"Charlotte has lost a number of its legendary diners and dives in recent years (RIP Green’s Lunch), but The Diamond is still cranking out burgers and fried pork chops 80 years after it opened in 1945. Come here for the hangover-mediating, Big Block Burger, all the way or “Southern Style” with chili, mustard, onions, and slaw (their fried baloney sandwich is offered the same way. We also love the Winky-Dinky Dog—a hot dog loaded with pimento cheese and chili—at the end of a day of brewery hopping in Plaza Midwood, or the creamy hot pimento dip served with sliced pita, to start an evening of bar hopping. Every order should be capped off with a serving of their homestyle banana pudding with chewy, crumbly ‘Nilla wafers." - G. Clay Whittaker