Spanky’s Restaurant

Recently Spanky’s revised menu and no longer provide steak as an addition to Cobb salad. That combination was my wife’s favorite and now she would rather dine elsewhere. Sorry, I have enjoyed Spanky’s for many years.

Service is way too slow and the place seemed empty. After waiting forever the good arrived cold. The food was nicely seasoned, but unfortunately cold. Service was not up too par. We asked for the Check well in advance and the waitress disappeared into the kitchen.
My husband had to go locate the check himself.

Great food, great variety. Nice location right on Franklin Street and even better if you get a window seat. All for a good price. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a place to eat on Franklin!

I brought my family here on 28 Dec before the game hoping to get some good food in a reasonable time. Unfortunately, we arrived at 3pm and had to wait over 30 minutes to sit and another 40 mins before we could get our food. The restaurant was really understaffed and the kitchen was so far behind. I don’t see how this is possible on game night

Spankys was absolutely a treat. I did not have the experience that some of the other reviewers had. Service was fast and the food was delicious.
Our server, Daniel took care of us from start to finish. We started out with the homemade chips and ranch dipping sauce which were very tasty. Our main course arrived right on time (not too early and not too late). My wife had the Kale salad with lemon basil dressing and it was light and refreshing. I had the bacon cheddar burger and it was cooked exactly like I ordered and hit the spot.
I would recommend this restaurant to anyone and everyone. If you are in Chapel Hill check out Spankys.

Second trip here and horribly disappointed. Or drinks were awful. Sent them back and didn’t receive another until after we got our checks. Salads were small, much smaller than the first time I had one. Service was terrible. Our waitress looked frazzled and was not pleasant. Only plus side = the nachos. No apologies offered for anything. Won’t be returning.

Oh My Goodness!!! Haven’t been to Spanky’s in forever — and only went this past weekend because they had seating. The salmon dish was OUT OF THIS WORLD GOOD! I have been talking about it ALL weekend! I already want it again :)) Yummmmy good.

My beau & I went here on Friday, 11-​20-​2015 for lunch. When we arrived, we were greeted & seated quickly. It was probably 100 degrees in there. I know it was cool outside, but not that cold. We were close to leaving due to that, but he only had a hour for lunch so we didn’t budge.
Our waitress greeted us, got our drink order, & walked off. After that, it went downhill. She came back, got our order, & left. After that, we only seen her twice, maybe three times. She brought us our appetizer, which was very hot & good. I do recommend the pork/​collard greens egg rolls. For $ 7.00, you only get 3 though. Seems kinda off, but whatever. They are great especially the sauce you dip them in.
Three tables came in after us, all of them got their food before us. I ordered a Southwestern Salad & my boyfriend ordered a BBQ sandwich. We waited & the waitress came to our table once to take some plates away, but never said if our food was coming out or what was going on. She said nothing to us.
Another 10minutes past & some other girl brings out our food. IT IS ICE COLD. But can we complain? No. Why? Because the waitress NEVER came back to our table. My chicken on my salad was super cold, my boyfriends sandwich & fries were colder than my chicken on my salad. They charge $ 1.50 for fries & he maybe had 10 fries on his plate. Seriously? If you going to make a service change for changing it, at least make it worth the wild. (We both think they forgot to bring us our food. Instead of changing the temperature, they just brought it out as is.)
She came back at the end, we asked for the check. Instead, she brings my boyfriend another coke after she asked him if he wanted one to go, which he said yes, but she just re-​filled his cup. Then she takes the check & leaves again for another 5−10mins. How long does it take to run a card? They were not busy so I can’t blame a crowd or other tables being in the way.
She finally comes back, I pay, & leave. No tip. Sorry. I know that is rude, but I felt the service & lack of heat to the food were deal breakers for me.
We will not be back anytime soon. Maybe one day since everyone gives this place great reviews. It sucks that we had a bad experience.

Service was good, it was after the UNC/​DOOK Game and they served us pretty quick and everything was hot and delicious.
I Would definitely go back and WILL, hopefully soon. Burger was wonderful.

