Char-Grill

The overview

Order slips and charcoal since 1959

Char-Grill has flame-grilled burgers over open charcoal since 1959, and the original Hillsborough Street location still runs the way it always has: you scribble your order on a pad and slide it through a slot to the cooks visible behind glass. The burgers come charred, the fries hand-cut, the milkshakes thick.

A midcentury Raleigh landmark with its distinctive A-frame and neon, Char-Grill is the hometown burger stand that generations of North Carolinians grew up ordering by paper slip.

The public record

What reviewers already knew.

A Centurion Award doesn’t replace the public record — it verifies it. Read it for yourself, on the platforms where it lives.

Google Maps
Reviews, photos & directions Read reviews →

Public-record snapshot as of July 2026. Live ratings are always current on each platform.

The verification

Why this business cleared the bar.

Selection is by the published criteria, evaluated on public evidence. Char-Grill cleared every one.

✓Years in operation. Operating in Raleigh since 1959 — 66 years of continuous business.
✓Sustained online presence. An established local institution with a consistent public footprint — listings, coverage, and word of mouth in Raleigh.
✓Established customer track record. A deep public track record: Raleigh has kept Char-Grill busy for 66 years.
✓Liked by customers and the community. Genuinely beloved by Raleigh regulars and visitors alike — a bona fide community favorite.
✓Recognition in the local community. Named best burger in Raleigh for 2025 for charcoal-grilled burgers ordered by paper slip through the slot since 1959.

The full verification report — the specific data behind this award — is held by the business. The exact thresholds stay internal so the bar can’t be gamed. Read the methodology.

Award record

2025

Best Burger in Raleigh Raleigh, NC · Awarded under the 2025 evaluation

All awards for Char-Grill →

Visit Char-Grill

Websitechargrillusa.com ↗

Location618 Hillsborough St, Raleigh, NC 27603

In business since1959

Find them onFacebook · Yelp

Facts at a glance

The sourceable record.

Clean, checkable facts about Char-Grill — for readers, search engines, and answer tools alike.

Legal / trading name: Char-Grill
Category: Restaurant
Founded: 1959, Raleigh, NC
Location: Raleigh, NC
Centurion Award: Best Burger in Raleigh — 2025
Record last verified: July 2026

A signal you can check.

This is a dated award record, published by The Centurion Awards after Char-Grill cleared the 2025 evaluation for its market and category. It was not bought, voted on, or sponsored — the criteria are public, only winners are published, and an award that stops holding up is revoked, not quietly removed. Awards run one calendar year and renew only if the business clears the bar again. For everything else — hours, bookings, live reviews — go straight to the business itself.

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions.

What is Char-Grill?

At the original Hillsborough Street stand since 1959, you write your order on a slip, slide it through the slot, and watch it grilled over charcoal.

Is Char-Grill award-winning?

Yes — Char-Grill is the 2025 Centurion Award winner for Best Burger in Raleigh, a verified, criteria-based award. Named best burger in Raleigh for 2025 for charcoal-grilled burgers ordered by paper slip through the slot since 1959.

Where is Char-Grill?

Char-Grill is in Raleigh, NC.