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Events and things to do in North Carolina, with dates, prices and drive times checked at the source.

Where to Eat Barbecue in North Carolina

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Where To Eat › Barbecue › Where To Eat Barbecue

Short answer: 20 North Carolina barbecue places, grouped Eastern, Lexington-Piedmont and newer styles, each linked to its own website with the days and hours it printed on November 4, 2026. Ten more stops from the 2021 Historic Barbecue Trail list have no website we could read, so they are named without hours.

A red basket of chopped smoked pork with red slaw, hush puppies and a cup of vinegar pepper sauce on a steel counter

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  • 20Places listedopen, per their own sites
  • 8On the 2021 trail listopen and on the society list
  • 18With hours readas of November 4, 2026
  • 4Closedon our closed tracker

How we checked: each place’s own website for its address, hours and style words, the 2021 North Carolina Barbecue Society trail list (archived copy) and the state tourism barbecue list. All read on November 4, 2026. Hours, prices and dates change, so confirm with the place or organizer before you drive. Anything we could not read is marked Not confirmed where it appears. Coordinates on the map come from OpenStreetMap searches of each printed address. We rank nothing: no source we used ranks these places, and we did not taste, rate or compare them. Nobody paid to be listed.

Use this list with the styles page: the Eastern places cook whole hog or say they cook Eastern style, the Lexington places cook shoulder with red dip, and the third group mixes styles. We have not been to these places and we rank nothing.

The Historic Barbecue Trail List

The North Carolina Barbecue Society kept a Historic Barbecue Trail of long-running places. Its own web address is now a parked page, so the newest copy we could read is the society’s trail page as the Internet Archive saved it on August 1, 2021, marked “Revised 6/21/2021.” It names 20 places. We list a trail stop below only when its own site is live today: 8 are. The state tourism office’s barbecue list names many of the same places alongside newer ones, without calling them trail stops. List last checked November 4, 2026.

Trail Stops With No Website We Could Read

These may well be open. We could not read their own site, so we do not list hours. Call or check their social pages before you drive.

  • Stephenson’s BarbecueWillow Spring. On the 2021 trail list. No official website found today, so no hours or address from the place itself Not confirmed
  • Bum’s RestaurantAyden. On the 2021 trail list. No official website found today, so no hours or address from the place itself Not confirmed
  • B’s BarbecueGreenville. On the 2021 trail list. No official website found today, so no hours or address from the place itself Not confirmed
  • Grady’s BarbecueDudley. On the 2021 trail list. No official website found today, so no hours or address from the place itself Not confirmed
  • Fuzzy’s Bar-B-QMadison. On the 2021 trail list. No official website found today, so no hours or address from the place itself Not confirmed
  • Real QWinston-Salem. On the 2021 trail list. No official website found today, so no hours or address from the place itself Not confirmed
  • M&K Barbecue & Country CookingGranite Quarry. On the 2021 trail list. No official website found today, so no hours or address from the place itself Not confirmed
  • Bar-B-Q KingLincolnton. On the 2021 trail list. No official website found today, so no hours or address from the place itself Not confirmed
  • Switzerland CaféLittle Switzerland. On the 2021 trail list. No official website found today, so no hours or address from the place itself Not confirmed
  • Herb’s Pit Bar-B-QueMurphy. On the 2021 trail list. No official website found today, so no hours or address from the place itself Not confirmed

Eastern Style: Whole Hog, Vinegar and Pepper

Coastal Plain and Triangle places. Where a place describes its own style, its words are quoted.

