Aesthetic: Old school, staple CLT drive in diner What to try: Cheeseburger or Baby Club Service: Attentive Parking: Plenty Rating: 4/5, we had a solid burger and club sandwich, felt very nostalgic and relaxed read more

South 21 Drive In - Cheeseburger - Burgers Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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An old school Charlotte classic that has been featured on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives, South 21 is a nostalgic dining experience. Open since 1955 it harkens back to the days where carhop service was all the rage. It still has the same aesthetic and the same drive in ordering style. I came to experience it myself with some coworkers and of course had to get the Super Boy Burger I had heard so much about. I also decided to get a chili cheese dog for good measure. The burger was fantastic! The hot dog not so much, the dog itself wasn't the best quality so I'm not sure what type of hotdogs they are using. The service was A+ though our server was very friendly and even offered free refills. Friendly series and lights out burgers this place definitely deserves its reputation as a Charlotte staple. I would probably go more often if Independence wasn't such a nightmare to drive on! read more

South 21 Drive In - Burgers Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

First time coming here after passing it for many years. It was absolutely amazing. Quick service and delicious food. I absolutely love the ambiance and how it sticks to its original design and style. I would absolutely come back here again. read more

Stopped here for a little snack after running errands, definitely not a bad experience. The atmosphere really felt as if I stepped into a time machine and went back into the 50s which was pretty cool to me. The service was fast and the employee who assisted me was very polite. I ordered the hot dog with chili, mustard, onions which was ok for the most as I felt the chili was missing something flavorful. I paired it with fries and a sun drop which really sold me. The fries were crispy and hot and the sun drop was definitely hitting well. I'd would come back to try something new read more

How sad! They've changed the onion ring recipe!!! The breading is not the same. If I was guessing, they are dipping the onions once instead of twice. I've been going here for 50 years and was so sad to find the change. Goodbye much loved childhood memories. read more

That is the best burger I've had in a long time. I had the super and it was well worth the wait.

The food was not seasoned. The fish is horrible and taste fake. The coleslaw taste like sourkraught. Service is ok.

Hubby decided to take the family out for dinner on a Saturday night it started raining on the way and he decided to bring us here. He has fond memories of this place from his childhood. You can either order from your car or go inside. They have plenty of parking. Hubby and I enjoyed the super boy while my littles had a cheeseburger or the kids tenders meal. It was all delicious. The fries were perfectly crisp and seasoned. The burger was just right. They bring the food to your car on a tray if you or eating in the parking lot. We were very pleased with the customer service. We enjoyed watching the cars on the busy highway as we sat and enjoyed our meals. read more

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The only reason they are not getting a 5 is because the food was lukewarm and you have to ask for mayo and ketchup on your burger. Overall the food tasted good and the service was friendly. read more

South 21 Drive In - Photo of the menu - Burgers Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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Great fast food, Good burgers, onion rings , fries were good. Check out staff we're very friendly. Will go again.

I've been in Charlotte since about 2002 and have never eaten at South 21. I decided to stop in for lunch one day last week. From all the good things I've heard.... I was not impressed at all. The fries To me, they were standard French fries with maybe a sprinkle of salt. Crispy. That's about it. The chicken I expected the chicken to be much better than what I received. To me it tastes like they took the chicken, rolled it around in flour, and then tossed it in the grease. There was not one speckle of seasoning on the chicken. The breading was very hard and thick. The plus side about the food was everything seemed to be cooked to order. I say it was cooked to order because there were maybe two customers in front of me and I waited about 40 minutes for my food. It was hot and fresh but no flavor whatsoever. I was highly disappointed.  I feel as if they need to redeem themselves so I may give them a second try. I won't be ordering the chicken though.  #explorepage  #foodie #instafood #foodstagram #drivein #foodblogger #foodlover #localeats   #foodgasm  #instagood #foodiesofinstagram #foodpics  #chickenlovers #followforfollow  #GratuityAdded    #foodlover   #South21 #clteats #charlottefoodscene  #charlottefoodie #exploreclt #eatdrinkclt #queencity #charlotterestaurants #cltnc  #charlottefoodies   #cltfoodies  #queencityeats  #buzzcity read more

