Best BBQ in Fayetteville, NC: Eastern NC Barbecue (2026)

Eastern North Carolina barbecue means chopped pork dressed with a thin vinegar-and-pepper sauce and no tomato. The table below compares each restaurant, and the sections that follow explain what you are ordering, which places are worth the drive and which have closed.

Best BBQ in Fayetteville at a Glance

Restaurant	Fayetteville location(s)	Known for	Format	Source
Fuller's Old Fashion BBQ	113 N Eastern Blvd; 7735 Raeford Rd	Vinegar-sauced chopped pork, Lumbee-style sides	Buffet and plates	fullersbbq.com
The Barbeque Hut	2965 Owen Dr; 2802 Fort Bragg Rd	Pork plates and sandwiches, fried chicken	Counter and drive-through	bbqhutsfayettevillenc.com
Southern Coals	3319 C Raeford Rd	Ribs, pulled pork, brisket	Counter service, catering	southerncoals.com
Mission BBQ	1932 Skibo Rd	Brisket, multiple sauces	Chain counter service	mission-bbq.com
MJ's Smoke and Grill	2064 Strickland Bridge Rd	Smoked meat sandwiches, wings, breakfast	Small grill	mjssmokeandgrill.com

Eastern NC Barbecue: What You Are Ordering

Fayetteville sits in the Coastal Plain, so the default here is eastern-style barbecue. NCpedia's barbecue entry describes the oldest form of North Carolina barbecue as a split hog cooked over coals and basted with vinegar, red pepper and salt, and says a whole hog sopped with a vinegar-pepper sauce is still the favorite in the east. In the southeast of the state, cooks often add extras such as Worcestershire or a little sweetener to that vinegar base.

Western or Lexington-style barbecue, from the Piedmont, is different. NCpedia says it uses pork shoulders with a thin, tomato-based "dip," and its slaw is red rather than white.

	Eastern NC (Fayetteville)	Lexington / Piedmont
Cut	Whole hog, traditionally	Pork shoulder
Sauce	Vinegar, red pepper, salt	Vinegar with tomato or ketchup ("dip")
Texture	Usually finely chopped	Chopped or sliced
Slaw	White or yellow	Red, colored with dip

Few Fayetteville restaurants advertise cooking whole hogs today, so ask at the counter if that matters to you. The sauce, though, is reliably eastern. Brisket and ribs on many menus are Texas and Kansas City imports rather than local tradition.

Fayetteville BBQ Restaurants Worth the Drive

Fuller's Old Fashion BBQ: The Buffet Pick

Fuller's is a Lumbee family business. The Southern Foodways Alliance records that Fuller and Delora Locklear opened it near Lumberton in 1986. Their son Eric now runs it with family help, and the barbecue is served chopped and sliced with a vinegar-based sauce. The buffet carries traditional Lumbee dishes such as collards, cornbread and chicken and pastry. Fuller's says its daily lunch buffet includes vegetables, barbecue, steak, chicken, a salad bar, seafood and homemade desserts.

Fayetteville has two locations, per its locations page:

• Fayetteville 301, 113 N. Eastern Blvd. (I-95 Exit 49): Monday and Tuesday 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Wednesday 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Thursday 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Fayetteville 401, 7735 Raeford Rd.: Monday-Wednesday 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Thursday-Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

The Eastern Boulevard location is the easiest barbecue stop for I-95 travelers. The Raeford Road location suits families coming from western Fayetteville and Hoke County.

The Barbeque Hut: A Fayetteville Institution Since 1965

The Barbeque Hut dates to 1965 and runs two locations: 2965 Owen Drive and 2802 Fort Bragg Road. Its site says the barbecue is cooked and sliced at the Owen Drive location, and the menu also includes fried chicken and fish. It also says Fayetteville Observer readers voted it the city's best barbecue in 27 of 31 years since 1995.

• Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., closed Sunday. A note on the site says the dining room closes at 7 p.m. and the drive-through at 8 p.m.
• Best for: a quick pork sandwich or plate, a drive-through lunch near Haymount (Fort Bragg Road) or the Owen Drive corridor.

Southern Coals: Smoked Meats on Raeford Road

Southern Coals at 3319 C Raeford Road smokes ribs, pulled pork and brisket, and serves chicken wings, country sides and banana pudding. Owner Jason Hairr signs the welcome on its site, which says the recipes were passed down for generations. The restaurant also caters weddings, corporate events and business lunches.

• Hours: Tuesday and Wednesday 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday.
• Best for: brisket and ribs alongside eastern-style pork.

Mission BBQ: The Chain Option on Skibo Road

Mission BBQ at 1932 Skibo Road is a national chain, but it tops TripAdvisor's Fayetteville BBQ ranking. It is open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m. and Sunday 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m., and the same number handles catering. It suits mixed groups because the sauce lineup covers several regional styles, not just eastern vinegar.

MJ's Smoke and Grill: Small Grill Near Strickland Bridge Road

MJ's Smoke and Grill is a small spot at 2064 Strickland Bridge Road, between a Shell station and a car wash. It serves breakfast, smoked meat sandwiches, burgers and fries. It is closer to a smokehouse grill than a classic pork plate house, and it is convenient for the Strickland Bridge and Jack Britt area. See our Jack Britt and Rockfish guide for that part of the county.

BBQ Restaurants That Have Closed

Older "best BBQ" lists still include places that are no longer operating:

• Fowler's (723 W. Rowan St.): announced its permanent closing in August 2023.
• Fatback's BBQ & Rib Shack (Hope Mills Rd): listed as closed on Yelp.

How to Order Eastern NC Barbecue

If you are new to North Carolina, a few habits will get you the best plate:

1. Order chopped pork first. It is the regional specialty; brisket is the import.
2. Taste before you sauce. Eastern pork usually comes dressed already. Add the vinegar-pepper sauce on the table a little at a time.
3. Pick classic sides. Slaw, hush puppies and collards are standard; Fuller's buffet adds Lumbee dishes like chicken and pastry.
4. Put slaw on the sandwich. A chopped pork sandwich topped with slaw is the traditional eastern order.
5. Go early for buffets. Lunch is when the buffet line is freshest and fullest.

Where Barbecue Fits a Fayetteville Visit

• Driving I-95: Fuller's on Eastern Boulevard sits at Exit 49.
• Visiting Fort Bragg: the Barbeque Hut on Fort Bragg Road and Mission BBQ on Skibo Road are on the west side. Families coming for graduations should read our Fort Bragg visitor access guide before planning lunch on post.
• With kids: a buffet keeps picky eaters happy. Pair it with ideas from our family weekend itinerary.
• Trucks and pop-ups: several barbecue trucks rotate through town; our food trucks guide tracks where trucks gather.

More Fayetteville Dining Guides

• Best restaurants in Fayetteville by neighborhood
• Steakhouses and fine dining for a dressier dinner
• Pizza in Fayetteville from local independents
• Breweries for a pint after a barbecue lunch

Every restaurant in this guide was checked against its own website or a live Google listing in October 2026 (DistiNCtly Fayetteville). Hours change, so call ahead, especially on Sundays and holidays.