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Gone but not forgotten: These are the former Raleigh spots our readers miss most

Earlier this year, we asked readers which closed Raleigh restaurants they’d bring back if they could. They didn’t hold back.

Now, with news that the original Hillsborough Street Char-Grill will be torn down and return in a revamped form, we’re revisiting what readers told us.

They not only voted on closed restaurants they’d most love to reopen (Darryl’s won by a wide margin, followed by Fat Daddy’s), they also raked me over the coals for leaving out classics like Ballentine’s Cafeteria and The Rathskeller (a personal fave).

I deserved that.

Note: There is still one remaining Darryl’s restaurant and it’s in Greensboro. (There’s some Darryl’s history in this story about the death of its co-founder, Charles Winston.) But the menu looks nothing like it did during its Raleigh and Durham heydays.

Here are the results from our survey (as of Feb. 24, 2022), which included 21 restaurants:

  • Darryl’s Restaurant & Bar (46%)

  • Fat Daddy’s (32%)

  • Sadlack’s Heroes (22%)

  • K&W Cafeteria at Village District (19%)

  • Rockola Cafe Grille & Bar (17%)

  • Brother’s Pizza Palace (15%)

  • The Capitol Room (Belk Cafeteria) (14%)

  • Tir Na Nog Irish Pub (14%)

  • Two Guys Pizza (12%)

  • Andy’s Pizza (10%)

  • Greenshields Brewery & Pub (10%)

  • Finch’s Family Restaurant (9%)

  • Sunflower’s Cafe (8%)

  • Don Murray Barbecue (7%)

  • Oakwood Cafe (7%)

  • Subconscious Subs (6%)

  • Swain’s Charcoal Steak House (5%)

  • Joe’s Place (3%)

  • The Square Rabbit (3%)

  • Gateway Restaurant (3%)

  • The Upstairs (2%)

We also had more than 100 write-in submissions, with quite a few people submitting restaurants that were already in the poll.

Of the submissions not already included in the survey, the leaders were:

  • 518 West

  • Ballentine’s

  • The Black Dog Cafe

  • Blimpie’s

  • Boondini’s

  • The Brass Grill

  • The Burger Hut

  • Chi Chi’s

  • Crowley’s

  • East Village Grill

  • Fuddrucker’s

  • The Ham & Egger

  • Hang Chow

  • Lock Stock & Barrel

  • Mr. Dunderbak’s

  • Neptune’s Galley

  • Oh Brian’s Ribs

  • Picadilly Cafeteria

  • The Rathskeller (not the same as the Chapel Hill one)

  • Remedy Diner

  • Scotty’s (in old North Hills Mall)

  • Steak & Ale

  • Tippy’s Tacos