Went here for brunch. It could have been so much better! The veggie omelet was over cooked and had very little filling. What were they thinking? This is just a bar and the food does not have to be that good? We had to ask for salsa and hot sauce just to make it eatable. The shrimp and grits were better according to my wife.

Great spot up on the second floor for a lunch date! The caprese salad was on point. Will definitely be back again soon.

Wildly overrated and over priced. Not a necessary stop by any measure. Staff is lazy and inattentive at a small bar space. Go elsewhere!

Nothing special. I will not be going back! We got load fries as an app and was not impressed whatsoever. The waitress took forever just getting our drinks and our food was just mediocre. I asked for a couple things which were never bought throughout our meal. I am not sure where all these other 5 stars are coming from, but in my opinion it doesn’t belong.

The staff and manager at Spankys have been awesome since i was a student at Carolina back in 1992.
Food is always good from the homemade chips to the BLT with pimento cheese.
Drinks are a hit. Enjoyed the UNC– Duke game last night there.
Five stars from this patron.

Its a very american bar in the center of it all. Spankys tries to cater to every clientele and seems to do better for some than others. The cauliflower steak is exactly what is listed and in relatively meager portions of cauliflower, spinach, and a single beet. Barbecue on the menu looks decent but I can’t speak to it. A fellow diner said the ribs were good so I suppose that’s something. Apps and drinks are clear foci of the college town hangout, plenty of local craft and unique but relatively predictable nachos, pulled pork egg rolls and buffalo reverts grace the menu.
Desserts too are generic but tasty.
I will say that the staff of effective and service fast. Not a bad option as a crowd pleaser.

Spanky’s is my favorite place for burgers at Chapel Hill. The staff is always friendly, the TVs are on during games (and there is HUGE one upstairs), and the food quality/​prices make way more sense to me than TOPO across the street.
I’ve tried a quite a few things on the menu, and I always go back to the tex-​mex burger. I’ve tried that thing every way it’ll come. Without pickles, with pickles, with an egg, with chicken, etc etc. I think it’s the most delicious piece of food ever. The other items — meh. I could pass on a lot of them. Especially some of the pastas. They are super average and not worth your money. because the tex-​mex is where your money should be going.
Overall, Spanky’s is a nice sit in restaurant that is actually affordable with pretty good food :)

Spanky’s is a great place to eat as an alternative to Top of the Hill. It is right across the street. I usually get the BBQ sandwich which is rather well prepared.
The banana pudding desert is also a great option. If you like the bar scene they have a full bar both downstairs and upstairs. Check it out after a UNC basketball or UNC football game and you will likely enjoy yourself.

I love Spankys!
Part of it is nostalgia for Chapel Hill, but it really is an institution here (I LOVE the caricatures on the walls!). They have a great casual-​classy vibe, and have a southern-​skewed menu that is diverse without overloading you with options. Last time I got the special chorizo burger and it was unreal good.
I’ve always had great service, and the location is fantastic. I like to sit upstairs where they have another bar and a private dining room off to the side for special events.

I really like the ambiance of this place; as other Unilocalers have pointed out, the caricatures of celebrities definitely pull you in. Everything seems fine; your typical bar restaurant, with good size. This is a great place to host a big group. Friendly waiting staff; I can’t complain about the service at all.
But then, lo and behold, probably the most «meh» food I’ve ever had. Both times I had burgers — they weren’t particularly juicy or flavorful. I was really looking for the place to be good, but it wasn’t anything special. That said, there was a lot of variety on the menu, so if I go again, I will order something else.

Great casual restaurant in the heart of Chapel Thrill. Friendly staff, fast service, and a fun, family-​friendly atmosphere round out this eatery, which is particularly good for lunch.
There are plenty of options for a tasty, fresh meal. My favorites include entrée salads like the Southwestern, veggie chili, burgers & BBQ.
Pop in for a Bloody Mary on football game days. You won’t be disappointed!