^^ It's still as good, but they are open on Thursdays now.

6/10/2007 1:49:24 PM

Famous Uncle Al's - kemps river road, va beach, va; hot dogs, cubans, barbeque... its a chain, but the best one is individually operated and not a franchise... hometown feeling, older crowd, and cops/firefighters. 6-10 bucks. A Local place in a beach area.


El Gran Charro - aquia town center, stafford, va; authentic mexican food. the chori-pollo is to die for. 9-15 bucks per person.

Holden's BBQ - US 1 North, Henderson, NC; it exists in an old house. Nobody is quite sure what the hours are, but chances are if it's around 1pm, and you're driving through the sleepy town of Henderson, NC on the way to or from Raleigh, you absolutely must stop here. It's eastern NC BBQ at it's best, with hush puppies perfectly fried, and tea so sweet it's like thin mollasses. By the sandwich or the pint, Holden's brings the goodness with great food, a wonderful staff, and a homespun environment. 5-8 bucks


Left Wings Right - Hillsborough St, Across from the Belltower, Raleigh, NC. Or is it Left Right Wings? Nobody really knows for sure, but one this is a safe bet: the wings are amazing. Better than wing zone, or anything thrown at you by a pizza place, these wings are big, meaty, and delicious. I recommend the Garlic Hot or the Medium, depending on your tastes. You absolutely must get the fries; their french fries are probably the best in raleigh. Put a little salt on 'em, and dip 'em in the extra sauce that drips off of the wings. 7-10 bucks.



thats all i have for now, i'll add more later.

6/10/2007 5:06:31 PM

Quote :

"Stamey's Barbecue; Greensboro, NC -- pretty awesome barbecue, excellent peach and strawberry cobblers http://www.stameys.com/"

also

raleigh times has the best guacamole on earth.

6/11/2007 2:11:29 AM

i've been to melvin's in elizabethtown recently, and it was pretty good, but it doesn't come close to hap's grill in salisbury. if you ever pass through be sure to stop there, best cheeseburger anywhere for $2.50

sugar shack - ocean isle beach, only ate there once but i thought it was awesome, jamaican food

salsa fresh in north raleigh - biggest burrito's for like $6, comes with chips and salsa too

torero's in chapel hill on 15-501 headed towards pittsboro (cole park shopping center)...their chicken and cheese taquito's are sooo good

and i second s&t's in pittsboro but only for their banana splits and brownie sundaes

thats all i got for now

6/11/2007 3:00:21 AM

King's BBQ http://www.kingsbbq.com/ in Kinston, NC has great BBQ.

6/11/2007 12:38:49 PM

án in cary

has anyone been there?

8/2/2007 7:41:09 AM

I really like this Mexican restaurant in San Diego. It's outdoors, so I used to feed the pigeons my tortilla chips when I would eat there, even though there was a little poem on the tables that told you not to. I would say it was because I was 10 or so at the time, but I'm pretty sure if I went back today I'd still do it.

8/2/2007 9:27:05 AM

Quote :

"S&T's Soda Shoppe; Pittsboro, NC -- classic soda shoppe/diner fare: burgers, sandwiches, hot dogs in addition to all of their shakes, malts, floats, and flavored sodas. Their onion rings are pretty damn tasty."

Agreed. I love the soda shoppe. Everything is very decently priced, the owners are great. If you're looking for a lot of ice cream, Haw River Dessert FTW.

Squiggley's, Carolina Beach, NC - Great ice cream. My favorite combination is snicker's ice cream mixed/squiggled with milky way and butterfinger bars. When the mix stuff with their machine, the ice cream is so much creamier and softer. When you mix fruit it, its like a fruit smoothie in a cone. They make all their own cones there, with a marshmellow melted in the bottom to prevent leaks.

Those are my two family-owned, local businesses that I could not live without.

8/2/2007 10:55:48 AM

Tortuga's Lie - Nags Head, NC - If you're ever on the outer banks make sure to go there.

8/2/2007 10:58:27 AM

http://www.benbensons.com/index2.htm

8/2/2007 11:04:37 AM

Nobu. Best sushi handsdown.

8/3/2007 2:12:52 PM

bombay kitchen- off of falls of neuse (northridge shopping center). lots of great indian food for not a whole lot of money. the super spicy chickpea dish is one of my favorites- but they have a TON of other vegetarian dishes (as well as various meat ones). they also have a buffet for those that prefer it.

bloomsbury bistro - five points area. definitely not cheap- but an outstanding wine selection, and the menu is different and excellent every time i go. better for special occasions or a romantic atmosphere.

