CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Located at the corner of Freedom Drive and Morehead west of Uptown sits one of Charlotte's most iconic landmarks: Pinky's Westside Grill.
Pinky's, which opened in 2010, is best known for the patriotic Volkswagen Beetle that's sat on the roof for years. Before the restaurant opened, the building that houses Pinky's used to be Triple G Automotive, a Volkswagen repair shop. Andy Cauble, the owner of Pinky's who also had a share in The Penguin in Plaza Midwood, decided to keep the Volkswagen on the roof when they transformed the old garage into a restaurant. Needless to say, it was a good decision.
The wide-ranging menu of Pinky's was designed with the goal of having something for everyone.
"I wanted everybody to come in as a group and have something to eat," chef Greg Auten said. "That's a problem in a lot of restaurants. I would see vegans or vegetarians just eating french fries or beans, something like that. So I wanted to give them some good stuff, too."
The dining room is almost always busy with folks eating everything from salads to the pterodactyl burger. The fried pickles are incredible (just ask Guy Fieri) and they even have corndog shrimp.
But the most popular item has to be the white trash burger. It's a 5-ounce patty, topped with provolone cheese, spicy ranch dressing, fried onions straws, and of course, fried pickles.
Pinky's has two locations, including one in Huntersville, and was featured on Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" with Guy Fieri in 2015.
In the kitchen at Pinky's Westside Grill
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