Poole's Diner Restaurant Spotlight as featured in Wake Living Magazine

Poole’s Diner
426 South McDowell Street
Raleigh, NC 27601
919.832.4477
www.poolesdowntowndiner.com

Hours: Dinner served Wednesday to Saturday 6pm to midnight, Bar open 5pm to 2am, Sat/Sun Brunch from 11am to 3pm

Yes, it looks like a diner with the chrome and red vinyl bar stools and double horseshoe bar, but this ain’t your grandparents diner of yesteryear. Oh no my friends, Ashley Christensen, owner and chef, has taken great steps to ensure that this diner is different. It has been a long; yet deliberate road for Christensen and one that has paid off. She grew up in the Triad in a household where food was important and participated in her family’s organic garden and watched her father tend bees. As the recent farm to table, slow food movement gains popularity with mainstream eateries, Christensen adopted the concept early on. This is because she has already lived the slow food movement as a way of life. Every ingredient that Christensen uses at Poole’s Diner is of the highest quality; taking daily deliveries of the freshest local fare from farms like Harlands Creek and ECO. Christensen’s menu changes daily to ensure that the ingredients are handled respectfully whereby they become the stars of the show. It is here at Poole’s Diner where action and art meet at the dinner table.

Christensen has worked beside local powerhouse chefs like Andrea Reusing of Chapel Hill’s Lantern and Scott Howell of Nana’s in Durham, and was executive chef of Raleigh’s Enoteca Vin for 7 years where she received great notoriety. It was at Vin where Food & Wine Magazine featured the restaurant in an 11-page spread, which put Christensen on the map. After leaving Vin, it was time for Christensen to open her own place and Poole’s Diner fit the bill.

The History of Poole’s Diner begins in 1945 when John Poole opened Poole’s Pie Shop to serve a delectable array of homemade pies. After six years of serving sweet treats, John expanded his menu to include hot plates and sandwiches thus the place was renamed Poole’s Luncheonette. Soon word got out and lines of people began to form around the building. Poole’s became established as one of the first downtown eateries in Raleigh. Years later and several changes of ownership, the building came available. Christensen seized the opportunity and purchased Poole’s Diner in 2007. After nearly a year of renovations the new reincarnation of Poole’s Diner re-opened in 2008. Most of the retro-chic restaurant incorporates original décor from Poole’s bar circa 1945. The establishment is intended to be recession proof serving simple, accessible food for under $20. Everything is made to order and it takes time, so don’t expect to dash in and out of here. Its location is ideally situated to dine before or after a show and is quite popular with many of the performing artists. Poole’s does not accept reservations and due to its ever-growing popularity you may want to come early or late to avoid the hour to hour-and-a-half wait in line. It is definitely worth the wait just to savor the Macaroni and Cheese which is claimed to be the best in the Triangle.