Great lunch or dinner spot for a semi casual meal! Numerous sandwich options from burgers, chicken, pastrami and so forth - with both hot and cold options. Sandwiches range between $10-15. Salads, soups, a handful of small plates, and about 8-10 dinner entrees are also on the menu. Service was great. My husband enjoyed his hamburger. It initially came out missing his toppings and the waitress promptly had it fixed. I enjoyed the chicken cordon blue with sweet potato fries. It was good too. My only complaint was the waiting area was cramped due to rainy weather outside. This was no big deal. However, if distractions are something you try to avoid, this place may not be for you. It was loud inside, people will hover beside the tables, as the waiting room was full. With the loudness of the room and the excess amount of people standing around it was definitely hard to hear my conversation and hard to focus on enjoying our time. Otherwise, definitely deserves the 4 stars! read more

The West End Cafe is a hidden dive that is enjoyed by the locals. They have a varied menu with something for everyone. I enjoyed my first visit and I plan on trying it again. I enjoyed the roast beef grinder today. The sandwich was a tad bit dry, but was tasty. read more

West End Cafe - Dining room - New American Near Me - Winston Salem, North Carolina

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Ate there two times in two days when visiting Winston-Salem. It was that good! The veggie Reuben has two thumbs up from this vegetarian!!! The staff is so friendly as well!! read more

A group of friends had lunch on 1-15-2025. While waiting to be seated at a table, two of us ordered drinks at the bar. Manager told us we would have to wait at another table. Turned out to be a waitress station. Rude! I have never as a paying customer been asked to leave my seat, and wait somewhere else. Management and wait staff can hurt business fast. Our waitress was super nice, and food was good. Manager was a Jackass! Will not return! read more

Super nice little cafe on 4th street! It has more of a homey feel than many of the restaurants in the area, but it's a nice place to get a reasonably priced, filling meal, and a beverage if you want! They have a full bar. I'm not a fan of sauerkraut, so I love the West End style Reuben. It subs out the kraut and 1000 island in favor of tangy honey mustard slaw. The Turkey Reuben I got had thick sliced turkey atop perfectly toasted rye, with lots of melty Swiss cheese. I really liked the fries, and of course the delicious house made ranch. At the time of this review (8/30/22) they are closing for a week for renovations and it's my understanding they'll be sporting some new, modernized interior. Can't wait to check out the updates! read more

West End Cafe - West end style turkey Reuben - New American Near Me - Winston Salem, North Carolina

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The staff was super friendly even though they were really busy when we entered at lunchtime. We both had steak pitas which were amazing. Highly recommend. read more

West End Cafe - Nice spot in town - New American Near Me - Winston Salem, North Carolina

This place is not bougie at all but their food is incredible. We had the Reuben, it's one of their "things". There is almost always a small wait when you get there but it has been worth it every time. Their food is consistently good. Their wait staff are always friendly and attentive. This place has a charm that harkens back to what I would consider old Winston Salem where they call you honey or darlin' and everyone is always welcome. The atmosphere is relaxed. There is a lot of old school charm here. Even their sides are like grandma used to make 'em. read more

West End Cafe - The quaint decor that harkens back to an era when food was an event. - New American Near Me - Winston Salem, North Carolina

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Back again after a long gap, still quite a fabulous mainstay in downtown Winston ...great service, Anna was gracious and friendly and gave us a birthday ice cream treat too! They still don't take reservations, but our wait was maybe 15 mins. For a Wednesday night they had a Steady flow of tables. Got some Prosecco to start with and their bread service, is an carb a licious garlic roll, served hot , this thing melts in your mouth. Divine. I got the chicken gyro with sweet potato fries, love this pita, so soft and pulls apart really easily, great grilled chicken, the fries were delish. Also on the table , the Carolina burger with fries and sweet potato fries, got a huge thumbs up. The chicken cordon bleu sandwich, looked amazing, and was apparently! The black and blue steak salad, my friend said is her go to here and was not disappointed. My friends birthday got him a dish a vanilla ice cream with a candle! And we tried the key lime pie, which is a must, I feel like there was coconut in the crust, it was so good! Nice and tart, but not overly. Great end to the meal. Everything here is spot on and never disappoints, you get good food and service here. I need to come more often. The fish sure have gotten big outside in the pond! read more

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The food was excellent, and could not have been more delicious. The service was above and beyond perfect. The atmosphere was lovely and warm. read more

Got a Classic Spinach to go. It was sooo good. Never disappointed with anything from West End Cafe.

