Five Restaurants I Miss
Restaurants really come-and-go. Unfortunately some good ones weren’t able to make it for one reason or another. Which do you miss?
I’ll go with:
Lock, Stock, & Barrel (Colony Shopping Ctr) - The first salad bar in the area and one of the all-time best. Great sourdough melt burger, spaghetti, and sandwiches. Drinks were served Ball jars, and 50’s era jukeboxes were at every table.
G.D. Ritzy’s - Chain out of Columbus, OH IIRC. Great little fried burger and fries. Really good ice cream, too. Chain was mis-managed and folded, yet our stores (now Hooters on WF Rd and Breuggers on Avent Ferry) did well
El Pollo Asado (now Arbys near TTC) - Flame-roasted chicken chain that served pieces with sides of salsa, tortillas, and vegetables. mmmm.
Darryl’s - If you weren’t here before the sale to General Mills (or whatever- around 1980), you completely won’t get this one. Darryl’s was the child of Darryl Davis, Thad Eure, and Charlie Winston. I remember the iron jail cells, the elevator, the pong table, the graffiti-carved booths and tables, the heavy frozen mugs, the red carpet, and the jukebox like they were yesterday. Foodwise, I like the steak sandwich, hamburger, blue cheese dressing, pizza chips, and spaghetti. Perfectly family friendly yet totally appropriate for dates, it was probably the most perfect restaurant for daily all-purpose eating in this city’s history.
Sadak’s - Short-lived, but this sit-down middle eastern restaurant at Hillsborough and Horne (where Q-Shack was) was run by Walid Sadak, owner of Hector’s in Crabtree. I love Hector’s, but Sadak’s had some even more interesting items on the menu.
Honorable mention: Santa Fe (MacGregor Village), Luigi’s (NH), Deli King (NH), Su Casa (Crabtree), Oak Park Pharmacy, Glenwood Pharmacy, Nana’s Chophouse, Hang Chow, The Far East, Swensons, Jack’s Steakhouse, Brother’s Pizza, Hardees on Wake Forest Road (now American Pride car wash), Black Dog Cafe, Jason’s Donuts (Falls Village), Hamburger Hut (Morgan & Mayo).
Notes: Lock Stock, & Barrel has reopened in Clayton. It is in a strip shopping center and while it still features the sourdough cheeseburger, the owner didn’t bring much else. Darryl’s had pizza chips and blue cheese dressing that are now featured at the Angus Barn. Sadak’s baklava, hummus, and tabouleh are available at the Crabtree Hector’s (Food court).
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September 10th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
I miss:
Biscuit King in Durham, especially in summer when the tomatoes were fresh & ripe. Spicy BBQ chicken
The “old” Irregardless in Raleigh. doesn’t seem the same anymore.
Flying Burrito in Raleigh. The original in Chapel Hill has been diluted after being sold.
September 10th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Definitely have to agree with The Black Dog. That place had the best shrimp and grits, everytime I’ve ordered them since then I’ve been disappointed. I’ll go ahead and throw out Scotty’s too - the one in the old North Hills, probably nostalgia talkin’ there though..
September 10th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
I can’t believe you left out the Rathskellar on Hillsborough. Always packed, always a favorite. Miss the great salads, sweet potato ravioli, burger, marinated tofu, you name it. Was a great place to take a crowd when you had some meat eaters, some veggies, some who wanted something light, etc. It had a huge menu and all great.
I miss Black Dog too. Wasn’t Yancey the chef there?
I also miss the shakes at the Soda shop across from the courthouse. I think I had one every day when I was working and pregnant with my fist kid. Real ice cream milkshakes, none of that fake Char-grill paper carton “shake” stuff.
September 10th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
I miss Darryl’s too. It was special when you got to sit in the iron jail, and they always brought homemade saltines to your table. My husband and I were reminiscing about Darryl’s over the weekend, when we visited the new Red Hot & Blue on Hillsborough. Nothing against RH&B, but it just isn’t the same.
September 11th, 2008 at 8:00 am
I was thinking about Scotty’s, too. Great place to take the kids when they were little. I thought they were coming back somewhere?
September 11th, 2008 at 8:43 am
VaNC got it right. rathskellar on hillsborough. my god i miss that tahini.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:04 am
God I miss the Hook UP! Where else can one get fried seafood around here? In its absence somebody should open an Ice Cream shop or BBQ Restaurant in that location.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:08 am
Oak City Diner - That place was always interesting at 3 in the morning.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:08 am
For one, I miss Ratskellar on Hillsborough Street. Was a great little dive restaurant with some really good food. Don’t get me wrong, I totally love Porters and what they’ve done with the location. In an ideal world, we’d still have both!
Another big miss is Cafe Cyclo in Cameron Village. Vietnamese food, coffee house, and cocktail bar all in one! What a great place that was. I hate hate hate that they’re gone…they were the neatest thing that shopping center ever had.
Speaking of Cameron Village I also heavily miss Big Sky Bread Company. Since their closure, Raleigh’s really been lacking for a decent old-fashioned bakery. So sad.
I also hate to see Bistro 607 close. I’m sure Tasca Brava is great (can’t wait to try them), but if they had opened elsewhere on the Glenwood South strip and kept Bistro 607 open I’d be happier…I miss their take on elegant French food.
Finally, a big lamentation for Sylvia’s Gelato Cafe on Hillsborough Street. Her delicious authentic Italian Gelato was the best frozen dessert in all of Raleigh. Best pistachio ever!
September 11th, 2008 at 9:16 am
I still crave a bacon grilled cheese and (real) cherry coke from the old Johnson’s Pharmacy where EVOO now stands. Also, any list without Scotty’s from the old North Hills would be seriously amiss! Whomever commented about the Hobby Shop from North Hills was spot on..although we still have a jewel of an arts supply store in Askew-Taylor on S. Glenwood. May they live long and prosper…
September 11th, 2008 at 9:37 am
Steelcity36 - HYSTERICAL!
