This is the best local fast food restaurant in NC, Yelp says. (No, it’s not a chain)
Yelp recently named the best local fast food restaurants in every state, and the North Carolina joint recognized isn’t Cook Out or Bojangles.
It’s a stand-alone, family-owned restaurant in Lexington called Nick’s Old Fashion Hamburger House.
“If you need a burger in the Triad, you’re going to want to come to Nick’s,” Yelp wrote. “They keep the quality high by using fresh, never-frozen local meats, handrolled each day, and you can taste it in every bite. They also cut all their veggies daily, and make their dressings in house as well. The burgers are an obvious choice, but the pork chop sandwich is excellent too.”
In their reviews, Yelp users mention the hot chips and the Noah burger, which is made with pimento cheese, bacon, jalapenos, onions, mayonnaise and barbecue sauce.
To come up with the best local fast food joint in each state, the popular business-reviewing platform limited its search to restaurants in the “hotdog” category. Then, Yelp ranked establishments by volume and rating of reviews by Yelp Elites, who are among the most active Yelp users and are known for their well-written reports.
North Carolina’s best local fast food, according to Yelp
Nick’s Old Fashion Hamburger House, located at 6999 Old U.S. Hwy 52 in Lexington, has a 4.6 rating and 269 reviews on Yelp, as of publication. Of those, 210 are five-star reviews.
Yelp reviewers note that the restaurant is small and usually busy but say it’s worth the wait.
“This place is small and always packed, for good reason! The food is always on point! The sanitation grade is consistently great and so is the service,” Yelp Elite reviewer Kimberly S. wrote in a Feb. 7 review.
According to the restaurant’s website, Nick’s was founded in April 2010 by Ralph Brauser and his family. The restaurant was sold to Jeremy and Casey Haynes in 2020.
Praise for Nick’s Old Fashion Hamburger House
This isn’t the first time Nick’s has received recognition from Yelp.
The spot was also named among Yelp’s top 100 places to eat in 2025, The Charlotte Observer recently reported.
In September, it was named one of the 20 best places in the country to get a cheeseburger. And it was ranked the No. 1 spot in the state to get a cheeseburger in 2023.
This story was originally published February 12, 2025 at 7:00 AM with the headline "This is the best local fast food restaurant in NC, Yelp says. (No, it’s not a chain)."