I paid $28.00 for their Pork Chop entree. 75% of the pork chop was pure fat! I received 6 small green beans that had been so over cooked that Jif Peanut Butter wins the award for stronger texture. I receicved 10 1/4 inch pieces of potatoes. And when I complained to their "manager", he replied "Do you want a refund?" I said no, I wanted him to do his job and provide quality control over the food that was served in his restaurant. What fool would pay $6.00 for a 1 inch wide slice of pie? I admit that I was the blasted fool. But never again. And the people that support this establishment might as well get in line behind me because they are fools as well to put up and pay out for substandard food. read more

This is a regular brunch or lunch spot when in Winston-Salem. My go-to favorite is the pretzel crusted salmon salad with the mustardy vinaigrette. The burgers and sandwiches are good here too. I once ordered a grilled cheese with sliced tomato added and it was so good! The exterior has a pretty and calming koi pond with benches and a shade garden to relax customers waiting to get a table or walkers by, as they always have a watering station ready for thirsty doggos or cats or maybe even a bumble bee from the garden. It's located in the quaint West End near old Victorians turned into law firms. It's enough away from the busy part of Fourth Street that there is enough parking nearby. read more

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The food, service and ambience was excellent. About a 15 to 20 minute wait on Friday evening, our server was very attentive and friendly. The beef tenderloin was well prepared. Melt in your mouth, delicious. Try the coconut cake for dessert. It is really awesome. read more

YUM! Friendly cafe of locals, vast menu, great prices, and a welcome stop for two road trippers. We split the Jamaican shrimp, the chicken pita melt, and added on a little soup- they even brought a giant basket of crackers to the table. Next time, I'm saving room for dessert! read more

West End Cafe - Warm soup and a basket of crackers - New American Near Me - Winston Salem, North Carolina

I have never had a meal that disappointed. Jay is amazing and takes care of everyone at the bar. John is always friendly and welcoming. The food is great at lunch and dinner and I love seeing the new choices seasonally read more

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Great menu with excellent service. Cozy furniture and clean. We will be back. American read more

This is our new family GO TO in Winston Salem! Great service, prices, quality, and care - super family friendly and a koi pond out front (they even give my toddler food to feed the fish!) (and super clean bathroom!) We had the triple decker turkey club and it was enough to feed two! And DELICIOUS! Love this place! And many do as there was a line waiting for them to open on our first visit today - Highly recommend read more

Great spot for simple good food and fast service. It gets very busy at peak times. They have a huge menu so everyone in your group will find something they like. Chili is excellent with lots of beans and brothy. read more

Restaurants that remain popular for years sometimes drop in quality as time passes, retaining customers who are creatures of habit. That's not the case with West End Cafe. There's always something tempting on the specials board, and the renovation of the dining room freshened up the space while still retaining charm. West End has been around forever. It's where I discovered Red Zinger iced tea. The servers have always been the "cool kids" with interesting shirts and tattoos. They are efficient and friendly. If you can't decide what to order, ask one of them. The lunch menu is primarily sandwiches, but there are a LOT of them. I try not to order dessert EVERY time I visit but it's hard to resist when they are listed on the wall. Raspberry Doughnut Cheesecake? Meyer Lemon Curd Cake? It's hard to choose. Their choice of side items is limited, but that's understandable considering how extensive their menu is. My roast beef grinder was $11, and it was enough for two meals. The restaurant has a parking lot, but it's packed by noon. Come early or come later, if you don't want to spend half an hour looking for a parking space on the street. read more

