I have eaten at Sam Jones in Ayden many times and BBQ is always fresh and skin is always crispy. BBQ at Sam Jones in Raleigh is warmed over wet and skin not crispy. The servings are small for the price you pay and service...is slow.More

First time eating here and the last time eating here. Let me preface this by saying, I eat out every day, I know good food. We walked in and we were greeted (very rudely) with “we close at 9.” We placed our order, although we...condensed our order because of his attitude. One of us ordered tea, and after we paid the other guy that worked there proceeded to take the tea away… so she quickly got her tea before he removed all of it. She asked for lemons when she placed her order, but he didn’t give them to her, so she went back up front and asked the guy that took our order for lemons. He told her he was out of lemons, so she asked for limes,. He stepped back a few steps and opened a container and said, looks like we have lemons, and he gave her 3 tiny slices. Our food was brought out in about 5 minutes . It was cold! The loaded potato was so cold that the stuff on top didn’t melt. The smoked chicken was a warm, slimy, greasy mess, and the bbq could have possibly been good if it had been hot. The cole slaw needed some type of acidity, it was too sweet and not much flavor. I read how awful their cornbread is so I told him I wanted the better tasting cornbread, I didn’t get it, I got the nasty, tasteless brick imitation cornbread. You can use the excuse that it’s the type people like if they’re from the area, Hogwash!! It’s garbage. We walked out at 8:59, but it seems like their buddies at the bar didn’t get the memo that they close at 9. It doesn’t matter to me if they’ve been in business since Noah built the ark , they’re only in business because of the lack of competition.More

I was excited to try the famous Sam Jones BBQ since 1947! We ordered the chopped pork, smoked turkey, ribs, baked beans, slaw and the baked flat cornbread. The turkey was the only good meat. The chopped pork and ribs tasteless - and the corn...bread was baked cornmeal and H20 (not edible). We read a few great reviews - I can not believe the reviews were real. SOOO many great BBQ places in Raleigh. Sam Jones BBQ was not one of them.More

We ate at the bar today and had great service. The staff was friendly and helpful. I ordered ribs with sides of slaw and potato salad. The ribs were outstanding, good smoke, tender, the seasoning was perfect. The temperature was just right too. Slaw was...good, sweet potato muffin was original, but,the potato salad was just ok. Husband had chopped BBQ sandwich and mac n cheese ( dense, cheesy, wonderful) We really enjoyed the food and service, thank you! Another note, the price point was great, we truly appreciated that as well, coming from a food and beverage career, I'm weary of overpriced, just ok food and service. Sam Jones, gets it, and we appreciate that as well! See y'all soon!More

Our group of 4 felt disappointed with the BBQ lunch today. We were eager to try out this new Raleigh BBQ location. Sadly, the BBQ was very greasy & fatty & cornbread was tasteless. We had read earlier positive reviews so perhaps food is uneven...in new place.More

Stopped in on the way to Durham (with a Jones family member) and was so pleasantly surprised. They actually smoke their meats, etc., on site. So delicious and BBQ is not my first choice. The menu had something for everyone--catfish on the menu. And, all...of the country sides. They have a great inside location with outside picnic tables. The staff was excellent also. Good service, great food, fun atmosphere. It's worth getting off route 40 to enjoy.More

Tasty smoked meats, chicken and pork. They offer a decent selection of brews too. The dish with pulled pork served in a massive bake potato was pretty impressive and good as well.

BBQ food was very tasty. I was a little disappointed there was no brisket and they were out of ribs (at 2pm). The cornbread is very odd and not recommended. The chicken, pork and baked potatoes were delicious. Overall the whole group had children ,...adults (30s,40s and 60s) who all enjoyed! Atmosphere is great!More

Ribs were very good - no need for additional sauce, but the sauces are very good. The vinegar-based sauce has a great kick. Smoked chicken was good (I might like The Pit's better). Coleslaw was sweet and good. Beans were very good as well. My...wife had the pulled pork which was excellent. Daughter had the chicken tenders which didn't disappoint. Banana pudding was warm and sweet. I imagine the Cornbread will be everyone's main point of discussion. It's really unlike any other cornbread you've had. It's very dense and slightly flavored. I spent half the meal trying to place where I'd had something similar. Maybe a motzah ball? Maybe a bao bun? Whatever it is/was I enjoyed it. Prices were reasonable and pretty good beer selection. Will definitely be back.More

The pork bbq was so dry. A big hunk of meat that resembled shoe leather was mixed in. No flavor. Cornbread is heavy, dry and tasteless. The only thing that was good was the cole slaw. So disappointing. Original location in eastern part of the...state is better.More

We visited for lunch and really enjoyed our visit. The staff was very friendly and provided excellent suggestions. We both enjoyed the pork plate. Perfect whole hog BBQ! Our sides were all very good as well- we shared cole slaw, macaroni & cheese, fries and...the collards. We normally do not order the collards, but after the staff suggestion we decided to try them and it was a great decision- they were excellent! The portions were large and we had leftovers to bring home. The restaurant has a full bar and the bartender was great! We will be back for sure!!More

First of all, I have eaten at some of the Best BBQ restaurants written about! This day at this place the food was really special! By food, of course I mean the BBQ Pork. It was smoky, moist, succulent, and had the tastiest cracklins in...it! The sides were tasty, but seriously the real reason anyone goes for BBQ is the meat and was delish!!More