  • Skylight Inn BBQAyden4618 Lee St., Ayden, NC 28513. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Open Monday – Saturday 10 am to 7 pm – Closed Sunday. Confirm before you drive. Opened 1947 (site: “Since 1947”), per the place. On the 2021 Historic Barbecue Trail list. Style grouping is ours, not the place’s Not confirmed
  • Wilber’s BarbecueGoldsboro4172 US-70 Goldsboro, NC 27534. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Wednesday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Confirm before you drive. In its own words: “Eastern nc whole hog barbecue; whole hogs cooked all-night over oak embers”. On the 2021 Historic Barbecue Trail list.
  • Clyde Cooper’s BarbecueRaleighRaleigh. Street address: not on the pages we read Not confirmed Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: MONDAY 11am til 5pm; TUESDAY-SATURDAY 11am-8pm; SUNDAY 11am-5pm (site note: check Google, they sometimes sell out early). Confirm before you drive. Its site does not print a current street address Not confirmed The site says to check before you go because it sometimes sells out early. In its own words: “Eastern NC BBQ | Since 1938”. Opened 1938, per the place.
  • Sam Jones BBQ (Raleigh)Raleigh502 W Lenoir St, Raleigh, NC 27601. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Monday to Saturday 11am to 9pm; Sunday 11am to 8:30pm. Confirm before you drive. In its own words: “slow-smoked over Carolina oak”.
  • The Pit Authentic BarbecueRaleigh328 West Davie St. Raleigh, NC 27601. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: not printed on its own site Not confirmed In its own words: “authentic whole-hog, pit-cooked barbecue”. Style grouping is ours, not the place’s Not confirmed
  • Parker’s Barbecue (The Original Parker’s BBQ of Wilson)Wilson2514 US Hwy 301 South, Wilson, NC 27893. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Dine In: 9am – 7pm; Take Out: 9am – 7:30pm (days not stated). Confirm before you drive. The site prints two ZIP codes (27893 and 27896) Not confirmed In its own words: “eastern Carolina barbecue, chicken and more”. Opened 1946, per the place.
  • Sam Jones BBQ (Winterville)Winterville715 West Fire Tower Road, Winterville, NC 28590. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Monday to Saturday 11am to 9pm; Sunday 11am to 8:30pm. Confirm before you drive. In its own words: “WOOD-FIRED WHOLE HOG BBQ; whole hogs are smoked on site, chopped”. Opened 2015 (opened November 10, 2015), per the place.

Lexington and Piedmont Style: Shoulder and Red Dip

Piedmont and western places. Where a place describes its own style, its words are quoted.

  • Hursey’s Bar-B-Q (South Church Street)Burlington1834 S Church St, Burlington, NC 27215. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. at South Church Street; days not stated Not confirmed. Confirm before you drive. Hursey’s lists other locations in Burlington, Graham and Mebane; the 2021 trail list names Hursey’s in Burlington without saying which location. In its own words: “Pit Cooked Over Hickory Coals; The Old-Fashioned Way Since 1949”. Opened 1949, per the place. On the 2021 Historic Barbecue Trail list. Style grouping is ours, not the place’s Not confirmed
  • Little Richard’s BBQ (Clemmons)Clemmons6470 Stadium Dr, Clemmons, NC 27012. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Monday – Saturday 11am – 9pm; Closed on Sundays. Confirm before you drive. In its own words: “Hickory-Smoked BBQ Since 1991”. Opened 1991, per the place. Style grouping is ours, not the place’s Not confirmed
  • Stamey’s BarbecueGreensboro2206 West Gate City Boulevard, Greensboro, NC 27403. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Monday to Saturday 11Am-9pm; Closed Sunday; Drive Thru Opens at 10:30AM. Confirm before you drive. In its own words: “Lexington-style pit cooked exclusively over hardwood coals”. Opened 1930, per the place. On the 2021 Historic Barbecue Trail list.
  • Barbecue CenterLexington900 North Main Street, Lexington, NC 27292. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Mon-Saturday 11 am until 9 pm. Closed on Sundays. Confirm before you drive. In its own words: “Serving Lexington, NC, Since 1955”. Opened 1955, per the place. On the 2021 Historic Barbecue Trail list. Style grouping is ours, not the place’s Not confirmed
  • Lexington BarbecueLexington100 Smokehouse Lane, Lexington, NC 27295. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Tuesday–Saturday 10am–9pm; Sunday & Monday closed. Holiday closures: February 15 – 23, 2026; June 28 – July 6, 2026; December 25 – 26, 2026. Confirm before you drive. In its own words: “Home of the True Western-Style Carolina BBQ”. Opened 1962, per the place.
  • Red Bridges Barbecue LodgeShelby2000 East Dixon Boulevard, Shelby, NC 28150. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Wednesday-Saturday: 11AM – 7PM; Sunday: 11AM – 3PM. Confirm before you drive. In its own words: “Pit-Cooked Fresh Since 1946”. Opened 1946, per the place. On the 2021 Historic Barbecue Trail list. Style grouping is ours, not the place’s Not confirmed

