Cook Out

$ 5 for a quick descent meal. Can’t beat that. Always quick and always good. One of my lunch staples while I’m here in Durham.

I’ll give them props for being open till 4 am and for having one of the largest varieties of milkshake flavors I’ve ever seen… the shakes are great, I wish I could DRINK one! A «thick» shake is one thing, but these can ONLY be eaten with a spoon, which in my opinion makes it «Ice Cream» or maybe some sort of McFlurry with all the stuff mixed in to it. I will say that the service IS fast, but the food… urgh…all I can say is, if you need something open that late, then drive a little further to an IHOP or Dennys!

This place is in a scary location. I got lost and I felt like I was in the bad part of Durham, like when you’re driving down the road and feel like you have to lock your doors at a red light.
The service seemed prompt, even though there was a group of people loitering outside the order window.
I know this is only fast food, but I thought there would be at least a bench or two.
Luckily, I only ordered a milkshake, and our group was only there for 10 – 15 minutes, so standing sufficed.
Nothing special about the Coke float.

Don’t go anywhere else for dessert.
Milkshakes from Cook Out will solve all your problems.
Besides the amazing banana pudding shake, Cook Out does profit sharing and treats its employees right. What’s not to like about that.

Ordered a chicken club style, got home and thought my sandwich felt light, and there was no chicken! WTH! Guess I will just have to start going out the way to a different cookout. This is ridiculous that my order is wrong every time!

Cook Out always offers reliably reasonably tasty fast food, and this location is not much different than the one I find myself most frequenting in Raleigh. The drive through was a bit congested, but once it was our turn we contributed to the congestion by hemming & hawing over the menu. The staff was really patient though, and I was happy with the quarter-​pounder I ordered. My only nit is that the bun was noticeably cold (like out of the fridge cold); shame they don’t toast ‘em up a bit. We got the fries with the cajun seasoning — I didn’t think they were remarkably better than ordinary fries; the seasoning isn’t all that great, I guess. Of course the milkshakes are the real highlight — with what must be 50 to choose from, there’s a flavor for everyone. Phil & I agreed to split the banana fudge, and I think it’s one of my faves so far!

Really don’t understand the hype. Everyone I know who lives near one of these places worships it, but there’s nothing special to see here.
The vaunted combo wasn’t a good deal compared to the rest of the menu as you don’t get an appropriate amount of sides with the combo (six hushpuppies instead of twelve, three nuggets instead of five).
Don’t get me wrong, it’s slightly better than your average fast food place, and Cheerwine with crushed ice and a thick straw is a great touch. However, if you’re like me, people you know that went to school in North Carolina have been telling you to come to this place for years, and it really doesn’t seem to be worth going out of your way for.

Drunk food at 3 in the afternoon on a saturday is ALWAYS a good idea. Especially when it involves cherrywine. And hushpuppies. And a $ 15 tab for 5 people. Awesome. The fudge banana shake — yes please! The crispy chicken sandwich definitely beat out the grilled chicken sandwich. And the onion rings were pretty decent as well.
Yes, if there was any place to have mid-​afternoon drunk food, Cook Out would have to be the place.

Wife and I just haven’t been impressed with this place. We have gone a few times thinking it would be better… but only to be disappointed. The shakes are pretty good but would rather have Goodberries Shakes. I love burgers… call me Wimpy from Popeye, but this one left a lot to be desired. Burger was small and not much to it. «Where’s the beef?»
Service here isn’t stellar. I mean. it is a drive through… I’m not asking for much. Just a smile… even if it is fake :)

Late night food in all its glory. Burgers, fries, milkshakes… all super cheap! (I didn’t know it was possible to profitably sell a BLT for $.99) If in doubt, go for a milkshake! I split a peach cobbler milkshake with a friend and I was surprised that they put real cobbler and peach bits in there. Super yummy.

I really do love cookout. Was greatly looking forward to finally going back to one. The food was exactly what I remembered but we didn’t get all of our order and didn’t realize it till we were on the highway. It was probably an accident but I can’t get passed the feeling I was mildly ripped off. I’ll make an update when I make another visit to NC.

