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All the United States North Carolina Raleigh The Roast Grill
AO Edited Gastro Obscura

The Roast Grill

This family-owned diner has been slinging chili dogs since 1940.

Raleigh, North Carolina

Added By
jennyork
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Order your dogs topped with chili, mustard, and onions.  
Order your dogs topped with chili, mustard, and onions.  
The restaurant has stayed in the family for more than 80 years.   jennyork / Atlas Obscura User
Grandma was not a fan of ketchup.   jennyork / Atlas Obscura User
Hot dogs sizzle on the grill.   jennyork / Atlas Obscura User
The restaurant has been a fixture in town since 1940.   jennyork / Atlas Obscura User
There’s a particularly loyal customer base here.   jennyork / Atlas Obscura User
Photos line the “Challenge Wall.”   jennyork / Atlas Obscura User
Hot dog   Planetpinto / Atlas Obscura User
George   albez / Atlas Obscura User
  albez / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Grill-roasted hot dogs, ice-cold bottles of Coca-Cola, and homemade baklava are on the menu at this family-run institution in Raleigh. Little has changed here since Mary Charles and George Poniros set up the joint in 1940. The retro furnishings are intact, black-and-white photos cover the wall, and the menu keeps it short and simple. There's even a hundred-year-old fig tree growing on the premises.

The restaurant still tops its southern-style dogs with homemade chili from a century-old family recipe, plus, slaw, onions, and taxi-yellow mustard. George Poniros, the current owner, says his grandmother Mary Charles was never a fan of ketchup and the diner refuses to serve it to this day. 

Locals are particularly proud of the restaurant's chili dog eating challenge. Photographs of contenders are displayed on the wall, with the all-time record belonging to a customer who wolfed down 26 hot dogs in an hour. Adam Richman, host of the Man v. Food on the Travel Channel, has an honorary mention for tackling 17 hot dogs.

Related Tags

Diner Desserts Sausages Hot Dogs

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The diner is cash only.

Community Contributors

Added By

jennyork

Edited By

albez, Planetpinto

  • albez
  • Planetpinto

Published

February 14, 2024

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  • https://abc11.com/the-roast-grill-raleigh-restaurant-pandemic-covid/10866174/
The Roast Grill
7 S West St
Raleigh, North Carolina, 27603
United States
35.780241, -78.645747
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