3 North Carolina Restaurants Among Top Sushi Spots In The Country According To Yelp

If you like sushi and you live in the Tarheel state you are in the right place. 3 North Carolina restaurants among top sushi spots in the country. And that is according to the experts at Yelp. They listen to the people.

According to the Charlotte Observer, Yelp made a list of the top 100 spots that serve the best sushi in the United States. And they considered all kinds of venues that serve sushi from food trucks to fine dining. And they based the survey on a number of things including the total volume and review ratings.

Yelp determined these 3 North Carolina restaurants among the top sushi spots in the country. Let's start with the sushi pride of Hickory, North Carolina. Umi in Hickory makes the prestigious list. You will find Umi at 40 Cloninger Mill Road North East in Hickory. It's little with only 4 tables but people just love their sushi. The little spot with the big menu has been in business for 15 years.

Head to the state's capitol for the second sushi spot on the list. City Market Sushi in Raleigh can be found at 315 Blake Street. Check out this local restaurant the next time you are Raleigh for classic sushi as well as specialty . They also offer small bites and desserts.

The 3rd sushi spot is in Charlotte at 8170 South Tryon Street. Hey, that is near where I work! You must try Blue Orchid if you are a sushi lover. It's right there in the Steele Creek area. It's been on Charlotte's sushi elite's radar since 2020. Check out their tempura dinners and chicken katsu. Many call this spot one of Charlotte's hidden gems.

For Yelp's picks of best sushi restaurants all across the country, get details here.

Love Food Trucks? Who doesn't? It seems like the entire food truck industry has boomed in the last 10-15 years, at least here in North Carolina. And for good reason. Food truck festivals are perfect for when you want to try multiple things- or perhaps your group just can't agree on the same type of food. That's why Food & Wine set out to determine the cities with the best food trucks across the country. And since trying food trucks in every city is a bit of a challenge, they decided to ask the people who know best- their readers! Food & Wine readers voted ten cities the "cream of the crop" as part of the publication's Global Tastemakers awards. And one North Carolina city made the shortlist.

Food trucks are a great way for aspiring chefs and restaurant owners to test the waters without the high overhead of opening a full restaurant. Plus they have the ability to go where the people are ie festivals, concerts, breweries, etc. And then of course there is the novelty and appeal of food trucks for a lot of consumers. I have to admit though, with prices typically comparable to a sit-down restaurant, I'll take that option most every time. But I'm in the minority I know! So which North Carolina city did Food & Wine readers say has the best food trucks? It's one of my favorites!

Yep Raleigh made the list. The North Carolina capital city came in 10th on this list. I actually called Raleigh home for around 4 years (college) and still go back to visit 12-15 weekends a year. But outside of college functions and the NC State Fair, I don't believe I've ever really eaten at a food truck in Raleigh that I can remember. I go to every NC State Football game however and Carter Finley Stadium did recently add an area called "Raleighwood" which features several food trucks. I tend to tailgate or hit up a bar before the games however so I haven't had a chance to check it out yet.

But which food trucks should you try in Raleigh? These are the ones specifically mentioned by Food & Wine:

Other cities mentioned include Houston, San Diego, San Fransisco, and the winner- Oakland, California. You can read the full list and highlights here.

Food trucks are showing no signs of slowing down in popularity. And for good reason. There are some delicious street foods that you can get from food trucks, not just your basic food options. Whether it's an oyster po'boy, lamb curry poutine, or Alaskan reindeer sausage. Yeah, I had to google when that last one even was. Plenty of my friends follow food trucks around, going to breweries specifically to eat from the trucks. This surging popularity led Shane Co. to determine the most popular food truck items. To do this they turned to Google Trends. From there they analyzed search volume across 500 food trucks and 1,500+ menu items over the past year to find the favorite food truck orders and cuisine both by state and nationwide.

Many of the favorite food truck items reflect the local cuisine. Some are more basic, and others had me scratching my head about how on earth that item was the most popular. Listen I love brussel sprouts but that's the most popular item in Delaware? I have a hard time believing that. I know one thing I will be participating in these Google search trends trying to find a local vendor for some of these foods. Keep reading to see the most popular item by state including both Carolinas and our neighbors. You'll also find out the ten most popular food truck foods. Read the full Shane Co. article here.

**Based on Google search data in the past 12 months**

Tacos were one of the two most popular items in 10 states:

There are seemingly endless varieties of sandwiches, so of course, it's the second most popular item! This includes lobster rolls in New England, Florida Cuban sandwiches, and North Dakota's favorite Hawaiian pulled pork sandwich.

A conversation the other day led me to the realization that fries might just be my favorite food. So you can bet I'm ordering loaded fries at a food truck. Other popular options include pot roast fries in Arizona and curry fries in Virginia.

Always a classic. North Carolina loves the shrimp burger, other popular options are the Wagyu beef burger and a falafel burger!

You can jazz up a hot dog but it's still a hot dog. But some people love them. Idaho loves its classic corn dog while South Dakota prefers the Sauerkraut dog.

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