8/5/2007 7:15:59 PM

Skid's - Burlington, NC
Calabash (I think that's the name) - Calabash, NC

8/5/2007 8:54:26 PM

Quote :

"Holden's BBQ"

Quote :

"Tortuga's Lie - Nags Head, NC"

I loved Tortuga's but it has been shitty they last couple of times.


^Beck's in Calabash is the bomb, but I haven't been since I was a little kid. Its right across from the Christmas shop or whatever its called.

8/5/2007 10:09:35 PM

Breakfast -- Sears Fine Foods in San Francisco :: a dozen melt in your mouth little swedish pancakes makes any morning better

Lunch -- Mamoun's Falafel in Greenwich Village, NYC :: fucking fantastic falafel that i found while just walking around one day...the line out the door was the tip off

Dinner -- Dahlia Lounge in Seattle :: the salmon doesn't get any fresher or better than this...absolutely amazing

8/6/2007 12:28:19 AM

Flaming Amy's FTW

8/6/2007 12:50:17 AM

Venus Mediterranean Grill(Durham), Amedeos Italian Restaurant(Raleigh), Spartacus (Durham), and
Elmos (Durham), and Saladelia (Durham)....


I could eat at all of these places every single week!! Bring the checkbook for some of them though!!

8/6/2007 1:02:03 AM

Oh and if your in the beautiful city of Greenville, NC then u have to stop by:

1) CPW (great Italian restaurant/bistro..good mixture of price ranges)

2) There's this awesome deli on the corner of Arlington Blvd, and Firetower road, taht's like a coffee house/fine dining place and I cant think of the name of it, but it's right beside a kids day care., and women's only fitness center on firetower road in Greenville..GREAT FOOD!)

3)Im NOT a barbecue fan, but if your into Barbecue then the ONLY place in Eastern, NC to go is "Parker's Barbecue (beside the McDonalds) on Greenville Blvd....during ECU football game days it is almost IMPOSSIBLE to get any order from this place b/c it's so busy so place your order in early!! The food and ESPECIALLY the sweet tea leaves u craving more!!

8/6/2007 1:11:37 AM

Cruisers Grill ---- Jacksonville Beach, FL

8/6/2007 1:48:25 AM

Vito's in Southern Pines
Crazy Fire on Capital Blvd
Dick's Last Resort in Boston
RJ Gator's in Gastonia

8/6/2007 4:12:05 AM

there are several real, authentic chinese resturants in the triangle area:

raleigh:

1. royal china buffet off atlantic and millbrook. you can get your typical american stuff plus dim sum, sushi and noodle soup.

2. t.q. zheng's. more of an upscale chinese resturant (in brier creek) but they have an "extra" chinese menu.

3. fortune palace off capital and brentwood. offers malaysian chinese dishes.

4. red palace off new bern ave. go there for hot pot (similar to fondue) during winter times.

cary:

1. grand asia market food court. cash only.

2. ma ma wok. offer dim sum in the northeastern china region (vs. southeastern).

durham:

1. hong kong chinese resturant off guess rd. the place for dim sum on weekends.

2. china one off hwy 55. go there if you can't get a seat in hong kong.

3. thai china buffett off hwy 55. you get chinese, thai and vietnamese. be sure to try the vietnamese beef noddle soup.

chapel hill:

1. 35 chinese buffet off e. franklin

2. penang's malaysian off e. franklin. even though it's a malaysian resturant it's actually owned by chinese (home based in manhattan). be sure to get indian bread and beef satay.

8/6/2007 11:04:47 AM

^^You do know that RJ Gators is a chain. And awful.

I haven't seen a single Charlotte mention in here. I'll chalk that up to lack of dining experience there. My suggestions:

Price's Chicken Coop, Charlotte, NC: Southern fried chicken not from a chain? There's a good reason why you'll find construction workers, young professionals, bankers inside...in short, it's where everybody goes to get fried chicken for lunch.

Pike Soda Shop, Charlotte, NC: Great shakes and dinner entrees at a reasonable price, but the real draw here is the brunch. It's pricey, but for about $15 you can enjoy a brunch buffet of the usual breakfast fare (amazing french toast) plus prime rib, steak, lasagna, etc.

High Cotton, Charleston, SC: Top quality food and ambience at reasonable prices. Menu changes often, but every time I've eaten there, I vow it's my favorite restaurant.

Provisions, Southport, NC (I'll second this one from the front page): Best local seafood place in one of my favorite coastal towns.

