Where to find good fries in Chapel Hill/Durham, NC?

Regional Dining Discussions New Orleans, the South
1

So I recently went to a place that has great burgers - but lousy fries. Fries that suck are so ubiquitous I’ve mainly given up ordering them if there are other choices available. While that’s undoubtedly good from a health standpoint, every once in a while, a girl just really wants fries with her burger. And not soggy, oil-laden, underdone ones. Hot crispy ones with tender centers, as fries are meant to be but so seldom are.

So who manages to produce good ones on a consistent basis? While I’m mainly interested in the Chapel Hill/Durham area, Raleigh places are welcome too for those who might have the same question on the other side of the Triangle (and I’ll give a shout out to the North Ridge Pub on Falls of Neuse Road - I don’t get out there often, but their fries are fantastic and their chicken salad sandwich is pretty righteous too). I’m cool with either regular white fries or the sweet-potato variety - it’s all good (or should be).

2

Try The Federal In Durham. Great burgers* and* fries!

3

Initially, I was quite skeptical of Al’s Burgers’ fries. They serve frozen fries but I’ve come to like then and I think are quire good for frozen fries. Al says he just doesn’t have enough space to slice and store as many spuds as he’d need for fresh cut fries. I’m told by another Al’s customer that Al’s puts some beef tallow in their fryer to give the fries more flavor.

Here are places I like for fries:
Wimpy’s Grill in Durham (I like everything I’ve had there)
Tyler’s
MIlltown - more of frite
Vin Rouge, frites

Perhaps this is inappropriate, but I started a similar discussion on CH three years ago.

4

Thanks for the link! I’ve got to go with the other folks there who don’t care for Tyler’s fries though. Not a fan. I’ve never tried the fries at Kitchen. I need to fix that!

5

Yeah, I will generally eat fries if they are put in front of me. My bar for fries is pretty low. If they are bad, which I define as bland, soggy, and/or undercooked, I will complain, but I will still eat more of them than I should. Fries are the side I order with most things when possible, like with steak.

My all time favorite fries were at King James Public House when Steve Goff ran the kitchen. After they came out of the fryolator, the still hot fries were tossed with clarified butter. God, they were so good!

6

If I remember Kitchen had skinny salty fries, tasted good but I was meh about their mussels.

To me fries are a big treat, I really love the fries at the Spotted Dog in Carrboro, they have both regular and sweet potato. They are brought to you piping hot right out of the frying-thingy, delicious. They also have excellent various meaty hamburgers, veggie ones (for me) and top fish and chips…& nothing is better on fries than malt vinegar

7

See, that’s the thing. If I am going to eat something unhealthy, I want it to be worth it!

1 Like
8

I’ve never been to The Spotted Dog. I’ve have to check it out.

9

I’ve never been to the Spotted Dog. I thought it was only veggie/vegan. Perhaps I’ll check it out.

10

The menu does look veg/vegan focused, but there’s enough meat dishes on it to make an omnivore happy too - it says the fries are beer-battered.

11

Yes it used to be ‘ye olde lesbian hang-out’ very veggie and lots of animal things but sadly we’ve found meet-up so now it’s more the neighbhorhood local: they have excellent local beers on tap & they change pretty frequently and tons of bottled ones. Also drinks specials.Their soups are really first class & I used to love their desserts but now I eat all the fried things so haven’t had a dessert in ages.

12

I agree 100%. I can’t believe how often a dismal serving of fries is put in front of me. Undercooked and soggy or all broken up (I’m looking at you, Milltown). But I’ll say Vin Rouge does a good job, along with Squids and Spanky’s. Squid’s fries look sort of like McD’s but taste better.