West End Cafe - Remodeled dining room (2022) still has a cozy vibe. - New American Near Me - Winston Salem, North Carolina

I had not been here in years! I used to go all the time as it was always a great place to meet up with friends for a quick inexpensive but delicious meal. There is plenty to choose from on the menu so everyone can find something they like. At dinner the have a few additional dinner items available and a yummy rotating list of desserts for lunch and dinner. I also always loved that besides the special dinner offerings you can always order from the main menu and the prices are the same at lunch and dinner. They've recently updated the dining room but love that the menu is basically the same as it was years ago. Why change a good thing!?! On my recent visit I enjoyed the clam chowder which was so good and evidently homemade! I also got the veggie Ruben which was equally delicious. Lots of vegetarian offerings BTW. My aunt got the chicken Florentine sandwich which she loved. I so enjoyed my visit I texted some old friends that I used to go there with and we are planning a reunion dinner there shortly! read more

This is the 3rd, COUNT THEM 3rd time we have been treated rudely by the co-owner Stacy. First time, she came by our table and asked if we were ready to pay our checks, the 2nd time she made a smart comment that people were waiting and today we were celebrating a friends birthday & she kept walking by our table staring us down because people were waiting, even tried to take her drink that she wasn't finished drinking. WE ARE CUSTOMERS TOO! Will NEVER go back! read more

The very first time I came to West End, my wife was having some over at Wake Forest Baptist getting fitted for contact lenses. I needed a place to set down my laptop, have lunch, and wait. On the menu was a veggie burger. This was probably 3 or 4 years ago, maybe more. This was before the Impossible Burger or Beyond took off and restaurants tried to create something tasty. Well I asked the server if it was good, and back then I was by no means a vegetarian, and was told it was fantastic. I ordered it and that was not a lie-it was. I remember the texture, taste, presentation was great. Came back a few more times. Always good. The other night I went with my wife after another eye-related visit. She was tired and hungry, as was I. The wait was 20 minutes for a table (approximately) but there were 2 seats at the bar. Normally my wife is not a big fan of the bar but she was happy to just sit and eat. The bar turned out to be comfortable and we ended up surrounded by 3 groups of wonderful Winston-Salemites. The bartender could not have been nicer, more attentive, or a better server. My wife ordered the halibut special with corn cakes and a blackberry-jalapeno jam sauce. I tried a bite (seafood is about the only thing I might have that isn't vegetarian, and even then, rarely). It was perfectly cooked, delicious sauce, and amazing corn cakes. I ordered the vegetarian Reuben sandwich. It was portobello mushroom, peppers, and then all the usual Reuben items, sans the meat. It was as good as any meat Reuben I have had. I had a cup of fruit to minimize the carbs of the bread and beer I ordered. Great brews and wines. Finally, had an unbelievable dessert banana cake with chocolate icing. It was a sudden addition to the board. A fresh cup of coffee and a great meal. We will definitely be back again. read more

West End Cafe - New American Near Me - Winston Salem, North Carolina

Went here for a girls dinner and we all really enjoyed our meals. I built a turkey sandwich and it was fresh, tasty, and a generous portion. The other girls all had some form of a sandwich or veggie burger and really enjoyed theirs too. We split a slice of the lemon blueberry cake for dessert and it was fresh and delicious. Prices were are reasonable and it was a very friendly and relaxed atmosphere. The dining area is not super big so I'd imagine there would be a wait on a weekend night. Definitely will be back! read more

