4 French fry bars you need to try in NC
A few days of staying inside to battle allergy symptoms meant a festering of restlessness for my daughters. To break the monotony, we decided to get lunch somewhere nearby but new to us. This decision led to The Habit Burger Grill in Burlington.
It was a Sunday afternoon, which luckily resulted in fewer people out and about and/or dining in. Seeing that it was our first visit, we chose items we hoped would impress. Our orders were two Teriyaki Char meals (minus pineapple) and a Portabella Char meal. And instead of basic fries, we opted for their garlic parmesan fries.
The burgers were definitely tasty but the fries... too good! We love garlic and the flavor was perfectly potent. This could've easily led to an additional order for each of us, however, self-control was present. The moment sparked a conversation about fry bars and the fact that we've never been to one.
Of course, the search was then on.
My findings haven't revealed many across North Carolina but there are a few. Ranging from Durham and Raleigh to Wilmington and Charlotte, they're listed below:
1. Buena Papa Fry Bar (Durham and Raleigh)
Buena Papa owners Johanna and James Windon opened the first location last year at Morgan Street Food Hall in Raleigh in 2021. A second location opened in Durham 2022. They recently became one of the newest food vendors at PNC Arena. Buena Papa (which is Spanish for Good Potato) serves up Colombian-inspired, Latin-infused flavors over hand-cut, made-to-order gourmet French fries. The menu is inspired by Johanna’s native country of Colombia.
Where you can find them:
- The Streets at Southpoint Mall, 6910 Fayetteville Rd #2300, Durham
- Morgan Street Food Hall (Downtown Raleigh), 411 W Morgan St Suite 104, Raleigh
- PNC Arena, third level
2. Not Just A Fry Guy (Wake Forest area food truck)
With a menu that includes Nashville Hot Fries, Cheesburger Fries and classic Loaded Fries, this Wake Forest-based food truck has a lttle something for everyone. You can catch them all over town with upcoming dates in Knightdale, Clayton, Wendell, Rolesville, Raleigh, Youngsville and Durham.
Where you can find them:
3. What the Fries (South Charlotte) -
“Trial and error are big with us. We’re never afraid to try something that many thinks doesn’t make sense or belong together, but we always find combinations that taste good," chef and owner Greg Williams says on the restaurant website. He has definitely found some great combinations! The restaurant, which also has a food truck, has items like Cheesy Fries, with boursin and asiago cheeses, Hibachi fries (topped with chicken, steak or chicken) and mac and cheese fries.
Fun fact: Williams and fellow chef and co-owner Jamie Barnes made it to the final rounds of auditions for Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race” in 2014 using the name "What the Fries." They didn't make it onto the show, but ended up opening a catering company that year. The food truck followed in 2015 with a brick-and-mortar location opening in 2021.
Where you can find them:
- 10707-F Park Road, Charlotte - But the restaurant is closed until further notice. Right now they are just operating the food truck.
4. Sauce'd (Wilmington)
This cocktail lounge and fry bar has some delicious special sauces. They offer straight cut, thin and crispy fast food-style fries with 10 house-made sauces. Be aware that Sauce'd is a cocktail lounge and private bar. You must be 21 and older to visit.
Where can you find them:
- 224 S. Water Street 1G, Wilmington, NC 28401 (Riverwalk in Downtown Wilmington) - Phone: 910-399-4743
I can easily see this mission becoming like that of our fried dumpling experiment.
As we continue to make our way across North Carolina, it's my goal to purchase from each of these fry bars over time. Per the norm, we'll share our opinions of them along the way. If there are additional fry bars I should add to the list, be sure to write in or leave a comment. I'd love to visit those, too.