South 21 Drive In - Menu - Burgers Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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A blast from the past experience. Service at the car window after you drive up and park. The best O Rings ever (a 5 star order). The cheeseburger was good. The service was excellent. I will visit again with my family. read more

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Stopped here for a quick bite to eat after running errands. I saw that they had fish so I opted for the fish burger. Easy to find a park just make sure if you're alone you park in a slot that has a speaker on the drivers side. The service was fast. The fish burger was bland AF! I don't think there was even any salt. The fries were bland AF also. I was confused because reading the reviews I thought I was in a for a treat. Not so much. I would not eat here again. I paid about $13 for the fish burger, a handful of fries and a lemonade. The price wasn't too bad honestly. I believe there may have been some coleslaw and maybe tartar sauce on the plate as well. This is an outside drive up experience so there is no dining room as suggested in the name...I cannot say if there is a restroom to use on site but I can imagine it may be. It was just a miss for me. Maybe if I ate the burgers I would have enjoyed it more. read more

This is one of the few places in Charlotte that feels like stepping back in time & enjoying the simple things! Quick service, great vibe, good food! Best root beer I've ever had! read more

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South 21 is a landmark drive-in restaurant in Charlotte, NC. Located off of Independence Blvd, they have been in business as long as I can remember in my 60 years of living in the Charlotte area. The hamburgers, hot dogs, and Friday night fish dinners are good. Love the tartar sauce, because it is not sweet. It's not gourmet food, just a fun place with good quick food. read more

Located RIGHT ON the Hwy! Take your time to find it and turn in carefully on busy highway. Back in the day, traffic wasn't a problem for such a location. Quite dangerous now. Other than that, my burger was really good. Service was pleasant. My drink was mistaken for unsweetened tea but it was correct no issue. Server thought I was asking for a refill at first. So no refills! Haven't heard that since the 90s. Fries didn't impress me much but I definitely came for the burger after eating at the Matthews location once. It got busy at one point with everyday people and blue collars. Wasn't sure if the big trucks with trailers could fit in a small parking area. I'm not sure if patrons should throw away trash but seems no one working was eagered to throw anything away. I personally got out my car and walked across to throw away trash. Keep it nice everyone. read more

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Love the nostalgia but I've definitely had better burgers. Onion rings and fries are solid though. One of the better onion rings I've had at a burger joint. So you have to press a button so that you can place your order. There's a tray that pulls out if you want to leave your tray on the outside. I thought that was pretty tight. No one will come out to take your order, so don't make that rookie mistake. You will wait for sure. I'm not a fan of eating inside my car, but I do make exceptions for vibes and this place is definitely a vibe. Come get some... read more

The best thing in Charlotte.. I've been coming here since I was a kid, my parents would let us feed to cats out back. They have the best food. The fried flounder is outstanding with the tartar sauce along with the onion rings. The slaw is vinegar base and my favorite of any restaurant. They have the best ice, get a sun drop with cherry. Yum. The fried chicken is good too. You place your order at the drive or go in and just a little while later they'll bring it out to your car. read more

South 21 Drive In - Fried flounder with slaw - Burgers Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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I've stopped by South 21 a couple times while in Charlotte, curb service has always been great and fairly quick. Love their Super Boy burger with cheese, I've tried their fried chicken also, it was fried perfectly and not greasy at all, but lacked any seasoning and was a bit bland for me. It's a neat old school drive-in definitely y worth checking out. read more

My mom used to take my brother and me to South 21 Drive In on our way home from guitar lessons when I was 8 years old. I have the fondest memories of their perfectly crispy french fries, juicy cheeseburgers and rich chocolate milkshakes. My husband and I live on the East Side now, and we've hit up South 21 many times since we moved over here - not one thing has changed, and it warms my heart to see that (very rare in such a rapidly changing place like Charlotte). Can't go wrong with South 21! read more

