Jon G’s BBQ won Best Food Truck. (Charisma Howard/A Brew & You)
Best Bakery: Nothing Bundt Cakes
Betsy Lamb owns the Nothing Bundt Cakes shop in Waxhaw, which serves up flavored cakes accentuated with cream cheese. Flavors include carrot, chocolate chip, confetti, lemon, marble, pecan praline, red velvet, vanilla and white chocolate raspberry.
9704 Rea Road, Waxhaw
Best Lunch Spot : Fox’s Alley Bowling, Bar & Grill
Fox’s Alley Bowling, Bar & Grill opens at 11 a.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, giving customers an opportunity for some early bowling and a nice lunch. Get a burger, hot dog, chicken wrap, chicken tenders or some snackers.
1901 Skyway Drive, Monroe
Best Food Truck: Jon G’s BBQ
If you’ve been to the Southern Range Brewing on a Saturday or been to the bar’s Trivia & Tacos nights, there’s a good chance you’ve seen Jon G’s BBQ, a food truck run by Garren and Kelly Kirkman. They specialize in Texas-style barbecue.
151 S. Stewart St., Monroe
Best Asian Food: Jin Jin Chinese Restaurant
Jin Jin Chinese Restaurant serves dozens of dishes, including multiple chicken, pork and beef meals, in a clean environment.
221 E. Franklin St., Monroe
Best Barbecue: The Smoke Pit
The Smoke Pit serves mouth-watering entrees like smoked pulled pork, Texas brisket, BBQ pulled chicken and smoked Cajun turkey along with sides such as mac and cheese, fried okra and deviled egg potato salad. The restaurant offers low-cost handheld sandwiches for lunch.
1507 W. Roosevelt Blvd, Monroe
Best Caterer: Kate Clyde’s
Katheryn Eason Davis launched Kate Clyde’s Catered Creations after giving birth in 1997, naming the venture after her great-grandmother. Its bread and butter is the pulled pork barbecue, which has won more than 130 awards. She can also whip up casual and elegant foods for weddings, corporate events and other social gatherings.
124 E. Main St., Marshville
Best Breakfast: Stacks
The motto at Stacks Kitchen’s is “good food & plenty of it.” The Waxhaw diner boasts a breakfast menu loaded with eggs bendict, skillets, omelets, French toast, pancakes, waffles and sandwiches. Gobble ‘em up from 6 a.m to 3 p.m. Grits, livermush and corned beef hash are available, too.
1315 N. Broome St. Waxhaw
Best Date Night: Stone Table
Stone Table’s locally sourced and creatively cultivated dishes are pushing the boundaries of Union County’s culinary scene, creating food you and your date are sure to share and rave about on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
101 W. Franklin St., Monroe
Best Wings: Fox’s Alley Bowling,
Bar & Grill
Fox’s Alley Bowling, Bar & Grill serves wings with BBQ, buffalo, dry rub fire, garlic parmesan, honey mustard, hot honey, lemon pepper, mango habanero and teriyaki. Be sure to wash your hands after you return from bowling, because you’ll be licking your fingers.
1901 Skyway Drive, Monroe
Best Ice Cream: Waxhaw Creamery
Waxhaw Creamery is where people go to find ice cream and Italian ices. The creamery gets creative with its flavors, offering candy corn and maple bacon in the fall and candy cane, eggnog and cranberry during the holidays.
109 E. N. Main St., Waxhaw
Best Italian: Olive Garden
Romance doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. Olive Garden keeps Italian eating affordable with campaigns like “Buy One Take One” and endless soup or salad and breadsticks. New items are also hitting the menu, including Spicy Alfredo Chicken, Chicken Alfredo Pizza Fritta and Creamy Mushroom Ravioli.
2983 Monroe Way, Monroe
Best Burger Joint: Duke’s Grill
Duke’s Grill is known for two things – fantastic burgers and it’s “no cell phone” policy. The restaurant, which dates back to 1951, was included in an MSN.com featured titled, “The best burger in every state” in 2015.
1114 Concord Ave., Monroe
Best Mexican: La Unica
La Unica is known for its great service and authentic Mexican dishes like Arroz Con Pollo, Carne Asada and Pollo Fundido. The menu includes breakfast and vegetarian options, as well as lunch specials.
4305 Old Monroe Road, Indian Trail
Best Pizzeria: Pepperoni’s Pizza
Pepperoni’s Pizza serves up pies that are 10, 14, 16 and 20 inches. “The Beast” measuring 30 inches, comes with three toppings for $27.99. Other pizzas include The Godfather, Lotza Meat, Veggie, White, BBQ, Hawaiian and Quarto Formaggio.
6203 S. Rocky River Road, Monroe
Best Service: Fox’s Alley Bowling, Bar & Grill
There’s a lot of moving parts to oversee at a place like Fox’s Alley Bowling, Bar & Grill. There’s the food, the drinks and the bowling, but the staff brings it all together, giving guests a great experience with friends, family and significant others.
1901 Skyway Drive, Monroe
Best Cupcake: Nothing Bundt Cakes
Nothing Bundt Cakes serves 8- and 10-inch bundt cakes, as well as the cupcake equivalent, which are dubbed “bundtlets.” The Waxhaw shop sells the cream cheese-topped cakes individually for $4.25 or by the dozen for $45.
9704 Rea Road, Waxhaw
Best Seafood: Mac’s Fish & Chicken
Mac’s Fish & Chicken celebrated its 11th anniversary on June 20. Lunch is available from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Fridays (with later hours on Friday). Dinner is available on Fridays and Saturdays.
2399 W. Roosevelt Blvd., Monroe
Best Steakhouse: Logan’s Roadhouse
Logan’s Roadhouse serves up choice cuts of steak, ranging from the $11.49 chopped sirloin steak to the $22.99 porterhouse. Add some character to the steak with dishes like Onion Brewski Sirloin, topped with beer-braised onions, or the Teriyaki Club Steak, marinated in a teriyaki sauce, pineapple juice, and spices.
2336 W. Roosevelt Blvd., Monroe
Best Sushi: Red Bowl Asian Bistro
Red Bowl has it all, a traditional restaurant, cocktail lounge, stir-fry bar and sushi bar. Try one of a dozen specialty dishes, including Dragon & Phoenix with jumbo shrimp with chili sauce and light battered chicken cooked in a sweet and spicy sauce.
2115 W. Roosevelt Blvd., Monroe
Best Sandwich Shop: Jefferson Street Deli
Chef Curtis Wriggle has elevated the sandwich with his Jefferson Street Deli concept. Try the Route 74, with roast beef, jalapeno jack, avocado, red onion and sriracha mayo on ciabatta or the I-485 with chicken salad, Swiss, lettuce and tomato on 9-grain bread.
107 E. Jefferson St., Monroe
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