8/6/2007 11:25:04 AM

bullock's bbq - durham
foo kee - north east Raleigh
neomonde - raleigh

i'll think of more

8/6/2007 11:43:15 AM

Riordans: Annapolis, MD... but it just closed after 30years
Great happy hour specials that always included half priced wings that were AWESOME...(but not as awesome as Left Right Wings...) But my absolute favorite was their buffalo chicken sandwich, add monteray top with lettuce tomato pickles and onions with a side of ranch... MMMMM $8.99

Bali Hai: Raleigh D7 + water $5.90

Bojangles (must be a clean one): quarter white french fries free ice tea (in wake county only) $5.28

Smithfields: Value pack $5.30 no slaw... sorry that it took me 24 years to find out how awesome it is...

I forget the name of it, but the chineese buffet at the corner of atlantic and milbrook has sushi on their buffet and chilled shrimp... its $7.99 for lunch/$9.99 and the sushi is very edible... and THEN you still have the rest of the traditional chinese buffet to handle

PT's Grill: Wilmington, NC (soon chapel hell) Freaking awesome burger and fries.


[Edited on August 6, 2007 at 11:54 AM. Reason : PT's rocks my world and one of my buddies manages the one on 17th st.]

8/6/2007 11:45:31 AM

[Edited on August 8, 2007 at 12:54 AM. Reason : ]

8/8/2007 12:54:15 AM

^ Best first post ever, lol

8/8/2007 6:24:31 PM

Sea Captain's House - Myrtle Beach. I've been going there since I was a little kid, and the food remains just as wonderful. I'm going next week, and I've already started the countdown. The crabcakes are incredible, and the nightly specials are fresh and perfect.

Michael Dean's - Raleigh. I love steamed oysters, and theirs are great, along with the Basque style mussels and crab dip. And everything at the oyster bar is half off on Sunday night so you can stuff your face with seafood without killing your paycheck.

Hickory Tap Room - Hickory, NC - best barfood ever. Period. The end.

8/8/2007 6:37:31 PM

Merritts' Store - Chapel Hill, NC (Old NC 86, just north of 54/15-501S interchange) - They have the BEST, yes I said it, BEST BLT in NC. Their hot dogs aren't bad either. The place doesn't look like much. Actually it looks nasty, but they were featured on some old ESPN "Road to the Final Four" Commercials (BOOO HISSS). If you are in or around Chapel Hell, as I tend to be with work, it is worth a visit around lunch time. The grill hours are 6A-2P.

8/8/2007 7:04:28 PM

slackerb said:

Quote :

"Price's Chicken Coop, Charlotte, NC: Southern fried chicken not from a chain? There's a good reason why you'll find construction workers, young professionals, bankers inside...in short, it's where everybody goes to get fried chicken for lunch. Pike Soda Shop, Charlotte, NC: Great shakes and dinner entrees at a reasonable price, but the real draw here is the brunch. It's pricey, but for about $15 you can enjoy a brunch buffet of the usual breakfast fare (amazing french toast) plus prime rib, steak, lasagna, etc."

If you're gonna mention those to, you might as well give Phat Burrito a nod, too. It's right down the street from them, and it's pretty tasty.

8/9/2007 5:16:16 PM

Quote :

"Sea Captain's House - Myrtle Beach. I've been going there since I was a little kid, and the food remains just as wonderful. I'm going next week, and I've already started the countdown. The crabcakes are incredible, and the nightly specials are fresh and perfect."

Oh man, I forgot about that place! Sea Captain's House is great, we'd always go there while on family vacations to Myrtle when I was younger, haven't been since '98 though. Glad to hear it's still as quality as I remember it being.

8/9/2007 5:55:12 PM

has anyone ever been to GAKS Coffeehouse and Tea Room? I haven't but a friend's parents own it, and my roomate brought me some pancakes from there the other day, and they were the best pancakes i have ever had!

8/9/2007 8:43:15 PM

man there was this po-dunk thai restaurant in kannapolis nc of all places and they had these hot ginger and garlic frog legs.....best meal i had ever eaten



out of business ftl

8/10/2007 8:13:46 PM

Pam's Farmhouse on Western. Home-style breakfast and lunch only--damn that food's good.

8/10/2007 10:49:13 PM

never been big on trying new stuff so my list sucks, but i promise its all good!! (Except the joke place!!!)

the big oak in atlantic beach/salter path
http://www.bigoakdrivein.com/


i like cheesesteak from elizabeths pizza here in the boro, hams is a good lunch spot if you happen to be close enough to one to eat and run


to whoever said dahlia lounge, i have heard similar things about all the food, but when i was in seattle i was not the richest man ever

on that note..
and the Burger King in Catalina, AZ.... TO DIE FOR

8/10/2007 11:27:18 PM

I am a fan of Ham's, wish they'd put one in Raleigh. Elizabeth's is good too, still go to the Quaker Village one occasionally when I'm in town.

