North Carolina’s Best Hidden Food Scene!

This small city in Eastern North Carolina has an amazing variety of restaurants. Authentic international cuisines, tastes of the deep south, down-home southern cooking, and of course, some of the best Eastern North Carolina style whole hog BBQ!

I’m talking about Wilson, North Carolina! This town of nearly 50,000 people is about 45 miles east of Raleigh and is a foodie haven! Many people have either never heard of Wilson, or have no idea there’s so much outstanding food there. That’s great news for hungry travelers! No competing with long lines and the prices are unbeatable! Here’s a guide to the essential Wilson restaurants for when you visit, and the most important tip, make sure you’re hungry when you go!

Flo’s Kitchen                                                                                                                                                                            

 Flo’s Kitchen is a famous spot for breakfast in Wilson and they’re known for their huge ‘cat head’ sized biscuits. These one of a kind biscuits are made from scratch and served with big chunks of cheddar cheese melted perfectly into the bread. The massive biscuits will only set you back a few dollars, and if you think it couldn’t get any better, they’ll sell you a cup of molasses for just $.50 cents! The experience of eating at Flo’s is also a unique one. The extremely small building is 127 years old and was once used as a gas station. The people are really friendly too, which is good because you might accidentally bump into a few of them!

 

 

Las Palmas Tortilleria

This small Mexican diner offers the best and most authentic Mexican food I’ve tried outside of Mexico itself, and many other locals agree with me. Think food truck style tacos, but priced at just $1.50 each! Anyone who eats at food trucks a lot, or appreciates the quality of the amazing, authentic food they offer, just got very excited! I know I was when I first stepped into Las Palmas Tortilleria! It’s a must have Wilson experience that will blow you away! Figuratively, not literally, as long as you go easy on the hot sauce. Grab one of the many flavors of Jarritos Mexican soft drinks for a combo that is simply ‘perfecto’.

 Parker’s BBQ

My advice? Order a little bit of everything on the relatively small menu at Parker’s which includes: Pulled Pork, Brunswick Stew, Corn Sticks, Hush Puppies, Boiled Potatoes, and Slaw. Many of the locals tell you that Parker’s is the absolute best BBQ in town, but there’s multiple great BBQ restaurants in Wilson to choose from! If you can’t make it to Parker’s, then definitely go to Bill Ellis BBQ, or to Bill’s son’s restaurant, Marty’s. The fact is you really cannot go wrong with delicious eastern North Carolina style BBQ. It’s made using the whole hog and is proud of its slogan “nothing wasted but the squeal”. Gross, right? Of course it’s gross, but oh so delicious! Even world renowned chef Anthony Bourdain visited Wilson back in 2002 for his show “A Chef’s Tour”, to try the famous whole hog BBQ at Mitchell’s Ribs. Unfortunately, Mitchell’s Ribs has since relocated from Wilson, but you can still try the same type of BBQ that Mr. Bourdain ended up endorsing as the best in the country!

Wild Thangz Southern Style Grill

Kangaroo Meat Tacos at Wild Thangz.

Bring your sense of adventure with you. Exotic meats are on the menu including wild boar, ostrich, frog legs, alligator, bison, and even kangaroo! These meats are served in sandwiches, burgers, and tacos and come both grilled and deep-fried. This is one culinary experience you’ll be bragging to your friends about for years to come! If you aren’t souled yet (intentional misspelling), they have fried green tomatoes and the crispiest french fries of all time! Still not convinced? Go check out Wayback Burgers for a more traditional, but no less delicious, burger experience. On the flip side, if you’re a really intrepid foodie and alligator nuggets are just a little too soft for you, go to one of many convenient store restaurants in Wilson and order a fresh variety of gizzards and livers. Thriftway Food Shop is the most well known spot in town to pick them up. My advice? Chug some Pepto Bismol before you take all that on, you can thank me later!

