Doughnuts and Dive Bars: The Charlotte Edition

In order to have the full Queen City experience, there are a few more gems in the crown that I must share with you all.

Joe's Doughs

1721 North Davidson Street

Charlotte, North Carolina 28206

Let's face it, when I am on vacation, I am on vacation. I still manage to squeeze in a workout when I can, but calories don't count on vacation. Right? After reading about Joe's Doughs on Eater's Hottest New Restaurants and passing by it on the way to Heist, a visit was inevitable. First and foremost, timing is everything. Joe's opens at 7:00 AM and stays open until 1:00 PM during the week with later hours on Saturday and Sunday. If there is something that you have your heart set on, I recommend coming sooner rather than later. Grab your doughnuts and head back to bed if you need to.

Since it was Easter weekend, Joe's had several themed doughnuts. Even though I didn't try any of them, they were too cute not to share. Candied Lemon, Coconut Bird's Nest and Cadbury Cream.

Again, so thankful for these girls that I travel with because we literally got a sampler and tried six different flavors.

Starting from the top (left to right) Cinnamon and Sugar, Maple Bacon, Chocolate Glaze, Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel, Spicy Carrot and Vanilla Glazed. While I enjoyed all of these doughnuts, I was swooning over the Spicy Carrot. While the first bite was deceiving, it certainly finished with a kick of spice. Totally not what I was expecting which made me love it that much more.

Do-nut worry, next time I am in Charlotte, I will certainly be making a return visit. (silly food puns;)

Benny Pennello's

2909 North Davidson Street

Charlotte, North Carolina 28205

http://www.bennysva.com/BennyPennellos

While we were waiting outside of Heist Brewery for our Uber, I saw this gentleman place a pizza box in the back of his SUV. To be clear, not the back seat, the back cargo area of the SUV. This box was enormous and I had to find out what was in it. Enter Benny's Pennello's. Damn. Knowing I had less than 5 minutes until our driver arrived, I had to act quickly. We had just finished with our feast at Heist ( last seen here) and none of us were even remotely hungry but we decided what the hell, let's grab a slice and take it to Birdsong. Boy, am I glad we did! That was such a great slice of pizza!

At Benny's you can either order by the slice or if you are feeding a football team, you can order an entire pie. Seriously, it makes a pie from Costco look minature. At Benny's, pizza is serious business!

The Thirsty Beaver Saloon

1225 Central Avenue

Charlotte, North Carolina 28204

https://www.facebook.com/The-Thirsty-Beaver-Saloon-155129104571598/

I love a cold beer and classic country music as much as t next girl, but what kind of friend would I be if I didn't let you all in on the best dive bar in Charlotte? I don't want to give too much away (hence the limited photos), after all, that would spoil the fun. I'll just say this: Make your way to the Thirsty Beaver. They have plenty of cold beer, Hee-Haw on repeat, and an epic jukebox featuring all the country legends. It was quite reminiscent of home.

Despite receiving numerous offers for their property and the ongoing construction of apartments on either side, the owners are standing their ground and refuse to move. Stay strong friends. Stay strong. Every city needs a Thirsty Beaver.

That concludes our "road trip" through Charlotte, North Carolina my friends. I still have so much more to explore and look forward to visiting again very soon

Until next time!