We’re searching out Charlotte’s spiciest food, looking for travel stops
Happy Wednesday, Charlotte!
Today’s CharlotteFive newsletter centers on Evan’s hunt for the city’s spiciest dish, spurred along by plenty of thoughts from eaters all over the area. Here’s a quick look at what readers are talking about.
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Evan’s search for Charlotte’s spiciest food landed him at Curry Gate II on South Boulevard, where a chicken curry ordered at spice level 10 delivered lingering heat. But it fell short of the punishing burn of Carolina Reaper hot sauce, he wrote after testing out Reddit recommendations.
The Carolina Reaper, developed by Ed Currie of PuckerButt Pepper Company in Fort Mill, once held the Guinness World Records title as the world’s hottest pepper, with heat topping 2.2 million Scoville Heat Units compared with 2,500 to 8,000 for jalapenos, as detailed in the spicy food search. Now, Currie’s Pepper X take that title. But what Charlotte foods pack that kind of punch?
The Outer Banks ranked 10th overall among the top islands in the Continental U.S. with a score of 82.51 in this week’s Travel + Leisure’s 2026 World’s Best Awards, making it the only North Carolina locale on the list that drew 661,000 reader votes.
The Outer Banks is known for serene waterfronts, wildlife and historical attractions, including Jockey’s Ridge State Park, home to the tallest living sand dune system on the Atlantic Coast, as highlighted in the travel rankings.
Skylight Inn in Ayden, about 90 minutes east of Raleigh, was named one of America’s best affordable barbecue spots by budget travel site Cheapism. Founded in 1947 and run by three generations of the Jones family, it specializes in whole hog barbecue cooked over wood coals.
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The most popular item at Skylight Inn — a tray of chopped pork, slaw and cornbread — starts at $9.50, and the restaurant has earned a James Beard American Classics award, as noted in the Cheapism recognition.
🚙 Wanna go? Check out Drew’s story.
Follow along for daily food and drink coverage, plus things to do, on Instagram (@cltfive), Threads (@cltfive), TikTok (@cltfive) and Bluesky (@charlottefive.com).
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This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists. To learn more about how The Charlotte Observer is using AI in our newsroom, see our policy here.
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