Snappy Lunch has been in the same location since 1923, on Main Street. The restaurant was made famous on The Andy Griffith Show. Andy grew up in Mount Airy and used to eat at the Southern diner as a kid; he later mentioned the establishment on his show.
Make no mistake. Mount Airy is a small town. Even on The Andy Griffith Parkway (Highway 52), you’re liable to pass men on tractors.
Snappy Lunch isn’t shy about their Andy Griffith affiliation. Cast photos blanket the walls. Opie is noticeably absent in this shot, but if it’s any consolation to Ron Howard, Opie’s Candie Store is located two doors down, specializing in “Old-Tyme Goodies.”
The main reason I nearly drove to Virginia from Charleston was to experience Snappy Lunch’s famous pork chop sandwich. I ordered mine “all the way,” meaning the crispy boneless pork chop came topped with tomato slices, chopped onions, cole slaw, and delicious tomato paste. From my first bite, I knew it was worth the trip.
The succulent pork chop’s base charred crisp on the grill, adding perfect textural counterbalance to the tender meat.
Grill man Junior Ayers constructs between 700-800 pork chop sandwiches a day. And that’s in an approximately three-and-a-half hour window.
Owner Charles Dowell didn’t rest on the success of his pork chop sandwich. This country ham biscuit was almost equally amazing, moist (no doubt from lard) and bigger than my hand. And that chewy, salty ham could very well have been my all-time favorite. Apologies to Loveless Cafe.
I was even given the honor of taking a photo with owner Charles Dowell, who’s been with Snappy Lunch since 1943 and still mans the counter every day.
Blog Comments
matt green
February 26, 2009 at 5:51 PM
oh boy i visited from ny n man i ordered 3 with slaw oh they were good