Location: Kinston
Top Restaurants in Kinston
North Carolina, United States Food Guide: 10 American food Must-Eat Restaurants & Street Food Stalls in Kinston
Find out what American restaurants to try in Kinston. Kinston is a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 21,677 at the 2010 Census. It has been the county seat of Lenoir County since its formation in 1791. Kinston is located in the coastal plains region of Eastern North Carolina.
Things to do in Kinston
10. Whiskey Pig Craft Butchery and Deli
Overall Ratings
4 based on 15 reviews
Reviewed By T10KSmichaelc
My friend and I decided to explore Kinston, North Carolinaâs civil war history. Before we began exploring, we decided we needed some lunch. The Whiskey Pig had been recommended to us and is across the street from the full-scale replica of the CSS Neuse, a civil war âIronsideâ. The cozy place was busy as the Kinston Christmas parade had just ended. The menu changes often as we witnessed two items being crossed off the menu as we waited to order! I ordered the Texas barbecue brisket sandwich and tallow fries. I had not heard of tallow fries before but they are conventional fries fried in beef tallow. They had a just a hint of beef flavor and came out piping hot. The sandwich was piled high with meat and had a delicious sweet tomato based sauce on top. A small cup of cream style cole slaw and a few dill pickle slices completed the meal. Everything was delicious! I appreciated the break from vinegar based barbecue sauces! The prices are reasonable as the âcombosâ include a drink.The shop is also a butcher shop and has a wide selection of beef, pork and chicken to choose from. Weâve been told that the meats are very high quality. Very friendly service!
9. Chick-fil-A
Overall Ratings
4 based on 31 reviews
Reviewed By RascalNC
Itâs the lowest sanitation score Iâve seen for this chain (93.5). Considering they cut the raw chicken unlike other fast food places where it comes frozen that concerns me. Service isnât quite as good as most of the chain. Seems like they are always training new people. Overall, better than other fast food in the area, but not as good as the chain has in other towns.
8. Kings Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4 based on 56 reviews
Reviewed By Jack L
Within one minute was seated to a booth, seating is is combination of tables booths. Bre-server-allowed plenty of tine to select the Bar-B-Que. This is a plateful of slow roasted hand chopped pork served with cream-didn't taste much cream-coleslaw, large pile of fries, five hushpuppies in a roll form, not a ball. This was a large portion over a regular size portion.Two rooms are available, one for barbecue & buffet style seating.I chose the buffet seating with the house menu. Each table/booth has a lazy susan with a stand up paper roll, bbq sauce, ketchup, salt & pepper & packets of regular & sweet plus sugar.From order taken to serving only five minutes. Dessert was a banana pudding . Entire meal very filling & tasty. Plenty of parking. Would recommend both King's & meal.
7. Peach Restaurant House
Overall Ratings
4 based on 34 reviews
Reviewed By 485cheryla
This restaurant is quaint and cute. Itâs named after the color of the building. I say upstairs which was very peaceful. The bathroom was clean. The food was really good. While ordering my food the cashier explained the favorites as well as her own since I asked for some advice. She was very friendly. What I did not like was that after they. Thought my food up, no one came to check on me again. I had the panini. The herb enriched bread was so delicious and the grilled chicken was seasoned nicely. The buttermilk garlic dressing and the crispy bacon added a great flavor to the chicken. Why did I tip beforehand? So now just bringing your food to your table should get you 20%. No one even came to see if I needed more to drink or ask if I wanted dessert which I was going to get and gave another coffee but not after the experience. (By the way, the Blue room is very dark and needs more lighting. Another guests and I were discussing this upstairs.) I was disappointed by the service but the food was great and tasty.
6. Queen Street Deli
Overall Ratings
4 based on 78 reviews
Reviewed By Beach80126
We had a very nice lunch here. They were busy so service was slow. Sandwiches are very good. Greek salad was only fair. We would have lunch here again but would stick with the sandwiches.
5. Sugar Hill Pizzeria
Overall Ratings
4 based on 40 reviews
Enjoy food, folks and fun at Sugar Hill Pizzeria. Great selection and atmosphere make this a place that local families come for "a good time, not a long time". Come check us out and you will see...Sugar Hill Y'all! Downtown K-Town Proud...
Reviewed By Tulip76
I was visiting Kinston for an overnight trip and one of the things I noticed is that downtown there is a nice selection of restaurants within walking distance of where I stayed but the list dwindles quite a bit after about 5 pm. The inside of the restaurant is a little different in that when you enter, you feel like you should be ordering something like a sub. The counter is very close to the front door and is where you order and pay for your food. The tables are in an adjoining larger room. I filled my own soda cup and found a table. My salad arrived soon after and when I was done with my salad, my pizza slice arrived. The salad seemed fresh and the slice was pretty big. I was still a little hungry so I ordered some wings. The wings were good.Overall, the food was good, not cheap but not really expensive, and the portions were reasonable.
4. King's Restaurant Incorporated
Overall Ratings
4 based on 185 reviews
King's BBQ and Chicken serves Eastern NC BBQ; traditional vinegar based, hand chopped pork BBQ. We serve the best sweet/spicy BBQ ribs and BBQ chicken in Kinston. Locally sourced vegetables including collards, turnip greens, cabbage, black eyed peas, and
Reviewed By Bear E
Their billboards advertise a buffet but when you get there it doesn't start until 4:00 pm. Limited sit down menu. Noisy atmosphere. Food was mediocre at best. Ribs were cold almost like they just came out of the refrigerator. Coleslaw was like it came out of a container. Service was almost like we were keeping the server from getting off for the afternoon. Not likely to return
3. Lovick's Cafe
Overall Ratings
4 based on 120 reviews
Breakfast & Lunch Since 1941. Please come and enjoy. 3rd generation.
Reviewed By AdakC
We had breakfast while in the area. Service was alright. Our food was served warm, like it had sat awhile before being brought to us. The bottled orange juice was a brown color, not orange. Maybe we caught them on a bad day. I'm not sure we will be back the next time we are in the area.Sure not the things we like to hear, not sure why these issues my have occured, will address the ok service, food should be hot, brown OJ? Will call Dole.Thanks and hope to see you again.
2. The Boiler Room Oyster Bar
Overall Ratings
4 based on 589 reviews
Reviewed By ahmatthewsnc
The BLT was fantastic! The butter bean veggie burger was ok and the fried okra appetizer was nothing special. I hated the atmosphere. The seating arrangement for most of the inside is configured with a very long cushioned bench against a wall with tables placed down the length of it. That leaves you very close to a complete stranger. We were meeting family that we hadnât seen in a while, and it definitely didnât provide the pleasing atmosphere I expected. The inside really needs a decor makeover. Perhaps they seat some people outside at other times of the year or in the evening, but there really didnât appear to be a lot of outside space. This was a hot summer day so inside was the only way to go. The only reason I gave it 3 stars was because the BLT was so good. I definitely wouldnât go back.
What to do and see in Kinston, United States: The Best Places and Tips
1. Chef and The Farmer
Overall Ratings
4 based on 1134 reviews
Reviewed By ElizabethG813
Enjoyed our meal here. The atmosphere is great. Upscale but didnât feel too fancy. Service was impeccable-very attentive staff. Fried collards were excellent! Definitely a must if in Kinston. Hi Elizabeth! We are glad you had a great time. Thank you for the kind words. Please visit us again soon.
Kinston Food Guide: 10 Must-Eat Restaurants & Street Food Stalls in Kinston
