Perkz Cafe: Lenoir has a new bbq player in town!

By:  Jason Bowen

If you’ve been a long time resident of Lenoir, you’re probably more than aware of that one little location on Wilkesboro Blvd that rests in between the coin laundry and the funeral home.  For me, the location had become a joke.  No business, particularly an eatery, would ever succeed in that spot.  Over the years, I’ve questioned who in their right mind would even attempt to start a successful enterprise in that black hole of bad luck.  Was it more a black hole where no one even looked at it or was it more of a curse placed upon it by some haunting soul that escaped from Pendry’s Funeral home.  Either way, nothing was surviving in that spot. 

Enter Perkz Café and it’s strategically placed sign displaying a pig wearing sunglasses and a smile.  And following that new sign came new cars.  Not new in the literal meaning of the word but new as in any, more than zero!  Shazaam, patrons had arrived! 

I became intrigued by this new development.  I kept telling myself that the next time I was in town it was imperative that I visit Perkz and find out what was different.  How and why was Perkz succeeding where others had failed.  (admission:  I never went to any of the other eateries.)  Why was the parking lot always nearly full?  Little did I know that the answer would be so simple.

Lenoir loves bbq

It’s all about the bbq!  The pulled pork is amazing.  The smoke flavor that the owner is able to capture is exceptional yet not overpowering.  It’s so good you don’t want to eat it fast.  You want to savor it and enjoy the wonderful smoked pig in front of you.  It’s so good it stands on its own.  You honestly don’t need any sauce.  So good!  Both Hannah’s and Smokin Hogs will have to up their game if Perkz continues to crank this quality of pork out! 

Fried Pickle Chips

They're handmade.  They’re really crispy and kick with pickle flavor.  Some of the best fried pickle chips I’ve ever had. 

Two loaded all beef hot dogs    

This is the value buy.  You get so much food on your plate that if you have two kids under the age of 10 you could split it and end up out about $6.00.  This comes with waffle fries and a drink!  The slaw that they put on these dogs is amazing!  Best value in town!  Period!  End of story! 

Amazingly quick food!

I swear it felt like the food got to the table before we even ordered.  Don’t expect much of a wait time when you visit.  It might be the fastest food in town. 

At the end of the day, it all comes down to food quality and price.  I believe Perkz hits the mark on these criteria.  Is there improvement to be made?  Yes.  The Wi-Fi wasn’t functioning when I visited and the décor on the inside definitely needs improvement but these are extraneous to the product they offer; the icing on the cake so to speak.  Charlie Frye should get some paintings of his pigs on their walls!  I talked to the owner and he’s the real deal.  The love he has for his food is palpable.  I certainly hope to be eating good food from this location for years to come.