I have lived in Charlotte for 35+ years, and I have long enjoyed South 21. I was unfortunately very disappointed recently. I no longer live where any South 21 location is in my regular "orbit", but a couple weeks ago I went to the Matthews location on a Friday night and ordered the Fried Trout Plate (Cod Filet) with onion rings. After the order arrived at my table and I started eating, I slowly realized that something was "off", although I couldn't put my finger on it. After I left the restaurant it eventually occurred to me that the fish and the onion rings tasted like the oil in the fryer had not been changed in months. Or years. (I'm sure years is an exaggeration.) I wish I had realized that while I was there to raise the issue. C'est la vie. I guess the moral of the story is to trust your senses and speak up when something is "off", whether you are at South 21 or any other restaurant. read more

Really cool place and fun to see places like this still exist. I had the Fish sandwich and onion rings. Fish was a better version of a filet o fish at mcd's. I was hoping for fresher better tasting fish but it was fine. Onion rings were pretty good but not my favorite. Still a fun place to check out read more

The service was ok, the food was subpar. I was expecting a lot more from south 21 Drive in.

All I've ever tried here are the burgers and usually I'll get the Super Boy with cheese "Carolina Style" which means it comes with chili, slaw, onions instead of lettuce, tomato, onion. Both versions come with mustard I think. The Super Boy comes with two thin patties that are fairly tasty and everything is cooked to order. The onion rings are homemade, crispy and good. South 21 has been around since the 1950's and you feel the vibe when you pull into one of the parking spots complete with menu and speaker box, pull the tray towards your window, push the button and call out your order once greeted. Different and a nice throwback. Generally I've gotten my food delivered to the car 5-6 minutes after ordering and it's nice to be able pay and then sit in your car and chow down on some good grub. They are out of the way from my normal routine but I do enjoy stopping by when in the area. read more

South 21 Drive In - Burgers Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

Everything was good the service the time ... everything was perfect I enjoyed my burger my chicken my wife had a chopped bar b que sandwich I had some of that to. French fries was crispy and cooked just right read more

What can I say about this place, it is definitely worth a trip. As I arrived to the drive in, there were probably like 5 cars ahead of me. As I parked and tried to place my order, the speaker to order my food was not working. Luckily a gentleman walked by and I was able to place my order with him. When it comes to the food, I just went ham when it comes to ordering food. I ordered 1/4 fried chicken platter, double cheeseburger, side of onion rings, potato salad. Everything was just super fresh and not oily. The fried chicken man oh man that crust was flaky not oily at all, only issue I had was it needed a bit more seasoning. The burger tasted like a Big Mac and a whopper had a baby, pretty solid burger. The star of the show was those onion rings, I could say it was probably the best I've ever had. Usually onion rings are soggy or oily, but these were cooked perfectly. Only issue I had was the seasoning(put some love to that food). The reason I gave this place a 5 was because an employee named Garry who I placed my order with, was on the go. I saw him moving back and forth and hustling even though the speaker to place my order was not working. The owners of this place give this man recognition for his hard work, he definitely deserves it. Overall great experience will be back again, after I burn off all the food I ate.... Cheers. read more

Pretty good food, unique place. Standard sized burger that was cooked well and prepared nicely. It would probably rank towards the top of my "Charlotte Burger" list but wouldn't be at the very top. Fries were good but a little plain. Will definitely be back. read more

South 21 Drive In - Double Cheeseburger - Burgers Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

This is just over priced McDonald's....& I don't like McDonald's. Drive in experience is cool & aesthetically pleasing so I gave it a star for that...but everything else is just McDonald's food for a higher price. read more

I left a review for this restaurant on Google and I somehow feel as though they read and heard my message because I did notice a change and the person who took the orders they actually just changed the person all together and added a gentleman to taking the orders over the speaker and he was much pleasant I've always loved the servers service and I enjoy their burgers I highly recommend this location because it has a great old school drive through feel and some pretty good food read more

Excellent customer service and the best burgers. Very friendly person greets you to take your order when you arrive. Orders arrived quickly and offer refills on drinks! Love this place!! read more

Horrible the absolute worst food I think I've ever consumed. All frozen and institutional food. I honestly don't know how you're still in business with such sorry food. The service was great. The speed was fast. But food was as horrible. McDonald's is better than here. Don't waste your time here read more

The burger and the cherry shake are very good. Fast service and I can't wait to go back to try the fresh strawberry pie.

