Ranking University City’s 10 best restaurants, from a (broke) former UNCC student
I attended UNC Charlotte from 2014 to 2018, a stretch when YikYak was the most trusted news source on campus, reports of knife-wielding clowns circulated at night and floors collapsed during overcrowded apartment parties, so food was far from the most compelling thing about the area.
But when I did go out to eat, my dining decisions were less about cravings and more about what my bank account could tolerate.
Most days, that meant chasing the best value. Places where one meal could stretch into two, or where “all-you-can-eat” felt like a personal challenge.
Fine dining, to me, meant anything that didn’t come with a combo number. Still, within those limits, certain spots stood out, whether for their portions, their prices or the rare feeling that you were getting away with something.
This list isn’t about the best food in University City, it’s about the places that mattered most when every dollar did.
It’s worth noting that, despite how often I went to Boardwalk Billy’s, it doesn’t appear on this list (but it was voted best bar by CharlotteFive readers in 2023). I didn’t actually try the food until after I graduated. You can draw your own conclusions from that.
My executive editor also wanted me to include Golden Owl, the restaurant inside the University City Marriott hotel, but it didn’t exist while I was a student at UNC Charlotte from 2014-2018. Sol Delish, another University area favorite, didn’t open its first location until 2023.
With that said, here’s my ranking of the 10 best dining places from when I was in college.
Crown Commons (Social 704)
A few years ago, I searched for Crown Commons and found the on-campus dining hall had become “Social 704,” a name that suggests as much mingling as dining. The food, as I remember it, was best enjoyed with a bit of urgency – perfectly fine, though not ideal before a lecture. Still, it had its moments: one Super Bowl night, a friend and I found wings, mozzarella sticks and desserts laid out with almost no one else around. With a buffet and an unlimited meal plan, restraint didn’t last long.
Harbor Inn Seafood
Harbor Inn had all the markers of a small-town seafood spot: nautical decor, no frills, and fried shrimp and fish done right. In college, though, it felt closer to fine dining. I rarely had the budget for it. When I did go, it delivered the kind of seafood fix no Filet-O’-Fish could quite manage. It was simple, filling and just nice enough to feel like a small occasion.
Passage to India
Passage to India sits in my memory alongside a five-minute walk from my University Terrace apartment that cost $400 a month. The menu, which includes tikka masala, butter chicken, curries and biryanis, was priced just high enough to require planning, but generous enough to last for days. It was the rare place that felt like an upgrade from dining hall food without fully abandoning a student budget. More often than not, one order turned into multiple meals.
Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen
Cheddar’s, if I’m honest, was mostly experienced on my parents’ dime. It felt slightly too polished for my usual routine, though the free honey-butter croissants helped justify the visit. The menu leans into abundance. Chicken tenders, ribs, pastas, all with multiple sides make it the kind of place where one meal is more than enough for two.
CiCi’s Pizza
CiCi’s lives in memory as a jingle and a promise: all-you-can-eat for almost nothing. The setup features rows of pizza in every form, plus pasta, salad, breadsticks and dessert, all under steady heat lamps. The pizza itself isn’t touching anything you’d call high-end, but that’s not really the point when you’re paying less than $10 for unlimited access.
Food Lion
Food Lion is not a restaurant, but its food often matches the quality of one. Two of my friends lived at Ashford Green, just across North Tryon from campus and a short walk from Food Lion. It became our post–tailgate routine: three oversized pieces of fried chicken, a bag of chips and a 40-ounce bottle of something fermented, all for under ten dollars. It was not refined, but it was efficient, and, at the time, entirely sufficient.
Flying Saucer Draught Emporium
At Flying Saucer, food is secondary to beer. The menu offers pretzels with queso, loaded fries, wings, burgers and “Saucer pies” to keep you grounded, though not distracted, but the real draw is the Beerknurd challenge, a slow march toward 200 beers that turns each visit into a small, questionable investment in progress. The food simply keeps you there long enough to keep going.
McDonald’s
McDonald’s was less an occasional stop than a weekly habit, which may explain certain weight-gain outcomes during my sophomore year. The draw wasn’t a standard combo but the Dinner Box: a bundled family-style meal that included two Big Macs, two cheeseburgers, four small fries and a 10-piece Chicken McNuggets. At the time, I had never heard the phrase “portion control,” which always led me to devour the box in one sitting.
Insomnia Cookies
Few experiences rival a box of warm cookies arriving late at night (from the library, of course). Insomnia’s menu, which includes classic flavors like chocolate chip and snickerdoodle, stuffed options, brownies and ice cream, encourages over-ordering in a way that feels almost reasonable at the time.
Cook Out
By 2 a.m., the line at Cook Out tells you everything you need to know. The tray, an entree and two sides for under $10, remains one of the better deals around, especially when paired with a milkshake. It’s less a question of whether you’ve been than how often.