Monticello Cafe

There’s a huge variety of subs on the menu at Monticello, and best of all, they serve Reubens! There’s no going wrong here with these sandwiches, and they’ll only set you back about $6.50 for an 8 inch. They all come loaded with generous amounts of fresh ingredients and toasted to a crisp! The inside of this place is nice too and covered with photos of travel destinations around the world, mixed with vintage domestic beer collectibles. Oh, and speaking of beer, they have some great options on tap! This place closes in the midday for three hours from 2-5 pm, but don’t panic! You’re in the land of sub lovers in Wilson! If you find yourself visiting in between business hours, you can go right down the street to Aggie’s Hot Subs, a great sandwich joint that doubles as a stop for some of the best Asian cuisine in town. If you feel like you’re ready to advance to a Level 2; head across town to Hoagie City, which some of the locals have hailed as home to the best hoagies south of Philly!

Dick’s Hot Dog Stand

Dick’s Hot Dog Stand is likely the oldest continuously running family restaurant in North Carolina. This place has been in the same building and ran by the same family since 1921! It serves plenty of food like burgers and sandwiches. However, it’s mostly known for it’s appropriately named “Famous Hot Dog”. Which is served with all the essentials to complete the perfect southern style dog: onions, homemade chili, and mustard.

Dick’s is proud of being “Wilson’s Famous Landmark”.

 

If you grew up in the south, this place might not exactly ‘wow’ you. You’re probably used to fantastically unhealthy ‘meat in tube form’ covered in hamburger chili, but if you’re from anywhere else, this is a must try when visiting the dirty south! Regardless of where you’re from though, it’s a good quality hot dog, always served fresh! You’ll also be following in the footsteps of celebrities like Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Jodie Foster, and Ava Gardner when you eat at Dick’s! Perhaps that’s why this place proudly boasts that they ARE “Wilson’s Famous Landmark”.

Whole Truth Lunchroom

Great food and a good cause. This southern style restaurant is located right next to the church where it all started as a community dinner in the 1960s. When word got out that they had the best home cooked meals after service on Sunday’s, everyone wanted a taste! Fast forward to now, they’re winning awards for their fried chicken and making various magazine’s lists as some of the best soul food in the country! The church is still going strong too, so I guess it could be said that they are winning souls in more ways than one! The menu changes so there’s always something new to try. ‘Fish on Friday’s’, and a huge variety of everything else for the rest of the week. Always fresh, always comforting, just like grandma used to make it. Well, perhaps with the exception of the neck bone and pig’s feet that they regularly have on the buffet!

Varee Asian Cafe and Bakery

A bowl of ‘Gouy Tiew Pad Kra Paw’ at Varee Asian Cafe and Bakery.

This classy multi-country Asian food restaurant has an outstanding menu! Roasted Duck Curry, Lamb Massaman, Chicken Satay, Pad Thai, just to name a few! They also have an abundance of seafood options, including lots of Sushi,  and endless vegetarian options, meaning they have a little something for everyone who loves Asian cuisine. So, that covers pretty much everyone who knows what good food is! This place will quickly become your go to spot for ethnic comfort food, but you might want to hit it up at lunch time for the specials, to keep your new-found addiction from draining all your funds! If you’re looking for some Vietnamese food, What The Pho is right across the street! They have a huge variety of the king of all comfort food, extra large bowls of Vietnamese Pho for under 10 dollars! That’s right, happiness is just $8.50 in Wilson, North Carolina.

SaYum Jamaican Food

Right across from the train station in Historic Downtown Wilson is an authentic Jamaican restaurant, whose owners had the genius idea to also offer a large variety of ice cream! If you aren’t too familiar with Jamaican cuisine, the staff is always more than happy to suggest a plate, or two, or three for you. It’ll always be cooked fresh and authentic, and if you end up ordering some spicy curry chicken, there’s nothing like ice cream to cool your mouth down! There’s several other Caribbean cuisine options in Wilson and many of the locals swear that the convenient store and grill ‘Nagi’s Mart’ can always be counted on for the best in town. The jury’s out, but being that it’s a generally accepted fact in the south that some of the best food comes from convenient stores, it’s a very likely claim!

Believe it or not, I’ve barely touched the surface of the great food available in Wilson! There are lots of places for Italian, top-notch seafood restaurants, a New York City style pizza place, more great soul food, meticulously grilled Japanese hibachi, and so much BBQ! Come stay awhile and start eating!

One last tip, about half of the locations listed have limited hours and are cash only. Call ahead and make sure they’re open. It’s also probably best to stop by the first ATM on your way into town and get enough Andrew Jackson’s to eat until your heart’s content!