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Southern Living Says These 2 North Carolina Dishes Are The ‘Most Iconic” Recipes

Author Melanie Day

When you think of quintessential North Carolina foods what is the first thing that comes to your mind? I’d say barbeque is the most well known at least in my opinion. In other states, there are things like Key Lime Pie (Florida), Jambalaya (Louisiana), and Crab Cakes (Maryland). But in North Carolina, I’d probably say the most iconic recipe is for BBQ. That’s not what the experts at Southern Living said, however.

Southern Living editors recently created a list of “signature state recipes” for many of the southern states. This list included iconic dishes like Nashville Hot Chicken, and the aforementioned Louisiana Jambalaya de Covington, and Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Crab Cakes. They say that while it’s nearly impossible to choose favorite dishes these are the ones that “won over their hearts and taste buds”.

So what are North Carolina’s most iconic dishes? The first is North Carolina’s Atlantic Beach Pie. Perhaps because I’ve never been to Atlantic Beach but this is a dessert I’ve never heard of before. It is described as a combination of a lemon ice box and Key lime pies with a saltine cracker crust. This does sound right up my alley! Does anyone know somewhere to try this in Charlotte?

The other dish is North Carolina Dipped Fried Chicken and while I’ve certainly eaten my fair share of fried chicken I don’t recall ever having it quite like this. Southern Living says this dish is “A tasty cousin of Nashville Hot Chicken.” It consists of crunchy fried chicken dunked in a sweet, spicy, and vinegary sauce. Sounds good to me! But as a lifelong North Carolinian, I’m not sure either of these dishes are ironically North Carolina. But I’ll accept other opinions on the subject!

Thanks to our friends at Southern Living for sharing their research with us you can read the full article and learn about other iconic state dishes here!

4 North Carolina Restaurants Included On Yelp's Best Places To Eat List

The idea of the “best restaurants” is certainly subjective. What one person may think is incredible may not be someone else’s cup of tea. But there are also some restaurants that are just a step above the others. So when I saw that Yelp released their Top 100 Places to Eat list for 2024 I had to see if I was familiar with any spots on the list. And 4 North Carolina Restaurants were mentioned as the best places to eat.

But perhaps what surprised me even more was the lack of any South Carolina restaurants included. I would have expected at least somewhere in Charleston to be included and I’m sure there are some other hidden gems throughout the state. Yelp says the list was created by analyzing “submissions, ratings, review volume, and community input.” So South Carolina perhaps you need to use Yelp more?

But back to North Carolina the winner in this contest. It wasn’t the Charlotte area that was highlighted on this list. Or anywhere in the Triangle. Instead it was one mountain bbq spot and not one, not two, but three Triad area restaurants. Who knew that region was such a destination for foodies? Last time I was in Greensboro I just ate at Chili’s but clearly there were some fantastic options I missed out on!

Keep reading to see the 4 North Carolina restaurants that are the best places to eat in the state. At least according to Yelp! You can read the full list here. Have a restaurant you think deserves to be highlighted? Let us know on social media!

  • 11. Haywood Smokehouse (Dillsboro)

    “Old School BBQ” is what you’ll find at Haywood Smokehouse. There are 3 locations the one in Dillsboro that is technically the one on this list, as well as Waynesville and Franklin. But be aware this is Texas Style BBQ, not eastern or western NC. View the menu here.

  • 43. Odeh's Mediterranean Kitchen (High Point)

    Located in High Point is Odeh’s Mediterranean Kitchen. It serves Middle Eastern Salad, Falafel on Pita, Chicken Shawarma, and more! View the menu here.

  • 49. Freeman's Grub & Hub (Greensboro)

    Freeman’s offers some delicious-looking craft cocktails as well as comfort foods from what I can tell on social media. And what I’ve seen is enough to make me add this to the list for the next time I make the drive to Greensboro (typically to something at the Coliseum). I wasn’t able to locate a website but you can view their Facebook page here.

  • 54. The Table (Asheboro)

    Located in Historic Downtown Asheboro, the Table offers breakfast and lunch as well as bakery items and coffee. View the menu here.

Melanie Day is a graduate of North Carolina State University. She has worked for Beasley since 2012 in a variety of behind-the-scenes roles in both digital and promotions. Melanie writes about a diverse range of topics some of her favorites include travel, restaurants, Taylor Swift, and college athletics. When not at work you'll find her at a country concert or NC State sporting event.

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