Big portions, zero pretense: This hidden Charlotte carryout spot is the move
No, Guy Fieri did not eat at this hidden hideout.
Yes, he did gobble down the spanakopita from Landmark Diner, Chaobao Taco from The Improper Pig and corndog shrimp from Pinky’s Westside Grill during his numerous trips to Charlotte.
However, I don’t think the Food Network producers of his popular show “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” would ever send him and his cherry-red ‘68 Chevy Camaro SS to Bob’s Carry Out Pile ’Em Up.
On the flipside, after a midnight-oil burning bender fueled by shots of Fernet-Branca chased with Stella Artois from a myriad of dive bars, this is precisely where the late Anthony Bourdain and I would have rendezvoused for either a late breakfast or early lunch. (Bourdain hated brunch) for an episode of “Parts Unknown.”
Situated on a stretch of Statesville Avenue that’s more industrial and residential than anything else, you could zoom past Bob’s without even knowing that it’s a bounty of griddle-seared bologna, onion rings, pork chop platters, fried chicken gizzards and a cheeseburger that Charlotte Magazine listed alongside the ones from establishments like Harriet’s and South 21 as one “tastiest” in the city back in 2022.
I’ll be honest. At first, I felt conflicted about writing this: I’m of the belief that some “hidden gems” should stay hidden. I felt like every trip here should feel clandestine. I felt like the only people I’d tell about Bob’s would be the people near and dear to my heart. I felt like everybody outside that category should either find out about Bob’s through another source, or not find out about Bob’s at all.
Then I thought about how selfish all of that sounded. I also couldn’t lie and say that one of the most satisfying things about being a food writer is unearthing these “hidden gems,” whether it be a certain restaurant or a particular dish for the masses to enjoy.
And even as I write this, telling the unenlightened about Bob’s feels like 15 years ago, when I first introduced my friend Daniel to an up-and-coming rapper from Compton, California, named Kendrick Lamar.
On this imaginary trip to Bob’s, I would have coaxed Bourdain into getting the livermush sandwich on toasted white bread, with a fried egg and barely melted American cheese, assuring him that the livermush sandwich is to Charlotte what the muffaletta is to New Orleans — iconic.
Seven days a week, Bob’s puts out an offering of no-frills breakfast, lunch and dinner — except on Sundays, when it closes at noon. There are breakfast platters like salmon over cheese grits with scrambled eggs and home fries on the side. The lunch fare spills over into dinner and includes everything from B.L.T.s and fried shrimp to hot dogs covered in chili and slaw (after all, this is North Carolina).
As for me — in reality — I ordered the fried flounder plate. Being from the Cape Fear coast of North Carolina, nothing epitomizes comfort food to me more than fried fish.
As the last part of its name implied, the flounder was golden brown and piled up, hiding a bed of crinkle cut french fries, which was hiding a puddle of creamy coleslaw.
The trio in its entirety seemed to have weighed at least three pounds, leading me to believe that Bob’s isn’t too fazed by inflation or the overall food cost margins that seem to be the bane of every restaurateur’s existence.
My only slight gripe was that the tartar sauce wasn’t homemade (which is usually a deal-breaker for me), but it was made right by the gesture of them giving me a Shaquille O’Neal-sized handful of hot sauce packets without me having to ask, as if they knew I was notorious for dousing my fried fish in it.
So, here you have it. The cat is out of the bag, the whistle is blown, the beans are spilt: Bob’s Carry Out Pile ’Em Up should be on everybody’s hole-in-the-wall bucket list.
If this was your own “hidden gem” that you wanted to keep on the hush, forgive me.
If reading this means you’re just finding out about Bob’s, consider yourself loved.
Bob’s Carry Out Pile ‘Em Up
Location: 3422 Statesville Ave, Charlotte, NC 28206
Cuisine: American, takeout
This story was originally published March 23, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