Newer and Mixed Styles

Places that cook more than one style, or a style from outside the state, in their own words where they give them.

  • The Pik N PigCarthage194 Gilliam McConnell Rd, Carthage, NC 28327. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: not printed on its own site Not confirmed In its own words: “Boston butts … slow smoked for up to 10 hours over sweet hickory coal”. On the 2021 Historic Barbecue Trail list. Style grouping is ours, not the place’s Not confirmed
  • Dampf Good BBQCary6800 Good Hope Church rd. Cary NC 27519. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Wed- 11am-4:30pm; Thur- Fri 11am-7pm; Sat – 11AM – 6pm. Confirm before you drive. The site’s page text says 6800 Good Hope Church Road but its page code says 6720 Not confirmed In its own words: “Smoked for 15 hours over oak wood.”. Style grouping is ours, not the place’s Not confirmed
  • Lawrence BarbecueCary150 East Cedar Street, Cary NC. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: MON-TUES CLOSED; WED-SUN 11am-9pm. Confirm before you drive. It moved from Durham to downtown Cary in late 2025, per Raleigh Magazine. Style grouping is ours, not the place’s Not confirmed
  • Hubba Hubba SmokehouseFlat Rock2724 Greenville Hwy, Flat Rock, NC 28731. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Monday, Thursday & Sunday: 11 am to 3 pm; Friday & Saturday: 11 am to 7 pm; Tuesday & Wednesday: Closed. Closed Mon Nov 2 – Thu Nov 5 (moving indoors); reopens Friday Nov 6, 11 am. Confirm before you drive. Its site says it is moving indoors for winter to the former Hubbaloo building on Little Rainbow Row from Friday, November 6, 2026, and was closed November 2-5 for the move. The map pin is the old street address. In its own words: “wood-fired BBQ”. On the 2021 Historic Barbecue Trail list. Style grouping is ours, not the place’s Not confirmed
  • Prime BarbecueKnightdale403 Knightdale Station Run, Knightdale, NC 27545. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Tuesday – Saturday 11:00am – Sell Out. Confirm before you drive. In its own words: “Sat: Chopped Whole Hog Lechon; ‘A New Grade of Barbecue’”. Style grouping is ours, not the place’s Not confirmed
  • Jon G’s BarbecuePeachland116 Glenn Falls Street, Peachland, NC 28133. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: SATURDAYS 11am–Sold Out. Confirm before you drive. In its own words: “A Texas tradition in a small North Carolina town.”.
  • Ole Time BarbecueRaleigh6309 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC 27606. Days and hours, as of November 4, 2026: Mon-Sat 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM; Sun Closed. Confirm before you drive. In its own words: “chopped pork barbecue, BBQ chicken, fried chicken”. Opened 1993, per the place. Style grouping is ours, not the place’s Not confirmed

Closed Places We Left Off

These are not in the list above. Each is on the closed, renamed and moved tracker with its source: Smiley’s Lexington BBQ (Lexington), reported closed in 2022 by a barbecue blog only Not confirmed; Richard’s Bar-B-Q (Salisbury), closed in July 2022, per the Salisbury Post; Wink’s King of Barbeque (Salisbury), closed in 2020, per the Salisbury Post; Buxton Hall Barbecue (Asheville), its own site says permanently closed (last day November 22, 2023).

Map of Barbecue Places

18 of 20 places are pinned. Tap a pin for the page and directions. Dashed pins were placed from the street address we printed and are approximate. © OpenStreetMap contributors. Confirm the spot on the official page before you drive.

