A few years ago, my friend, Courtney, on an afternoon adventure to Tarboro Brewing Company in the quaint eastern NC town of Tarboro. On our trip, we talked about her North Carolina experiences as she had moved here from Pittsburgh. On that drive, we decided it would be fun to do a little fast food tour of some Triangle and North Carolina staples that she had not tried yet. What was even more fun was that when Glory found out, she agreed to join to do photography so she could see Courtney’s reaction. So here are 5 fast food places you have to try in Raleigh, NC!
If you are interested in creating your own North Carolina food bucket list, start here and then check out this article for ideas outside of Raleigh as well!
This post was originally posted in 2018 and has since been updated and recirculated for 2024.
5 Fast Food Places You Have to Try in Raleigh
Bojangles
Our idea was started because we drove through Nashville, NC and I told her about how the Bojangles’ right off US-64 has the best cheddar bo biscuits in North Carolina. She had never heard of a cheddar bo and was interested in trying Bojangles after learning about it. Courtney is a vegetarian, so she avoided Bojangles because she thought it was just a chicken place. I think she is a fan of the cheddar bo biscuits, and of course, their bo rounds.
Order: Cheddar Bo Biscuit, Bo Rounds, & Sweet Tea OR Chicken Supreme Dinner, Fries with Extra Seasoning, & Sweet Tea
The Original Char-Grill
During my senior year in high school, my parents took me to Raleigh to tour colleges. We took a break in between visits to have lunch at the Char-Grill on Hillsborough St. As a result, I will always love this location for that memory. When we met here for lunch one day, Courtney got the full experience from filling out the order form to improvising seating. She ordered a grilled cheese which came on a burger bun, fries, and a soda, while I got my normal order (below).
Order: Cheeseburger with Bacon, Mustard, and Mayo, Fries, Cheerwine (or a Chocolate Milkshake)
Cook Out
This was perhaps my favorite stop we made because Courtney was incredibly excited, told everyone it was her first time there, and then the server asked if she was a new student at NC State. Cook Out has the best milkshakes around and their Jr. Tray gave me life in college. I met Glory and Courtney after a Pure Barre class, so I figured that my workout canceled out the calories I consumed and I got a milkshake for the road. The Western Blvd. location is hands down my go-to in the area and for anyone who comes to visit us for the first time, we take them here.
Order: Jr. Tray with a Burger, Chicken Nuggets, Fries, a Sweet Tea or Cheerwine & a Peanut Butter Fudge milkshake for the drive home. If you are visiting in the summertime, definitely get the watermelon milkshake.
Goodberry’s Frozen Custard
While I know that Goodberry’s is not really traditional fast food, Courtney loves ice cream and, up to that point, had never been to Goodberry’s. Glory and I decided to take her after our lunch at Char-Grill and we lucked up with the flavor of the day being pumpkin. I got a small pumpkin concrete. Though, I immediately regretted not getting it cheesecake bites like Courtney did. While I do not want to speak for her, I am pretty sure this was Courtney’s favorite stop of all.
Order: a Small Concrete – either Chocolate, Pumpkin, or Peanut Butter
Snoopy’s
Until this adventure, I had never eaten at Snoopy’s either. I have no other explanation for why I had never been other than I do not eat hot dogs, and that they are famous for hot dogs deterred me. I now know what I have been missing and am thrilled that Glory suggested we go to Snoopy’s. Do not skip out on their chicken salad sammie! It is a true delight! Sadly, the location where we met up is no longer around, though there are two additional Snoopy’s locations in Raleigh. I recently drove past one who was having a fundraiser for the Wake County SPCA for every sweet tea sold that day, so I love that they are active in the local community.
Order: Single Cheeseburger Combo, Fries, Sweet Tea
This was seriously such a fun adventure. We captured some of this on our Instastories, so be sure to follow along with us there! You can find Courtney here, Glory here, and my account here.
Photos by Glory Roze Photography
Where are your favorite Southern fast-food places?
P.S. While these are not necessarily fast food places, check out my favorite walk-up windows in Raleigh for a fun experience!
Nothing is better than the chicken salad sandwich at Snoopy’s!