11 CL staff-approved spots to pad your belly after a night of drinking
Best bets for a crispy-fried quick fix come last call
Photo credit: Joeff Davis
You’re drunk. The servers are itching to shout “last call” — you can see it in their eyes. That means you have to head home soon. You need food, though, and we ain’t talking about defenseless baby octopi drowning in fancy-pants mango reduction sauce with a side of heirloom tomatoes and farm-to-table pork snouts. You need tater tots and nachos — crispy-fried belly matter to soak up all those Red Bulls and Vodkas!
Here are 11 CL staff-approved spots serving up sobering delicacies that will have you walking straight in no time.
Brick Store Pub
This outstanding neighborhood pub, complete with an upstairs Belgian bar that has potent brews on tap, offers roughly 215 beers. The menu’s beer descriptions are humorous and approachable. The service is so friendly, no one will look you askance if you simply order a bottle of Sweetwater 420.
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Cook Out
Founded in Greensboro in the late 1980s, Cook Out is a fixture in college towns across the Tar Heel State. (Locations exist all over nearby Kentucky, Virginia, South Carolina, and Tennessee, too.) For many college grads and transplants from the region, Cook Out triggers happy memories of late-night,...
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Delia’s Chicken Sausage Stand (permanently closed)
A restaurant serving all manner of chicken sausage, including biscuits, burritos, sliders, and more. Tasty sides and creative non-alchoholic drinks, too. Cake shake, anyone?
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El Rey Del Taco
There are three components that make a taco superb: the tortillas, the filling, and the salsa. El Rey de Taco gets them all right. Pat yourself on the back if you’re lucky enough to catch one of the tortilla mavens making handmade tortillas that emanate the unmistakable smell of fresh masa. When it ...
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Fellini’s Pizza - Poncey-Highland
The cheerfully scruffy pizza chain is named for the fanciful filmmaker, and the tattoos and piercings of the servers can definitely be Fellini-esque. The thick, hearty pies easily surpass any of the national chains’ and their simple salads hit the spot, but the white pizza is in a class by itself, w...
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Leon’s Full Service
The menu excels at nibbly bits to go with drinks. There can be great meals here made up entirely of selections from the “snacks,” “sides,” and “starters.” Peppadews (tiny red sweet/hot peppers) stuffed with goat cheese are the ultimate in creamy/piquant contrast. The cocktails here are among the bes...
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The Porter Beer Bar
The Porter delivers with a cheap, thoughtful, and satisfying menu, and beer to match. Most of the food is designed to please beer drinkers, and the regular menu doesn’t get much wackier than the combination of applesauce and the addictive applewood smoked bacon hushpuppies. For beer lovers, the Port...
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The Righteous Room
This Poncey-Highland institution next to the Plaza Theatre oozes comfortable hole-in-the-wall atmosphere. Its small outdoor patio, satisfying bar-food menu and killer old-school jukebox make it a quintessential hangout, although quiet conversation can be hard to come by. There’s also a cozy, semi-pr...
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Victory Sandwich Bar - Decatur
Victory Sandwich is a hip bar known for its Jack and Coke slushies, ping-pong table, and a selection of cheap-but-tasty little sandwiches that cost $4 each. The menu changes somewhat regularly, but you can usually count on favorites like the Beast on Yeast (roast beef with horseradish sauce) and the...
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The list above first appeared in the 2015 CL Cityguide and was updated by CL Staff in 2020.