Pinky's Westside Grill
A little hole in the wall dive restaurant called Pinky's Westside Grill is a bit of an institution in Charlotte. You might even call it THE dive in Charlotte. I'd heard great things about it, but once I found out it was on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, I had to go!
Outstanding team service model
When you walk in, it’s exactly what you’d expect — a dive. With a no-frills atmosphere, cluttered décor, it features nothing fancy whatsoever. We were seated right away (granted we were there early). A server came over immediately and remained attentive throughout our entire meal. Rather than one server per table, they function as a team, which I loved. It made the service much more attentive.
Not exactly health-food
The menu isn’t huge, but it isn’t small either. It’s arranged into appetizers, salads, baskets, tacos, burgers, hot dogs, and sandwiches. You can eat healthy here — but that’s not what you come for… at least that’s not why we came.
Here’s the rundown of what we ordered:
Crab Puppies. Claw crab meat folded into a dozen hush puppies and served with tartar sauce. I was expecting there to be lumps of crab meat in these, but it seems to have been pureed into the batter. The flavor and texture were excellent. The consistency was just like a standard hush puppy — very crispy exterior and almost doughy interior. There's a nice crab flavor throughout. I thought they were excellent.
Greg’s Pickles. Fried dill pickle chips with spicy ranch. These were good… but nothing revolutionary. Solid fried pickles, nonetheless.
White Trash Burger. We ordered the double. It featured two 5oz beef patties, provolone, fried pickles, onion straws, and spicy ranch. Again, it’s nothing revolutionary, but it was a solid burger. The meat was tender and not overcooked… very flavorful. All the ingredients worked in unison. I would definitely order this again.
Viking Corn Dog. Nathan's All Beef hotdog hand-dipped in batter and deep-fried. This. Was. AMAZING. Honestly, it's one of the best corn dogs I've had. The batter is excellent. It gets an AWESOME crisp on the exterior. I'm so glad I made this last-minute addition to my order; it was the best thing we had. Don't miss it! It would benefit from spicy mustard to dip it in — to make it next level.
Saved for next time
There are still some dishes I need to try. I had to save something for my next visit, after all.
Corn Dog Shrimp. Eight large shrimp dipped in corn dog batter, deep-fried, and served with waffle fries.
Asian Pork Burger. 5oz of seasoned ground pork, Korean BBQ sauce, and cilantro-honey slaw.
Da Pimp Sandwich. A famous homemade pimento cheese sandwich on grilled Texas Toast.
Green Chile Pork Sandwich. Grilled pork loin, pineapple, swiss, arugula, and Jamaican mayonnaise.
The Velvet Elvis Sandwich. Crunchy peanut butter, spicy honey, cream cheese, banana, and bacon on Texas Toast.
What’s my final answer?
All in, I would go back. It's not the place to go if you want to be healthy, but if you want a greasy, delicious meal, this is the spot! We were too full for dessert, but I'm sure it would be delicious—my verdict is 7/10. The food's not revolutionary, but it was all delicious. The atmosphere lacks, but the price makes up for it. It's exactly what you want in a dive.