I have family in Winston-Salem who goes here all the time and raves about it, so I was excited to finally try it. What a gem! After being stuck out in the burbs for a week and a half, we finally drove into the city to have a relaxing dinner together, and the entire experience just hit the spot. It has a sort of artsy, college town sort of feel, with cozy wood paneling, interesting local artwork (for sale too!), and a crowd that felt a bit like professors and their spouses, mingling over wine and sharing anecdotes. What I really love is that this place is super versatile -- you can dress up and have a fancier meal with a great cocktail, or you can just come for a sandwich and a beer. It's got a huge menu of salads, soups, sandwiches, burgers, and more aspirational entrees, and whatever you get, it will feel like the right thing to order. I opted for a cup of chicken and sausage gumbo along with an entree salad with mixed greens, cucumber, other sliced vegetables, and pretzel-crusted salmon. It was perfectly prepared and perfectly priced for the quality. Drinks are also priced fairly. Would love to go back next time I'm in town, as I love that it works both as a neighborhood restaurant you would want to go to every week and as a place worth dropping a little more money for a nicer meal when you want to splurge. Will save room for dessert next time! read more

Sula (?) was our server and she was AH-MAZING!!! She was super bubbly and personable and very knowledgeable about the meals!!! Food was sooo delicious and although we were stuffed, we ordered three desserts because they sounded so good!! I've lived here for 30+ years and have never been and now I have to figured out how to get back here every week!! read more

Great menu options. Food is the same great flavor whether you are eating in or getting take out! read more

West End Cafe - Steak pita, sweet potato fries, peanut butter cake - New American Near Me - Winston Salem, North Carolina

Food and ambiance ! A little pricey for salads and wraps but a very good downtown vibe !

Reliable Great sandwich menu Simple Affordable Best to go off-hours to avoid the insane wait. read more

Great location Amazing selection for work lunch Get the gyro every time Usually get a cold one with dinner read more

West End Cafe - Gyro - New American Near Me - Winston Salem, North Carolina

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Fantastic local spot with excellent service and great family vibes. We had brunch one day, which was perfect. We also brought the parents for dinner one night, which was the perfect ambience and speed to catch up in. read more

We were here for a late lunch. Clam Chowder was delicious should overbearing cream. The side salad was a spring mix that was fresh and vibrant. The grilled pastrami on rye with pepper jack cheese and the grilled tuna melt, grilled onions and Swiss cheese were fantastic! For dessert, the chocolate toffee mousse was excellent to share. Service is very attentive. The restaurant has a full service bar without being over bearing to the seating areas. With two sodas the bill came to under $50. Definitely will going again when in the area. read more

Found this place on a Google maps search and decided to try it basically because of the name. The wait list process is actually pretty simple and uncomplicated. They've posted their "rules" so you know what to expect. I'll say wait service was exceptionally slow and it appeared that perhaps locals or regulars received more service than, "you need anything?" The food was good. Regular and sweet potato fries were nothing spectacular. The menu was large enough that anybody should find something to eat. Macaroni salad was phenomenal read more

We love and miss this place. Having moved to the beach, it's been 15 years since we were at West End. It was outstanding just like years ago. Food was excellent and the service was very attentive. Miss West End... read more

Love this place! Desserts are fabulous--order quick or you may miss them. We've had good service and all the dishes we've tried have been great. read more

In town for three day 'Love Never Fails' convention at LJVM stadium and wanted to get out for a snack, MLB and I got here on a Yelp recommendation and we're quite pleased with the results. Pulled up to an unassuming neighborhood joint with an odd little tree and a fish pond out front. Plenty of tables plus booths all around and there's also seating at the bar. We split three small plates: pork ban mi sliders were so tender and moist, daikon was a little sweeter than I am accustomed to but light and crunchy and fun on soft breads with a good chew and spears through their heads. The braised short rib meatloaf is kind of a misnomer: was expecting something ground, loaf shaped, and delicious whereas this was a loaf of delicious pulled meats. They could've skipped the tomato jam and just did a fancy ketchup instead and been alright, but that's my Midwest showing through. No complaints about the slabs of eggplant in the parmigiana napoleon. Plated up pretty under basilly rich sauce and cheese . Heather recommended the Rustic Tart warmed plus ice cream. We opted for just warmed and it was quite good; simple berry tartness plus whipped topping in a firm dough-boat. yea! back in two nights later split some shrimp-n-grits hush puppies and nosh on well executed potatoe pancakes and mexican corn chowder. probably good that I don't live too near here... read more

