Skylight Inn BBQ

I eat here about once per week! It's a local favorite for many locals. When arrive, you see the White House capital building...your at the capital of BBQ! The Jones family has deep roots to Ayden, and to the legendary BBQ craft. The menu is simple...BBQ (pork) or BBQ Chicken, or mix it up. Baked beans are my favorite--sweet with meat combined into the beans. It's a meal by itself. The slaw is slightly sweet, but not strong vinegar (like some BBQ places). It goes well with the pork and on the sandwich. You have a choice of small/medium/large tray options. Comes with BBQ (pork), side, and a slab of cornbread. The cornbread is not a "hush puppy." It is a literal slab, oven baked, dense, but hearty. Honestly, you either love it or hate it. I like mine with a splash of Texas Pete. Go inside, wait in line (if not lined up outside), order at the counter. Hopefully you'll watch the men chop the pork right in front of you. The chopping is almost musical. Grab a drink (fountain or bottle) and don't forget the banana pudding or cake. Avoid the lunch rush (1130-1). It can be very busy and not enough seating inside. Take it out to the picnic area (left of the parking lot) or eat on the tailgate!

This was my first visit, based on a recommendation, and I'm so glad I stopped for lunch! I had the "medium" tray with a side of slaw, and it was a very generous portion. It's counter service, and there was a line to the front door when I arrived, but it moved quickly. Skylight Inn is about 90 minutes from home, but I wish it were closer!

This visit was a long time coming and we finally crossed it off our bucket list! My partner saw Skylight featured on a Munchies episode years ago and has since then tried hard to find a reason to go to NC to try it, so we figured why not just make a whole trip just for Skylight! It's a bit of a drive from Raleigh/Durham where we were staying but a nice way to get a mini road trip in. We really appreciated that they stay so true to the Carolina bbq method and walking around you can see the piles and piles of wood they use for smoking. We both got the whole hog bbq tray with cornbread and coleslaw and the banana pudding. Love the bbq and both sauces are uniquely delicious!! The sides were ok, cornbread was yum when hot but a bit oily when cold and the coleslaw had a bit of a strange texture to me, almost like it was pre-chewed, but just my interpretation. The banana pudding is very sweet, but nice to round out the meal.

Amazing BBQ, world renowned in fact. It's a local place in Ayden just off Hwy 11 bypass. Plenty of parking. They are famous for their slow cooked chopped bbq, when it's chopped some parts of the skin(crackling) are included. You can order trays, sandwiches which come with corn slaw, and a cornbread block. You can go wrong here and will leave fully content.

My son and I decided that we would make the pilgrimage to Ayden NC to taste the offerings of this iconic Eastern NC BBQ restaurant, then we will travel a few miles into the town and stop at Bum's, another venerable BBQ joint and more.A17-year-old named Walter B. "Pete" Jones began cooking whole hogs over hard wood at this location in 1947, becoming the cornerstone of Eastern style NC barbecue. Moore came from a long-time barbecue cooking family, beginning with his great-great-grandfather, who sold pork barbecue from a wagon beginning in the mid 1800's! References to whole hog cooking goes back as far as the early 1700's in North Carolina. This iconic BBQ restaurant is still going strong today operated by Pete's grandson, Sam Jones.This is a simple, worn, barebones barbecue joint with no table service, with a plain but serviceable dining area, built not for comfort but for eating. You order at the register and the food will come out quickly, grab it and head for a table. All the barbecued pork is chopped, and that means hand chopped. The pig is moist, nicely flavored from the hard wood smoke and the vinegar basting sauce, with crunchy pieces of pork skin included.Add the fresh, crunchy slaw with just the right amount of mayo, and a slab of rather dense, crunchy cornbread made with white cornmeal from a recipe dating to the 1800's, and you are good to go. There is a fine house made BBQ sauce on the tables, it is the best I've tasted, but only a small amount is needed.For me this is as good as it gets, and I've eaten pig at almost every Eastern barbecue restaurant, I just wish you could get sliced or coarse chopped here. Now on to Bum's, just a short drive down the road into Ayden.

For years I've read about Skylight in Southern Living and Garden and Gun. Many times well publicized restaurants fail to meet expectations, but Skylight exceeded them! Great crunch from the pork skin and the slaw. The cornbread reminded me of hot water cornbread. Great experience all around! Can't wait to come back!

The best BBQ you will ever eat and their sides are just as good. I highly recommend giving them a try. You will be surprised at the amount of BBQ they put on their sandwiches.

The best bbq in the state of North Carolina. The skin mixed in with the chopped pork makes the flavor extremely good. Add a side of sweet slaw or baked beans and enjoy.

What an interesting little spot. You feel like you are stepping back in time. The food was delicious, hot, and fresh. The staff was very friendly. The part I enjoyed the most!?! Watching them chop up the fresh BBQ in front of you. All the food is right there and you know what's available...We ordered a pint of bbq, slaw, and cornbread. Look, don't come here if you are on a health kick! Don't come here looking for anything fancy! Do NOT a come here looking for a lot of variety! It's a simple menu and it's country food at its finest lol Yep! That means the cornbread is skillet cooked and greasy. The meat is lean, smoked, not saucy, and fresh. They actually chop up fried pork skins into the chopped BBQ. The slaw is simple - don't look for no carrots! If you come with that in mind - you will leave satisfied.

Bought 3 lbs and two trays of bbq yesterday 8_3 2024 drove 180 miles round trip.bbq was old had been in refrigerator. Skins were like rubber been eating there since the 60s worst experience I ever had.spent $70and had to throw it all in the garbage