In our professional opinions, we think southern cuisine is some of the most amazing cuisine we’ve ever tried. Sure, a lot of it is fried and cooked in a lot of butter…but who cares? You only live once. So you might as well try all the amazing and iconic dishes North Carolina has to offer, like all this staple NC food:

1. BBQ
Flickr / Jimmy Emerson DVM
It doesn't matter if you get Eastern or Lexington style, a BBQ sandwich or even plate with hushpuppies and slaw is a dish you MUST try.
2. Fried green tomatoes topped with pimento cheese.
Yelp / Helen A.
When two very southern foods come together...you know the results will be amazing.
3. Krispy Kreme Cheerwine Doughnuts
Flickr / Chris Short
This is about as North Carolina as it gets...but your tastebuds will thank you.
4. Bojangles
Flickr / kazamatsuri
Everything is southern, fried, and delicious at Bojangles (but a cajun filet biscuit always wins in our opinion). Bojangles is a southern treat and a North Carolina tradition.
5. Cookout
Flickr / Gerry Dincher
It really doesn't matter what you get because everything is delicious here. It's especially delicious after a long night at 2 a.m. The Cookout tray is one of the best deals you can find, and don't forget to wash it down with a milkshake.

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6. Deviled eggs
Flickr / Patsy
This southern side dish is a great twist on your traditional 'egg.' Yeah, we get creative down here in North Carolina...and deviled eggs is something you must try.
7. Fresh seafood from the coast
Flickr / bnhsu
Nothing can beat fresh caught seafood, and coastal North Carolina restaurants are the best place to try it.
8. Shrimp n' grits
Flickr / La Belle Province
Speaking of seafood, shrimp n' grits is found throughout the south, but the ones in North Carolina are especially delicious.
9. Carolina-style anything
Flickr / Gerry Dincher
You can't go wrong with chili, slaw and onions topping your favorite piece of meat (usually hot dogs or burger).
10. Cheerwine Float
Yelp / Dung N.
Root beer floats can move aside, cause here in Carolina we prefer ours with the deliciously sweet Cheerwine.

Ok, now we’re officially starving! We think we know which one we’ll have first…what about you? Are there any you would add to this list? What good ol’ NC food calls to you the loudest? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!

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NC Food

Tori Jane | September 29, 2022

What are some of the best examples of North Carolina food?  

Everywhere you’ll ever go is more than likely to have iconic foods that come from there (or were made famous there – or both). Perhaps the most iconic North Carolina food is our to-die-for barbecue (a North Carolina barbecue road trip, anyone?). North Carolina barbecue is known for its pork-specific cuisine and vinegar-based sauces; it will always be barbecued with hardwood coals or hardwood. It is nothing short of legendary, and once you’ve tried North Carolina-style barbecue, you’ll never want to go back to anything else.  

What are some of the best restaurants in North Carolina?  

There are hundreds – if not more – of incredible restaurants in North Carolina. Sure, we may be famous for our (amazing) barbecue, but we’ve got restaurants of just about all sorts around here to sift through any time you’re in the mood for anything else. Among the best restaurants in North Carolina at the time of this writing are amazing, delicious places like Poole’s in Raleigh, Angie’s Restaurant in Garner, River’s End Restaurant in Bryson City, and so many more. Whether you’re looking for steaks and chops, old-school American drive-in fare, or anything else, you’ll find it in the endless catalog of wonderful places to eat in North Carolina.  

What are some foods every true North Carolinian has eaten?  

Barbecue aside (as hard as setting North Carolina barbecue aside is), there are a handful of other foods North Carolina is also known for, like:

  • She-crab bisque (a seafood soup that includes crab, cream, and other delights)
  • Peach cobbler
  • Fried green tomatoes (SO GOOD)
  • Krispy Kreme donuts
  • Fried catfish... the list goes on forever, really.

 

If you’re a foodie, you can’t pass up a trip to North Carolina – it's easily one of the most delicious states in the country. Oh, and we have to mention sweet potato pie. And Cheerwine! And pork chop sandwiches! And now... we’re hungry.  

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