecue place. But, I have eaten a lot of pulled pork BBQ in North Carolina and this is the best, hands down, especially with their homemade barbecue sauce. The coleslaw was great, the cornbread slab was interesting but I also liked it. They have been making BBQ since 1947 and it shows. They were sold out of banana pudding so we had pineapple cake and it did not disappoint. I will definitely be back.

They have been around since 1947. That says it all. Some of the best Eastern NC style BBQ you will find.

Very friendly staff, if it's possible even friendly people in the dining room.

Bbq chicken and chopped whole hog. Side of beans and slaw, both sweet and unsweet tea (cut the sweet tea with the unsweet). Wife and daughter had a slice of cake for dessert. All incredible.

First timer! Excellent whole hog BBQ, & their sauce was the perfect complement. I also loved the sauce on the chicken. Really enjoyed their cornbread as well. No fuss, just great food. I will definitely be back!

Loved it! Pork was moist, a lite smoked flavor was perfect, and the chewy bits of pork skin were fantastic. The bread was completely different from anything I've ever had. It's my favorite North Carolina BBQ so far.

like the sign said established in 1947! Great whole hog barbeque.

I came to Eastern, NC to eat great BBQ and of the 5 places I ate, this was the top one by far. The pork was perfectly cooked and was still juicy and flavorful. Their sauce is top notch and I left with a major smile on my face.

The baked beans were also incredible.

It is highly recommended.

My bbq chicken was wonderful cornbread was the best I ever tasted from there everything 100 percent.

I made the BBQ pilgrimage to the Famous Skylight Inn last week. I pulled up and there isn’t a standard paved parking lot, but a lot of gravel and lots of cars parked randomly. Of course, the line was to the door, but it moved quickly. I got the pork, coleslaw and cornbread with a bottled cheerwine to drink. HOLY PIG! This pork is the real deal. No sauce needed and the skin mixed in gives it the signature taste. I was not disappointed at all! Sam Jones obviously is a master at cooking the pig! Well worth the 90 minute drive for me. It’s a great family road trip and the atmosphere is great. I will definitely try to make it out here at least once a year. Remember to bring cash to pay for this very reasonably priced and exceptional BBQ!

Food is always great, especially the oven cooked cornbread, chopped bbq with crispy skin & cold slaw is just the way I mix it at home, delicious. I go there two- three (2-3) times a month.

Learned about this place thanks to Vivian , Farmer and The Chef show .Really good pork Barbecue 😋 Bun was soft and fresh. Corn bread was warm and tasty. There was a non-stop line of people.

A classic institution in our part of North Carolina. Simple and good!

This is the holy grail of real whole hog eastern North Carolina barbecue. I drive 160 miles round trip to get here and it is worth every single mile! The best barbecue in the whole world!!

I got there 15 minutes before closing, but the guys behind the counter still set me up with the works. This was my fist taste of Carolina barbecue, and it did not disappoint! The whole-hog pulled pork had a juicy tender texture with a few crispy bits here and there, which formed the perfect canvas for their variety of vinegar sauces. The acidic kick was a welcome change from the Texas barbecue I'm used to. Definitely worth a stop if you're driving through the area.

If you’re looking for whole hog bbq perfection, look no further. This is a no-frills NC institution. The whole hog bbq has a great taste and has great crispy bits of skin cut in. The prices are fair, the portions are generous, and the food is great.

This was my very first visit to Skylight Inn BBQ in Ayden. I had passed by many times; however, it was never at meal time. My impression is that this restaurant has developed a formula for success that works extremely well. The pork barbecue is absolutely delicious. The flavor is so good and appetizing, that you will come back time and time again. There was two long lines of customers waiting to order food, but the lines moved rather quickly. The dining room was approximately half full of people, but it wasn't crowded at all.
I had a Barbecue Sandwich with cole slaw and a Pepsi-Cola. The sandwich was very tasty and had a hint of that smoky flavor that good barbecue is known for.
I strongly recommend that you take the time to go to Ayden, North Carolina and go to the Skylight Inn BBQ restaurant.
If you like pork barbecue then you'll love this place! They have a selection of other dishes that are equally delicious; however, I only tried the barbecue. So, obviously, I will be going back!