Not pinned (no confirmed location yet): Jon G's Barbecue, Clyde Cooper's Barbecue.

What We Could Not Confirm

  • Which style a place cooks, when the place does not say so itself: we grouped those by region and marked them. Not confirmed
  • Hours for places that do not print them, and the days for places that print hours without days. Not confirmed
  • Whether the ten trail stops with no website are open today. Not confirmed
  • Speedy’s Barbecue in Lexington: the Visit Lexington list gives 408 Piedmont Drive, but its own web address is for sale, so we did not list hours. Not confirmed
  • Allen & Son in Pittsboro: no website we could read (the Chapel Hill original closed in 2018, per ABC11). Not confirmed
  • Short Sugar’s in Reidsville and Smiley’s in Lexington: reported closed by blogs, not by the places or a news outlet. Not confirmed
  • James Beard “America’s Classics” awards for North Carolina barbecue places: the award site did not show results to our reader, so we name none. Not confirmed

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a ranking?

No. We list places whose own websites we could read, grouped by the style they describe. No source we used ranks them, and nobody paid to be listed.

Why is a famous place missing?

Either we could not read its own website, or it has closed. Trail stops with no website are named in the trail section; closed places are on our closed, renamed and moved tracker. Know a place’s official site? Tell us.

Which places are open on Sunday?

From the sites we read: Wilber’s (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.), Sam Jones in Winterville and Raleigh, Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.), Lawrence Barbecue and Hubba Hubba Smokehouse list Sunday hours. Skylight Inn, Stamey’s, Barbecue Center, Lexington Barbecue, Ole Time and Little Richard’s in Clemmons list Sunday as closed.

More Barbecue Pages

Sources

  1. North Carolina Barbecue Society, Historic Barbecue Trail page, revised June 21, 2021 (Internet Archive copy captured August 1, 2021), read November 4, 2026 (the society’s own web address is now a parked page, so we link the archived copy)
  2. Visit North Carolina, barbecue list, read November 4, 2026 (state tourism list; it mixes trail stops with newer places)
  3. Skylight Inn BBQ, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
  4. Wilber’s Barbecue, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
  5. The Pik N Pig, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
  6. Hursey’s Bar-B-Q (South Church Street), read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
  7. Stamey’s Barbecue, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
  8. Barbecue Center, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
  9. Red Bridges Barbecue Lodge, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
  10. Hubba Hubba Smokehouse, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
  11. Lexington Barbecue, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
  12. Parker’s Barbecue (The Original Parker’s BBQ of Wilson), read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
  13. Sam Jones BBQ (Winterville), read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
  14. Sam Jones BBQ (Raleigh), read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
  15. Prime Barbecue, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
  16. Lawrence Barbecue, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
  17. Jon G’s Barbecue, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
  18. Clyde Cooper’s Barbecue, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
  19. Ole Time Barbecue, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
  20. The Pit Authentic Barbecue, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
  21. Little Richard’s BBQ (Clemmons), read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
  22. Dampf Good BBQ, read November 4, 2026 (address, hours, style)
  23. Salisbury Post, Richard’s Bar-B-Que to close (July 3, 2022), read November 4, 2026 (closure)
  24. Salisbury Post, Wink’s Barbecue calls it quits (June 20, 2020), read November 4, 2026 (closure)
  25. Buxton Hall Barbecue, read November 4, 2026 (says permanently closed)
  26. Raleigh Magazine, November 2025 (Lawrence Barbecue move to Cary), read November 4, 2026 (move)
  27. ABC11, Allen & Son Chapel Hill closes (2018), read November 4, 2026 (closure)
  28. Visit Lexington, barbecue, read November 4, 2026 (Lexington list)

How we check: editorial standards. Spot a mistake or a closure? Tell us.

Cite this page: It's North Carolina, “Where to Eat Barbecue in North Carolina”, itsnorthcarolina.com/barbecue/restaurants/ (updated ). By the It's North Carolina editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.

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Printed from itsnorthcarolina.com on . Hours, prices and dates can change, so check with the venue before you go.