A peaceful suburban pocket is the last spot you’d expect to find finger-lickin’ American soul food. Nightly queues and plenty of social media lovin’, however, means Carolina Kitchen’s odd location is no barrier.

Housed in a converted corner store, the dive’s name pays tribute to owner Mike Perry’s upbringing in North Carolina and the hearty meals he grew up with.

Instead of lollies, potato chips and smokes, you can now find hot sticky Buffalo wings paired with blue cheese dipping sauce. Chilli dogs are served on soft white buns in plastic baskets and cardboard plates, atop red chequered plastic tablecloths. With a liberal dose of cheerfulness, this is no-frills dining at its best.

There are also burgers, hoagies (sub sandwiches) and New York fries topped with cheese, sour cream and homemade chilli sauce. The house specialty is Aunty Lily Mae’s baby back ribs drowned in a sticky homemade barbeque sauce.

Wash it down with a can of A&W or Dr Pepper and if you still have room for dessert, there’s pumpkin or key lime pie. God bless America.

Contact Details

Updated: March 13th, 2018

We do not seek or accept payment from the cafes, restaurants, bars and shops listed in the Directory – inclusion is at our discretion. Venue profiles are written by independent freelancers paid by Broadsheet.

Share