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Just a solid American mixed grill type of local place that emphasizes seafood, fish, salads, and pork. I do not think there is a weak link in the menu, with even the desserts rating a rave. Recommend the crab/artichoke cheese dip appetizer, the burrito (it's huge and cheesy), any of the salads, from standard Caesar to a steak and blue cheese salad, and the fish special. This time it was pan-fried Halibut--so tasty. If you are missing the Big Easy the cafe even serves up more than decent shrimp and oyster po-boys. Decent local beer selection on tap and very good wine prices with a limited but decent list. Both complement the excellent, ample plates of good food. Top notch service. Wish every city had a place like this top notch cafe. read more

Quite possibly my new favorite hidden gem in Winston. I'd never been here until a friend brought me a couple weeks ago. The menu ranges from hot dogs (SO tasty) to herb crusted tuna Niçoise salad with fingerling potatoes (special menu)... there is absolutely something for everyone here. The restaurant itself is unassuming from the street but adorned with glistening, holiday garland on the inside. The bar looks like something out of a Hallmark movie. The staff is very friendly and personable. My favorite part of the experience was hearing Slayer and then Jack White playing from the kitchen.. there's no place like home. read more

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Stupendous sandwiches, superb salads and blissful burgers are just some alliterative descriptions of the food you'll find at West End Cafe. I can't speak for the dinner fare, as I've only ever been here for lunch but I have been impressed every time. They're a very popular lunch spot near downtown Winston Salem so it's best to arrive early. The staff has always been welcoming no matter how busy, but be prepared if you have to wait, there isn't a lot of space to do so in the entryway. Also, their parking situation is wonky and limited so be ready to parallel park across the street. It's worth the walk, I promise! The pecan crusted salmon salad, jerk shrimp salad, Rueben, veggie burger and tuna melt are among my favorites. If you want a little bit of every kind of salad, go with the Rob's choice salad. It's huge, but you won't be disappointed! Also, their coffee is Kona blend and oh so delicious! It pairs perfectly with their fresh desserts that change daily. If you'd like to know their specials and desserts before you go, check out their social media scene. read more

West End Cafe - Kona coffee. Yum! - New American Near Me - Winston Salem, North Carolina

West End Cafe, without a doubt, has the best sweet potato fries in WS. My boyfriend and I pickup from West End at least once a week because they just have great, simple food. I normally get a BLT wrap with honey mustard (so good). Be sure to look out for their desserts as well as they are always rotating and are always delicious. Right now during COVID-19 they have also been doing curbside which is very convenient and safe for those who do not feel comfortable going into the restaurant. They are also still offering indoor dining and I look forward to their patio in the summer time. My only 4 stars is because I really wish they would allow their lunch specials to be all day. Each day they have a different new menu item just for lunch, I'd be more than willing to pay dinner prices for a special! read more

Ok, SOLD. I'm already thinking about when I can go back, that's how good this experience was. Every time I drive by West End Cafe, there are people waiting outside and that kind of deterred me for a few years. Finally we decided to try it and I am SO glad we did! Six of us were seated immediately at 6:00 on a Saturday night with no wait at all! Our waiter was simply fantastic. She gave honest recommendations and really knew the menu very well, which I love. The inside of the restaurant is very homey and feels kind of like a diner but the food is upscale and the prices are totally reasonable. The regular menu was pretty big but we decided to order from the seasonal "summer dinner" menu. I got the summer chicken parmesan which was absolutely fantastic! The chicken was breaded and crispy topped with a caprese salad and finished with a drizzle of balsamic reduction. The chicken parm is served with green beans and mashed potatoes which gives a lighter feel to the traditional pasta pairing. Peep the dinner rolls! I opted out of the bread service but when the rolls arrived to the table, our eyes got real big! Take a look at the picture I posted and you'll get the feel. Everyone at our table loved their food and we were all talking about it the next day at brunch. 10/10 would recommend West End Cafe, bravo! read more

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