9 North Carolina Chain Restaurants Where The Onion Rings Take The Spotlight
Crispy, golden, and utterly irresistible – onion rings might be considered a side dish, but at some places, they steal the show!
North Carolina boasts several chain restaurants where these circular delights aren’t just accompaniments but star attractions.
Whether you prefer them thick-cut or thin, beer-battered or breadcrumbed, these nine spots serve up rings worth every calorie.
1. Cook Out’s Roadside Classics
Forget fancy frills! Cook Out’s onion rings channel pure roadside nostalgia with their perfectly golden exteriors and sweet onion centers that practically melt in your mouth.
Born and bred in North Carolina, this drive-thru wonder offers these crispy delights at prices that’ll make your wallet as happy as your taste buds. Grab a tray with rings, burger, and shake for the ultimate Southern fast-food trifecta!
2. Hwy 55’s Time-Travel Treats
Whoa, time-warp alert! Hwy 55’s hand-battered onion rings transport you straight to the 1950s with their pink-and-teal diner vibes. Each ring gets dunked fresh when ordered – no frozen shortcuts here!
What’s it? The batter is light and crunchy, and as you bite into it, you can hear the sweet onion within crunching. You’ll be saying “daddy-o” before you know it when you combine them with the special sauce.
3. Showmars’ Greek-Inspired Rings
Holy flavor explosion! Showmars blends Greek culinary traditions with Southern comfort in their distinctive onion rings. The Charlotte-based chain seasons their batter with Mediterranean-inspired spices that’ll make your taste buds do a happy dance.
Slightly thinner than most, these rings achieve the perfect crunch-to-onion ratio. Try them with a dollop of their house-made tzatziki for a cross-cultural flavor adventure that screams “opa-licious!”
4. Kristopher’s Sports Bar Monster Rings
Size matters at Kristopher’s, where the onion rings are practically bracelets! These Matthews favorites feature thick-cut sweet onions encased in a hearty, well-seasoned batter that stays crispy through overtime.
Sports fans flock here on game days, creating a symphony of crunching amid cheers and groans.
The generous portion could feed your fantasy football league, but you’ll want them all to yourself – just saying!
5. Outback’s Bloomin’ Beauties
Though famous for that other onion creation, Outback’s standard rings deserve their own spotlight! These Aussie-inspired beauties pack a flavor wallop that’ll knock your socks off faster than a kangaroo on caffeine.
The secret’s in their spice blend – a bit sweet, a touch savory, with just enough kick to keep things interesting. Dunk them in Outback’s tangy bloom sauce, and you might forget steak was ever the main attraction!
6. Hungry Palate’s Craft Beer Companions
If onion rings and craft beer had a romance novel, Hungry Palate would write it! This Winston-Salem hotspot crafts medium-cut rings specifically designed to complement their extensive beer selection.
A touch of local honey in the batter gives it a caramelization that will make you swoon. Beer connoisseurs and foodies alike appreciate the ideal texture that these rings achieve: crispy outside and soft within. Before they disappear, take a picture on Instagram!
7. Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar’s Guilty Pleasures
How can something so wrong taste so right? Bad Daddy’s onion rings embrace their naughty side with a buttermilk-based batter that’s dangerously addictive and fried to golden perfection.
Started in Charlotte and now spreading across NC, this burger joint doesn’t skimp on ring quality. Each order comes stacked high like a tower of temptation. Pro tip: Try them with their signature horseradish aioli for a flavor combo that’s absolutely criminal!
8. Foothills Brewing’s Hop-Infused Hoops
Beer IN your onion rings? Genius! Foothills Brewing incorporates their own craft brews directly into the batter, creating rings with complex flavor profiles that change seasonally.
Winston-Salem beer enthusiasts swear these rings offer the perfect palate companion between sips. The kitchen uses sweet Vidalia onions sliced thick enough to maintain moisture while the exterior achieves that coveted shattering crunch. Beer and rings – name a more iconic duo!
9. South 21’s Time-Honored Treasures
Since Elvis was topping charts, South 21’s onion rings have been turning heads in Charlotte! This 1958 landmark still serves rings using their original recipe – hand-cut, dredged in seasoned flour, and fried to nostalgic perfection.
Car hops deliver these golden beauties right to your window, just like they did decades ago. The sweet-to-savory ratio is spot-on, creating rings that have survived food trends and fads because true deliciousness never goes out of style!