Best 50's Restaurants Raleigh Near Me

4worldlovers:
Breakfast All Day, Lunches To Go, Family Style Dinners and More!


If you’re hungry for savory, home-style comfort food in North Raleigh, look no further than Metro Diner. A local go-to restaurant, our Raleigh location stays true to our humble roots with must-try signature items like Fried Chicken & Waffles and our famous Iron City Meatloaf (as featured on Guy Fieri’s Diner, Drive-ins and Dives).


Located on Falls of Neuse Road, in the Sutton Square shopping center, Metro Diner Raleigh is a quick drive from North Carolina State University PNC Arena and Raleigh-Durham International Airport. It’s also the perfect place to grab a bite to eat before a round of golf at nearby North Ridge Country Club or after a day of shopping at Crabtree Valley Mall.

It’s not only our big, bold comfort food that’ll bring you to Metro Diner here in Raleigh, it’s also the warm welcome you’ll receive. Whether you’re visiting for the first time or coming back for seconds, you are part of the Metro Diner family as soon as you join us for our award-winning food!


Raleigh is known as the “City of Oaks” for the many oak trees lining the streets in the heart of the city. We’re also known as a “city in a park” with more than 10,000 acres of beautiful parks and green spaces. We’re home to family-friendly museums and activities, a lively music scene (Hopscotch is not to be missed!) and we join Durham and Chapel Hill as part of the Research Triangle Park, the largest high-tech R&D center in the U.S.!

Before or after you hit the museums, malls, trails and parks, fuel up at Metro Diner. In fact, let’s talk more about that Fried Chicken and Waffles we mentioned earlier. It’s our most popular dish for a reason (and even gets its own national holiday!) – an entire half a fried chicken, plus a giant Belgian waffle topped with sweet strawberry butter. Drizzle this abundance with our sweet, spicy sauce and make yourself completely at home. Pro tip – wear your comfy pants.

North Raleigh is also home to family-friendly fun like mini golf, go kart racing, roller skating, bowling, and even a chance to flip around on a trampoline! Check out Galaxy Fun Park, Adventure Landing, or DEFY Gravity, then keep the smiles happening with a stop at Metro Diner.

With our Metro Diner Kid’s Menu, little ones can order a pint-sized version of our Fried Chicken and Waffles, or kid-pleasing Grilled Cheese or Mac & Cheese. For the kids-at-heart, satisfy your cravings with a white meat Chicken Salad Croissant, Fish & Chips, Pot Roast or Big Mike’s BLT. Enjoy your meals here in a comfortable booth or grab a Family Meal to-go – Metro menu favorites and sides bundled to feed 4.

Speaking of easy, we not only offer breakfast, lunch or dinner to go via pick-up or delivery, Metro Diner also caters! We offer business catering, graduation catering, corporate event catering and even wedding catering! Chicken & Waffles at your party? We dig it!

Officially opened in 1992, our original Metro Diner location in Jacksonville, Florida, quickly became the go-to local restaurant for comforting classics and reimagined favorites.

Over the years, we’ve continued to share our southern hospitality, big, bold flavors and passion for integrity, familiarity, comfort and community by bringing in new partners across the country.

4worldlovers: Big Ed’s Restaurant has been a staple in the region since the 1950’s. We invite you to stop by one of our locations for a wonderful experience full of southern hospitality, joy, and laughter.

4worldlovers:
Donations welcomed for the “Barry J. Doyle” Scholarship, which would establish an annual two year associate degree scholarship for future Wake County firefighters. Donate here.


Barry Doyle had a vision for his community: a welcoming family restaurant that would provide all-day breakfast and delicious hamburgers that weren’t overcooked. With only 50 seats, Barry’s Cafe opened its doors on May 19, 1992 in the Swift Creek Shopping Center of Cary, NC. The founding mission of Barry’s Cafe, to make each person leave happier than when they first arrived, is still carried out to this day. Barry accomplished the goal of making customers feel like family by learning the names of more than 3500 individuals.…

4worldlovers: For twenty years, we have lived and traveled the world. We are often surprised and inspired by the food we have eaten along the way. From the first apple tarts in France, the Pecorino cheese in Tuscany, Weiss Wurst in Germany, Espada (scabbard fish) on the island of Madeira, to Hong Kong, Thailand and China, we have learned new flavors and techniques to add to the outstanding food of the American South. — At Plates, we hope that you will enjoy some of our favorite international dishes combined with our regional southern flavors. Join us on a new culinary journey that is globally inspired and locally produced.


A graduate of Johnson & Wales’ Culinary Studies program in Charleston, SC, Chef David Mitchell has made his mark in restaurants across the Southeast for two decades. Named to his first Head Chef position at age 23, David has since helmed the kitchen at such Triangle institutions as Porter’s City Tavern and Nofo.

In 2011 David took the lead at Busy Bee Café and helped to transform it into a well-known place for craft beer and fun, exciting Southern food. His creativity was showcased at their regular beer pairing dinners and a continuously changing seasonal pub menu. In addition, David was the lead Chef of the team that created the menus at Trophy Pizza on Morgan Street and State of Beer, and most recently was Executive Chef of Mama Crow’s in the newly-formed Transfer Co. Food Hall.


Chef David is also an accomplished entrepreneur, having opened his own gourmet pasta company (Pan De Mi Pasta in Atlanta), as well as being active in catering and personal chef projects in the Raleigh area. David comes to our team at Plates with an incredible excitement to showcase the flavorful, well-traveled Southern cuisine our neighbors have come to know and love.

“Stepping into Plates in Raleigh’s Glenwood South neighborhood is like entering an interior design mag’s spread on European farmhouses.”

In 2020, The News & Observer’s Greg Cox once again awarded Plates Neighborhood Kitchen with a Best Restaurants medal and a Four-Star review.

Join us on the evening of Sunday, April 30, 2023, for the sixth installment of Hops vs. Grapes, our annual beer vs. wine pairing dinner! This will be a fun five Course “Beer vs Wine” dinner, each course paired with one beer and one wine. The theme this time around will be North Carolina Libations. Pairings will be revealed on the night of the event.

Please join us for an exclusive event on the evening of Tuesday, April 11, 2023, as we celebrate humanity’s first alcoholic beverage with a five-course Mead Pairing Dinner.

Chef David Mitchell to Compete in Fifth Annual Cooking for the Kids

We are excited to announce that our own Chef David Mitchell will be competing against Saif Rahman of Vidrio in the first round of Cooking for the Kids on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023.

Continue Reading Chef David Mitchell to Compete in Fifth Annual Cooking for the Kids