Carolina Burger

The parking lot was confusing for me at first considering I'm partially dumb but it was dark out. Don't judge me.

Once inside I was greeted by a big dude with tattoos. He was nice. I ordered a mushroom and Swiss with a side of tots ( yeah, I'm 4).
The burger arrived on a styrofoam plate with tinfoil over it. It was pretty decent. However the amount of salt on this thing was pretty gnarly. I'm going to need a lot of water tonight. Tots were tots but served with a mustard sauce which was good.

It's ok inside. Fox News and Metallica playing.

I see that you're closed, but on behalf of practically every single human being in Lenoir, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for being amazing, delicious and friendly.

And I also want to say, on behalf of Lenoir, we miss you soooo much. And if you come back, we will appreciate and love you until the end of time.

Sincerely,

Paul

I was craving something delicious to eat, with healthy being optional. I decided that if I was having a cheat day from my Keto/IF diet, "breaking bad," I'd do it full tilt boogie. Carolina Burger had been on my Yelp bookmark list since they opened and the five star reviews and accolades started rolling in, so I chose to give them a whirl.

I ordered their Big Twin done Carolina Classic style with mustard, chili, onions, coleslaw + add cheese. I got a small order of fries which I almost couldn't finish. They serve Coca-Cola fountain drinks. I made my own Sundrop/Cheerwine, Coke/Cheerwine, and Cheerwine/Cheerwine. ;o)

* Big Twin Carolina Classic Chili Cheeeeeese Burger. 5 / 5
My burger was big and and it arrived screaming HOT. Melted cheese, meaty chili, and mustard coated chopped onions rained onto my fries. My guess is that was how chili cheese fries were invented or as Bob Ross used to say, "a happy accident." The burger was seven napkins on the messy scale and it was absolutely, positively, decadently delicious.

Note: In 2017 Carolina Burger was voted Best Burger in the state of North Carolina out of 64 restaurants. I can see why!

* French Fries. 4 / 5
The fries arrived mere seconds out of the fryer - so they were still sizzling and scorching hot. The fries could have been cooked a smidgen longer, but I neglected to request "well done" fries. (Mea Culpa.) The fries arrived unsalted and that was quickly remedied. The fries were perfectly fine and there were a lot of them. I don't know what a LARGE size order would entail, but I almost couldn't finish a small order. Kudos for the generosity. (Ketchup is available from a pump dispenser like Wendy's.)

* Sodas. 4 / 5
Fountain drinks that I can customize to my liking are always appreciated. That's one reason that I like Five Guys so much because of their, "Star Trek" 1001 choices, drink dispenser. Carolina Burger's fountain, while not nearly as fancy, provided plenty of good choices. Another positive is that Carolina Burger's cups are at least 20 ounces. Pellet ice would have elevated this to 5/5, but having Coke, Sundrop, and Cheerwine among my choices made me smile.

* Service. 4 / 5
The owner was very courteous to me. The two guys in the kitchen were BUSY filling orders and turning out great food. Everything that I ordered arrived smoking hot and freshly made in less than ten minutes.

* Price?
My double chili cheeseburger, fries, and 20 oz. soda(s) were a tad over $13. This is Five Guys territory on price - but the burger was HUGE, servings sizes generous, and the taste was equal to or better than Five Guys. Color me impressed, and with burgers that's not an easy task. I have no regrets on the price, because it was 100% totally worth it.

* Seating: There are @ sixteen comfortable black vinyl cushioned wooden chairs inside. There is a narrow shotgun style dining area. A wall mounted TV lies at the end. There are approximately the same number of chairs outside on their covered patio, which is separated by lattice from busy highway 321.

* Ambiance: It was fairly loud in the restaurant with the TV going, box fans blowing, people ordering, and the kitchen rocking out to great music. LOL, I enjoyed every minute of it.

My visit was during a sultry 88° F degree Indian summer day, and the restaurant was very warm inside. The restaurant consists of one room, so the dining area is adjacent to the kitchen. I sat in front of a huge box fan and the cool breeze made things bearable.....after I anchored down my napkins. ;o)


* Final thoughts.....
I came in at 6:00 p.m. and I was the only eat in diner. When I left the parking lot was full. This is a popular place with locals for takeout.

I was pleased with my first visit to Carolina Burger. The food was very good, my order arrived quickly, everyone was courteous, and I left happy and satisfied. Lenoir is fortunate to have such a great burger restaurant. There's nothing quite like this in Hickory!

Question: Would I return? Answer: Absolutely!

Discovered this burger bar thru the trusty Yelp app. It is a small place with a great variety of burger options. I chose the Carolina Classic. It was a very good, made to order, hand-patted burger. I would like to have captured a photo of the burger, but once I picked it up there was no putting it down! If you are traveling through Lenoir, perhaps on your way to Boone/Blowing Rock, I would recommend you give this place a shot!

Disgustingly, the cooks wear sleeveless shirts! I'm not saying there is armpit sweat in your food, but I'm not saying there isn't either! Also, if you disagree with the owner on facebook he will attack you, curse you, and delete your comments.

You are greeted at the door by the staff that will take your order and offer suggestions. Very friendly. Burger was great and the menu is full of suggestions on ways to try your burger. Fries were of the shoestring variety and the small portion was larger than expected. Burger was cooked to order and brought to me with very quickly.

Interior seating area is small but cute and CLEAN. The outdoor seating area is nicely decorated and looks inviting. Will stop again to explore different burgers.

I've lived here a little over two years. All I heard was how big and how good the burgers were there. You see pictures on facebook, and they look outstanding. You make comment saying, you wish the burger you received looked close to that and it's deleted.

So I guess if you simply don't fawn head over heals over them they delete your response. Well good luck deleting this one.

Was it good? Yes. Was it great? Nah, I've had better. I've had bigger. For the price it was highly uneventful and disappointing.

I might stop back in because I like to try things more than once before forming a final opinion on it, but at this point they will have to knock my socks off to change it.

They certainly didn't live up to the expectations I had going in.

Updated:
Ate there a second time and it was even worse. When you pay that much and get so little, it is certainly not a value.

This was by far the best burger I have ever had! My son doesn't even really like burgers and he loved it! The staff was amazing and we met they owner and his girlfriend who were so kind and welcoming. We drove five hours just to try North Carolina's BEST burger, and we were not disappointed! Thank you Tom and Doug for making us feel so welcome!

I LOVE a great hamburger. When I say that this place hands down prepared one of the best hamburgers I have yet to eat, I'm not telling a tale! The burger was seasoned and cooked perfectly...not at all dry, but an absolute joy to taste. The mushrooms were sautéed and seasoned like something you are expecting from a fine dining restaurant. The cheese was melted just right and the bun toasted just enough. I was so glad that we stopped in to try this place out. My family and I travel quite often and have been to many different places, however, this was a very pleasant surprise and I encourage anyone passing through to give them a try!

Staff was very friendly and the menu provides plenty of options for even picky eaters. The accommodations are small inside, but there is a pleasant seating area outside.

After a hike to the Big Lost Cove Cliffs, I decided to search for a good cheeseburger, so I headed to nearby Lenoir, where, at Carolina Burger, I found a GREAT one. Cooked fresh to order, my burger was hot, juicy, and just plain delicious. Everything about it from the flavorful beef to the delicious toppings and melty cheese to the lightly grilled bun, everything was scrumptious. The generous portion of french fries was also fresh and tasty. There are lots of burger options. The staff was friendly, and there's an eclectic array of seating options. I chose outside where you can watch the world go by on busy U.S. highway 321. Parking is limited. Definitely worth a stop.