Our Visit To Carolina Burger, Home Of The Best Burger In North Carolina

The Carolina Burger Crew. L-R: Tom Hutchens, Paul Sisk, Michael Watson, Doug Turnmire

I rode down to Lenoir last week to pay a visit to Carolina Burger, winner of the Strange Carolinas North Carolina Burger Bracket Tournament. I was there to check out their winning burgers and award them this:

I walked into Carolina Burger at 11:02 AM. Even though they had opened only two minutes earlier, I was already the third person in line. I was greeted warmly by owner Tom Hutchens. Hutchens greeted everyone who walked in the door and made them feel at home. I looked at the impressive menu and it showed over 10 different burgers to choose from:

I opted for the Carolina Fire Cracker, which was a single patty on grilled Texas toast with Swiss & jalapeno cream cheese, grilled onions, and homemade lava sauce. This is what was brought to me just a few minutes later:

The pub chips were awesome. They were very crisp and not soggy like you often find at other places. The Carolina Fire Cracker burger had just enough spice and was different than the usual burger fare. As you can see from the photo, the burger was so big and the chips were so plentiful two people could almost share the meal. As I ate, more and more people came in so that the restaurant was nearly full at 11:30 AM, about forty-five minutes before most lunch rushes start.

After eating the burger and seeing the crowd, I can see why they won our North Carolina Burger Bracket tournament, besting bigger restaurants in bigger cities. There's a reason they're called Carolina Burger.

Carolina Burger is located at 606 Blowing Rock Boulevard in Lenoir. In addition to winning our North Carolina Burger Bracket tournament, they have also been named Best Burger by the people of Caldwell County every year they've been open.