A love letter to K&W Cafeteria: 16 things that made NC dining weirdly great
In a world of restaurant choices, only one establishment offered food so gravy-drenched, so brazenly unhealthy, loaded with rib-sticking comfort, combining ham with pineapples, carrots with raisins and Jell-O with everything, requiring neither chewing nor teeth.
Good ol’ K&W Cafeteria.
The K.
Temple of no regrets.
Founded in 1937, it attracted a demographic born in roughly the same year — a crowd that began queuing up 15 minutes before 11 a.m. and finished in time for a noonday nap, tucking napkins into their shirts and parking their oxygen tanks next to their chairs. Hence the nickname: Kanes & Walkers.
But I found a home here as a young man in 1996 the first time anyone asked, “Meat for you, sir?” And now that this carb sanctuary has shut its last door after 88 years, I present this K&W tribute, listing everything to love.
1.) The Chicken Stew, served in a deep bowl, floating in more broth than one biscuit can absorb.
2.) The Country Steak, delivered on a mountain of white rice and brown gravy, mushy enough to cut with a plastic spoon.
.JPG "IMG_KW-DISPLAY_2_1_HS6QFDFS_L185358281 (1).JPG")
3.) The seafood selection, which I’m pretty sure at one time included both spot and croaker. Try ordering those at Bonefish Grill.
4.) The baked spaghetti, which was rectangular.
5.) The chicken livers, good for bragging to non-Southern friends.
6.) The German chocolate pie, which is like the cake — but better.
7.) The salad insanity, which featured fruit congeal, square fruit chunks, hard-boiled eggs, coconut shreds, marshmallows and even lettuce.
8.) The pudding and whipped cream served in what appeared to be champagne flutes.
9.) The extra pats of butter for 3 cents.
10.) The greens — turnip or collards — which contained chopped up chunks of stems people normally discard.
11.) The broccoli, doused in processed cheese sauce.
12.) The green beans, soft enough to drink through a straw along with a puddle of bean juice at the bottom.
13.) The rotating menu, allowing for surprises such as tilapia or San Francisco chicken.
14.) The heart-shaped markers next to the healthy menu items, because uh huh, sure.
15.) The dining room company, which ranged from Gov. Jim Hunt to the stranger dressed like Popeye the sailor who waved his fist and warned my 5-year-old son, “You better eat that pie!”
16.) The little bowls for the sides, which made it seem like you were eating four meals.
And on to eternity.
How fortunate were we to live in the time of K&W. How diminished is cuisine in its absence.
This story was originally published December 2, 2025 at 1:57 PM.