8/11/2007 12:29:20 AM

there's some real gems in this thread. dos taquitos was ridunkulous

10/19/2007 10:22:14 AM

I'm adding Diego's in Las Vegas, MGM Grande. MAN--best mexican ever. and a REALLY beautiful atmosphere...red lighting. reasonably priced.

10/19/2007 10:33:18 AM

^ That place has some kick-ass guacamole they make at your table.

10/19/2007 10:35:28 AM

Whhha!?! they make it at your table?! damn! when they asked if we wanted, and I being the only one that likes guac, I said no b/c of the price. I'm getting it next time damnit!

10/19/2007 10:39:13 AM

It's not like you missed that much. They split the avocado, then mush it up with all the other crap that goes in there. It takes like 3 minutes. But it was really tasty.

10/19/2007 10:48:41 AM

Yeah, that place was quite tasty.

10/19/2007 2:03:51 PM

Quote :

"2) There's this awesome deli on the corner of Arlington Blvd, and Firetower road, taht's like a coffee house/fine dining place and I cant think of the name of it, but it's right beside a kids day care., and women's only fitness center on firetower road in Greenville..GREAT FOOD!)"

That's the Daily Grind in Greenville.
My entire family loves it. I make sure to eat there every time I go home to visit them.

http://www.dgrind.com/

10/19/2007 6:09:07 PM

Quote :

" Left Wings Right - Hillsborough St, Across from the Belltower, Raleigh, NC. Or is it Left Right Wings? Nobody really knows for sure, but one this is a safe bet: the wings are amazing. Better than wing zone, or anything thrown at you by a pizza place, these wings are big, meaty, and delicious. I recommend the Garlic Hot or the Medium, depending on your tastes. You absolutely must get the fries; their french fries are probably the best in raleigh. Put a little salt on 'em, and dip 'em in the extra sauce that drips off of the wings. 7-10 bucks. "

I'm glad to see I'm not the only person that loves this place. They went up on the prices a couple of months ago but it's still pretty daggum good.

10/19/2007 6:57:28 PM

Tripps- Garner or on Glenwood, I think the food is a bargain for as good a quality and nice of an atmosphere that you get

Lucky 32's- been there twice and loved it

Cracker Barrel- has never let me down

10/19/2007 11:11:31 PM

Rendevous in Memphis, TN - best damn ribs I've ever had

10/20/2007 9:02:29 AM

Charlotte
The Penguin
Landmark Diner - im revealing me and my best friends secret. We love the food so much, and don't want other people to go there and crowd the place up because of it, so we never tell anyone we're going there.
i cant remember the name of the place, but we've also been to an old place that sells three types of chili that was realllly good.

around the triangle
Toot N Tell (is this place even still open?)
holy smokes bbq is up there too

10/20/2007 9:13:48 PM

I'll probably mispell it but,

Los Portrillos in Chapel Hill close to Franklin Street

It was the best mexican food I've ever had.

Also I'm sure it's been said before,

Casalingas on Capitol Blvd.

I like the tortillini (again sorry about the spelling)

Finally,

Dickey's BBQ on Walnut has been very tasty lately.

10/20/2007 10:50:42 PM

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned my new all-time favorite:

J. Betski's in Raleigh over by the old train station.


I've got a whole slew of favorite places but that one ranks up in the top 2. My other favorite for the time being is The Borough.

I love the Pilothouse in Wilmington, and Pia's in Washington NC rocks.

Cloos always for the win for their amazing Sliders.
Bullock's in Durham has the best pig in the area, but if you're in Smithfield, the best barbecue doesn't come from Smithfield's...you need to go to Holt Lake.

10/20/2007 11:04:05 PM

I found a pretty decent restaurant reference. It had several of my favorites in it.
http://www.wherethelocalseat.com/BestRestaurantsPage.aspx?mid=56&v=1

11/15/2007 4:35:43 PM

Assagios - Corner of Glenwood and Millbrook behind CVS - Casual Italian place that is so good. They have awesome garlic knots

Lynnwood Grill - I love their Pizza, everytime I've had it is has been great.

Crab Shack - Salter Path, NC - Been going there since I was kid and it's always been really good. I took my boyfriend and now he insists that we go there when we are at the beach.

Big El's - Morehead City, NC - It's this tiny little shack that has the best hot dogs and hamburgers

Bennett Pointe Grill - Durham, NC - Their Chicken Carbonara is so good. Everything else I've had there has been pretty good too. Its got a good atmosphere.

Wilbers BBQ - Great Eastern BBQ


I'll probably post more as I think of them cause I love to eat

[Edited on November 19, 2007 at 7:03 PM. Reason : add]

11/19/2007 7:02:56 PM