Grab a half dozen of your best buddies and make it easy for the darling waitress: “Family Style—sweet tea all around.” In Eastern North Carolina, “barbecue” means vinegar-based pulled pork, and few do it better than Tommy Bullock and Co. The fried chicken, mac ‘n’ cheese, and brunswick stew are equally outrageous, but at the end of the day, it’s the hush puppies—piping hot, a touch sweet, and the best hush puppies in America—that make this one-time local miss home.

—ALEX GARINGER