Restaurant Review: Pinky's Westside Grill

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Pinky's is kind of-sort of a local legend in Charlotte.

First of all, how many restaurants have an old school Volkswagon bug on the roof? When I was a kid, the building used to be an auto shop. My brother and I had our little fists ready whenever we drove by (remember "punch bug, no punch back!").

Second, Pinky's is kind of the successor to The (original) Penguin. The Penguin is a restaurant located not far away and is famous. No, really. I'm talking Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives famous. The owner of Pinky's was a co-owner of the Penguin and a chef there. The Penguin changed hands in 2010 (not really sure exactly what happened, but loyal patrons of The Penguin were LIVID) and judging by the fact that Pinky's is ALWAYS packed, they all came along with the owner & some of their menu items.

Despite the same ownership, the similarities end there. The Penguin was a hole in the wall burger joint. Pinky's is much more diverse. The menu includes fried pickles, hummus, some fabulous salads, a variety of burgers & hot dogs, tacos, corn dog shrimp (my absolute FAVORITE), and so on. Everything I've had there has been amazing, and this visit did not disappoint.

I strayed from my usual (and absolute favorite corn dog shrimp) and had one of their specials. It was a spicy chicken burrito with Caesar dressing, tomatoes, crisp romaine lettuce & loads of Parmesan cheese. It came with a side of their delicious black beans and tortilla chips. I wasn't in the mood for chips, so I ordered a side of waffle fries as well.

Fries are best when doused in Texas Pete.

The wrap was delicious, but not as spicy as I would have liked. The chunks of chicken were huge & delicious. The dressing was delicious and the flavors came together well. This thing was HUGE though. I ate half at that moment and ate the other half for dinner and it was still just as good.

Graham had one of the other specials, the flounder plate. He gave me one of his hush puppies, and a bite of his fish. Everything was so good! The fish was perfectly cooked, the hush puppies were crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. His portion was just as generous as mine and just as good.

 Pinky's is one of the places we stop at every time we make a trip home. The food is always good, and the service is always excellent. I LOVE that I see the exact same faces every time I'm there.

Stop by and try a white trash burger, or a Spaugh burger (named after a nearby middle school) or their famous fried pickles, You absolutely will not regret it.