Darryls was THE date place in the 80s - I think the transition to corporate blech food was later than 1980 wasn’t it? They used to have this chili dog thing that you ate with a fork that nothing short of miraculous.
Far East was the place where my parents went with their friends and their brown bags. It was the special occasion when the kids got to go. They had some very different menu items (Fong Wong Gai and War Ar Pai are names I seem to remember)
Horwitz’s Deli - first in North Ridge Shopping Center, then Cary. Best rare roast beef sandwich, great pickles, just amazing food. I understand that DaVinci’s in Falls Village has hooked up with Horwitz’s meat supplier, but I haven’t tried it yet.
Hearts Delight in Millbrook. Major high school memories there.
Mutters Homemade Chips
Arthur’s fries and cheesesteaks on the top floor of J.C. Penney
Between this and the stores thread, I’m waxing nostalgic…
September 11th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Well, VaNC, I went to UNC, so any Rathskellar outside of the one in Amber Ally is not even considered!
Funny, SteelCity!
Those Mutter’s chips WERE good. In fact, I really miss their grilled chicken sandwich. How hard is it to make a good chicken sandwich? Apparently there is skill, because the ones out there, like at the Cook-Out, are just simply good.
I think you meant Arthurs that was upstairs in Ivey’s.
Anyway, I actually miss the cafeteria that was in JCPenney as well as the lunch counter that was in Woolworth’s. So many big stores had lunch counters. Even North Hills Pharmacy had one next to the stairs. (remember how that store had that weird layout of being downstairs in the back?
September 11th, 2008 at 10:02 am
I miss Mr. Dunderbak’s Cafe in the mall. They had the best meats and cheeses for sandwichs at lunch and served a nice assortment of world beers.
September 11th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
VaNC has it correct - The Rathskellar!!! It’s the only restaurant I miss. The vegetarian Sweet Potato Raviolli was amazing (and I am far from being a vegetarian)! I wish I could find this dish again elsewhere…
September 11th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Betty, don’t toy with me. Where did you hear Scotty’s was coming back? I used to eat there every day when I worked nearby. Tea and grilled cheese sandwiches. Man, now I won’t be able to work the rest of the day, I’ll be thinking about Scotty’s.
September 11th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
~ Daily Planet
~ The first incarnation of Yancey’s
~ Poole’s Luncheonette (back in the day)
~ Humble Pie when the menu used to change
September 11th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Seriously missing Red Palace right now. Still no news about any impending relocation — the domain name now points to a domain parking — although WHOIS still indicates that it has local ownership.
September 11th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
I second the Mr. Dunderbaks! Really miss that place.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
I gotta put in my Dad’s Soda Shop in Cameron Village. I miss his egg salad, pimento cheese, bean soup, lemonades….mmmmm
and… Karen’s
and the Original Cafe Giorgios in MacGregor Village.
September 12th, 2008 at 11:40 am
I thought of a few more great “oldies” -
- North Hills Tavern and Steakhouse - GREAT steak sandwich, hamburger, unbelievable French fries and cheesecake! It was owned by Johnny Vasillion, and closed when North Hills went from a strip mall to an enclosed mall. Along with the really good food was the warm atmosphere. In the winter there was a fire in a huge open stone fireplace.
- Mr. Ribs - on Hillsborough St. (then Hillsboro) on the left - kind of across from The Brewery. Great ribs and steaks, barbecued chicken etc. The owner of Crowley’s on Medlin Dr. was the chef, so that Crowley’s ribs are close to the original.
- Hofbrau - Cameron Village (where the new noodles place is opening). Delicious German food - an institution that was packed all the time. It went with the Bryan Building fire in the late 60’s.
- BALENTINES - Cameron Village - That’s the one I probably miss most. Only delicious cafeteria food I’ve ever tasted. Nearly everything was good. Their closing was very sad, especially since that space has sat vacant for so long. Their Saturday night buffet on the lower level was the fraternity gathering place, especially after home football games.
- Oak Park Pharmacy lunch counter - nobody made better hot dogs or chicken salad, though it was a tight race between them and Cameron Village Soda Shop that Holly pointed out. I miss them both.
Guess we’re all saying that Raleigh has always had good restaurants.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Second Nature cafe
September 13th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Ma Perry’s, she was downtown across from the bus station, where the Quorum Building is now. She was Raleigh’s Mama Dip!
Also Canton Cafe and Est, Est, Est.
September 13th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Rathskeller — how could I have forgotten that? Yes, one of my long-time favorites as well…thanks all for the reminders of some good meals in a lot of these places.
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:37 pm
LSB was the best. The salad bar was great for the 80’s. We ate there weekly. The Mayberry at Colony was also quite fantastic for soup, a grilled cheese, and a great sundae.
October 6th, 2008 at 2:59 am
I miss Brothers’ Pizza on Hillsboro. Every Friday my family would go. No menu necessary - eggplant parmasean for all of us.
Steve’s ice cream just down the street from Brothers’. Coffee with heath bar mix-in. Great after a high school football game, too.
October 7th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
2nd to brothers…most people I know from Raleigh at some point had a friday night ritual at Brothers, us included. My sister and I would sit in the red cans by the front door…I remember finally getting to big for those. Thinking back, there is no way to count how many pizzas I watched being made in the back hall.
October 27th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Scotty’s was the best. I remember the one at Crabtree Valley Mall as well as at North Hills. It was on the 1st floor right next to Sears and near THe Recortd Bar. You ordered up front and then walked down the hallway to the back where they had seating.