What can you say about a Charlotte icon?! A true drive in (not a Sonic knock off) but the real deal and true to its roots. Excellent drive in fare, burgers, fish, onion rings to die for and big milkshakes-that are authentic and taste like a real shake should. Great value and fun. Pull up with the top down, enjoy your meal to the sounds of I-74 but worth the trip. Excellent carside service to boot by guys who know their customer service. read more

This place just isn't very good. I have probably been here 3 or 4 times. My friends rave about it. What is so special? It's a cheap burger joint that uses a ton of frozen stuff Everything is just below ho-hum. read more

Errands around town and driving past this place and always wanting to try it out, quickly led to me pulling in. I pulled up to a car space and decided to order from my car. We ordered fairly easy and our food was out pretty quickly. My interaction with employees was fast, polite and straightforward. The parking lot left a lot to be desired. It was pretty messy. The trash bins were full, and items on the ground. It wasn't busy so I didn't understand the messiness of it at all. One employee did pick up a few items and place them in the full trash but when they blew away and out of out the trash, he did not retrieve items and instead left on the ground. The food was good. It was hot and fresh and definitely what you expect from a drive in. I ordered a cheeseburger for my son and was definitely surprised by how big it was. It was more than enough. The chicken tenders were tasty as well. My ribeye sandwich plate was not bad, not the greatest but A-Okay. I would return to South 21, just probably not this particular location. read more

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The food was delish the burger was my favorite and the service was speedy and polite.

My folks looked this place up before I came for my Easter visit, adding it to our list of places to try. It's been around since 1955 and things operate the same way they did back then - either you can order from a carport and a carhop will bring your food, or you can walk up and order. We did the car order which was fun, since the closest thing I've come to an old school drive-in-diner was a Sonic. Unfortunately I was feeling a little out of it that day and decided to go with the grilled chicken sandwich to be safe, instead of a burger. My folks ordered burgers and we got a plain one for my dog as well. The food was fairly quick - I'd say it took about 10-12 minutes tops before a carhop brought it to our car. Everything is made to order, which is great. The grilled chicken sandwich was cooked perfectly and was moist. The fries had a nice balance of being a bit crispy but soft. Prices were very good here and I nearly did a double take when I saw how low some of them were. I'd come back and dine there again, but next time I'll try a burger. read more

My dad saw this place on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, so we decided to give this place a go. Wasn't that impressed, but it's still a cool place to check out. When we first got there, we parked and tried to buzz the workers twice on the intercom, but no answered after sitting there waiting for about 5 minutes. So my dad and I finally went in to go and order our food, which they said that the intercom works, but I guess they just didn't hear it... The workers are friendly. You pay once you get your food and they do take card as well. Pretty reasonable prices for a place that's been serving since 1955. For me, the chicken was a little bit on a dryer side, but I guess I'm just more of a dark meat person. My dad said it was a juicier white meat chicken for him. Also ordered the onion rings, but I was still a little disappointed by that because I had a lot of thin slices of onions in my order, but maybe I was just unlucky. I also felt that the batter was a bit overcooked and a lot more crunchier than I'd normally like it to be. The cheeseburger was just all right for my sister and me. read more

South 21 Drive In - Half chicken (4pcs), onion rings, cole slaw, fries, 2 dinner rolls, and a cheeseburger. - Burgers Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

I love this place! It's been around since 1955! I always get hotdogs, which are good, and onion rings which are great. The burger is good. The milkshakes are really good. The service is great, and the gentlemen who serve are outstanding and, yes, are true gentlemen! The vibe is great! Eat local! read more

South 21 Drive In - Burgers Near Me - Charlotte, North Carolina

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I have been eating at this South 21 Drive-in since I was a child! My daddy would take me on weekends & summers. As I got older & dating my boyfriend had been eating at the South Blvd location as his Mom would pickup chicken on the way home from Church for lunch. They were open on Sundays then. Not only did we went there on our dates but after marriage we raised our three children on South 21 food, but our youngest, Kevin goes at least once a week at lunch & has taken his sweet wife & daughter there also! We are a South 21 Family! read more