A longtime restaurant on Charleston’s West Side has reopened under new ownership, keeping its original name and some popular menu items (I’m looking at you, Fried Green Tomato BLT) but also introducing new pizzas inspired by another longtime restaurant.
Pete Lopez, the owner of Frank’s Pizza in Montgomery, has bought, remodeled and reopened The Grill on West Washington Street.
After several years of on-and-off attempts to either close or sell The Grill – including a temporary closure back in 2021 – previous owner Dave Arthur finally decided to retire and sell the business to Lopez, who also purchased the historic Glen Ferris Inn in Glen Ferris back in 2021.
Keeping The Grill’s name and menu largely intact, the restaurant will continue offering burgers, hot dogs, chicken strips and a host of already-famous Grill sandwiches like the steak hoagie, Reuben, pork BBQ, fried or hot bologna, fried or grilled chicken, fish, grilled cheese and BLTs.
Salads and traditional apps like cheese sticks, fried banana peppers, cheese fries and onion rings are available, along with old favorites like beans and cornbread with fried potatoes and a rotating selection of daily soups and specials.
Plus, Lopez is in the process of bringing in a pizza oven to make the same pies and calzones that have made Frank’s such an institution in Montgomery.
I’ve never had the privilege of sinking my teeth into a Frank’s pizza or calzone, but readers tell me they are absolutely to-die-for. I’ll definitely report back once I have a chance to taste-test them myself.
IF YOU GO: The Grill, located at 117 Washington St. W. in Charleston, is currently open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call 304-342-9210.
Hot Diggity Dogs closes in North Charleston
With one popular restaurant reopening, another has permanently closed.
Hot Diggity Dogs announced on Facebook Sunday that it has closed the doors of its restaurant on 7th Avenue in North Charleston, but will continue operating its food truck at local festivals and events.
“It brings great sadness to make this post,” owner Terry Godbey said. “We had a great run and a very faithful customer base. I’d like to thank all our customers who supported us over the last 6 years.”
He said the restaurant always strived to do its best, but rising food costs and staffing challenges made the business not profitable enough to continue.
“We have made the choice to close Diggity permanently. This was not an easy decision to make, but we had to.”
In addition to good English hot dogs and hard-to-find crispy, salty, shoestring-like fries, Hot Diggity also made a killer Philly cheesesteak. I’ll miss it most of all.
Reader seeks Joey’s BBQ recipe
Speaking of longtime restaurants, I have a few readers looking for some of their favorite recipes from places they miss.
I’m sure many of you remember Joey’s Bar & Grill, that seemingly makeshift structure across from the Charleston Civic Center on Quarrier Street that packed in crowds before closing years ago.
Along with since-gone favorites like The Edge on Capitol Street and Five Corners on the West Side, Joey’s was one of the first restaurants and bars I frequented when I first moved to Charleston back in 1991.
Me and the newfound group of Charleston locals who welcomed me into their posse found ourselves at Joey’s almost every Saturday afternoon to enjoy now-embarrassing amounts of cold beers and hot fried foods while catching a game on one of the restaurant’s many TVs.
Readers Mike and Martha Chandler remember Joey’s fondly as well.
“If he isn’t running a food business anymore, maybe someone would tell us how to get their BBQ recipe. My wife reads your column all the time, and she thought that if anyone could find out, it might be you!”
Aww, you guys. But Martha may be right.
After reader Ronald Campbell reached out to me back in 2017 asking if I could track down how to make the Fiesta Burger he used to enjoy at Joey’s back in the day, Joey’s sister (Karen Samples) responded immediately and offered to send me the recipe.
“I’m sitting here looking at an original copy of Joey’s old menu and it describes just how that burger was made,” she told me at the time. “Would you like me to send you a copy?”
I did – and she obliged – so Ronald got his instructions on how the make his own Tex-Mex-inspired burger featuring, as the menu described, a “charbroiled beef patty smothered with chili, picante sauce, nacho chips, blended Mexican cheese, lettuce, tomato and jalapeno peppers.”
So Karen, if you’re still following The Food Guy, I have another Joey’s fan who would love to learn more about the awesome BBQ he used to enjoy.
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Steven Keith is a food writer and restaurant critic known as “The Food Guy” who writes a weekly column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail and has appeared in several state, regional and national culinary publications. Follow him online at www.wvfoodguy.com or on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. He can be reached at 304-380-6096 or at wvfoodguy@aol.com.