Original Chicken & Ribs

18 Best Restaurants in Charlotte, North Carolina | Eater Carolinas

"Jermaine Blackmon is the third-generation owner of Original Chicken & Ribs on the west side of Charlotte. He’s loyal to his craft of hospitality, organizing the occasional free kids’ lunch, and he’s distinctly loyal to the vision of his grandfather who opened the joint in the 1950s. Blackmon still serves the people (and their children) who saw him grow up behind the counter. He’s also still frying birds in the take-out-only kitchen. The fried food here is of the distinguished, crispy kind — chicken wings, drummettes, the occasional liver and gizzards, and a fair share of fried shrimp and perch. And don’t skip the sides, like the orbs of okra and a substantial dollop of mac n’ cheese. The restaurant draws on the tradition of meat and three and the power of sweet tea. As the west side of Charlotte develops, this unadorned spot has been a beacon for the community — the only establishment from the original Green Book still standing in Charlotte." - Kayleigh Ruller