Charlotte restaurant makes Yelp’s ‘Outrageous Oversized Eats’ list for 2024
With a bustling culinary scene like Charlotte’s, there’s a long list of fan-favorite and unique dishes for foodies around the city.
But one local spot has been named for having one of the most ‘outrageous, oversized’ foods in the U.S.
Yelp released a list of some of the most enormous eats across the country, like football-sized burritos, ice-cream-filled kitchen sinks and the famous 28-inch pizza from Benny Pennello’s in Charlotte.
“If 28 is your lucky number, Benny Pennello’s has a pizza-perfect challenge for you. Eat a 28-inch-wide cheese pie by yourself in 28 minutes, and you’ll win $280, as long as you’re not a competitive eater (if you are, you win $100), plus a T-shirt, a photo on the restaurant’s website, and bragging rights. Not up for a challenge? You can still enjoy a massive pie — all of Benny Pennello’s pizzas are oversized. Even the slices are a photo-worthy 14 inches long,” the report says.
“Benny’s ‘excellent,’ ‘always hot and fresh; pizzas are ‘Virginia-style; (named for the chain’s origins in Blacksburg, Virginia) — with a ‘thin…crispy’ crust similar to New York–style pizza.”
The NoDa pizza joint is one of many Benny restaurants around the U.S. — named in honor of the Charlotte arts district. (There are also a few other locations in the area in South End and Concord!)
Whether you want a slice or the whole pie, Benny’s offers a wide variety of flavors such as:
Cheese
Pepperoni
Italian sausage
Garlic mushroom
Garden state with spinach, ricotta and garlic
“Very simple menu, 5 or 6 choices of pizza max. However, the slice is the size of a small country,” one Yelp review says. “They only make 28-inch [whole] pizzas (4 times the size of a regular large pizza). One, maybe 2 [slices] will definitely fill you up. They have a good selection of beer and a very laid-back atmosphere.”
Of all the delicious restaurants offering jumbo treats across the U.S., Benny Pennello’s is the only North Carolina spot to make the list.
You can find Yelp’s top 10 picks of the most outrageous oversized eats online at www.yelp.com.
Benny Pennello’s
Location: 2909 N Davidson St STE 100, Charlotte, NC 28205
Instagram: @bennypennellos
This story was originally published July 16, 2024 at 6:00 AM.