I have dreams about the spicy chicken sandwich (w/​cheese)
try it, usually I never go for chicken, but this one is tender and actually spicy. So good

Best late night food you can get in Durham. What else would you possibly want at 3AM?
The best fast food milkshakes — they have over 40 flavors (even watermelon in the summer!). I usually went with the peanut butter banana pudding milkshake. They use real peanut butter (and scooping it out the bottom was like an extra treat at the end). Mint oreo is also a safe bet. I even tried the watermelon, and while it wasn’t my favorite, it exceeded my expectations. Don’t bother getting a straw and skip right to using the spoon.

I must have gained 10 pounds in college from Cook Out milkshakes alone. They are to die for, and being somewhat of a dessert addict, I ate them regularly. (I say «eat» because Cook Out milkshakes are hardly drinkable, resembling as they do a giant, way better version of the DQ blizzard.)
My stalwart regulars were Banana Pudding (banana with nilla wafers mixed in) and Chocolate Cherry (chocolate with, well, cherries mixed in).
The food is blah in my opinion, but hey, it’s hella cheap and offered late! I usually went for the BBQ sandwich (actually quite good) with slaw and cajun fries. Just to be perfectly clear — Cook Out is a walk up or drive through institution only. It’s great for a late night food run, but plan to bring the goodies back home or eat them in the parking lot.
I don’t live in Durham anymore, but when I dream of the Land of the Pines, a Cook Out milkshake is usually involved.

My siblings and I had high hopes for the burgers here, but were pretty freaked out by the salty concoction we were handed. The shakes on the other hand are amazing. Our goal is to try all of them. Some pacing might be in order.
The shakes I keep dreaming about are Blueberry Cheesecake. This bad boy is smooth, creamy and delicious. The Orange Dreamsicle is like drinking a push-​up pop. I think there are 40 flavors or so. We are at six. Thirty six to go!

Tasty shakes and burgers. Who else do you know that does corn dogs as deliciously as Cook Out? Certainly not the ghetto-​ass Panda Inn on 15 – 501!
Eat here as often as you can while you’re in Durham because once you leave, you’ll be wishing there was a Cook Out near you.

You can’t go wrong with Cookout!
The tray’s are delicious and super affordable. Plus they serve Cheerwine and I’m a fan.

I am a huge fan of Cook Out; with so many shake offerings, it makes it hard to resist. The shakes are the main appeal of Cook Out, with everything from Peach Cobbler to Snickers to Peanut Butter and Banana. In addition to the shakes, I love getting a Cook Out Tray. For less than $ 5, you can get a Barbecue Sandwich, Hot Dog, Chicken Sandwich or Burger with your choice two sides which range from Fries to Corn Dogs (!). It’s not a place to go to for the healthy eater, but when you’re looking to treat yourself to some fast food, Cook Out is the best fast food to go and grab.

Yum!!! The Cook Out is literally fast food with items from a cook out. Think summertime, 4^th of July cookout all year long. I have a long list of things I love about this place: good food, reasonable prices, quick, did I say good food. They are also open late, I think until about 3 or 4 in the morning. The closest one is in NC, but every time I go to NC you better believe I stop here.
Okay, now since I have to keep it real here are some of the not so great things about The Cook Out: sometimes it will be crowded in the drive-​thru (understandably because this place is good), no eat-​in area, you have to sit in your car and eat because you won’t be able to make it home. Smelling the food on the way home will torture you. Now for those of you that are into great service and all that kind of stuff you get at the fancier places, you might as well hang it up. They keep it real, sometimes when you pull up to the drive thru, they don’t say anything, you just start talking. I think the first time I sat there waiting for the friendly «hello welcome to Cook Out», didn’t happen. Sometimes, I need a little ghetto to keep me grounded. Ghetto is healthy, but like everything, keep your portions small.
The cookies and crème milkshake is delish. I’m tempted to drive to NC today, I’m making myself hungry thinking about this place…