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    Char-Grill

    3.9 (56 reviews)
    InexpensiveBurgers, Hot Dogs
    Closed 10:30 am - 9:00 pm

    Char-Grill Photos

    CHAR-GRILL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Hamburger steak Jr, fries, drink at the picnic table in the shade
    Charlie F.

    Wow - my last review for here was 2010! It's 2021, and I am pleased to report the Char-Grill experience is as good as ever! For those that have never been to Char-Grill (and if you live in Raleigh - get on over there) it is a simple and unique experience. You write your order on a paper form and send it down a metal chute to the kitchen, then go around to the window and wait for your order. Want to eat at the restaurant? There are a few picnic tables around. On this day, I was able to enjoy my meal at the picnic table under the shade of a tree. My meal is the Hamburger Steak Jr, with chili, mustard, pickles. It comes with fires (Raleigh's best). And today it was as good as it always is. Take a break from the national chains and enjoy this Raleigh original!

    Walk up to the window to pay
    Allan A.

    Old style burger place. Walk up to the counter, fill in a paper slip what you want and deposit it into a slot then wait for your name to be called. All food is cooked to order. Burgers are char grilled (thus the name of the place) and have a nice taste to them. $21 for two burgers, fries, drinks and a chocolate shake. The burgers were nicely cooked, juicy and full of taste. The shake was not worth ordering. It was not creamy but icy, was not something that they tasted like a shake. Medium sized drinks were plenty large. No reason to order a large drink.

    Very retro

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    1 year ago

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    5 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Good old fashioned burger stand, purposely weird ordering system. Regional fave. No more to say.

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    1 year ago

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    5 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Great burgers and FF. Never had an issue at all locations. Thank you for having a beautiful burgers

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    8 years ago

    I love the food and great specials for Sunday and Monday. I love great service and the burgers and hotdogs are delicious and yummy.

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    15 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    8 years ago

    Best hot dogs around but the prices are way too high I mean it's good. Let me find out some racist ish going down here and .......

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    14 years ago

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    Page 1 of 2

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    Review Highlights - Char-Grill

    If you're ever in Raleigh and craving a good burger or hot dog, do yourself a favor and stop by Char-Grill.

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    The Roast Grill Hot Weiners - Two hot dogs with mustard. Glass Bottled Sodas. Chili and slaw on the side.

    The Roast Grill Hot Weiners

    4.2(186 reviews)
    5.2 mi
    $

    9.5 years later, I returned to the Roast Grill!…read more Nothing much has changed, and nothing really needs to. A little more Hurricanes gear, which I didn't need, but what can you do. 3 dogs and a coke for $14. Prices may not be the same, but such is life. I ordered all three dogs with mustard, onions, and slaw, and one also had the chili. I have to admit a few splashes of Texas Pete hot sauce took them over the top. The dogs themselves are great quality, none of the mystery meats that some of these other Carolina dogs have. And I'm glad they didn't load the chili on. Maybe this is not legal to say in the south, but I'm just not a fan of a chili dog with so much chili that the whole thing falls apart. The toppings should complement the dog, not overwhelm it. OK, I digress... The service was tremendous. I chatted with the owners about various topics for a good half hour and they were incredibly hospitable. They even gave me a couple of Tootsie rolls. Even though I can't do chocolate, I was glad to take them as a token of hospitality.

    I visited the Roast Grill in January after years of looking down on the building from my former…read moreGannett Fleming office at One Glenwood and wondering what was inside this little Raleigh institution. The Roast Grill feels less like a restaurant and more like a preserved piece of mid-20th-century Americana hidden in plain sight along West Street. The narrow counter, wood-paneled walls, neon beer signs, Coca-Cola memorabilia, handwritten notices, old photographs, Hurricanes tributes, and decades of accumulated objects create an atmosphere that simply cannot be manufactured today. The place reminded me a little of Chicago's famous Billy Goat Tavern--especially the feeling of discovering something authentic tucked beneath an increasingly overbuilt urban streetscape. I ordered two hot dogs all the way with mustard, onions, chili, and slaw--absolutely NO ketchup, of course--along with a Coke in a glass bottle. The chili is legendary and reportedly takes up to three days to prepare. Whether that is folklore or fact, it certainly gives the hot dogs a flavor unlike almost anywhere else in Raleigh. One of my favorite details was the mounted goat wearing a red hat beneath the neon beer signs. It somehow fits perfectly within the visual layering and quirky personality of the interior. Even the traditions remain intact. At the end of the meal, every customer receives a Tootsie Roll. Places like the Roast Grill are becoming increasingly rare. It is not just a hot dog stand--it is a living piece of Raleigh history. If interested, you can view my post in "The Architecture of..." Facebook Group here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18Tu51FPtB/

    Photos
    The Roast Grill Hot Weiners - The back wall and door to the kitchen are equally interesting. It is no-holds-barred visual layering.

    The back wall and door to the kitchen are equally interesting. It is no-holds-barred visual layering.

    The Roast Grill Hot Weiners - 2 mustard, chili, & onions

    2 mustard, chili, & onions

    The Roast Grill Hot Weiners - Coke in the bottle, cool

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    Coke in the bottle, cool

    Jim's Ole Time

    Jim's Ole Time

    4.5(25 reviews)
    10.0 mi
    $

    Great taste, but too messy. Loved the flavors, but the toppings kept falling off. Still, one of the…read morebetter hot dogs I've had!

    if one is as into seeking great hot dogs as I am, one goes where ever the trail leads - even to the…read morefront of a Lowe's Home Improvements store in Cary, and this trip was definitely worthwhile.. There Jim Rivers has been setting up his steel hot dog stand for nearly 14 years now, and is there almost everyday beginning at 11:30 - he misses some days because he also sets up at the North Carolina State Fair each year. He steams his weiners - Red Hots (neon red Southern weiner)for $1,50, Nathans All Beef for $2.00, Jalapeno (with the pepper already in the weiner) for $2.50, and a Sausage dog, also for $2.50. His toppings(whatever you want at no additional charge) include mustard, ketchup (ugh!), chili, onions, slaw, mayo (double ugh!), cheese, sauerraut, red onion (foo foo), and relish (we get visitors from the far north). The Red Hot is your basic Southern Chili dog with a weiner of questionable parentage, chile, onions and/or slaw, on a nice, soft bun. This is a very good hot dog. The chili is not home made since the All Knowing, All Seeing Wake County government has decided that only brick and mortar restaurants can prepare such items in their duly and regularly inspected kitchens - this apparently is true even if the rating is not particularly good. Jim uses Patterson's Grand Slam All Beef Chili, which is available in 5 pound tubs or #10 cans. This is very good commercially prepared chili, right up there with Matinee brand used by Allen & Son in Chapel Hill. The Nathan's All Beef hot dog with chili, mustard, and Jim's slaw is an outstanding slaw dog - one of the best I've tried, and I've tried more than a few. The quality of the weiner reals comes thru, and is very well showcased by the soft bun, tasty chili, and not too sweet mayo based slaw. On my next visit, I'll try the Jalapeno dog and the Sausage dog instead of the All Beef - well, probably in addition too it. Jim is friendly and personable, the service is quick, the pricing reasonable - there is no seating available, but sitting in an airconditioned auto munching several dogs ain't at all bad.

    Photos
    Jim's Ole Time - Jim's Truck and Trailer in the lot. Nice advertising.

    Jim's Truck and Trailer in the lot. Nice advertising.

    Jim's Ole Time - Red dog with mustard , chili and onion.

    Red dog with mustard , chili and onion.

    Jim's Ole Time

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    Char-Grill - burgers - Updated August 2026

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