Sunday dinner in North Carolina used to mean fried chicken, a pile of vegetables, and a biscuit you could not stop at just one of. A lot of families do not cook that kind of spread anymore, but some restaurants never stopped.
From mountain towns to the coast, these spots still dish up a meat, a few sides, and dessert like it is the most normal thing in the world. Here are seven places across the state where that classic plate is alive and well, and where you can find it any day of the week the doors are open.
1. C&H Cafeteria, Kernersville, NC
Grab a tray and slide it down the line. C&H is an old-school cafeteria where you point at the meat and sides you want and carry your plate to a table.
The fried chicken is the headliner, and the chicken livers have a loyal following of their own. There is also a salad bar, plus turkey and other traditional American dishes that fit right into a Sunday spread.
Sunday is the busiest stretch here, which says a lot about how folks in the Piedmont Triad still treat this place. The kitchen runs straight through from 11 AM to 8:30 PM that day, while weekdays and Saturday split into lunch and dinner hours.
Plates usually land in the $10 to $20 range. Kids are welcome, with high chairs and a kids’ menu, and the parking lot at 940 S Main St tends to have plenty of room.
Reservations are not taken, but the line moves fast.
2. Dan’l Boone Inn, Boone, NC
Nobody hands you a menu decision here. At Dan’l Boone Inn, the food simply arrives in bowls and platters, and the whole table passes everything around.
A meal typically starts with salad, then the parade begins. Fried chicken, country style steak, Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, slaw, green beans, corn, biscuits, ham biscuits, and fried apples all hit the table, and refills are part of the deal (ham biscuits excepted).
The restaurant sits in one of Boone’s oldest buildings, and servers dress in period attire. That history pairs nicely with banana pudding for dessert.
Weekends start early, with breakfast from 8 AM Friday through Sunday. Expect about $20 to $30 per person, and bring cash or another non-card payment, since credit cards are not accepted.
A wait is common, especially on Saturdays and Sunday mornings, so I would plan around the rush if you can.
3. Moose Cafe, Asheville, NC
Shopping for apples and mountain honey works up an appetite. Moose Cafe sits right at the Western North Carolina Farmers Market on Brevard Road, which makes it an easy lunch stop after a market run.
The kitchen leans on locally grown vegetables for its Southern comfort plates. Turkey and dressing, fried chicken livers, pinto beans, cornbread, and NC trout all show up, and portions are generous.
Then there are the biscuits with apple butter. They are a big part of why people keep coming back, along with biscuits and gravy at breakfast and the Moose Cake for dessert.
Look for the giant moose out front and a playlist full of 70s music inside. Hours run 8 AM to 7 PM every day, and most meals fall between $10 and $20.
Saturday and Sunday mornings are the busiest, so a late afternoon visit is usually calmer.
4. Casey’s Buffet, Wilmington, NC
Pig feet and chitterlings on the menu tell you right away this is a serious Southern spread. Casey’s Buffet on Oleander Drive keeps a long line of down-home dishes ready for lunch and dinner.
Fried chicken, BBQ, cabbage, fried pork chops, and shrimp are regular stars. Brunswick stew, blueberry cobbler, pecan pie, and banana pudding round things out, and the cherry Kool-Aid has earned a reputation of its own.
The room is big and no-frills, with friendly staff who make first-timers feel welcome. Prices generally run $10 to $20 per person.
Plan your trip carefully, because Casey’s is closed Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday through Sunday, it is open 11 AM to 9 PM, and Sunday afternoon into evening is when the coastal crowd shows up hungry.
Takeout is available too, including sides by the half pint.
5. Clyde’s Restaurant | Southern, Waynesville, NC
If you want the textbook definition of a meat-and-three, Clyde’s writes it fresh every day. The old-fashioned Waynesville diner runs daily specials built around one meat and three sides.
Roast beef and gravy with green beans and baby carrots is a typical combo. Meatloaf with pinto beans, fried chicken, and fried flounder also rotate through, often with a side of spiced apples.
The hot roast beef sandwich with mashed potatoes is another classic choice. Clyde’s also has a well-known club sandwich, beef tips, a jumbo fried shrimp basket, and pies for anyone saving room.
The diner is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 AM to 9 PM and closed Monday and Tuesday. Service tends to be quick, plates stay in the $10 to $20 range, and there is free parking along S Main St.
6. Jack’s Seafood & Soul Food, Raleigh, NC
Portions at Jack’s are big enough that one plate can easily feed two. That alone makes this New Bern Avenue spot a smart Sunday stop.
The menu covers both sides of its name. Fried fish, croaker, shrimp, and scallops share space with smothered pork chops, turkey wings and gravy, baked chicken, and pig feet.
Sides are where a plate really comes together here. Candied yams, collard greens, cabbage, mac and cheese, okra, and string beans are all in the mix.
Sunday hours are shorter, from 11 AM to 6 PM, while Monday through Saturday the doors open at 7 AM for breakfast. Senior citizen discounts are offered, and prices sit around $10 to $20.
Parking can get tight, so give yourself an extra minute.
7. Mert’s Heart And Soul, Charlotte, NC
Sunday dinner in the middle of Uptown Charlotte is easier than you might think. Mert’s, a husband-and-wife-run restaurant on N College St, brings soul food and Lowcountry dishes to a colorful dining room surrounded by office towers.
Mert’s Famous Salmon Cakes are the signature, and the meatloaf has plenty of fans. Pork chops, beef ribs, fried whiting, and chicken come with sides like collard greens, black-eyed peas, mac and cheese, and cornbread.
Shrimp and grits with toasted focaccia and fried green tomatoes show off the Lowcountry side. Save room for the coconut cake.
Here is a practical bonus: Sunday is one of the quieter times, and Mert’s is open 11 AM to 9 PM that day. Reservations are accepted, and plates run about $20 to $30.
Downtown parking can be tricky, so a nearby garage is often the simplest choice.
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