North Carolina is one of the top barbecue states, but from the ocean to the mountains, exactly how the barbecue is cooked and served varies dramatically. Connoisseurs in the east and central parts of the state want whole hog ‘cue (although some prefer just the shoulders) hacked to smithereens and just barely moistened with vinegar pepper sauce. Side dishes include boiled potatoes in the east and Brunswick Stew and hushpuppies in the center of the state. To the west, sauce begins to contain tomatoes and is a more significant presence on the plate. Beyond smoke-cooked pig, North Carolina’s prime attractions are Mid-Atlantic seafood, some of the nation’s best fried chicken, country ham, and superior biscuits.
One essential characteristic of any worthy hamburger is democracy of spirit—it should be accessible to all and not cost an arm and a leg. That's why our list of...
A visit to Price’s Chicken Coop is the fried-chicken-eating experience of a lifetime. Once inside the door of the little South End storefront, two thirds of which is dedicated...
By Jane and Micheal Stern The barbecue of eastern North Carolina tastes great. But long before you begin eating it, you smell it and hear it. The air surrounding each...
For two-lane travelers, pulling into a parking lot perfumed by hamburgers and hot onion rings is as satisfying as any four-star dining experience. At a true classic drive-in, you...
Junior bond takes a straight razor to Michael’s neck. As he shaves an impeccable nape hairline, the 40-year-veteran Williamston, North Carolina, barber declares that he hates herring. A strapping...
THIS IS A STORY about getting lost and eating chicken. When you drive around western North Carolina, it is good to do both. For those of us accustomed to ordinary...
Can someone please help a man in distress? Charles Dowell, who first started working at Snappy Lunch on Main Street in 1943 at the age of fourteen and is...
The Caro-Mi Dining Room in Tryon, North Carolina, is "the most divine dining room of the gentle South," a culinary tipster advised us. "You won't believe the ham," she...
Seafood is a delicacy that has been enjoyed since the beginning of time. Its flavors are unique and diverse, and it can be cooked in many ways. That is...
The Annual HOT ROD Power Tour This is a seven-day, seven-city journey expected to bring together more than 6,000 vehicles and 100,000-plus spectators making it the largest traveling car-show in...
Blue Ridge Parkway This five hour trip will take drivers along the Blue Ridge Parkway through Virginia and North Carolina to wonderful regional food served in restaurants that sing of...
The 2014 Roadfood.com eating tour of Charlotte, North Carolina, featured four-star fried chicken, barbecue, pimento cheese, and banana pudding.
Unique Regional Dishes After 40 years and 5 million miles spent on the road looking for America's best regional food, we've assembled a list of the quintessential, must-eat food in...
A favorite vacation destination for southerners eager to escape summer heat and enjoy the cooler climate of the Blue Ridge Mountain foothills, the area around Landrum, South Carolina, and...
Asheville menus reflect both new-age nostrums and traditional Blue Ridge Mountain cookery. Vegetarians and vegans, gluten-frees and keto devotees all will find happiness. But so will hungry carnivores and...
From spectacular dive-bar burgers to elegant, cutting-edge cuisine, Wilmington, North Carolina, is an eater's paradise. The burgeoning downtown dining scene includes high-stylin' cafes with devoted farm (and sea)-to-table cookery...
There is no shortage of places to eat in the bustling beach town of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. For an authentic, unique taste, forget the big, tourist-oriented dining halls....
In the states where they are popular, Dixie dogs are not known as Dixie dogs. They are called slaw dogs or simply hot dogs. But because they originated in...
Eating Charlotte's best could take a few weeks; but if you've got a single day to taste the Queen City's quintessential Roadfood, here is the cream of the crop. Amelie's...
There are few pleasures in life more sensuously delicious than sinking teeth into a perfectly ripe peach to let its juicy, sugared sunshine flood over taste buds. Because their...
"Drive-in" has come to mean just about any cheap-eats restaurant with car-friendly parking. A genuine drive-in is a place where customers park and are waited on and eat in...
Of the hundred five-star barbecue parlors around the U.S.A. this dozen is the crème de la crème. .
No matter how delicious it may be, cole slaw always plays second fiddle. When visiting whole hog barbecue parlors in North Carolina, the curious eater will encounter a handful...
Fried chicken is popular all across America and so different everywhere that it is not possible to say what city, state, or region does it best. While the process...
Lima beans are known everywhere, loved mostly in the South, and a signature dish of Charleston, South Carolina. Soul food cooks simmer the khaki-colored pods with plenty of pork,...
Brunswick Stew is a fundamental side dish for barbecue in Georgia and beyond. Originally made as a hunter's gallimaufry using whatever critters had been bagged and whatever vegetables were...
