Whether covered with cheese, chili, chicken and or even BBQ, the Triangle does not have a shortage of great nachos!

With football season just underway, I went on a mission for all you fried tortilla, cheesy, beefy, nacho lovers, to find the five best places to get nachos.

Raleigh Times (Raleigh) - Raleigh Times needs no introduction and neither do their nachos. Their BBQ nachos are a perfect blend. The chips are always crisp and never stale tasting. I have been here many times and never had to endure the dreaded flimsy chip. The BBQ pork? and sauce are delicious and the fresh salsa and jalapenos that top it off make for a perfect combination. With a side of sour cream and a cold beer you have the ingredients for the perfect appetizer to split with friends or the perfect meal!

Chow (Raleigh) – Spinach and artichoke nachos; with those four words I fell in love! Unlike your traditional nachos, Chow brings a new flavor to the mix with a mound of chips, traditional spinach and artichoke dip and tomatoes. You would think that those ingredients would be enough to make the perfect nachos but when all that is said and done they throw queso on top to take their spinach and artichoke nachos from ordinary to extraordinary. 

BrickHouse (Raleigh) – When I typically think of nachos, I tend to think of a fried tortilla, meat, cheese and some kind of salsa but BrickHouse has completely changed my way of thinking. Their BrickHouse Nachos take everything that is good in life and smother it in everything that is even better in life. Imagine French fries, onion rings and tortilla chips piled high and then topped with chile con queso, ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, black olives and salsa. Though I opt to take the black olives off, BrickHouse has successfully figured out the formula for the perfect nachos. 

Carrburritos (Chapel Hill) – I heard about Carrburritos from a friend on Twitter and I decided to make the trip to Chapel Hill to see what all the hype was about. Carrburritos is a Mexican restaurant so not only had my friends built up the hype, this made for even higher expectations. After one bite I was unfortunately addicted! With house-made flour chips that are melt in your mouth good, melted Monterey Jack cheese, black beans, sour cream, jalapenos and salsa fresca, I have a bad feeling I will be driving the 30 minutes to Chapel Hill a lot more often. If that is not enough flavors for you, you can also choose to add any of their fillings such as carnitas, guacamole, pollo asado, carne deshebrada, vegetables asados, fresh tomatoes, Mexican rice and more!

Tyler’s Taproom (Durham) - Last but not least I had to try another down home favorite version. A name like Carolina Nachos makes me feel certain that I am in the right place. Tyler’s takes their smoked pulled pork and mounds it on top of their crispy tortilla chips. Then, they take their own beer queso dip and smother the pork and chips creating a delicious one of a kind flavor. Tyler’s decided to take it a step further and add green onions, BBQ spice and north Carolina’s home favorite Durn Good Hotsauce. This treat is screaming NC with every bite and is a nice twist on a classic treat.

Where are your favorite nachos?